Glycerol-based Electrolyte Research Articles

PSV-13 Evaluation of Hydrafit Pre-Slaughter on Finishing Beef Steer: Dressing Percentage, Hot Carcass Weight, and Cold Carcass Weight

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to determine if electrolyte application (glycerol-based electrolyte solution containing potassium chloride, acetic acid, magnesium hydroxide, sodium propionate, and sodium chloride; 5.10% potassium, 1.00% sodium, and 0.87% magnesium; HydraFit—Micronutrients USA LLC, Indianapolis IN) before shipping for harvest increased cold carcass weight in beef steers. Steers (n = 40; 20 steers per treatment; BW = 659 ± 72.9 kg) were weighed 40 h before harvest, blocked by BW (n = 4 BW blocks), and assigned to one of two treatments: no HydraFit (Con) or HydraFit (HF) added to the water at 4% vol/vol (4 pens/treatment, 8 pens total). Feed and water access was not restricted nor was a shrink percentage applied to any BW measures. Thirty-six hours before harvest a 378 L water tank was filled with water from the same source the steers had been consuming since arrival. Water and feed were introduced at 36 h before harvest. Final BW was captured immediately before shipping (12 h prior to harvest). Cattle were transported 98 km to a commercial abattoir. Cattle were held in lairage with ad libitum access to water before harvest the following morning. Water intake pre-shipment was determined after the cattle were removed from the pens and transported to slaughter. Water volume was estimated by measuring water depth remaining in the tank. Depth measurements were calibrated to water volume by metering (DM-P; Assured Automation, Roselle, NJ; ± 1.0%) 0.64 cm of water into each tank and recording the liters of water metered. Hot carcass weight was determined at the time of slaughter and cold carcass data was determined after a 48-hour chill. One steer from Con was condemned at the abattoir for reasons unrelated to treatment, consequently, the contribution of this steer to the pen mean was deleted. Providing HF in the drinking water for approximately 22 hours before shipping for harvest tended to increase final body weight (P = 0.08) by 1% but had no effect (P ≥ 0.88) on hot or cold carcass weight. In conclusion, providing a glycerol-based electrolyte solution to finished beef cattle for approximately 22 hours before shipping for harvest tended to improve final body weight.

Synthesis of TiO2 Nanotubes and Photodiode Performance

In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes were produced by anodization method using glycerol-based electrolyte. Structural characterization was investigated with SEM images and XRD pattern. The rectifying properties of n-type semiconductor TiO2 nanotubes were investigated. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements of the Pt/TiO2 nanotubes/Ti device were made at room temperature, in the dark and under different illumination conditions. The basic diode parameters were calculated by using thermionic emission (TE), Cheung and Norde functions from the I-V measurements of the devices in dark conditions. The ideality factors and barrier height of the Pt/TiO2 nanotubes/Ti device were calculated 1.25 and 0.91 eV, respectively by the TE method. According to the results obtained, the Pt/TiO2 nanotubes contact has a rectifying feature. In addition, the photovoltaic properties of the devices were examined by making I-V measurements at illumination intensities between 30 and 100 mW/cm2. As a result, it has been evaluated that the device can also be used as a photodiode.

Enhancing the performance of TiO2 nanotube-based hydrogen sensors through crystal structure and metal electrode

In this research, the effect of metal electrodes and crystalline phase on gas detection of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube-based hydrogen (H2) sensors was investigated. TiO2 nanotubes were produced using glycerol-based electrolyte and annealed at 300 °C and 700 °C to change the anatase and rutile crystalline phases, respectively. TiO2 nanotubes were coated by platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au) and silver (Ag) electrodes to fabricate metal/TiO2 nanotubes Ti H2 sensor devices and then the current-voltage (I–V) characteristics were investigated at room temperature. The structural properties of TiO2 nanotubes were characterized by SEM, FE-SEM, XRD, and Raman techniques. The H2 detection properties of the sensors were examined at the 1000 ppm - 5% H2 concentration range. The crystal structure and metal electrodes are the main factors that affect the H2 sensing properties of TiO2 nanotube-based sensors. The effect of crystal forms on sensitivity was not the same as for metal electrodes. The underlying sensing mechanisms for different types of metal electrodes and crystal structures are discussed and the relevance of their sensing performance to nanotubes and electronic properties is investigated. In addition, discussion of each metal electrode and crystal structure will make important contributions to the development of H2 sensors. The Pd-coated device annealed at 700 °C showed the best detection performance.

