Mechanical endurance of polymer electrolyte membrane and PEM fuel cell durability

The life of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is currently limited by the mechanical endurance of polymer electrolyte membranes and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). In this paper, the authors report recent experimental and modeling work toward understanding the mechanisms of delayed mechanical failures of polymer electrolyte membranes and MEAs under relevant PEMFC operating conditions. Mechanical breach of membranes/MEAs in the form of pinholes and tears has been frequently observed after long‐term or accelerated testing of PEMFC cells/stacks. Catastrophic failure of cell/stack due to rapid gas crossover shortly follows the mechanical breach. Ex situ mechanical characterizations were performed on MEAs after being subjected to the accelerated chemical aging and relative humidity (RH) cycling tests. The results showed significant reduction of MEA ductility manifested as drastically reduced strain‐to‐failure of the chemically aged and RH‐cycled MEAs. Postmortem analysis revealed the formation and growth of mechanical defects such as cracks and crazing in the membranes and MEAs. A finite element model was used to estimate stress/strain states of an edge‐constrained MEA under rapid RH variations. Damage metrics for accelerated testing and life prediction of PEMFCs are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2346–2357, 2006     

The high-temperature durability of Rh-free threeway catalysts used for automoble emission control

The high-temperature durability of cordierite honeycomb Rh-free three-way catalysts (TWC) containing additives has been studied by calcining catalysts at various temperatures in the interval of 600≈1100°C. The three-way performances of these catalysts were evaluated for the reaction of carbon monoxide(CO), hydrocarbon(HC) and nitrogen oxides(NOx) at given conditions by using a fixed bed reactor. The results show that after Rh-free TWC are thermally aged in air at 1100°C for 5h and 950°C for 104 h, the TWC still have better three-way activity compared with Rh-containing TWC.     

贮氢材料电极循环寿命的定量预测定时放电半衰期法的应用

贮氢材料电极循环寿命的定量预测定时放电半衰期法的应用韩剑文，袁满雪，周作祥，赖城明（南开大学化学系天津３０００７１）关键词：贮氢电极，循环寿命，半衰期。前文￣［１］讨论了应用定终点电位放电半衰期法来预测贮氢材料电极循环寿命的问题。本文讨论如何采用定时...     

Inhibition of Pb-Leaching from Lead Crystal Glass by Coating with Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method

The chemical durability of lead glass tumblers (24% PbO) in a 4% (v/v) acetic acid solution before and after coating with sol-gel derived SiO2 films was assessed to determine the extent of reduction in Pb-leaching that can be achieved. It was found that by coating the internal surface of the glass tumblers with 1 ml of 10% TEOS solutions at 100°C and densifying the coating formed at 500°C for 1 h, it was possible to reduce Pb-leaching to about one quarter of that of the uncoated glass.     

In-depth analysis of glass fibers

Two types of commercial glass fibers were subjected to attack in strongly basic KOH solutions. The resulting leach solutions were analysed for Na, Ca, and Si. This showed that the corrosion process attacks the fibers incongruently. Although there are some distinct differences in the performance of these fibers, to a first approximation both types behave similarly. Further, the fibers were depth profiled using a recently developed SNMS technique for fiber in-depth analysis. This showed that both types of fibers behave in a quite dissimilar manner. The fibers were weathered already without any treatment. Although both fibers show alkali ion exchange and network splitting processes, on one of the fiber layers enriched in SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, and CaO are formed by a redeposition process from the leach solution.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Analysis of long-term distributions of calibration parameters and calibration intervals for an atomic absorption spectrophotometer

 A combination of "black box" and "calendar-time" methods for the determination of calibration intervals of an analytical measuring instrument is discussed. Since the methods require information on the distributions of the calibration parameters, such information is described for an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, as an example. The hypotheses on the normal distribution of the calibration parameters are tested using the ω²-criterion and accepted at 0.90–0.95 levels of confidence. Corresponding control charts are designed for indication of warning and action limits of the calibration parameters, and diagnoses of outliers in further calibrations. Control charts indicate also when the calibration should be done according to the full program of the equipment manufacturer. Received: 15 April 2000 / Accepted: 24 July 2000     

Prediction of paper permanence by accelerated aging II. Comparison of the predictions with natural aging results

Accelerated aging tests are credible and useful to predict paper permanence only if such tests can be shown to correlate with natural aging. In the first part of this study, a kinetic model was developed based on the accelerated aging results. In this report, we have shown that this kinetic model can indeed predict the natural aging results of lignin-free sheets with a statistical confidence. This is the first quantitative comparison of accelerated aging with natural aging.     

