Effective factors improving catalyst layers of PEM fuel cell

Cathode catalyst layer has an important role on water management across the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Effect of Pt percentage in commercial catalyst and Pt loading from the viewpoint of activity and water management on performance was investigated. Physical and electrochemical characteristics of conventional and hydrophobic catalyst layers were compared. Performance results revealed that power density of conventional catalyst layers (CLs) increased from 0.28 to 0.64 W/cm² at 0.45 V with the increase in Pt amount in commercial catalyst from 20% to 70% Pt/C for H₂/Air feed. In the case of H₂/O₂ feed, power density of CLs increased from 0.64 to 1.29 W/cm² at 0.45 V for conventional catalyst layers prepared with Tanaka. Increasing Pt load from 0.4 to 1.2 mg/cm², improved kinetic activity at low current density region in both feeding conditions. Scattering electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that thickness of the catalyst layers (CLs) increases by increasing Pt load. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results revealed that thinner CLs have lower charge transfer resistance than thicker CLs. Inclusion of 30 wt % Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles in catalyst ink enhanced cell performance for the electrodes manufactured with 20% Pt/C at higher current densities. However, in the case of 70% Pt/C, performance enhancement was not observed. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results revealed that 20% Pt/C had higher (77 m²/g) electrochemical surface area (ESA) than 70% Pt/C (65 m²/g). In terms of hydrophobic powders, ESA of 30PTFE prepared with 70% Pt/C was higher than 30PTFE prepared with 20 %Pt/C. X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) results showed that diameter of Pt particles of 20% Pt/C was 2.5 nm, whereas, it was 3.5 nm for 70% Pt/C, which confirms CV results. Nitrogen physisorption results revealed that primary pores of hydrophobic catalyst powder prepared with 70% Pt/C was almost filled (99%) with Nafion and PTFE.     

Synthesis of Artificial Membrane of Copolymer (Acrylic Acid/Butyl Acrylate) PAA-PBA for the Design of Polymersomes

Polymersomes are synthetic vesicles that imitate biological membrane functions. The purpose of this work is to develop an artificial copolymer (acrylic acid/butyl acrylate) PAA-PBA membrane by random synthesis. A factorial design 2^k was applied to determine the conditions for this reaction. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer indicated that the polymerization reaction was complete without a –C=C-absorption peak. The Gordon-Taylor equation showed that the hydrophilic part of the PAA-PBA composition is 20–40% and the hydrophobic part 60–80%. The authors selected the copolymers with low molecular weight, within the range of 3134.49 ± 994.21 g/mol and a polydispersity of 1.40.     

Chitosan-Modified Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene Oxide) for Anion-Exchange Membrane in Fuel Cell Technology

A series of cross-linking chitosan-modified quaternary ammonium poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)s membranes (CS-QAPPO) were prepared by the Menshutkin reaction. The mechanical property, dimensional stability, and alkaline stability of the CS-QAPPO membrane have been impressively improved by introducing CS into PPO backbone. Even the hydroxide conductivity of CS-QAPPO membranes is higher than that of the pristine QAPPO membrane. The 20% chitosan-modified QAPPO membrane shows the best performance, and the hydroxide conductivity is 32 mS cm^?1 at 90°C. The alkaline stability measurements demonstrated excellent chemical stability of the CS-QAPPO membrane in 2?M NaOH solution at room temperature after 2,000?h.     

Parameters of the Mass-Transfer Through the Reverse Osmosis Polysulphonamid Membrane of the Binary Aquatic Solutions of Salts

Abstract

Experimental data of mass transfer through the reverse osmosis polysulfonmide membrane of binary aqueous solutions of salts are compared with the predictions of phenomenological equations of mass transfer.     

Modeling and Simulation of a Cellulose-Acetate Blend Ultrafiltration Membrane using Bovine Serum Albumin Solution

In the present work, a numerical simulation of an ultrafiltration (UF) process of BSA solution through flat sheet membranes is carried out by solving the convective diffusion Eq. (CDE) for mass balance to predict permeate flux behavior in a dead end UF cell. Using the trust-region nonlinear regression technique, the experimental data obtained for flux and observed rejection of CA/SPEEK blend membranes were curve fitted to obtain the values for the permeability coefficient (P_m), reflection coefficient (σ) and mass transfer coefficient (k). The model is tested for numerical stability and accuracy by varying key numerical parameters such as the numerical time step (Δt).     

Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane as an In Situ Biological Membrane for Pharmaceutical Formulation Development: A Review

The use of animals in research has always been a debatable issue. Over the past few decades, efforts have been made to reduce, replace, and refine experiments for ethical use of experimental animals. The use of chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) was one of the proposed alternatives to the Draize rabbit ocular irritation test with several advantages including simplicity, rapidity, sensitivity, ease of performance, and cost-effectiveness. The recent use of CAM in the development of pharmaceuticals and testing models to mimic human tissue, including drug transport across CAM, will be discussed in this review.     

Membrane disruption and DNA binding of Staphylococcus aureus cell induced by a novel antimicrobial peptide produced by Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans FX-6

Previously, we have isolated a novel bacteriocin, peptide F1 from Tibetan Kefir, and demonstrated its superior antimicrobial activity. However, its antimicrobial mechanism is still undefined. This study was aimed to elucidate the antimicrobial mechanism of peptide F1 against Staphylococcus aureus. The antimicrobial effects of peptide F1 were characterized by the following methods: chemical assay to quantify cytoplasmic β-galactosidase leakage, atomic absorption spectrometry to measure the released potassium ions, transmission electron microscopy to visualize the cellular morphological changes, and electrophoresis analysis and atomic force microscopy together to exam the DNA binding activity. Our results revealed that peptide F1 exerted its bactericidal effects by damaging bacterial cell membranes and by binding to the genomic DNA in the cytoplasm, which both led to rapid cell death.     

Extraction of alcohol using emulsion liquid membrane consisting of paraffin oil as an organic phase and lecithin as a surfactant

BACKGROUND: This paper reports on the use of a liquid emulsion membrane involving paraffin light oil as membrane phase and lecithin as surfactant for the extraction of alcohol from anthocyanin extract and simulated pineapple wine. RESULTS: The extraction of alcohol was found to depend on the many factors such as surfactant concentration, contact time, stirring speed, stirring time, and ratio of membrane emulsion to feed volume. Results showed that optimum conditions for maximum alcohol extraction (25%) were lecithin concentration 3%, contact time 20 min, stirring speed 250 rpm and ratio of membrane emulsion to feed volume 1:2. Multistage extraction using this liquid emulsion membrane was found to completely remove alcohol from anthocyanin extract and from simulated pineapple wine in seven stages and five stages, respectively. CONCLUSION: This liquid emulsion membrane was found to be a useful method for the extraction of alcohol from aqueous feed. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of chemical and heat treatment on the interfacial contact resistance and corrosion resistance of 446M ferritic stainless steel as a bipolar plate for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

The bipolar plate is an important component of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) because it supplies the pathway of the electron flow between each unit cell. The ferritic stainless steel is considered a good candidate material for bipolar plate, but it is limited to use as a bipolar plate due to its corrosion problem and high interfacial contact resistance (ICR). To explore a cost-effective method of surface modification, various chemical and heat treatments are performed with 446M ferritic stainless steel to understand the effect of the surface modifications on the ICR and the corrosion resistance. The ICR and corrosion resistance of 446M stainless steel can be effectively controlled by a proper surface modification with combined treatment of immersion in the acidic solution, followed by heat treatment. The combined chemical and heat treatment not only improves the corrosion resistance but also reduces the ICR value.