Oxygen Diffusion Coefficient Research Articles

Preparation and characterization of nanocomposites based on natural rubber/chlorobutyl rubber/graphene nanoparticle: Effect of feeding sequences, mixer type and nanoparticle concentration

AbstractBlends of natural rubber (NR)/chlorobutyl rubber (CIIR) (50/50), along with their nanocomposites containing varying amounts of graphene nanoparticles (GNPs) with and without silane, were prepared using different feeding sequences and mixers. The results indicated that when GNP was first mixed with NR before adding CIIR, the highest GNP content was found in NR; the oxygen permeability and diffusion coefficient decreased significantly by 37% and 55%, respectively. Conversely, when graphene was initially added to CIIR, it was distributed in both rubbers and at the interface, enhancing phase interaction and achieving a finer morphology. This sample exhibited the greatest improvement in mechanical properties due to specific localization of GNP and increased crosslink density. Using an internal mixer instead of a two‐roll mill improved graphene dispersion, reduced curing time, and enhanced mechanical properties. Although the presence of silane reduced graphene dispersion, it improved mechanical and barrier properties due to increased crosslink density. Oxygen permeability was reduced by up to 36% at 3 phr of GNP content with silane. This research proves that the mixing order and the type of mixing equipment are crucial in determining the final performance of rubber composites, as they significantly influence the dispersion and localization of fillers.Highlights NR/CIIR/GNP nanocomposites were prepared by different methods and evaluated. Adding NR/GNP to CIIR led to more presence of GNP in NR and lower permeability. By adding CIIR/GNP to NR, GNP were placed more at interface, modulus improved. Mixing in an internal mixer improved GNP dispersion compared to a two‐roll mill. Silane improved mechanical and barrier properties of NR/CIIR/GNP nanocomposite.

Characterization of Oxygen Diffusion and Catalytic Behavior of Composite Materials in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using the Non-destructive Adler-Lane-Steele Method

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are technologically interesting because they provide high-efficiency energy conversion via an electrochemical reaction within the cells. To bring SOFC to market, researchers must develop highly electroactive, low-cost devices that are chemically stable in both high (800 – 1000 °C) and low (600 – 800 °C) temperatures, as well as optimize oxygen reduction in electrodes. The electrochemical performance of SOFC is highly dependent on the catalytic activity (or catalyst behaviours) of the electrode materials involved in the oxygen reduction reaction due to the slower oxygen reduction kinetics at lower temperatures. Understanding the fundamental properties of oxygen self-diffusion in solid-state ionic systems is critical for developing nextgeneration electrolyte and electrode material compositions and microstructures that enable SOFCs to operate at lower temperatures more effectively, durably, and affordably. To date, the most common method for evaluating electrocatalytic performance is electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which causes sample damage due to its set-up procedure. As a result, modelling approaches have been used to better understand the reaction mechanism, oxygen diffusion coefficient, and kinetics of SOFC electrode reactions, including the mixed ionic electronic conductor (MIEC)-based electrode. Several models have recently been developed to represent the reaction mechanisms of SOFCs, with Adler-Lane-Steele (ASL) mathematical theory believed to be suitable for predicting oxygen gas diffusion through the pores of the MIEC-based materials. Hence, the aim of this paper is to validate the area-specific resistance of composite electrodes using the ASL modeling technique rather than the standard EIS analysis. The findings are significant in contributing to the development of a new non-destructive method for analyzing the catalytic behavior of SOFC components.

