An SOx (x = 2, 3) sensor using ?-alumina/Na2SO4 couple

A solid-state sensor for SOx (x = 2, 3) species has been designed using ?-alumina as the solid electrolyte and Na2SO4 as the auxiliary electrode. The measured e.m.f. of the cell Pt, O?2 + SO?2 + SO?3|Na2SO4short parallel?-aluminashort parallelNa2SO4|SO?3 + SO?2 + O?2, PT in the temperature range 700 K to 1150 K agrees well with values calculated using the Nernst equation. The sodium sulphate acts both as a protective covering, preventing direct access of the gaseous SOx species to the ?-alumina electrolyte, and as an auxiliary electrode, converting chemical potentials of SOx species and O2 into an equivalent sodium potential. The open-circuit e.m.f. varies non-linearly with temperature for fixed composition of inlet gas mixtures containing SO2, O2 and Ar. The response time (t0.99) of the cell varies between 1.9 ks at 750 K and 0.06 ks at 1100 K. The e.m.f. response is faster when the partial pressure of SOx at the electrode is increased than when it is decreased.

On uniqueness, transfer and combination of acoustic sources in one-dimensional systems

The use of electroacoustic analogies suggests that a source of acoustical energy (such as an engine, compressor, blower, turbine, loudspeaker, etc.) can be characterized by an acoustic source pressure ps and internal source impedance Zs, analogous to the open-circuit voltage and internal impedance of an electrical source. The present paper shows analytically that the source characteristics evaluated by means of the indirect methods are independent of the loads selected; that is, the evaluated values of ps and Zs are unique, and that the results of the different methods (including the direct method) are identical. In addition, general relations have been derived here for the transfer of source characteristics from one station to another station across one or more acoustical elements, and also for combining several sources into a single equivalent source. Finally, all the conclusions are extended to the case of a uniformly moving medium, incorporating the convective as well as dissipative effects of the mean flow.

Potentiometric determination of activities in the two-phase fields of the system Na2O---(α)Al2O3

Three compounds have been found to be stable in the pseudobinary system Na2O---(α)Al2O3 between 825 and 1400 K; two nonstoichiometric phases, β-alumina and β″-alumina, and NaAlO2. The homogeneity of β-alumina ranges from 9.5 to 11 mol% Na2O, while that of β″-alumina from 13.3 to 15.9 mol% Na2O at 1173 K. The activity of Na2O in the two-phase fields has been determined by a solid-state potentiometric technique. Since both β- and β″-alumina are fast sodium ion conductors, biphasic solid electrolyte tubes were used in these electrochemical measurements. The open circuit emf of the following cells were measured from 790 to 980 K: [GRAPHICS] The partial molar Gibbs' energy of Na2O relative to gamma-Na2O in the two-phase regions can be represented as: DELTA-GBAR(Na2O)(alpha- + beta-alumina) = -270,900 + 24.03 T, DELTA-GBAR(Na2O)(beta- + beta"-alumina) = -232,700 + 56.19 T, and DELTA-GBAR(Na2O)(beta"-alumina + NaAlO2) = -13,100 - 4.51 T J mol-1. Similar galvanic cells using a Au-Na alloy and a mixture of Co + CoAl(2+2x)O4+3x + (alpha)Al2O3 as electrodes were used at 1400 K. Thermodynamic data obtained in these studies are used to evaluate phase relations and partial pressure of sodium in the Na2O-(alpha) Al2O3 system as a function of oxygen partial pressure, composition and temperature.

Impedance parameters and the state-of-charge. III. Zinc-manganese dioxide and magnesium-manganese dioxide dry batteries

The problem of non-destructive determination of the state-of-charge of zinc- and magnesium-manganese dioxide dry batteries is examined experimentally from the viewpoint of internal impedance and open-circuit voltage at equilibrium. It is shown that the impedance is mainly charge-transfer controlled at relatively high states-of-charge and progressively changes over to diffusion control as the state-of-charge decreases in the case of zinc-manganese dioxide dry batteries. On the other hand, the impedance is mainly diffusion controlled for undischarged batteries but becomes charge-transfer controlled as soon as there is some discharge in the case of magnesium-manganese dioxide batteries. It is concluded that the determination of state-of-charge is not possible for both types of batteries by the measurement of impedance parameters due to film-induced fluctuations of these parameters. The measurement of open-circuit voltage at equilibrium can be used as a state-of-charge indicator for Zn-MnO2 batteries but not for Mg-MnO2 batteries.

