Effect of operating conditions on current density distribution and high frequency resistance in a segmented PEM fuel cell

Understanding losses in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, in the form of ohmic and mass transport, is of great importance to their commercialization. In this study, we use a spatially resolved cell consisting of 49 segments to measure the local current density distribution and high frequency resistance (HFR). A parametric study is used to investigate the effects of cell voltage, inlet relative humidity and flow rate and configuration using a three-channel serpentine flow field. We found that as the cell voltage decreased, the current density increased, while the HFR decreased. However, at a low cell voltage of 200 mV, we found the HFR to be higher than that at 500 mV. This increase is attributed to the increased electro-osmotic drag. This trend is independent of the flow configuration. Further, we found that the effect of the inlet relative humidity on the HFR highly depends on the flow configurations. Finally, a sharp decrease in the current density at some specific bend segments was observed, which correlates with lower OCV values and higher HFR values at this position.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of a traveling wave excited TEA nitrogen laser

We have studied the capacitor transfer type of flat-plate-transmission-line traveling wave excited atmospheric pressure nitrogen laser. Experiments were carried over a wide variety of parameters such as charging voltage, separation and angle of electrodes, capacitance of bank, inductance of switching circuit, and geometrical parameters of resonators. The theory is based upon the macroscopic properties of nitrogen discharges. Laser pulses were calculated by solving numerically the space-dependent rate equations for population and photon number densities. The theoretical predictions are in very good agreement with the experimental observations.     

Hyaluronic acid hydrogels incorporating platelet lysate enhance human pulp cell proliferation and differentiation

The restoration of dentine-pulp complex remains a challenge for dentists; nonetheless, it has been poorly addressed. An ideal system should modulate the host response, as well as enable the recruitment, proliferation and differentiation of relevant progenitor cells. Herein was proposed a photocrosslinkable hydrogel system based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet lysate (PL). PL is a cocktail of growth factors (GFs) and cytokines involved in wound healing orchestration, obtained by the cryogenic processing of platelet concentrates, and was expected to provide the HA hydrogels specific biochemical cues to enhance pulp cells’ recruitment, proliferation and differentiation. Stable HA hydrogels incorporating PL (HAPL) were prepared after photocrosslinking of methacrylated HA (Met-HA) previously dissolved in PL, triggered by the Ultra Violet activated photoinitiator Irgacure 2959. Both the HAPL and plain HA hydrogels were shown to be able to recruit cells from a cell monolayer of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) isolated from permanent teeth. The hDPCs were also seeded directly over the hydrogels (5?×?10⁴ cells/hydrogel) and cultured in osteogenic conditions. Cell metabolism and DNA quantification were higher, in all time-points, for PL supplemented hydrogels (p?<?0,05). Alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) activity and calcium quantification peaks were observed for the HAPL group at 21 days (p?<?0,05). The gene expression for ALPL and COLIA1 was up-regulated at 21 days to HAPL, compared with HA group (p?<?0,05). Within the same time point, the gene expression for RUNX2 did not differ between the groups. Overall, data demonstrated that the HA hydrogels incorporating PL increased the cellular metabolism and stimulate the mineralized matrix deposition by hDPSCs, providing clear evidence of the potential of the proposed system for the repair of damaged pulp/dentin tissue and endodontics regeneration.     

Theory of spectroscopic devices

A fundamental formalism featuring the common working principle of different spectroscopic devices is introduced. General formulas for angular dispersion, free spectral range, and spectral resolution are deduced from both the impulse response function and the spatial transmission function of the device, based on the assumption that these functions can be written up as the product of a finite width, real-aperture function, and a complex periodic function. The method will also be shown to work in specific cases.     

Experimental validation of a methanol crossover model in DMFC applications

A design of experiments (DOEs) coupled with a mathematical model was used to quantify the factors affecting methanol crossover in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The design of experiments examined the effects of temperature, cathode stoichiometry, anode methanol flow rate, clamping force, anode catalyst loading, cathode catalyst loading (CCL), and membrane thickness as a function of current and it also considered the interaction between any two of these factors. The analysis showed that significant factors affecting methanol crossover were temperature, anode catalyst layer thickness, and methanol concentration. The analysis also showed how these variables influence the total methanol crossover in different ways due to the effects on diffusion of methanol through the membrane, electroosmotic drag, and reaction rate of methanol at the anode and cathode. For example, as expected analysis showed that diffusion was significantly affected by the anode and cathode interfacial concentration, by the thickness of the anode catalyst layer and membrane, and by the diffusion coefficient in the membrane. Less obvious was the decrease in methanol crossover at low cathode flow rates were due to the formation of a methanol film at the membrane/cathode catalyst layer interface. The relative proportions of diffusion and electroosmotic drag in the membrane changed significantly with the cell current of the cell.     

