Effect of nanocellulose polymorphism on electrochemical analytical performance in hybrid nanocomposites with non-oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Two cellulose nanocrystals/single-walled carbon nanotube (CNC/SW) hybrids, using two cellulose polymorphs, were evaluated as electrochemical transducers: CNC type I (CNC-I/SW) and CNC type II (CNC-II/SW). They were synthesized and fully characterized, and their analytical performance as electrochemical sensors was carefully studied. In comparison with SWCNT-based and screen-printed carbon electrodes, CNC/SW sensors showed superior electroanalytical performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity, not only in the detection of small metabolites (uric acid, dopamine, and tyrosine) but also in the detection of complex glycoproteins (alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP)). More importantly, CNC-II/SW exhibited 20 times higher sensitivity than CNC-I/SW for AGP determination, yielding a LOD of 7 mg L−1.These results demonstrate the critical role played by nanocellulose polymorphism in the electrochemical performance of CNC/SW hybrid materials, opening new directions in the electrochemical sensing of these complex molecules. In general, these high-active-surface hybrids smartly exploited the preserved non-oxidized SW conductivity with the high aqueous dispersibility of the CNC, avoiding the use of organic solvents or the incorporation of toxic surfactants during their processing, making the CNC/SW hybrids promising nanomaterials for electrochemical detection following greener approaches. Graphical abstract

A Low Cost Fe3O4–Activated Biochar Electrode Sensor by Resource Utilization of Excess Sludge for Detecting Tetrabromobisphenol A

Owing to its ubiquity in natural water systems and the high toxicity of its accumulation in the human body, it is essential to develop simple and low-cost electrochemical sensors for the determination of 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). In this work, Fe3O4–activated biochar, which is based on excess sludge, was prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET analysis to analyze its basic features. Subsequently, it was used to fabricate an electrochemical sensor for the detection of TBBPA. The electrochemical test results revealed that the Fe3O4–activated biochar film exhibited a larger active surface area, a lower charge transfer resistance and a higher accumulation efficiency toward TBBPA. Consequently, the peak current of TBBPA was significantly enhanced on the surface of the Fe3O4–activated biochar. The TBBPA sensing platform developed using the Fe3O4–activated biochar composite film, with relatively a lower detection limit (3.2 nM) and a wider linear range (5–1000 nM), was successfully utilized to determine TBBPA levels in water samples. In summary, the effective application of Fe3O4–activated biochar provided eco-friendly and sustainable materials for the development of a desirable high-sensitivity sensor for TBBPA detection.

A Low Cost Oscillating Membrane for Underwater Applications at Low Reynolds Numbers

Active surface morphing is a nonintrusive flow control technique that can delay separation in laminar and turbulent boundary layers. Most of the experimental studies of such control strategy have been carried out in wind tunnels at low Reynolds numbers with costly actuators. In contrast, the implementation of such a control strategy at low cost for an underwater environment remains vastly unexplored. This paper explores active surface morphing at low cost and at low Reynolds for underwater applications. We do this with a 3D printed foil submerged in a water tunnel. The suction surface of the foil is covered with a magnetoelastic membrane. The membrane is actuated via two electromagnets that are positioned inside of the foil. Three actuation frequencies (slow, intermediate, fast) are tested and the deformation of the membrane is measured with an optosensor. We show that lift increases by 1%, whilst drag decreases by 6% at a Strouhal number of 0.3, i.e., at the fast actuation case. We demonstrate that surface actuation is applicable to the marine environment through an off the shelf approach, and that this method is more economical than existing active surface morphing technologies. Since the actuation mechanism is not energy intensive, it is envisioned that it could be applied to marine energy devices, boat appendages, and autonomous underwater vehicles.

Real-time Closed-loop Active Surface Technology of a Large Radio Telescope

The surface accuracy of a large radio telescope’s primary reflector is easily affected by gravity and temperature change during observations. An active surface system is crucial to ensure the regular operation and high-quality data output of the radio telescope. We propose a real-time closed-loop active surface system including two components. The first component, a new type of photoelectric edge sensor, detects the angle change of the adjacent panels. The second component, the displacement actuator, adjusts the panels’ position and posture to compensate for the angle changes. So, over the entire observation, the closed-loop surface control system with these two components could actively maintain the primary reflector’s accuracy in real time. Using this approach, we constructed an experimental active surface system for the Xinjiang Qitai 110 m Radio Telescope (QTT) to test the maintenance of the surface accuracy. The angle measurement accuracy is better than 0.″2, and the positioning accuracy of the displacement actuator could achieve ±15 μm over the whole 50 mm stroke. The preliminary test results show that the accuracy requirements of the QTT’s primary reflector surface can be met using the active surface system we propose.

