Hydrocarbon-based electrode ionomer for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The electrode ionomer is a key factor that significantly affects the catalyst layer morphology and fuel cell performance. Herein, sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone)-based electrode ionomers with polymers of various molecular weights and alcohol/water mixtures were prepared, and those comprising the alcohol/water mixture showed a higher performance than the ones prepared using higher boiling solvents, such as dimethylacetamide; this is owing to the formation of the uniformly dispersed ionomer catalyst layer. The relation between ionomer molecular weight for the same polymer structure and the sulfonation degree was investigated. Because the chain length of polymer varies with molecular weight and chain entanglement degree, its molecular weight affects the electrode morphology. As the ionomer covered the catalyst, the agglomerates formed were of different morphologies according to their molecular weight, which could be deduced indirectly through dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the fuel cell performance was confirmed in the current-voltage curve.     

Can Tolerant Diatom Taxa be Used for Effective Assessments of Human Pressure?

Because lately the low bioindicative value of tolerant species from different taxonomic groups is often questioned, in this study, we hypothesized that tolerant diatoms may be used for effective temporal assessments of human pressure. We tested this on the lowland Bzura River in central Poland, on 156 diatom samples (DSs) from two study periods of 1972 with extremely severe point‐source water pollution and of 2002–2004, where the complex wastewater management in the river catchment improved water quality considerably. Out of the total 295 diatom species recorded in the samples, only 133 tolerant ones were included in the study. Patterns in their abundance were recognized with a Kohonen artificial neural network (self‐organizing map, SOM), whereas the species significantly associated with each SOM cluster of diatom samples were identified with the indicator value (IndVal) index and the Monte Carlo test. If the hypothesis tested was not supported, the assignation of DSs to the SOM clusters would be random. However, the separation of DSs from 1972 and 2002–2004 was almost perfect because the number of exceptions was as low as 4.5%. In addition, the relatively high number (64 out of 133) of tolerant species significantly associated with any SOM cluster (and respective environmental conditions at sites from which samples assigned to it come) supports the hypothesis tested. This means that almost half of the studied species are not evenly distributed in particular clusters as might be expected for highly tolerant species. The study proves that the abundances of many diatom species, currently classified as tolerant, carry quite precise information on the differences in the quality of the environment, and indicates those tolerant diatom species whose bioindicative potential may be highest. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on the self‐assembly property of type I collagen prepared from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin by different extraction methods

Type I collagen was prepared from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin by acetic acid and pepsin process at 4 °C, respectively (ASC and PSC), and hot‐water method separately at 25, 35 and 45 °C (C‐25, C‐35 and C‐45). Their structure and self‐assembly property were discussed. SDS‐PAGE patterns suggested that pepsin hydrolysis and the 35 and 45 °C extraction produced collagen with much reduced proportions of α‐ and β‐chains. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra revealed that pepsin hydrolysis did not change the conformation of collagen, but higher extraction temperature did. Self‐assembly curves and atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations showed that only ASC, PSC and C‐25 could self‐assemble into fibrils with D‐periodicity, but the reconstruction rate of C‐25 was lower. Besides, PSC had relatively higher resolution ratio compared with others. Overall, pepsin‐extracted collagen displayed higher solubility and better fibril‐forming capacity, having the potential of applying in biomaterials and food‐packaging materials.     