Single longitudinal mode operation of the electron-beam-pumped semiconductor laser

The influence of the external and internal resonator parameters on the laser emission spectral and spatial characteristics has been investigated. Single longitudinal mode operation of the electron-beam-pumped visible semiconductor laser with an external resonator has been observed. A single-mode peak power of 0.8 W and beam divergence of less than 3° were achieved.     

Spatially Resolved Voltage,Current and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements

In this work a 50‐channel characterisation system for PEMFCs is presented. The system is capable of traditional electrochemical measurements (e.g. staircase voltammetry, chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry), and concurrent EIS measurements. Unlike previous implementations, this system relies on dedicated potentiostats for current and voltage control, and independent frequency response analysers (FRAs) at each channel. Segmented fuel cell hardware is used to illustrate the system's flexibility and capabilities. The results here include steady‐state data for cell characterisation under galvanostatic and potentiostatic control as well as spatially resolved impedance spectra.     

Index of Refraction and Absorption Coefficient Spectra of Paratellurite in the Terahertz Region

Index of refraction and absorption coefficient spectra of pure paratellurite (α-TeO₂) crystal as a potential material for terahertz (THz) applications were determined in the 0.25–2 THz frequency range at room temperature by THz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The investigation was performed with beam polarization both parallel (extraordinary polarization) and perpendicular (ordinary polarization) to the optical axis [001] of the crystal. Similarly to the visible spectral range, positive birefringence was observed in the THz range as well. It was shown that the values of the refractive index for extraordinary polarization are higher and show significantly larger dispersion than for the ordinary one. The absorption coefficient values are also larger for extraordinary polarization. The measured values were fitted by theoretical curves derived from the complex dielectric function containing independent terms of Lorentz oscillators due to phonon-polariton resonances. The results are compared with earlier publications, and the observed significant discrepancies are discussed.     

Optimization of the Tilted-Pulse-Front Terahertz Excitation Setup Containing Telescope

Optimization of the telescopic tilted-pulse-front terahertz excitation setup with respect to the imaging errors is given. A guideline is presented in the form of simple analytical formulae describing the optimal geometrical configuration of the telescopic setup. Pump pulse distortions and terahertz wave-front distortions are analyzed by ray tracing calculations supposing near-infrared pump pulses with 200 fs transform limited pulse length. The detrimental effects of imaging errors in a tilted-pulse-front terahertz source can be significantly reduced by using telescopic imaging instead of one-lens. It is also shown, that in the case of the one-lens setup significant, and in the case of the telescopic setup, less significant reduction of the imaging errors can be achieved by using achromat lens(es) instead of singlet one(s). Calculation results show that the telescopic setup consisting of two achromat lenses is the most promising choice among the practically relevant schemes.     

Effect of different implant abutment surfaces on OBA‐09 epithelial cell adhesion

For the long‐term success of implants, it is necessary to achieve a direct contact between the implant and the subjacent bone. To avoid bacterial penetration that could adversely affect the initial wound healing as well as the long‐term behavior of the implants, an early tissue barrier must form that is able to protect the biological peri‐implant structures. Given the need of an effective tissue early barrier around dental implants, the present study evaluated, in vitro, the influence of physical and chemical characteristics of two implant abutment surfaces on gingival epithelial cells (OBA‐9) adhesion. To this end, titanium (Ti) and zirconia (ZrO₂) disk‐shaped specimens were used mimicking the abutment components surfaces, while bovine enamel (BE) and glass cover slips (GCS) disks served as positive and negative controls, respectively. Roughness and surface free energy (SFE) of all materials were evaluated previously to cellular adhesion step. In sequence, the effect of each material on cells morphology and viability was analyzed after 1 and 24 hr. The results showed that roughness and SFE had no effect on the cell viability data or on their interaction (p = .559), independent of a post‐contact analysis of 1 or 24 hr. However, cells attachment and spreading increased after 24 hr on Ti and ZrO₂ than BE, corresponding to the highest SFE values. SFE appears to be an important property interfering on the quality of the soft tissue surrounding dental implants. These data can be considered a trigger point for developing new material surfaces.