Nickel-cermet anode for fuel cells with the LSGM electrolyte

The effect of some technological parameters (firing temperature, thickness of an interphase layer made of solid electrolyte Ce_0.82Gd_0.18O_1.91 (GDC), the GDC electrolyte amount in nickel-cermet) on the electrochemical and electric properties of a nickel-cermet (Ni-GDC) anode intended for fuel cells with the La_0.88Sr_0.12Ga_0.82Mg_0.18O_2.85 (LSGM) electrolyte is studied. The polarization resistance of such an electrode is shown to hardly depend on the thickness of the interphase layer (4.5–23.5 μm) and the GDC electrolyte amount in nickel-cermet and to increase with the anode firing temperature. It is established that the contact resistance is concentrated in cells with the developed nickel-cermet electrode at the GDC/LSGM interface. At a temperature of 700°C the developed anodes may ensure a current density of 1 A cm^?2 at an overvoltage of less than 100 mV when using both moist hydrogen and a methane-oxygen mixture as the fuel.     

Structure and Electric Conductivity of (La,Sr)(Ga,Mg)O3-α Solid Electrolyte

Electric conductivity, Raman spectra, and thermal expansion of La_0.88Sr_0.12Ga_0.82Mg_0.18O_2.85 solid solution (LSGM1218) based on lanthanum gallate were studied at various temperatures, and Xray phase analysis was performed at room temperature. Dilatometric measurements showed that secondorder phase transitions occur at 775±10$ and 880± 20 K. The transition around 880 K is confirmed by Raman spectra and by a change in the conductivity activation energy in this temperature range. This transition is associated with a symmetry change in the oxygen sublattice.     

Energetics of magnesium, strontium, and barium doped lanthanum gallate perovskites

LaGaO₃ perovskites doped with Sr or Ba at the La site and Mg at the Ga site were prepared by solid-state reaction or sol-gel method and characterized. Enthalpies of formation from constituent oxides at 298 K were determined by high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. Energetic trends are discussed in terms of defect chemistry. As oxygen deficiency increases, formation enthalpies define three trends, LaGa_1−yMg_yO_3−δ (LGM), La_1−xSr_xGa_1−yMg_yO_3−δ (LSGM), and La_1−xBa_xGa_1−yMg_yO_3−δ (LBGM). They become less exothermic with increasing doping, suggesting a dominant destabilization effect from oxygen vacancies. The endothermic enthalpy of vacancy formation is 275±37, 166±18 and 138±12 kJ/mol of V_O^·· for LGM, LBGM and LSGM, respectively. Tolerance factor and ion size mismatch also affect enthalpies. In terms of energetics, Sr is the best dopant for the La site and Mg for the Ga site, supporting earlier studies, including oxygen ion conductivity and computer modeling.     

Study of transition metal oxide doped LaGaO3 as electrode materials for LSGM-based solid oxide fuel cells

Transition metal oxide doped lanthanum gallates, La_0.9Sr_0.1Ga_0.8M_0.2O₃ (where M=Co, Mn, Cr, Fe, or V), are studied as mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIECs) for electrode applications. The electrochemical properties of these materials in air and in H₂ are characterized using impedance spectroscopy, open cell voltage measurement, and gas permeation measurement. Three single cells based on La_0.9Sr_0.1Ga_0.8 Mg_0.2O₃ (LSGM) electrolyte (1.13 to 1.65 mm thick) but with different electrode materials are studied under identical conditions to characterize the effectiveness of the lanthanum gallate-based MIECs for electrode applications. At 800 °C, a single cell using La_0.9Sr_0.1- Ga_0.8Co_0.2O₃ as the cathode and La_0.9Sr_0.1Ga_0.8Mn_0.2O₃ as the anode shows a maximum power density of 88 mW/cm², which is better than that of a cell using Pt as both electrodes (20 mW/cm²) and that of a cell using La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO₃ (LSC) as the cathode and CeO₂-Ni as the anode (61 mW/cm²) under identical conditions. The performance of LSGM-based fuel cells with MIEC electrodes may be further improved by reducing the electrolyte thickness and by optimizing the microstructures of the electrodes through processing. Received: 9 January 1998 / Accepted: 1 May 1998     

Solid-phase ultraviolet absorbance spectrophotometric multisensor for the simultaneous determination of butylated hydroxytoluene and co-existing antioxidants

Continuous flow injection and UV spectrophotometric detection have been proposed for simultaneous determination of the two binary mixtures, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)/n-propyl gallate (n-PG) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)/butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), in food and cosmetics samples. The method is based on the different residence times of each antioxidant when the flow cell is packed to a height of 25 mm with silica C₁₈ using methanol-water 50:50% (v/v) as a carrier with a flow rate of 1.25 and 1.10 ml min⁻¹, respectively. The determination of each antioxidant is based on the measurement of its absorbance at its maximum wavelengths using a DAD detector at 30 and 180 s for the mixture n-PG-BHT and 90 and 220 s for BHA-BHT. Calibration graphs were linear over the range 10.0-300.0 μg ml⁻¹ for each antioxidant in both mixtures. The relative standard deviations were 2.5% for BHT and 2.0% for the co-existing antioxidant. Resolution of the n-PG-BHT mixture in ratios between 1:8 and 8:1 and the BHA-BHT mixture in ratios between 1:10 and 10:1 is possible. The method was applied to the determination of both antioxidants in fat foods and cosmetics samples with recoveries ranging between 101 and 105%.     

