Titanium phosphate for Fuel Cell Proton Conduction Membranes

Environmental issues due to increases in emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases are driving the development of clean energy delivery technologies such as fuel cells. Low temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) use hydrogen as a fuel and their only emission is water. While significant advances have been made in recent years, a major limitation of the current technology is the cost and materials limitations of the proton conduction membrane. The proton exchange membrane performs three critical functions in the PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA): (i) conduction of protons with minimal resistance from the anode (where they are generated from hydrogen) to the cathode (where they combine with oxygen and electrons, from the external circuit or load), (ii) providing electrical insulation between the anode and cathode to prevent shorting, and (iii) providing a gas impermeable barrier to prevent mixing of the fuel (hydrogen) and oxidant. The PFSA (perfluorosulphonic acid) family of membranes is currently the best developed proton conduction membrane commercially available, but these materials are limited to operation below 100oC (typically 80oC, or lower) due to the thermochemical limitations of this polymer. For both mobile and stationary applications, fuel cell companies require more durable, cost effective membrane technologies capable of delivering enhanced performance at higher temperatures (typically 120oC, or higher. This is driving research into a wide range of novel organic and inorganic materials with the potential to be good proton conductors and form coherent membranes. There are several research efforts recently reported in the literature employing inorganic nanomaterials. These include functionalised silica phosphates [1,2], fullerene [3] titania phosphates [4], zirconium pyrophosphate [5]. This work addresses the functionalisation of titania particles with phosphoric acid. Proton conductivity measurements are given together with structural properties.

Algebraic Bethe ansatz method for the exact calculation of energy spectra and form factors: applications to models of Bose-Einstein condensates and metallic nanograins

In this review we demonstrate how the algebraic Bethe ansatz is used for the calculation of the-energy spectra and form factors (operator matrix elements in the basis of Hamiltonian eigenstates) in exactly solvable quantum systems. As examples we apply the theory to several models of current interest in the study of Bose-Einstein condensates, which have been successfully created using ultracold dilute atomic gases. The first model we introduce describes Josephson tunnelling between two coupled Bose-Einstein condensates. It can be used not only for the study of tunnelling between condensates of atomic gases, but for solid state Josephson junctions and coupled Cooper pair boxes. The theory is also applicable to models of atomic-molecular Bose-Einstein condensates, with two examples given and analysed. Additionally, these same two models are relevant to studies in quantum optics; Finally, we discuss the model of Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer in this framework, which is appropriate for systems of ultracold fermionic atomic gases, as well as being applicable for the description of superconducting correlations in metallic grains with nanoscale dimensions.; In applying all the above models to. physical situations, the need for an exact analysis of small-scale systems is established due to large quantum fluctuations which render mean-field approaches inaccurate.

Superconducting Correlations in Metallic Nanoparticles: Exact Solution of the BCS Model by the Algebraic Bethe Ansatz

Superconducting pairing of electrons in nanoscale metallic particles with discrete energy levels and a fixed number of electrons is described by the reduced Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer model Hamiltonian. We show that this model is integrable by the algebraic Bethe ansatz. The eigenstates, spectrum, conserved operators, integrals of motion, and norms of wave functions are obtained. Furthermore, the quantum inverse problem is solved, meaning that form factors and correlation functions can be explicitly evaluated. Closed form expressions are given for the form factors and correlation functions that describe superconducting pairing.

Optical properties of metallic films for vertical-cavity optoelectronic devices

We present models for the optical functions of 11 metals used as mirrors and contacts in optoelectronic and optical devices: noble metals (Ag, Au, Cu), aluminum, beryllium, and transition metals (Cr, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ti, W). We used two simple phenomenological models, the Lorentz-Drude (LD) and the Brendel-Bormann (BB), to interpret both the free-electron and the interband parts of the dielectric response of metals in a wide spectral range from 0.1 to 6 eV. Our results show that the BE model was needed to describe appropriately the interband absorption in noble metals, while for Al, Be, and the transition metals both models exhibit good agreement with the experimental data. A comparison with measurements on surface normal structures confirmed that the reflectance and the phase change on reflection from semiconductor-metal interfaces (including the case of metallic multilayers) can be accurately described by use of the proposed models for the optical functions of metallic films and the matrix method for multilayer calculations. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.

Experimental study of phase equilibria in the systems Fe-Zn-O and Fe-Zn-Si-O at metallic iron saturation

The reported experimental work on the systems Fe-Zn-O and Fe-Zn-Si-O in equilibrium with metallic iron is part of a wider research program that combines experimental and thermodynamic computer modeling techniques to characterize zinc/lead industrial slags and sinters in the system PbO-ZnO-SiO2-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3. Extensive experimental,investigations using high-temperature equilibration and quenching techniques followed by electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) were carried out. Special experimental; procedures were developed to enable accurate measurements in these ZnO-containing systems to be performed in equilibrium with metallic iron; The systems Fe-Zn-O and FeZn-Si-O were experimentally investigated in equilibrium with metallic iron in the temperature ranges 900 degreesC to 1200 degreesC (1173 to 1473 K) and from 1000 degreesC to 1350 degreesC (1273 to 1623 K), respectively. The liquidus surface in the system Fe-Zn-Si-O in equilibrium with metallic iron was characterized in the composition ranges 0 to 33 wt pet ZnO and 0 to 40 wt pet SiO2. The wustite (Fe,Zn)O, zincite (Zn,Fe)O, willemite (Zn,Fe)(2)SiO4, arid fayalite: (Fe,Zn)(2)SiO4 solid solutions in equilibrium with metallic iron were measured.

