Phase structure and electrochemical characteristics of CaNi4.7Mn0.3 hydrogen storage alloy by mechanical alloying

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this paper, we study systematically the effect of ball/powder weight ratio on the morphological, structural, and electrochemical properties of...     

Microwave Irradiation and Glutamic Acid-Assisted Phytotreatment of Tannery and Surgical Industrial Wastewater by Sorghum

We investigated how different doses of microwave irradiation (MR) affect seed germination in Sorghum, including the level of remediation against textile and surgical wastewater (WW) by modulating biochemical and morpho-physiological mechanisms under glutamic acid (GA) application. The experiment was conducted to determine the impact of foliar-applied GA on Sorghum under wastewater conditions. Plants were treated with or without microwave irradiation (30 s, 2.45 GHz), GA (5 and 10 mM), and wastewater (0, 25, 50, and 100). Growth and photosynthetic pigments were significantly decreased in plants only treated with various concentrations of WW. GA significantly improved the plant growth characteristics both in MR-treated and -untreated plants compared with respective controls. HMs stress increased electrolyte leakage (EL), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content; however, the GA chelation significantly improved the antioxidant enzymes activities such as ascorbate oxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) both in MR-treated and -untreated plants under WW stress compared with respective controls. The results suggested that the MR-treated plants accumulate higher levels of HMs under GA addition in comparison to the WW-only-treated and MR-untreated plants. The maximum increase in Cd accumulation was observed in the range of 14–629% in the roots, 15–2964% in the stems, and 26–4020% in the leaves; the accumulation of Cu was 18–2757% in the roots, 15–4506% in the stems, and 23–4605% in the leaves; and the accumulation of Pb was 13–4122% in the roots, 21–3588% in the stems, and 21–4990% in the leaves under 10 mM GA and MR-treated plants. These findings confirmed that MR-treated sorghum plants had a higher capacity for HMs uptake under GA and could be used as a potential candidate for wastewater treatment.     

Ternary CoPtAu Nanoparticles as a General Catalyst for Highly Efficient Electro‐oxidation of Liquid Fuels

Efficient electro‐oxidation of formic acid, methanol, and ethanol is challenging owing to the multiple chemical reaction steps required to accomplish full oxidation to CO₂. Herein, a ternary CoPtAu nanoparticle catalyst system is reported in which Co and Pt form an intermetallic L1₀‐structure and Au segregates on the surface to alloy with Pt. The L1₀‐structure stabilizes Co and significantly enhances the catalysis of the PtAu surface towards electro‐oxidation of ethanol, methanol, and formic acid, with mass activities of 1.55 A/mg_Pt, 1.49 A/mg_Pt, and 11.97 A/mg_Pt, respectively in 0.1 m HClO₄. The L1₀‐CoPtAu catalyst is also stable, with negligible degradation in mass activities and no obvious Co/Pt/Au composition changes after 10 000 potential cycles. The in situ surface‐enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy study indicates that the ternary catalyst activates the C?C bond more efficiently for ethanol oxidation.     

Synthesis and In-Vivo Evaluation of Benzoxazole Derivatives as Promising Anti-Psoriatic Drugs for Clinical Use

2-(4-Chlorophenyl)-5-benzoxazoleacetic acid (CBA) and its ester, methyl-2-(4-chloro-phenyl)-5-benzoxazoleacetate (MCBA), were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by ¹HNMR, IR, and mass spectrophotometry. The anti-psoriatic activities of CBA and MCBA were tested using an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic mouse model, in which mice were treated both topically (1% w/w) and orally (125 mg/kg) for 14 days. The erythema intensity, thickness, and desquamation of psoriasis were scored by calculating the psoriasis area severity index (PASI). The study also included the determination of histopathological alterations in the skin tissues of treated mice. Topical and oral administration of CBA and MCBA led to a reduction in erythema intensity, thickness, and desquamation, which was demonstrated by a significant decrease in the PASI value. In addition, skin tissues of mice treated with CBA and MCBA showed less evidence of psoriatic alterations, such as hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, scale crust, edema, psoriasiform, and hyperplasia. After administration of either topical or oral dosing, the anti-psoriatic effects were found to be stronger in MCBA-treated than in CBA-treated mice. These effects were comparable to those produced by Clobetasol propionate, the reference drug. This drug discovery could be translated into a potential new drug for future clinical use in psoriasis treatment.     

