Polymer electrets and their applications

Polymer electrets have revealed great potential application in electromechanical devices because of the low weight, large quasi-piezoelectric sensitivity, and excellent flexibility. For an electret, a permanent and macroscopic electric field exists on the surface, principally led by a macroscopic electrostatic charge on the surface or a net orientation of polar groups inside the object. Here, progress in the development of polymer electrets is reviewed. After a brief retrospect of the research courses and those typical polymer electrets that are classified into fluorine polymer and nonfluorine polymer, we present a survey on the charging methods, including corona, soft X-ray, contact, thermal and monoenergetic particle beams. The latest representative applications (i.e., power harvesting, sensors, field effect transistors, and biomedicine) based on polymer electrets are also summarized. Finally, we complete this review with a discussion on perspectives and challenges in this field.     

Recent developments in catalyst synthesis using DBD plasma for reforming applications

The catalyst has a significant role in gas processing applications such as reforming technologies for H₂ and syngas production. The stable catalyst is requisite for any industrial catalysis application to make it commercially viable. Several methods are employed to synthesize the catalysts. However, there is still a challenge to achieve a controlled morphology and pure catalyst which majorly influences the catalytic activity in reforming applications. The conventional methods are expansive, and the removal of the impurities are major challenges. Nevertheless, it is not straightforward to achieve the desired structure and stability. Therefore, significant interest has been developed on the advanced techniques to take control of the physicochemical properties of the catalyst through non-thermal plasma (NTP) techniques. In this review, the systematic evolution of the catalyst synthesis using NTP technique is elucidated. The emerging DBD plasma to synthesized and effective surface treatment is reviewed. DBD plasma synthesized catalyst performance in reforming application for H₂ and syngas production is summarised. Furthermore, the status of DBD plasma for catalyst synthesis and proposed future avenues to design environmentally suitable and cost-effective synthesis techniques are discussed.     

A solar and wind driven energy system for hydrogen and urea production with CO2 capturing

A novel solar PV and wind energy based system is proposed in this study for capturing carbon dioxide as well as producing hydrogen, urea and power. Both Aspen Plus and EES software packages are employed for analyses and simulations. The present system is designed in a way that PEM electrolyzer is powered by the wind turbines for hydrogen production, which is further converted into ammonia and then synthesizes urea by capturing CO₂ and additional power is supplied to the community. The solar PV is employed to power the cryogenic air separation unit and the additional power is used for the industrial purpose. In the proposed system, ammonia does not only capture CO₂ but also synthesizes urea for fertilizer industry. The amount of electrical power produced by the system is 2.14 MW. The designed system produces 518.4 kmol/d of hydrogen and synthesizes 86.4 kmol/d of urea. Furthermore, several parametric studies are employed to investigate the system performance.     

Interfacing perovskite strontium molybdate to molybdenum disulfide nanoplatelts for boosting HER from water

Due to low hydrogen adsorption free energy at the edges of 2D-MoS₂ layered sheets, nanostructured MoS₂ materials recently are assigned to prospective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water. However, the efficiency and stability of HER onto the MoS₂ designed on the conductive substrates are poor. To significantly increase the number of active sites and achieve a long-time working stability, the design of hybrid-type electrodes is crucial. Here, we report the synthesis of a new hybrid material composed of molybdenum disulfide and molybdenum oxides heterostructured with strontium molybdate. For this, a facile one-pot hydrothermal process was developed directly onto the TiO₂ nanotube carpet substrate. The interfacing of strontium molybdate at the electrode substrate verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Time of flight secondary ions mass spectrometry (ToF SIMS) techniques. Considerable higher catalytic activity at the surface of this hybrid film, with the onset potential of 190 mV vs RHE and a Tafel slope of 66 mV dec^?1 attaining ~80 mA cm^?2 at 0.35 V overvoltage was ascertained. Exciting HER stability in comparison with the pure synthetic MoS₂ was verified by a prolonged potential cycling from 0.05 to ?0.35 V versus RHE potential and 45 h continuous HER processing at a constant current density.     

