Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Engineering Science and Materials Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Engineering Science and Materials
The Effect Of Curing And Zirconium Content On The Wettability And Structure Of A Silicate Hybrid Sol-Gel Material, Emma Machugh, Maikki Cullen, Alicja Kaworek, Brendan Duffy, Mohamed Oubaha
The Effect Of Curing And Zirconium Content On The Wettability And Structure Of A Silicate Hybrid Sol-Gel Material, Emma Machugh, Maikki Cullen, Alicja Kaworek, Brendan Duffy, Mohamed Oubaha
Articles
Functional hybrid sol-gel coatings have been developed for numerous applications with a wide range of wettabilities. This study proposes to investigate the relationship between the structure and the wetting properties of a zirconium modified silicate hybrid sol-gel coating. The structures of the coatings were altered by varying the content of zirconium, and the curing process, while keeping the sol-gel preparation conditions identical. The structure of the materials was characterized by FTIR, 29Si NMR and SEM. The thermal properties and the wettability are identified by DSC and contact angle measurements, respectively. By corroborating the structural and wettability analyses, it is shown …
Cement Based Batteries And Their Potential For Use In Low Power Operations, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton
Cement Based Batteries And Their Potential For Use In Low Power Operations, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton
Articles
This paper presents the development of an innovative cement-electrolyte battery for low power operations such as cathodic protection of reinforced concrete. A battery design was refined by altering different constituents and examining the open circuit voltage, resistor loaded current and lifespan. The final design consisted of a copper plate cathode, aluminium plate anode, and a cement electrolyte which included additives of carbon black, plasticiser, Alum salt and Epsom salt. A relationship between age, temperature and hydration of the cell and the current it produced was determined. It was found that sealing the battery using varnish increased the moisture retention and …