Highly selective sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene)/poly(ether sulfone) blend proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) based on blends of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (sPVdF‐co‐HFP) were prepared successfully. Fabricated blend membranes showed favorable PEM characteristics such as reduced methanol permeability, high selectivity, and improved mechanical integrity. Additionally, these membranes afford comparable proton conductivity, good oxidative stability, moderate ion exchange capacity, and reasonable water uptake. To appraise PEM performance, blend membranes were characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, AC impedance spectroscopy; atomic force microscopy, and thermogravimetry. Addition of hydrophobic PES confines the swelling of the PEM and increases the ultimate tensile strength of the membrane. Proton conductivities of the blend membranes are about 10^?3 S cm^?1. Methanol permeability of 1.22 × 10^?7cm² s^?1 exhibited by the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES10 blend membrane is much lower than that of Nafion‐117. AFM studies divulged that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have nodule like structure, which confirms the presence of hydrophilic domain. The observed results demonstrated that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have promise for possible usage as a PEM in direct methanol fuel cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43907.     

Bioprocess Scale-up for Acetohydroxamic Acid Production by Hyperactive Acyltransferase of Immobilized Rhodococcus Pyridinivorans

Catalysis Letters - In this study, Rhodococcus pyridinivorans cells containing hyperactive acyltransferase was immobilized on various macromolecules based-polymeric matrices and used to improve...     

Effects of Microbial Polysaccharides on the Oil Absorption and Quality Characteristics of a Deep-Fried Snack Namkeen

This study investigates the potential of microbial polysaccharides (MP) gellan gum and pullulan to reduce oil uptake in a deep-fried snack (Namkeen). The concentration of MP in refined wheat flour varied between 1–10% (w/w) and the frying time and temperature are optimized. The results reveal that MP added namkeens showed a maximum relative oil reduction of 33.87% with gellan gum and 26.93% with pullulan at 10% (w/w). Gellan gum and pullulan result in oil reduction of 23.19% and 15.97% with 5% (w/w). The results reveal that gellan gum added namkeens exhibited 1.45 times lower oil uptake than pullulan added namkeen indicating potential oil reduction capabilities. The hardness of namkeen is observed to increase with an increase in MP concentration. Sensorial and textural characteristics of control and MP incorporated fried samples are comparable up to 5% (w/w) with MP concentration. The results for the control samples and MP incorporated samples are statistically significant. Furthermore, overall sensorial acceptability of pullulan added namkeens (7.74 ± 0.53) is slightly higher than that of gellan gum added namkeens (7.64 ± 0.36). Practical Application: Low-fat diet and functional foods are expected to help in managing the conditions of hyperlipidaemia. This study focuses on the potential of MP in reducing the oil content of deep-fried snacks. The efficacy of MP gellan gum and pullulan as functional ingredients for oil reduction in fried snacks demonstrates its aid in formulating low-fat foods thereby retaining sensorial characteristics.     

Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Solar Still Using SiO2 Nanoparticles /Jatropha curcas L

Silicon - Now, enticing systematic civic since everywhere the world is used in green synthesis and benefit of the simple is eco-friendly with an emergent method of producing nanoparticles (NPs)....     

Scale up criteria for dual stirred gas-liquid unbaffled tank with concave blade impeller

Experimental investigation has been done in unbaffled gas-liquid stirred tanks using dual concave blade impeller to analyze the mass transfer, power consumption and gas holdup. Optimal impeller clearance has been suggested for lower and upper impeller based on maximum mass transfer rate. Numerical modeling has been done to analyze the flow pattern for different combinations of impeller clearance. The lower impeller positioned at 0.3 of tank diameter and clearance between lower and upper impeller at 0.4 of tank diameter gave the maximum mass transfer coefficient. Scale-up criteria for mass transfer rate, power and gas holdup have been developed for optimal geometrical similar systems of unbaffled stirred tanks with dual concave impeller.     

