Direct alkaline alcohol fuel cells (DAAFCs) have attracted increasing interest over the past decade because of their favourable reaction kinetics in alkaline media, higher energy densities achievable and the easy handling of the liquid fuels. In this review, principles and mechanisms of DAAFCs in alcohol oxidation and oxygen reduction are discussed. Despite the high energy densities available d...

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of incrementally added uncured HEMA in experimental HEMA-added glass ionomer cement (HAGICs) on the mechanical and shear bond strength (SBS) of these materials. Increasing contents of uncured HEMA (10-50 wt.%) were added to a commercial glass ionomer cement liquid (Fuji II, GC, Japan), and the compressive and diametral tensile strengths o...

NWA 2737, a Martian meteorite from the Chassignite subclass, contains minute amounts (0.010 ± 0.005 vol%) of metal-saturated Fe-Ni sulfides. These latter bear evidence of the strong shock effects documented by abundant Fe nanoparticles and planar defects in Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737 olivine. A Ni-poor troilite (Fe ⁄S = 1.0 ± 0.01), sometimes Cr-bearing (up to 1 wt%), coexists with micrometer-...

To develop a new surface treatment agent which improves the bond strength of adhesive resin to both non-precious and precious metals, experimental treatment agents containing both an adhesive bonding promoter for precious metals and one for non-precious metals were prepared by dissolving epithioalkyl methacrylate (EP3MA or EP8MA) and 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) in acetone...

Countries vary greatly with respect to total expenditure as well as the fraction of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) they invest in science (Jaffe et al., 2013). Poor countries spend very little because government revenues are small and scientific research tends to be seen as a luxury in comparison with education, health care, infrastructure development, debt repayment and even military spending. S...

A major impediment to the commercialization of fuel cell technology is the low activity of platinum electrocatalyst used for oxygen reduction. Pt has been alloyed with transition metals like Ni, Co etc, which show higher activity, compared to pure Pt. However, Pt remains, an expensive metal of low abundance, and hence, finding a non-noble-metal alternative is of interest. The overall objective ...

The development of materials which contain the noble metals for use in high temperature strain gauges is reviewed, with particular emphasis being placed upon work done by the Institute of Precious Metals, in China. Three alloy systems displaying excellent resistance to oxidation and good overall properties when used in high temperature straingauges, are singled out for examination. These are pl...