Hydrogen-bonds reconstructing electrolyte enabling low-temperature aluminum-air batteries

Aqueous aluminum-air batteries are promising candidates for the next generation of energy storage/conversion systems with high safety and low cost. However, the inevitable hydrogen evolution reaction on the metal aluminum anode and the freeze of aqueous electrolytes hinder the practical application of aluminum-air batteries at both room temperatures and subzero temperatures. Herein, we report a hydrogen-bonds reconstructing electrolyte strategy to boost aluminum-air batteries through the dipole of glycerol molecule, thus suppressing the self-corrosion of aluminum anode and lowering down the freezing point of electrolyte. This glycerol-based electrolyte endows a flow aluminum-air full battery with an outstanding specific capacity of 1886 mAh g−1 and a low operating temperature of −60 °C. This finding provides a synthetic design strategy to mitigate metal corrosion and expand the application range of temperature adaptation of aqueous batteries.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Polyethylene Microplastics and Disinfection of E. coli in Water over Fe- and Ag-Modified TiO2 Nanotubes

In this study, Fe- and Ag-modified TiO2 nanotubes were synthesized via an anodization method as photocatalysts for degradation of polyethylene microplastics and disinfection of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The anodization voltage, as well as the Fe3+ or Ag+ concentrations on TiO2 nanotubes were evaluated and correlated to their corresponding photocatalytic properties. TiO2 nanotubes were firstly synthesized by anodization of Ti plates in a glycerol-based electrolyte, followed by incorporation of either Fe or Ag via a Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method with Fe(NO3)3 and AgNO3 as Fe and Ag precursors, respectively. UV-Vis DRS shows that the addition of Fe or Ag on TiO2 nanotubes causes a redshift in the absorption spectra. The X-ray diffractograms indicate that, in the case of Fe-modified samples, Fe3+ was successfully incorporated into TiO2 lattice, while Ag scatters around the surface of the tubes as Ag and Ag2O nanoparticles. A microplastic degradation test was carried out for 90 mins inside a photoreactor with UVC illumination. TiO2 nanotubes that are anodized with a voltage of 30 V exhibit the best degradation results with 17.33% microplastic weight loss in 90 mins. Among the modified TiO2 nanotubes, 0.03 M Ag-TiO2 was the only one that surpassed the unmodified TiO2 in terms of microplastic degradation in the water, offering up to 18% microplastic weight loss in 90 min. In terms of E. coli disinfection, 0.03M Ag-TiO2 exhibit better performance than its unmodified counterpart, revealing 99.999% bactericidal activities in 10 mins. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Long-term investigation of unsealed DSSCs with glycerol-based electrolytes of different compositions

<abstract> <p>Long-term stability belongs to the main problems of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), impeding their practical application. Especially the usually fluid electrolyte tends to evaporation, thus drying the cells if they are not perfectly sealed. While gelling the electrolyte with different polymers often reduces the efficiency, using a glycerol-based electrolyte was already shown to result in similar or even improved efficiency. At the same time, drying of the cells was significantly reduced. Here we report on improving glycerol-based electrolytes further by varying the iodine-triiodide ratio and the overall concentration in the electrolyte. Long-term tests with unsealed glass-based DSSCs were performed over more than 1 year, showing that most of the cells increased efficiency during this time, opposite to cells with a commercial solvent-based iodine-triiodide electrolyte which completely dried after 2–3 months.</p> </abstract>

Self-Organized Anodic Oxides on Titanium Alloys Prepared from Glycol- and Glycerol-Based Electrolytes.

The anodization of commercially pure Ti alloy (99.5 wt %) and two biomedical titanium alloys, Ti6Al7Nb and Ti6Al4V, was performed, and the resulting anodic oxides were studied. The biomedical alloys were made by Laser Engineered Net Shaping. The glycol-based and glycerol-based electrolytes with 0.3 M ammonium fluoride and 2 wt % of deionized water content were tested. It was found that electrolyte type as well as the chemical composition of the base substrate affected the final morphology and chemical composition of the anodic oxide formed. A higher current density, ionic mobility, and oxide growth rate were obtained in glycol-based electrolyte as compared to those obtained in glycerol-based electrolyte for all tested alloys. A self-organized nanotubular and nanoporous morphology of the anodic oxide in both types of electrolyte was obtained. In each electrolyte, the alloy susceptibility to oxidation increased in the following order: Ti6Al4V < Ti 99.5% < Ti6Al7Nb, which can be correlated to the oxidation susceptibility of the base titanium alloy. It was observed that the more impurities/alloying elements in the substrate, the lower the pore diameters of anodic oxide. There was a higher observed incorporation of electrolyte species into the anodic oxide matrix in the glycerol-based electrolyte compared with that in glycol-based electrolyte.

