In this work, the spindle-shaped LiFePO4 coating with carbon layer (C-LFP) was successfully synthesized in glycerol solvent assisted by a mild heat-treatment at 600 degrees C for 2 h. Then camphorsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANI-CSA) as the conductive polymer was compound with C-LFP to prepare C-LFP/PANI-CSA composite. The morphology, crystal structure and charge-discharge performance of the prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and galvanostatic charge-discharge testing. The results showed that the reactant concentration seriously affected the microstructure and electrochemical properties of the resulting LiFePO4 cathodes in lithium ion batteries. And a spindle-shaped LiFePO4 with suitable size has been successfully synthesized at the moderate reactant concentration of 0.5 M. After modified with PANI-CSA, the resulted C-LFP2/PANI-CSA composite cathodes displayed a significantly improved specific capacity and rate capability. And specially, that the C-LFP/10% PANI-CSA composite exhibited the best performance with an initial discharge capacity of 165.3 mAh . g(-1) at a constant current of 0.1 C. Electrochemical impedance measurements also demonstrated that the coating of polyaniline significantly decreased the charge-transfer resistance of C-LiFePO4 electrodes. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.082203jes] All rights reserved.

The olivine LiFePO4 was synthesized using a low-temperature solvothermal method and a teat-treatment process, and then PANI-LiFePO4 composite as cathode materials was prepared by coating polyaniline. The structure and electrochemical performance of the prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge-discharge testing. It was found that the electrochemical performance of polyaniline coated LiFePO4 slightly improved. The initial discharge specific capacity of (LiFePO4)(0.95)(PANI)(0.05) reached 146.5 mAh.g(-1) at a low discharging rate of 0.1 C. When the charge-discharge rate is increased to 0.5 C and 1 C, the obtained discharge specific capacities were about 112 and 101 mAh.g(-1), respectively.

Polyaniline coated carbon nanotubes composites(PANI/MWNTs) were prepared by in situ polymerization with HClO4 as a dopant and were used as the cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). And the galvanostatic charge/discharge property, cyclic stability and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the as-prepared samples were also examined in detail. The results showed that the composites of carbon nanotubes coated with polyaniline have high electrochemical activity and good cyclic stability. The results could be attributed to the excellent electronic and electrochemical properties of MWNTs.

We synthesized LiFePO4 directly by a solvothermal method at low temperature and then a heat treatment was carried out to give a LiFePO4 /C composite for using as a cathode in lithium ion battery.The crystal structure and the charge-discharge performance of the prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM),transmission electron microscopy (TEM),X-ray diffraction (XRD),Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy,and galvanostatic charge-discharge testing.The results indicated that the LiFePO4 synthesized at low-temperature (120 ℃) with glycerol as a solvent had a single olivine-type crystal structure and a spindle-shaped morphology with a very narrow size distribution.After heat treatment,a LiFePO 4 /C composite with excellent charge-discharge performance was obtained and the spindle morphology of the sample was intact.Galvanostatic charge-discharge tests showed that the prepared LiFePO 4 /C cathode had an initial discharge specific capacity of 147.2 mAh · g-1 at 0.1C at room temperature and it was 136.3 mAh · g-1 after 50 cycles.The average discharge specific capacities of LiFePO4/C at 0.2C,0.5C,and 1C were about 130,120,and 108 mAh · g-1,respectively.

A nonenzymatic amperometric sensor for sensitive and selective detection of glucose has been constructed by using highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles supported onto mesoporous carbons (MCs). The Pt nanoparticles/mesoporous carbons (Pt/MCs) composites modified electrode displayed high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose. At an applied potential of 0.1 V, the Pt/MCs electrode has a linear dependence (R = 0.996) in the glucose concentration up to 7.5 mM with a sensitivity of 8.52 mA M-1 cm(-2). The Pt/MCs electrode has also shown highly resistant toward poisoning by chloride ions and without interference from the oxidation of common interfering species.