Experimental study of phase equilibria in the "FeO"-ZnO-(CaO+SiO2) system with CaO/SiO2 weight ratios of 0.33, 0.93, and 1.2 in equilibrium with metallic iron

The pseudoternary sections FeO-ZnO-(CaO + SiO2) with CaO/SiO2 weight ratios of 0.33, 0.93, and 1.2 in equilibrium with metallic iron have been experimentally investigated in the temperature range from 1000 degreesC to 1300 degreesC (1273 to 1573 K). The liquidus surfaces in these pseudoternary sections have been experimentally determined in the composition range from 0 to 33 wt pct ZnO and 30 to 70 wt pct (CaO + SiO2). The sections contain primary-phase fields of wustite (FexZn1-xO1+y), zincite (ZnzFe1-zO), fayalite (Fu(w)Zn(2-w)SiO(4)), melilite (Ca2ZnuFe1-uSi2O7), willemite (ZnvFe2-vSiO4), dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4), pseudowollastonite and wollastonite (CaSiO3), and tridymite (SiO2). The phase equilibria involving the liquid phase and the solid solutions-have also been measured.

Derivation of the probability distribution function for the local density of states of a disordered quantum wire via the replica trick and supersymmetry

We consider the statistical properties of the local density of states of a one-dimensional Dirac equation in the presence of various types of disorder with Gaussian white-noise distribution. It is shown how either the replica trick or supersymmetry can be used to calculate exactly all the moments of the local density of states.' Careful attention is paid to how the results change if the local density of states is averaged over atomic length scales. For both the replica trick and supersymmetry the problem is reduced to finding the ground state of a zero-dimensional Hamiltonian which is written solely in terms of a pair of coupled spins which are elements of u(1, 1). This ground state is explicitly found for the particular case of the Dirac equation corresponding to an infinite metallic quantum wire with a single conduction channel. The calculated moments of the local density of states agree with those found previously by Al'tshuler and Prigodin [Sov. Phys. JETP 68 (1989) 198] using a technique based on recursion relations for Feynman diagrams. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Exact solution at integrable coupling of a model for the Josephson effect between small metallic grains

A model is introduced for two reduced BCS systems which are coupled through the transfer of Cooper pairs between the systems. The model may thus be used in the analysis of the Josephson effect arising from pair tunneling between two strongly coupled small metallic grains. At a particular coupling strength the model is integrable and explicit results are derived for the energy spectrum, conserved operators, integrals of motion, and wave function scalar products. It is also shown that form factors can be obtained for the calculation of correlation functions. Furthermore, a connection with perturbed conformal field theory is made.

Experimental study of phase equilibria in the "FeO"-ZNO-(CaO+SiO2) system with the CaO/SiO2 weight ratio of 0.71 at metallic iron saturation

The pseudoternary section FeO-ZnO-(CaO + SiO2) with a CaO/SiO2 weight ratio of 0.71 in equilibrium with metallic iron has been experimentally investigated in the temperature range from 1000 degreesC to 1300 degreesC (1273 to 1573 K). The liquidus surface in this pseudoternary. section has been determined in the composition range of 0 to 33 wt pct ZnO and 30 to 70 wt pct (CaO + SiO2)The system contains primary-phase fields of wustite (FexZn1-xO1+y), zincite (ZnzFe1-zO), fayalite (FewZn2-wSiO4), melilite (Ca2ZnuFe1-uSi2O7), and pseudowollastonite (CaSiO3). The phase equilibria involving the liquid phase and the solid solutions have also been measured.

Slowed conduction and ventricular tachycardia after targeted disruption of the cardiac sodium channel gene Scn5a

Voltage-gated sodium channels drive the initial depolarization phase of the cardiac action potential and therefore critically determine conduction of excitation through the heart. In patients, deletions or loss-of-function mutations of the cardiac sodium channel gene, SCN5A, have been associated with a wide range of arrhythmias including bradycardia (heart rate slowing), atrioventricular conduction delay, and ventricular fibrillation. The pathophysiological basis of these clinical conditions is unresolved. Here we show that disruption of the mouse cardiac sodium channel gene, Scn5a, causes intrauterine lethality in homozygotes with severe defects in ventricular morphogenesis whereas heterozygotes show normal survival. Whole-cell patch clamp analyses of isolated ventricular myocytes from adult Scn5a(+/-) mice demonstrate a approximate to50% reduction in sodium conductance. Scn5a(+/-) hearts have several defects including impaired atrioventricular conduction, delayed intramyocardial conduction, increased ventricular refractoriness, and ventricular tachycardia with characteristics of reentrant excitation. These findings reconcile reduced activity of the cardiac sodium channel leading to slowed conduction with several apparently diverse clinical phenotypes, providing a model for the detailed analysis of the pathophysiology of arrhythmias.

