batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The effect of halide ion concentration on the capacitor performance was considered during this study. Iodide anion has been selected as the most profitable halide taking into account its electrochemical properties and environmental impact. Several concentrations of NaI were tested (from 0.25 to 5 mol L−1 aqueous solutions) using as electrodes two commercial activated carbons and one KOH-activated carbon. Detailed electrochemical investigation by galvanostatic charging/discharging, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy confirmed the significant impact of iodide concentration on the supercapacitor behavior. The higher concentration of iodide affected especially the performance of positive electrode; increase of iodide concentration changed the potential range of positive electrode and its capacitance increased from 119 F g−1 for 0.25 mol L−1 NaI to 475 F g−1 for 2 mol L−1 NaI solution. The electrode capacitance measured in two-electrode system at current density of 2 A g−1 ranged from 198 F g−1 for 0.25 mol L−1 NaI to 272 F g−1 for 2 mol L−1 NaI solution (capacitance expressed as average of the positive and negative electrode capacitances). It has been proved that 2 mol L−1 alkali metal iodide solution is an optimal electrolyte for the capacitor based on KOH-activated carbon. High capacitance values and perfect stability (100 % retention) of such systems have been observed during long-term galvanostatic charging/discharging (15,000 cycles). In addition, satisfactory floating tests at extended voltage range (1.2 V) were performed.
The olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is a problematic and polluting effluent which may degrade the soil and water quality, with critical negative impacts on ecosystems functions and services provided. The main purpose of this review paper is presenting the state of the art of OMW treatments focusing on their efficiency to reduce OMW toxicity, and emphasizing the role of ecotoxicological tests on the evaluation of such efficiency before the up-scale of treatment methodologies being considered. In the majority of research works, the reduction of OMW toxicity is related to the degradation of phenolic compounds (considered as the main responsible for the toxic effects of OMW on seed germination, on bacteria, and on different species of soil and aquatic invertebrates) or the decrease of chemical oxygen demand content, which is not scientifically sound. Batteries of ecotoxicological tests are not applied before and after OMW treatments as they should be, thus leading to knowledge gaps in terms of accurate and real assessment of OMW toxicity. Although the toxicity of OMW is usually high, the evaluation of effects on sub-lethal endpoints, on individual and multispecies test systems, are currently lacking, and the real impacts yielded by its dilution, in freshwater trophic chains of receiving systems can not be assessed. As far as the terrestrial compartment is considered, ecotoxicological data available include tests only with plants and the evaluation of soil microbial parameters, reflecting concerns with the impacts on crops when using OMW for irrigation purposes. The evaluation of its ecotoxicity to other edaphic species were not performed giving rise to a completely lack of knowledge about the consequences of such practice on other soil functions. OMW production is a great environmental problem in Mediterranean countries; hence, engineers, chemists and ecotoxicologists should face this problem together to find an ecologically friend solution.
Herein we report a facile and efficient solid state synthesis of carbon coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4/C) cathode material achieved through the pyrolysis of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The current investigation is comparatively analyzed with the results of the composites of LiFePO4/C (LFP/C) synthesized using polystyrene-block-polybutadiene (PS-b-PBD), polyethyhylene (PE) and sucrose as carbon precursors. The optimized LFP/CPTFE composite is synthesized at 700 °C using 10 wt.% PTFE. The composite exhibits remarkable improvement in capacity, cyclability and rate capability compared to those of LFP/C synthesized using (PS-b-PBD), PE and sucrose. The specific discharge capacities as high as 166 mA h g−1 (theoretical capacity: 170 mA h g−1) at 0.2 C and 114 mA h g−1 at 10 C rates were achieved with LFP/CPTFE. In addition, the composite exhibits a long-term cycling stability with the capacity loss of only 11.4% after 1000 cycles. PTFE shifts the size distribution of the composite to nanometer scale (approximately 120 nm), however the addition of sucrose and other polymers do not have such an effect. According to TEM and XPS analysis, LFP/CPTFE particles are mostly coated with a few nanometers thick carbon layer forming a core–shell structure. Residual carbon does not contain fluorine.
