Polypyrrole nanotubes and their carbonized analogs: Synthesis, characterization, gas sensing properties

Polypyrrole (PPy) in globular form and as nanotubes were prepared by the oxidation of pyrrole with iron(III) chloride in the absence and presence of methyl orange, respectively. They were subsequently converted to nitrogen-containing carbons at 650 °C in an inert atmosphere. The course of carbonization was followed by thermogravimetric analysis and the accompanying changes in molecular structure by Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Both the original and carbonized materials have been tested in sensing of polar and non-polar organic vapors. The resistivity of sensing element using globular PPy was too high and only nanotubular PPy could be used. The sensitivity of the PPy nanotubes to ethanol vapors was nearly on the same level as that of their carbonized analogs (i.e., ~18% and 24%, respectively). Surprisingly, there was a high sensitivity of PPy nanotubes to the n-heptane vapors (~110%), while that of their carbonized analog remained at ~20%. The recovery process was significantly faster for carbonized PPy nanotubes (in order of seconds) compared with 10 s of seconds for original nanotubes, respectively, due to higher specific surface area after carbonization. © 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Analysis of Biometric Data Under the General Data Protection Regulation

The article deals with the topical issue of the current digital age, the questions related to the legal protection of biometric data, including the potentiality of their misuse. These issues have not yet been systematically addressed in the Czech Republic and there is no statistical data on public attitudes towards biometric data and its use. This article presents an analysis of the current legal regulation, which places a significantly higher standard than the previous legislation on the processing of biometric data as a special category of personal data. The authors considered both particular consequences of the impact of this regulation on human privacy and principles of this regulation as well as the subjective perception of the most important attributes of the behaviour of the main actors. The aim of the article is to contribute to raising the awareness of the risks of using biometric data and to contribute to explaining the key principles of GDPR in its application to biometrics. The article also discusses the related outputs of the sociological survey of CVVM showing that Czech population prefers the protection of their privacy over user comfort (three to one ratio). About 71% of all respondents have heard about biometric data and almost half of them have at least a rough idea what biometric data is. However, only 70% of respondents realize that modern technologies make it possible to collect, process and (mis)use personal data, even without their knowledge or consent