Raman and IR spectra of pure and doped forsterite single crystals

Forsterite single crystals were grown by the Czochralski technique in air. The lattice parameters were determined by X-ray power diffraction. The IR and Raman spectra of pure and doped (V3+, V5+, and Ni4+) Mg2SiO4 single crystals were measured at room temperature. We studied the phonon properties and discussed the influence of dopants

Multidisciplinary analysis of steel plate of variable thickness in view of optimal design

The paper shows the indentification of deformational-stress state of partially loaded plates composed of two elements of different thicknesses. We analyzed metallurgical processes that characterize the technology of welding steel structures. The mathematical interpretation of the local stress state, through the developed software, enables an optimal design of geometric parameters of plate or supporting elements of construction according to the stress criteria. Comparative analysis of deflection and equivalent stress obtained by the analytical method and Finite elements method (FEM), using ANSYS 12 software package, the high agreement of results in terms of values and distribution trends is noticed. The application of the results of this paper is particularly important for the optimal design of steel girders

Kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation on pt modified MoOx nano-sized catalyst in the presence of carbon monoxide

Due to the importance of the HOR in fuel-cells technology, various Pt-based catalysts have been examined from the viewpoint of immunity of the electrocatalysis of the HOR from CO-poisoning of the anode catalysts. An appreciable improvement of the CO tolerance has been found at Pt with adatoms such as Ru, Sn [1,2], Pt-M (M=Ru, Rh, Os, W Sn) [3-5] based alloys, and Pt with oxides (RuOxHy) [6]. In the present work, the electrocatalytic of home made highly dispersed nano-sized MoOx-Pt/C catalysts prepared by the polyole method combined by MoOx post-deposition was investigated in the presence of CO, in 0.5 moldm-3 HClO4 solution. The partial pressure of CO in CO/H2 gas mixture was 100 ppm. Carbon monoxide was adsorbed on the RDE for various time interval with keeping the potential at 0.05 V (RHE). The coverage of CO was determined by applying the first potential sweep (from 0.04 to 1.20 V), in N2 saturated solution at potential scan rate of 0.1 Vs-1 and compared it with the sweep on the clean electrode, by measuring the decrease in the hydrogen desorption charge, ΔQH. MoOx(20%)Pt/C catalyst exhibits an excellent CO tolerance, as it was found that the reduction in kinetic current, Ik, is negligible even at ΘCO = 0.46. It was found for this catalyst too, that the CO adsorption rate was much slower than that of Pt and the Pt sites for HOR were not so rigidly blocked by adsorbed CO partially due to its enhanced mobility, resulting from their modified electronic structure of surface Pt sites. Voltammetric studies suggest that an excellent CO tolerance of this catalyst could be also result of the oxidation of adsorbed CO to CO2 by oxophilic MoOx species at low overpotentials by a redox-mediated mechanism.Poster: [https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_266

Kinetics of the Hydrogen Oxidation on Pt Modified Moox Nano-Sized Catalyst in the Presence of Carbon Monoxide

Poster presented at the 11th Conference of the Materials Research Society of Serbia - YUCOMAT 2009, Herceg Novi, Montenegro, August 31 – September 4, 2009

Platinum Nanocatalysts at Titanium Oxide Based Supports for Low Temperature Fuel Cell Applications

A comparative study on catalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles on different titanium oxide supports for proton exchange membrane fuel cells reactions was performed. Non stoichiometric titanium oxides – Ebonex, niobium doped titanium oxide and ruthenium doped titanium oxide were applied as the supporting materials. Platinum nanocatalysts (20% Pt) on different support were synthesized by impregnation or borohydride reduction method. Synthesized supports and catalyst were characterized by BET (Brunauer, Emmett, Teller), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Homogenous Pt nanoparticles distribution over the niobium and ruthenium doped TiO2 support, without pronounced particle agglomeration was confirmed by HRTEM technique. The average Pt particle size was 3 nm and 5.4 nm for Pt at niobium doped TiO2 and ruthenium doped TiO2, respectively. However, it was not possible to determine accurately average Pt particle size at Ebonex support, due to the non-uniform distribution of the Pt nanoparticles. Electrochemically active Pt surface area of the catalysts was determined by integration of the cyclic voltammetry curve in the potential region of underpotential deposition of hydrogen, after double layer charge correction, taking into account the reference value of 210 μC cm-2 for full monolayer coverage. Kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction at Pt nanocatalysts on different titanium based supports was studied by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry at rotating gold disc electrode. Two different Tafel slopes at Pt catalysts on niobium and ruthenium doped supports were observed: one close to 60 mV dec-1 in low current density region, and other ~120 mV dec-1 in higher current densities region. Only at Ebonex based support one single Tafel slope (~ 106 mV dec-1) was observed. The specific activities for oxygen reduction, expressed in terms of kinetic current densities per electrochemically Pt active surface area, as well as per mass of Pt loaded, at the constant potential of practical interest (0.85 V and 0.90 V vs RHE, where the mass transport contribution current can be neglected), were compared to carbon supported one, with the same Pt loading. Stability tests, by repetitive cycling from 0.03V to high anodic potentials (up to 1.4 V vs RHE) were performed. The advantages of carbon free supports application in terms of stability, durability and life time of the catalysts were discussed

