Direct NaBH4/H2O2 fuel cells

A fuel cell (FC) using liquid fuel and oxidizer is under investigation. H2O2 is used in this FC directly at the cathode. Either of two types of reactant, namely a gas-phase hydrogen or an aqueous NaBH4 solution, are utilized as fuel at the anode. Experiments demonstrate that the direct utilization of H2O2 and NaBH4 at the electrodes results in >30% higher voltage output compared to the ordinary H2/O2 FC. Further, the use of this combination of all liquid fuels, provides numerous advantages (ease of storage, reduced pumping requirements, simplified heat removal, etc.) from an operational point of view. This design is inherently compact compared to other cells that use gas phase reactants. Further, regeneration is possible using an electrical input, e.g. from power lines or a solar panel. While the peroxide-based FC is ideally suited for applications such as space power where air is not available and a high energy density fuel is essential, other distributed and mobile power uses are of interest. © 2006.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Recent Experiments with the ElectricOIL Laser System

In this paper we report on studies of a continuous wave laser at 1315 nm on the I( 2 P 1/2 ) → I( 2 P 3/2 ) transition of atomic iodine where the O 2 (a 1 Δ) used to pump the iodine was produced by a radio frequency excited electric discharge. The electric discharge was sustained in He/O 2 and Ar/O 2 gas mixtures upstream of a supersonic cavity which is employed to lower the temperature of the continuous gas flow and shift the equilibrium of atomic iodine in favor of the I( 2 P 1/2 ) state. The results of experimental studies for several different flow conditions, discharge arrangements, and mirror sets are presented. The highest laser output power obtained in these experiments was 520 mW in a stable cavity composed of two 99.995% reflective mirrors