The corrosion resistance of hot dip galvanised steel and AA2024-T3 pre-treated with bis-[triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide solutions doped with Ce(NO3)3

The present work aims at evaluating the anti-corrosion behaviour of a novel pre-treatment based on bis-[triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide (BTESPT) doped with cerium nitrate for application on hot dip galvanised steel and AA2024-T3 substrates. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and by the scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET), during immersion in NaCl solutions. The electrochemical results showed that the pre-treatment provides excellent corrosion protection to the substrates. Furthermore, the results evidenced improved protection comparatively to the use of undoped BTESPT pre-treatments, both for galvanised steel and AA2024-T3. This improvement is most likely due to enhanced barrier properties of the film and additional active corrosion protection originated from the inhibiting action of the cerium-based inhibitor impregnated in the silane matrix.     

Purification and Biochemical Characterization of Lipase from Tunisian Euphorbia peplus Latex

Lipases from vegetable sources have been the focus of intense and growing research. The use of enzymes from plants has the advantage of employing industrial waste products. The lipase activity of Euphorbia peplus L. (Euphorbiaceae) was investigated for the first time. The Euphorbia peplus latex lipase (EpLL) was purified after ammonium sulfate fractionation and anion exchange chromatography on a DEAE-Cellulose column leading to 12.57-fold purification. The EpLL displayed a probable molecular weight of about 40 kDa. The lipase activity was optimum at a temperature of 40 °C and pH 8, the specific activities of EpLL were found to be 249 ± 12.45 and 161.4 ± 8.07 U/mg when tributyrin (TC₄) and olive oil were used as substrate respectively. The enzyme retained 80 % of its activity when incubated for 1 h at 50 °C. The EpLL was strongly destabilised by divalent metal ions (Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺). Lipase was slightly stimulated by Triton X-100 and Tween-80, while strongly inhibited by sodium dodecyl sulfate. A good stability of the enzyme in the presence of organic solvents was reveled suggesting its industrial utility.     

Surface evaluation and electrochemical behaviour of doped silane pre-treatments on galvanised steel substrates

The present work aims at evaluating the surface morphology and the corrosion resistance of galvanised steel substrates pre-treated with bis-[triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide silane (BTESPT) solutions doped with cerium nitrate or zirconium nitrate. The silane pre-treatment leads to the formation of a silane coating in the metallic surface. The surface morphology of this coating was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Static and low-frequency noise characterization in submicron MOSFETs for memories cells applications

In this paper, we present the extraction of oxide traps properties of n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (N-MOS) field effect transistors with W×L=0.5×0.1 μm² using low-frequency (LF and random telegraph signal) noise and static I(V) characterizations. The impact of oxide thickness, on static and noise parameters is analyzed. Static measurements on N-MOS devices with different tunnel oxide thickness show anomalies (a significant increase in V_t values for low temperature and kink effect) attributed to traps located in the oxide. From LF noise analysis we find that 1/f noise stems from carrier number fluctuations. The slow oxide trap concentration deduced from the noise data is about 10¹⁵ eV/cm³ in agreement with the state-of-the-art gate oxides. Finally, drain current RTS amplitude as large as 10% have been observed.     

Modeling and Simulation of a PMSG-based Marine Current Turbine System under Faulty Rectifier Conditions

This paper deals with the modeling and simulation of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG)-based marine current turbine (MCT) under faulty rectifier conditions. The modeling of the generator is established in the synchronous rotating d-q reference frame. The control of the speed, the d-axis current, and the q-axis current are achieved using proportional integral (PI) correctors. The faulty mode deals with the study of single and multiple open-switch damages appearing in the pulse width modulation (PWM) power rectifier. Simulations are carried out to highlight the proposed PMSG-based MCT performance in both cases using MATLAB/Simulink environment.     

Nonlinear dynamic of the renewable energy cycle transition in Tunisia: Evidence from smooth transition autoregressive models

In this paper, we focus on the problem of the energy transition in Tunisia were we suggest to study and modeling the nonlinear dynamic of the endogenous renewable energy cycle.As today the socioeconomic development in Tunisia is too complicated and dependent on the adopted energetic strategy. Our contribution consists on recognizing exactly the main bases of this correlative development.In this context, we try to provide some theoretical and empirical studies for renewable energy politics especially under the chaotic transition in the post revolution period in Tunisia.All this work will be based on the application of the univariate STAR (smooth transition autoregressive) method composed by two transition process types the logistic STAR model (LSTAR) and the exponential STAR model (ESTAR). As results we found that the LSTAR process is more adequate for asymmetric data for our case. In this regard, our results indicated that the renewable energy can not only work as a possible factor for energetic strategy transition in Tunisia, but also, is a promising candidate for stability and socioeconomic development.     

Spectral Discretization of the Axisymmetric Vorticity,Velocity and Pressure Formulation of the Stokes Problem

We consider the Stokes problem in a three-dimensional axisymmetric bounded domain with non standard conditions which involve the normal component of the velocity and tangential component of the vorticity. We reduce the three-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional one and we write a variational formulation of it with three independent unknowns: the vorticity, the velocity and the pressure. Then we propose a discretization by spectral methods which relies on this formulation. A detailed numerical analysis leads to optimal error estimates for the three unknowns and numerical experiments confirm the interest of the discretization.     

Esterification of fatty acid over Tunisian acid activated clay: kinetic study

Tunisian acid activated clay was investigated as catalyst in the esterification of stearic acid with ethyl alcohol, carried out in a semi-continuous reactor. Kinetic study shows that the reaction is first order with respect to acid concentration. The activation energy found was 21 kJ/mol. This result suggests that the reaction process was controlled by a diffusional step. A kinetic model, giving the apparent constant rate as a function of temperature and catalyst concentration, has been established. This equation has been then successfully applied for a complex mixture of fatty acid.     

Diffusion analysis and modeling of kinetic behavior for treatment of brine water using electrodialysis process

In this study, the removal of monovalent and divalent cations, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺, in a diluted solution from Chott-El Jerid Lake, Tunisia, was investigated with the electrodialysis technique. The process was tested using two cation-exchange membranes: sulfonated polyether sulfone cross-linked with 10% hexamethylenediamine (HEXCl) and sulfonated polyether sulfone grafted with octylamine (S-PESOS). The commercially available membrane Nafion® was used for comparison. The results showed that Nafion® and S-PESOS membranes had similar removal behaviors, and the investigated cations were ranked in the following descending order in terms of their demineralization rates: Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺. Divalent cations were more effectively removed by HEXCl than by monovalent cations. The plots based on the Weber–Morris model showed a strong linearity. This reveals that intra-particle diffusion was not the removal rate-determining step, and the removal process was controlled by two or more concurrent mechanisms. The Boyd plots did not pass through their origin, and the sole controlling step was determined by film-diffusion resistance, especially after a long period of electrodialysis. Additionally, a semi-empirical model was established to simulate the temporal variation of the treatment process, and the physical significance and values of model parameters were compared for the three membranes. The findings of this study indicate that HEXCl and S-PESOS membranes can be efficiently utilized for water softening, especially when effluents are highly loaded with calcium and magnesium ions.