Ligno cellulosic materials for energy storage

The constantly increasing production of a large variety of portable consumer electronic devices and the urgent request of replacement of polluting, internal combustion cars with more efficient, controlled emissions vehicles, such as hybrid or electric vehicles require the development of new reliable and safe power sources. Furthermore the continuous decrease of the oil resources and the growing concern on the climate changes call for a larger use of green, alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind. But wind does not blow on command and the sun does not always shine thus, this discontinuity in operation leads to the need of suitable storage systems to efficiently run renewable energy plants. It is evident that a new energy economy has to emerge, and it must be based on a cheap and sustainable energy supply. Lithium ion batteries, due to their high-energy efficiency, appear as ideal candidates. Although these batteries are well established commercial products, further research and development is required to improve their performance to meet the market requirements. In particular, enhancement in safety, cost, and energy density are needed. A big portion of the R&D studies are nowadays devoted to the search for optimal materials both for the electrodes and the electrolyte of the battery: as far as the electrolyte is concerned, the main goal is to replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid one. The passage to a solid configuration gives concrete promise of increasing cell safety and reliability and, at the same time, of offering modularity in design and ease of handling. Behind the optimization of existing batteries a big effort in this field is the transformation of current batteries into a light, flexible, portable device. If integrated structures containing the three essential components (electrodes, spacer, and electrolyte) of the electrochemical cells can be made mechanically flexible, it would enable these to be embedded into various functional devices in a wide range of innovative products such as smart cards, displays, and implantable medical devices. In the fabrication of such a device the exploitation of cellulose as a flexible material and at the same time the exploitation of the papermaking and printing techniques for the development of paper electrodes and electrolytes and, in a future, of the full paper battery, is under consideration. This will also open the way to a reinvestment of the paper technologies in a high tech field such as the Lithium based batteries. Paper industry, as a matter of fact, is in Europe an important manufacturing industry but the economic change together with the development of electronics highly threaten the role and the surviving of such an activity. In this context grows the urgent need for higher value-added paper products and the conversion of the traditional paper industry. Introducing paper into new products with more profitable markets is crucial. The research work of the present thesis has been developed in collaboration with the "Centre Technique du Papier "(CTP) in Grenoble (Fr). The work has been focused on the use of cellulose in the form of handsheet or microfibrils for the production of innovative electrolyte membranes to be used in Li-based batteries. Two research lines have been followed: 1- Development of composite membranes based on cellulose microfibrils and a polymeric matrix obtained by photopolymerisation of reactive oligomers. 2- Development of multilayered membranes made of cellulose handsheet and polymeric layers obtained by photopolymerisation of reactive oligomers. Both the research lines adopt the photopolymerisation process for developing the membranes. In particular using multifunctional monomers, highly cross-linked polymer membranes are obtained which can be successfully used as gel or solid polymer electrolytes. The process is fast, low cost and versatile. In fact a fully cured polymer is obtained in seconds at room temperature irradiating a proper mixture of reactive molecules and photoinitiato

Ligno cellulosic materials for energy storage

The constantly increasing production of a large variety of portable consumer electronic devices and the urgent request of replacement of polluting, internal combustion cars with more efficient, controlled emissions vehicles, such as hybrid or electric vehicles require the development of new reliable and safe power sources. Furthermore the continuous decrease of the oil resources and the growing concern on the climate changes call for a larger use of green, alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind. But wind does not blow on command and the sun does not always shine thus, this discontinuity in operation leads to the need of suitable storage systems to efficiently run renewable energy plants. It is evident that a new energy economy has to emerge, and it must be based on a cheap and sustainable energy supply. Lithium ion batteries, due to their high-energy efficiency, appear as ideal candidates. Although these batteries are well established commercial products, further research and development is required to improve their performance to meet the market requirements. In particular, enhancement in safety, cost, and energy density are needed. A big portion of the R&D studies are nowadays devoted to the search for optimal materials both for the electrodes and the electrolyte of the battery: as far as the electrolyte is concerned, the main goal is to replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid one. The passage to a solid configuration gives concrete promise of increasing cell safety and reliability and, at the same time, of offering modularity in design and ease of handling. Behind the optimization of existing batteries a big effort in this field is the transformation of current batteries into a light, flexible, portable device. If integrated structures containing the three essential components (electrodes, spacer, and electrolyte) of the electrochemical cells can be made mechanically flexible, it would enable these to be embedded into various functional devices in a wide range of innovative products such as smart cards, displays, and implantable medical devices. In the fabrication of such a device the exploitation of cellulose as a flexible material and at the same time the exploitation of the papermaking and printing techniques for the development of paper electrodes and electrolytes and, in a future, of the full paper battery, is under consideration. This will also open the way to a reinvestment of the paper technologies in a high tech field such as the Lithium based batteries. Paper industry, as a matter of fact, is in Europe an important manufacturing industry but the economic change together with the development of electronics highly threaten the role and the surviving of such an activity. In this context grows the urgent need for higher value-added paper products and the conversion of the traditional paper industry. Introducing paper into new products with more profitable markets is crucial. The research work of the present thesis has been developed in collaboration with the “Centre Technique du Papier “(CTP) in Grenoble (Fr). The work has been focused on the use of cellulose in the form of handsheet or microfibrils for the production of innovative electrolyte membranes to be used in Li-based batteries. Two research lines have been followed: 1- Development of composite membranes based on cellulose microfibrils and a polymeric matrix obtained by photopolymerisation of reactive oligomers. 2- Development of multilayered membranes made of cellulose handsheet and polymeric layers obtained by photopolymerisation of reactive oligomers. Both the research lines adopt the photopolymerisation process for developing the membranes. In particular using multifunctional monomers, highly cross-linked polymer membranes are obtained which can be successfully used as gel or solid polymer electrolytes. The process is fast, low cost and versatile. In fact a fully cured polymer is obtained in seconds at room temperature irradiating a proper mixture of reactive molecules and photoinitiator

