Buchari

Surfactant- and Binder-Free Hierarchical Platinum Nanoarrays Directly Grown onto a Carbon Felt Electrode for Efficient Electrocatalysis

The future of fuel cells that convert chemical energy to electricity relies mostly on the efficiency of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to its sluggish kinetics. By effectively bypassing the use of organic surfactants, the postsynthesis steps for immobilization onto electrodes, catalytic ink preparation using binders, and the common problem of nanoparticles (NPs) detachment from the supports involved in traditional methodologies, we demonstrate a versatile electrodeposition method for growing anisotropic microstructures directly onto a three-dimensional (3D) carbon felt electrode, using platinum NPs as the elementary building blocks. The as-synthesized materials were extensively characterized by integrating methods of physical (thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and electroanalytical (voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectrometry) chemistry to examine the intricate relationship of material-to-performance and select the best-performing electrocatalyst to be applied in the model reaction of ORR for its practical integration into a microbial fuel cell (MFC). A tightly optimized procedure enables decorating an electrochemically activated carbon felt electrode by 40-60 nm ultrathin 3D-interconnected platinum nanoarrays leading to a hierarchical framework of ca. 500 nm. Half-cell reactions reveal that the highly rough metallic surface exhibits improved activity and stability toward ORR (Eonset ∼ 1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, p(HO2-) < 0.1%) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (-10 mA cm-2 for only 75 mV overpotential). Owing to its unique features, the developed material showed distinguished performance as an air-breathing cathode in a garden compost MFC, exhibiting better current and faster power generation than those of its equivalent classical double chamber. The enhanced performance of the material obtained herein is explained by the absence of any organic surfactants on the surface of the nanoarrays, the good metal-support interaction, particular morphology of the nanoarrays, and the reduced aggregation/detachment of particles. It promises a radical improvement in current surface reactions and paves a new way toward electrodes with regulated surface roughness, allowing for their successful application in heterogeneous catalysis.

Yeast fuel cell: Application for desalination

Yeasts have been implicated in microbial fuel cells as biocatalysts because they are non-pathogenic organisms, easily handled and robust with a good tolerance in different environmental conditions. Here we investigated bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae through the oxidation of glucose. Yeast was used in the anolyte, to transfer electrons to the anode in the presence of methylene blue as mediator whereas K3Fe(CN)6 was used as an electron acceptor for the reduction reaction in the catholyte. Power production with biofuel cell was coupled with a desalination process. The maximum current density produced by the cell was 88 mA.m-2. In those conditions, it was found that concentration of salt was removed 64% from initial 0.6 M after 1-month operation. This result proves that yeast fuel cells can be used to remove salt through electrically driven membrane processes and demonstrated that could be applied for energy production and desalination. Further developments are in progress to improve power output to make yeast fuel cells applicable for water treatment.

Incorporation of network in synthesis of zircon-imprinted polymer and its effect on zircon ion extraction

The material polymer functionalized on SPE have been developed by ion- imprinted polymer. The ion-polymer with zircon ion as imprint ions were synthesized via bulk polymerization methods by forming binary complex Zr-Xylenol orange in 2-methoxy ethanol and copolymerizing in the presence of styrene as a monomer functional, divinyl benzene as a monomer cross-linker, and peroxide as an initiator. The zircon-imprinted polymer produced the porous polymer. It was indicated that zircon ion imprints were released under conditioning. The polymer particles both prior to and after leaching have been characterized by IR, SEM-EDS, TEM, and pore size. Incorporation of network polymer using divinyl benzene as the cross-linker were performances tested on zircon ion extraction, and the optimum of the mole ratio of styrene/DVB was observed about 1. The decrease of percent extraction of zircon ion when the mole ration of styrene/divinyl benzene < 1, due to the pores as binding sites of polymers were covered, and it was evidenced by the decrease in total pore volume.The material polymer functionalized on SPE have been developed by ion- imprinted polymer. The ion-polymer with zircon ion as imprint ions were synthesized via bulk polymerization methods by forming binary complex Zr-Xylenol orange in 2-methoxy ethanol and copolymerizing in the presence of styrene as a monomer functional, divinyl benzene as a monomer cross-linker, and peroxide as an initiator. The zircon-imprinted polymer produced the porous polymer. It was indicated that zircon ion imprints were released under conditioning. The polymer particles both prior to and after leaching have been characterized by IR, SEM-EDS, TEM, and pore size. Incorporation of network polymer using divinyl benzene as the cross-linker were performances tested on zircon ion extraction, and the optimum of the mole ratio of styrene/DVB was observed about 1. The decrease of percent extraction of zircon ion when the mole ration of styrene/divinyl benzene < 1, due to the pores as binding sites of polymers were covered, and it was evide...

Development of New coated wire nitrate selective electrode sensor for determination of nitrate concentration in an aqueous sample

A coated wire nitrate selective electrode has been prepared and characterized. The electrochemical cell for potentiometric measurement consist of a miniaturized homemade Ag/AgCl reference electrode and a coated wire nitrate selective electrode (CWISE) immersed in nitrate solution to be studied, and mV-meter. Standard potential of the Ag/AgCl reference electrode was 0.2496 V. Preparation of CWISE was realized by covering platinum wire of 0.4 mm diameter with thin polymeric membrane. The membrane solution has been prepared by mixing of 0.25 g of polyvinil chloride (PVC) as supporting material, 0.7 g of Aliquat 336-nitrate as ionophore and 5.8 g of dioctylphtalate (DOP) as plasticizer in 10 mL of tetrahydrofuran (THF). The CWISE for nitrate measurement showed non-nerstienne sensitivity at the range 10−1 to 10−4 M of principal ion. The selectivity of CWISE has been studied by determination of its potentiometric selectivity coefficient. The results of these determinations was K^Pot<inf>NO3−.I</inf> > K^Pot<inf>NO3−,NO3−</inf> > K^Pot<inf>NO3−,Cl−</inf> > K^Pot<inf>NO3−, SO4</inf>=. For quantitative analysis by potentiometric method, the calibration curve should be updated.