Biodiesel Production from Alkali-Catalyzed Transesterification of Tamarindus indica Seed Oil and Optimization of Process Conditions

Biodiesel is considered a sustainable alternative to petro-diesel owing to several favorable characteristics. However, higher production costs, primarily due to the use of costly edible oils as raw materials, are a chief impediment to its pecuniary feasibility. Exploring non-edible oils as raw material for biodiesel is an attractive strategy that would address the economic constraints associated with biodiesel production. This research aims to optimize the reaction conditions for the production of biodiesel through an alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Tamarindus indica seed oil. The Taguchi method was applied to optimize performance parameters such as alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst amount, and reaction time. The fatty acid content of both oil and biodiesel was determined using gas chromatography. The optimized conditions of alcohol-to-oil molar ratio (6:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w), and reaction time 1 h afforded biodiesel with 93.5% yield. The most considerable contribution came from the molar ratio of alcohol to oil (75.9%) followed by the amount of catalyst (20.7%). In another case, alcohol to oil molar ratio (9:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w) and reaction time 1.5 h afforded biodiesel 82.5% yield. The fuel properties of Tamarindus indica methyl esters produced under ideal conditions were within ASTM D6751 biodiesel specified limits. Findings of the study indicate that Tamarindus indica may be chosen as a prospective and viable option for large-scale production of biodiesel, making it a substitute for petro-diesel.     

A one-pot synthesis of 8-amino-1-methoxy-6<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-dibenzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">b,d</Emphasis>]pyran-6-one

8-Amino-1-methoxy-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-one was synthesized in a one-pot reaction of 2′,6′-dimethoxy-4-nitro-1,1′-biphenyl-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester using hydroiodic acid as a reagent to effect O-demethylation, lactonization, and nitro reduction to amine. This new reaction represents an improved alternative to the previously reported three-step reactions for this transformation.     

Electrochemical study of intermetallic metal hydride as an anode material for Ni–MH batteries

The electrochemical behavior of Cobalt-free LaNi_3.55Mn_0.4Al_0.3Co_0.4Fe_0.35 alloy electrode in alkaline solution was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at different number of charge/discharge cycles. A physicochemical model is developed in order to simulate impedance data. Kinetic parameters are obtained by fitting the electrochemical impedance spectrum performed at different number of cycles. The charge-transfer resistance decreases with increasing number of charge/discharge of cycles, whereas exchange current density and hydrogen diffusion coefficient parameters increase with increasing number of cycles. In addition, the specific surface area of LaNi_3.55Mn_0.4Al_0.3Co_0.4Fe_0.35 alloy electrode increases due to pulverization and the formation of new active sites during charge/discharge cycling. The results of EIS measurements indicate that the performance of the LaNi_3.55Mn_0.4Al_0.3Co_0.4Fe_0.35 metal hydride electrode was markedly improved with increasing number of cycles which is mainly attributed to the increase in the reaction surface area and the improvement in the electrode surface activation.     

A higher‐order Boussinesq‐type model with moving bottom boundary: applications to submarine landslide tsunami waves

A two‐dimensional depth‐integrated numerical model is developed using a fourth‐order Boussinesq approximation for an arbitrary time‐variable bottom boundary and is applied for submarine‐landslide‐generated waves. The mathematical formulation of model is an extension of (4,4) Padé approximant for moving bottom boundary. The mathematical formulations are derived based on a higher‐order perturbation analysis using the expanded form of velocity components. A sixth‐order multi‐step finite difference method is applied for spatial discretization and a sixth‐order Runge–Kutta method is applied for temporal discretization of the higher‐order depth‐integrated governing equations and boundary conditions. The present model is validated using available three‐dimensional experimental data and a good agreement is obtained. Moreover, the present higher‐order model is compared with fully potential three‐dimensional models as well as Boussinesq‐type multi‐layer models in several cases and the differences are discussed. The high accuracy of the present numerical model in considering the nonlinearity effects and frequency dispersion of waves is proven particularly for waves generated in intermediate and deeper water area. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.