Electrochemically Reduced Titania Nanotube Synthesized from Glycerol-Based Electrolyte as Supercapacitor Electrode

In this paper the synthesis of self-organized Titania nanotubes (TNTs) by a facile potentiostatic anodization in a glycerol-based electrolyte is reported. The optimized TNTs were subsequently reduced through a cathodic reduction process to enhance its capacitive performance. FESEM and XRD were used to characterize the morphology and crystal structure of the synthesized samples. XPS analysis confirmed the reduction of Ti4+ to Ti3+ ions in the reduced Titania nanotubes (R-TNTs). The tube diameter and separation between the tubes were greatly influenced by the applied voltage. TNTs synthesized at voltage of 30 V for 60 min exhibited 86 nm and 1.1 µm of tube diameter and length, respectively and showed high specific capacitance of 0.33 mF cm−2 at current density of 0.02 mA cm−2. After reduction at 5 V for 30 s, the specific capacitance increased by about seven times (2.28 mF cm−2) at 0.5 mA cm−2 and recorded about 86% capacitance retention after 1000 continuous cycling at 0.2 mA cm−2, as compared to TNTs, retained about 61% at 0.01 mA cm−2. The charge transfer resistance drastically reduced from 6.2 Ω for TNTs to 0.55 Ω for R-TNTs, indicating an improvement in the transfer of electrons and ions across the electrode–electrolyte interface.

Micro and Nanostructure Surface and Interface Characterization of Anodized Zr in Two Different Electrolytes

The present work reports on the morphologies and properties of anodized Zr in two different electrolytes. The Zr phosphates (?-ZP) obtained in the inorganic electrolyte containing H3PO4+NaF and zirconia (ZrO2) nanostructures formed in the organic glycerol-based electrolytewere investigated by SEM, FT-IR and AFM. The surface analysis was completed by contact angles measurements. It was found that the type of electrolyte along with the applied voltage influence the structure of the sample and being more precise, the anodic oxidation in H3PO4 electrolyte promotes the evolution of flaky structures and eventually of pores by increasing the applied voltage, while the anodizing performed in glycerol-based electrolyte results in the formation of nanoporous structures that evolve into nanotubes as the applied voltage grows. Based on experimental data a film forming mechanism for ?-ZP and ZrO2 was proposed and correlated to analyzed surface properties.

A novel route to the formation of 3D nanoflower-like hierarchical iron oxide nanostructure

The present work reports the formation of 3D nanoflower-like morphology of iron alkoxide via the anodization of Fe sheet in ethylene glycol (EG) electrolyte. XRD, FESEM, EDX, XPS, Raman and FTIR are applied to characterize the samples. SEM results show that the as-anodized sample is composed of 3D nanoflowers with hierarchical nanosheets beneath it. The average width of the nanoflower petal is ∼25 nm and the length is about 1 μm. The 3D nanoflowers are transformed into spherical nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform size when calcined at elevated temperature. XRD and Raman results indicate that the 3D nanoflowers consist of akaganeite, which transforms into magnetite and hematite by annealing. XPS and FTIR results confirm that the nanoflowers contain significant amounts of F, C and OH, which are drastically decreased after annealing. The formation of 3D nanoflower-like morphology can be attributed to EG. A possible formation mechanism of 3D nanoflowers and their transformation into NPs is proposed. We showed that the morphology of the as-anodized iron oxide can be tailored simply by changing the electrolyte. The anodization of Fe sheet in glycerol-based electrolyte under identical conditions produced nanotubes.

