Ethane dehydrogenation over nano-Cr2O3 anode catalyst in proton ceramic fuel cell reactors to co-produce ethylene and electricity

Ethane and electrical power are co-generated in proton ceramic fuel cell reactors having Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles as anode catalyst, BaCe_0.8Y_0.15Nd_0.05O_3−δ (BCYN) perovskite oxide as proton conducting ceramic electrolyte, and Pt as cathode catalyst. Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles are synthesized by a combustion method. BaCe_0.8Y_0.15Nd_0.05O_3−δ (BCYN) perovskite oxides are obtained using a solid state reaction. The power density increases from 51 mW cm⁻² to 118 mW cm⁻² and the ethylene yield increases from about 8% to 31% when the operating temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell reactor increases from 650 °C to 750 °C. The fuel cell reactor and process are stable at 700 °C for at least 48 h. Cr₂O₃ anode catalyst exhibits much better coke resistance than Pt and Ni catalysts in ethane fuel atmosphere at 700 °C.     

Ethanol flame structure investigated by molecular beam mass spectrometry

The oxidation of ethanol was studied in low-pressure, premixed flat flames using molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS) in combination with electron impact ionization (EI) and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). Flame temperature profiles were measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of seeded NO. Two ethanol/oxygen/argon flames with stoichiometries of ?=1.00 and ?=2.57 were investigated at 50 mbar by EI-MBMS. Profiles of a variety of stable and radical species were measured as a function of height above the burner. The benzene profile in the fuel-rich ethanol flame was obtained by REMPI-MBMS. The same technique was used to determine the dependence of the benzene concentration on the ethanol/propene ratio in low-pressure flames with blended fuels (propene/ethanol/oxygen/argon). The C/O ratio of all blends was kept constant at C/O=0.773 or C/O=0.600. Ethanol addition ranged from 0 to 15% for flames with C/O=0.773, and from 0 to 100% for flames with C/O=0.600. In both data sets, a decrease of the benzene concentration with increasing ethanol percentage was observed. Qualitative information on some other aromatic species with higher mass was also obtained.     

全光纤通信

全光纤通信是指激光器、传输线与探测器均由光纤制成并连接的光纤一体化通信。文中对组成全光纤通信系统的光纤激光器、光纤调制器及光纤探测器的原理及研究进展情况进行了评述,并由此论证了全光纤通信的可行性和优越性。     

Y2O3、Al2O3掺杂对CeO2的烧结及电性能的影响

本文采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了不同含量的Y2O3掺杂的CeO2粉体，并在4mol％Y2O3—CeO2粉体中掺入Al2O3，研究了各样品的烧结性能和电性能。结果表明：适量的掺杂Y2O3能提高氧化铈的密度，但Y2O3含量超过4％mol后密度下降。一定量的Al2O3也能提高材料的烧结密度。随着Y2O3含量的增大，CeO2的电导先增大后减小，而掺入Al2O3对材料的电导不利。     

Transparent conductive In2O3:Mo thin films prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering at room temperature

An amorphous transparent conductive oxide thin film of molybdenum-doped indium oxide (IMO) was prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The films formed on glass microscope slides show good electrical and optical properties: the low resistivity of 5.9 × 10^− 4 Ω cm, the carrier concentration of 5.2 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3, the carrier mobility of 20.2 cm² V^− 1 s^− 1, and an average visible transmittance of about 90.1%. The investigation reveals that oxygen content influences greatly the carrier concentration and then the photoelectrical properties of the films. Atomic force microscope evaluation shows that the IMO film with uniform particle size and smooth surface in terms of root mean square of 0.8 nm was obtained.     

On-line monitoring of CO2 quality using doped WO3 thin film sensors

Thin films of either pure or doped tungsten oxide were grown by radiofrequency (rf) sputtering onto silicon micromachined substrates. Up to 7 different dopant materials (noble metals or metal oxides) were deposited by rf sputtering or by evaporation onto the tungsten oxide films. The responsiveness of the resulting micromachined sensors towards sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide was studied. Other pollutants in CO₂ such as ethylene and methane were also tested. It was found that Au-doped tungsten oxide sensors were highly sensitive to H₂S, poorly sensitive to SO₂ and almost insensitive to hydrocarbons. On the other hand, Pt-doped tungsten oxide was highly sensitive to SO₂, poorly responsive to H₂S and nearly insensitive to hydrocarbons. By applying a principal component analysis (PCA), we show that it would be possible to selectively detect traces of H₂S and SO₂ in a CO₂ stream using doped WO₃ microsensors. These sensors could be used in a low-cost analyzer of beverage-grade CO₂.     

Electrochemical properties of doped lithium titanate compounds and their performance in lithium rechargeable batteries

Several substituted titanates of formula Li_4−xMg_xTi_5−xV_xO₁₂ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) were synthesized (and investigated) as anode materials in rechargeable lithium batteries. Five samples labeled as S1–S5 were calcined (fired) at 900 °C for 10 h in air, and slowly cooled to room temperature in a tube furnace. The structural properties of the synthesized products have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR). XRD explained that the crystal structures of all samples were monoclinic while S1 and S3 were hexagonal. The morphology of the crystal of S1 was spherical while the other samples were prismatic in shape. SEM investigations explained that S4 had larger grain size diameter of 15–16 μm in comparison with the other samples. S4 sample had the highest conductivity 2.452 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹. At a voltage plateau located at about 1.55 V (vs. Li ⁺), S4 cell exhibited an initial specific discharge capacity of 198 mAh g⁻¹. The results of cyclic voltammetry for Li_4−xMg_xTi_5−xV_xO₁₂ showed that the electrochemical reaction was based on Ti⁴⁺/Ti³⁺ redox couple at potential range from 1.5 to 1.7 V. There is a pair of reversible redox peaks corresponding to the process of Li⁺ intercalation and de-intercalation in the Li–Ti–O oxides.     

Visible-light-driven TiO2 catalysts doped with low-concentration nitrogen species

Visible-light-driven nitrogen-doped TiO₂ was synthesized using a novel nitrogen-ion donor of hydrazine hydrate. Low-concentration (0.2 at%) nitrogen species and Ti³⁺ were detected in the TiO₂-based photocatalyst by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The trace amount of Ti–N would contribute to the minor band-gap narrowing of about 0.02 eV. Those nitrogen-containing species, especially the NO₂²⁻ species, form surface states, which make the catalysts possible to degrade 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) under visible irradiation (λ>400 nm). Moreover, Ti³⁺ species induce oxygen vacancy states between the valence and the conduction bands, which would also contribute to the visible response. The photocatalytic activity of the nitrogen-doped TiO₂ catalyst was thought to be the synergistic effect of nitrogen and Ti³⁺ species. The catalysts showed higher photocatalytic activity for degradation of 4-CP than pure TiO₂ under not only visible but also UV irradiation. The visible response and the higher UV activity of the nitrogen-doped TiO₂ make it possible to utilize solar energy efficiently to execute photocatalysis processes.