Chemistry Commons^™

Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors Using Phenolic Resin-Based Carbon Fibers, Rong Xue, Jing-Wang Yan, Ying Tian, Bao-Lian Yi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Phenolic resin-based activated carbon fiber(ACF) was prepared by KOH activation.The electrochemical properties of pulverized phenolic resin-based carbon fiber(P-ACF) were examined in 6 mol·L^-1 KOH compared with that of the original ACF.P-ACF exhibited a better capacitive behavior and showed a larger specific capacitance(200 F·g^-1) as well as a lower capacitance decrease at high current densities.The pore resistance for ion migration(Rp) in P-ACF was lower(2.96 Ω) than that in ACF(4.65 Ω).Pulverization increased the exposure of the cross section,lowered the contact resistance between the carbon fibers and decreased the pore resistance for ion migration.

Low-Temperature Performance Of Li-Ion Battery With Fluoroethylene Carbonate Electrolyte, Chun-Wei Yang, Feng Wu, Bo-Rong Wu, Yong-Huan Ren, Jing-Wen Yao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The low temperature performance of electrolytes containing FEC including FEC+EMC, EC and PC, as well as the compatibility of electrolytes with LiFePO₄ anode and with MCMB cathode were investigated.The electrolyte exhibits a high value of ionic conductivity at low temperature.The stability of cathode was enhanced by the formation of SEI film at 1.6 V as a result of FEC reaction. The infrared spectra showed that FEC can suppress decomposition of other solvents during SEI formation, and lower the resistance of SEI on MCMB cathode. The electrochemistry test indicates that Li-ion batteries with FEC electrolyte display high capacity at low …

Electrochemical Deposition Of Zinc Oxide Crystal Whiskers, Peng-Zeng Lu, Su Li, Jin-Qian Jia, Zhen-Hai Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Pine needle ZnO crystal whiskers were electrodeposited by anodization of zinc foil.The crystal whiskers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) spectroscopy.The results show that the lengths and diameters of ZnO crystal whiskers are 200~300 nm and 20~50 nm,respectively,with the ratio of the length to diameter ranging from 10~15.The whiskers belong to wurtzite ZnO(JCPDS 36-1451) with good crystallinity and high purity.The crystalization behavior of ZnO was studied by cyclic voltammetry.The effects of the surface oxide layer at the zinc substrates and the [Zn(OH)₄]^2-concentration of the aqueous electrolyte on the formation of zinc oxide whiskers …

Computational Models Of Chemical Systems Inspired By Braess’ Paradox, Dante Lepore, Carl Barratt, Pauline Schwartz

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Systems chemistry is a new discipline which investigates the interactions within a network of chemical reactions. We have studied several computational models of chemical systems inspired by mathematical paradoxes and have found that even simple systems may behave in a counterintuitive, non-linear manner depending upon various conditions. In the present study, we modeled a set of reactions inspired by one such paradox, Braess’ paradox, an interesting phenomenon whereby the introduction of additional capacity (e.g. pathways) in some simple network systems can lead to an unexpected reduction in the overall flow rate of “traffic” through the system. We devised several chemical …

Artificial And Natural Nucleic Acid Self Assembling Systems, Marcus Wood

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nucleic acids are good candidates for nanomachine construction. They participate in all the processes of life, and so can function as structural building blocks and dynamic catalysts. However, to use nucleic acids as nanomachines, a better understanding of their material properties, how to design structures using them, and their dynamics is needed. We have tried to address these issues, in a small way, with nucleic acid force field development, an attempt at nanostructural design and synthesis using DNA, and a study of the RNA/protein regulatory dynamics of the tryptophan regulatory attenuation protein.

The Impact Of Driving Conditions On Phev Battery Performance, Nathan Christensen, John Patten, Steven Srivastava, Gary P. Nola

Green Manufacturing Research Journal

The battery performance of a modified Prius with a 5 kWh plug-in battery was documented for a year to determine the impact of environmental conditions and user attributes on vehicle performance.  Both fuel economy and pure electrical efficiency were compared to ambient temperature.  The fuel economy has a positive relationship with ambient temperature until approximately 70˚F where the efficiency begins to drop.  Electrical performance has a positive linear relationship with ambient temperature.  With the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs) and PHEVs from a variety of automotive manufacturers, information on EV and PHEV performance for consumers will become more important.

