A novel layered Li [Li0.12NizMg0.32−zMn0.56]O2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Layered Li[Li_0.12Ni_zMg_0.32−zMn_0.56]O₂ oxide cathodes containing lithium atoms in the transition metal layers were synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), galvanostatic cycling, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Li[Li_0.12Ni_zMg_0.32−zMn_0.56]O₂ cathodes deliver a specific discharge capacity of about 190 mAh/g at room temperature and 236 mAh/g at 55 °C when cycled between 2.7 and 4.6 V versus Li/Li⁺. Excellent capacity retention and smooth potential profiles at room and elevated temperatures over extended cycles suggest that this material does not convert into a spinel structure.     

Thermal and thermomechanical properties of poly(ethylene oxide) networks produced with silica and organic crosslinking agents

The thermal and thermomechanical properties of two series of poly(ethylene oxide) networks (NPEOs) were investigated as a function of the chain length between crosslink sites (M_c) and the concentration of LiClO₄ (C_L) in the NPEOs. The two series of networks were produced with silica and organic crosslinking agents and, therefore, had crosslink sites of different natures: one was an inorganic silicate network (silica NPEO), and the other was an organic polar group (organic NPEO). The crosslink sites in both series of networks were commonly covalently bonded to the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) phase through a urethane group in the NPEOs. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the PEO phases in the NPEOs, according to differential scanning calorimetry, increased with a decrease in M_c and were higher in the silica NPEOs than in the organic NPEOs under the same M_c conditions. The difference in T_g between the two series of networks with the same M_c values increased with decreasing M_c. These results suggested that the interaction of crosslink sites with the PEO phase was stronger in the silica NPEOs than in the organic NPEOs. The addition of LiClO₄ to the NPEOs resulted in T_g of the PEO phase in the NPEOs being elevated and increased according to the increase in C_L. The increase of T_g of the PEO phase according to the increase of C_L in the NPEOs was retarded or saturated at high values of C_L, and this indicated that the limit of solubility of the salt in the polymer was attained. The retardation or saturation of the increase of T_g was also observed in dynamic mechanical analyses. The curves of the loss factor tan δ and temperatures from the dynamic mechanical analyses for the NPEOs with high values of C_L showed shoulders or double peaks indicating the existence of the second phase in the polymer networks. In the curves of tan δ for salt‐complexed NPEOs with high values of C_L, silica NPEOs showed a shoulder of low intensity, but organic NPEOs showed a distinguished second peak becoming stronger with increasing C_L. The results of the T_g behavior and tan δ curves suggested that the salt solubility in the NPEOs was limited and that the salt solubility of PEO in the silica NPEOs was higher than that in the organic NPEOs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 270–277, 2003     

Characteristics of selective adsorption using D-phenylalanine imprinted terpolymer beads

A D-Phenylalanine (Phe) imprinted terpolymer, Polyacrylonitrile-Poly(acrylic acid)-Poly(acryl amide) (Poly(AN-AA-AAm)) bead was prepared by the wet-phase inversion method. Acrylamide (AAm) and acrylic acid (AA) were used as the functional monomer and acrylonitrile (AN) was used as a physical cross linker. The characteristics of selective adsorption by the D-Phe imprinted terpolymer beads were investigated at high concentrations of Phe racemate solution, 1 g Phe/L, and 10 g Phe/L. The adsorption selectivity of the D-Phe imprinted terpolymer beads prepared by anin-situ implanting method reached 0.82 and 0.8 at 1.0 g and 10 g Phe/L racemate solution, respectively, and almost all of the adsorbed D-Phe and about 43% of the adsorbed L-Phe were desorbed by 4% acetic acid. The uptake capacities of the terpolymer beads were maintained for several repeated batches.     

Preparation of Monodisperse ZrO2 by the Microwave Heating of Zirconyl Chloride Solutions

Based on the principle that the solubility of a salt decreases as the dielectric constant of the solvent decreases, zirconia powders were prepared by heating a zirconyl chloride solution with a 2-PrOH-water mixture as the solvent. The morphology, size, and size distribution of the resulting particles were highly sensitive to the heating method used on the starting solution. Particles formed under conventional heating methods were polydisperse, agglomerated spherical, or irregularly shaped because of inhomogeneous precipitation through the temperature gradient, the shear force induced by stirring, compositional nonuniformity, and the low heating rate. The present study demonstrated that microwaves provide an excellent means of heating uniformly and rapidly without stirring. The particles resulting from microwave treatment were monodisperse and spherical, with a mean diameter of 0.28 μm.     

