Electrochemical properties of N-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon films fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods

Nitrogen-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:N:H, N-doped DLC) were synthesized with microwave-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition widely used for DLC coating such as the inner surface of PET bottles. The electrochemical properties of N-doped DLC surfaces that can be useful in the application as an electrochemical sensor were investigated. N-doped DLC was easily fabricated using the vapor of nitrogen contained hydrocarbon as carbon and nitrogen source. A N/C ratio of resulting N-doped DLC films was 0.08 and atomic ratio of sp³/sp²-bonded carbons was 25/75. The electrical resistivity and optical gap were 0.695 Ω cm and 0.38 eV, respectively. N-doped DLC thin film was found to be an ideal polarizable electrode material with physical stability and chemical inertness. The film has a wide working potential range over 3 V, low double-layer capacitance, and high resistance to electrochemically induced corrosion in strong acid media, which were the same level as those for boron-doped diamond (BDD). The charge transfer rates for the inorganic redox species, Fe^2+/3+ and Fe(CN)₆^4−/3− at N-doped DLC were sufficiently high. The redox reaction of Ce^2+/3+ with standard potential higher than H₂O/O₂ were observed due to the wider potential window. At N-doped DLC, the change of the kinetics of Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− by surface oxidation is different from that at BDD. The rate of Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− was not varied before and after oxidative treatment on N-doped DLC includes sp² carbons, which indicates high durability of the electrochemical activity against surface oxidation.     

Liquid‐phase sintering of highly Na+ ion conducting Na3Zr2Si2PO12 ceramics using Na3BO3 additive

Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ (NASICON) is a promising material as a solid electrolyte for all‐solid‐state sodium batteries. Nevertheless, one challenge for the application of NASICON in batteries is their high sintering temperature above 1200°C, which can lead to volatilization of light elements and undesirable side reactions with electrode materials at such high temperatures. In this study, liquid‐phase sintering of NASICON with a Na₃BO₃ (NBO) additive was performed for the first time to lower the NASICON sintering temperature. A dense NASICON‐based ceramic was successfully obtained by sintering at 900°C with 4.8 wt% NBO. This liquid‐phase sintered NASICON ceramic exhibited high total conductivity of ~1 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature and low conduction activation energy of 28 kJ mol^?1. Since the room‐temperature conductivity is identical to that of conventional high‐temperature‐sintered NASICON, NBO was demonstrated as a good liquid‐phase sintering additive for NASICON solid electrolyte. In the NASICON with 4.8 wt% NBO ceramic, most of the NASICON grains directly bonded with each other and some submicron sodium borates segregated in particulate form without full penetration to NASICON grain boundaries. This characteristic composite microstructure contributed to the high conductivity of the liquid‐phase sintered NASICON.     

Separation of Small Particles Suspended in Liquid by Nonuniform Traveling Field

A study of size and charge-dependent separation of small particles in liquid using a traveling-field-type electric curtain device is made. The principle of the separation is to make use of the spatial harmonic components of the rotating traveling field produced by such a device, the first harmonic propagating in one direction, which plays a dominant role in the region distant from the electrodes, and the second harmonic propagating in the opposite direction, which becomes dominant near the electrodes. Small particles brought into this field undergo circular motion and, as a result of field nonuniformity, are repelled from the electrodes and drift in the direction of the dominant harmonics. The lighter or more charged particles are strongly repelled from the electrodes and swept by the first harmonic, while the heavier or less charged particles can approach the electrodes and are transported by the second harmonic in the opposite direction, thus enabling separation by mass and charge. First a theoretical investigation of this method is made to clarify the operation conditions for the separation, then the experimental observations of particle motion are made and scaling laws of transport velocity with the applied voltage and frequency are confirmed. Finally, an example of a cell separator design using this method is presented.     

An Integrated Controlled-Current PWM Rectifier Chopper Link for Sliding Mode Position Control

Position controllers must handle kinetic energy exchanges during acceleration and deceleration of large inertias. Temporary buffer storage in capacitors is expensive. The system that can manage the power exchange with ease is the integrated controlled-current pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) rectifier/controlled-current PWM chopper link. Bidirectional power is accomplished by bidirectional current flow in the dc link for both modulators. The three-phase currents in the rectifier side are near sinusoidal in waveform at unity power factor. The performance of the system as a position controller in an environment of the sliding mode strategy is studied. The sliding mode strategy offers robust characteristics to the controller.     