Indications of coherence-incoherence crossover in layered metallic transport

For many strongly correlated metals with layered crystal structure the temperature dependence of the interlayer resistance is different to that of the intralayer resistance. We consider a small polaron model which exhibits this behavior, illustrating how the interlayer transport is related to the coherence of quasiparticles within the layers. Explicit results are also given for the electron spectral function, interlayer optical conductivity, and the interlayer magnetoresistance. All these quantities have two contributions: one coherent (dominant at low temperatures) and the other incoherent (dominant at high temperatures).

Superplasticity and superplastic forming ability of a Zr-Ti-Ni-Cu-Be bulk metallic glass in the supercooled liquid recgion

The superplastic deformation behavior and superplastic forming ability of the Zr41.25Ti13.75Ni10Cu12.5Be22.5 (at.%) bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the supercooled liquid region were investigated. The isothermal tensile results indicate (hat the BMG exhibits a Newtonian behavior at low strain rates but a non-Newtonian behavior at hiqh-strain rates in the initial deformation stage. The maximum elongation reaches as high as 1624% at 656 K. and nanocrystallization was found to occur during the deformation process. Based cm the analysis on tensile deformation. a gear-like micropart is successfully die-forged via a superplastic forgings process. demonstrating that the BMG has excellent workability in the supercooled liquid region. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis, characterization, and electrical conduction of 10 mol% Dy2O3 doped CeO2 ceramics

Well-densified 10 mol% Dy2O3-doped CeO2 (20DDC) ceramics with average grain sizes of similar to 0.12-1.5 mu m were fabricated by pressureless sintering at 950-1550 degrees C using a reactive powder thermally decomposed from a carbonate precursor, which was synthesized via a carbonate coprecipitation method employing nitrates as the starting salts and ammonium carbonate as the precipitant. Electrical conductivity of the ceramics, measured by the dc three-point impedance method, shows a V-shape curve against the average grain size. The sample with the smallest grain size of 0.12 mu m exhibits a high conductivity of similar to 10(-1.74) S/cm at the measurement temperature of 700 degrees C, which is about the same conduction level of the micro-grained 10 mol% Sm2O3- or Gd2O3-doped CeO2, two leading electrolyte materials. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase equilibria in the system Fe-Zn-O at intermediate conditions between metallic-iron saturation and air

The phase equilibria in the FeO-Fe2O3-ZnO system have been experimentally investigated at oxygen partial pressures between metallic iron saturation and air using a specially developed quenching technique, followed by electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) and then wet chemistry for determination of ferrous and ferric iron concentrations. Gas mixtures of H-2, N-2, and CO2 or CO and CO2 controlled the atmosphere in the furnace. The determined metal cation ratios in phases at equilibrium were used for the construction of the 1200 degrees C isothermal section of the Fe-Zn-O system. The univariant equilibria between the gas phase, spinel, wustite, and zincite was found to be close to pO(2) = 1 center dot 10(-8) atm at 1200 degrees C. The ferric and ferrous iron concentrations in zincite and spinel at equilibrium were also determined at temperatures from 1200 degrees C to 1400 degrees C at pO(2) = 1 center dot 10(-6) atm and at 1200 degrees C at pO(2) values ranging from 1 center dot 10(-4) to 1 center dot 10(-8) atm. Implications of the phase equilibria in the Fe-Zn-O system for the formation of the platelike zincite, especially important for the Imperial Smelting Process (ISP), are discussed.

Muscle fiber conduction velocity of the upper trapezius muscle during dynamic contraction of the upper limb in patients with chronic neck pain

The purpose of this study was to compare average muscle fiber conduction velocity (CV) and its changes over time in the upper trapezius muscle during a repetitive upper limb task in people with chronic neck pain and in healthy controls. Surface EMG signals were detected bilaterally from the upper trapezius muscle of 19 patients and nine healthy controls using linear adhesive arrays of four electrodes. Subjects were asked to tap their hands in a cyclic manner between targets positioned mid-thigh and 120 degrees of shoulder flexion, to the beat of a metronome set at 88 beats/min for up to 5 min. Muscle fiber CV and instantaneous mean power spectral frequency were estimated for each cycle at the time instant corresponding to 90 degrees of shoulder flexion. Average muscle fiber CV of the upper trapezius muscle was higher in people with chronic neck pain (mean +/- SE, 4.8 +/- 0.1 m/s) than in control subjects (4.4 +/- 0.1 m/s; P