Investigations of flow field designs in direct methanol fuel cell

An experimental and simulation research had been performed to investigate the performance as well as the flow distribution in the cathode flow field in the case of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The gas was well distributed in serpentine flow field, whereas stagnation of the gas was observed in parallel flow field. These would contribute to the cell performance greatly due to mass transfer effect when the cells start operating. In addition, the durability test of DMFC was drastically affected in parallel flow field due to poor ability to drain flooded water produced electrochemically at cathode and crossover from anode. In addition, pressure drops of different flow fields were also investigated to evaluate their contribution and feasibility as an economic application for DMFC. DMFC with serpentine flow field featuring higher pressure difference resulted in a larger parasitic energy demand. However, the optimal flow field designs are needed to balance the performance and pressure loss to achieve a uniform fluid distribution and simultaneously minimize energy demand for mass transport. Consequently, flow field with grid pattern appears to be the optimal design for the DMFC cathode.     

Poly[(N,N‐dimethylformamide‐κO)(μ3‐4,4′‐ethylenedibenzoato‐κ5O,O′:O′:O′′,O′′′)(pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline‐κ2N8,N9)lead(II)]

In the title Pb^II coordination polymer, [Pb(C₁₆H₁₀O₄)(C₁₄H₈N₄)(C₃H₇NO)]_n, each Pb^II atom is eight‐coordinated by two chelating N atoms from one pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline (L) ligand, one dimethylformamide (DMF) O atom and five carboxylate O atoms from three different 4,4′‐ethylenedibenzoate (eedb) ligands. The eedb dianions bridge neighbouring Pb^II centres through four typical Pb—O bonds and one longer Pb—O interaction to form a two‐dimensional structure. The C atoms from the L and eedb ligands form C—H...O hydrogen bonds with the O atoms of eedb and DMF ligands, which further stabilize the structure. The title compound is the first Pb^II coordination polymer incorporating the L ligand.     

磷脂酰胆碱与牛血清白蛋白相互作用的FT-IR研究

利用傅立叶变换红外(FT-IR)和拉曼(FT-Raman)光谱研究了高浓度磷脂酰胆碱(PC)与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的相互作用,及Eu3＋对该作用的影响.FT-IR结果显示,PC/BSA混合体系中二者的相互作用主要发生在PC头部极性基团,且这一作用随BSA含量的增加而增强,作用后蛋白质二级结构中α螺旋的比例有所增加. FT-Raman光谱说明PC与BSA的相互作用影响磷脂CH链的排列有序程度. PC/BSA/Eu3＋体系的红外光谱显示, Eu3＋与PC的磷氧键发生了强相互作用,并使蛋白α螺旋的比例进一步增加.     

Developing a novel alkaline anion exchange membrane derived from poly(ether‐imide) for improved ionic conductivity

We have developed a novel alkaline anion exchange membrane derived from poly(ether‐imide) for improved ionic conductivity. The effects of several important parameters on the chloromethylation of the membrane were investigated. These parameters included reaction temperature, reaction time, concentration of chloromethylation agent, concentration of polymer, and the amount of catalyst. The quaternization of the synthesized chloromethylated polymer was studied as well. The results show that all the studied parameters exhibited significant impacts on chloromethylation. Among them, the concentration of the chloromethylation agent played a key role in increasing the chloromethyl functional group attachment onto the polymer. It was found that the gelation could be avoided if these reaction parameters were controlled. It was also found that using an appropriate quaternization approach could significantly improve the ionic conductivity and optimize the conductivity of the membrane even though the functional chloromethyl groups attached to the polymer are limited. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An effective sequence characterized amplified region‐PCR method derived from restriction site‐amplified polymorphism for the identification of female Schistosoma japonicum of zoonotic significance

In the present study, restriction site‐amplified polymorphism (RSAP) markers were used to examine the genetic variability of Schistosoma japonicum isolates from different endemic provinces in mainland China. Of the 45 pairs of primers screened, 10 RSAP markers showed a clear banding pattern with good resolution; however, only six exhibited a polymorphism among different isolates. Among six RSAP markers, one pair of primers (R8+R10) was able to differentiate male and female parasites, and amplified one constant specific band for female S. japonicum isolates. The specific band was recovered, re‐amplified and sequenced, and a sequence of 162 bp was obtained. Based on this sequence, a pair of specific primers was designed and used to develop sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR)‐PCR assay for identification and differentiation of female S. japonicum isolates. The SCAR‐PCR assay allowed the specific identification of female S. japonicum, with no amplicons being amplified from male S. japonicum, Fasciola hepatica, Clonorchis sinensis, S. mansoni (male and female parasite). DNA sequencing confirmed the identity of the amplified products. The minimum amount of DNA detectable using SCAR‐PCR assay was 0.3 ng for female S. japonicum. The SCAR‐PCR was able to differentiate effectively the male and female S. japonicum worms collected from 12 geographical origins in eight endemic provinces, the gender of which was known based on the morphological and biological features. These results showed that SCAR‐PCR provides an effective tool for the sex differentiation studies of S. japonicum, identification of female S. japonicum, diagnosis and epidemiological survey of S. japonicum infections in animals and human.     

Polyethyleneimine functionalized protonated titanate nanotubes as superior carbon dioxide adsorbents

In this paper, protonated titanate nanotubes (PTNTs) were modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI) by wet impregnation method for CO(2) adsorption. Their micro-morphology and structural properties were characterized by a range of analytical techniques, including XRD, TEM, SEM, N(2) adsorption etc. Experimental results revealed that the functionalized PTNTs with 50wt.% PEI loaded exhibited a high CO(2) adsorption capacity of 130.8mg/g-sorbent at 100°C. Only a minor loss of its capacity was observed after five consecutive adsorption-desorption runs. The PEI was existed both in the internal and external mesoporous pores of PTNTs via chemical combination between amino group and enriched protons, which accounted for their good thermal stability at elevated temperatures. The results present herein imply that the PEI modified PTNTs could be appealing materials for capturing CO(2) from power plant flue gas.     

(UO2)2[UO4(trz)2](OH)2: a U(VI) coordination intermediate between a tetraoxido core and a uranyl ion with cation-cation interactions

A uranyl triazole (UO(2))(2)[UO(4)(trz)(2)](OH)(2) (1) (trz = 1,2,4-triazole) was prepared using a mild solvothermal reaction of uranyl acetate with 1,2,4-triazole. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 revealed it contains sheets of uranium-oxygen polyhedra and that one of the U(VI) cations is in an unusual coordination polyhedron that is intermediate between a tetraoxido core and a uranyl ion. This U(VI) cation also forms cation-cation interactions (CCIs). Infrared, Raman, and XPS spectra are provided, together with a thermogravimetric analysis that demonstrates breakdown of the compound above 300 °C. The UV-vis-NIR spectrum of 1 is compared to those of another compound that has a range of U(VI) coordination enviromments.     

Effect of Calcination Temperature and Pretreatment with Reaction Gas on Properties of Co/γ‐Al2O3 Catalysts for Partial Oxidation of Methane

The effects of calcination temperature and feedstock pretreatment on the catalytic performance of Co/γ‐Al₂O₃ catalysts were studied for partial oxidation of methane (POM) to synthesis gas, with emphasis on the role of feedstock pretreatment. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H₂ temperature‐programmed reduction (H₂‐TPR), and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the pretreatment of the catalyst by reaction gas significantly improved the catalytic activity and stability for the POM reaction. On the other hand, the effect of calcination temperature was less significant. Although the initial activity was increased by an increased calcination temperature, the catalyst without the feedstock pretreatment suffered a rapid deactivation. The reaction‐atmosphere pretreatment was revealed as a process that mainly modified the surface structure of the catalyst. In that process, the formation of a CoAl₂O₄‐like compound led to high Co metal dispersion after reduction, and the transformation of the carrier into α‐Al₂O₃ occurred over the catalyst surface. Both the high dispersion of cobalt and the presence of α‐Al₂O₃ surface phase were assumed as the important factors resulting in an excellent catalytic performance in terms of high activity and high stability.     

Rh/SiO_2催化剂上甲烷部分氧化制合成气反应机理的研究(英文)

运用ＴＰＳＲ、ＴＲ－ＦＴＩＲ和化学捕获技术（ＣＨ３Ｉ作捕获剂）,探讨了Ｒｈ／ＳｉＯ２催化剂上的ＰＯＭ反应机理,由此提出热分解氧化机理,认为ＣＨｘ（ｘ＝１～３）和ＣＨｘＯ（ｘ＝１～３）可能是反应物种。