Ionic Liquids as Working Fluids for Heat Storage Applications: Decomposition Behavior of N-Butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate

Ionic liquids (ILs) represent promising working fluids to be used in thermal energy storage (TES) technologies thanks to their peculiar properties, such as low volatility, high chemical stability, and high heat capacity. Here, we studied the thermal stability of the IL N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate ([BmPyrr]FAP), a potential working fluid for TES applications. The IL was heated at 200 degrees C for up to 168 h either in the absence or in contact with steel, copper, and brass plates to simulate the conditions used in TES plants. High-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was found to be useful for the identification of the degradation products of both the cation and the anion, thanks to the acquisition of H-1, C-13, P-31, and F-19-based experiments. In addition, elemental analysis was performed on the thermally degraded samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our analysis shows a significant degradation of the FAP anion upon heating for more than 4 h, even in the absence of the metal/alloy plates; on the other hand, the [BmPyrr] cation displays a remarkable stability also when heated in contact with steel and brass

Detection And Characterization of Forest Harvesting In Piedmont Through Sentinel-2 Imagery: A Methodological Proposal

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Sentinel-2 (S2) as a tool for early detection and estimation of forest harvesting in the Piemonte Region, which can be used by the regional forest administration. The priority was the detection, at the regional scale, of annual forest cover changes with the following goals: i) mapping of irregular (in respect of the regional Forestry Regulation) forest cuts; ii) quantification of the intensity of the silvicultural interventions. Results are expected to support forest police controls.The proposed procedure is based on a supervised classification approach based on Random Forest algorithm. Accuracy of harvested areas detection proved to be high (overall accuracy 98%). Characterization of the occurred forest cuts was obtained computingthe local coefficient of variationof the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) after harvesting, that showed to be a good predictor of forest harvesting intensity

Computational Speciation Models: A Tool for the Interpretation of Spectroelectrochemistry for Catalytic Layers under Operative Conditions

none7In this study,the first coupled FEXRAV and chemical speciation modelling study of the Pd deactivation is presented. Due to the high brilliance of synchrotron light, FEXRAV can investigat edeeply buried surfaces. More specifically, we directly analyzed the evolution of the Pd/C catalytic layer during a voltammetric cycle, through a specifically designed electrochemical cell. Still, we observed a complex interfacial chemistry of Pd, which impairs a straightforward interpretation of FEXRAV data. Exploiting thermodynamic chemical speciation modelling we were able to overcome this issue. The study leads to three main results: 1) the confirmation of the relationship between the change of the Pd/Pd(II) ratio and the change of the Fluorescence intensity 2) the investigation of the deactivation mechanism 3)the identification of the relevant species leading to the electrodissolution of Pd under operative conditions. This study opens new perspectives for the application of the chemical speciation modelling to the study of the deactivation mechanism of Pd in Pd/C catalytic layers under operative conditions in different electrolytes.mixedMontegrossi, G.; GIACCHERINI, ANDREA; BERRETTI, ENRICO; DI BENEDETTO, FRANCESCO; INNOCENTI, MASSIMO; D'Acapito, F.; LAVACCHI, ALESSANDROMontegrossi, G.; Giaccherini, Andrea; Berretti, Enrico; DI BENEDETTO, Francesco; Innocenti, Massimo; D'Acapito, F.; Lavacchi, Alessandr