The net water transport coefficient through the membrane, defined as the ratio of the net water flux from the anode to cathode to the protonic flux, is used as a quantitative measure of water management in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). In this paper we report on experimental measurements of the net water transport coefficient distribution for the first time. This is accomplished by making simultaneous current and species distribution measurements along the flow channel of an instrumented PEFC via a multi-channel potentiostat and two micro gas chromatographs. The net water transport coefficient profile along the flow channels is then determined by a control-volume analysis under various anode and cathode inlet relative humidity (RH) at 80°C and 2atm. It is found that the local current density is dominated by the membrane hydration and that the gas RH has a large effect on water transport through the membrane. Very small or negative water transport coefficients are obtained, indicating strong water back diffusion through the 30μm Gore-Select® membrane used in this study.

Objective To obtain the gene engineering modified bone marrow stromal cells(BMSCs) expressing the Neurturin(NTN) gene.Methods An adenoviral vector encoding NTN was constructed with the technique of molecular cloning.High titer viral particles of adenovirus vector with NTN were obtained after transfection HEK 293 cells by liposome mediated transfection.Primary BMSCs were infected with viral stock and identified by immunocytochemistry,NTN in supernatant was tested by Western Bolt.Results Recombined adenoviral vector with NTN was verified by restriction endonuclease digestion and DNA sequencing.The titer of recombinant adenoviral stock could be reached up to 1×10~(8.5) TCID_(50)/ml viral stock.Primary cultured BMSCs from rat infected with adenoviral stock were proved to be the gene engineering modified BMSCs expressing the gene of NTN.The percentage of positive cells was approximately 65% by the method of immunocytochemistry.Western Blot showed that the supernatant of BMSCs transfected with Ad-NTN expressed a specific band combined with NTN antibody.Conclusion The gene engineering modified BMSCs can express the gene of NTN recombinant with adenoviral vector.

To investigate the capability of Sprague-Dawley rat bone marrow stromal cells to secrete glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factors (GDNF), we detected expression of GDNF messenger RNA and protein in bone marrow stromal cells of Sprague-Dawley rats by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The GDNF messenger RNA and protein were detected in culture medium and total cell protein when bone marrow stromal cells were cultured for 3 days. The levels of GDNF in culture medium and total cell protein increased gradually after 3, 7 and 10 days of culture. Rat bone marrow stromal cells have the potential to secrete GDNF. Furthermore, the ability of secretion is determined by the surrounding microenvironment and self-growth status.

A silicon-based micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) for portable applications has been fabricated and its electrochemical characterization carried out. A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) was specially fabricated to mitigate methanol crossover. The cell with active area of 1.625cm2 demonstrated a maximum power density of 50mW∕cm2 at 60°C. Since the silicon wafer is too fragile to compress for sealing, and a thicker layer of gold has to be coated on the silicon wafer to reduce contact resistance, further development of micro DMFCs for high power application was carried out using stainless steel as bipolar plate in which flow channels were fabricated by photochemical etching technology. The maximum power density of the micro DMFC reaches 62.5mW∕cm2 at 40°C and 100mW∕cm2 at 60°C with atmospheric pressure. An 8-cell air-breathing DMFC stack has been developed. Mass transport phenomena such as water transport and oxygen transport were investigated. By using a water management technique, cathode flooding was avoided in our air-breathing DMFC stack. Furthermore, it was found that oxygen transport in the air-breathing cathode is still very efficient. The DMFC stack produced a maximum output power of 1.33W at 2.21V at room temperature, corresponding to a power density of 33.3mW∕cm2. A passive DMFC using pure methanol was demonstrated with steady-state output power of 20-25mW∕cm2 over more than 10h without heat management.

