V. I. Volkov

Water self-diffusion in Chlorella sp. studied by pulse field gradient NMR.

The water self-diffusion behavior in chlorella water suspension was investigated by pulsed field gradient NMR technique. Three types of water was determined, which differs according to the self-diffusion coefficients; bulk water, extracellular and intracellular water. Intracellular and extracellular water self-diffusion were restricted, and the sizes of restriction regions were 3.4 microm and 17 microm, respectively. The water molecular exchange process between these three diffusion regions was investigated. The residence time and exchange rate constant for chlorella cells were obtained. The cell wall permeability determined from the rate constant as 3 x 10(-6) m/s agreed with the permeability 10(-6) m/s obtained from time dependence of intracellular water self-diffusion coefficient. The structural cluster model of chlorella cell is estimated to describe the extracellular water self-diffusion in chlorella water suspension.

Water self-diffusion behavior in yeast cells studied by pulsed field gradient NMR

The water self-diffusion behavior in yeast cell water suspension was investigated by pulsed field gradient NMR techniques. Three types of water were detected, which differ according to the self-diffusion coefficients: bulk water, extracellular and intracellular water. Intracellular and extracellular water self-diffusion was restricted; the sizes of restriction regions were approximately 3 and 15-20 microm, respectively. The smallest restriction size was determined as inner cell size. This size and also cell permeability varied with the growth phase of yeast cell. Cell size increased, but permeability decreased with increasing growth time. The values of cell permeabilities P(1)(d) obtained from time dependence of water self-diffusion coefficient were in good agreement with the permeabilities obtained from the exchange rate constants P(1)(eff). The values of P(1)(eff) were 7 x 10(-6), 1.2 x 10(-6) and 1.6 x 10(-6) m/s, and P(1)(d) were 6.3 x 10(-6), 8.4 x 10(-7), 1.5 x 10(-6) m/s for yeast cells incubated for 9 h (exponential growth phase), 24 h (end of exponential growth phase), and 48 h (stationary growth phase), respectively.

Self-diffusion of lithium cations and ionic conductivity in polymer electrolytes based on polyesterdiacrylate

The processes of ionic conductivity are studied in a polymer gel electrolyte synthesized based on polyesterdiacrylate and a low-molecular solvent ethylene carbonate. The self-diffusion coefficients of solvent molecules and Li+ cations are measured by the NMR with the pulsed magnetic field gradient. The Li+ self-diffusion coefficients increase with the increase in the solvent content and are independent of the diffusion time in the interval from 10 to 1600 ms. The latter values imply the absence of limitations for the translational mobility of lithium ions in the spatial range from 10−7 to 10−5 m. Based on the Nernst-Einstein equation, the ionic conductivities are calculated and compared with the experimental conductivities measured by the impedance method. These values coincide for high contents of solvent; for low ethylene carbonate concentrations, the calculated conductivities much exceed the experimental values.

Ionic and molecular Self-Diffusion in Ion-Exchange materials for fuel energetics studied by pulsed field gradient NMR

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance technique was applied to investigate the self-diffusion mechanism of water, alcohol molecules and Li− counterions in sulfocation exchangers with different structures of the polymeric matrix. It was shown that in the homogeneous perfluorinated sulfocation exchange membranes the ionic and water translation motions are controled by the hydrogen bond network forming in ionogenic channels at the high water content. At the low solvent content, the self-diffusion coefficients of methanol and ethanol are higher than the water self-diffusion coefficients. The influence of non-ion-exchange sorbed electrolyte on Li+ self-diffusion coefficients was observed in the heterogeneous sulfocation exchanger KU-23.

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle additions on the conductivity of network polymer electrolytes for lithium power sources

Network copolymer electrolytes were synthesized from polyether (polyester) diacrylates with different structures and chain lengths of polyester diacrylate and polyethylene glycol diacrylate. The optimum matrix for ion transport in the electrolyte was formed from only one type of oligomer. The influence of TiO2 nanopowder additions (∼60 nm) on the conductivity of the copolymer electrolyte was studied. The addition of 10 wt % TiO2 led to an increase in the conductivity by an order of magnitude at 30°C; the effective activation energy decreased by 20%. At elevated temperatures, the mobility of polymer chains increased and the contribution of TiO2 nanoparticles in ion transport was only half of the order of magnitude of the conductivity at 100°C. The increase in the conductivity of the polymer electrolyte after the addition of TiO2 was presumably caused by the formation of a more mobile state of the lithium ion near the nanoparticle surface, as shown by pulsed field gradient (PFG) 7Li NMR.

