Low-cost Chloride Research Articles

Synthesis and physical properties of pure NiO and Ni1–2xMgxMxO (M= Cu, Ru) nanoparticles: Role of growth temperature

Herein, low-cost chloride precursors, EDTA, and NaOH were employed through a facile coprecipitation synthesis route to prepare pure and codoped NiO nanoparticles: Ni1–2xMgxMxO, where M = Cu and Ru and x = 1, 4, and 8 at%. To examine the impact of reaction temperature on the thermal, structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of the prepared samples, the precursor aqueous solutions were heated at 60, 70, and 80 ºC. Data analysis revealed the strong dependence of all the studied properties on reaction temperature and codoping. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to evaluate the thermal stability of the prepared samples. The face-centered cubic (fcc) crystallization of NiO was maintained at all the applied temperatures and doping concentrations. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the good incorporation of Mg2+ and Cu2+ ions with the host Ni2+ ions in Ni1–2xMgxCuxO samples, while peaks of RuO2 appeared as an impurity phase in Ni1–2xMgxRuxO samples. Tiny spherical nanoparticles with a crystallite size of 6 nm were produced at 80 ºC and 8 at% (Mg, Ru) codoping. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed that the elemental compositions of the synthesized samples were in stoichiometric ratios. The UV-Vis spectra demonstrated a monotonic increase in band gap with reaction temperature and codoping. The estimated Herve-Vandamme refractive index (nHV), the high (ε∞) and the static (εo) dielectric constants showed a decreasing trend with increasing reaction temperature. Weak ferromagnetic behavior was observed for the pure NiO samples, while the codoped samples with x > 4% showed linear M-H curves. The coercivety (Hc) decreased with reaction temperature, implying single-domain magnetization and sizes below the critical one. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy (K) indicated the softness of the prepared samples.

Quasi-solid aqueous electrolytes for low-cost sustainable alkali metal batteries.

Aqueous electrolytes are highly important for batteries due to their sustainability, greenness, and low cost. However, the free water molecules react violently with alkali metals, rendering the high-capacity of alkali metal anodes unusable. Here, we confined water molecules in a carcerand-like network to build quasi-solid aqueous electrolytes (QAEs) with reduced water molecules' freedom and matched them with the low-cost chloride salts. The formed QAEs possess substantially different properties than liquid water molecules, including stable operation with alkali metal anodes without gas evolution. Specifically, the alkali metal anodes could directly cycle in a water-based environment with suppressed dendrites growth, electrode dissolution, and the polysulfide shuttle. The Li metal symmetric cells achieved long-term cycling over 7,000h (and over 5,000/4,000h for Na/K symmetric cells), and all Cu-based alkali metal cells exhibited a Coulombic efficiency of over 99%. Full metal batteries, such as Li||S batteries, attained high Coulombic efficiency, long life (over 4,000 cycles), and unprecedented energy density among water-based rechargeable batteries. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Effect of sublethal concentrations of insecticides associated with NaCl and KCl on feeding behavior and mortality of Euschistus heros and Diceraeus melacanthus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Stink bugs are important pests of highly profitable agricultural crops worldwide, and the use of insecticides remains the main strategy for their control. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the behavioral aspects of Euschistus heros and Diceraeus melacanthus through feeding after exposure to chloride solutions (NaCl and KCl), as well as the control efficacy of insecticides in combination with salt. Two bioassays were performed with stink bugs exposed to treated substrate: i) feeding preference by salivary sheath counting in a free choice test for chloride solutions, using bean pod or corn seedling as counting substrate for newly emerged E. heros and D. melacanthus adults, respectively; and ii) comparative efficiency of five synthetic insecticides associated with NaCl or KCl in the mortality of 4th instar nymphs (N4). Pre-determined sublethal (LC25) and median lethal (LC50) concentrations of commercially available insecticides (Lfn), buprofezin (Bpf), pyriproxyfen (Ppx), chlorantraniliprole (Ctn) and spinosad (Spn) were used. For each species and insecticide, the treatments were pure LC25, LC25 + NaCl 5% m/m, LC25 + KCl 5% m/m, pure LC50, and distilled water (dH2O) as the control. Corn seedlings treated with 5% NaCl saline solution had reduced salivary sheaths from D. melacanthus. Ctn LC25 (0.63 mL L-1) + 5% NaCl and pure Ctn LC50 (1.16 mL L-1) were similar and more efficient in terms of mortality of D. melacanthus N4s than any other treatment. The association of Spn LC25 (0.37 mL L-1) + 5% NaCl and Spn LC50 only (0.90 mL L-1) was similar to that of E. heros N4s compared to other treatments. The insecticide concentrations used in this study have potential for stink bug pest control, thus the association of insecticides with commercially available, easy-to-find, and low-cost chloride salts may represent a good strategy for stink bug control.