Synthesis of Substrate-bound Seaweed-like Au Nanowires with Amino Silane Coupling Agents

Seaweed-like Au nanowires were synthesized without any nanoparticle seeds. The amino silcane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane was used to form the active surface on Au substrate to facilitate one dimensional growth....

Towards stable and highly active IrO2 catalysts supported on doped tin oxides for the oxygen evolution reaction in acidic media

Iridium oxide is the preferred catalyst for water oxidation but it is required to maximize its utilization to deploy Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers (PEMWEs) into the large-scale applications panorama. A promising pathway for dispersing this precious catalyst is on an electric conductive and stable support. However, there is a lack of understanding how the support-catalyst interactions affect the stability/activity of the electrocatalyst under anodic conditions. This work discloses a modified, easy-scalable, polyol synthesis protocol to produce a highly active and stable iridium-based catalyst, supported on metal-doped tin oxides. The loading of Ir was reduced 30 wt.% compared to the reference IrO2, and dispersed on Sb-SnO2 (IrOx/ATO), In-SnO2 (IrOx/ITO) and SnO2 supports. All synthesized electrocatalysts not only surpassed the OER-mass activity of a commercial catalyst (IrO2) – reference – but also reached higher electrochemical active surface areas and enhanced stability under the OER conditions. The highest performance was achieved with Ir NPs supported on ITO (176 A/gIr vs. 15.5 A/gIr for the reference catalyst @ 1.51 V vs. RHE) and both IrOx/ITO and IrOx/SnO2 catalysts demonstrated remarkable stability after cycling the electrode and performing long-term chronopotentiometry. ITO is, therefore, an auspicious support to serve Ir-based catalysts as it favors a good bargain between activity and stability, while drastically reducing the amount of noble metal.

Single step polyol synthesis of highly stable Pt/C/SiO2 catalysts for use in PEMFCs: effects of pH, temperature and W/EG ratio

Hybrid supports have been proposed as a new alternative to increase the stability of ORR catalysts used in PEMFCs for automotive applications since they are known to be stable under harsh conditions. In this work, Pt nanoparticles were deposited over C/SiO2, via single-step polyol method, to take advantage of the corrosion-resistance properties of silica nanoparticles. In fact, the synthesis parameters, namely, pH, temperature, and glycol concentration had a remarkable impact on the Pt size-distribution, crystallinity, and dispersion over the C/SiO2 supports. A maximum ORR activity and stability was obtained for Pt/C/SiO2 catalysts produced at 1:6 W/EG (v/v). The addition of SiO2 nanoparticles to the carbon structure showed their ability to effectively inhibit support corrosion and Pt nanoparticles detachment and/or growth, with the pH adjustments being critical for obtaining highly stable C/SiO2 supports. Pt/C/SiO2 synthetized under acidic conditions revealed the highest stability when subjected to accelerated stress tests (ASTs), losing only 30 % of the initial electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt after 4 000 cycles from 0.6 to 1 V (vs RHE), whereas the commercial Pt/C revealed > 50 % of ECSA loss.

Niobium oxide promoted by alkali metal nitrates for soot particulate combustion: Elucidating the vital role of active surface nitrate groups

With the target to develop efficient base metal oxide catalysts for soot particulate combustion, Nb2O5 promoted by different alkali metal nitrates has been prepared as catalysts with an impregnation method....

Aromatic ionomer in the anode catalyst layer improves start-up durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Sulfonated polyphenylene ionomer (SPP-QP) was used as a catalyst layer binder in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. SPP-QP functioned well in the proton-conducting thin layers to show high electrochemically active surface...

High-temperature PEM Fuel Cell Characterization: an Experimental Study Focused on Potential Degradation due to the Polarization Curve

High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell constant current ageing tests highlighted that the characterizations used to monitor the state of health of single cells could be potentially degrading. An experimental campaign to analyze potential degradation due to polarization curves was carried out. More exactly, four methodologies to generate a polarization curve including Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopies (EIS) were cycled 30 times. The tested single cells were based on a commercial PBI Membrane Electrodes Assembly (MEA) with an active surface of 45 cm2 (BASF Celtec®-P 1100 type). Before the first cycling test and after the last cycling one, complete characterizations, composed by a voltammetry and a polarization curve including EIS, were performed. The results show that one of the MEA has a voltage which increased for one of the four methods to obtain the polarization curve. This growth is linked to a decrease of ohmic losses: in an unexpected way, it could be considered as a way to improve the break-in period. Similarly, the monitoring of CO2 emission (as corrosion has been suspected to be involved at high voltage, i.e. low current density) confirms the potential degradation of the electrodes during the measurement of the polarization curve.