A non-aqueous nickel–manganese sulfide on rGO wrapped Ni-foam as a supercapacitor advanced electrode material

Development of sulfide-based electrodes for non-aqueous electrolytes is a promising research area in supercapacitor applications. In this present work a novel and safe non-aqueous electrolyte can increase the specific capacitance in a wider range of potential window for electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLCs). Herein, pristine NiS, MnS, and ternary metal composites of NiMnS/rGO-0.05 wt%, NiMnS/rGO-0.1 wt% and NiMnS/rGO-0.15 wt% are synthesized via one-step hydrothermal route. The fabricated supercapacitor electrodes performance was assessed using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge and discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with 1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile. The as-prepared NiMnS/rGO-0.15 wt% electrode achieves an excellent specific capacitance of 352 F g^?1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s^?1 with capacitance retention of 82% through 10,000 successive cycles. Remarkably, the NiMnS/rGO-0.15 wt% composite indicates its superior electrochemical behavior as an electrode material in a non-aqueous electrolyte.

     

Effect of food matrix and processing on release of almond protein during simulated digestion

The aims of the present work were to assess digestibility of almond protein in the upper gastrointestinal tract, evaluate the effects of food matrix on protein release and assess the persistence of immunoreactive polypeptides generated during simulated digestion. Prunin, the most abundant protein in almond flour, was sensitive to pepsin, with complete digestion after 20 min in the gastric phase. Addition of the surfactant phosphatidylcholine did not affect the rate and kinetic of digestion, as observed by SDS-PAGE analysis and HPLC, in the stomach and the small intestine of either natural or blanched almond flour. However, incorporation of almond flour into a food matrix, such as chocolate mousse and Victorian sponge cake, decreased the rate of almond protein degradation by pepsin and immunoreactivity of almond polypeptides detected by dot blots and sandwich ELISA retained better. Most of the almond protein identified by in-gel tryptic digestion and MALDI-TOF analysis corresponded to prunin, with pI values of 5–7.     

A composite approach for remediation of cane distillery spent wash using chitosan modified biomass,electrolysis, and Oscillatoria boryana

A cost effective multistep bio‐physicochemical method comprising adsorption on carbon, banana pseudo‐stem (BPS), and modified chitosan hydrogels (MHPS) as adsorbents, bioremediation using Oscillatoria boryana (OB) and constant current electrolysis was employed successfully to remove oxygen demanding organic wastes, color, total dissolved solids (TDS), melanoidin, and acidic/basic impurities from distillery spent wash (DSW). The adsorbent were characterized for their structures [Shimadzu FTIR (Fourier transform–Infrared spectroscopy)?8400S], thermal stability [TGA (Thermogravimetric analyzer)‐Q 500 V20.0 Build 36] and surface morphology [ZEISS EVO series SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy)‐EVO 50]. The percentage color reduction by visible spectrometry and residual coloring matter on platinum–cobalt color unit scale were found to be 97.2% and 250 ppm, respectively till OB bioremediation stage. The remaining residual color (2.8%) was removed in the subsequent electrolysis (1.95%) and adsorption on MHPS (0.85%) stages. The net percent reduction in color (>99%), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) in the present composite approach for DSW treatment were found to be much higher than the reported values. Analysis of the adsorption data for the synthesized activated carbon through Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models revealed Langmuir adsorption isotherm with pseudo‐ first‐order kinetics. The evaluated thermodynamic parameters (Van't Hoff plot) for adsorption revealed that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44546.     

Anthocyanin-sensitized solar cells using carbon nanotube films as counter electrodes

Carbon nanotube (CNT) films have been used as counter electrodes in natural dye-sensitized (anthocyanin-sensitized) solar cells to improve the cell performance. Compared with conventional cells using natural dye electrolytes and platinum as the counter electrodes, cells with a single-walled nanotube (SWNT) film counter electrode show comparable conversion efficiency, which is attributed to the increase in short circuit current density due to the high conductivity of the SWNT film.     

Spiral patterns of gold nanoclusters in silicon (100) produced by metal vapour vacuum arc implantation of gold ions

Self-assembled gold nanoclusters are attractive building blocks for future nanoscale sensors and optical devices due to their exciting catalytic properties. In this work, we report direct bottom-up synthesis of spiral patterns of gold nanoclusters in silicon (100) substrates by Au ion implantation followed by thermal annealing. This unique phenomenon is observed only above a critical threshold implantation dose and annealing temperature. Systematic study by electron microscopy, analytical x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy shows the temperature-?and time-dependent nucleation, growth of Au nanoclusters and evolution of the spiral patterns. The observed patterns of gold nanoclusters bear a resemblance to the spiral growth prevalent in some directionally solidified eutectic alloys. Based on this systematic study of the growth and morphology of nanoclusters, a tentative model has been proposed for the formation mechanism of this unusual self-assembled pattern in an amorphous Si/Au system. This model shows that melting of the implanted layer is essential and without which no spiral patterns are observed. A better understanding of this self-assembly process will open up new ways to fabricate ordered arrays of gold nanoclusters in silicon substrates for seeding selective growth of one-dimensional nanostructures.     

A web-based system for design interface management of construction projects

Planning methods such as CPM and PERT cannot model the iterative details of design processes. It has been demonstrated that the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is an effective method to model iterative process. However, formulating the DSM on large construction projects, using current methodologies is challenging. To address this challenge, a structured methodology called Design Interface Management System “diMs” has been proposed. As the documents and interactions required for implementing the “diMs” process are voluminous, support of an IT based tool is essential. This paper presents the design and the development of the tool. It includes the design of class structure, relational database and communication engine using object oriented concepts. In addition, the design of user interface which consists of a set of dynamic web pages is also explained. The paper also illustrates the usage of the tool for the design of a glass factory and discusses the utility of the tool in assisting design interface management.     

Vibration characteristics of orthotropic shaft–disk system with different constrained damping layers: experimental and numerical study

This paper reports the results of an investigation carried out to study the effect of various constrained layers (viscoelastic layer (VEL), electrorheological fluid, and magnetorheological fluid) on natural frequency and damping factor. The different fiber orientations (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°) were considered for glass/epoxy (G/E) and graphite/epoxy (GR/E) shaft–disk systems. Experimental evaluation and finite element technique are employed to investigate the natural frequency and damping factor for various combinations. The vibrational characteristics of the composite sandwich shaft–disk system are also compared in this present study. From the study, it is evident that the VEL core shows excellent frequency and damping loss factor performances, and the 90° fiber-oriented composites are dominant in vibration damping performances. The GR/E shaft–disk system outperforms the G/E shaft–disk system.     

Effect of constrained layers on vibrational characteristics of a composite sandwich system��A finite element based critical investigation

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of various constrained layers (viscoelastic layer (VEL), electro-rheological fluid (ERF), and magneto-rheological fluid (MRF)) over natural frequency and the damping loss factor with two different fiber orientations (0° and 90°) for a Graphite/Epoxy (GR/E) composite sandwich shaft disc system. The finite element technique is used to investigate the natural frequency and loss factor for various combinations. Furthermore, the vibrational characteristics of the composite sandwich shaft disc system are compared with those of the base structure without constrained layers. The study shows that introducing various constrained layers reduces the magnitude of natural frequency by up to 80%. The results also show that GR/E composite with 90° fiber orientation acquires the highest frequency reduction. Among the proposed layers, VEL has the highest damping loss factor.