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.     

Grain size dependence of the activation parameters for plastic deformation: Influence of crystal structure,slip system,and rate-controlling dislocation mechanism

A critical review of available results on the dependence of grain size on the activation parameters for deformation, specifically, the activation volume, V*, and the thermal component of flow stress, σ*, has been carried out with a view to verifying the Armstrong prediction that identifies the Hall-Petch (H-P) intercept with the easy slip system and the H-P slope with the most difficult system in polycrystals. The influence of slip system choice is demonstrated using results on Cd and Zr. The Armstrong prediction is valid for basal slip hcp metals, such as Cd and Zn, with V* and σ* determined by the difficult pyramidal slip. For the prism slip metals such as Zr and Ti, V* and σ* are controlled by interstitial solutes and are independent of grain size. The results on Zr are used to highlight the influence of dynamic strain aging on the H-P parameters. In bcc metals, in which the Peierls-Nabarro barrier is the rate-controlling obstacle, V* and σ* are again independent of grain size. For fcc metals, correlation of the H-P slope with the cross-slip stress, predicted by the Armstrong model, has been demonstrated for a few cases. The variation of V* with grain size in Ni as reported by Narutani and Takamura (Acta Metall. Mater., 1991, vol. 227, pp. 2037–49) is newly interpreted in terms of the Armstrong model that associates the H-P intercept in fcc metals with dislocation intersections and the H-P slope with cross-slip, and provides realistic results for the activation volumes for the two processes. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium “Dynamic Deformation: Constitutive Modeling, Grain Size, and Other Effects: In Honor of Prof. Ronald W. Armstrong,” March 2–6, 2003, at the 2003 TMS/ASM Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, under the auspices of the TMS/ASM Joint Mechanical Behavior of Materials Committee.     

China''''s First Orimulsion-Fueled Power Plant Constructed in Zhanjiang

A ceremony commencement of Orimulsion-fueled electric power generation project was held in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, on November 26. Vice Governor of Guangdong Province You Ningfeng, Vice President of PetroChina and other officials from the related departments attended the foundation-laying ceremony for the power plant.     

诚信:中国企业亟待解决的问题

分析论述了诚信的重要性，指出了在维系市场秩序中诚信处于十分重要的地位。分析了中国企业诚信的现状，提出了企业重塑诚信的措施。     

Establishing a System for Food Recalls to Protect Food Quality and Safety in China

There are no explicit laws concerning food recalls in China; moreover, some related regulations have weaknesses. China should first create a system of laws and regulations governing food recalls, establish a system to recall defective food, and strengthen administrative and legal remedial mechanisms related to consumer rights.     

Authors' reply

Presents the authors reply to comments by Tong, Li and Wei (ibid. p.703-5). For original paper see ibid., vol. 10, p. 39-49, Feb.2002.     

Low-Temperature Annealing Effect of RF Inductor With FeNi-SiO2 Granular Film

A low-temperature annealing process in vacuum is proposed to enhance the inductance of RF inductors with FeNi-SiO₂ magnetic granular films. Due to the great improvement of soft magnetic property in the 200degC and 350degC annealed film, the inductance is enhanced by 9.6% (200degC) and 8.3% (350degC), respectively, compared with the case of as-deposited film inductor. The peak value of quality factor, which is 9.18 for the as-deposited film inductor, is also increased to 9.27 (200degC ) and 12.27 (350degC), respectively.     

Development of an end-point detector for parylene deposition process

Parylene is an emerging material for MEMS. It is an organic material that is grown by using the chemical vapor deposition method at room temperature. The deposition thickness is commonly controlled by the amount of solid-phase dimer loaded in a sublimation chamber. In a conventional deposition machine, the end point of the process is designated by the moment the dimer is exhausted. However, this end-of-process criterion does not offer precise, repeatable control of film thickness. We present the results of the development of an in situ end-point detector for a Parylene chemical vapor deposition process. The detector is based on the thermal transfer principle and can be implemented on commercial parylene deposition systems with minimal system modification. Such a sensor enables a user to stop the deposition when a targeted thickness is reached. The end point detector is very simple to implement on existing parylene deposition systems. A series of such sensors with different target deposition thickness would allow extraction of the actual deposition rate within a deposition run.     

贵冶三期配料仓皮带秤改造

本文从原理、结构及特点分析了贵冶配料仓皮带秤由机械式皮带秤改为电子式皮带秤的必要性及效果。