Effects of anodizing potential and temperature on the growth of anodic TiO2 and its photoelectrochemical properties

Although nanoporous/nanotubular anodic TiO2 has been broadly investigated, there is still much to be learned about the fabrication, morphological characterization and applications of anodic TiO2 formed in the glycerol-based electrolyte. Nanoporous anodic titanium oxide (ATO) layers on Ti were prepared via a three-step anodization in a glycerol solution containing NH4F (0.38wt%) and H2O (1.79wt%). The effects of anodizing potential (30–70V) and temperature (10–40°C) on the growth and morphology of ATO layers were investigated in detail. The structural and morphological characterizations of received ATO layers were performed for the studied potentials and temperatures. Moreover, photoelectrochemical properties of formed TiO2 were studied as well. It has been shown, that the morphology of fabricated nanoporous ATO layers are strongly altered by anodizing temperature and potential. Particularly, an interesting finding is that the growth rate gradually increases up to 50V independently of anodizing temperature and then decreases when anodizing potential increases to 70V. Moreover, for all investigated anodizing temperatures, the structural features of ATO layers, such as the cell size, inner layer pore diameter, outer layer pore diameter, increase with increasing anodizing potential. The annealing of ATO samples synthesized at 20°C revealed that the anatase grain size increases with increasing anodizing potential. It is noteworthy to mention that the highest photoconversion efficiency values were observed for samples synthesized at the anodizing temperature of 20°C and 40V.

Cladding layer on well-defined double-wall TiO2 nanotubes.

Highly ordered double-wall TiO2 nanotube arrays were obtained by a two-step anodization method in a fluoride-containing glycerol based electrolyte. The low water and fluoride content and high viscosity of the electrolyte support a partly undissolved fluoride-rich layer, and its hydrolyzed products remain on the tube walls. The double-wall structure and a cladding layer originating from the fluoride-rich layer were clearly observed after annealing. The morphology and crystal structure of the cladding layer were investigated. The study of the cladding layer gives a fundamental insight into the wall structure design of the anodic TiO2 nanotubes in the glycerol-based electrolyte.

Electrochemical growth of porous titanium dioxide in a glycerol-based electrolyte at different temperatures

Anodic TiO2 layers on Ti were prepared via a three-step anodization in glycerol containing NH4F (0.38 wt%) and H2O (1.79 wt%) at the constant anodizing potential of 40V and temperatures ranging from 10 to 40°C. It was confirmed that TiO2 growth is thermally activated and transport of oxygen species across the titanium dioxide layer at the pore bottoms is a rate-limiting step of anodization. The morphological characterizations of received anodic layers were performed for all studied temperatures. The structural features of anodic TiO2 such as pore diameter, cell diameter, porosity, pore density and pore circularity were investigated for various anodizing temperatures. It was found that the oxide thickness, pore diameter, cell diameter and porosity of formed TiO2 layers increase gradually with increasing temperature. The pore density and their arrangement analyses showed that the nanoporous anodic titania layer with the lowest density of pores and best pore arrangement was synthesized at 20°C. In addition, photoelectrochemical properties of formed TiO2 layers were investigated as well.

Effect of the previous usage of electrolyte on growth of anodic titanium dioxide (ATO) in a glycerol-based electrolyte

Nanoporous anodic titanium dioxide (ATO) layers were formed via a three-step anodization process in glycerol-based electrolyte containing 0.38wt.% NH4F and 1.79wt.% H2O. The effects of applied potential (10–70V), duration of the third step of anodization (15, 30 and 60min) and the previous usage of the electrolyte on formation of ATO layers were examined at the anodizing temperature of 40°C. It was found that at 10V in both the fresh and used electrolytes, the porous layers are observed for short anodizing times and the compact oxide layers were formed when the time was extended to 60min. On the other hand, the uneven oxide layers were obtained at 70V. The structure and surface morphology analyses showed that for the fresh electrolyte the pore diameter increases with increasing anodizing potential and time. However, for the used electrolyte the pore diameter increases with potential and decreases or remains constant with time. The latter one is attributed to the enhanced precipitation of hydrous titanium dioxide on the ATO surface. The precipitation of hydrous titanium dioxide is also confirmed by oxide thickness analyses performed for the fresh and used electrolytes. The current density-time plots showed that usage of the previously used electrolyte leads to retardation of the oxide formation as a result of partial depletion of the fluoride ions from the electrolyte. These results were confirmed by measurements of the electrolyte conductance. The calculated efficiency of the anodization process, based on the thickness of the oxide layers, are significantly higher for the fresh electrolyte than for the used one.

Synthesis of ZrO2 nanotubes in inorganic and organic electrolytes by anodic oxidation of zirconium

Present work reports on the results of the electrochemical growth of self-ordered zirconia nanotubes formed in aqueous Na2SO4 + HF and nonaqueous electrolytes with glycerol addition. Anodization process was carried out in this inorganic water-based mixture with constant pH = 2.5 and in the voltage range from 5 to 60 V. Similar experiments were repeated in an organic glycerol-based electrolyte with the voltage equal to 20 V and with variable glycerol concentration. All experiments were conducted at constant room temperature. The tube diameter dependence on the voltage of anodization process in an inorganic electrolyte was derived. It was found that when glycerol addition to water electrolyte was used, it takes more time to produce long zirconia nanotubes. However, they do not collapse as the similar structure of the same length formed in aqueous electrolyte.

