Composite electrode for unitized regenerative proton exchange membrane fuel cell with improved cycle life

To improve the cycle life of unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs), an electrode with a composite structure has been developed. The cycle life and polarization curves for both fuel cell and electrolysis modes of URFC operation were investigated. The cycle life of URFCs was improved considerably and the performance was fairly constant during 25 cycles, which illustrates that the composite electrode is effective in sustaining the cyclic performance of URFCs. It shows the URFCs with such an electrode structure are promising for practical applications. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society.

Influence of catalyst layer structure on the current distribution of PEMFCs

A modified subcell approach was adopted to evaluate the current density distributions of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with different electrodes. Conventional hydrophobic electrodes showed better performance under flooding conditions compared to hydrophilic electrodes. The thin-film hydrophilic electrode performed better in the absence of liquid water, but it was more readily flooded. A composite catalyst layer was designed with 2/3 of the area from the inlet prepared hydrophilic and the remaining 1/3 area hydrophobic. The composite catalyst layer with commercial scale dimension showed notable enhanced performance in the concentration polarization region. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society.

Studies on state and structure of noble metals in electrocatalyst made by coprecipitation method

The electrocatalysts of Pt/C, PtRu/C and Ru/C were prepared by the impregnation method. The facet characterization, the dispersion and the particle size for the catalysts were determined by means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was also used to analyze the state and the valency of the noble metals. The results show that the particle size was in nanometer range and the binary metals have come into being an alloy. The platinum in the catalysts existed in zero valency. The valency of the ruthenium on the surface is different from that in the body, while the ruthenium on the surface existed in oxide-form. PtRu/C and Pt/C are of good activity to the electrooxidation of hydrogen except Ru/C. PtRu/C is more tolerant of CO than Pt/C, and CO is only adsorbed on Pt.

Bioactive, Luminescent and Mesoporous Europium-doped Hydroxyapatite as a Drug Carrier

Bioactive, luminescent and mesoporous europium-doped hydroxyapatite (Eu:HAp) was successfully prepared through a simple one-step route using cationic surfactant as template. The obtained multifunctional hydroxyapatite was performed as a drug delivery carrier to investigate the drug storage/release properties using ibuprofen (IBU) as a model drug

Rare-earth-metal mixed hydride/aryloxide complexes bearing mono(cyclopentadienyl) ligands. Synthesis, CO2 fixation, and catalysis on copolymerization of CO2 with cyclohexene oxide

Hydrogenolysis of mono(cyclopentadienyl)-ligated rare-earth-metal bis(alkyl) complexes Cp'Ln-(CH2SiMe3)2(THF) (Ln = Y (1a), Dy (1b), Lu (1c); Cp' = C5Me4SiMe3) with PhSiH3 afforded the mixed hydride/alkyl complexes [Cp'Ln(mu-H)(CH2SiMe3)(THF)](2) (Ln = Y (2a), Dy (2b), Lu (2c)). The overall structure of complexes 2a-c is a C-2-symmetric dimer containing a planar symmetric Ln(2)H(2) core at the center of the molecule. Deprotonation of ArOH (Ar = C6H2-Bu-t(2)-2,6-Me-4) by the metal alkyl group of 2a-c led to formation of the mixed hydride/aryloxide derivatives [Cp'Ln(mu-H)(OAr)](2) (Ln = Y (3a), Dy (3b), Lu (3c)), which adopt the dimeric structure through hydride bridges with trans-accommodated terminal aryloxide groups.

Vulcanization of polybutadiene latex induced by Co-60 gamma radiation

Polybutadiene latex (PBL) vulcanization induced by Co-60 radiation and the influence of dose on crosslinking were investigated. Morphology and particle size distribution were examined by AFM and a particle size analyzer. The casting films were characterized for their swelling and mechanical properties as a function of dose.

Synthesis of Cu-In-S ternary nanocrystals with tunable structure and composition

Nearly monodisperse Cu-In-S ternary nanocrystals with tunable composition, crystalline structure, and size were synthesized by a hot-injection method using mixed generic precursors. Such ternary nanocrystals with zincblende and wurtzite structure were reported for the first time.

[Ru(bpy)(3)](2+)-doped silica nanoparticles within layer-by-layer biomolecular coatings and their application as a biocompatible electrochemiluminescent tag material

[Ru(bpy)(3)](2+)-doped silica (RuSi) nanoparticles were synthesized by using a water/oil microemulsion method. Stable electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was obtained when the RuSi nanoparticles were immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode by using tripropylamine (TPA) as a coreactant. Furthermore, the ECL of the RuSi nanoparticles with layer-by-layer biomolecular coatings was investigated. Squential self-assembly of the polyelectrolytes and biomolecules on the RuSi nanoparticles gave nanocomposite suspensions, the ECL of which decreased on increasing the number of bilayers.

Electrospun palladium nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers and their electrocatalytic activities towards hydrogen peroxide and NADH

Palladium nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers (Pd/CNFs) were synthesized by the combination of electrospinning and thermal treatment processes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that spherical Pd nanoparticles (NPs) are well-dispersed on the surfaces of CNFs or embedded in CNFs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern indicates that cubic phase of Pd was formed during the reduction and carbonization processes, and the presence of Pd NPs promoted the graphitization of CNFs. This nanocomposite material exhibited high electric conductivity and accelerated the electron transfer, as verified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of dopamine, uric acid and ascorbic acid using palladium nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers modified electrode

Palladium nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers (Pd/CNFs) were prepared by electrospinning and subsequent thermal treatment processes. Pd/CNFs modified carbon paste electrode (Pd/CNF-CPE) displayed excellent electrochemical catalytic activities towards dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). The oxidation overpotentials of DA, UA and AA were decreased significantly compared with those obtained at the bare CPE. Differential pulse voltammetry was used for the simultaneous determination of DA, UA and AA in their ternary mixture.

Simultaneous determination of dopamine, ascorbic acid and uric acid with electrospun carbon nanofibers modified electrode

A novel carbon-nanofiber-modified carbon-paste electrode (CNF-CPE) was employed for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) with good selectivity and high sensitivity. The CNFs were prepared by combination of electrospinning technique with thermal treatment method and were used without any pretreatment. In application to determination of DA, AA and UA in the ternary mixture, the pristine CNF-CPE exhibited well-separated differential pulse voltammetric peaks with high catalytic current. Low detection limits of 0.04 mu M, 2 mu M and 0.2 mu M for DA, AA and UA were obtained, with the linear calibration curves over the concentration range 0.04-5.6 mu M, 2-64 mu M and 0.8-16.8 mu M, respectively.