New polymer electrolytes based on polyethylene glycol diacrylate–LiBF4–1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with the introduction of alkylene carbonates

Polymer gel electrolytes based on polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG DA), salt LiBF4, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIBF4) were synthesized and studied in the presence of propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate as solvents. The mechanism of ionic transport in the system was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, liquid mass spectrometry, pulse-field-gradient spin echo NMR spectroscopy. The range of operating temperatures of the gel electrolytes was determined by DSC. The total conductivity at room temperature in these systems is about 10–3 S cm–1. The self-diffusion coefficients on 7Li nuclei in the systems with a solvent attain the values about 10–10 m2 s–1, and in the PEG DA–LiBF4–EMIBF4 system they range from 10–13 to 10–12 m2 s–1. Ternary associates [(EMI)2(BF4)]+ and [Li+(BF4)2]– were found by liquid mass spectrometry to be the main charge carriers.

Mechanism of proton conductivity in polyvinyl alcohol-phenolsulfonic acid membranes from 1H and 13C NMR data

With line narrowing during magic angle spinning in solid-state NMR, molecular mobility and hydration in composite membranes based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and phenol-2,4-disulfonic acid (PSA) were studied as functions of the ratio of the acidic and polymeric components, the degree of cross-linking in the polymeric matrix, and the moisture content. It is shown that at high relative humidity proton transport takes place by means of the network of hydrogen bonds, which are formed by the H+ counterions, sulfonate groups, and water molecules. At low moisture content, the hydroxyl groups in PVA play an active role in proton transport.

Structural and dynamic properties of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate micelle in water dispersion studied by pulsed field gradient NMR

The diffusion phenomenon of a nonionic surfactant, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (POE-SMO), micelle in aqueous solution was investigated by pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR) with a high gradient strength of 17.4 T/m at the diffusion timetd varied from 3 to 300 ms. This high gradient strength allowed us to measure the slow self-diffusion coefficient of POE-SMO micelle, and the short diffusion time below 10 ms showed the restricted diffusion of the micelle. At the shorttd the self-diffusion of the micelle was restricted and the restricted sizes were 1.8, 1.5, and 0.8 μm for the POE-SMO concentration of 100, 200 and 300 mM, respectively, and 0.6 μm for the POE-SMO only. The possible reason of this restriction was assumed to be the formation of a spatial network or a micellar clustering. Furthermore, a proton exchange between water molecule and surfactant OH group on the micelle surface was proposed. With respect to this proposal, the residence time of the proton at the micelle surface and the thickness of the surface were investigated from proton self-diffusion coefficients by PFG NMR.

Water metabolism in cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae of races Y-3137 and Y-3327, according to pulsed-field gradient NMR data

The self-diffusion of water in cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae of races Y-3137 and Y-3327 is studied by means of pulsed-field gradient (PFG) NMR. Three types of water are detected that differ by their self-diffusion coefficients (SDCs): free, intercellular, and intracellular. It is found that the self-diffusion of intercellular and intracellular water is restricted. The size and permeability of the cells of yeasts with different cultivation times (24 and 48 h) is determined by analyzing the dependences of the self-diffusion coefficients of intracellular water on the interval between pulses of the magnetic field gradient.

Nanocomposite network polymer gel-electrolytes: TiO2- and Li2TiO3-nanoparticle effects on their structure and properties

The effects of TiO2-(∼60 nm) and Li2TiO3-(∼20 nm) nanoparticles on the conductivity, structure, and mechanical strength of (polyether diacrylate-LiClO4-ethylene carbonate)-based polymer gelelectrolytes are studied. When the gel-electrolytes are synthesized with the TiO2- and Li2TiO3-nanoparticles ultrasonic pretreatment, both polyether diacrylate and ethylene carbonate are partially decomposed in the solution; this is evidenced by the appearance of -CH3-group signal at 1.2 ppm in 1H-NMR-spectra, as well, as by the peak area analysis. The gel-electrolyte matrix partial decomposition was shown not to affect the network polymer electrolyte conductivity and mechanical properties. Analysis of NMR spectra for 7Li nuclei, taken with nanocomposite polymer electrolyte rotating under magic angle, revealed two Li+ ion environments: with the nanoparticles and the polymer matrix. Upon the adding of TiO2 nanoparticles (10 mass %) the polymer electrolyte conductivity increased by order of magnitude (up to 1.8 × 10−3 S/cm at 20°C); upon the adding of Li2TiO3, by a factor of 2 only (up to 7.0 × 10−4 S/cm at 20°C). The electrolyte-solution ultrasonic treatment increased the films’ mechanical strength; the larger effect occurred with Li2TiO3 (the modulus of elasticity is 15 MPa).