Ni-doped TiO 2 nanotube arrays on shape memory alloy

Self-organized Ni–Ti–O nanotube arrays were fabricated through a direct anodization of NiTi shape memory alloy in glycerol-based electrolyte. The growth of Ni-doped TiO 2 nanotube arrays was mainly affected by anodization voltage and temperature. Higher anodization voltage facilitated the growth of uniform nanotube arrays. Large-area open-ended Ni–Ti–O nanotube arrays could form on the surface of the shape memory alloy under a higher anodization temperature. The oxide nanotubes had a gradually changed composition along the growth direction of the nanotube and presented a thermal stability up to 400 °C. The nanotubular oxide demonstrated a much better hydrophilic behavior than that of the traditional oxide layer grown on NiTi substrate through air oxidization. The successful fabrication of Ni-doped TiO 2 nanotube arrays here makes it feasible to further explore excellent physical and chemical as well as biomedical properties of the nanotube-modified surfaces of the NiTi shape memory alloy.

TiO 2 nanotubes from stirred glycerol/NH 4F electrolyte: Roughness, wetting behavior and adhesion for implant applications

Titanium oxide (TiO 2) was anodically formed on titanium from non-aqueous electrolyte containing glycerol and 0.5 wt.% ammonium fluoride (NH 4F). Oxidation was carried out for 30, 60, 120 and 240 min at potentiostatic 30 V with the bath being stirred using magnetic pellet. All the conditions produced amorphous nanotubes. They had an average diameter of 50–130 nm and length in the range of 1.2–1.9 μm. The porosity was in the range of 70–80%. Stirring of the glycerol-based electrolyte has proved to be advantageous in retaining the tubular structure and providing smooth tubes even at 30 V condition. The coatings had surface roughness Ra lower than 0.5 μm, water wetting angles in the range of 58–84°. Increasing pore diameters increased the water wetting angles. All the coatings invariably showed poor tensile pull-off adhesion strengths. This poor adhesion is attributed to the stirring of the electrolyte.

Anodised Titania Nanotubes Prepared in a Glycerol/NaF Electrolyte

This paper discusses the preparation of titania nanotubes by anodisation of Ti in a glycerol-based electrolyte containing 0.5% wt of sodium fluoride (NaF). The influence of anodisation voltage and anodisation time on nanotube wall thickness, diameter and length has been investigated. The results indicate that nanotubes can be formed within a voltage range 10-40 V and that the tubular structure is lost when using a higher voltage. The diameter of the nanotubes is voltage dependent, with the widest tubes being obtained at the highest possible applied voltage of 40 V. An initial voltage ramp which increases at 100 mV/s to the anodisation voltage, rather than an instantaneous step, was observed to stabilise the metal-oxide interface. This enabled the growth of anodic films up to 5.5 microm in length by anodising for approximately 48 h. In the absence of a voltage ramp the films tended to collapse and become detached from the titanium electrode after 15-20 h. Electron microscopy observation suggests that the nanotubes in glycerol develop in a similar way to those produced in water-based media. The nanotubes formed using glycerol also exhibit ripples along the tube wall, although, growing at a slower rate, they are generally smoother than those formed in water.

TiO 2-nanotube-based dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated by an efficient anodic oxidation for high surface area

Nanostructured semiconducting metal-oxides and particularly one-dimensional nanotube devices offer enhanced energy conversion efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To absorb a sufficient light, the thickness and surface area of TiO 2 photoelectrode are important. We focus on the preparation of transparent TiO 2 nanotube photoelectrode grown perpendicularly on a conductive glass substrate. For growing nanotube array using anodization method, deposition of high-quality titanium is needed. We could obtain relatively longer 680-nm-thick TiO 2 nanotube arrays in glycerol-based electrolyte than those of others result (⩽360 nm). After crystallization, the nanotube arrays were treated with TiCl 4 to enhance the photogenerated current and then integrated into the DSSC structure using a N3 ruthenium-based dye. The DSSC using TiCl 4-treated TiO 2 nanotube exhibited a conversion efficiency of 0.31% under 100 mV/cm 2 (AM 1.5) illumination.