New insights into microalgal photobiological hydrogen production: Potential role of aggregation forms in modulating the hydrogenase activity and metabolic properties of microalgae during hydrogen production

Photobiological hydrogen production of microalgae is highly influenced by environmental conditions, and the appropriate microalgal aggregation form is conducive to microalgae overcome environmental limitations and increase their hydrogen production capacity. In this study, the effects of three aggregation methods including self-flocculation, biofilm attachment, and gel immobilization on the photobiological hydrogen production of both prokaryotic Synechocystis sp. and eukaryotic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were investigated. The results indicated that microalgal aggregates formed via gel immobilization exhibited superior physicochemical properties such as porosity, integrity, and oxygen diffusion coefficients, creating favorable conditions for enhanced hydrogenase activity. Upon gel-immobilization, hydrogen production of Synechocystis sp. and C. reinhardtii exhibited an increase of 1.89 and 2.02-folds, respectively, compared with suspended microalgae. Concurrently, hydrogenase activities increased to 2.07 and 32.9 H2/(mg chlorophyll·h), respectively. The gel-immobilized aggregate form prompted the microalgae to maintain a relatively high photosynthetic activity, with the electron transfer rate reaching more than 1.58 folds of the control. Notably, three aggregated forms also accelerated oxygen consumption, and intracellular organic matter degradation, thereby optimizing electron utilization by microalgal hydrogenase. Furthermore, aggregation up-regulated hydrogenase gene expression in both species, particularly in gel-immobilized groups (2.34- and 4.14-folds increase compared with the control for Synechocystis sp. and C. reinhardtii, respectively). Subsequently, significantly upregulated gene expression related to oxidative phosphorylation and antioxidant systems was observed in C. reinhardtii aggregates, correlating with its relatively higher increase in hydrogen production compared with Synechocystis sp. aggregates. This study elucidated the mechanism by which aggregation strengthens microalgal hydrogen production and offers insights crucial for its industrialization.

Temperature-Dependent Oxidation Behavior of Silicon Carbide Surface: Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The high-temperature oxidation mechanism of silicon carbide (SiC) is crucial for designing thermal protection systems in aircraft. This study explored the oxidative chemical reaction processes and mechanism on SiC surface and interfaces within the temperature range of 300-2300 K by using reactive molecular dynamics simulation. The oxygen impact on the silica (SiOx) growth of the SiC surface was analyzed, which shows a progressive increase of silica thickness. The simulation results indicated that the oxidation process of SiC was a typical passive oxidation mechanism. With the environmental temperature rising and oxygen impact, the increase of oxidation thickness on the SiC surface undergoes three oxidizing reaction processes: little chemical adsorption of oxygen molecules on the initial surface, rapid oxidation of silicon and carbon, and dramatic oxidation of the interface between the oxidation layer and SiC. Additionally, this work studied the mechanism of oxidation thickness growth and chemical diffusion of oxygen. The oxidation rate is weakened according to the oxygen atom diffusion barrier effect of silica repulsion. Moreover, the kinetic parameters were statistically calculated by fitting the growth of Si-O bonds and their reaction rate constants. Subsequently, the activation energy and pre-exponential factors were derived by using the Arrhenius equation to model the chemical reaction kinetics of the thermal oxidation process. The chemical reaction behaviors of the two stages could be concluded as follows: (i) in stage I, the initial oxidation is reaction rate limiting; (ii) in stage II, SiC oxidation is limited by both the oxidation reaction rate and the oxygen diffusion coefficient of the oxidation layer. The activation energy of stage II increased compared with stage I due to the oxygen atoms diffusion barrier between the oxidation layers. This study on the oxidation and ablation mechanism of the SiC surface at the atomic scale would provide insight into understanding thermal oxidation behavior and the design of ceramic materials.

Understanding of Water Transport through Membrane Electrode Assembly in PEFC

In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), water generation, electroosmosis drag, and back diffusion change the humidity, which affects transport properties such as proton conductivity, effective oxygen diffusion coefficient, and permeance of the feed gas through a membrane. Since the sorption and desorption of water in the electrolyte membrane is slower than other processes such as the oxygen reduction reaction, the proton transport, and the oxygen diffusion, dynamic water behavior should be considered to estimate the cell performance precisely. In this study, the water permeation flux through a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was measured, and the effective water diffusion coefficients in a membrane and catalyst layer (CL) were formulated as a function of temperature and the moisture content respectively. Dynamic moisture content change in MEA was simulated with the measured effective diffusion coefficients. The experimental results showed that desorption was slower than sorption in the identical moisture content range particularly at the beginning, and this tendency was successfully reproduced using the moisture content distribution obtained by numerical simulation.

