The science and technology of ultracapacitors are reviewed for a number of electrode materials, including carbon, mixed metal oxides, and conducting polymers. More work has been done using microporous carbons than with the other materials and most of the commercially available devices use carbon electrodes and an organic electrolytes. The energy density of these devices is 3¯5 Wh/kg with a power density of 300¯500 W/kg for high efficiency (90¯95%) charge/discharges. Projections of future developments using carbon indicate that energy densities of 10 Wh/kg or higher are likely with power densities of 1¯2 kW/kg. A key problem in the fabrication of these advanced devices is the bonding of the thin electrodes to a current collector such the contact resistance is less than 0.1 cm2. Special attention is given in the paper to comparing the power density characteristics of ultracapacitors and batteries. The comparisons should be made at the same charge/discharge efficiency.

Ultracapacitors: Why, How, and Where is the Technology

http://repository.ias.ac.in/39608/1/49_pub.pdf

A review of imperative technologies for wastewater treatment I: oxidation technologies at ambient conditions

Graphene and its derivatives are attractive for electrocatalytical application in fuel cells because of their unique structures and electronic properties. The electrocatalytical mechanism of nitrogen doped graphene in acidic environment was studied by using density functional theory (DFT). The simulations demonstrate that the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on N-doped graphene is a direct four-electron pathway, which is consistent with the experimental observations. The energy calculated for each ORR step shows that the ORR can spontaneously occur on the N-graphene. The active catalytical sites on single nitrogen doped graphene are identified, which have either high positive spin density or high positive atomic charge density. The nitrogen doping introduces asymmetry spin density and atomic charge density, making it possible for N-graphene to show high electroncatalytic activities for the ORR.

Mechanisms of Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Fuel Cells

Multiwalled carbon nanotube-supported Pt (Pt/MWNT) nanocomposites were prepared by both the aqueous solution reduction of a Pt salt (HCHO reduction) and the reduction of a Pt ion salt in ethylene glycol solution. For comparison, a Pt/XC-72 nanocomposite was also prepared by the EG method. The Pt/MWNT catalyst prepared by the EG method has a high and homogeneous dispersion of spherical Pt metal particles with a narrow particle-size distribution. TEM images show that the Pt particle size is in the range of 2-5 nm with a peak at 2.6 nm, which is consistent with 2.5 nm obtained from the XRD broadening calculation. Surface chemical modifications of MWNTs and water content in EG solvent are found to be the key factors in depositing Pt particles on MWNTs. In the case of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) test, the Pt/MWNT catalyst prepared by EG reduction is slightly superior to the catalyst prepared by aqueous reduction and displays significantly higher performance than the Pt/XC-72 catalyst. These differences in catalytic performance between the MWNT-supported or the carbon black XC-72-supported catalysts are attributed to a greater dispersion of the supported Pt particles when the EG method is used, in contrast to aqueous HCHO reduction and to possible unique structural and higher electrical properties when contrasting MWNTs to carbon black XC-72 as a support.

Preparation and Characterization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Supported Platinum for Cathode Catalysts of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

The entanglement concept in polymer rheology

Properties of nanoparticles are size dependent, and a model to predict particle size is of importance. Gold nanoparticles are commonly synthesized by reducing tetrachloroauric acid with trisodium citrate, a method pioneered by Turkevich et al (Discuss. Faraday Soc. 1951, 11, 55). Data from several investigators that used this method show that when the ratio of initial concentrations of citrate to gold is varied from 0.4 to similar to 2, the final mean size of the particles formed varies by a factor of 7, while subsequent increases in the ratio hardly have any effect on the size. In this paper, a model is developed to explain this widely varying dependence. The steps that lead to the formation of particles are as follows: reduction of Au3+ in solution, disproportionation of Au+ to gold atoms and their nucleation, growth by disproportionation on particle surface, and coagulation. Oxidation of citrate results in the formation of dicarboxy acetone, which aids nucleation but also decomposes into side products. A detailed kinetic model is developed on the basis of these steps and is combined with population balance to predict particle-size distribution. The model shows that, unlike the usual balance between nucleation and growth that determines the particle size, it is the balance between rate of nucleation and degradation of dicarboxy acetone that determines the particle size in the citrate process. It is this feature that is able to explain the unusual dependence of the mean particle size on the ratio of citrate to gold salt concentration. It is also found that coagulation plays an important role in determining the particle size at high concentrations of citrate.

Modeling of Formation of Gold Nanoparticles by Citrate Method

Electrocatalytic activities of various carbon-supported platinum-based binary, namely, Pt–Co/C, Pt–Cr/C and Pt–Ni/C, and ternary, namely, Pt–Co–Cr/C and Pt–Co–Ni/C, alloy catalysts towards oxygen reduction in solid–polymer–electrolyte direct methanol fuel cells were investigated at 70°C and 90°C both at ambient and 2bar oxygen pressures. It was found that Pt–Co/C exhibits superior activity relative to Pt/C and other alloy catalysts.

K. S. Gandhi

Papers

Modeling of Formation of Gold Nanoparticles by Citrate Method

Platinum-based alloys as oxygen-reduction catalysts for solid-polymer-electrolyte direct methanol fuel cells

Modelling of a batch sonochemical reactor

Breakage of viscous and non-Newtonian drops in stirred dispersions

Alternative mechanisms of drop breakup in stirred vessels