Crystallisation And Phase Transition Characteristics Of Sol-Gel-Synthesized Zinc Titanates, Suresh Pillai, Michael Seery, Nicholas Nolan

Articles

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Titanium Nitride As Catalyst Support Material And Development Of Durable Electrocatalysts For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Bharat Avasarala

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The impending energy and climatic crisis makes it imperative for human society to seek non-fossil based alternative sources for our energy needs. Although many alternative energy technologies are currently being developed, fuel cell technology provides energy solutions, which satisfy a wide range of applications. But the current fuel cell technology is far from its target of large scale commercialization mainly because of its high cost and poor durability. Considerable work has been done in reducing the cost but its durability still needs significant improvement. Of the various materials in a PEM fuel cell, the degradation of electrocatalyst affects its durability …

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Single Silver Nanoparticles Studied By Dark-Field Optical Microscopy And Spectroscopy, Wei Cao, Tao Huang, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with different shapes and disk-shaped Ag NP pairs with varying interparticle distance is studied using dark-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy (DFOMS). Disk-, square-, and triangular-shaped Ag NPs were fabricated on indium tin oxide-coated glass substrates by electron beam lithography. The LSPR spectra collected from single Ag NPs within 5×5 arrays using DFOMS exhibited pronounced redshifts as the NP shape changed from disk to square and to triangular. The shape-dependent experimental LSPR spectra are in good agreement with simulations using the discrete dipole approximation model, although there are small deviations in the …

Partially Halogenated Acenes And Heteroacenes For Organic Electronics, Balaji Purushothaman

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Inorganic materials have dominated electronic applications such as photovoltaic cells, thin film transistors (TFTs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs). However developments in the field of organic electronics over the past three decades have enabled the use of organic materials in these devices. While significant improvements have been made to improve their electronic properties there are several road blocks towards commercial application. One of the significant obstacles is the poor charge carrier mobility associated with organic semiconductors processed by well established printing methods. The goal of my research project is to improve the charge carrier mobility of solution cast films of …

Fourier Transform Emission Spectroscopy Of Yh And Yd: Observation Of New A¹Δ And B¹Π Electronic States, R. S. Ram, G. Li, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The emission spectra of YH and YD molecules have been investigated in the 3600–12 000 cm⁻¹ region using a Fourier transform spectrometer. Molecules were formed in an yttrium hollow cathode lamp operated with a continuous flow of a mixture of Ne and Ar gases, and YH and YD were observed together in the same spectra. A group of bands observed near 1 μm have been identified as 0-0 and 1-1 bands of the A¹Δ-X¹Σ⁺ and B¹Π-X¹Σ⁺ transitions of YH and the 0-0 bands of the same two transitions …

Nonuniformity In Lattice Contraction Of Bismuth Nanoclusters Heated Near Its Melting Point, A. Esmail, M. Abdel-Fattah, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The structural properties of bismuth nanoclusters were investigated with transmission high-energy electron diffraction from room temperature up to 525 ± 6 K. The Bi nanoclusters were fabricated by thermal evaporation at room temperature on transmission electron microscope grids coated with an ultrathin carbon film, followed by thermal and femtosecond laser annealing. The annealed sample had an average cluster size of ∼14 nm along the minor axis and ∼16 nm along the major axis. The Debye temperature of the annealed nanoclusters was found to be 53 ± 6 K along the [012] direction and 86 ± 9 K along the [110] …

Photocatalytic Destruction Of Halogenated Organic Compounds In Water With A New Photocatalyst, Mabruka Hadidan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this research, a newly developed high surface area semiconductor porous material was synthesized from potassium titanium niobium mixed oxide (KTiNbO5) to be used as a photo catalyst in the presence of UV light to degrade halogenated organic compounds in water. The goal of the project was to investigate the catalytic activity of the material for its effectiveness in the degradation of the halogenated organic compounds, and it is the first investigation of this new photocatalyst with halogenated compounds. Model compounds dichloromethane, 1-chlorobutane, chlorobenzene, and trifluoroacetic acid in aqueous solutions were tested with the photocatalyst under ultraviolet light irradiation, using …

Studies On Silicon Nmr Characterization And Kinetic Modeling Of The Structural Evolution Of Siloxane-Based Materials And Their Applications In Drug Delivery And Adsorption, Jyotrhirmai Ambati

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents studies of the synthetic processes and applications of siloxane-based materials. Kinetic investigations of bridged organoalkoxysilanes that are precursors to organic-inorganic hybrid polysilsesquioxanes are a primary focus. Quick gelation despite extensive cyclization is found during the polymerization of bridged silane precursors except for silanes with certain short bridges. This work is an attempt to characterize and understand some of the distinct features of bridged silanes using experimental characterization, kinetic modeling and simulation. In addition to this, the dissertation shows how the properties of siloxane- materials can be engineered for drug delivery and adsorption.