Effect of doping with iron and cations deficiency in the high conductive electrolyte La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3–δ on oxygen exchange kinetics

The oxygen isotope exchange method was used to investigate the kinetics of the interaction between gaseous oxygen and LaGaO3-based oxides in a temperature range of 650 to 850 °C, with an oxygen pressure of 10 mbar. The stable isotopes of 18O/16O were used as labelled ions. The temperature dependencies of the heterogeneous oxygen exchange rate (rH), the oxygen dissociative adsorption rate (ra), the oxygen incorporation rate (ri), and the oxygen diffusion coefficient (D) were determined. A comparative analysis of the rH and D values for La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3–δ was carried out with a view to identifying any similarities or differences when compared with the literature data on oxides with similar compositions. The effect of FeGa′ doping and the creation of an A-sublattice deficiency on the kinetic characteristics were investigated using the (La0.8Sr0.2)0.98Ga0.7Fe0.1Mg0.2O3–δ oxide as a case example. Correlations between the rate-determining step of oxygen exchange and the modification of the oxide composition were identified.

Insight into the mechanisms and in-plane reaction heterogeneity of the dynamic response of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The voltage undershoot is one of the main dynamic problems of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) under dynamic loadings. However, its mechanisms remain poorly understood due to its complex and coupled influencing factors. Besides, PEMFCs with a large active area are more prone to local dynamic failures for their pronounced in-plane (I-P) heterogeneity, while few studies have focused on the I-P heterogeneity of the dynamic response of large-area fuel cells. In this work, the mechanisms and the I-P heterogeneity of the voltage undershoot of a 320 cm2 PEMFC are thoroughly studied based on an in-situ monitoring method and a voltage loss decoupling method. Results show that the voltage overshoot is primarily driven by the ohmic loss (OL) overshoot and the concentration polarization (CP) overshoot. Results also prove that the OL overshoot is mainly caused by the instantaneous water shortage in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) which depends on the initial water content in the PEM. Besides, the CP overshoot is due to the instantaneous reactant shortage at the catalyst, and it is much sensitive to the change in the oxygen diffusion coefficient of the ionomer caused by the change in its water content. Meanwhile, both OL overshoot and CP overshoot demonstrate significant I-P heterogeneities under poor dynamic operating conditions, especially in cases of high load step and low inlet air humidity. Finally, the influences of operating conditions on the voltage undershoot and its I-P heterogeneity are discussed, and suggestions for improving the dynamic performance of PEMFCs are proposed.

Molecular dynamics study of cross‐linking degrees effect on the aging resistance of epoxy asphalt: Insights from oxygen diffusion

AbstractTo interpret the diffusion behavior of oxygen in epoxy asphalt with different cross‐linking degrees, epoxy asphalt‐oxygen diffusion layer models were constructed. The effect of temperature on oxygen diffusion and the number of oxygen molecules penetrating the epoxy asphalt was quantitatively analyzed. Fick's second law was used to determine the oxygen diffusion coefficient. The Mean square displacement (MSD) was extracted to analyze the effect of cross‐linking degree on the molecular motion of the base asphalt. The results show that as the cross‐linking degree increases, the number of oxygen in the epoxy asphalt decreases, accompanied by a reduction in the oxygen diffusion coefficient. Temperature significantly affects the rate of oxygen diffusion, with higher temperatures leading to greater diffusion depths over the same simulation time. The oxygen diffusion coefficient of epoxy asphalt ranges from 4.60 × 10−11 to 2.20 × 10−10 m2/s at temperatures of 298–373 K. The epoxy system markedly restricts the movement of base asphalt molecules, with saturate being most affected by cross‐linking degree and asphaltene the least. A high cross‐linking network impedes the asphalt‐oxygen contact oxidation, enhancing epoxy asphalt's anti‐aging capacity. These findings provide support for optimizing epoxy asphalt formulations and guiding the development of anti‐oxidant epoxy asphalt.

