Probes and monitors for the study of solidification of molten semiconductors

The purpose is to examine solidification in the LiCl-KCl system to determine if phenomena such as solute rejection can be obseved by laser schlieren imaging. Molten salts have attributes that make them attractive as physical models in solidification studies. With optical techniques of investigation such as schlieren imaging, it is possible to study fluid flow phenomena in molten salts and to watch the trajectory of the solid-liquid interface

Phase separation kinetics in immiscible liquids

The kinetics of phase separation in the succinonitrile-water system are being investigated. Experiments involve initial physical mixing of the two immiscible liquids at a temperature above the consolute, decreasing the temperature into the miscibility gap, followed by imaging of the resultant microstructure as it evolves with time. Refractive index differences allow documentation of the changing microstructures by noninvasive optical techniques without the need to quench the liquid structures for analysis

Pushing the Boundaries of Clinical Law: Exploring How Student and Community Legal Clinics Engage with International Human Rights Practice

Explores methods of bringing stories of victims of human rights abuses to the international human rights bodies that conduct periodic reviews of country compliance with international human rights instruments. The project involved law students and community legal workers looking at innovative ways to use internet technologies to enhance and strengthen non-government (NGO) reports to UN Committees involved in monitoring Canada’s compliance with our international legal obligations

Refugee Children before the Immigration and Rethgee Board

Quote: "In the past decade, worldwide more than 1.5 million children have been killed in wars; more than 4 million have been physically disabled and some 5 million are now in refugee camps; 12 million have lost their homes; and untold numbers-but they reach into the millions-have been psychologically traumatized.A l'échelle mondiale au cours de la dernière décennie, plus de 1.5 million d'enfants ont été tués dans des conflits armés; plus de 4 millions ont subi un handicap physique et environ 5 millions résident présentement dans des camps de réfugiés; 12 millions sont sans abri; et un nombre indéfini-mais qui se chiffre aussi en millions-ont subi des traumatismes psychologiques

New Opportunities for Metals Extraction and Waste Treatment by Electrochemical Processing in Molten Salts

Molten salt electrolysis is a proven technology for the extraction of metals -- all the world's primary aluminum is produced in this manner. The unique properties of molten salts also make them excellent media in which to treat a variety of forms of waste. Of special note in this regard is electrolysis in molten oxides, a concept put forward by the author, initially as a "clean technology" for producing primary metal. However, in the context of waste treatment, electrolysis in molten oxides is a process offering the prospect of changing the valence of dissolved heavy metals while making pure oxygen gas as the main by-product. Laboratory tests conducted at a temperature of 1550°C on chromate sludge dissolved in an melt composed of Al2O3, SiO2, CaO, and MgO have confirmed electrochemical production of oxygen on a carbon-free anode

Community Informatics in Cities: New Catalysts for Urban Change.

Peer reviewe

Solid-state graft copolymer electrolytes for lithium battery applications

Battery safety has been a very important research area over the past decade. Commercially available lithium ion batteries employ low flash point ( < 80 °C), flammable, and volatile organic electrolytes. These organic based electrolyte systems are viable at ambient temperatures, but require a cooling system to ensure that temperatures do not exceed 80 °C. These cooling systems tend to increase battery costs and can malfunction which can lead to battery malfunction and explosions, thus endangering human life. Increases in petroleum prices lead to a huge demand for safe, electric hybrid vehicles that are more economically viable to operate as oil prices continue to rise. Existing organic based electrolytes used in lithium ion batteries are not applicable to high temperature automotive applications. A safer alternative to organic electrolytes is solid polymer electrolytes. This work will highlight the synthesis for a graft copolymer electrolyte (GCE) poly(oxyethylene) methacrylate (POEM) to a block with a lower glass transition temperature (Tg) poly(oxyethylene) acrylate (POEA). The conduction mechanism has been discussed and it has been demonstrated the relationship between polymer segmental motion and ionic conductivity indeed has a Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher (VTF) dependence. Batteries containing commercially available LP30 organic (LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate (EC):dimethyl carbonate (DMC) at a 1:1 ratio) and GCE were cycled at ambient temperature. It was found that at ambient temperature, the batteries containing GCE showed a greater overpotential when compared to LP30 electrolyte. However at temperatures greater than 60 °C, the GCE cell exhibited much lower overpotential due to fast polymer electrolyte conductivity and nearly the full theoretical specific capacity of 170 mAh/g was accessed

Calcium-Antimony Alloys as Electrodes for Liquid Metal Batteries

The performance of a calcium-antimony (Ca-Sb) alloy serving as the positive electrode in a Ca∥Sb liquid metal battery was investigated in an electrochemical cell, Ca(in Bi) | LiCl-NaCl-CaCl[subscript 2] | Ca(in Sb). The equilibrium potential of the Ca-Sb electrode was found to lie on the interval, 1.2–0.95 V versus Ca, in good agreement with electromotive force (emf) measurements in the literature. During both alloying and dealloying of Ca at the Sb electrode, the charge transfer and mass transport at the interface are facile enough that the electrode potential varies linearly from 0.95 to 0.75 V vs Ca(s) as current density varies from 50 to 500 mA cm[superscript −2]. The discharge capacity of the Ca∥Sb cells increases as the operating temperature increases due to the higher solubility and diffusivity of Ca in Sb. The cell was successfully cycled with high coulombic efficiency (∼100%) and small fade rate (<0.01% cycle[superscript −1]). These data combined with the favorable costs of these metals and salts make the Ca∥Sb liquid metal battery attractive for grid-scale energy storage.United States. Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (Award DE-AR0000047)TOTAL (Firm)Marubun Research Promotion FoundationMurata Overseas Scholarship Foundatio