Bipolar Membrane and Water Splitting in Electrodialysis

The traditional view of the conductivity of electrolytes is based on the mobility of ions in an electric field. A new concept of water conductivity introduces an electron–hole mechanism known from semiconductor theory. The electrolyte ions in the hydrogen bond network of water imitate the structure of a doped silicon lattice. The source of the current carriers is the electrode reaction generating H+ and OH− ions. The continuity of current flow is provided through the electron–hole mechanism, and the movement of electrolyte ions is only a side process. Bipolar membrane in the semiconductor approach is an electrochemical diode forward biased. Generation of large amounts of H+ and OH− has to be considered as a result of current flow and does not require any increase in the water dissociation rate. Bipolar membranes are essential in electrodialysis stacks for the recovery of acids and bases by salt splitting. Graphic Abstract

New methods of cleaning soil from heavy metals

The purpose of the work was to study new methods of cleaning soil from heavy metals. In this work, it was proposed to extract heavy metals Cd, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Pb from soils using the method of biological purification. For this, we recommended to carry out preliminary treatment of soils with complexones and to carry out additional introduction of biophilic elements into complex compounds. The possibility of using electromechanical treatment for removing heavy metals from soils after a preliminary increase in the mobility of ions by acidification and the use of complexation reactions is shown. The experiments were carried out on the plants of sowing oat Avena sativa L. variety Yakov when grown in laboratory conditions on sod-podzolic soil with the introduction of soluble salts of heavy metals into the soil. It was noted that the largest amount of heavy metals is concentrated in the root system of plants. When growing oats in the field, the concentration of metals in the grain was assessed: Mn - 30-35 ppm, Fe - 55-65 ppm, Cu - 4-5 ppm, Zn - 30-35 ppm, Cd, Pb < 3 ppm.

Dependence of displacement of Ca, Md, Fe, K ions from soils from the duration of exposure to H2O and temperature

In the conducted studies on sod-podzolic soils and ordinary chernozems, a change in the rate of transition of Ca, Md, Fe, K ions from the soil to H2O at temperatures of 0 and 20º, the interaction time of 1 day and 1 week was established. It is shown that the speed of the processes depends on the combination of temperature and duration of reactions, differs for individual soils, horizons and certain cations. The magnitude of the change in the rate of the processes under consideration does not fully correlate with the physico-chemical and thermodynamic patterns of changes in the mobility of ions in soils depending on humidity and temperature, which is associated with the simultaneous course of ion exchange reactions, complex formation, sedimentation. The necessity of studying the kinetics of processes occurring in the soil for a more correct assessment of the agroecological state of soils is proved. Keywords: KINETICS, SOIL, TEMPERATURE INFLUENCE, ION DESORPTION

Features of the Electrochemical Deposition of Films from a Triple System of CoNiFe

The nature of phenomena that occurs in the electrolyte during the electrochemical deposition of CoNiFe films and the mechanism leading to the difference in the relative content of elements in the electrolyte and film was clarified. This clarification was obtained with the help of a spectrophotometric study of chloride electrolytes and the electrochemical deposition of CoNiFe films at 70 °C. An experimental study of the absorption spectra and the pH values of the FeCl2, NiCl2 and CoCl2 salt solutions at concentrations of 0.005 to 1 mol/l showed the complex nature of the ion-formation balance in single-component and mixed solutions and the dependence of ion formation on acidic and alkaline additives. The deposited CoNiFe film was made from a chloride electrolyte with a component content ratio of 1:1:1 at both high (0.5 mol/l) and low (0.006 mol\l) concentrations of each component. The content of each component in the film after the electrochemical deposition of the three component solution (FeCl2, CoCl2, and NiCl2 at equal concentrations) did not correspond to the composition of the electrolyte. The mechanism for the abnormal deposition of Co, Fe, Ni occurred due to the incomplete ionization of atoms and the differences in the mobility of ions. The magnetic susceptibility of the films formed in the triple CoNiFe system was higher than that of a permalloy. Therefore, the triple system shows promise for use in magnetic field converters.