Self‐assembled centimetre‐sized rods obtained in the oxidation of o‐phenylenediamine and aniline

Morphologically well‐defined rods of approximately 1 cm in length are effectively and economically obtained by mixing ortho‐phenylenediamine (30 mmol L^?1) with ammonium persulfate (12.5 mmol L^?1) in an acidic solution (0.37 mol L^?1 HCl) at room temperature with and without the presence of 50 mmol L^?1 aniline. These self‐assembled, morphologically uniform products can be potentially scaled up and used as morphological templates to fabricate well‐defined structures of other materials such as conducting polymers. The products were characterized using Raman, UV‐visible, high‐resolution NMR (¹H and ¹³C) and mass spectroscopies, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. Apart from certain differences in visual appearance and in X‐ray diffractograms, other analytical data suggest that there are no structural changes upon addition of aniline into the reaction mixture. NMR and mass spectra imply that all syntheses carried out either with or without aniline result in a mixture of two products, attributed to 2,3‐phenazinediamine and 3‐aminophenazin‐2‐ol. A formation mechanism based on hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking has been proposed. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Remote Steering of Self‐Propelling Microcircuits by Modulated Electric Field

The principles and design of “active” self‐propelling particles that can convert energy, move directionally on their own, and perform a certain function is an emerging multidisciplinary research field, with high potential for future technologies. A simple and effective technique is presented for on‐demand steering of self‐propelling microdiodes that move electroosmotically on water surface, while supplied with energy by an external alternating (AC) field. It is demonstrated how one can control remotely the direction of diode locomotion by electronically modifying the applied AC signal. The swimming diodes change their direction of motion when a wave asymmetry (equivalent to a DC offset) is introduced into the signal. The data analysis shows that the ability to control and reverse the direction of motion is a result of the electrostatic torque between the asymmetrically polarized diodes and the ionic charges redistributed in the vessel. This novel principle of electrical signal‐coded steering of active functional devices, such as diodes and microcircuits, can find applications in motile sensors, MEMs, and microrobotics.     

A Thermodynamics Model for the Emergence of a Stripe‐like Binary SAM on a Nanoparticle Surface

It has been under debate if a self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) with two immiscible ligands of different chain lengths and/or bulkiness can form a stripe‐like pattern on a nanoparticle (NP) surface. The entropic gain upon such pattern formation due to difference in chain lengths and/or bulkiness has been proposed as the driving force in literature. Using atomistic discrete molecular dynamics simulations it is shown that stripe‐like pattern could indeed emerge, but only for a subset of binary SAM systems. In addition to entropic contributions, the formation of a striped pattern also strongly depends upon interligand interactions governed by the physicochemical properties of the ligand constituents. Due to the interplay between entropy and enthalpy, a binary SAM system can be categorized into three different types depending on whether and under what condition a striped pattern can emerge. The results help clarify the ongoing debate and our proposed principle can aid in the engineering of novel binary SAMs on a NP surface.     

An efficient polymer solar cell using graphene oxide interface assembled via layer-by-layer deposition

Graphene oxide (GO) is widely used as an interfacial material in applications such as organic light emitting diodes and photovoltaic devices. Herein we report a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled GO thin film as an anode interfacial layer (AIL) for efficient polymer solar cells (PSCs). The GO thin film is fabricated by alternately depositing cationic polyelectrolyte poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and GO on ITO/glass substrate, which possesses controllable thickness by adjusting LbL deposition frequency. The presence of ultrathin GO films improves the work function of ITO, leading to a better contact between the active layer and ITO anode. With the optimized number of deposition times, the efficiency of 6.04% for the PSC with PDDA-GO bilayer (GO-2) as the AIL was achieved.     

汽车总装线上远程激光焊接能量评估

通过分析激光源的类型和结构,建立参数数据库,并结合机器人运动的动力学分析,本研究提出了汽车总装线上远程激光焊接(RLW)的能量评估模型。通过对简单焊件进行焊接实验,将传统激光焊接和远程激光焊接进行了对比,结果发现,焊接过程中机器人运动能量逐渐减少,而激光能量逐渐增加。处理时间和激光功率是影响远程焊接能源效率的主要因素。     

TR180旋挖钻机动力头结构设计

动力头是旋挖钻机的关键部件,其性能好坏直接影响钻机整机性能的。文中介绍了TR 180旋挖钻机动力头的结构设计,着重分析了齿轮箱传动系统、滑动支架总成和缓冲装置。