颈内静脉原位导丝法换置中心静脉长期血液透析导管的临床应用

目的探讨经颈内静脉原位导丝法换置中心静脉长期血液透析导管在维持性血液透析（MHD）患者中的应用价值。方法选取近3年在颈内静脉留置的中心静脉长期血液透析导管因功能障碍后，并经颈内静脉原位导丝法换置长期导管，术后及每次透析后均改用尿激酶封管患者16例（原位换置组）；选取同期首次经颈内静脉留置中心静脉长期血液透析导管,普通肝素封管患者20例作为对照组；分析两组患者围术期泵控血流量及随访期的反应及开存期率、次开存期率。结果围术期泵控血流量原位换置组高于对照组，有统计学差异（P＜0.05）；两组比较感染例次/1000导管日0.9%与1.0%，无统计学差异（P＞0.05）。原位换置组围术期未发生中重度并发症，12个月开存期率81.2%、次开存期率93.8%；对照组开存期率为65%、次开存期率85%；两组比较无统计学差异（P＞0.05）。结论颈内静脉原位导丝法换置中心静脉长期血液透析导管，在MHD患者中的使用是安全的、可行的。     

Green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles by Allium cepa L. to produce silver nano‐coated fabric and their antimicrobial evaluation

This research work was proposed to study the antimicrobial activity of the silver nanocoated fabric with the purpose of producing good dressing and clothing material. We synthesized simple, ecofriendly, cost‐effective and sustainable silver nanoparticles by using the aqueous extract of Allium cepa L. Here, A. cepa L. acts as a good reducing and capping agent that produced stable silver nanoparticles having particle size of range 36 ± 1 to 98 ± 2 nm, Poly dispersiblity index 0.234 ± 0.61 to 1.023 ± 0.33 and Zeta potential ‐12 ± 1.5 mV to ‐26 ± 1.2 mV. The effect of temperature and extract volume used was considered for optimization of synthetic procedure. The nanocoated fabric was characterized for morphological study, size (using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and zeta‐potential (Zeta Potentiometer). The presence of functional groups were observed by using attenuated total reflection‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The crystallinity and structural property of the synthesized silver nanoparticles were studied in terms of Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). An IC₅₀ value and zone of inhibition was studied which demonstrate that the silver nanocoated fabric have an excellent antibacterial property against Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram‐positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Further nanocoated fabric material was washed (with function of time 0, 10, 25, and 50 laundry cycles) and still retained their anti‐bacterial activity towards both strain. Initially there was 52 μg/ml of silver nanoparticles on the cotton fabric but after 50 laundry cycle in 500 ml of distilled water the fabric showed 92% efficiency against gram positive and 90% efficacy toward gram negative bacteria. It was found that 4.16 μg/ml nano particles leached in case of S. Aureus and 5.2 μg/mL silver nanoparticles leached in case of E. coli. Nanocoated fabric material synthesized using green synthesis was found to be economical with good resistance to washing.     

Duration of long-term care: Socio-economic factors,type of care interactions and evolution

The time spent in dependence and the type of care an elderly receives are the two main cost drivers of long-term care (LTC). We aim to provide a better understanding of the duration of care by using a comprehensive social insurance dataset covering the LTC needs in Switzerland over a 20-years-period and including 230 000 observations on dependent elderly. First, using the framework of survival analysis, we calculate Kaplan–Meier estimates for the care duration and derive the main explaining factors through econometric models when care is received at home and in an institution. Retaining only significant covariates, the final accelerated failure time models allow us to predict the duration for different profiles of elderly along their age, gender, region of residence, type of household composition, acuity level and pre-retirement income. Second, we study the interaction of care durations when care is provided at home and in an institution. While our data supports that for short at-home care durations the time spent in institutional care is reduced, we find that both types of care are non-substitutes when the time spent at home has been longer. Under the latter regime, the time spent in institutional care remains at a constant level. Finally, given the longevity improvements over the period of observation, we analyze the impact of living longer on the time spent in dependence. Our results show that while the mean age at entry in dependence grows, the overall care duration does not significantly change. Given the expected increasing number of elderly in most developed countries, our study is relevant for government planning, budgeting social insurance schemes, estimating personal savings needs and calculating private insurance premiums.