Use of low-energy electron-beam in the treatment of special food products with a high protein content

Special high-protein foods suitable for diabetics must be treated to ensure the complete absence of microorganisms and bacteria. It is also important to achieve that this treatment does not change the nutritional value of the product. Among the new decontamination technologies, low-energy electron-beam treatment has proven to be an effective technique for inactivating bacteria with minimal impact on food quality. The paper aims to analyze the influence of low-energy electron-beam irradiation on the microbiological properties and nutritional value of high-protein foods

Corrected accelerated service life test of electrodeposited NiSn alloys and Ni as cathodes for industrial alkaline water electrolysis

The "corrected accelerated service life test for hydrogen evolution reaction" (CASLT-HER), designed for application of certain electrode materials as cathodes in the cell for alkaline water electrolysis in 30 % KOH at 80 degrees C, was performed at electrodeposited NiSn alloy and Ni 40 mesh electrodes. The Ni 40 mesh was slightly etched, while the NiSn alloy coating was electro-deposited from the bath containing pyrophosphate, glycine, SnCl2 and NiCl2 onto Ni 40 mesh to the thickness of approximately 40 mu m. It is shown that the NiSn cathode possess from maximum 0.77 V to minimum 0.30 V better over-potential than the Ni 40 mesh electrode during the 5 years of their exploitation at the conditions of industrial alkaline water electrolysis. It is also shown that both electrodes should be held at j = -0.3 A cm(-2) for at least 5 h in order to establish stable overpotential response. The limiting overpotential values for applying cyclic voltammetry (CVs, to mimic "polarity inversion") should be determined in a separate experiment before the CASLT-HER and should be adjusted during the application of CVs

Polarized far-infrared and Raman spectra of SrCuO2 single crystals

We measured polarized far-infrared reflectivity and Raman scattering spectra of SrCuO$_2$ single crystals. The frequencies for infrared-active modes were determined using an oscillator-fitting procedure of reflectivity data. The Raman spectra were measured at different temperatures using several laser energies $\omega_L$. In addition to eight of twelve Raman active modes, predicted by factor-group analysis, we observed a complex structure in the Raman spectra for polarization parallel to the {\bf c}-axis, which consists of Raman-allowed A$_g$ symmetry modes, and B$_{1u}$ LO infrared-active (Raman-forbidden) modes of the first and higher order as well as their combinations. The Raman-forbidden modes have a stronger intensity at higher $\omega_L$ than the Raman-allowed ones. In order to explain this resonance effect, we measured the dielectric function and optical reflection spectra of SrCuO$_2$ in the visible range. We show that the Raman-allowed A$_g$ symmetry modes are resonantly enhanced when a laser energy is close to $E_0$, while Raman-forbidden (IR-active) modes resonate strongly for laser line energies close to the electronic transition of higher energy gaps.Comment: to be published in Physica

Comparative study on noble metal based nanocatalysts on different supports for low temperature fuel cells application

Platinum based nanostructures on carbon support are state of the art materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cells application. Contemporary research directions in this field imply synthesis and characterization of novel carbon free catalysts supports to overcome disadvantages of carbon supported ones. We have recently synthesized platinum and palladium nanocatalysts onto different novel metal oxide based supports: titanium-oxide, tin oxide and tungsten oxide, doped by different metals (Nb, Ru, Sb), to achieve satisfactory conductivity. These novel nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as by electrochemical techniques. The synthesized nanostructured catalysts were tested for oxygen reduction reaction. Obtained catalytic activities and stabilities were compared to the same noble metal loading catalysts on Vulcan XC-72 support. The results of comparison revealed many advantages of carbon free supported nanocatalysts, regarding both activity and stability