Synthesis and electrical properties of the (PVA)(0.7)(Kl)(0.3)center dot xH(2)SO(4) (0 <= x <= 5) polymer electrolytes and their performance in a primary Zn/MnO2 battery

Solid acid polymer electrolytes (SAPE) were synthesised using polyvinyl alcohol, potassium iodide and sulphuric acid in different molar ratios by solution cast technique. The temperature dependent nature of electrical conductivity and the impedance of the polymer electrolytes were determined along with the associated activation energy. The electrical conductivity at room temperature was found to be strongly depended on the amorphous nature of the polymers and H2SO4 concentration. The ac (100 Hz to 10 MHz) and dc conductivities of the polymer electrolytes with different H2SO4 concentrations were analyzed. A maximum dc conductivity of 1.05 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) has been achieved at ambient temperature for electrolytes containing 5 M H2SO4. The frequency and temperature dependent dielectric and electrical modulus properties of the SAPE were studied. The charge transport in the present polymer electrolyte was obtained using Wagner's polarization technique, which demonstrated the charge transport to be mainly due to ions. Using these solid acid polymer electrolytes novel Zn/SAPE/MnO2 solid state batteries were fabricated and their discharge capacity was calculated. An open circuit voltage of 1.758V was obtained for 5 M H2SO4 based Zn/SAPE/MnO2 battery. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of TiO2 electrode thickness on photovoltaic properties of dye sensitized solar cell based on randomly oriented Titania nanotubes

Anatase titania nanotubes (TNTs) have been synthesized from P25 TiO2 powder by alkali hydrothermal method followed by post annealing. The microstructure analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of anatase nanotubes with a diameter of 9-10 nm. These NTs are used to make photo anode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Layer by layer deposition with curing of each layer at 350 C is employed to realize films of desired thickness. The performance of these cells is studied using photovoltaic measurements. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is used to quantitatively analyze the effect of thickness on the performance of these cells. These studies revealed that the thickness of TiO2 has a pronounced impact on the cell performance and the optimum thickness lies in the range of 10-14 mu m. In comparison to dye solar cells made of P25, TNTs based cells exhibit an improved open circuit voltage and fill factor (FF) due to an increased electron lifetime, as revealed by EIS analysis. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the performance of stabilized ?-nickel hydroxide as a nickel-positive electrode in alkaline storage batteries

The internal resistance of a stabilized alpha-nickel hydroxide electrode is found to be lower than that of a beta-nickel hydroxide electrode as shown from studies of the open-circuit potential-time transients at all states-of-charge. Nevertheless, the self-discharge rates of the former is higher. Gasometric studies reveal that the charging efficiency of the alpha-nickel hydroxide electrode is higher than that of the beta-nickel hydroxide electrode.

Sensing of delaminations in composite laminates using embedded magnetostrictive particle layers

This is an exploratory study to illustrate the feasibility of detecting delamination type of damage in polymeric laminates with one layer of magnetostrictive particles. One such beam encircled with excitation and sensing coils is used for this study. The change in stress gradient of the magnetostrictive layer in the vicinity of delamination shows up as a change in induced voltage in the sensing coil, and therefore provides a means to sense the presence of delamination. Recognizing the constitutive behavior of the Terfenol-D material is highly nonlinear, analytical expressions for the constitutive relations are developed by using curve fitting techniques to the experimental data. Analytical expressions that relate the applied excitation field with the stress and magnetic flux densities induced in the magnetostrictive layer are developed. Numerical methods are used to find the relative change in the induced voltage in the sensing coil due to the presence of delamination. A typical example of unidirectional laminate, with embedded delaminations, is used for the simulation purposes. This exploratory study illustrates that the open-circuit voltage induced in the sensing coil changes significantly (as large of 68 millivolts) with the occurrence of delamination. This feature can be exploited for device off-line inspection techniques and/or linking monitoring procedures for practical applications.

The Effect of Evacuated Backside Cavity on the Dynamic Characteristics of a Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer

In this paper, we investigate the effect of vacuum sealing the backside cavity of a Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT). The presence or absence of air inside the cavity has a marked effect upon the system parameters, such as the natural frequency, damping, and the pull-in voltage. The presence of vacuum inside the cavity of the device causes a reduction in the effective gap height which leads to a reduction in the pull-in voltage. We carry out ANSYS simulations to quantify this reduction. The presence of vacuum inside the cavity of the device causes stress stiffening of the membrane, which changes the natural frequency of the device. A prestressed modal analysis is carried out to determine the change in natural frequency due to stress stiffening. The equivalent circuit method is used to evaluate the performance of the device in the receiver mode. The lumped parameters of the device are obtained and an equivalent circuit model of the device is constructed to determine the open circuit receiving sensitivity of the device. The effect of air in the cavity is included by incorporating an equivalent compliance and an equivalent resistance in the equivalent circuit.

Sulphur potential measurements with a two phase sulphide oxide electrolyte

The open circuit potentials of the galvanic cell,Pt (or Au)¦(Ar + H2S + H2)primeparCaS + ZrO2(CaO)par (Ar + H2S+ H2)Prime£t (or Au) has been measured in the temperature range 1000 to 1660 K and PH2S:PH 2 ratios from 1.73×10–5 to 2.65×10–1. The solid electrolyte consists of a dispersion of calcium sulphide in a matrix of calcia-stabilized zirconia. The surface of the electrolyte is coated with a thin layer of calcium sulphide to prevent the formation of water vapour by reaction of hydrogen sulphide with calcium oxide or zirconia present in the electrolyte. The use of a lsquopoint electrodersquo with a catalytically active tip was necessary to obtain steady emfs. At low temperatures and high sulphur potentials the emfs agreed with the Nernst equation. Deviations were observed at high temperatures and low sulphur potentials, probably due to the onset of significant electronic conduction in the oxide matrix of the electrolyte. The values of oxygen and sulphur potentials at which the electronic conductivity is equal to ionic conductivity in the two-phase electrolyte have been evaluated from the emf response of the cell. The sulphide-oxide electrolyte is unsuitable for sulphur potential measurements in atmospheres with high oxygen potentials, where oxidation of calcium sulphide may be expected.