The phase behavior of polymerizing …

Diffuse-Charge Dynamics Of Ionic Liquids In Electrochemical Systems, Hui Zhao

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

We employ a continuum theory of solvent-free ionic liquids accounting for both short-range electrostatic correlations and steric effects (finite ion size) [Bazant et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 046102 (2011)] to study the response of a model microelectrochemical cell to a step voltage. The model problem consists of a 1-1 symmetric ionic liquid between two parallel blocking electrodes, neglecting any transverse transport phenomena. Matched asymptotic expansions in the limit of thin double layers are applied to analyze the resulting one-dimensional equations and study the overall charge-time relation in the weakly nonlinear regime. One important conclusion is that our …

Evaluation Of The Physicochemical Properties And Stability Of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Designed For The Delivery Of Dexamethasone To Tumors, Melissa Howard

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Pre-clinical and clinical trials suggest that pre-treatment with dexamethasone (Dex) may facilitate enhanced uptake of subsequently administered chemotherapeutic agents. To reduce the side effects associated with systemic administration of Dex, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) containing dexamethasone palmitate (Dex-P) were prepared as a means of achieving tumor-targeted drug delivery. These studies were aimed at evaluating the physicochemical properties and both the physiological and storage stability of the SLNs.

SLNs were prepared using nanotemplate engineering technology. Stearyl alcohol (SA) was used as the lipid phase with Brij^® 78 and Polysorbate 60 as surfactants and PEG6000 monostearate as a long-chain PEGylating agent. …

Precise Control Of Highly Ordered Arrays Of Nested Semiconductor/Metal Nanotubes, Diefeng Gu, Helmut Baumgart, Kandabara Tapily, Pragya Shrestha, Gon Namkoong, Xianyu Ao, Frank Müller

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Lithographically defined microporous templates in conjunction with the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique enable remarkable control of complex novel nested nanotube structures. So far three-dimensional control of physical process parameters has not been fully realized with high precision resolution, and requires optimization in order to achieve a wider range of potential applications. Furthermore, the combination of composite insulating oxide layers alternating with semiconducting layers and metals can provide various types of novel applications and eventually provide unique and advanced levels of multifunctional nanoscale devices. Semiconducting TiO₂ nanotubes have potential applications in photovoltaic devices. The combination of nanostructured semiconducting materials …

Growth And Characterization Of Nanoscale Thin Films, Erik Thomas Wolter

Honors Program Theses

Thin manganese films were grown by thermal evaporation in high vacuum. The growth rate was varied to determine how the growth rate affects the continuity of ultra-thin films. The resistance was measured with the two-point method in situ and the data was recorded digitally. The resistance was converted to resistivity and this was plotted against thickness. It was found that resistivity decreases exponentially as the film begins to form in islands. The film reaches a critical thickness as the islands coalesce and the data can then be fitted with Fuchs’ equation. The resistivity continues to decrease but the minimum resistivity …

Chemical And Electronic Structure Of Surfaces And Interfaces In Compound Semiconductors, Sujitra Pookpanratana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The interface formation between two different materials is important in applications for optoelectronic devices. Often, the success or performance of these devices is dependent on the formation of these heterojunctions. In this work, the surface and interfaces in such materials for optoelectronic devices are investigated by a suite of X-ray analytical techniques including X-ray photoelectron (XPS), X-ray excited Auger electron (XAES), and X-ray emission (XES) spectroscopies to provide novel insight.

