Water electrolysis using plate electrodes in an electrode-paralleled non-uniform magnetic field

Compared with other ways to produce hydrogen, water electrolysis is the best way to obtain ultra-pure hydrogen, but its low energy efficiency greatly limits its wide application. It was proved that external magnetic field can reduce energy consumption, thereby increase electrolysis efficiency. Most of the researchers are focused on the impact of uniform magnetic field but few on a non-uniform one. To address the industrial operation reality, in our work, water electrolysis was operated using alkaline solution and plate electrodes in a non-uniform Magnetic field. The results show that a rotational flow on the vertical plane was formed by Lorentz force within the entire cell range. Although the entrainment effect of rotating flow made the cell full of microbubbles, the cell voltage was still reduced. By measuring the voltage difference of cathode side and anode side, we think that the bubble layer in the vicinity of the electrode surface matters the most among the sources of electric resistance. And the velocity distribution near the electrode was measured by PIV, it reveals that MHD flow is the dominant effect on the flow field of the cell. The results show that non-uniform magnetic field has potential merit in industrial electrolysis process.     

Effects of direct current magnetic field treatment time on the properties of pork myofibrillar protein

This study investigated the effects of direct current magnetic field (DC-MF) treatment time (1, 3, 5, 8 h) on properties of porcine myofibrillar protein (MP). Gel water-holding capacity increased from 83.40% to 87.20% when DC-MF-treatment time changed from 1-h to 8-h. The 3-h treatment time of DC-MF was found to promote MP unfolding, rearrangement and aggregation, leading to the loss of total sulfhydryl, the increase of reactive sulfhydryl, surface hydrophobicity, turbidity as well as the formation of MP clusters and the greater degree of crosslinking as compared with 0-h treatment, thus a firmer and more ordered MP gel network for trapping more water. However, excessive DC-MF treatment (8-h) weakened DC-MF effect on MP aggregation as well as gel network and texture. This study has shed light on the effects of DC-MF treatment time on MP properties and provides useful information for the application of DC-MF in the food industry.     

Influence of addition of nanosize barium cerate on the microstructure and properties of top-seeded melt growth YBCO bulk superconductors

Barium cerate (BaCeO₃) is one of the possible additions to bulk YBa₂Cu₃O₇ single-grain superconductors to suppress the growth of Y₂BaCuO₅ (Y211) particles. This paper investigates the synthesis of barium cerate powder and its use in YBa₂Cu₃O₇ bulk superconductors. Crystalline barium cerate was synthesized by solid-state reaction, by co-precipitation of oxalates and by sol-gel method. Final calcination was held in air or in vacuum. It is shown that the most efficient in refining Y211 is nanocrystalline barium cerate prepared by sol-gel method calcined in vacuum. The effective refinement of Y211 particles occurred over the entire interval of nanocrystalline BaCeO₃ addition from 0.38 to 1.90 wt%. The optimal concentration of nanosize barium cerate was determined, microstructure and superconducting properties were characterized. The effect of Y211 content on trapped field in YBCO bulks with addition of nanocrystalline barium cerate is shown.     

Using the external magnetic field of composites to control fiber orientation and enhancement of electrical conductivity

The industrial developments have led to more applications of various composites. Since fiber orientation and distribution will influence product performance in composites, controlling said orientation and distribution is of critical importance. This study used external magnetic fields to control the fiber orientation and distribution in a polymer. The orientation of the actual fibers under magnetic field control during flowing was observed using a visualization system, which was made by PMMA and transparent epoxy as an upper cover and filling polymer. In order to clearly observe and calculate, 0.1 wt% fiber content was used, and 0.3 wt% fiber content was used to measure conductivity. Fiber distribution angles without a magnetic field concentrate parallel to the flow direction (0° ~ 30° and 151° ~ 180°) while distribution angles under magnetic field control were concentrated along the magnetic field direction, which was perpendicular to the flow direction (61° ~ 120°). The higher the magnetic flux density, the larger the torque of the electromagnetic field on the fibers and the higher the orientation of fibers was with the magnetic field. The electrical conductivity was 12.23 times higher for 1 mm fibers in an external magnetic field versus no magnetic field.     

Ultrasonic-assisted phosphate curing: a novel approach to improve curing rate and chicken meat quality

The effects of ultrasound-assisted phosphate curing (UPC), phosphate curing (PC), and deionised water curing (DC) on the quality of chicken breast meat were investigated. The analysis of tissue sections, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), and headspace solid-phase microextraction gas-phase mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) of water distribution, myofibrillary structure, and volatile components of the meat samples were performed to reveal the mechanism. Also, the curing rate, water holding capacity (WHC), and shear force of meat were assessed. The results revealed that ultrasonic-assisted salting improved the meat salting rate, WHC, and tenderness by mechanically destroying the muscle fibre structure, increasing the space between the muscle fibre bundles, promoting water migration and uniform distribution, and reducing water freedom in the treated samples. In addition, HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis revealed that PC significantly reduced the content of volatile flavour components in the chicken breast meat compared with DC (P < 0.05); however, the combination treatment with PC and ultrasonic curing could reconstruct the flavour loss caused by phosphate. Thus, our cumulative results suggest that the ultrasonic technology may effectively assist the processing technology in improving the quality of meat and reconstructing the flavour loss in meat products.     