The safety of LP20 and its prototype, a powder, with potential use in food, produced from a mixture of dextrin and heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137, was assessed in an acute study in mice, and in an in vitro bacterial reverse mutation assay, an in vitro chromosome aberration assay, and an in vivo mouse micronucleus assay. LP20 prototype was not acutely toxic when administered to male and female Slc:ICR mice by single gavage at 2000mg/kg bw. Dosing was not associated with mortality, clinical signs, changes in bodyweight, or macroscopic abnormalities. The LD50 in mice was greater than 2000mg/kg bw. There was no evidence of genotoxicity of LP20 in the Ames assay (0–5000μg/plate) or in the in vitro chromosome aberration assay with Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (0–5000μg/mL). Administration of two consecutive daily doses of 500, 1000, or 2000mg/kg bw by gavage to male Crlj:CD-1 mice was not associated with an increased incidence of micronuclei and did not alter the ratio of polychromatic to normochromatic erythrocytes. These studies show that LP20 powder is not acutely toxic and is without genotoxic activity both in vitro and in vivo.
In this paper, different optimal hybrid techniques have been proposed for management of a hybrid power generation system including photovoltaic (PV), fuel cell and battery. The main power of the hybrid system comes from the photovoltaic panels, while the fuel cell and batteries are used as back up units. In order to achieve maximum power point tracking for the photovoltaic system, both fuzzy logic controller and perturb and observation methods are examined and their performances have been investigated via simulations. Next, the performance of the hybrid system has been improved via employing a family of well-known optimization approaches for load sharing among the available resources. Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Quantum behaved Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), and Cuckoo Optimization Algorithm (COA) are used to manage the load sharing to achieve optimal performance while the system constraints are met. The optimal performance has been characterized via the control strategy performance measure being the ratio of the amount of hydrogen production with respect to the hydrogen consumption. In order to verify the system performance, simulation studies have been carried out using practical load demand data and real weather data (solar irradiance and air temperature). Different combination of maximum power point tracking methods with various optimization algorithms have been compared with each other. The results show that the combination of fuzzy logic controller with QPSO has the best performance among the considered combinations. In this situation, when the solar irradiation is noticeably high, the required load is supplied mainly by PV array, while the battery is charged, simultaneously. In the other times, the load is mainly fed by the battery and fuel cell while the performance constraints of battery is met and the daily performance measure is optimized.
Autonomous underwater glider (AUG) equips with limited battery capacity, and needs to optimize the shape of AUG to reduce power consumption and improve voyage. This paper presents a new method of the multi-objective optimization of AUG shape based on the fast elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA – II). The slender ellipsoid line is chosen as the reference model and the volume of the model is constrained to keep 100 L. The hull drag and the hull surface pressure are two key technical performance indicators. Variables are used for sensitivity analysis based on One-At-a-time (OAT) method. Comparisons between towing tank experiments and numerical simulation method is conducted to prove that this method is used for hydrodynamic analysis. The original shape, the NSGA-II optimization shape, the Spray shape and the multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA) optimization shape are analyzed to verify the validity of the optimization method in this paper by comparing hydrodynamic performance and power conversion efficiency. The simulation results indicate that the NSGA-II shape obtains a better hydrodynamic performance than the others. At the same wing configuration and gliding depth, the voyage of the NSGA-II shape is more than the original shape 12%, which has great significance for reducing power consumption.