Low oxygen potential boundary for the stability of YBA2Cu3O7−δ

On lowering the oxygen potential, the tetragonal phase of YBa2Cu3O7−δ was found to decompose into a mixture of Y2BaCuO5, BaCuO2 and BaCu2O2 in the temperature range 773–1173 K. The 123 compound was contained in a closed crucible of yttria-stabilized zirconia in the temperature range 773–1073 K. Oxygen was removed in small increments by coulometric titration through the solid electrolyte crucible at constant temperature. The oxygen potential was calculated from the open circuit e.m.f. of the solid state cell after successive titrations. Pure oxygen at a pressure of 1.01 × 105 Pa was used as the reference electrode. The decomposition of the 123 compound manifested as a plateau in oxygen potential. The decomposition products were identified by X-ray diffraction. At temperatures above 1073 K there was some evidence of reaction between the 123 compound, solid electrolyte crucible and platinum. For measurements above 1073 K, the 123 compound was contained in a magnesia crucible placed in a closed outer silica tube. The oxygen potential in the gas phase above the 123 compound was controlled and measured by a solid state cell based on yttria-stabilized zirconia which served both as a pump and sensor. The lower oxygen potential limit for the stability of the 123 compound is given by View the MathML source The oxygen non-stoichiometric parameter δ for the 123 compound has a value of 0.98 (View the MathML source) at dissociation.

Authors reply to "On uniqueness, transfer and combination of acoustic sources in one-dimensional systems"

The use of electroacoustic analogies suggests that a source of acoustical energy (such as an engine, compressor, blower, turbine, loudspeaker, etc.) can be characterized by an acoustic source pressure ps and internal source impedance Zs, analogous to the open-circuit voltage and internal impedance of an electrical source. The present paper shows analytically that the source characteristics evaluated by means of the indirect methods are independent of the loads selected; that is, the evaluated values of ps and Zs are unique, and that the results of the different methods (including the direct method) are identical. In addition, general relations have been derived here for the transfer of source characteristics from one station to another station across one or more acoustical elements, and also for combining several sources into a single equivalent source. Finally, all the conclusions are extended to the case of a uniformly moving medium, incorporating the convective as well as dissipative effects of the mean flow.

Novel thiophene derivative hybrid composite solar cells

In this work composites of poly(3-hexylethiophene) (P3HT) and a thiophene derivative (7, 9-di (thiophen-2-yl)-8H-cyclopenta[a]acenaphthylen-8-one) (DTCPA) having donor acceptor architecture (DAD) were prepared. Photovoltaic properties of these hybrid composites were evaluated. DTCPA, which is a highly crystalline organic molecule with wide absorption range, was observed to improve the open circuit voltage of the solar cell. Furthermore, DTCPA crystals acts as a nucleating center and increases the molecular ordering of P3HT in the composite. Improved charge separation efficiency was observed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. Because of high built in potential in these devices, large open circuit voltage was observed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Endurance of Nafion-composite membranes in PEFCs operating at elevated temperature under low relative-humidity

PEFCs employing Nafion-silica (Nafion-SiO2) and Nafion-mesoporous zirconium phosphate (Nafion-MZP) composite membranes are subjected to accelerated-durability test at 100 degrees C and 15% relative humidity (RH) at open-circuit voltage (OCV) for 50 h and performance compared with the PEFC employing pristine Nafion-1135 membrane. PEFCs with composite membranes sustain the operating voltage better with fluoride-ion-emission rate at least an order of magnitude lower than PEFC with pristine Nafion-1135 membrane. Reduced gas-crossover, fast fuel-cell-reaction kinetics and superior performance of the PEFCs with Nafion-SiO2 and Nafion-MZP composite membranes in relation to the PEFC with pristine Nafion-1135 membrane support the long-term operational usage of the former in PEFCs. An 8-cell PEFC stack employing Nafion-SiO2 composite membrane is also assembled and successfully operated at 60 degrees C without external humidification.

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight polyaniline for organic electronic applications

High molecular weight polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized by a combined procedure incorporating various synthesis methods. Temperature and open circuit potential of the reaction mixture were collected to monitor the reaction progress. The polymer is characterized by various techniques including gel permeation chromatography, dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry for elucidating the molecular architecture obtained by this method. As-synthesized PANI was found to possess high molecular weight, reduced branching, reduced cross-linking, and to predominantly consist of linear polymer chains. This polymer was also found to be more stable in solution form. JV characteristics of as-synthesized PANI films indicate a high current density which is due to increased free pathways and less traps for the charge transport to occur in PANI films. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. (C) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers