One step NaBH4 reduction of Pt-Ru-Ni catalysts on different types of carbon supports for direct ethanol fuel cells: Synthesis and characterization

The ternary catalyst Pt₇₅Ru₅Ni₂₀ was conducted on various types of carbon supports including functionalized Vulcan XC-72R (f-CB), functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT), and mesoporous carbon (PC-Zn-succinic) by sodium borohydride chemical reduction method to improve the ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC). It was found that the particle size of the metals on f-MWCNT was 5.20 nm with good particle dispersion. The alloy formation of ternary catalyst was confirmed by XRD and more clearly described by SEM element mapping, which was relevant to the efficiency of the catalysts. Moreover, the mechanism of ethanol electrooxidation reaction based on the surface reaction was more understanding. The activity and stability for ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, respectively. The highest activity and stability for EOR were observed from Pt₇₅Ru₅Ni₂₀/f-MWCNT due to a good metal-carbon interaction. Ru and Ni presented in Pt-Ru-Ni alloy improved the activity and stability of ternary catalysts for EOR. Moreover, the reduction of Pt content in ternary catalyst led to the catalyst cost deduction in DEFC.     

Percolation Thresholds in Ternary Polymer Melt Blends with Separate Dispersions of the Inner Phases: Mathematical Model

A mathematical model based on a straightforward geometrical background is developed which enables predictions of a transition of one dispersed phase to a cocontinuous one (i.e., the percolation threshold) on addition of another dispersed phase during melt mixing in ternary polymer blends. The present work concerns only ternary blends with two separate dispersions of the inner phases in which no encapsulation takes place. In addition, in order to simplify the model, one of the inner phases was represented by hard, nondeformable microspheres The expression developed describes well an experimental relationship between the percolation threshold, the concentration above which the former dispersed phase transforms to a continuous one, and concentrations of both inner phases. The results agree well with the experimental data obtained in a previous work.     

Binary and Ternary Copper(II) Complexes with NIPAAm/IA Copolymers and Aminoacids: Interpretation of UV‐Visible Spectra and Cyclic Voltammograms

The complex formations of homopolymers and copolymers of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm), polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poly(itaconic acid) (PIA) with Cu(II) ions in aqueous solutions were studied by using UV‐visible spectra in the region of 200–1100 nm and cyclic voltammograms between ?0.800 V and 0.600 V. According to the optical and electrochemical spectra of the polymer‐ and copolymer‐Cu(II) complexes and their ternary complexes with alanine, i.e., absorptions and the shifts in the wavelength of the maximum absorptions, currents and potentials of the peaks in the pH range of 3–12, the intensities of anodic and cathodic peak currents of polymers containing IA groups decrease with increasing pH and they show maximum absorptions at lower wavelengths than do the homopolymers used in this work. The peak point of the visible band shifts from 800 to 650 nm, with increasing pH, while the intensity of the third anodic peak observed after pH=4 increases in the case of both Ala‐Cu(II) and its ternary solution with P(NIPAAm‐co‐IA, 9.8 mol%). Both the pH‐dependent shifts of maximum absorptions and the appearence of the third anodic peaks as the pH raised were interpreted as a presence of tetracoordinated Cu(II) complexes in the solution and on the electrode surface, involving combined carboxyl, amide and amine interaction.     

Baroque glass mosaics from the Capela de São João Baptista (Chapel of Saint John the Baptist,Lisbon): unveiling the glassmaking records

For the first time, 18th‐century glass mosaics from the Capela de São João Baptista (Chapel of St. John the Baptist, Lisbon) were analysed by Raman microscopy (RM). This masterpiece in baroque mosaic art had one of its major contributors the most famous glassmaker in Rome, Alessio Mattioli. Mattioli was celebrated because of the opacity of his mosaics and the astonishing number of hues he was able to produce for mosaic decorating Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. This study had two goals in mind: (1) characterising the materials involved in the manufacture of these glass mosaics and (2) lengthening the understanding of what was left of Mattioli's glassmaking records. As expected the mosaics presented a high ratio of crystalline phases, making RM the ideal technique for non‐destructive analysis. The mosaics contained a white ‘background’ or opacifier added identified as Ca₂Sb₂O₇. The yellow tesserae are opacified with lead antimonate (Pb₂Sb₂O₇) and ternary oxides, structures related to lead antimonate but with other ions entering the position of Sb⁴⁺ (namely Sn⁴⁺). Those ternary oxides are pervasive in most colours, admixed with other colorants. The red, orange, pink and brown colours were accomplished with cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) and admixed with a ternary oxide to create the latter three colours. The red copper‐based colours were made according to the procedure to make a ruby copper glass and with the exception of the red colour; all mosaics exhibited a dark layer on each side of the mosaic, named scorzetta. This layer is the outcome of an oxidation reaction because of a quick cooling process and is composed of CuO. Finally the blue and green colours are accomplished with cobalt oxide and copper oxide, respectively, and the purple/black colour with manganese oxide. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

K8[Fe(H2O)W11MnO39]/PANI/V2O5三元复合材料的制备、表征及光催化性能研究

本文运用静电自组装法合成了一种新型三元复合材料K₈[Fe(H₂O)W₁₁MnO₃₉]/PANI/V₂O₅,并采用IR、UV、XRD、XPS、SEM、氮气吸附等方法对其进行表征;然后,以龙胆紫为有机污染物进行光催化实验,对此三元复合催化剂的降解性能进行研究。结果表明:K₈[Fe(H₂O)W₁₁MnO₃₉]/PANI/V₂O₅已被成功复合,且仍然保持Keggin结构,稳定性能良好;在pH=2,龙胆紫C初=5 mg·L^-1,此催化剂用量为5 mg的条件下,其脱色率高达93.09%。可见,此复合催化剂具有优异的研究潜力和实用价值。     

Cooperative Effect of Noncovalent Interactions on Tetrel Bonding in Halogenated Silanes

Tetrel bond, a weak noncovalent interaction between the σ-hole of a Group IV element (silicon in our case) and the cloud of an electronegative element (oxygen in our case) is the focus of this work. The percentage strengthening of tetrel bond has been investigated by optimizing 16 binary complexes of halogenated silane and water of general formula SiX_nH_4−n−H₂O and 16 ternary complexes, of general formula NaX−SiX_nH_4−n−H₂O, where X=F, Cl, Br and I and n=1, 2, 3 and 4 at various levels of theory defined within the formalism of density functional theory (DFT). With the addition of NaX, tetrel bond between Si and O in SiX_nH_4−n−H₂O gets strengthened up to 49 %, owing to cooperativity effect exerted by hydrogen bonding between X and H in the ternary complex NaX−SiX_nH_4−n−H₂O. In the series of complexes studied here, overall stabilization due to cooperativity lies between 10 kJ/mol to 170 kJ/mol. This large extent of reinforcement due to cooperativity has never been showcased before. The exceptional stabilization and reinforcement owe its genesis to the transformation of the ternary complex into a cluster orchestrated by the H-bonding in most of the cases and covalent bonding in few of the cases.     

An investigation on surface tensions of Pb-free solder materials

Surface tensions of some Pb-free solder systems such as Ag–Bi–Sn with cross-sections Ag/Bi = 1/1, Ag/Bi = 1/2, Ag/Bi = 2/1, In–Sn–Zn with cross-sections Sn/In = 1/1, Sn/In = 1/3 and (Ag₇Cu₃)_100?x Sn_x with cross-section Ag/Cu = 7/3 are calculated from the sub-binary surface tension data using the models, such as the Muggianu, Kohler, Toop models, Butler’s equation and Chou’s General Solution Model (GSM) at 873, 923 and 1073 K, respectively. The surface tension of In–Sn–Zn increases wavily with increasing amount of Zn and it is found that the best models are the GSM for both cross-sections in question while GSM becomes the best model for (Ag₇Cu₃)_100?x Sn_x alloy in the whole experimental range. Moreover, the surface tension of (Ag₇Cu₃)_100?x Sn_x decreases slightly with increasing amount of Sn. The Muggianu, Butler and Butler models are determined as the best models for the cross-sections in the order given above for entire measurement range, respectively, and the surface tension of Ag–Bi–Sn decreases slightly with an increasing amount of Bi and Ag but increases with increasing Sn in liquid alloys.     

A Promising Electrochemical Platform for Dopamine and Uric Acid Detection Based on a Polyaniline/Iron Oxide-Tin Oxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Ternary Composite

A ternary polyaniline/Fe₂O₃-SnO₂/reduced graphene oxide (PFSG) nanocomposite was prepared using a simple two-step hydrothermal treatment. The composite was applied as a glassy carbon electrode modifier (GCE) to enhance dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) detection. The ternary PFSG composite was compared with its binary precursor Fe₂O₃-SnO₂/reduced graphene oxide (FSG). The influence of the modified GCE electrodes on their performance as a sensing platform was determined. GCE/PFSG showed better sensing parameters than GCE/FSG due to the introduction of polyaniline (PANI), increasing the electrocatalytic properties of the electrode towards the detected analytes. GCE/PFSG enabled the detection of low concentrations of DA (0.076 µM) and UA (1.6 µM). The peak potential separation between DA and UA was very good (180 mV). Moreover, the DA oxidation peak was unaffected even if the concentration of UA was ten times higher. The fabricated sensor showed excellent performance in the simultaneous detection with DA and UA limits of detection: LOD_DA = 0.15 µM and LOD_UA = 6.4 µM, and outstanding long-term stability towards DA and UA, holding 100% and 90% of their initial signals respectively, after one month of use.     

Complications in the Use of the Taylor Dispersion Method for Ternary Diffusion Measurements: Methanol + Acetone + Water Mixtures

The Taylor dispersion technique is used to measure the ternary mutual diffusion coefficients of aqueous nonelectrolyte solutions at 25°C. The dispersion of the injected solutes is recorded by a differential refractometer and an ultraviolet-visible detector. The diffusion coefficients are calculated directly by fitting the theoretical dispersion equations to about six experimental curves simultaneously. If the ternary diffusion effects in the measured dispersion profiles are not confused by the inaccuracy of the experimental method or an unfavorable relative detector sensitivity, the diffusion coefficients are precise. For the system methanol + acetone + water, it is shown that the Taylor dispersion method is unsuitable for the determination of all the diffusion coefficients if the methanol mole fraction is less than 0.45 or the acetone mole fraction if more than 0.001.     

水洗和回烧工艺对高镍三元材料LiNi0.88Co0.07Al0.05O2微观结构及电化学性能的影响

以镍钴氢氧化物、异丙醇铝为原料,采用水解法合成三元前驱体Ni_(0.88)Co_(0.07)Al_(0.05)O_2,再与锂盐混合烧结得到正极材料(TEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、能量色散X射线谱(EDS)和恒电流充放电测试等对样品的晶体结构、微观形貌、元素价态以及电化学性能进行表征。研究表明,料液比1∶25、水洗3次、600℃回烧2 h合成的LiNi_(0.88)Co_(0.07)Al_(0.05)O_2具有较优的综合电化学性能,其在0.2C的放电比容量达207.6 mAh·g~(-1),首次充放电效率为84.8%,1C放电比容量为192.0 mAh·g~(-1),循环100周后,材料的放电比容量仍有148.0 mAh·g~(-1),容量保持率达到77.1%。