Recent Advances in Electrochemical Performances of Graphene Composite (Graphene-Polyaniline/Polypyrrole/Activated Carbon/Carbon Nanotube) Electrode Materials for Supercapacitor: A Review

The latest trend in the direction of miniaturized portable electronic devices has brought up necessitate for rechargeable energy sources. Among the various non conventional energy devices, the supercapacitor is the promising candidate for gleaning the energy. Supercapacitor, as a new energy device that colligates the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries, it has attracted more attention due to its high power density and long cycle life. Many researchers work on, synthesizing new electrode material for the development of supercapacitor. The electrode material possesses salient structure and electrochemical properties exhibit the efficient performance of the supercapacitor. Graphene has high carrier mobility, thermal conductivity, elasticity and stiffness and also has a theoretical specific capacitance of 2630 m²g^??1 corresponds to a specific capacitance of 550 Fg^??1. This article summarizes and reviews the electrochemical performance and applications of various graphene composite materials such as graphene/polyaniline, graphene/polypyrrole, graphene/metal oxide, graphene/activated carbon, graphene/carbon nanotube as an electrode materials towards highly efficient supercapacitors and also dealt with symmetric, asymmetric and hybrid nature of the graphene based supercapacitor.     

Hardness, microstructure and surface characterization of laser gas nitrided commercially pure titanium using high power CO2 laser

Surface nitriding of commercially pure (CP) titanium was carried out using high power CO ₂ laser at pure nitrogen and dilute nitrogen (N ₂ + Ar) environment. The hardness, microstructure, and melt pool configuration of the laser melted titanium in helium and argon atmosphere was compared with laser melting at pure and dilute nitrogen environment. The hardness of the nitrided layer was of the order of 1000 to 1600 HV. The hardness of the laser melted titanium in the argon and helium atmosphere was 500 to 1000 HV. Using x-ray analysis the formation of TiN and Ti ₂ N phase was identified in the laser nitrided titanium. The presence of nitrogen in the nitrided zone was confirmed using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. The microstructures revealed densely populated dendrites in the sample nitrided at 100% N ₂ environment and thinly populated dendrites in dilute environment. The crack intensity was large in the nitrided sample at pure nitrogen, and few cracks were observed in the 50% N ₂ + 50% Ar environment.     

Optimization of friction welding by taguchi and ANOVA method on commercial aluminium tube to Al 2025 tube plate with backing block using an external tool

The aim of the present work is to optimize the Friction welding of tube to tube plate using an external tool (FWTPET) with clearance fit of commercial aluminum tube to Al 2025 tube plate using an external tool. Conventional frictional welding is suitable to weld only symmetrical joints either tube to tube or rod to rod but in this research with the help of external tool, the welding has been done by unsymmetrical shape of tube to tube plate also. In this investigation, the various welding parameters such as tool rotating speed (rpm), projection of tube (mm) and depth of cut (mm) are determined according to the Taguchi L₉ orthogonal array. The two conditions were considered in this process to examine this experiment; where condition 1 is flat plate with plain tube Without holes [WOH] on the circumference of the surface and condition 2 is flat plate with plane tube has holes on its circumference of the surface With holes [WH]. Taguchi L₉ orthogonal array was utilized to find the most significant control factors which will yield better joint strength. Besides, the most influential process parameter has been determined using statistical Analysis of variance (ANOVA). Finally, the comparison of each result has been done for conditions by means percentage of contribution and regression analysis. The general regression equation is formulated and better strength is obtained and it is validated by means of confirmation test. It was observed that value of optimal welded joint strength for both tube without holes and tube with holes are to be 319.485 MPa and 264.825 MPa, respectively.

     

Preparation and characterisation of carbon-supported palladium nanoparticles for oxygen reduction in low temperature PEM fuel cells

Pd nanoparticles have been synthesised using different reducing agents, including ethylene glycol (EG), formaldehyde and sodium borohydride and their activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) evaluated. The use of EG led to the best morphology for the ORR and this synthetic method was optimised by adjusting the system pH. Carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles of approximately 7 nm diameter were obtained when reduction took place in the alkaline region. Pd synthesised by EG reduction at pH 11 presented the highest mass activity 20 A g^?2 and active surface area 15 m² g^?1. These synthetic conditions were used in further synthesis. The effect of heat treatment in H₂ atmosphere was also studied; and increased size of the palladium nanoparticles was observed in every case. The Pd/C catalyst synthesised by reduction with EG at pH 11 was tested in a low temperature H₂/O₂ (air) PEMFC with a Nafion^® 112 membrane, at 20 and 40 °C. Current densities at 0.5 V, with O₂ fed to the cathode, at 40 °C were 1.40 A cm^?2 and peak power densities 0.79 W cm^?2, approximately; which compared with 1.74 A cm^?2 and 0.91 W cm^?2, respectively for a commercial Pt/C.     

Herbal drug incorporated antibacterial nanofibrous mat fabricated by electrospinning: An excellent matrix for wound dressings

Nano‐components and nano‐systems for health care and medical applications are the focus of many research projects worldwide. Nanofibrous membranes are highly soft materials with high surface‐to‐volume ratios, and therefore can serve as excellent carriers for therapeutic agents that are antibacterial or accelerate wound healing. PCL/PVP Nanofiber mat containing chloroform: methanol (4:1) crude bark extract of Tecomella undulata, a medicinal plant widely known for its traditional medical applications including its wound healing ability, were prepared and evaluated for their antibacterial properties. With good drug stability and high drug‐loading efficacy, the incorporation of herbal extract in the polymer media did not appear to influence the morphology of the resulting fibers, as both the drug‐free and the drug‐loaded nanofibers remained unaltered, microscopically. Activity was tested against standard strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2297, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 933, Escherichia coli (IP‐406006). Extract loaded PCL/PVP nanofiber mat were able to inhibit the growth of the bacterial strains which indicate that it could act not only as a drug delivery system but also in the treatment of wound healing or dermal bacterial infections thereby proving a potential application for use as a wound dressing. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Studies of solvent effect on the conductivity of 2‐mercaptopyridine‐doped solid polymer blend electrolytes and its application in dye‐sensitized solar cells

