Polyaniline–13X zeolite composite‐supported platinum electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cell applications

We successfully synthesized 13X zeolite using a hydrothermal method. Then, composites of polyaniline (PANI) with 13X zeolite and PANI–13X with platinum were prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization and chemical reduction, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller techniques were used to characterize the PANI–Pt and PANI–Pt–13X composites. Further, the electrocatalytic activity towards methanol oxidation of the synthesized catalysts was explored using cyclic voltammetry in 1 mol L^?1 CH₃OH + 0.5 mol L^?1 H₂SO₄ solution. From the obtained results, PANI–Pt–13X shows superior performance compared to PANI–Pt towards methanol oxidation and electrical conductivity. Hence, the 13X zeolite‐incorporated PANI–Pt composite could be an efficient catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell applications. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

锌-三氧化二铬复合镀层的特性

采用由氧化锌12g/L、氢氧化钠94 g/L、2-氨基-3-羧基吡啶4.2 g/L、四乙烯五胺17g/L、三乙醇胺2g/L、专利表面活性剂0.5 g/L及碳三氧化二铬(粒径2μm)0～ 11 g/L组成的镀液,于温度50℃、pH 6.5和电流密度4A/dm2的条件下,在低碳钢上电镀Zn-Cr2O3复合镀层.其显微硬度采...     

Reaction Kinetics of Ozone Gas in Green Gram (Vigna radiate)

This study was carried out to evaluate the reaction kinetics of ozone gas in different height (5 and 10 cm), moisture content (10.6 and 13.4% (d.b.)) and gas flow rate (2 and 4 L/min). The decomposition kinetics obtained was first-order model. As far as the half-life of ozone is considered, the highest value obtained was equivalent to 8.72 min for grains ozonated at 5 cm height, 10.6% (d.b.) moisture content and 2 L/min gas flow rate. In the process of ozone reaction rate in green gram grains, height (p < 0.01) and moisture content (p < 0.01) were found to be the key factor for the effectiveness of ozone fumigation.     

Decay Rate Kinetics of Ozone Gas in Rice Grains

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of ozone on rice grains for the following three conditions: saturation time, decay rate, and half-life of ozone. Experiments were performed in different bed thicknesses (5 and 10 cm) and moisture content (11.4 and 14.2% wb) at atmospheric conditions. The lowest saturation time of ozone was 119 min, with the concentration of 516 ppm for rice grains ozonated at 5-cm bed thickness with 11.4% (wb) moisture content. The decay rate kinetics of ozone obtained were consistent with a first-order model. Regarding the half-life of ozone, the lowest value obtained was 6.78 min for rice grains ozonated at 10-cm bed thickness with 14.2% (wb) moisture content.     

Synthesis and evaluation of trimethylolpropane triacrylate crosslinked superabsorbent polymers for conserving water and fertilizers

A series of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) were synthesized by free radical thermal copolymerization of acrylic acid and N‐isopropyl acrylamide monomers using trimethylolpropane triacrylate as crosslinker. They were characterized by FT‐IR and thermal stability (TGA/DTG), and evaluated for their water and fertilizer uptake and release characteristics under different crosslinker levels, temperature, pressure, and pH. The observed maximum absorption of water by the SAP was 1130 g/g of polymer. The release was modeled which showed a non‐Fickian mechanism. The water uptake of SAP was correlated with the average molecular weight between the crosslinks and crosslink density. Analysis of the weight loss data from TG in air revealed a zero order kinetics for the initial degradation step with an activation energy (AE) of 70.8 kJ/mol. The AEs for water uptake and release for thermal degradation were also determined through Arrhenius plots. The results inferred that the synthesized SAP can be exploited for commercial agricultural applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 nanotube by hydrothermal method in the design of DSSC

In this work it was presented a direct formation of anatase TiO₂ nanotube by titanium powder using, as source material. TNT was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method using with successive acid and heat treatment. This method proves a new route to fabricate DSSC with high electron to photon conversion efficiency. The phase identification of the samples was conducted with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphologies and structure of samples were observed through SEM and TEM. The results of the investigation showed that the anatase TiO₂ nanotubes have the outer diameters of around 10 nm. We fabricated DSSC with this well-aligned one-dimensional (1-D) titania nanotubes (TNT) on indium tin oxide (TCO) by doctor blading technique. The fabricated TNT photoelectrode showed 1.64% efficiency whereas the composite photoanode with the mixture of TNP + 30% TNT gives 2.06%. This method will surely be an exciting addition to the fast growth family of synthesis of oriented TiO₂ nanotubes.     