The investigation of piezoelectric features of lead-free barium titanate ceramic materials at different initial temperatures in the tetragonal phase using molecular dynamics simulation

This study used molecular dynamics simulation to investigate how temperature changes the piezoelectric properties of crystal barium titanate in its tetragonal form. Consistent with the results, the oxygen diffusion coefficient in the simulated sample increased to 0.35 Å2/ns (expansion mode) and 0.56 Å2/ns (contraction mode) by increasing the temperature from 300 to 400 K. Moreover, the piezoelectric coefficient of samples decreased from 267.22 to 162.56 in an expansion mode and from 189.96 to 145.21 in a contraction mode by increasing temperature. On the other hand, increasing the temperature decreased saturation polarization (from 0.372 to 0.290 C/m2), coercivity field (from 0.259 to 0.155 MV/m), and residual polarization (from 0.154 to 0.084). This decrease may be due to approaching the critical temperature and changing the structure from tetragonal to cubic. Finally, the results show that the dielectric coefficients were found by raising the temperatures to 400 K (expansion mode) and getting 73, 70, 68, and 64. For the contraction mode, they were 70, 66, 55, and 63.

Oxygen diffusion coefficients in ferroelectric hafnium zirconium oxide thin films

Oxygen diffusion coefficients in the metastable ferroelectric phase of polycrystalline hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) thin films have been quantified using 18O tracers and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. 11.5 nm thick HZO films containing 16O were deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition followed by post-metallization annealing to crystallize into the ferroelectric phase. A 1.2 nm thick HZO layer containing 18O was then deposited using thermal atomic layer deposition with H218O as a reactant. Thermal anneals were conducted at 300, 350, and 400 °C and the ferroelectric phase confirmed after the anneals by x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and electrical property measurements. 18O depth profiles were measured and fit with a thin film diffusion equation to determine the oxygen diffusion coefficients. Oxygen diffusion coefficients ranged from approximately 2 × 10−18 cm2/s at 300 °C to 5 × 10−17 cm2/s at 400 °C with an activation energy of 1.02 ± 0.24 eV.

Oxygen diffusion coefficient in the γ phase of a TiAl GE alloy determined by SIMS

First reliable experimental oxygen diffusion coefficient data have been obtained in a Ti48.3Al47.7Cr1.9Nb2.1 near-γ GE alloy through secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling measurements of 18O isotopes between 500 °C and 700 °C. The following expression of diffusion coefficient D has thus been derived: D(m2/s)=10−10.6±1∙exp(−107±10kJ.mol−1/RT). These data have been compared with theoretical calculations from literature, showing reasonable agreement concerning the activation energy, but significant discrepancy regarding the D values.

Oxygen Sensor-Guided Fine Needle Biopsy Studies of Human Cancer Xenografts in Mice.

An oxygen sensor-mounted fine-needle biopsy tool was used for in vivo measurement of oxygen levels in tumor xenografts. The system provides a means of measuring the oxygen content in harvested tumor tissue from specific locations. Oxygen in human tumor xenografts in a murine model was observed for over 1 min. Tissues were mapped in relation to oxygen tension (pO2) readings and sampled for conventional cytological examination. Careful modeling of the pO2 readings over 60 seconds yielded a diffusion coefficient for oxygen at the sensor tip, providing additional diagnostic information about the tissue before sampling. Oxygen level measurement may provide a useful adjunct to the use of biomarkers in tumor diagnosis.

