Effect of dysprosia doping on structural and electrical property of stabilized zirconia for intermediate- temperature SOFCs

Present work deals with structural, micro-structural and electrical properties of dysprosia stabilized zirconia electrolyte, which have been evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning (SEM), and complex impedance analysis respectively. The amount of dysprosia was varied from 2 to 12 mol% in zirconia. The addition of dysprosia (8-12 mol%) stabilized the cubic zirconia phase, which was analyzed from XRD analysis. SEM micrographs clearly showed the improvement in sinterability with increase in dysprosia concentration up to 6 mol% disprosia. Complex impedance analysis was performed in the temperature range from 250 to 600 °C. The results indicated a gradual decrease in impedance of both bulk and grain boundary and increase in conductivity with dysprosia doping up to 6 mol% and thereafter showing a reverse trend. The activation energies for oxygen ion migration were also found to decrease with increase in dysprosia doping which was in the range of 0.99 ? 1.28 eV. The average thermal expansion coefficient increases linearly.     

A study on distension index and distribution of crosslinks in formaldehyde-crosslinked cotton

A study on distension index (DI) and distribution of crosslinks is reported for cotton cellulose treated with selected swelling reagents and crosslinked by different processes with formaldehyde. Details of estimation of the distension index are also described. Distribution of crosslinks under different conditions of crosslinking has also been shown by electron microscopy. Marked differences in DI values and distribution of crosslinks in cellulose samples crosslinked under different conditions of treatments are discussed. The results of these analysis provide quantitative information on the gross uniformity of distribution of crosslinkages in the fiber structure of cotton celluloses.     

Transient and steady‐state conduction in ethyl cellulose (EC)–poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends

Transient discharging currents and steady‐state conduction in solution‐grown ethyl cellulose (EC)–poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends measured as a function of temperature (30–80 °C) and field strength (10–100 kV cm⁻¹) are reported. Transient currents are found to follow the Curie–VonSchweidler law, characterized by different slopes in short‐ and long‐time regions, having different decay constant values lying between 0.75–0.99, and 1.68–1.95. The corresponding activation energies are found to increase with time of measurement of discharge current. Isochronal characteristics (ie current versus temperature plots at constant times) constructed from the data seem to reveal a broad peak observed at 60 °C. The dependence of dark current at different temperatures (30–80 °C) in a metal (1)–EC–PMMA blend–metal (1)/(2) system on the applied voltage in the range 10–100 kV cm⁻¹ has also been studied; the current is found to be strongly temperature dependent. Dipole polarization and space charge resulting from trapping of injected charge carriers in energetically distributed traps and induced dipoles created because of the piling up of charge carriers at the phase boundary of the heterogeneous components of the blend are considered to account for the observed transient currents. The results of current–voltage measurement on blends are interpreted to show that the low‐field steady‐state conduction is ohmic in nature, and in high fields the charge carriers are generated by field‐assisted lowering of coulombic barriers at the traps and are conducted through the bulk of the material by a hopping process between the localized states by a Jonscher–Ansari Poole–Frenkel mechanism. The modified P–F barrier is calculated to be 1.89 × 10⁻¹⁹ J (1.18 eV), 1.92 × 10⁻¹⁹ J (1.20 eV) and 1.95 × 10⁻¹⁹ J (1.22 eV) for P₁, P₂ and P₃ blends, respectively. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermoelectric cold-chain chests for storing/transporting vaccines in remote regions

The cold chain is one of the key elements of the preventive health-care delivery system. Vaccines have to be carried long distances, stored in remote places and during this period the temperature has to be maintained within certain specified values. Realizing the needs of such requirements, the Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi (Govt. of India) assigned a project to the R&D Division of MECON, Ranchi for development of Thermoelectric Cold-Chain Chest operated by 12 V DC vehicular battery. The resulting portable thermoelectric (i.e. Peltier effect) Cold-Chain Chest (TCC) operated successfully even in an ambient environment of 45 °C, mainly for preserving and transporting life-saving medicines for urban as well as rural areas.