Aryl phosphate derivatives of bromo-methoxy-azidothymidine are dual-function spermicides with potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus

Detergent-based vaginal microbicides, in addition to their high contraceptive failure rates, cause mucosal erosion and local inflammation that might increase the risk of heterosexual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. In a systematic effort to identify a microbicide contraceptive potentially capable of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV as well as providing fertility control, a series of novel aryl phosphate derivatives of 5-bromo-6-methoxy-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT; zidovudine) were synthesized and examined for dual anti-HIV and sperm-immobilizing activity (SIA). Whereas AZT displayed potent anti-HIV activity (IC50 = 0.006 microM) but lacked SIA (EC50 > 300 microM), two 5-bromo-6-methoxy-aryl phosphate derivatives of AZT, compounds WHI-05 and WHI-07, exhibited potent anti-HIV activity as well as SIA. The IC50 (HIV) and EC50 (SIA) values for WHI-07 were 439-fold and 13.5-fold lower, respectively, than those for the detergent-based virucidal spermicide, nonoxynol-9 (N-9). Sperm motion kinematics using computer-assisted sperm motion analysis combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy, high-resolution low-voltage scanning, and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that both WHI-05 and WHI-07 cause a complete and irreversible loss of sperm motility in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion without concomitantly affecting the sperm acrosomal membrane integrity. In experiments designed to assess the fertilizing capacity of treated sperm, preincubation of sperm with either compound resulted in a concentration-dependent loss of the ability to adhere to and penetrate zona-free hamster eggs as well as inhibition of binding to human zona. WHI-07 applied intravaginally prior to artificial insemination of epididymal sperm drastically reduced fertility in hormonally primed CD-1 mice. Unlike the intravaginal application of N-9, repetitive intravaginal application of WHI-07 did not damage the vaginal epithelium or cause local inflammation. Structure-function relationship analyses showed that the addition of bromo-methoxy functional groups to AZT was essential for, and the aryl phosphate derivatization contributory to, the SIA of both compounds. Compounds WHI-05 and WHI-07 may be useful as dual-function vaginal contraceptives for women who are at high risk for acquiring HIV/acquired immunodeficiency virus syndrome by heterosexual vaginal transmission.     

Modulation of (+/-)-anti-BPDE mediated p53 accumulation by inhibitors of protein kinase C and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

The rapid accumulation of the p53 gene product is considered to be an important component of the cellular response to a variety of genotoxins. In order to gain insights on the biochemical pathways leading to p53 stabilization, the effect of (+/-) 7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9, 10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo(a)-pyrene [(+/-)-anti-BPDE] induced DNA damage on p53 protein levels was investigated in various repair-proficient and repair-deficient human cells. Brief exposure of normal human fibroblasts to 0.05-1 microM (+/-)-anti-BPDE resulted in elevated p53 protein levels as compared to the constitutive levels of control cells. The rapid induction response, detectable within a few hours, was sustained up to a period of at least 24 h. Repair-proficient and repair-deficient (XPA) human lymphoblastoid cells showed a similar response. The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), diminished the p53 induction response by concomitantly decreasing the extent of (+/-)-anti-BPDE induced DNA damage in cells pretreated with the inhibitor. However, the direct involvement of poly ADP-ribosylation was also apparent as 3-AB was able to attenuate (approximately 50%) the p53 response by post-damage inhibitor treatment of the cells. Inhibition of cellular DNA replication by hydroxyurea and AraC, in the presence or absence of DNA damage, also resulted in rapid p53 accumulation in repair-deficient cells. On the contrary, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) by calphostin-C led to an abrogation of (+/-)-anti-BPDE mediated p53 induction. Analysis of the downstream effects of carcinogen treatment showed that the lymphoblastoid cells undergo DNA fragmentation indicative of apoptosis while fibroblasts exhibit cell cycle arrest at the G1-S boundary.     

Studies on the chlorination of zircon: Part I. Static bed investigations

Carbochlorination is an important unit operation in the processing of zirconium resources. In the article, the use of different reducing agents in zircon chlorination, to produce zirconium tetrachloride, has been examined on thermodynamic and other considerations. While numerous workers have investigated zircon chlorination, a literature survey shows that there is a wide variation in the reported effect of various process parameters on the chlorination rate and a wide scatter in the values for kinetic parameters such as order of reaction, activation energy, rate constant as also the rate law expression. This work is an extensive study on zircon chlorination and the article discusses the effect of process parameters such as charge particle size, gas and solid composition, gas flow rate, temperature, reaction duration, etc. on the chlorination rate, over a much wider range of the parameter values. During investigations in the static bed chlorinator, it was noticed that the initial rate and the total extent of chlorination are proportional to the exposed surface of the solid zircon-coke charge but independent of the depth or amount of the charge. Further, the stalled chlorination could be reactivated by remixing the solid charge. Also, while the reaction rate in general increased as the charge became finer, the effect of zircon particle size was much more predominant. The activation energy value for the chlorination showed a wide variation with other operating conditions. Likewise, the order of reaction with respect to chlorine decreased from two to zero as the chlorine concentration in the gaseous atmosphere increased. Interestingly, the chlorination rate initially increased with gas flow rate, then decreased, before finally becoming independent of the gas flow rate. Results also indicated that there is an optimum charge composition that yields the maximum chlorination rate and the article discusses the effect of the zircon to coke particle number ratio in the initial charge on the chlorination kinetics. With the help of these observations, it is possible to explain the wide variation in the reported effect of the various process parameters on zircon chlorination.