NiCoFe/C cathode electrocatalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

A direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), which is less prone to ethanol crossover, is reported. The cell consists of PtRu/C catalyst as the anode, Nafion^® 117 membrane, and Ni–Co–Fe (NCF) composite catalyst as the cathode. The NCF catalyst was synthesized by mixing Ni, Co, and Fe complexes into a polymer matrix (melamine-formaldehyde resins), followed by heating the mixture at 800 °C under inert atmosphere. TEM and EDX experiments suggest that the NCF catalyst has alloy structures of Ni, Co and Fe. The catalytic activity of the NCF catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was compared with that of commercially available Pt/C (CAP) catalyst at different ethanol concentrations. The decrease in open circuit voltage (V_oc) of the DEFC equipped with the NCF catalysts was less than that of CAP catalyst at higher ethanol concentrations. The NCF catalyst was less prone to ethanol oxidation at cathode even when ethanol crossover occurred through the Nafion^®117 film, which prevents voltage drop at the cathode. However, the CAP catalyst did oxidize ethanol at the cathode and caused a decrease in voltage at higher ethanol concentrations.     

Optimization of a schottky barrier mixer diode in the submillimeter wave region

We have designed a mixer Schottky barrier diode (SBD) for use in the submillimeter wave region with a structure optimized for minimum noise temperature. The dependence of mixer noise temperature upon thickness and doping density of the epitaxial layer and diode diameter of SBDs was simulated within the framework of existing theories. Special care was taken to formulate the SBD current-voltage and capacitance-voltage relations in a way that correctly describes the behavior of real SBDs.     

NANO-MULTILAYERS WITH HIGH PERPENDICULAR ANISOTROPY FOR MAGNETIC RECORDING

(FePt/Ag)n nano-multilayers were deposited on MgO (100) single crystal with laser ablation and then subjected to annealing. FePt L1o grains with (001) texture and thus a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant Ku of the order of 106 J/m3 were formed. A thick Ag layer is found to be favorable for decreasing the dispersion of the easy axis for magnetization. The measurement of time decay of magnetization gave rise to a small activation volume of the order of 10-25m3, showing the promising of being the recording medium for future high density perpendicular recording.     

Age-related accumulation of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide in cultured human diploid cells and its prevention by α-tocopherol

The levels of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide in serially cultured human fetal diploid fibroblasts at various population doubling levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with chemiluminescence detections. This methodology utilizes a mixture of cytochromec and luminol as post-column hydroperoxide group specific luminescent reagents. The cellular hydroperoxide content increased with age from 0.34 to 27.72 pmol/10⁶ cells. At the end of the cells'in vitro lifespan (51st population doubling level), the hydroperoxide content per 10⁶ cells reached about 80 times the level found in cells of the 20th population doubling level. Supplementation of exogenous α-tocopherol to the culture medium prevented hydroperoxide accumulation, but did not extent the lifespanin vitro. The results indicate that substantial intracellular phospholipid hydroperoxide accumulation occurred in the course of aging of human fetal liploid fibroblasts.     

Studies on the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of olefinic protons of conjugated fatty acid methyl esters

The NMR spectra of olefinic protons in the four representative conjugated fatty acid methyl esters, methylcis-9,trans-11-octadecadienoate, methyltrans-9,trans-11-octadecadienoate, methyl α eleostearate, and methyl β eleostearate, were studied. The chemical shift of each olefinic proton in these compounds was determined by considering their intramolecular environment. Coupling constants were also obtained as the results of spectral analysis.     

Effect of Computational Constraints on Zero-Dimensional Computations for the Nanosecond-Order Ignition Process of the CH4/Air Mixture

Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves - Zero-dimensional computations of nanosecond-order ignition using a nanosecond discharge are performed with two constraints. The effects of these constraints...     

Influence of chromium on the local structure and morphology of ferric oxyhydroxides

The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) method and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used for characterizing the local structure and morphology of ferric oxyhydroxides, α-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH, with and without chromium. These ferric oxyhydroxide powders were prepared from aqueous solutions containing iron and chromium ions. Radial structural functions for iron obtained by Fe K edge EXAFS spectra showed that the linkage of structural units formed by FeO₆ octahedra in γ-FeOOH is distorted by chromium addition, while such distortion in α-FeOOH is not clearly detected. On the other hand, Cr K edge EXAFS spectra showed that the local structure around chromium does not necessarily correspond to the local structure around of iron, which is observed by Fe K edge EXAFS spectra. This suggests that the structural units containing iron and chromium are heterogeneously distributed in these ferric oxyhydroxides. The local structural information was discussed coupled with morphological features of these ferric oxyhydroxides observed by TEM.     

Evidence for a Jahn-Teller distortion of Cs2NaHoCl6 at 150 mK observed by X-ray diffractometry

By means of SR X-ray diffractometry, cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion as a structural phase transformation of the first kind is directly confirmed by a splitting of Laue spots. It is understood that the degenerate ground state of a nonmagnetic doublet (₃) of Ho³⁺ in a cubic Ho-elpasolite, Fm3m(O _h ⁵ ), at least above 600 mK, is lifted up by a distortion below 150 mK, which was predicted by a splitting of the NQR spectrum and anomalies in the specific heat and magnetic susceptibility. This structural transformation shows not only the lowest transition temperature up to now, but also the greatest hysteresis specified by a Schottky-type excitation. The magnitude of the relative distortion (1/1) has been roughly estimated to be on the 2.0 · 10^–3 order of magnitude, which is much larger than the predicted value obtained from a point charge approximation. The pecularities of this transition are discussed from the viewpoint that the general theory of a structural transformation, established convincingly at high temperatures could not be easily applied.