Electrodeposition of platinum on titanium felt in a rectangular channel flow cell

Highly porous platinised titanium substrates are attractive electrode materials for industrial electrochemical processing and electrochemical energy storage. The electrodeposition of platinum on titanium felt was carried out in a divided, rectangular channel flow cell from an alkaline bath without additives. The morphology and spatial distribution of the platinum deposits in the porous material were analysed using SEM and EDS microscopy in addition to X-ray computed tomography (CT). The electroplated surface area was estimated from the charge transfer current ratio for Ce(IV) reduction and related to a theoretical electrosorbed hydrogen monolayer surface area. The platinised titanium felt showed a significant enhancement of active surface area in comparison to conventional electrode materials. Although platinum was present throughout the porous electrode, CT revealed heterogeneous deposits accumulating in regions near the membrane (during electrodeposition), as a result of the potential distribution in the felt material and flowing electrolyte. Uniform platinum coatings are possible on thin titanium felt under 200 µm thick, by either potentiostatic or galvanostatic electrodepositio

The specific capacitance of sol–gel synthesised spinel MnCo2O4 in an alkaline electrolyte

PublishedArticleIn this work, high performance spinel MnCo2O4 electrode was fabricated via a facile sol–gel method and its capacitive behavior was successfully investigated in alkaline electrolyte. MnCo2O4 electrode was characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The pseudo capacitive behavior of spinel MnCo2O4 was widely investigated in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). As a result, the spinel MnCo2O4 exhibited excellent porous structure and the highest specific capacitance of 405 F g−1 was achieved at a current density of 5 mA cm−2. In addition, the spinel MnCo2O4 displayed desirable stability in alkaline electrolyte during long-term cycles with a cycling efficiency of 95.1% over 1,000 cycles. The high specific capacitance and excellent cycling ability of MnCo2O4 show promise for its application in supercapacitors.National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaChinese Ministry of EducationNatural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu ProvinceProgram for Hongliu Outstanding Talents in Lanzhou University of Technolog

A sol-gel process for the synthesis of NiCo2O4 having improved specific capacitance and cycle stability for electrochemical capacitors

PublishedArticleHigh performance nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4) with ultrahigh capacitance is synthesized by a facile sol-gel process and then calcined at 300◦C. The structure and morphology is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption experiments.Amesoporous structure with high specific surface area is obtained. Electrochemical properties are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The NiCo2O4 exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. The highest specific capacitance of 1128 F g−1 is achieved at a current density of 5 mA cm−2 and 92.5% of the initial specific capacitance remained after 1000 cycles. NiCo2O4 prepared by this scale-able route could be a promising electrode material for electrochemical capacitors.National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaKey Project of Chinese Ministry of EducationNatural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu Provinc

A novel flow battery: a lead acid battery based on an electrolyte with soluble lead(II) Part IX. Electrode and electrolyte conditioning with hydrogen peroxide

This is the author's manuscript version. The version of record is available via DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2009.10.109Available online:13 November 2009Extended cycling of a soluble lead acid battery can lead to problems due to an imbalance in the coulombic efficiency leading to deposits of Pb and PbO2 on the electrodes. Periodic addition of hydrogen peroxide to the electrolyte of the soluble lead acid flow battery largely overcomes several operational problems seen during extended cycling, using a 10 cm × 10 cm parallel plate flow cell. It is shown that this treatment greatly extends the number of cycles that can be achieved with a reasonable energy-, voltage-, and charge efficiency of 54–66%, 71%, and 77–91%.DTI Technology Programm

Synthesis and characterisation of M3V2O8 (M = Ni or Co) based nanostructures: a new family of high performance pseudocapacitive materials

Binary metal oxides have recently attracted extensive attention from researchers in the energy storage field due to their multiple oxidation states and high energy density. In the present work, Ni3V2O8, Co3V2O8, and the Ni3V2O8/Co3V2O8 nanocomposite are designed and synthesized as a new class of high performance electrode material for supercapacitors. Ni3V2O8 and Co3V2O8 show a structure comprising nanoflakes and nanoparticles, respectively. The Ni3V2O8/Co3V2O8 nanocomposite is prepared by growing Co3V2O8 nanoparticles on the surface of Ni3V2O8 nanoflakes. The composite inherits the structural characteristics and combines the pseudocapacitive benefits of both Ni3V2O8 and Co3V2O8, showing higher specific capacitance than Co3V2O8 and superior rate capability as well as better cycle stability to Ni3V2O8. The dependence of pseudocapacitive properties of the Ni3V2O8/Co3V2O8 nanocomposite on the Ni/Co mass ratio is also investigated, indicating that the high specific capacitance of the composite is contributed by Ni3V2O8, while its excellent rate capability and cycle stability can be attributed to the Co3V2O8 component.National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaChinese Ministry of EducationNatural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu Provinc

Homozygosity at the MTL locus in clinical strains of Candida albicans: Karyotypic rearrangments and tetraploid formation

One hundred and twenty Candida albicans clinical isolates from the late 1980s and early 1990s were examined for homosygosity at the MTL locus. Of these, 108 were heterozygous (MTLa/MTLα), whereas seven were MTLa and five were MTLα. Five of the homozygous isolates were able to switch to the opaque cell morphology, while opaque cells were not detectable among the remaining seven. Nevertheless, all but one of the isolates homozygous at the MTL locus were shown to mate and to yield cells containing markers from both parents; the non-mater was found to have a frameshift in the MTLα1 gene. In contrast to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. albicans homozygotes with no active MTL allele failed to mate rather than mating as a cells. There was no correlation between homoxygosity and fluconazole resistance, mating and fluconazole resistance or switching and fluconazole resistance, in part because most of the strains were isolated before the widespread use of this antifungal agent, and only three were in fact drug resistant Ten of the 12 homozygotes had rearranged karyotypes involving one or more homologue of chromosomes 4, 5, 6 and 7. We suggest that karyotypic rearrangement, drug resistance and homozygosity come about as the result of induction of hyperrecombination during the infection process; hence, they tend to occur together, but each is the independent result of the same event. Furthermore, as clinical strains can mate and form tetraploids, mating and marker exchange are likely to be a significant part of the life cycle of C. albicans in vivo

Speaking of That: Terms to Avoid or Reconsider in the Eating Disorders Field

Inspired by an article on 50 terms that, in the interest of clarity in scientific reasoning and communication in psychology, psychiatry, and allied fields, “should be avoided or at most be used sparingly and only with explicit caveats,”1 we propose a list of terms to avoid or think twice about before using when writing for the International Journal of Eating Disorders (IJED). Drawing upon our experience as reviewers or editors for the IJED, we generated an abridged list of such terms. For each term, we explain why it made our list and what alternatives we recommend. We hope that our list will contribute to improved clarity in scientific thinking about eating disorders, and that it will stimulate discussion of terms that may need to be reconsidered in our field's vocabulary to ensure the use of language that is respectful and sensitive to individuals who experience an eating disorder

Calculation of ground- and excited-state energies of confined helium atom

We calculate the energies of ground and three low lying excited states of confined helium atom centered in an impenetrable spherical box. We perform the calculation by employing variational method with two-parameter variational forms for the correlated two-particle wave function. With just two variational parameters we get quite accurate results for both ground and excited state energies.Comment: 13 pages, No figur