APPLICATION OF ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION FOR SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL

There has been much attention for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) composed of ceramic materials in the main part which are efficient power generation devices with low pollutant emissions. A recent trend in development of the SOFCs is to low the operating temperature below about 600oC with the objective of using metallic materials as interconnects. Low-temperature operating SOFCs (LT-SOFCs) have, however, required film body for the electrolyte and controlled microstructure for the electrodes, especially cathode, because the reduced-temperature operation often causes degraded cell performance due to increases in ohmic and polarization losses. As for the electrolyte, although various film-formation methods have been applied, it is important to develop cost-effective processes for broad commercialization of LT-SOFCs. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a promising process for LT-SOFCs with various shapes including tubular cell, because EPD enables us to form ceramic films even on uneven substrates. Our research group has succeeded in fabricating ca. 5 micrometer thick dense ceramic films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on NiO-YSZ porous substrates using EPD based upon electrophoretic filtration, obtaining maximum output power densities over 0.35 W/cm2 at 600oC and 2.00 W/cm2 at 800oC (see in Fig. 1). Thus, EPD was clearly effective to fabrication of dense thin electrolyte films applicable to LT-SOFCs. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Synthesis of Polythiophen Cluster in Lattice Space of Hexagonal Faujasite

Encapsulation of thiophen and bithiophen in two kinds of hexagonal faujasites (Na-EMT and H-EMT) with various concentration of Cu(2+) ions have been investigated and characterized by means of themoanalytic and spectroscopic methods. From the results, it was found that the progress of polymerization of thiophen and bithiophen in the lattice space depended on Cu(2+) contents, and the encapsulation of thiophen in Na-EMT and H-EMT with Cu(2+) ions yielded polythiophen clusters with electron states of bipolaron. On the other hand, polythiophen clusters synthesized by the encapsulation of bithiophen in H-EMT were found to be mostly polaron states

Observation of stacking faults and photoluminescence of laurate ion intercalated Zn/Al layered double hydroxide

International audienc

Protein probes to visualize sphingomyelin and ceramide phosphoethanolamine

International audienceSphingomyelin (SM) is a major sphingolipid in mammalian cells whereas its analog, ceramide phosphoethanolamine (CPE) is found in trace amounts in mammalian cells and in larger amounts in invertebrates such as insect cells like Drosophila melanogaster. To visualize endogenous SM or CPE, we need specific probes able to recognize the chemical structure of the lipid, rather than its physical property. A limited number of proteins is known to specifically and strongly bind SM or CPE. These proteins are either toxins produced by non-mammalian organisms, subunits or fragments of toxins or a protein that has similar structure to a toxin. These proteins labeled with small fluorophore (e.g. Alexa Fluor) or conjugated to fluorescent proteins (e.g. mCherry) or other types of markers (e.g. I-125, maltose-binding protein) are used to detect SM or CPE. Here we summarize the characteristics of specific SM-binding proteins, lysenin and equinatoxin II; CPE- and SM/cholesterol (Chol) binding aegerolysin proteins, pleurotolysin A(2), ostreolysin and erylysin A and SM/Chol-binding protein, nakanori. Then we give examples of their applications including their limitations related not only to their lipid specificity and binding constants, but also to the lipid organization in the membrane