Intelligent software agent technology is used in plant automation based on distributed system (PABADIS) project to distribute MES functions throughput the automation system and ERP. Communications between PABADIS agents are based on method invocation. The client agent creates the proxy object of server agent and invokes service provided by server agent locally. As a reason that agent communication language is assumed to be able to best handle the inter-agent communication, we try to use agent communication language to implement communications between PABADIS agents. In order to comply with the finished part of project in which Grasshopper is used as agent developing platform, FIPA ACL is adopted. In this paper, we analyze the finished PABADIS communications, present some PABADIS special ACL messages, and implement some communications in FIPA ACL supported by Grasshopper.

Recent findings have suggested the involvement of protein phosphorylation in the regulation of the epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC). This study reports the in vitro phosphorylation of the COOH termini of ENaC subunits expressed as glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins. Channel subunits were specifically phosphorylated by kinase-enriched cytosolic fractions derived from rat colon. The phosphorylation observed was not mediated by the serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase sgk. For the gamma-subunit, phosphorylation occurred on a single, well-conserved threonine residue located in the immediate vicinity of the PY motif (T630). The analogous residue on beta(S620) was phosphorylated as well. The possible role of gammaT630 and betaS620 in channel function was studied in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Mutating these residues to alanine had no effect on the basal channel-mediated current. They do, however, inhibit the sgk-induced increase in channel activity but only in oocytes that were preincubated in low Na(+) and had a high basal Na(+) current. Thus mutating gammaT630 or betaS620 may limit the maximal channel activity achieved by a combination of sgk and low Na(+).

Pt, Pd, and Ph films of a few nanometers in thickness supported on glassy carbon (GC) and other substrates were prepared by electrochemical voltammetry. STM patterns illustrated that the prepared thin films are composed of crystallites of layer structure and exhibit a low surface roughness. Studies of in situ FTIR spectroscopy on chemisorption of CO and SCN- and formation of a polymer of o-phenylenediamine (POPD) on electrodes of nanometer thin films have been conducted to explore the abnormal infrared effects (AIREs), which consist of two main characteristics: (1) inversion of IR bands; (2) the enhancement of IR absorption of adsorbates. The results demonstrated that the AIREs depend mainly on the structure and the chemical nature of nanometer thin films. In all cases of chemisorption on thin films of platinum-group metals supported on GC or supported on polymer-covered GC, the direction of IR bands of adsorbates is inverted in comparison with the direction of IR bands of the same adsorbates on corresponding massive metal electrodes. The IR absorption of adsorbed CO species (COad) on nanometer thin films of Ph, Pt, and Pd supported on GC has been enhanced respectively by a factor of 11, 20, and 26. The fact that the IR absorption of adsorbed CO and SCN- has been enhanced but the IR absorption of POPD has not suggested that the IR absorption enhancement in AIREs is related to an effect of short;range domain of surface. The results in the present paper demonstrated also that the AIREs belong to a new phenomenon of IR reflection spectroscopy and relate to effects of material at the nanometer scale. The present study manifests remarkable advantages of AIREs for studying surface processes and may contribute considerably to fundamental studies of electrocatalysis and reflection spectroscopy.

CO adsorption on nanometer-thin layer of surface alloys of Pt-Ru and Pt-Pd prepared by electrochemical codeposition has been studied usingin situ FTIR spectroscopy. Abnormal infrared effects (AIREs) that consist of the enhancement of IR absorption by adsorbed CO on different surface sites and the inversion of IR band direction have been observed on the thin-layer prepared. The results also demonstrate the considerable significance of Pt-Ru and Pt-Pd surface alloys in electrocatalysis applications.

Electrocatalytic mechanism for the electrochemical oxidation of formaldehyde (HCHO) on the highly dispersed Au microparticles electrodeposited on the surface of the glass carbon (GC) electrode in the alkaline Na2CO3/NaHCO3 solution and the surface characteristics of the Au microparticle-modified glass carbon (Au/GC) electrode were studied with in situ FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the final products of HCHO oxidation is HCOO− at the Au/GC electrode and CO2 at the bulk Au electrode. The difference may be ascribed to the different surface characteristics between the Au/GC electrode and the bulk Au electrode.