Investigation of structural and electrochemical properties of Na2Mn2(SO4)3 cathode for sodium-ion batteries

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Electrode materials with the benefits of high working voltage, low cost, and environmental benign are needed for the realization of...     

Production, purification and thermal characterisation of invertase from a newly isolated Fusarium sp. under solid-state fermentation

Production of invertase employing a newly isolated Fusarium sp. under solid-state fermentation was optimised. Different process parameters were optimised. The maximum enzyme activity under optimum conditions was 47.23 ± 2.12 U gds⁻¹ with nitrogen additives. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation, diethylaminoethyl cellulose ion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex gel filtration. This protocol gave 20.25-fold purification and 5.53% recovery. The optimum pH and temperature for activity were 5.0 and 50 °C. The K _m and V _max values for the enzyme were 8.33 m m and 21.48 μmol min⁻¹, respectively. A detailed kinetic study of thermal inactivation has been carried out. Enthalpy of activation (Δ H *) decreased when entropy (Δ S *) of activation increased at higher temperatures. Moreover, free energy of denaturation (Δ G *) increased at higher temperature making the enzyme thermally stable. A possible explanation for the thermal inactivation of invertase at higher temperatures is also discussed.     

Experimental study on heat transfer and pressure drop of in-house synthesized graphene oxide nanofluids

Abstract

In this article, first, graphene oxide nanosheets were synthesized in-house according to the modified Hummers method, and these nanosheets were used to prepare graphene oxide nanofluids at two concentrations. Then the thermophysical properties of nanofluids were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, a scanning electron microscope, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The particle size distribution was investigated using dynamic light scattering. Then, a fundamental study was conducted on the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of graphene oxide nanofluids flowing through a straight copper tube. An experimental setup was developed to find the heat transfer characteristics and pressure drop of nanofluids in the test section consisting of a copper tube with constant heat flux. The flow regimes and associated pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics at varying flow rate were investigated at three different heat flux conditions of 7.4, 9.1, and 12.6?kW/m². Due to the increase in viscosity, flowrate and Reynolds number decreased from 0.01 to 0.1?wt% of graphene oxide nanofluids at constant pump frequency. Experimental data obtained for water were validated with the findings from the literature, and the correlations were formulated for the Nusselt number and Reynolds number by considering the multiple regression analysis. The convective heat transfer coefficient for graphene oxide at 0.01?wt% was higher when compared to graphene oxide at 0.1?wt% and water. The variation of Nusselt number with the heat flux and velocity was insignificant.