Microstructural characterization of spray-dried NiO-8YSZ particles as plasma sprayable anode materials for metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell

The plasma spray method is widely used to produce NiO-8YSZ (composed of nickel oxide (NiO) and 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia) anode layers in metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Flowability control of microsized particles is important for achieving consistent performance of the SOFC anode layer. When microsized particles are fabricated via spray drying and sintering, the most significant factors that influence flowability are their sizes, distribution, and surface conditions. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the fabrication conditions for microsized NiO-8YSZ cermet particles made from a nanoscale, sinterable NiO-8YSZ dispersion solution by using an appropriate spray-drying and sintering process. The characteristics of the as-sprayed and sintered NiO-8YSZ composite particles (such as size, distribution, roughness, and nanostructure) were analyzed via field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), particle size distribution (PSD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The as-sprayed microsized NiO-8YSZ particles became smaller and more uniformly distributed as the rotational speed used for spray drying increased. As a result of sintering, the extent of shrinkage of as-sprayed microsized NiO-8YSZ particles generated at high RPMs was lower than that of particles formed at low RPMs. No significant difference was observed in the distribution of the nanosized NiO and 8YSZ particles at different rotational speeds. Furthermore, the highest BET surface areas were observed for particles generated at 8000 RPM before sintering at 13.74 m²/g. After sintering, the highest BET surface area was 0.94 m²/g for particles generated at 16,000 RPM. Differences in nanostructure and surface roughness between as-sprayed and sintered microsized NiO-8YSZ particles were identified via AFM. This study is expected to provide important fundamental information useful for optimizing SOFC efficiency by promoting flowability control during the production of SOFC anodes via plasma spraying.     

Experimental study of drop impacts and spreading on epicarps: Effect of fluid properties

The fluid mechanic of liquid drop impacts on solid food plays an important role in food engineering, e.g. when a spray technology is used to apply a coating. In the present work, drop impact behavior on banana and purple cabbage epicarps using high speed camera was studied. Drop velocity was controlled by modifying the height from which drop was ejected. Weber number varied from 100 to 800, whereas Reynolds number ranged from 1000 to 12,500. Liquid drop viscosity and surface tension effects on drop impact behavior were evaluated and temporal evolution of both spreading and flattening factors are presented. Results show that viscosity and epicarp surface properties had great influence on impact dynamics. For low viscosity liquid drops (water and Tween 20-water), the maximum spread factor, ξ_max, scaled with We^0.25±0.02, whereas for viscous fluid (water-glycerol mixture) it scaled with We^0.16±0.02. Finally, a new model was proposed to better fit the experimental data than the Roisman’s and Scheller’s models.     

Influences of post-annealing temperature on the structural and electrical properties of mixed oxides (CuFeO2 and CuFe2O4) thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

P-type mixed oxides (CuFeO₂ and CuFe₂O₄) transparent conducting thin films have been successfully deposited on p-type Si (111) substrates at 450 °C by spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) and annealed at 800 °C for 2 h. The crystal structure, surface morphology and electrical property have been investigated. It is observed that the CuFeO₂ and CuFe₂O₄ thin films as deposited and annealed, have polycrystalline hexagonal structure and the crystallite size increases by annealing processes. The electrical property of the Ni/CuFeO₂/Si Metal–Semiconductor–Metal (MSM) photo detectors was investigated using the current–voltage (I–V) measurements. The barrier heights ϕ_Β of Ni/CuFeO₂/Ni MSM thin films of as deposited and annealed on Si substrates were calculated and its values are 0.478, 0.345 eV, respectively with an applied bias voltage of 3 V.     

Spray pyrolysis deposition of Cu–Zn–In–S solid-solution thin films with tunable compositions and band gaps

Cu–Zn–In–S solid solution thin films with tunable compositions and band gaps were deposited on glass substrates using a chemical spray pyrolysis approach. XRD results reveal the cubic-structured Cu–Zn–In–S films without detectable impurities. The successive shift of XRD patterns toward high-angle side of ZnS with increasing ZnS molar fraction in products proves a formation of Cu–Zn–In–S solid solutions. SEM images and EDAX analyses demonstrate homogeneous surface morphologies and adjustable compositions of Cu–Zn–In–S films, which results in film band gaps broadly tunable from 1.54 eV to 3.61 eV. These sprayed Cu–Zn–In–S solid solution thin films may find potential uses in photovoltaics and photocatalysis.     