A novel naturally aspirated cathode for efficient electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide and wastewater purification in electro-Fenton systems

Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has developed rapidly in recent years as an alternative process to the anthraquinone method. However, the low H2O2 production and high energy consumption limit its further application. In this study, we propose a simple method to fabricate a naturally aspirated cathode (NAC), which significantly reduces the mass transfer resistance of oxygen and achieves a high oxygen diffusion coefficient (7.11 × 10-6 m2 s−1) and oxygen utilization efficiency (39.6 %). Additionally, the NAC provides a high density of reaction sites to achieve efficient production of H2O2 (0–84.33 mg h−1 cm−2) at near industrial current densities (0–240 mA cm−2) without external aeration. Meanwhile, the prepared NAC can degrade over 97.5 % of dyes within 10 min during the electro-Fenton process. The NAC exhibits excellent H2O2 production performance and great stability during long-term operation, which offers huge potential for industrial-scale electrochemical H2O2 production and the advanced oxidation processes (AOP) derived from it.

Optimising Ion Conductivity in NdBaInO4-Based Phases

Based on the previous work conducted by Fujii et al., NdBaInO4 compounds present modest oxide-ion conductivities. Therefore, it has been an attractive system of significant interest. In this study, we attempted to partially substitute Ca for Nd and the total electrical conductivity was successfully improved due to the generation of oxygen vacancies. The synthesis, crystal structure, density, surface topography, and electrical properties of NdBaInO4 and Ca-doped NdBaInO4 have been studied, respectively. NdBaInO4 and 10% and 20% molar fractions of Ca-doped NdBaInO4 were synthesized through solid-state reactions. The crystal structure of them was obtained from Le Bail refinement of the XRD pattern, giving the result of the monoclinic structure, which belongs to P21/c space group. The highest total electrical conductivity of 4.91 × 10−3 S cm−1 was obtained in the Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 sample at a temperature of 760 °C in the dry atmosphere and the activation energy was reduced from 0.68 eV to 0.58 eV when the temperature was above 464 °C (737 K) after doping the NdBaInO4 with a 0.1 molar fraction of Ca2+. Moreover, the total conductivity of Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 in the wet atmosphere at moderate temperature was relatively higher than that in the dry atmosphere, which suggests that potential proton conduction may exist in wet atmospheres. In addition, the oxygen diffusion coefficients of Nd0.9Ca0.1BaInO3.95 (D* = 1.82 × 10−8 cm2/s, 850 °C) was about two times higher than that of Nd0.8Ca0.2BaInO3.90 (D* = 7.95 × 10−9 cm2/s, 850 °C) and was increased significantly by two orders of magnitude when compared with the oxygen diffusion coefficient of the undoped NdBaInO4 (D* = 8.25 × 10−11 cm2/s, 850 °C).

Towards atomistic modelling of solid Pb-O formation and dissolution in liquid lead coolant: Interatomic potential development

Microscopic description of solid Pb-O formation and dissolution in liquid lead coolant is important for the modelling of fast neutron reactors. For this purpose, in this work we develop interatomic potential models for lead melt with dissolved oxygen. Potentials fitting is based on ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations and quantum molecular dynamics. Two different potential models are trained on the DFT data using the force-matching method: a computationally cheap embedded atom method (EAM) potential and a computationally expensive machine-learned moment tensor potential (MTP) that allows reproducing DFT data very accurately. The potentials are further validated to reproduce the properties of lead melt and the coordination of oxygen atoms in molten lead. The diffusion coefficient for oxygen in molten lead is calculated and compared with the available experimental data. We analyse how these interatomic potential models describe the crystal structure of the solid lead oxide to consider PbO nucleation and dissolution in molten lead. We extensively discuss the arising problems with the description of long-range electrostatic interactions. The possibility of matching the experimental data on the oxygen solubility limit by tuning the EAM potential is shown.

