Suelen Barg

Designing Smart Particles for the Assembly of Complex Macroscopic Structures

Particle get-together: Surface functionalization with a branched copolymer surfactant is used to create responsive inorganic particles that can self-assemble in complex structures. The assembly process is triggered by a pH switch that reversibly activates multiple hydrogen bonds between ceramic particles (see picture; yellow) and soft templates (n-decane; green).

Development of a Novel Zinc/Air Fuel Cell with a Zn Foam Anode, a PVA/KOH Membrane and a MnO

A new type of zinc/air fuel cell comprising a Hg/Pb free Zn foam anode, a PVA/KOH electrolyte membrane and a MnO2/SiOC-based cathode was developed in this work. The electrochemical activity of the zinc foam and air electrode was investigated in 6 M KOH under half-cell conditions. The pristine ZnO layer of the foam matrix favoured direct oxidation of the zinc particles to zinc oxide in 6 M KOH. In the laboratory cell, a specific energy of about 500 mWh g(-1) zinc was measured at 5 mA discharging current with a zinc foam, a PVA/KOH/H2O membrane and a MnO2+ Vulcan/carbon paper cathode. A correlation between cell performances and porosity of the zinc foam was found. However, stability of the Zn foam and SiOC GDL materials towards KOH should be improved.

Cellular ceramics from emulsified suspensions of mixed particles

In this work concentrated alumina suspensions have been emulsified with decane using silica nanoparticles of a range of hydrophobicities as stabiliser giving rise to novel porous ceramic materials. The materials are characterized by open porosities between 49 and 61% and average cell sizes between 18 and 25xa0μm. Comparison with surfactant-stabilized emulsified suspensions is given. In particular, high temperature strength is a key property of the particle-stabilized materials.