Electrical Conduction in Nano-Structured La0.9Sr0.1Al0.85Co0.05Mg0.1O3 Perovskite Oxide

Nanocrystalline La_0.9Sr_0.1Al_0.85Co_0.05Mg_0.1O₃ oxide powder was synthesized by a citrate–nitrate auto-ignition process and characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and impedance spectroscopy measurements. Nanocrystalline (50–100 nm) powder with perovskite structure could be produced at 900°C by this process. The powder could be sintered to a density more than 96% of the theoretical density at 1550°C. Impedance measurements on the sintered samples unequivocally established the potential of this process in developing nanostructured lanthanum aluminate-based oxides. The sintered La_0.9Sr_0.1Al_0.85Co_0.05Mg_0.1O₃ sample exhibited a conductivity of 2.40 × 10⁻² S/cm in air at 1000°C compared with 4.9 × 10⁻³ S/cm exhibited by La_0.9Sr_0.1Al_0.85Mg_0.15O₃.     

Synthesis and characterization of moisture‐cured polyurethane membranes and their applications in pervaporation separation of ethyl acetate/water azeotrope at 30°C

NCO‐terminated polyurethane membranes were prepared using diisocyanate, diol, and trimethylolpropane (TMP) using an NCO/OH ratio of 1.6 : 1. Prepolymer was chain‐extended using cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) in the ratios of 2 : 1, 4 : 1, and 3 : 1 of NCO/OH. Polyurethane (PU) membranes were characterized by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA) to investigate their thermal properties. Equilibrium sorption studies were carried out at 30°C in water and ethyl acetate media as well as in their binary mixtures. The influence of CAB on pervaporation (PV) separation of an ethyl acetate/water (92/8, w/w, i.e., azeotropic composition) mixture was investigated. Membranes in this study showed a selectivity of 42.42 with a flux value of 0.187 kg/m/h for 3 : 1% NCO/OH containing PU membrane. In order to gain a more detailed picture of the molecular transport phenomenon, we performed the sorption gravimetric experiments at 30°, 35°, 40°, and 50°C to compute diffusion, swelling, sorption, and permeability coefficients of PU membranes in the azeotropic mixture of ethyl acetate and water. Activation parameters for diffusion and permeation were computed from the Arrhenius equation to understand the polymer/solvent interactions. Sorption trends and diffusion anomalies were established through an empirical equation after estimating the diffusion parameters. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3405–3414, 2007     

Chemopreventive Effect of Different Ratios of Fish Oil and Corn Oil in Experimental Colon Carcinogenesis

n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have a chemopreventive effect while n-6 PUFA promote carcinogenesis. The effect of these essential fatty acids may be related to oxidative stress. Therefore, the study was designed to evaluate the effect of different ratios of fish oil (FO) and corn oil (CO) in the prevention of colon cancer. Male Wistar rats were divided into control, dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH) treated, FO + CO (1:1) and FO + CO (2.5:1). All the groups, except the control received a weekly injection of DMH for 4 weeks. The animals were sacrificed either 48 h later (initiation phase) or kept for 16 weeks (post initiation phase). DMH treatment in the initiation phase animals showed mild to moderate inflammation, decreased ROS and TrxR activity, increased antioxidants, apoptosis and ACF multiplicity. The post initiation study showed severe inflammation with hyperplasia, increased ACF multiplicity and ROS levels, a decrease in antioxidants and apoptosis. The FO + CO (1:1) treated animals showed severe inflammation, a decrease in ROS, an increase in antioxidants and apoptosis in the initiation phase. FO + CO (1:1) in the post initiation phase and FO + CO (2.5:1) in the initiation showed mild inflammation, increased ROS, apoptosis and decreased antioxidants. There was a decrease in ACF multiplicity and ROS levels, increased antioxidants and apoptosis in the post initiation phase study. The present study suggests that FO has a dose- and time-dependent chemopreventive effect in colon cancer mediated through oxidative stress and apoptosis.     

A Genetic‐Algorithm‐Based Optimized Clustering for Energy‐Efficient Routing in MWSN

With the increasing demands for mobile wireless sensor networks in recent years, designing an energy‐efficient clustering and routing protocol has become very important. This paper provides an analytical model to evaluate the power consumption of a mobile sensor node. Based on this, a clustering algorithm is designed to optimize the energy efficiency during cluster head formation. A genetic algorithm technique is employed to find the near‐optimal threshold for residual energy below which a node has to give up its role of being the cluster head. This clustering algorithm along with a hybrid routing concept is applied as the near‐optimal energy‐efficient routing technique to increase the overall efficiency of the network. Compared to the mobile low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy protocol, the simulation studies reveal that the energy‐efficient routing technique produces a longer network lifetime and achieves better energy efficiency.