Sharif Digital Repository

The main objective of this work is minimizing the cost of electricity of solid oxide fuel cell stacks by decelerating degradation mechanisms rate in long term operation for stationary power generation applications. The degradation mechanisms in solid oxide fuel cells are caused by microstructural changes, reactions between lanthanum strontium manganite and electrolyte, poisoning by chromium, carburization on nickel particles, formation of nickel sulfide, nickel coarsening, nickel oxidation, loss of conductivity and crack formation in the electrolyte. The rate of degradation mechanisms depends on the cell operating conditions (cell voltage and fuel utilization). In this study, the degradation... 

The main purpose of this research work is to investigate the effect of nickel as metal dopant on the morphology and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanotube arrays synthesized in the organic electrolyte by anodizing process containing sodium carbonate as an additive (TNAS). In order to characterize the synthesized nanotubes, various analyses such as FESEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS, DRS, and EIS were applied. The results of XPS and FTIR tests evaluate the participation of sodium (Na), nickel (Ni), and carbon (C) in the lattice of nanotubes as dopants. According to the DRS and UV-visible tests results, the band gap energy of TiO2 nanotube arrays decreases from 3.20 to ~ 2.64 eV as well as the absorption... 

We demonstrate for the first time the application of p-NiFe2O4/n-Fe2O3 composite thin films as anode materials for light-assisted electrolysis of water. The p-NiFe2O4/n-Fe2O3 composite thin films were deposited on planar fluorinated tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass as well as on 3D array of nanospike (NSP) substrates. The effect of substrate (planar FTO and 3D-NSP) and percentage change of each component (i.e., NiFe2O4 and Fe2O3) of composite was studied on photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation reaction. This work also includes the performance comparison of p-NiFe2O4/n-Fe2O3 composite (planar and NSP) devices with pure hematite for PEC water oxidation. Overall, the nanostructured... 

Aluminum reduction cells have benefited from point feeding technology for a long time, but there are still smelters which are using the old technology of center break and center feed system. Due to several factors this system is no longer approved and there have been a few attempts worldwide to upgrade these cells so as to implement the newer technology by applying mechanical and automation changes. In this paper we will present an attempt which was made in order to retrofit a so-called center break cell to point feeder cell. The results show that this project has decreased the energy consumption and anode effect frequency. Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in current... 

This study shows the growth behavior of Co-Ni alloy nanowires in AAO template. Growth of nanowires consists of four different stages namely electronucleation, steady state growth, filling of pores, and coverage of filled nanowires and forming of a film on the template surface. TEM study of nanowires showed that the nanowires possess hemispherical head due to the preferable and more rapid growth phenomenon in central section of nanowires instead of edge sides. Studies on the relations between nanowires composition and ion concentration in solution showed that growth of nanowires is a diffusion-controlled process. The compositional, structural and magnetic properties of nanowires were... 

In this study, a two-phase flow model based on species transport, energy, and electrochemical equations was developed for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The influences of heat sources and sinks, and water transport inside the fuel cell were also taken into account. In this regard, the effect of the operating conditions including cell temperature and pressure, anode and cathode inlet humidity, and anode and cathode stoichiometric ratios on the fuel cell performance was investigated. The simulation results show that inlet humidity and stoichiometric ratio of the anode side, cell pressure and temperature, and distribution of the heat sources and sinks are crucial factors... 

A novel electrode consisting of 3D porous nickel‒cobalt‒copper sulfide dendritic structures is synthesized, in which, for the first time ternary Ni–Co–Cu foam is constructed through hydrogen bubble template and followed by sulfidization via a hydrothermal reaction in thiourea. The 3D, porous Ni–Co–Cu dendritic sulfide electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 1203.75 F g−1 (0.963 F cm−2) at current of 1.0 mA and excellent cycling stability, excellent ratability along with high cycle stability. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) using dendritic sulfide structures and reduced electro-etched carbon fiber paper (RECF) as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively is developed.... 

Here, controlled growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) on free-standing porous activated reduced graphene oxide (a-rGO) paper was fabricated using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. The electrochemical performance of prepared film was investigated to provide effective electrode for 3D flexible high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors. The results revealed that the prepared electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 347 F/g at 0.5 A/g in 1 M KOH electrolyte, 60% more than non-activated rGO-paper (218 F/g). The VACNTs on a-rGO have increased the accessible surface area and acted as efficient electrical conducting paths, which... 

A high performance asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC)has been fabricated by using nickel oxide-cobalt oxide nanosheets (NiO–CoO NSs), which were directly grown on carbon nanotubes (CNTs)and hydrothermal carbon spheres (HTCs)as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. Both electrode materials are binder-free prepared by using a catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CVD)approach followed by a facile hydrothermal method for cathode and a one-step environmental-friendly route called hydrothermal carbonization for anode. Using NiO–CoO NSs@CNTs and HTCs, which were directly grown on Ni foam, not only leads to a very small equivalent series resistance, but also provides an impressive capacitive... 

TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNA) have been modified by cobalt phosphate (CoPi) through potentiostatic electrodeposition method. Different samples have been prepared by changing the loaded CoPi through the deposition time from 10 to 960 min. Formed catalytic materials have been characterized by different methods. Although charge transfer resistance of the CoPi/TNA photoanodes have been decreased from 5.5 to 4.0 kΩ by increasing the deposition time from 5 to 60 min, the maximum photoresponse was obtained for 10 min CoPi deposition leading to 24% more photocurrent compare to bare TNA which proposed optimum value for cobalt phosphate decoration. Based on field emission scanning electron microscopy... 