Reasonable selection of carbon-based buffer materials is of great importance to improve the lithium storage performance of alloy-based anode materials. In this work, two Sn/C nanocomposites with almost identical Sn/C ratio but different carbon structures, namely Sn/amorphous carbon (Sn/C-a) and Sn/graphitized carbon (Sn/C-g) multilayers, are prepared by a home-made tandem plasma reactor and are contrasted for their lithium storage performance. Lithiation/delithiation behaviors of the two samples are intensively studied by cyclic voltammery, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results imply that the multilayer Sn/C-a electrode exhibits better lithium ion diffusion kinetics than the Sn/C-g electrode during the initial few cycles. However, the Sn/C-g electrode possesses better structure robustness because of the good electric and mechanical properties of the graphitized carbon, which results in higher cyclic stability than the Sn/C-a electrode, featured for a high capacity of 898 mA h g−1 after more than 500 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1.
A nanostructured electrode, denoted as SnO2/Cu/CNT, is prepared with tin dioxide and copper coated on the carbon nanotubes (CNT) backbone. Before coating of tin and copper, the CNT surface has been electrochemically oxidized and examined with the C1s photoelectron spectrum to ensure a minimum oxidation level while sufficient for electroless plating. With the prelithiated SnO2/Cu/CNT electrode, matching with an activated carbon (AC) electrode, this lithium ion hybrid capacitor taps into the lithium storage aptitude of tin dioxide for reversible capacity. Thus three capacitors, of the same AC loading, are assembled and studied with the AC:SnO2/Cu/CNT mass ratio 1:1, 1:0.67, 1:0.33. Their energy storage capacities are similar in magnitude at 0.1Ag−1, around 90 Wh kg−1 in a 3.8V window, but the 1:0.67 cell surpasses the other two cells when the charging current increases. Superiority of the 1:0.67 cell on energy and electric charge storage is discussed, considering the SnO2/Cu/CNT role in capacitor. The discussion reveals the prelithiated SnO2/Cu/CNT has kept the potential at 0% state of charge (U 0%SOC) low to constrict the maximum positive potential. But U 0%SOC should avoid forcing the negative potential descends lower than 0.15V (vs. Li/Li+), where the kinetic barrier of SnO2/Cu/CNT becomes problematic at high rates.
The electrochemical oxidation behaviors of NaBH4 on Zn, Zn–MH, and MH (metal-hydride) electrodes were investigated, and an intrinsic direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC)/battery hybrid power source using MH (or Zn–MH) as the anode and MnO2 as the cathode was tested. Borohydride cannot be effectively oxidized on Zn electrodes at the Zn oxidation potential because of the poor electrocatalytic ability of Zn for borohydride oxidation and the high overpotential, even though borohydride has the same oxidation potential of Zn in an alkaline solution. The borohydride can be electrochemically oxidized on Ni and MH electrodes through a 4e reaction at a high overpotential. Simply adding borohydride into an alkaline electrolyte of a Zn/air or MH/air battery can greatly increase the capacity, while an intrinsic DBFC/MH(or Zn)–MnO2 battery can deliver a higher peak power than regular DBFCs.
ABSTRACT The application of efficient variable output sub-systems for light, medium and heavy duty vehicle propulsion is a common pursuit in the interest of increasing engine performance and efficiency by decreasing parasitic losses. Many modern power steering pumps, automatic transmission and engine oil pumps, and air conditioning compressors provide variable output to meet variable load conditions independent of engine speed. Despite this trend, conventional cooling system pumps are not variable independent of engine speed and coolant flow is throttled by a conventional thermostat. The controllable variable flow (CVF) system described herein combines higher hydrodynamic pumping efficiency with thermally responsive integrated flow control capability thus exploiting the opportunity for fuel savings and lower emissions without requiring increased system complexity, materials, or space required. Comparative fuel economy and emissions testing on a first in-vehicle prototype confirmed 1.2% improved fuel economy plus measured emissions reductions relative to the series production pump and thermostat cooling system. The prototype system installed in a 3.0 litre V6 gasoline powered passenger vehicle has since completed 250,000km of all-season road testing trouble-free. This second paper on this topic reviews the technology, development, and vehicle testing results and also studies the attributes of this technology as applied to advanced internal combustion (IC) and new and emerging hybrid propulsion systems for light, medium and heavy vehicles applications. The hydrodynamic and operational principles, early development and prior test results have also been reported in an earlier paper by Fulton et. al. [1].
Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction is often carried out in a solution electrolyte such as KHCO3(aq), which allows for ion conduction between electrodes. Therefore, liquid products that form are in a mixture with the dissolved salts, requiring energy-intensive downstream separation. Here, we report continuous electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to pure liquid fuel solutions in cells that utilize solid electrolytes, where electrochemically generated cations (such as H+) and anions (such as HCOO−) are combined to form pure product solutions without mixing with other ions. Using a HCOOH-selective (Faradaic efficiencies > 90%) and easily scaled Bi catalyst at the cathode, we demonstrate production of pure HCOOH solutions with concentrations up to 12 M. We also show 100 h continuous and stable generation of 0.1 M HCOOH with negligible degradation in selectivity and activity. Production of other electrolyte-free C2+ liquid oxygenate solutions, including acetic acid, ethanol and n-propanol, are also demonstrated using a Cu catalyst. Finally, we show that our CO2 reduction cell with solid electrolytes can be modified to suit other, more complex practical applications.
Objectives Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have deleterious effects on cognitive performance. Hence, patients with cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD) are hypothesized to show similar impairment. This study aimed to elucidate the nature and severity of any cognitive impairment in patients with CFRD compared to non-diabetic patients with CF and healthy controls matched as closely as possible for age, gender and education level. Patients with CF were also matched as closely as possible on CFTR genotype. Methods Adult (>16 years old), pancreatic insufficient patients registered to the Leeds CF Unit who had adequate verbal and written English were eligible. To date, 45 patients with insulin-treated CFRD and 47 non-diabetics who had received a normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) within the past 12 months were included. 10 healthy controls were recruited to date from relatives of patients and the general population. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Results Preliminary findings show that matched controls perform better than both groups of patients with CF on tests of visual memory and learning, verbal memory, visual sustained attention and executive function. Patients with CFRD performed worse than controls on tests of mental flexibility and visual sustained attention, which is consistent with the pattern of impairment shown in T1DM, and on verbal memory, which is consistent with the pattern of impairment shown in T2DM. Conclusion Like T1DM and T2DM, CFRD may have a negative impact on cognitive performance and needs to be explored.
This paper presents the discovery on proton conducting biopolymer electrolyte (BPE) by incorporating various NH4Br composition (wt%) with biopolymer materials carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) which has been prepared via solution casting method. The biopolymer–salt complex formation has been analyzed through Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), impedance and transference number measurement (TNM). The highest ionic conductivity at ambient temperature is 1.12×10−4 S cm−1 for sample containing 25wt% NH4Br. It has been shown that the conducting element in this work are predominantly due to proton (H+) which was confirmed via FTIR and TNM analysis. Rechargeable proton conducting BPE battery have been fabricated with the configuration of Zn+ZnSO4.7H2O/BPE/MnO2 and produced a maximum open circuit potential (OCP) of 1.36V at ambient temperature and showed good rechargeability. This work implies that the possible practical application of the present electrolytes as a new invention in the fabrication of electrochemical devices.