For the group III-nitrides (e.g., AlxGa1-xN) used in many light emitting devices, a significant challenge exists to form an Ohmic contact. The electron affinities and band gaps of GaN and …

Electrochemical Detection For The Corrosion Of Reinforcing Steel In Concrete During Immersion And Drying Cycles, Bing-Li Jia, Fa-He Cao, An-Na Chen, Jian-Qing Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The corrosion behavior of reinforcing steel in concrete under dry-wet cycle condition has been studied by electrochemical noise(EN) compared with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),SEM micrographs and EDS.The statistical method has been employed to analyze the EN data of reinforcing steel in concrete,which revealed three different corrosion stages of reinforcing steel in concrete,including the dissolution of the passive film,the active corrosion and the cumulation of corrosion product.The wavelet transform has also been employed,which indicated that steel in concrete with pH 1 is associated with uniform corrosion,while steel in concrete with pH 3 and pH 7 are associated with localized corrosion,such as …

Study On Preparing Technology And Corrosion Resistance Of Ti/Zr Based Chromium-Free Chemical Conversion Coating On Zinc Electroplating Layer, Yong Guan, Jian-Guo Liu, Chuan-Wei Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,we obtained environmental-friendly chromium-free chemical conversion coating on the non-cyanide alkaline zinc electroplating layer by employing the optimized Ti/Zr based conversion technique.At the same time,the performances of the Ti/Zr based conversion coating were compared with chromate colour passivation coating.The corrosion resistances of the conversion coatings were investigated by using neutral salt spray(NSS) test,potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The results showed that the white rust appeared after 96 hours when the NSS test was performed on the Ti/Zr based conversion coating,which was close to the corrosion resistance rating of chromate colour passivation coating.Compared with the chromate passivation coating,the Ti/Zr …

The Sol-Gel Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Li3V2(Po4)3/C Cathode Material For Lithium Ion Battery, Li-Ying Liu, Lian Chen, Hai-Yan Zhang, Yu-Chun Zhai

Journal of Electrochemistry

Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C was synthesized by sol-gel method with citric acid as chelate and C sources. Physical and electrochemical performances of as-prepared materials were characterized through XRD, SEM and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests,etc. The results showed that products produced by calcining at 800 ℃ for 12 h had a single phase crystal structure and relatively small particle sizes with uniform distribution. At 0.1 C, 0.5 C and 1 C, the initial specific discharge capacities were 153.0, 143.1 and 130.6 mAh·g^-1, respectively, and capacity efficiencies were 93.1%, 85.4% and 77.3% after 50 cycles, respectively. …

Study Of The 11-Ferrocenylalkanethiol Redox-Induced Structure Changes By Flow-Injection Electrochemical Surface Plasmon Resonance, Xiu-Juan Xiao, Yong-Hui He, Juan Xiang, Bin Ren

Journal of Electrochemistry

Redox-induced orientation changes of self-assembled monolayers(SAMs) of 11-ferrocenylundecanethiol(FcC₁₁SH) were studied by the flow-injection electrochemical surface plasmon resonance(FI-EC-SPR).Results indicated that there existed two mechanisms concerning the redox-induced structure change of the self-assembled monolayer of ferrocenylalkanethiols:the electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged surface and the ferricenium cation and that among the cations led to a decrease in the tilt angle of the alkanethiol chain;upon Fc oxidation,the Fc group rotated from a tilted conformation to a position where the cyclpentyldiene plane became perpendicular to the electrode.

Preparation And Characterization Of The Silane-Phosphonic Acid Composite Passivation Coating For Electrogalvanized Steel, Yong Guan, Jian-Guo Liu, Chuan-Wei Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

A new silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation coating process has been developed for the protection of electrogalvanized steel based on N-(β-aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane(AAPTMS),γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxy-silane(GPTMS) and 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid(HEDP).The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),potentiodynamic polarization scan,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and neutral salt spray(NSS) tests indicated that the major structure of the prepared silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation coating consisted mainly of Si—O—Si and Si—O—P bonds.The area of white rust was not more than 5% of the total panal after 120 h NSS test,which could be compared favourably with the chromate colour passivation coating.However,the corrosion reaction on the anode of the silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation …

The Roles Of The Width Of Gas/Liquid/Solid Three-Phase Boundary Zone Of Dispersion Water Films In Atmospheric Corrosion Of Metals, Jia Wang, Jing Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The roles of TPB(Three-Phase Boundary) width in the corrosion processes of metals under dispersed water films were investigated by electrochemical techniques combined with contact angle measurement.It is found that both cathodic limiting current density and corrosion current density linearly increases with increasing the TPB width,confirming the important role of TPB width in gas/liquid/solid multiphase corrosion systems.Based on above results,the effect of water film thickness on atmospheric corrosion rate was quantitatively evaluated by the TPB width.

