Direct electrochemical formation of nanostructured amorphous Co(OH)2 on gold electrodes with enhanced activity for the oxygen evolution reaction.

The oxides of cobalt have recently been shown to be highly effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under alkaline conditions. In general species such as Co3O4 and CoOOH have been investigated that often require an elevated temperature step during their synthesis to create crystalline materials. In this work we investigate the rapid and direct electrochemical formation of amorphous nanostructured Co(OH)2 on gold electrodes under room temperture conditions which is a highly active precursor for the OER. During the OER some conversion to crystalline Co3O4 occurs at the surface, but the bulk of the material remains amorphous. It is found that the underlying gold electrode is crucial to the materials enhanced performance and provides higher current density than can be achieved using carbon, palladium or copper support electrodes. This catalyst exhibits excellent activity with a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 360 mV with a high turnover frequency of 2.1 s-1 in 1 M NaOH. A Tafel slope of 56 mV dec-1 at low overpotentials and a slope of 122 mV dec-1 at high overpotentials is consistent with the dual barrier model for the electrocatalytic evolution of oxygen. Significantly, the catalyst maintains excellent activity for up to 24 hr of continuous operation and this approach offers a facile way to create a highly effective and stable material.

Kinetics and mechanism of anodic oxidation of chlorate ion to perchlorate ion on lead dioxide electrodes

The kinetics and mechanism of anodic oxidation of chlorate ion to perchlorate ion on titanium-substrate lead dioxide electrodes have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. It has been demonstrated that the ionic strength of the solution has a marked effect on the rate of perchlorate formation, whereas the pH of the solution does not influence the reaction rate. Experimental data have also been obtained on the dependence of the reaction rate on the concentration of chlorate ion in the solution at constant ionic strength. With these data, diagnostic kinetic criteria have been deduced and compared with corresponding quantities predicted for various possible mechanisms including double layer effects on electrode kinetics. It has thus been shown that the most probable mechanisms for anodic chlorate oxidation on lead dioxide anodes involve the discharge of a water molecule in a one-electron transfer step to give an adsorbed hydroxyl radical as the rate-determining step for the overall reaction.

On the magnetohydrodynamic flow between eccentrically rotating disks

The steady flow of an incompressible, viscous, electrically conducting fluid between two parallel, infinite, insulated disks rotating with different angular velocities about two noncoincident axes has been investigated; under the application of a uniform magnetic field in the axial direction. The solutions for the symmetric and asymmetric velocities are presented. The interesting feature arising due to the magnetic field is that in the central region the flow attains a uniform rotation with mean angular velocity at all rotation speeds for sufficiently large Hartmann number. In this case the flow adjusts to the rotational velocities of the disks mainly in the boundary layers near the disks. The forces on the disks are found to increase due to the presence of the applied magnetic field.

Rate capability of graphite materials as negative electrodes in lithium-ion capacitors

The lithium-ion exchange rate capability of various commercial graphite materials are evaluated using galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling in a half-cell configuration over a wide range of C-rates (0.1 similar to 60C). The results confirm that graphite is capable of de-intercalating stored charge at high rates, but has a poor intercalating rate capability. Decreasing the graphite coating thickness leads to a limited rate performance improvement of the electrode. Reducing the graphite particle size shows enhanced C-rate capability but with increased irreversible capacity loss (ICL). It is demonstrated that the rate of intercalation of lithium-ions into the graphite is significantly limited compared with the corresponding rate of de-intercalation at high C-rates. For the successful utilisation of commercially available conventional graphite as a negative electrode in a lithium-ion capacitor (LIC), its intercalation rate capability needs to be improved or oversized to accommodate high charge rates.

Oxides supported carbon air-electrodes for alkaline solution power devices

Porous carbon oxygen-reducing electrodes incorporated with perovskite oxide catalysts are reported. It has been possible to fabricate high-performance oxygen-reducing electrodes by introducing La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 and La0.99Sr0.01NiO3 with the activated coconut-shell charcoal; these electrodes could sustain load currents as high as 1 A cm−2 without serious degradation. A model to explain oxygen-reducing activity of these oxides has been proposed.