Study of the composition and structure of ion-conducting membranes based on polyvinyl alcohol by 1H NMR spectroscopy

One of the alternative types of proton-conducting membranes for a hydrogen-air solid polymer fuel cell is the type of hybrid membranes based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) crosslinked with aldehyde, modified by sulfonic acid. Earlier, for the first time, we obtained new ion – conducting membranes based on furfural-crosslinked PVA modified aminosulfonic acid (ASA) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), as well as membranes not crosslinked with furfural (FUR) or unmodified ASA and TEOS, by a liquid-phase synthesis method, in an organic medium-dimethyl sulfoxide. The values of their ionic conductivity and the degree of swelling in water are presented. In this work, the composition and structure of the obtained ion-conducting membranes are studied using liquid-phase nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on ¹H nuclei. In the ¹H NMR spectrum of an ion – conducting membrane not cross-linked with the «PVA/ASA», the signal of free OH groups of PVA is observed to disappear, but at the same time a characteristic triplet at 7.1 ppm. is preserved, having a constant of ～51 Hz and components of the same intensity (1:1:1), which corresponds to protons of ¹⁴NH₄⁺ hydrolyzed ASA. The disappearance of the expanded signal at 9.6 m. d. of protons of the free sulfo group of ASA and a narrow singlet signal at 5.8 m. d. of free protons of the NH₂ group of ASA indicates the interaction of ASA with OH groups of PVA. In the ¹H NMR spectrum of an ion – conducting membrane crosslinked with FUR – «PVA/ASA/FUR», signals of protons of the furan ring of FUR and a signal of its aldehyde group are observed, which is shifted to a strong field, which is determined by the formation of a chemical bond between FUR and the polymer chain of PVA. In the ¹H NMR spectra of all membranes modified by ASA, the appearance of a second weaker-field ¹⁴NH₄⁺ triplet is observed, and in the spectra of a number of ion – conducting hybrid membranes modified by TEOS – «PVA/ASA/FUR/TEOS», signals of the third type of ¹⁴NH₄⁺ triplets shifted in a strong field relative to the other two ¹⁴NH₄⁺ triplets were detected. The appearance of additional ¹⁴NH₄⁺ triplets indicates the formation of several bound forms of the ammonium ion.     

流体驱动智能管道内检测机器人关键技术及应用

使用以管道自身流体驱动并搭载漏磁检测设备的管道内部机器人进行长距离输送管道的检测是一种重要且有效的手段，其作用愈发重要。本文以省科技重大专项项目为依托，介绍了管道漏磁内检测的原理、缺陷漏磁场的算法以及关乎缺陷检出效果等在内的内检测机器人驱动力、通过适应性、速度控制和漏磁检测模块设计，并将上述项目研究成果运用到实际工业实践。结果表明：本项目开发的内检测机器人其检测适应能力更强，能进一步提高缺陷的检出灵敏度和分辨力。经开挖验证后发现缺陷信号特征与实际缺陷状态高度吻合，可在行业内推广应用。     

肉类解冻工艺研究进展

解冻是肉类加工或烹饪前的重要步骤，不恰当的解冻工艺会导致肉类品质的劣变，因此，开发高效益的解冻工艺是十分必要的。解冻工艺的发展在经历了传统工艺、新型工艺后，近年又涌现了一些独特且具有创新性的解冻工艺。本文除简要概括肉品解冻过程及常见解冻工艺之外，综述这些独特的解冻工艺，介绍其开发思路、解冻原理和相关研究内容，并对未来解冻工艺的发展提出建议，旨在为肉及肉制品解冻工艺的选择和优化提供参考。     

Customizing MRI-Compatible Multifunctional Neural Interfaces through Fiber Drawing

Fiber drawing enables scalable fabrication of multifunctional flexible fibers that integrate electrical, optical, and microfluidic modalities to record and modulate neural activity. Constraints on thermomechanical properties of materials, however, have prevented integrated drawing of metal electrodes with low-loss polymer waveguides for concurrent electrical recording and optical neuromodulation. Here, two fabrication approaches are introduced: 1) an iterative thermal drawing with a soft, low melting temperature (T_m) metal indium, and 2) a metal convergence drawing with traditionally non-drawable high T_m metal tungsten. Both approaches deliver multifunctional flexible neural interfaces with low-impedance metallic electrodes and low-loss waveguides, capable of recording optically-evoked and spontaneous neural activity in mice over several weeks. These fibers are coupled with a light-weight mechanical microdrive (1 g) that enables depth-specific interrogation of neural circuits in mice following chronic implantation. Finally, the compatibility of these fibers with magnetic resonance imaging is demonstrated and they are applied to visualize the delivery of chemical payloads through the integrated channels in real time. Together, these advances expand the domains of application of the fiber-based neural probes in neuroscience and neuroengineering.     

Molecular Sensing Using Hyperpolarized Xenon NMR Spectroscopy

Molecular imaging is the determination of the spatial location and concentration of specific molecules in a sample of interest. Sophisticated modern magnetic resonance imaging machines can collect NMR spectra from small-volume elements within a sample, enabling local chemical analysis. However, abundant water and fat signals limit detection of metabolites to near mM concentrations. Alternatively, targeted relaxation contrast agents enhance the relaxation of the strong water signal where they bind. A comparison of images with and without a contrast agent shows the target distribution, but high µM concentrations are needed. We have developed an approach that exploits the strong signals of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe (an inert reporter introduced for imaging). The imaging contrast agents are composed of a biological recognition motif to localize the agent (antibodies or aptamers) and covalently tethered cryptophane cages. Xenon binds to the cryptophane and though chemical exchange saturation transfer creates contrast in a xenon image. Imaging agents can deliver many cages per target, giving detection limits in the pM concentration range. The evolution and principles of this approach are described herein.