Initial Stage Of Atmospheric Corrosion Of Ndfeb(M35) In A Simulated Marine Atmosphere, Chun-Ling Li, Yuan-Tai Ma, Ying Li, Fu-Hui Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

This study detailed the atmospheric corrosion behaviour of sintered NdFeB(M35) in a simulated marine atmosphere with 80% relative humidity(RH).The dissolution and subsequent reaction of NaCl particles cause the attack of NdFeB.The corrosion presented three representative types:if the electrolyte covered magnetic phase and Nd-rich phase,the Nd-rich phase was corroded firstly due to galvanic effect;if the electrolyte covered magnetic phase,magnetic phase was corroded along the grain boundary;if the electrolyte located near the position of defects,corrosion progressed along with the defect because of low concentration of oxygen inside the defect.With corrosion progressing,local corrosion areas were mutually connected,with Nd-rich phase and grain boundary being …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of N, S, And Cl Modified Nano Tio2 Thin Films, Hong Yun, Chang-Jian Lin, Jing Li, Rong-Gui Du

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nitrogen(N),sulfur(S) and chlorine(Cl) modified nano TiO₂ thin films were prepared by adding Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ as the precursor into concentrated HNO₃,H₂SO₄ and HCl Solutions,respectively,on different substrates in a sol-gel process.The photoelectrochemical performances of N,S and Cl modified nano TiO₂ thin films have been studied by UV-vis(DRS),photocurrent curves,EIS and OCP-time curves.N-modified TiO₂ nano films show better surface structure,which helps to improve the quantum efficiency of nano TiO₂ thin films.

Hydrothermal Reduction Synthesis Of Lifepo4 And Its Electrochemical Performance, Hong-Li Zou, Guang-Hui Zhang, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode materials of LiFePO₄ were prepared via a hydrothermal reduction method using FeCl₃ as Fe source and iron as a reducing agent.The results showed that ferric salt could be reduced to ferrous salt completely under the hydrothermal condition and pure-phase LiFePO₄ was obtained based on the test results of XRD and FTIR.Carbon-coated LiFePO₄ was synthesized by pyrolysisng glucose at high temperature.The morphologies of pure LiFePO₄ displayed cluster-like while the LiFePO₄/C displayed sphere-like particles.The electrochemical test showed that the LiFePO₄/C had good rate performance,while LiFePO₄ delivered much lower discharge capacity.

Effects Of Solvents And Electrolyte Salts On The Electrochemical Reduction Of Oxygen In Non-Aqueous Electrolytes, Yan-Yan Tian, Wei Wu, Jun Gao, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical reduction processes of oxygen in different non-aqueous solvents such as acetonitrile(MeCN),propylene carbonate(PC) and their mixtures were investigated by cyclic voltammetry method.The results indicated a one electron reduction of oxygen to O^2-occured in these systems as a first step reduction,no matter whether in tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate(TBAPF₆)/MeCN or TBAPF₆/PC electrolyte.However,the CV curves in 0.1 mol·L^-1 TBAPF₆/MeCN showed a couple of reversible redox peaks,indicating that the reduction process of oxygen was irreversible in the 0.1 mol·L^-1 TBAPF₆/PC electrolyte.In the PC-based electrolyte,the reduction current peak reduced largely and the oxidation peak …

Corrosion Electrochemical Behavior Of Am60 Magnesium Alloys In Automobile Engine Coolants, Ling-Jie Li, Sha Wang, Yin Xiao, Jun Lan, Jing-Lei Lei, Sheng-Tao Zhang, Fu-Sheng Pan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) were used to study the corrosion electrochemical behavior of AM60 magnesium alloys in three kinds of commercial coolants for automobile engine.Results show that the tested commercial coolants are slightly corrosive to AM60 magnesium alloys and their corrosivity varies from coolant to coolant.The coolant C is the least corrosive among the studied commercial coolants and the coolant A is more corrosive than the coolant B and C.The coolant C appears to be the most promising coolant for automobile engine made by magnesium alloys.The coolant resistivity plays an important role in the corrosion of AM60 …