Enhancing the Proton Exchange Membrane in Tubular Air-Cathode Microbial Fuel Cells through a Hydrophobic Polymer Coating on a Hydrogel.

The usage time of air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is significantly influenced by the moisture content within the proton exchange membrane (PEM). Therefore, enhancing the water retention capability of the PEM by applying a hydrophobic polymer coating to its surface has extended the PEM's usage time by three times and increased MFCs' operational duration by 66%. Moreover, the hydrophobic nature of the polymer coating reduces contamination on the PEM and prevents anode liquid from permeating into the air cathode. Towards the end of MFC operation, the internal resistance of the MFC is reduced by 45%. The polymer coating effectively maintained the oxygen reduction reaction activity in the cathode. The polymer coating's ability to restrict oxygen transmembrane diffusion is demonstrated by experimental data showing a significant decrease in oxygen diffusion coefficient due to its presence. The degradation efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand from 16% to 35% increased by a factor of one.

In-plane oxygen diffusion measurements in polymer films using time-resolved imaging of programmable luminescent tags

Oxygen diffusion properties in thin polymer films are key parameters in industrial applications from food packaging, over medical encapsulation to organic semiconductor devices and have been continuously investigated in recent decades. The established methods have in common that they require complex pressure-sensitive setups or vacuum technology and usually do not come without surface effects. In contrast, this work provides a low-cost, precise and reliable method to determine the oxygen diffusion coefficient D in bulk polymer films based on tracking the phosphorescent pattern of a programmable luminescent tag over time. Our method exploits two-dimensional image analysis of oxygen-quenched organic room-temperature phosphors in a host polymer with high spatial accuracy. It avoids interface effects and accounts for the photoconsumption of oxygen. As a role model, the diffusion coefficients of polystyrene glasses with molecular weights between 13k and 350k g/mol are determined to be in the range of (0.8–1.5) × 10–7 cm2/s, which is in good agreement with previously reported values. We finally demonstrate the reduction of the oxygen diffusion coefficient in polystyrene by one quarter upon annealing above its glass transition temperature.

Modifying gas transfer membranes with nanoscale zero-valent iron: effects on membrane material properties, treatment performance, and biofilm thickness.

Excessive membrane biofilm growth on membrane fibers depends on various factors, with membrane properties playing a pivotal role in influencing microbial affinity for the membrane. To investigate the antibacterial impact of nano-sized zero-valent iron (nZVI) on membrane biofilm structure, pristine (polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)) only: HF-0 (PVDF:20/nZVI:0 w/w) and four gas transfer membranes (PVDF:nZVI at different concentrations: HF-1 (PVDF:20/nZVI:0.25 w/w), HF-2 (PVDF:20/nZVI:0.50 w/w), HF-3 (PVDF:20/nZVI:0.75 w/w), HF-4 (PVDF:20/nZVI:1.0 w/w)) were produced. These membranes were assessed for surface morphology, porosity, gas permeability, and biofilm thickness, which ultimately affect biochemical reaction rates in membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs). Various MBfRs utilizing these gas transfer membranes were operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) and oxygen pressures to assess chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and nitrification performance. Incorporating nZVI into the PVDF polymer solution increased surface hydrophilicity and porosity but reduced Young's Modulus and oxygen diffusion coefficients. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) analysis revealed an average biofilm thickness of 700 μm in HF-0, HF-1, and HF-3, with a 100 μm decrease in HF-2, even though Escherichia coli growth was observed in HF-3 fibers. Regardless of nZVI dosage, a significant decline in COD removal and nitrification rates occurred at low HRTs and gas pressures.