Substrate Flexibility of the Flavin-Dependent Dihydropyrrole Oxidases PigB and HapB Involved in Antibiotic Prodigiosin Biosynthesis

In the biosynthesis of the tripyrrolic pigment prodigiosin, PigB is a predicted flavin-dependent oxidase responsible for the formation of 2-methyl-3-amylpyrrole (MAP) from a dihydropyrrole. To prove which dihydropyrrole is the true intermediate, both possibilities, 5-methyl-4-pentyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole ( 5 a , resulting from transamination of the aldehyde of 3-acetyloctanal) and 2-methyl-3-pentyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole ( 6 , resulting from transamination of the ketone), were synthesised. Only 5 a restored pigment production in a strain of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 blocked earlier in MAP biosynthesis. PigB is membrane-associated and inactive when its transmembrane domain was deleted, but HapB, its homologue in Hahella chejuensis, lacks the transmembrane domain and is active in solution. Two colourimetric assays for PigB and HapB were developed, and the HapB-catalysed reaction was kinetically characterised. Ten analogues of 5 a were synthesised, varying in the C2 and C3 side chains, and tested as substrates of HapB in vitro and for restoration of pigment production in Serratia ΔpigD in vivo. All lengths of side chain tested at C3 were accepted, but only short side chains at C2 were accepted. The knowledge that 5 a is an intermediate in prodigiosin biosynthesis and the ease of synthesis of analogues of 5 a makes a range of prodigiosin analogues readily available by mutasynthesis.     

Effect of fuel type on structural and physicochemical properties of solution combustion synthesized CoCr2O4 ceramic pigment nanoparticles

Due to importance and wide applications, CoCr₂O₄ ceramic pigment nanoparticles were synthesized via low-temperature solution combustion route by different fuels including ethylenediamine/oxalic acid, ethylenediamine/citric acid, oxalic acid/citric acid and ethylenediamine/oxalic acid/citric acid. Physicochemical properties of the synthesized samples were determined by different techniques such as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and color/optical properties were evaluated based on CIELAB system by spectrophotometer. Moreover, thermodynamic considerations of combustion reactions for CoCr₂O₄ nanopigments formation in terms of calculated adiabatic flame temperature and enthalpy of combustion reaction were studied. The Comparison of results and data showed that cobalt chromite pigment nanoparticles synthesized by using ethylenediamine/citric acid and ethylenediamine/oxalic acid/citric acid fuels exhibited higher purity, smaller crystallite size and lower degree agglomeration.     

The rapid synthesis of nanostructured orthorhombic KNbO3 particles by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method and their characterization

We studied the molar ratio effects of niobium and potassium precursors on the structure and morphology of potassium niobate powders prepared via microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis (MaHS). KNbO₃ nanostructures in the form of nanotowers and nanocubes were obtained at reduced synthesis times (30–240 min). The products were characterized via XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM; band gap calculations used diffuse reflectance data. The results indicate that KNbO₃ nanostructures were obtained with crystallite sizes ranging from 33 to 52 nm. An orthorhombic crystalline structure was formed from the increase of KOH at a molar ratio Nb₂O₅:KOH (1:8 to 1:16 M). The band-gap of 3.1–3.3 eV has potential use in photodegradation applications.     

2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline: A key aroma component of aromatic rice and other food products

2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline is an aroma compound that gives aromatic rice its characteristic flavor. This compound either is present naturally in various food sources or is generated during certain processing methods, as reported in a number of studies. This review focuses on several sources of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, including aromatic rice, and the factors, including chemical and genetic parameters, affecting the formation of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Extensive work has been conducted on the agricultural parameters, postharvest processing, storage, and cooking methods, influencing the concentrations of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline in different food commodities. This article is an attempt to emphasize the importance of this compound in the food industry as a major aroma compound.     

H3PW12O40/酸改性硅藻土催化剂的制备、表征及催化合成乙酸正丁酯

以硫酸改性后的硅藻土为载体，Keggin结构磷钨酸为活性组分，通过浸渍法制备出负载型催化剂H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/改性硅藻土，并对催化剂进行傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线能谱（EDS）和N₂-程序升温脱附（N₂-TPD）表征。结果表明：酸改性后硅藻土的微孔增大增多，比表面积增大。H₃PW₁₂O₄₀均匀分布在改性硅藻土载体上，负载后磷钨酸仍保持Keggin结构。以H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/改性硅藻土为催化剂催化乙酸和正丁醇液相合成乙酸正丁酯，通过正交试验探索优化工艺条件。在较优工艺条件下，即w(40%H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/改性硅藻土)=1.1%（基于反应物质量），n(酸)∶n(醇)=1∶3，125℃反应2.0h，酯化率高达98.1%。催化剂重复催化使用5次，酯化率仍可达86.1%。H₃PW₁₂O₄₀/改性硅藻土可作为催化合成乙酸正丁酯的高效催化剂，具有活性高、用量少、价格低廉、制备简单、后处理简便、无废液排放等优点。