Open-circuit potential—time transients of alkaline porous iron electrodes at various states-of-charge

Open-circuit potential—time transients during the discharge of alkaline porous iron electrodes at various states-of-charge have been studied. From this, it has been possible to arrive at a correlation between the parameters of self-discharge kinetics of the electrode and observed open-circuit potential—recovery time constants. The study provides a method of estimate the state-of-charge of the rechargeable iron electrodes. As a hydrogen evolution reaction inevitably occurs on alkaline iron electrodes, the kinetics of the reaction have also been investigated.

Surface recombination at semiconductor electrodes: a single level study

The recombination and the faradaic fluxes are shown to be sensitive to the location of a single level recombination center, when it is located near the band edges. As the surface level is shifted deeper into the band gap from either of the band edges, the back emission terms are dominated by electron capture and hole capture terms, and the occupancy of the surface level is no longer determined by its location in the band gap. However, when one of the back emission terms determines the surface state occupancy, it is shown that there exists a simple relation between the value of the surface level and the recombination and the faradaic fluxes respectively. Expressions to this effect are derived and verified in the case of the recombination flux, which characterized by the potential at which it attains its maximum value. For the faradaic flux the results are qualitative.

Platinum particles supported on titanium nitride: an efficient electrode material for the oxidation of methanol in alkaline media

In the present study, titanium nitride which shows exceptional stability, extreme corrosion resistance, good electronic conductivity and adhesion behaviour is used to support platinum particles and then used for methanol oxidation in an alkaline medium. The catalyst shows very good CO tolerance for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol. In situ infrared spectroelectrochemical data show the remarkable ability of TiN to decompose water at low over potentials leading to -OH type functional groups on its surface which in turn help in alleviating the carbon monoxide poisoning associated with methanol oxidation. TiN supported catalysts are found to be very good in terms of long term stability, exchange current density and stable currents at low over voltages. Supporting evidence from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic data and cyclic voltammetry clearly demonstrates the usefulness of TiN supported Pt catalysts for efficient methanol oxidation in alkaline media.

Padé approach to potential transients: Part 1. Electron transfer without and with coupling to first-order homogeneous reactions at planar electrodes

Potential transients are obtained by using “Padé approximants” (an accurate approximation procedure valid globally — not just perturbatively) for all amplitudes of concentration polarization and current densities. This is done for several mechanistic schemes under constant current conditions. We invert the non-linear current-potential relationship in the form (using the Lagrange or the Ramanujan method) of power series appropriate to the two extremes, namely near reversible and near irreversible. Transforming both into the Pad́e expressions, we construct the potential-time profile by retaining whichever is the more accurate of the two. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through illustrations which include couplings of homogeneous chemical reactions to the electron-transfer step.

Diaphragm-type sputtered platinum thin film strain gauge pressure transducer

A diaphragm-type pressure transducer with a sputtered platinum film strain gauge (sensing film) has been designed and fabricated. The various steps followed to prepare thin film strain gauges on the diaphragm are described. M-bond 450 adhesive (Measurements Group, USA) has been employed as the insulating layer. A detailed procedure to cure this layer is given. A d.c. sputtering method is employed to prepare the platinum films. This paper also includes details of the strain gauge pattern and its location on the diaphragm. A description of the output characteristics and overall behaviour of the platinum thin film pressure transducer is reported.

Gradient solid-electrolyte for use with dissimilar gas electrodes

The EMF of a solid-state cell, incorporating a composite solid-electrolyte with gradual variation in composition, and dissimilar gas electrodes, has been studied as a function of temperature and partial pressures at the electrodes. The cell with the configuration: Pt, CO2' + O2' parallel-to Na2CO3\Na(SO4)x(CO3)1-x\Na2SO4 parallel-to SO3'' + SO2'' + O2'', Pt x=0 x=1 was investigated in the temperature range 973 to 1079 K. The solid-electrolyte surface exposed to SO3 + SO2 + O2 gas mixture was doped-Na2SO4, whereas the CO2 + O2 gas mixture was in contact with pure Na2CO3. The composition of the solid solution between the carbonate and sulfate, with hexagonal structure, was varied gradually between the boundary values. It has been found that the EMF of the cell is close to that calculated from thermodynamic data, assuming unit transport number for Na+ ions. The gradient in the concentration of sulfate and carbonate ions in the electrolyte does not give rise to a significant diffusion potential.

Nafion®-bound carbon electrodes containing transitionmetal phthalocyanines for oxygen reduction in solid-polymer-electrolyte fuel cells

Catalytic activities of some transition metal-phthalocyanine complexes towards electroreduction of molecular oxygen are examined on Nafion®-bound and bare porous carbon electrodes in 2.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. It is found that these metal complexes exhibit better catalytic activities towards oxygen reduction with the Nafion®-bound electrodes.