Conserving existing road pavements against aging: A new assessment method and evaluation of different techniques

Asphalt pavement is an important type of transport asset. Driven by traffic loading and aging-induced material deterioration, asphalt pavements are in bad condition in many places. Severely degraded pavements are often demolished and sometimes recycled. Alternatively, preventive maintenance can be applied to conserve the asphalt pavements. This would result in savings on costs, energy, resources and help mitigate negative environmental impacts. However, effective methods to evaluate the anti-aging performance of the preventative maintenance techniques are currently lacking. This study evaluated the feasibility of using the oxygen diffusion coefficient (Ds) of asphalt mixtures to quantitatively assess the oxygen-retarding efficiency of preventive maintenance techniques by examining the relationship between Ds and aging in surface-treated asphalt mixtures. Ds is found to be a very useful indicator to quantitatively represent the anti-aging performance of the preventive maintenance techniques. It is recommended to be used in future asphalt pavement conservation practices.

Effects of exposition to glycol ethers on heart rate recovery, parasympathetic modulation and oxygen diffusion at rest and during exercise

Introduction Daily exposition to ether glycols is common. Caretakers using cleaning products are critically exposed by combining physical activity with exposition to highly concentrated products. Previous animal studies showed hemato-, respiratory and autonomic nervous system toxicity amongst others. Yet, no controlled study explored the combination of an exposition to glycol ethers with physical activity in humans. Methods 30 young healthy participants were exposed a control condition (ambient air) and to one of three vaporized glycol ethers: propylene glycol n-propyl ether (PGPE, 25 ppm, n = 10) or propylene glycol ethyl ether (PGEE, 35 ppm, n = 10) or propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME, 35 ppm, n = 10) in a single-blind cross-over design. They performed an orthostatic test (5-min supine, 5-min standing) and a 6-min steady-state exercise at 1.5 W/kg followed by 10-min recovery in PGPE/PGEE conditions. In addition, an incremental exercise to exhaustion followed in PGME condition. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured throughout the protocol, Heart rate recovery (HRR) was assessed during the 10-min recovery post steady-state exercise. Root-mean-square of the successive differences (RMSSD), power spectrum of the low- (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands, tau, amplitude and T30 were computed for HRR. Near Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and cardiac output (using thoracic impedance) were measured for PGME exposition. PO2, PCO2 and pH were measured regularly via arterialized and venous blood sampling. Results Resting values of supine LF (1,180 ± 851 vs. 2,993 ± 2,259 ms2) and standing RMSSD (32 ± 17 vs. 41 ± 17 ms) increased under PGEE. Supine and standing HR decreased under PGPE (65.5 ± 4.8 vs. 61.3 ± 6.9 and 83.8 ± 7.0 vs. 76.1 ± 10.0 bpm) whereas standing RMSSD (26.6 ± 10.0 vs. 37.0 ± 14.9 ms) and LF (825 ± 474 vs. 2,028 ± 1,471 ms2) increased. Parasympathetic reactivation (e.g., RMSSD, LF and HF) was increased post-exercise under exposition to all three glycol ethers. In addition, amplitude significantly increased when exposed to PGEE. However, unexpectedly, HRR was neither slowed nor speeded. Finally, no differences were observed in any NIRS variables or cardiac output. Accordingly, the modelled muscle oxygen diffusion coefficient was not modified between any solvent conditions. Arterialized blood pH (7.35 ± .06 vs. 7.39 ± .04) and PaCO2 (34.1 ± 5.0 vs. 35.7 ± 4.3 mmHg) increased whilst PaO2 (81.8 ± 9.7 vs. 77.9 ± 10.6 mmHg) decreased. Discussion/Conclusion: The decrease in supine/standing HR associated with a general increase in HRV during recovery likely indicate an increase in parasympathetic modulation, which is compatible with the sedative effects of glycol ethers previously described in animal models. However, HR recovery was not altered. Despite no change in the O2 diffusion coefficient, there was an increase in PaCO2, a decrease in PaO2 and an increase in blood pH, all indicative of potential impaired blood oxygenation during exercise, to be further investigated. To conclude, exposition to different glycol ethers induced an enhanced parasympathetic activation without any changes in HR recovery or O2 diffusion.