Rechargeable aqueous batteries are attracting renewed attention due to flammability and high cost of lithium-ion cells. Extremely low cost, very high abundance and eco-friendliness of iron (Fe) anodes make them particularly attractive for aqueous chemistries. Unfortunately, traditional Fe anodes suffer from low capacity utilization, the need for formation pre-cycling and dissolution of active material when fully discharged. Known methods for synthesis of nanocomposite Fe anode are expensive and offer poor control over material properties and uniformity. We report on a novel low-cost synthesis route to produce nanocomposites with crystalline FeOx nanoparticles very uniformly distributed within individual nanoporous carbon particles. The conductivity enhancement and a very small size of FeOx particles (< 5 nm) effectively enhance the discharge capacity of Fe anodes up to 600 mAh g−1. In contrast to graphene-FeOx or carbon nanotube-FeOx, the large size of the produced nanocomposite particles allows them to be processed into electrodes the same way as supercapacitor electrodes are mass-produced by industry. The nanoconfinement suppresses side reactions, such as nanoFe dissolution and hydrogen evolution, resulting in capacity retention of up to ~85% after 200 cycles. When used in combination with novel In-based additives, reported anodes uniquely exhibited a single high-voltage discharge profile in full cells, which improves energy density of cells and simplifies battery management system.
Lifetime estimation of lead–acid batteries in stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) systems is a complex task because it depends on the operating conditions of the batteries. In many research simulations and optimisations, the estimation of battery lifetime is error-prone, thus producing values that differ substantially from the real ones. This error can indicate that the “optimal” system selected by the optimisation tool will not be optimal. In this paper, all of the components of a PV system have been considered simultaneously to simulate the behaviour of the system. One of these important components is the battery charge controller, which significantly affects the lifetime of batteries. The results of the simulations have allowed a comparison of the most common methods of battery lifetime prediction used by simulation and/or optimisation tools with a weighted Ah-throughput method developed a few years ago. The results show that this recent method provides more accurate lifetime values. In a simulation of a real off-grid household PV system where the real battery lifetime was 6.2years, the weighted Ah-throughput model predicted a lifetime of 5.8years; however, the other methods obtained lifetimes of more than 15years. In a simulation of another PV system designed to supply the load of an alarm where the real batteries lifetime was 5.1years, the weighted Ah-throughput model predicted a lifetime of 4.4years; however, the other methods obtained lifetimes of more than nine years.
Internet-based educational and therapeutic programs (e-health applications) are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of psychological and physical disorders. We tested the efficacy of an online Chronic Pain Management Program, a comprehensive, fully self-directed and self-paced system that integrates social networking features and self-management tools into an interactive learning environment. Of 305 adult participants (196 women, 109 men), a total of 162 individuals with chronic pain were randomly assigned unsupervised access to the program for approximately 6weeks; 143 were assigned to the wait-listed control group with treatment as usual. A comprehensive assessment was administered before the study and approximately 7 and 14weeks thereafter. All recruitment, data collection, and participant involvement took place online. Participation was fully self-paced, permitting the evaluation of program effectiveness under real-world conditions. Intent-to-treat analysis that used linear growth models was used as the primary analytic tool. Results indicated that program utilization was associated with significant decreases in pain severity, pain-related interference and emotional burden, perceived disability, catastrophizing, and pain-induced fear. Further, program use led to significant declines in depression, anxiety, and stress. Finally, as compared to the wait-listed control group, the experimental group displayed a significant increase in knowledge about the principles of chronic pain and its management. Study limitations are considered, including the recognition that not all persons with chronic pain are necessarily good candidates for self-initiated, self-paced, interactive learning.
In this work, a mixture of carbon materials was prepared by simple and fast method based on electrolyzing graphite rod in KNO3 solution under the constant current. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) indicated that the mixture was comprised of graphene nanosheets and carbon nanoparticles, and some carbon nanoaprticles were adsorbed on the surface of graphene nanosheet. The mixture modified glassy carbon electrode showed excellent catalytic and adsorptive ability towards the redox of hydroquinone (HQ). The effect factors, such as pH, scan rate, accumulation time and accumulation potential, were optimized. The chronocoulometry investigation demonstrated that the mixture can effectively increase the electrochemical active surface. Under the optimal determination conditions, the oxidation peak current was proportional to HQ concentration in the range of 0.1–100 and 100–600μM. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.01μM (S/N =3). The developed electrode was further applied to determine HQ in soil samples with satisfactory results.