Carbon-supported hafnium oxynitride as cathode catalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Highly stable carbon-supported hafnium oxynitride (HfO_xN_y-C) was synthesized by heating carbon-supported hafnium oxide, prepared using an impregnation method, under NH₃ gas in various conditions. X-ray diffraction patterns, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and field-emission transmission electron microscope images confirmed that HfO_xN_y nanoparticles were dispersed onto commercial carbon black, Vulcan XC-72. The stability of HfO_xN_y-C in 0.1 mol dm⁻³ H₂SO₄ at 303 K was evaluated by measuring the mass ratio of dissolved hafnium to immersed HfO_xN_y-C using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. It saturated at a low level of 0.8–4.0 mg g⁻¹ with increasing immersion time up to ∼24 h. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and rate were evaluated by obtaining cyclic voltammograms and rotating disk electrode voltammograms, respectively. The HfO_xN_y-C exhibited higher ORR activity and a lower Tafel slope than NH₃-treated C under identical conditions, demonstrating that HfO_xN_y is active toward ORR. The ORR activity most depended on the heating temperature. The ORR rate increased with increasing the heating time at 1223 K which could be due to the increased y in HfO_xN_y-C. The maximum onset potential for ORR was 0.78 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode, which is 0.18 V lower than that of carbon-supported platinum.     

Transformable device that can switch between rigid body and soft body

The materials for transformable robots can roughly be categorized into two types, that is, rigid body and soft body. They have different features, and have merits and demerits, respectively. Robots with rigid body have high stiffness, and are suitable for carrying and holding objects. However, they may injure users if they make contact. Robots with soft body have high flexibility and can make contact safely. However, they have difficulty in retaining particular shapes and are fragile against external force. In this letter, we propose some devices that can switch between rigid body and soft body using phase change of low melting alloy to resolve the problems. We also provide some experimental results with the device to clarify the applicability of the developed devices. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Very High Speed Static Induction Thyristor

Characteristics of a newly developed static induction thyristor (SIThy) are described. The SIThy is irradiated by 2-MeV protons to improve the switching speed as a result of local carrier lifetime control. The characteristics of the proton irradiated SIThy are controlled by annealing conditions to obtain devices for various applications. The switching speed of the SIThy is very high; for example, at an anode current of 50 A, its rise time, storage time, and fall time are 100 ns, 60 ns, and 50 ns, respectively. Thus the newly developed SIThy is suitable for high-speed switching devices.     

Thermal diffusivity measurement of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel with internal friction

In this work, the internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel measured on a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) was used to evaluate its thermal diffusivity at elevated temperatures. With the dual cantilever clamp, the internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was obtained, which was mainly composed of the thermoelastic relaxation with a peak of 15 Hz and the broad spectrum of relaxation processes especially at low frequencies. According to the deconvolution of these results, the thermoelastic internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was achieved. Then, the thermal diffusivity of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was quantitatively estimated, which confirmed the validity of present method.     

A single-board video codec using video image signal processors

This paper discusses a newly developed single-board video codec using Video Image Signal Processors (VISPs). The codec has both a CCITT H.261 mode and a proprietary mode. Two VISPs, one for encoding and one for decoding, are used. The board size is 210 by 295 mm, the maximum frame rate is about 7.5 f/s, and the picture size is 180 by 144 pels.     

Behaviour of Cohesive Powders in a Powder‐Particle Spouted Bed

Behaviour of cohesive powders in a powder‐particle spouted Bed (PPSB) has been investigated under several operating variables and solids properties. The elutriation rate constant based on the hold‐up of fine powders in the bed decreased with a decrease in the size of fine powders, and with an increase in the size of coarse particles under a constant superficial gas velocity. This finding is quite different from the elutriation phenomena of particles more than 100 µm in size. Moreover, the mean residence time of fine powders increased with a decrease in the superficial gas velocity and the size of fine powders, and decreased with a decrease in the size of coarse particles.     

Rapid Preparation of Lead Titanate Sputtering Target Using Spark-Plasma Sintering

PbTiO₃ sputtering targets 8 cm in diameter were prepared using spark-plasma sintering (SPS) for relatively short periods, ∼2 min. Submicrometer-sized PbTiO₃ powders with a relatively large size distribution were densified to ∼86% of the theoretical X-ray density using the SPS process. In contrast, large-sized (8 cm in diameter) ceramics could not be prepared from starting powders with a relatively narrow particle-size distribution. Formation of cracks in the large PbTiO₃ targets was observed when samples were prepared under higher pressures (>50 MPa) or at higher temperatures (>900°C). Crack formation was attributed to unrelaxed internal stress originating from lower pore contents and from an inhomogeneous distribution of cations in the ceramics prepared under these conditions.