A novel insight to screen the optimal spray-drying protectants and parameters for manufacturing lactic acid bacteria preparations

Abstract

This study constructed a β-galactosidase (β-gal) liposome model instead of bacterial cells to optimize spray-drying protectants and parameters. The screened protectant combination consisted of 35?g/L monosodium glutamate, 50?g/L sucrose, and 35?g/L maltodextrin. The optimal parameters for spray drying were 130?°C inlet air temperature, 7.5?mL/min feed flow rate, and 150?mL optimal protectant combination. The viability of the five lactic acid bacteria strains spray-dried with the optimized protectant and parameters was over 50%. Lactobacillus helveticus strain LH-9’s mechanism of resistance to spray-dry treatment was investigated in the presence of the optimal protectant combination.     

Experimental investigation of the drying characteristics of a mixed mode natural convection solar crop dryer with back up heater

A mixed mode natural convection solar crop dryer with a backup heater was designed and constructed from locally available materials and used to dry freshly prepared pineapples under four drying Scenarios for drying to correspond to specified drying periods for four typical seasons in Ghana. The experiments were devised for the material moisture content to be monitored continuously till the desired moisture content of between +106% and 184% (d.b) was achieved. In solar heating mode of operation, results show that the thermal mass was capable of storing part of the absorbed solar energy but the quantities involved are insufficient to sustain night drying. It was possible to dry a batch of pineapples in each mode of operation. The dryer reduced the moisture content of pineapple slices from about; 924% to 106% in 19 h; 1049% to 184% in 10 h; 912% to 155% in 7 h; and 1049% to 144% (d.b) in 23 h, for drying in Scenarios 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The average moisture pickup efficiency values obtained were 27%, 24%, 11%, and 32% for drying in Scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.     

Stabilizing effect of the cyclodextrins additive to spray-dried particles of curcumin/polyvinylpyrrolidone on the supersaturated state of curcumin

Although curcumin is considered to have various therapeutic effects, its use as a functional food or supplement is restricted owing to its low water solubility and bioavailability. To increase the solubility of curcumin in water, the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and vinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymers with a pyrrolidone skeleton was noted to be promising. In particular, the bi-component formulations of curcumin/PVP prepared through spray drying exhibited an amorphous state in powder X-ray diffraction observations and temporally increased the apparent solubility of curcumin to over 5000 times that of untreated curcumin; nevertheless, after 24 h, the solubility decreased owing to the unstable supersaturated state of curcumin. The addition of α-cyclodextrin (α-CyD) in the bi-component curcumin/PVP formulation helped maintain the supersaturated state of curcumin, whereas the addition of β- and γ-CyD led to the collapse of the supersaturated state. The addition of α-CyD can likely help inhibit the nucleation and crystal growth of curcumin, through the interaction among the solubilized units of curcumin/PVP and α-CyD.     

Establishing Guidelines to Retain Viability of Probiotics During Spray Drying

We present the application of a model-based approach to map processing conditions suitable to spray dry probiotics with minimal viability loss. The approach combines the drying history and bacterial inactivation kinetics to predict the retention of viability after drying. The approach was used to systematically assess the influence of operational co-current spray drying conditions on residual viability. Moreover, two promising alternative drying strategies for probiotics were evaluated involving encapsulation in a hollow particle and using an “ideal-mixed” dryer system. Finally, a graph was constructed with the model to provide visual guidelines to optimize spray dying for probiotics in terms of viability and drying efficiency.     

Homogeneous dispersion of boron nitride nanoplatelets in powder feedstocks for plasma spraying

Hexagonal Boron nitride nanoplatelet (BNNP) with the combination of excellent mechanical properties, high-temperature thermal stability, and self-lubrication is a promising strengthening agent in plasma-sprayed composite coatings. However, it is a significant challenge to produce plasma sprayable feedstocks with homogeneously dispersed BNNPs owing to the intrinsic agglomeration of BNNPs. In this research, three powder preparation processes (electrostatic interaction, ball milling, and shear mixing) were employed to disperse BNNPs in Ni-Cr-Cr₂O₃ (NCCO) powders. The shear mixing process presents a competitive advantage in powder preparation, providing stable shear force and achieving exfoliated BNNPs homogeneous distribution in the composite powders. The spray drying technique was finally utilized to obtain spherical agglomerated BNNP-NCCO feedstocks with characteristics of relatively smooth surface and uniform size distribution. Hence, shear mixing and spray drying processes are expected to produce large-scale spherical composite powders with a homogeneous distribution of 2D layered nanomaterials for industrial application.