Solvents and electrolytes play an important role in the fabrication of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We have studied the poly(ethylene oxide)‐poly(methyl methacrylate)‐KI‐I₂ (PEO‐PMMA‐KI‐I₂) polymer blend electrolytes prepared with different wt % of the 2‐mercaptopyridine by solution casting method. The polymer electrolyte films were characterized by the FTIR, X‐ray diffraction, electrochemical impedance and dielectric studies. FTIR spectra revealed complex formation between the PEO‐PMMA‐KI‐I₂ and 2‐mercaptopyrindine. Ionic conductivity data revealed that 30% 2‐mercaptopyridine‐doped PEO‐PMMA‐KI‐I₂ electrolyte can show higher conductivity (1.55 × 10^?5 S cm^?1) than the other compositions (20, 40, and 50%). The effect of solvent on the conductivity and dielectric of solid polymer electrolytes was studied for the best composition (30% 2‐mercaptopyridine‐doped PEO‐PMMA‐KI‐I₂) electrolyte using various organic solvents such as acetonitrile, N,N‐dimethylformamide, 2‐butanone, chlorobenzene, dimethylsulfoxide, and isopropanol. We found that ac‐conductivity and dielectric constant are higher for the polymer electrolytes processed from N,N‐dimethylformamide. This observation revealed that the conductivity of the solid polymer electrolytes is dependent on the solvent used for processing and the dielectric constant of the film. The photo‐conversion efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells fabricated using the optimized polymer electrolytes was 3.0% under an illumination of 100 mW cm^?2. The study suggests that N,N‐dimethylformamide is a good solvent for the polymer electrolyte processing due to higher ac‐conductivity beneficial for the electrochemical device applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42489.     

Giant negative electrocaloric effect and energy storage response in 0.94(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-0.06SrMnO3 nanocrystalline ceramics

We report the electrocaloric (EC) effect investigation on lead-free 0.94(K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃-0.06SrMnO₃ nanocrystalline ceramics by an indirect thermodynamic method using Maxwell's relations. The maximum value of the negative EC effect ($\mathrm{\Delta }{\mathrm{T}}_{\mathit{max}}=?1.66\mathrm{K}$) was observed at 459?K near the transition temperature at the field of 50?kV/cm. The corresponding EC responsivity was calculated to be $?3.32\times {10}^{?7}\mathrm{K}\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{V}$ under 50?kV/cm at 459?K whereas the coefficient of performance (COP) and recoverable energy density (${\mathrm{W}}_{\mathit{rec}}$) were found to be 1.03 and $0.17\mathrm{J}/{\mathrm{cm}}^3$, respectively under 50?kV/cm at 443?K. The observed values of negative EC effect, and EC responsivity are larger than any other lead-free ferroelectric ceramics with good COP and ${\mathrm{W}}_{\mathit{rec}}$ value. The results are interesting to improve the cooling efficiency and energy storage for device application.     

Experimental and Computational Evaluation of Piperonylic Acid Derived Hydrazones Bearing Isatin Moieties as Dual Inhibitors of Cholinesterases and Monoamine Oxidases

A set of piperonylic acid derived hydrazones with variable isatin moieties was synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against the enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and monoamine oxidases A and B (MAO-A/B). The results of in vitro studies revealed IC₅₀ values in the micromolar range, with the majority of the compounds showing selectivity for the MAO-B isoform. N-[2-Oxo-1-(prop-2-ynyl)indolin-3-ylidene]benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbohydrazide ( 3 ) was identified as a lead AChE inhibitor with IC₅₀=0.052±0.006 μm . N-[(3E)-5-chloro-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-3-ylidene]-2H-1,3-benzodioxole-5-carbohydrazide ( 2 ) was the lead MAO-B inhibitor with IC₅₀=0.034±0.007 μm , and showed 50 times greater selectivity for MAO-B over MAO-A. The kinetic studies revealed that compounds 2 and 3 displayed competitive and reversible inhibition of AChE and MAO-B, respectively. The molecular docking studies revealed the significance of hydrophobic interactions in the active site pocket of the enzymes under investigation. Further optimization studies might lead to the development of potential neurotherapeutic agents.     

Integration of functional reliability analysis with hardware reliability: An application to safety grade decay heat removal system of Indian 500 MWe PFBR

A passive system can fail either due to classical mechanical failure of components, referred to as hardware failure, or due to the failure of physical phenomena to fulfill the intended function, referred to as functional failure. In this paper a methodology is discussed for the integration of these two kinds of unreliability and applied to evaluate the integrated failure probability of the passive decay heat removal system of Indian 500 MWe prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR). The probability of occurrence of various system hardware configurations is evaluated using the fault tree method and functional failure probabilities on the corresponding configurations are determined based on the overall approach reported in the reliability methods for passive system (RMPS) project. The variation of functional reliability with time, which is coupled to the probability of occurrence of various hardware system configurations is studied and incorporated in the integrated reliability analysis. It is observed that this consideration of the dependence of functional reliability on time will give significant advantages on system reliability. The integrated reliability analysis is also explained using an event tree. The impact of the provision for forced circulation in the primary circuit on functional reliability is also studied with this procedure and it is found that the forced circulation capability helps to bring down the total decay heat removal failure probability by lowering the peak temperatures after the reactor shut down.