Improved synthesis of structural analogues of (−)-epicatechin gallate for modulation of staphylococcal β-lactam resistance

The high-yielding synthesis of enantiomerically pure epicatechin gallate analogues where the A and/or B-ring hydroxylation is reduced or altered has been achieved by optimising routes to the catechin stereochemistry. The B-ring analogues were synthesised by using an electrophilic ring closure onto an enantiomerically enriched epoxide as a key step. The A and B-ring hydroxyl-deleted analogues were synthesised through a Mitsunobu cyclisation. For the B-ring analogues, the anti- (catechin) stereochemistry was converted to the syn- (epicatechin) stereochemistry by a known oxidation/reduction protocol. Absolute stereochemistry was derived from either a Sharpless epoxidation or asymmetric dihydroxylation.     

Surface hydrophobization of cotton via laccase-mediated polydopamine deposition and dodecyl gallate grafting

Natural fibers containing components with phenolic hydroxyl groups, such as jute, wool, and silk, can be directly modified by laccase-catalyzed grafting. However, cellulosic fibers like cotton cannot be functionalized in this manner. In this work, we developed a facile two-step method to graft polymers on cotton fabric via laccase catalysis. First, polydopamine (PDA) coating was deposited on the surface of the cotton fabrics via catalysis of laccase/2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) system. Then, the newly formed PDA coating acted as the secondary reaction platform for subsequent laccase-mediated grafting of hydrophobic monomer dodecyl gallate (DG). The oxidation of dopamine (DA) catalyzed with the laccase/TEMPO system was investigated using UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results verified that the PDA was coated on the surface of cotton fibers. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that the PDA-coated cotton was successfully grafted with DG (DG-PDA-cotton). According to the weighting method, the grafting percentage was about 1.06%. The hydrophobicity of the DG-PDA-cotton fabrics was greatly improved with a contact angle of 133°. Also, the grafted cotton fabrics show repellency of water-soluble stains like coffee, milk, and tea. This study provides a new strategy for surface modification of cotton by laccase-mediated grafting, which offers the references for the green fabrication of cotton fabrics with improved functionalization.     

Four New Gallate Derivatives from Wine-Processed Corni Fructus and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities

Four new gallate derivatives—ornusgallate A, ent-cornusgallate A, cornusgallate B and C (1a, 1b, 2, 3)—were isolated from the wine-processed fruit of Cornus officinalis. Among them, 1a and 1b are new natural compounds with novel skeletons. Their chemical structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopy methods including NMR, IR, HRESIMS, UV, ECD spectra and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were assayed in RAW 264.7 cells by assessing LPS-induced NO production. As the result, all compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory activities at attested concentrations. Among the tested compounds, compound 2 exhibited the strongest anti- inflammatory activity.     

Tetrakis(pentafluoroethyl)gallate, [Ga(C2F5)4]−, Ionic Liquids

We synthesized new imidazolium-based tunable aryl alkyl ionic liquids (TAAILs) with the weakly coordinating tetrakis(pentafluoroethyl)gallate anion, [Ga(C₂F₅)₄]⁻. Phenyl and phenyl derivatives (2-Me, 4-OMe, 2,4-F) were combined with varying alkyl chain lengths at the imidazolium core leading to TAAILs, which were investigated with regard to their viscosity, conductivity, and electrochemical window and compared to EMIM and BMIM standard cations. Remarkable low viscosities of 29 cP at 25 °C for [BMIM][Ga(C₂F₅)₄] were achieved. However, the EMIM and BMIM gallates show electrochemical instability, releasing pentafluoroethane at a voltage of 1.5 V. The 2-Me-substituted gallate-TAAILs slowly decompose over several weeks, whereas all other gallate-TAAILs showed no decomposition at all. With electrochemical windows of up to 5.15 V and low viscosities in a range of 66–162 cP, the gallate-TAAILs are promising candidates as electrolytes in electrochemical applications.     

Overview of the Biological Activity of Anthraquinons and Flavanoids of the Plant Rumex Species

Rumex confertus belongs to the genus Rumex and is classified as an invasive parasitic plant in agriculture. Despite other Rumex species being widely used in herbal medicine due to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory effects, there are almost no information about the potential of Rumex confertus for the treatment of various diseases. In this review we analyzed scientific articles revealing properties of Rumex plant’s substances against cancer, diabetes, pathogenic bacterial invasions, viruses, inflammation, and oxidative stress for the past 20 years. Compounds dominating in each composition of solvents for extraction were discussed, and common thin layer chromatography(TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) methods for efficient separation of the plant’s extract are included. Physico-chemical properties such as solubility, hydrophobicity (Log P), pKa of flavonoids, anthraquinones, and other derivatives are very important for modeling of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics. An overview of clinical studies for abounded selected substances of Rumex species is presented.