The Study of Plasticized Sodium Ion Conducting Polymer Blend Electrolyte Membranes Based on Chitosan/Dextran Biopolymers: Ion Transport, Structural, Morphological and Potential Stability

The polymer electrolyte system of chitosan/dextran-NaTf with various glycerol concentrations is prepared in this study. The electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study shows that the addition of glycerol increases the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte at room temperature. The highest conducting plasticized electrolyte shows the maximum DC ionic conductivity of 6.10 × 10−5 S/cm. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) is used to investigate the effect of plasticizer on film morphology. The interaction between the electrolyte components is confirmed from the existence of the O–H, C–H, carboxamide, and amine groups. The XRD study is used to determine the degree of crystallinity. The transport parameters of number density (n), ionic mobility (µ), and diffusion coefficient (D) of ions are determined using the percentage of free ions, due to the asymmetric vibration (υas(SO3)) and symmetric vibration (υs(SO3)) bands. The dielectric property and relaxation time are proved the non-Debye behavior of the electrolyte system. This behavior model is further verified by the existence of the incomplete semicircle arc from the Argand plot. Transference numbers of ion (tion) and electron (te) for the highest conducting plasticized electrolyte are identified to be 0.988 and 0.012, respectively, confirming that the ions are the dominant charge carriers. The tion value are used to further examine the contribution of ions in the values of the diffusion coefficient and mobility of ions. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) shows the potential window for the electrolyte is 2.55 V, indicating it to be a promising electrolyte for application in electrochemical energy storage devices.

The role of graphene/graphene oxide in cement hydration

Graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) have been shown to significantly improve the mechanical properties of cement-based materials. In this study, the effect of the G/GO on cement hydration was investigated. First, the zeta potential of G/GO in simulated solutions was tested, and the interaction between G/GO’s surface and Ca2+ was explored. Subsequently, scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology of C–S–H nucleation and growth on the cement surface in the cement paste containing G/GO. Furthermore, XRD and TGA analyses were carried out on the hydration products of the sample. At last, isothermal calorimetry was applied to investigate the influence of G/GO on the early hydration of cement. The results showed that the addition of G/GO significantly accelerates C–S–H nucleation and growth on the cement surface. It is indicated that the high mobility ions derived by G/GO in the cement paste dominate the reason for the accelerated hydration of cement. The presence of G, especially GO, facilitates the mobility of ions, especially Ca2+, thus enhances the interaction between the cement surface and the ions. This strong interaction promotes the C–S–H nucleation and growth, and therefore, the hydration of the cement.

Doping effects in (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Hf0.1Ti0.9)O3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics prepared via powder injection moulding using simple binder

To improve densification of the (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Hf0.1Ti0.9)O3 (BCHT) ceramics prepared via powder injection moulding, MnO2 and Li2CO3 were used as sintering aids. The BCHT ceramics doped with different Mn- and Li-amount prepared by powder injection moulding in which paraffin was used as injection binder, have rather pure perovskite structure with complicated polymorphic ferroelectric phase coexistence. Polyhedral grains combined with nearly round shape grains with increased relative density and larger gains size were obtained at appropriate doping amount, related to the formation of liquid phase during sintering and increased mobility of ions due to the generation of point defects caused by heterovalent cations doping. TheMn- and Li-doped BCHT ceramics are displacement driven ferroelectrics with apparent diffused transition characteristic at different extent, relating to the morphotropic phase boundary composition and the variation of point defects induced by doping. Comparable or surpassing electrical performance was acquired, especially the dielectric breakdown strength was increased due to the improved sinterability. With appropriate doping amount, piezoelectricity larger than 300 pC/N can be obtained in the Mn- and Li-doped BCHT ceramics poled under low electric field.

Influence of temperature and potential range on Zn-Ni deposition properties formed by cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition in chloride bath solution

This paper describes the study of electrodeposition process by cyclic voltammetry for Zn-Ni bimetallic coating on the X52 carbon steel substrate. Prior to the deposition at the bath temperatures of 25°C, 40°C, and 60°C, investigations were carried out to find the optimum potential range for zinc-nickel coatings with respect to the Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) was used for surface morphology and elemental composition studies. The corrosion rate of the deposits was studied using the linear polarization resistance (LPR) method by immersing the samples (with and without coating) into 3.5% NaCl solution for 24 h. SEM and EDX results showed that the bath temperature has affected the formation of the microstructures and composition of coating. In addition, micro-cracks, nickel content, mobility of ions and compactness of microstructure increased by raising the bath temperature used for electrodeposition. The corrosion rate obtained from the LPR method can be correlated with the SEM/EDX analysis. The coating deposited at the temperature of 60°C including more content of nickel and micro-cracks led to lower corrosion resistance compared to the coating deposited at the bath solution temperatures of 25°C, 40°C, and non-coated X52 steel. Based on the results, the Zn-Ni coating deposited on the X52 steel substrate in the bath solution at 40°C presented the best performance due to more suitable achievements of microstructure compaction, composition, microcracks, and corrosion resistance observations.