Enhanced surface morphologies of screen-printed carbon nanotube films by heat treatment and their field-emission properties

A heating process for obtaining free-standing carbon nanotube emitters is presented with the aim of improving field-emission properties from the screen-printed multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films. Using an atmosphere with an optimum combination of nitrogen and air for heat treatment of CNT films, the CNT emitters can be made to protrude from the surface. This allows for a high emission current and the formation of very uniform emission sites without special surface treatment. The morphological change of the CNT film by this technique has eliminated additional processing steps, such as surface treatment which may result in secondary contamination and damage to the film. Despite its simplicity the process provides a high reproducibility in emission current density which makes the films suitable for practical applications.     

Thermodynamic Analysis of Chemical Vapor Deposition of BN + AIN Composite Coatings

Thermodynamic calculations were performed using a modified solgasmix-pv computer program in order to study the feasibility of codepositing boron nitride (BN) plus aluminum nitride (AIN) by chemical vapor deposition. Reactants considered were AICl₃, BCl₃ or B₂H₆, NH₃, and H₂. Deposition diagrams were generated for the BCl₃-AICl₃-NH₃ system over a range of processing conditions such as temperature, total system pressure, and reagent concentrations. Codeposition of BN + AIN was predicted by the calculations for temperatures in the range of 900 to 1700 K and pressures of 10.13 to 101.3 kPa. The predicted deposition efficiency at equilibrium was much higher for BN than for AlN at most reagent compositions. The AlN deposition efficiency increased with decreasing temperature and decreasing BCl₃ content, with increasing NH₃ content, or with the addition of H₂. Aluminum chlorides were found to be the dominant gaseous species.     

Desulfurization in a plate-type gas-lift photobioreactor using light emitting diodes

Hydrogen sulfide gas was removed in a 2-dimensional gas-lift reactor by the photosynthetic microorganismChlorobium thiosulfatophilum using light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a light source. LEDs saved light energy by 99% compared with the incandescent light source. The plate-type gas-lift reactor removed hydrogen sulfide five times better per unit mg of protein, and performed two times better in the maximum performance per unit luminous flux, compared with cylindrical fermentors.     

Investigations of Electrical Properties in Silica/Indium Tin Oxide Two-Layer Film for Effective Electromagnetic Shielding

The effect of zinc ions added to silica film on the electrical and structural properties of a silica/indium tin oxide two-layer film which had been prepared by solution coating for electromagnetic shielding of displays was studied. The volume resistivity of the undoped silica/indium tin oxide film was more than 3 times as high as that of the zinc-doped silica/indium tin oxide film. The addition of divalent cations, zinc ions, to the overcoated layer led volume resistivity of the two-layer film to decrease significantly and also caused a long-term increase in stability. The decrease in volume resistivity was due to the addition of zinc ions that changed the interface ionization and helped to enhance the electrical conductivity in the two-layer film.     

Phase behavior of blends of aliphatic polyesters with a vinylidene chloride/vinyl chloride copolymer

A series of aliphatic polyesters having CH₂/COO ratios from 2 to 14 in their repeat units were blended with a copolymer of vinylidene chloride containing 13.5% by weight of vinyl chloride. Blends of polyesters having CH₂/COO < 4 did not form completely miscible amorphous phases, whereas polyesters having CH₂/COO ≥ 4 did form completely homogeneous amorphous phases for all temperatures below the decomposition point except for the polyester with CH₂/COO = 14 which showed reversible phase separation on heating, i.e., lower critical solution temperature behavior. Interaction parameters were estimated by melting point depression and by analog calorimetry. The behavior reported here is qualitatively similar to that reported earlier for blends of aliphatic polyesters with poly(vinyl chloride), polyepichlorohydrin, polycarbonate, styrene–allyl alcohol copolymers, and the hydroxy ether of bisphenol A.     

Electrical properties of (Bi3.5La0.5)Ti3O12 thin-films prepared by liquid source misted chemical deposition

The ((Bi_3.5La_0.5)Ti₃O₁₂(BLT) thin-films used in this study were fabricated on a Pt(111)/SiO₂/Si(100) substrate by a Liquid Source Misted Chemical Deposition (LSMCD) technique. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the BLT films were crystallized and no other phases were observed when annealed above 650 ‡C. Grain size and remnant polarizations increased with increase in the annealing temperature, while leakage current densities decreased. The remnant polarizations (Pr) increased from 2.0 to 4.8 and 19.0 μC/cm2 with increase in the annealing temperature from 650 to 700 and 750 ‡C, respectively. The BLT films annealed at 700 ‡C in O₂ showed a good fatigue resistance of reduced polarization by 10% after 10⁹ switching cycles when 9 V of bipolar voltage was applied at a frequency of 40 kHz.