397 research outputs found

    Metal-salt enhanced grafting of vinylpyridine and vinylimidazole monomer combinations in radiation grafted membranes for high-temperature PEM fuel cells

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    Proton exchange membranes were prepared and characterized for utilization in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells, HT-PEMFCs. 1-vinylimidazole (1-VIm) and 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) monomers were simultaneously grafted onto pre-irradiated ETFE (ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) films which were prepared using gamma-rays with a dose of 100 kGy, as a robust substrate to prepare acid-base composite membranes. The grafting reaction was performed at 60 degrees C for 24 h followed by protonation via phosphoric acid doping in the subsequent step. The effect of adding ferrous salts as promoters in grafting was investigated by characterization of resultant membranes via thermal gravimetric analysis and mechanical tests. The fuel cell tests were conducted under different relative humidities (RHs) and applied temperatures. Membranes prepared with salt addition exhibited superior proton conductivities. Results including up to 80 mS cm(-1) conductivity at 110 degrees C in 60% RH and excellent thermal stability, even at 300 degrees C, suggest these membranes are promising for HT-PEMFC applications

    High performance electrocatalysts supported on graphene based hybrids for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

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    In this study, new electrocatalysts for PEM fuel cells, based on Pt nanoparticles supported on hybrid carbon support networks comprising reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and carbon black (CB) at varying ratios, were designed and prepared by means of a rapid and efficient microwave-assisted synthesis method. Resultant catalysts were characterized ex-situ for their structure, morphology, electrocatalytic activity. In addition, membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated using resultant electrocatalysts and evaluated in-situ for their fuel cell performance and impedance characteristics. TEM studies showed that Pt nanoparticles were homogeneously decorated on rGO and rGO-CB hybrids while they had bigger size and partially agglomerated distribution on CB. The electrocatalyst, supported on GO-CB hybrid containing 75% GO (HE75), possessed very encouraging results in terms of Pt particle size and dispersion, catalytic activity towards HOR and ORR, and fuel cell performance. The maximum power density of 1090 mW cm(-2) was achieved with MEA (Pt loading of 0.4 mg cm(-2)) based on electrocatalyst, HE75. Therefore, the resultant hybrid demonstrated higher Pt utilization with enhanced FC performance output. Our results, revealing excellent attributes of hybrid supported electrocatalysts, can be ascribed to the role of CB preventing rGO sheets from restacking, effectively modifying the array of graphene and providing more available active catalyst sites in the electrocatalyst material.(C) 2018 The Authors

    Search for the lepton flavor violating decay τ → 3μ in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{\mathrm{s}} = 13 TeV

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    Results are reported from a search for the lepton flavor violating decay τ → 3μ in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{\mathrm{s}} = 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 33.2 fb1^{-1} recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016. The search exploits τ leptons produced in both W boson and heavy-flavor hadron decays. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction B(τ → 3μ) of 8.0 x 108^{-8} at 90% confidence level is obtained, with an expected upper limit of 6.9 x 108^{-8}

    Erratum to: Search for dark matter produced in association with a leptonically decaying Z{\mathrm{Z}} boson in proton–proton collisions at s=13TeV\sqrt{s}=13\,\text {Te}\text {V}

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    First Search for Exclusive Diphoton Production at High Mass with Tagged Protons in Proton-Proton Collisions at √s = 13 TeV

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    MUSiC: a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton–proton collisions at √s=13TeV

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    Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton–proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb-1, are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches

    Search for strongly interacting massive particles generating trackless jets in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

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    A search for dark matter in the form of strongly interacting massive particles (SIMPs) using the CMS detector at the LHC is presented. The SIMPs would be produced in pairs that manifest themselves as pairs of jets without tracks. The energy fraction of jets carried by charged particles is used as a key discriminator to suppress efficiently the large multijet background, and the remaining background is estimated directly from data. The search is performed using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 16.1 fb - 1 , collected with the CMS detector in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected background. For the simplified dark matter model under consideration, SIMPs with masses up to 100 GeV are excluded and further sensitivity is explored towards higher masses

    Measurement of double-parton scattering in inclusive production of four jets with low transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

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    A measurement of inclusive four-jet production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is presented. The transverse momenta of jets within |η| < 4.7 are required to exceed 35, 30, 25, and 20 GeV for the first-, second-, third-, and fourth-leading jet, respectively. Differential cross sections are measured as functions of the jet transverse momentum, jet pseudorapidity, and several other observables that describe the angular correlations between the jets. The measured distributions show sensitivity to different aspects of the underlying event, parton shower modeling, and matrix element calculations. In particular, the interplay between angular correlations caused by parton shower and double-parton scattering contributions is shown to be important. The double-parton scattering contribution is extracted by means of a template fit to the data, using distributions for single-parton scattering obtained from Monte Carlo event generators and a double-parton scattering distribution constructed from inclusive single-jet events in data. The effective double-parton scattering cross section is calculated and discussed in view of previous measurements and of its dependence on the models used to describe the single- parton scattering background

    Measurements of the pp → W±^{±}γγ and pp → Zγγ cross sections at s\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV and limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings

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    The cross section for W or Z boson production in association with two photons is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb1^{-1} collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The W → ℓν and Z → ℓℓ decay modes (where ℓ = e, μ) are used to extract the Wγγ and Zγγ cross sections in a phase space defined by electron (muon) with transverse momentum larger than 30 GeV and photon transverse momentum larger than 20 GeV. All leptons and photons are required to have absolute pseudorapidity smaller than 2.5. The measured cross sections in this phase space are σ(Wγγ) = 13.6+1.9^{+1.9}1.9_{−1.9}(stat)+4.0^{+4.0}4.0_{−4.0}(syst) ± 0.08 (PDF + scale) fb and σ(Zγγ) = 5.41+0.58^{+0.58}0.55_{−0.55}(stat)+0.64^{+0.64}.070_{−.070}(syst) ± 0.06 (PDF + scale) fb. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings are set in the framework of an effective field theory with dimension-8 operators

    MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

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    Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe
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