Porous carbon template decorated with mixed transition metals/metal oxides with tunable architecture is becoming increasingly important and attractive as a kind of novel electrode materials. In this way, mixed-metallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide an opportunity for fabrication of homogeneous mixed metals/metal oxides distribution in the porous carbon frame without any carbon precursor additive. Also, structures, dimensions and electrochemical performance of MOFs can be readily manipulated by simply tuning the metals molar ratio. In this study, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of petal-like NiCo/NiO-CoO metal/metal oxides with a rational composition embedded in 3D... 

Recently, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted great interest for photo(electro)chemical applications such as sensing, solar energy exploitation, photocatalysis, and hydrogen generation. This paper presents the potential application and benefits of g-C3N4 nanolayers as a green and highly efficient electrode modifier for the detection of trace lead ions in drinking water and urban dust samples. Carbon nitride nanosheets with a thickness of ∼6 A° and lateral of 100–150 nm were prepared through high-temperature polymerization of melamine followed by sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified by a thin layer of g-C3N4 through drop casting and... 

In this research, different coating methods of polyaniline (PANI) on the anode electrodes and their performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were investigated. The performance of systems in a discontinuous state was studied using the high energy content dairy industry wastewater. The phase enrichment assessment was conducted under open circuit potential (OCP) and the performance of MFCs coated with PANI through three methods was evaluated via chemical oxygen demand (COD), polarization, power density, energy coulombic efficiency (ECE), coulombic efficiency (CE), and potential efficiency (PE) values. The results showed the maximum value for the power density of 28Wm-3, CE of 17%, and COD of... 

We conduct an experimental investigation on the pool boiling enhancement in DI water on nanoporous surfaces. The surfaces are modified by anodic oxidation, and cavities with 2 mm diameter and pitches between 2.5 and 5 mm applied on them using EDM method filled with a two-part epoxy with low thermal conductivity properties. The capillary wicking action of the superhydrophilic nanoporous oxide layer enhances the rewetting and spreading of the liquid to dry-spots during boiling. The epoxy disks remain wet and prevent merging bubbles during the pool boiling experiment and a 2-D microflow is induced toward dried regions with synergic effects of nanoporous surface absorption, create a considerable... 

Nanomedicine has seen a significant rise in the development of new research tools and clinically functional devices. In this regard, significant advances and new commercial applications are expected in the pharmaceutical and orthopedic industries. For advanced orthopedic implant technologies, appropriate nanoscale surface modifications are highly effective strategies and are widely studied in the literature for improving implant performance. It is well-established that implants with nanotubular surfaces show a drastic improvement in new bone creation and gene expression compared to implants without nanotopography. Nevertheless, the scientific and clinical understanding of mixed oxide... 

Nickel - copper alloy modified glassy carbon electrodes (GC/NiCu) prepared by galvanostatic deposition were used for the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline solutions. The electro-oxidation of glucose in a 1 M NaOH solution at different concentration of glucose was studied by the method of ac-impedance spectroscopy. The impedance behavior show different patterns, capacitive, and inductive loops and negative resistances, at different applied anodic potential. The influence of the electrode potential on the impedance pattern is studied and a quantitative explanation for the impedance behavior of glucose oxidation is put forward by a proposed mathematical model. At potentials... 

In this paper we report an efficient synthesis of hydrolyzed collagen-g-poly(sodium acrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl aery late) hydrogel through chemical cross-linking by graft copolymerization of these two monomers onto the protein backbone in the presence of a cross-linker. Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were carried out to confirm the chemical structure of the hydrogel. Moreover, morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To investigate the effect of monomer ratio on swelling behavior in various media three hydrogels with different acrylic acid/2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (AA/HEA) weight ratios were synthesized and swelling capacity was... 

A pseudocapacitive electrode based on mesoporous manganese dioxide (MnO2) was fabricated via the anodic pulse electrodeposition method. Pulse current (PC) has many parameters that affect the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of the material. PC parameters are generally divided into independent and dependent types. Independent pulse parameters consist of the time of applying current (ton), interval time with zero current (toff), and peak current density (Ip). Dependent pulse parameters include duty cycle (θ), frequency (f), and average current density (Ia). In this work, the changes of two independent parameters (ton and toff) at the constant Ip = 2 mA cm-2 on the anodic pulse... 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) introduce a promising electrochemical conversion technology to generate electricity directly from fuel oxidization. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model is proposed to evaluate the SOFC performance by employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach based on the finite element method. This research includes simultaneously solving momentum, energy, and mass transport equations linked with the electrochemical reactions. First, the modeling results of a SOFC system with a rectangular channel in the absence of obstacles are compared with the experimental data, showing very good agreement. The effects of different shapes and numbers of obstacles on fuel... 

Today the need for fault diagnosis in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is felt more than ever to increase the useful life and durability of the cell. The present study proposes an indirect in-situ experimental-based algorithm for diagnosing the moisture content issues in a three-cell stack. Three adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) approximate the system outputs (cells voltages, cathodic and anodic pressure drop) in normal conditions. The values of Pearson's correlation coefficients (0.998, 0.983, and 0.995 for outputs, respectively) show the high quality of the modeling. In unknown operating conditions, the residuals of experimental and ANFIS values are compared...