Influence of doping on the structural transformations of the proton conducting perovskite BaCe1 xYxO3-δ

From neutron diffraction it is known that the BaCeO3 perovskite undergoes a sequence of phase transformations from high temperature cubic C to rhombohedral R, to orthorhombic O1 (Imma) and to orthorhombic O2 (Pnma). Doping Y3+ on the Ce4+ site introduces charge compensating O vacancies (VO) that may be partially filled with OH complexes with exposition to H2O, so making the material an ionic conductor. Anelastic relaxation experiments have been carried out on samples doped with 2%Y and 10%Y; the real part s\u27(T) of the complex elastic compliance presents softenings at the transitions, and the loss s\u27\u27/s\u27 curves allow the content of VO and H to be monitored. Doping has a strong effect on the temperature of the Pnma/R transition: with 10%Y in the fully hydrated state TO1-R increases up to 750 K while after full outgassing falls to 500 K, meaning that the introduction of ~5% VO shifts the transition of 250 K. While the effect of cation substitution on the transitions temperature is easily explained in terms of simple arguments usually valid for perovskites based on bond length considerations, the remarkable stabilization of the R phase by VO requires to take into account the anomalous sequence of phase transitions of undoped BaCeO3, where the R structure transforms into orthorhombic Pnma on cooling with the loss of an octahedral tilt syste

Thermocatalytic membrane distillation for clean water production

Abstract Natural water bodies and treated wastewaters contain an increasing variety of organic micropollutants with a negative impact on ecosystems and human health. Herein, we propose an integrated process based on membrane distillation and advanced oxidation, in which thermal energy is simultaneously used to drive the permeation of pure water through a hydrophobic membrane and to activate the generation of reactive oxygen species by a thermocatalytic perovskite, namely Ce-doped strontium ferrate. At a feed temperature of 65 °C, our thermocatalytic distillation apparatus can effectively retain and degrade bisphenol A, as model pollutant, while producing distilled water at the constant rate of 1.60 ± 0.03 L h−1 m−2, over four continuous runs. Moreover, the membrane makes degradation faster by concentrating the pollutant during filtration. Our technology is effective in the production of pure water without creating a toxic concentrate, it relies on simple process design, and it does not require high pressure or additional chemicals. In addition, it can potentially work continuously driven by renewable thermal energies or waste heat

A thermocatalytic perovskite-graphene oxide nanofiltration membrane for water depollution

A novel nanofiltration membrane, whose active layer consists of 98.6 wt% of a thermocatalytic perovskite with composition Sr0.85Ce0.15FeO3-δ (CSF), 1.0 wt% of graphene oxide (GO), and 0.4 wt% of a humic acid-like (HAL) crosslinker, was deposited over a commercial flat-sheet polyethersulfone support with good reproducibility by a simple 1-step coating procedure. The synergistic coupling of CSF and the crosslinked GO resulted in an improved catalytic activity for bisphenol A (BPA) abatement as a model pollutant. The thermocatalytic CSF/GO/HAL (GOT) membrane was tested in a nanofiltration crossflow apparatus with a model BPA solution and with a real urban wastewater treatment plant effluent. Its performances were compared with those of a HAL crosslinked GO (GOHAL) reference membrane. The GOT membrane presented high rejection towards BPA, antifouling properties, and stability under the filtration conditions. Moreover, when compared to the GOHAL reference, the thermocatalytic GOT membrane was able to reduce the concentration of BPA and the total organic carbon in the feed during filtration. Hence, the GOT membrane appears to have high potential in water treatment due to its multifunctional characteristics, which include molecular sieving, thermocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants, and self-cleaning properties. Additionally, the membrane material showed no significant toxicity to the aquatic model organisms Raphidocelis subcapitata, Aliivibrio fischeri, and Daphnia magna at concentrations below 50 ppm.Fil: Bortot Coelho, Fabricio E.. Università di Torino; Italia. Liqtech International A/s; DinamarcaFil: Nurisso, Federica. Università di Torino; Italia. Aalborg University; DinamarcaFil: Boffa, Vittorio. Aalborg University; DinamarcaFil: Ma, Xianzheng. Aalborg University; DinamarcaFil: Rasse Suriani, Federico Ariel Osvaldo. Aalborg University; Dinamarca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Roslev, Peter. Aalborg University; DinamarcaFil: Magnacca, Giuliana. Università di Torino; ItaliaFil: Candelario, Victor. Liqtech International A/s; DinamarcaFil: Deganello, Francesca. Istituto Per Lo Studio Dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Rome; ItaliaFil: La Parola, Valeria. Istituto Per Lo Studio Dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, Rome; Itali

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol in head and neck cancer: a matched-pair analysis

In this study, we aimed to describe the prospective implementation of the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocol in an Italian tertiary academic centre

Prognostic value of H-index in patients surgically treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, a novel host-related index, the Host-index (H-index), including both inflammatory and nutritional markers, has been described and observed to stratify prognosis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity more accurately than other host-related indexes This study aimed to investigate the prognostic performance of the H-index using pretreatment blood tests in patients receiving up-front surgery for SCC of the larynx. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included a multicenter series of consecutive patients with SCC of the larynx diagnosed between 1 January 2009 and 31 July 2018, whose pretreatment blood tests were available and included the parameters necessary for the calculation of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the H-index. Their association with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was measured. RESULTS: A total of 231 patients were eligible for the present analysis (median [range] age, 68 [37-96] years; 191 [82.7%] men). The median follow-up was 73 months. In multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, increasing age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.07 per year; 95% CI, 1.04-1.09), advanced pT stage (aHR = 1.71 95% CI: 1.07-2.71), and having close or positive surgical margins (aHR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.21-3.33) were significantly associated with poor OS. Among blood parameters, a higher neutrophil count was a strong predictor of both worse DFS (aHR for recurrence/death = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.24-4.40) and OS (aHR for death = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.51-4.71). Among inflammatory blood indexes, while NLR was not significantly associated with DFS or OS, patients with H-index ≥8.37 showed a higher aHR for both recurrence/death (2.82; 95% CI: 1.65-4.79) and death (2.22; 95% CI: 1.26-3.89). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present study confirms the prognostic value of pretreatment H-index, an easily measurable inflammatory and nutritional index, in patients with SCC of the larynx. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III