Open‐cell foams of polyethylene terephthalate/bisphenol a polycarbonate blend

Open microcellular foams of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polycarbonate (PC) blends were prepared by controlling their foaming behavior at the interface between these two polymers. Interface modification was a crucial factor in governing the foaming behavior and cell morphology of the blend foams: annealing at 280°C, i.e., conducting the transesterification reaction, generates a PET‐b‐PC copolymer, which lowers the interfacial tension, increases the affinity between PET and PC, and decreases the crystallinity of the PET domains. When CO₂ foaming was performed at the interface modified with the copolymer, an interesting fibril‐like structure was formed. The cell density of the PET/PC blend then increased, and its cell size reduced to the microscale while maintaining a high open‐cell ratio. The effect of heat annealing (transesterification reaction) on CO₂‐foaming was studied to reveal the relationship among the interface affinity, crystallinity, and degree of fibrillation. The optimal heat‐annealing procedure generated a fibril‐like structure in the PET/PC blend foams with a high cell density (7 × 10¹¹ cm^?3), small cell size (less than 2 μm), and 100% open‐cell ratio. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:375–385, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Structure Evolution of Highly Crystallized BaWO4 Film Prepared by an Electrochemical Method at Room Temperature

Highly crystallized BaWO₄ films have been prepared on a tungsten substrate in an alkaline solution containing barium ions by an electrochemical method with a constant direct current density of 1 mA/cm² at room temperature (25°C). The average grain size was about 13 μm, and the thickness about 9 μm after a treatment time of 35 min. The dependence of cell voltage on deposition time was divided into three steps: conduction, anodic oxidation, and breakdown steps. The BaWO₄ film formed during the first step. Electrochemical dissolution of metal tungsten occurred with an accompanying positive change of overpotential in the first step. The crystallization of BaWO4 was characterized by three-dimensional nucleation. In the second step, an amorphous tungsten oxide film formed, thereby increasing the potential. An electrical breakdown occurred in the third step, and the breakdown voltage (about 90 V) was practically the same as those of anodic tungsten oxide films.     

Decomposition of chlorofluorocarbons on TiO2ZrO2

The decomposition of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the presence of water was examined over a variety of solid acid catalysts. The TiO₂ZrO₂ catalyst was found to have the highest activity and longest life among the catalysts examined. The activity of the TiO₂ZrO₂ catalysts depended upon the content of TiO₂. At the contents of TiO₂ from 58 to 90 mole%, the TiO₂ZrO₂ catalysts exhibited high activity, and these catalysts were proven to contain TiZrO₄ crystal. From the study of the XRD peak intensity of the TiZrO₄ crystal, it was highest on the TZ-58 which contained 58 mole% of TiO₂, and decreased with increasing the content of TiO₂. Furthermore, the conversion of CFC113 measured at 673 K was highest at TZ-58, and decreased gradually with increasing TiO₂ content. Therefore, the TiZrO₄ crystal influences the activity of decomposition of CFC113. However, the TiO₂ZrO₂ catalyst was gradually deactivated during the reaction due to the elimination of titanium atoms. A good relationship was found between the activity on TiO₂ZrO₂ catalyst and bond energy of CCl in the compounds of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorocarbons, suggesting that the rate controlling step was the cleavage of CCl bond.     

Electromagnetic Shielding Properties of Woodceramics Made from Wastepaper

Woodceramics are new porous carbon materials, which are made by impregnating woody materials with phenol resin and then thermoformed in a vacuum furnace and these have been shown to have electromagnetic shielding properties. In the recycling of wastepaper, ways of using the wastepaper other than for paper pulp are needed to be developed. In this study, we made Woodceramics from handbill advertisement paper and telephone directory paper, and measured their electromagnetic shielding properties in order to find new uses for wastepaper. The results showed that the Woodceramics made from wastepaper had an electric shielding effectiveness of 30 dB for 100 MHz and 40 to 43 dB for 300 MHz or higher, and had a magnetic shielding effectiveness of 30 dB for 100 MHz and 37 dB for about 400 MHz. An electric equivalent circuit of the pore model in the Woodceramics is introduced. In addition, it is proposed that the excellent electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the Woodceramics is caused by dielectric loss.