Comparative Political Reactions in Spain from the 1930s to the Present

This project analyzes a current right-wing political party in Spain (VOX) and how it has gained support. The thesis examines the political problems that have plagued Spain (Catalonia, ETA) and how the threat of unity has allowed VOX to use this threat to demonize left-wing ideologies. The paper also examines how the memory of the dictatorship was stifled after the transition, allowing for right-wing rhetoric reminiscent of the Franco regime to reemerge.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog

Sampling methods for Acropora corals, other benthic coral reef organisms, and marine debris in the Florida Keys: Field protocol manual for 2011-2012 assessments

The 2011-2012 sampling of Acropora corals, other coral reef benthic invertebrates, and marine debris in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is being undertaken as a spatially intensive effort to provide updated population distribution and abundance information. The particular focus of surveys in the Florida Keys, as well as in the U.S. Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the U.S.V.I.), concerns the habitat distribution, colony density, size, condition, and population abundance of Acropora corals. Surveys in the Florida Keys also include assessments of urchins, mollusks, anemones, corallimorpharians, and marine debris. These additional assessments are relatively fast and easy to perform. Annual surveys for Acropora corals began in 2006 in the Florida Keys in response to their listing on the Federal Endangered Species List, as well as the paucity of large-scale information on habitat distribution, abundance, and condition in the Florida Keys. Periodic surveys for Acropora corals as part of our long-term monitoring and assessment program date back to 1999. The purpose of this field protocol manual is to outline the Acropora sampling procedures used in the Florida Keys and to standardize survey methods for the Florida and U.S. Caribbean regional population assessments planned for 2012. A previous draft of this manual was prepared for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary personnel in June 2011 to help guide the field sampling in 2011

Density, Spatial Distribution and Size Structure of Sea Urchins in Florida Keys Coral Reef and Hard-Bottom Habitats

The 1983-84 Caribbean-wide mortality of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum Philippi was followed by a 2nd mortality event during 1991 in the Florida Keys. Pre-mortality sea urchin densities were up to 5 ind. m-2 and the large scale decline of D. antillarum is considered to be 1 factor affecting community dynamics of Florida Keys reefs. During 1999-2000, we surveyed 125 sites using a stratified random sampling design in shallow-water coral reef and hard-bottom habitats. Strip transects were sampled to assess density, habitat utilization and size structure patterns among habitat types, regional sectors and between fished and protected areas. Nearly 17 yr after the mass mortality, D. antillarum has not recovered to pre-1983 levels, with current densities no greater than 0.05 ind. m-2, and small test sizes (1 to 2 cm) dominate. Other sea urchins such as Eucidaris tribuloides (Lamarck) and Echinometra viridis Agassiz show density and habitat distribution patterns similar to historical observations

Multiple Spatial Scale Assessment of Coral Reef and Hard-Bottom Community Structure in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

The zoning plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) established 23 relatively small no-fishing zones distributed mostly along the offshore reef tract in 1997. In 1999, a two-stage, stratified random sampling design based on the proportion of coral reef and hard-bottom types within the FKNMS was conducted. Our study focused on differences in coverage, density, and condition of benthic organisms with respect to habitat type, regional variations, and differences between no-fishing zones and reference sites at 80 locations spanning 200 km. Most variables exhibited significant spatial differences by habitat type or between individual no-fishing zones and reference sites (e.g. species richness, coral density, gorgonian density, and recruitment), although some regional differences were also apparent. Many of the differences among the no-fishing zones and reference sites reflect the placement of the zones in well-developed offshore reefs, and for many of the variables targeted, individual zones are as different from one another as from reference sites. These results emphasize the need to address spatial variations at multiple scales, and to consider a range of variables beyond common metrics such as coral cover