Organometallic chemistry of diphosphazanes. Part 7. Platinum(II), palladium-(o), -(I) and -(II) complexes of RN[P(OPh)2]2(R = Me or Ph)

The reactions of [MCl2(cod)](M = Pd or Pt, cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene) with RN[P(OPh)2]2[R = Me (L1) or Ph (L2)] afford the chelate complexes [MCl2L1] and [MCl2L2]. The dinuclear palladium(O) complex, [Pd2L13] has been synthesized by starting from [Pd2(dba)3](dba = dibenzylideneacetone). Redox condensation of [Pd2(dba)3] and [PdCl2(PhCN)2] in the presence of the diphosphazane ligands gives the dinuclear palladium(I) complexes [Pd2Cl2L12] and [Pd2Cl2L22]. The structures of the complexes have been deduced from 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopic data. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies confirm the structures of [Pd2L13] and [Pd2Cl2L22].

Electrooxidation of methanol in sulfuric-acid electrolyte on platized-carbon electrodes with several functional-group characteristics

The effect of acid/base functional-groups associated with platinized-carbon electrodes on their catalytic activity toward electro-oxidation of methanol in sulfuric acid electrolyte at 60-degrees-C is studied. Platinized-carbon electrodes with sm amounts of functional groups exhibit higher catalytic activity compared to those with large concentrations of acidic/basic surface functionalities. The overpotential for methanol oxidation is minimum on electrodes of platinized carbons with pHzpc values between 6 and 7. An x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of various platinized carbons suggests that the acid/base surface functional-groups produce ample amounts of surface Pt-oxides and a consequent decrease in activity toward methanol oxidation.

Methanol oxidation on carbon-supported Pt---Sn electrodes in silicotungstic acid

Electro-oxidation of methanol was studied on carbon-supported Pt---Sn/C electrodes in silcotungstic acid (SiWA) at various concentrations. The porous-carbon electrodes employing Pt---Sn/C catalyst have been characterized using chemical analyses, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in conjunction with electrochemistry. The presence of Pt---Sn and Pt3Sn alloys along with Pt and SnO2 phases in the catalyst were identified by XRD. XPS analysis showed a lower amount of PtO species in the Pt---Sn/C catalyst with respect to the corresponding Pt/C sample. From the steady-state galvanostatic polarization data on Pt---Sn/C electrodes in SiWA, it is inferred that a one-electron process is the rate determining step. The performance of the electrodes in 0.084 M SiWA was better than in 2.5 M H2SO4 under similar conditions up to load currents of about 100 mA cm−2 indicating the promoting behaviour of the electrolyte. At currents larger than 100 mA cm−2, the performance of the electrodes in 0.084 SiWA was poorer than that in 2.5 M H2SO4 mainly due to the dominance of mass polarization in the former owing to the large size of keggin units associated with the structure of SiWA. This aspect was supported by cyclic voltammetry and ac impedance studies on Pt---Sn/C electrodes. Simulation of the electrochemical impedance response for the oxidation of methanol in SiWA was carried out using the equivalent electrical circuit model.

Methanol oxidation on carbon-supported Pt---Sn electrodes in silicotungstic acid

Electro-oxidation of methanol was studied on carbon-supported Pt-Sn/C electrodes in silcotungstic acid (SiWA) at various concentrations. The porous-carbon electrodes employing Pt-Sn/C catalyst have been characterized using chemical analyses, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in conjunction with electrochemistry. The presence of Pt-Sn and Pt3Sn alloys along with Pt and SnO2 phases in the catalyst were identified by XRD. XPS analysis showed a lower amount of PtO species in the Pt-Sn/C catalyst with respect to the corresponding Pt/C sample. From the steady-state galvanostatic polarization data on Pt-Sn/C electrodes in SiWA, it is inferred that a one-electron process is the rate determining step. The performance of the electrodes in 0.084 M SiWA was better than in 2.5 M H2SO4 under similar conditions up to load currents of about 100 mA cm-2 indicating the promoting behaviour of the electrolyte. At currents larger than 100 mA cm-2, the performance of the electrodes in 0.084 SiWA was poorer than that in 2.5M H2SO4 mainly due to the dominance of mass polarization in the former owing to the large size of Keggin units associated with the structure of SiWA. This aspect was supported by cyclic voltammetry and ac impedance studies on Pt-Sn/C electrodes. Simulation of the electrochemical impedance response for the oxidation of methanol in SiWA was carried out using the equivalent electrical circuit model.

The structure of amorphous platinum disulfide as studied by anomalous x-ray-scattering

Anomalous X-ray scattering (AXS) has been applied to study the structure of amorphous platinum disulfide, Pt1-xS2, prepared by the precipitation process. The local atomic arrangement in amorphous Pt1-xS2 was determined by the least-squares variational method so as to reproduce the experimental differential interference function at the Pt L(III) absorption edge by the AXS method as well as the ordinary interference function by MoK alpha. The structural unit in amorphous Pt1-xS2 is found to be a PtS6 octahedron, similar to that in crystalline PtS2. These octahedra share both their corners and edges, while only edge-sharing linkages occur in crystalline PtS2.

(+/-)-cis-Dichloro[P-(isopropylamino)-dinaphtho[2,1-d:1',2'-f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepine](triethylphosphine)platinum(II) dichloromethane solvate

In the racemic title compound, [PtCl2(C23H20NO2P)-(C6H15P)].CH2Cl2, the platinum(II) ion, which has approximately square-planar coordination geometry, is coordinated to two different monophosphorus ligands in a cis arrangement along with two chloride ions. A significant shortening of the P-N bond [1.604(7) Angstrom] relative to that in phosphinoamines and their complexes was observed.