Non-linear flapping vibrations of rotating blades

The non-linear equations of motion of a rotating blade undergoing extensional and flapwise bending vibration are derived, including non-linearities up to O (ε3). The strain-displacement relationship derived is compared with expressions derived by earlier investigators and the errors and the approximations made in some of those are brought out. The equations of motion are solved under the inextensionality condition to obtain the influence of the amplitude on the fundamental flapwise natural frequency of the rotating blade. It is found that large finite amplitudes have a softening effect on the flapwise frequency and that this influence becomes stronger at higher speeds of rotation.

On the axial vibrations of rotating bars

One of the important developments in rotary wing aeroelasticity in the recent past has been the growing awareness and acceptance of the fact that the problem is inherently non-linear and that correct treatment of aeroelastic problems requires the development of a consistent mathematical model [l]. This has led to a number of studies devoted to the derivation of a consistent set of “second order” non-linear equations, for example, those of Hodges and Dowel1 [2], of Rosen and Friedmann [3], and of Kvaternik, White and Kaza [4], each of which differs from the others on the question of the inclusion of certain terms in the equations of motion. The final form of the equations depends first upon the ordering scheme used for characterizing the displacements and upon the consistency with which this is applied in omitting terms of lower order. The ideal way of achieving this would be to derive the equations of motion with all the terms first included regardless of their relative orders of magnitude and then to apply the ordering scheme.

The harmonic torsional oscillations of a thin disk submerged in a fluid with a surfactant surface layer

A formulation in terms of a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind is given for the axisymmetric problem of a disk oscillating harmonically in a viscous fluid whose surface is contaminated with a surfactant film. The equation of the first kind is converted to a pair of coupled integral equations of the second kind, which are solved numerically. The resistive torque on the disk is evaluated and surface velocity profiles are computed for varying values of the ratio of the coefficient of surface shear viscosity to the coefficient of viscosity of the substrate fluid, and the depth of the disk below the surface.

Forced Oscillations of a Contained Rotating Stratified Fluid

The motion generated by forced oscillations in an incompressible inviscid rotating and/or stratified fluid is examined under linear theory taking the density variation on the inertia terms. The solution consists of numerous internal modes in addition to the mode which oscillates with forcing frequency. Resonance occurs when the forcing frequency is equal to one of the frequencies of the internal modes. Some of these modes grow linearly or exponentially with time rendering the motion unstable and eventually may lead to turbulence. Most of the results discussed here will be missed under Boussinesq approximation.

Wear resistance of cast graphitic aluminium alloys

Wear rates of several cast aluminium base alloys have been measured for lubricated rubbing against a rotating hardened steel disk. Wear rates of cast graphitic aluminium-silicon-nickel alloys were lower than those of pure Al, Al-Si and Al-Si-Ni alloys especially above pressures of 0.02 kg/mm2. The high wear resistance is attributed to the presence of graphite particles in the matrix which act as a solid lubricant. Additions of nickel alone to Al-Si alloys decrease the wear resistance. Graphitic aluminium-silicon-nickel alloys containing above 2% graphite can be mated unlubricated against the rotating steel disk after a one minute lubricated run-in period. Graphite particles may be potentially suitable to replace part of all of the tin in aluminium-tin bearing alloys.

Magnetic Field Due to the Self-Gravity-Induced Electric Polarization of a Rotating Massive Body

he notion of the gravity-induced electric field has been applied to an entire self-gravitating massive body. The resulting electric polarization of the otherwise neutral body, when taken in conjunction with the latter's rotation, is shown to generate an axial-magnetic field of the right type and order of magnitude for certain astrophysical objects. In the present treatment the electric polarization is calculated in the ion-continuum Thomas-Fermi approximation while the electrodynamics of the continuous medium is treated in the nonrelativistic approximation.

Unsteady Motion of a Stratified Rotating Viscous Fluid between Two Disks

Abstract is not available.

Quasi-three-dimensional elastic stresses in rotating disks

A method is presented to obtain stresses and displacements in rotating disks by taking into account the effect of out-of-plane restraint conditions at the hub. The stresses and displacements are obtained in a non-dimensional form, presented in the form of graphs and compared with the generalized plane stress solution.