Screen-Printed Sensor for Low-Cost Chloride Analysis in Sweat for Rapid Diagnosis and Monitoring of Cystic Fibrosis.

Analysis of sweat chloride levels in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is essential not only for diagnosis but also for the monitoring of therapeutic responses to new drugs, such as cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators and potentiators. Using iontophoresis as the gold standard can cause complications like burns, is uncomfortable, and requires repetitive hospital visits, which can be particularly problematic during a pandemic, where distancing and hygiene requirements are increased; therefore, it is necessary to develop fast and simple measures for the diagnosis and monitoring of CF. A screen-printed, low-cost chloride sensor was developed to remotely monitor CF patients. Using potentiometric measurements, the performance of the sensor was tested. It showed good sensitivity and a detection limit of 2.7 × 10−5 mol/L, which covered more than the complete concentration range of interest for CF diagnosis. Due to its fast response of 30 s, it competes well with standard sensor systems. It also offers significantly reduced costs and can be used as a portable device. The analysis of real sweat samples from healthy subjects, as well as CF patients, demonstrates a proper distinction using the screen-printed sensor. This approach presents an attractive remote measurement alternative for fast, simple, and low-cost CF diagnosis and monitoring

Electrochemical studies on the corrosion resistance of Zn–Ni–Co coating from acid chloride bath

Anticorrosive deposits are a valuable approach to defending against corrosion from mild steel structures/machinery equipment. The Zn–Ni–Co coating has been deposited on low carbon steel surfaces using environment friendly optimized acidic chloride bath with ZnCl2·6H2O, NiCl2·6H2O, CoCl2·6H2O, sulphanilic acid (C6H7NO3S) and gelatin (C6H8O6). The standard Hull cell technique has been adopted for the optimization of bath components and experimental conditions, for the superior corrosion resistant coating. The corrosion test with potentiodynamic polarization method was performed to investigate the role of pH on the film quality and corrosion performances of the films. Further, the effect of current densities on corrosion resistance, thickness and hardness, have been investigated. Cyclic voltammetry technique has been used to test the electrochemical properties of the Zn–Ni–Co coating in acidic solutions. The results revealed that the increase in the current density favoured the increase in Ni and Co content in the deposit, showed higher corrosion resistance and higher cathodic current efficiency. The structural and morphological characteristics of the alloy coating have been obtained through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The atomic force microscope was used to examine the topographic structure of the coating. X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of alloy coatings and verified by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The results indicate that a new and low-cost chloride bath for Zn–Ni–Co coating exhibit superior corrosion resistance properties and can be implement in various industrial applications such as automobiles, machine tools etc.

REVIEW ON ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES OF HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS

This review concentrates deeply on the recent studies performed on the phase change materials (PCMs) in order to enhance their performance. Most of these enhancing techniques fall in the following areas of interest (i) Development of new PCMs with promising thermo-physical properties. The researches recommend some promising substances to be used as a PCM such as pure inorganic salts (low cost chlorides, nitrates and carbonates), salt eutectics (KNO3–LiNO3 and KNO3–NaNO3–LiNO3), liquid metals (Gallium), esters, nanofluids (Al2O3/water, CuO/water and alumina-water), and polyols (sugar alcohol like polyethelene glycol, erythritol and xylitol). (ii) Introducing of composite mixtures to exaggerate the benefits of used materials. Composites could be obtained by mixing PCMs like fatty acid esters with building materials like concrete pavements, cement or gypsum or with isolating materials like perlite to keep satisfying room temperature for long time. PCMs could be mixed or be used in cascaded configuration layered and ordered according to their melting temperature. Good conducting materials like graphite and aluminum were introduced to be mixed with PCMs to enhance the thermal conductivity of PCM. Stable materials like Diatomite and silica were introduced to enhance the stability of the PCM to retain its properties for a lot of melting/freezing cycles. Also, nano particles of TiO2, ZnO, CuO, and Silver-Titania, are added to generally enhance the PCM thermo-physical properties. (iii) Configuration of PCM container to achieve higher heat transfer rates by changing the aspect ratio or by adding fins. The studies focused on adding internal fins, external fins, and increasing the aspect ratio of the PCM vertical container to induce natural convection. Experiments advise to focus on increasing the number and height of fins more than focusing of fins thickness. (iv) Encapsulation technology of PCM to provide the largest heat transfer surface and avoid leakage when in liquid state as well as allowing larger surface area for heat transfer and protection in handling hazardous materials. It was observed that the core-to-coating ratio plays an important role in deciding the thermal and structural stability of the encapsulated PCM. An increased core-to-coating ratio results in a weak encapsulation, whereas, the amount of PCM and hence the heat storage capacity decreases with a decreased core-to-coating ratio. Among all the microencapsulation methods, the most common methods described in the literature for the production of microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) are interfacial polymerization, suspension polymerization, coacervation, emulsion polymerization, and spray drying.

Review on Enhancing Technologies of Heat Transfer through Phase Change Materials

This review concentrates deeply on the studies performed in the ongoing decade. Most recent researches on PCM focus on how to add enhancing techniques to exaggerate its performance. Most of these enhancing techniques fall in the following areas of interest (i) Study new PCMs with promising thermo-physical properties. The studies recommended some promising substances to be used as a PCM, these substances include pure inorganic salts (low cost chlorides, nitrates and carbonates), salt eutectics (KNO3–LiNO3 and KNO3–NaNO3–LiNO3), liquid metals (Gallium) and metallic eutectic alloys, esters, and nanofluids (Al2O3/water, CuO/water and alumina-water), and polyols (sugar alcohol like polyethelene glycol, erythritol and xylitol). (ii) Introducing composite mixtures to exaggerate the benefits of used materials. Composites could be by mixing PCMs like fatty acid esters with building materials like concrete pavements, cement or gypsum or with isolating materials like perlite to keep satisfying room temperature for long time. PCMs could be mixed or be used in cascaded configuration layered and ordered according to their melting temperature. Good conducting materials like graphite and aluminum were introduced to be mixed with PCMs to enhance the thermal conductivity of PCM. Stable materials like Diatomite and silica were introduced to enhance the stability of the PCM to retain its properties for a lot of melting/freezing cycles. Also, nano particles of TiO2, ZnO, CuO, and Silver-Titania, are added to generally enhance the PCM thermo-physical properties. (iii) Configuration of PCM container to achieve higher heat transfer rates by changing the aspect ratio or by adding fins. The studies focused on adding internal fins, external fins, and increasing the aspect ratio of the PCM vertical container to induce natural convection. Experiments advise to focus on increasing the number and height of fins more than focusing of fins thickness. (iv) Encapsulation technology of PCM to provide the largest heat transfer surface and avoid leakage when in liquid state state as well as allowing larger surface area for heat transfer and protection in handling hazardous materials. . It was observed that the core-to-coating ratio plays an important role in deciding the thermal and structural stability of the encapsulated PCM. An increased core-to-coating ratio results in a weak encapsulation, whereas, the amount of PCM and hence the heat storage capacity decreases with a decreased core-to-coating ratio. Among all the microencapsulation methods, the most common methods described in the literature for the production of microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) are interfacial polymerization, suspension polymerization coacervation, emulsion polymerization, and spray drying.

Citrate-based fluorescent materials for low-cost chloride sensing in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

Chloride is an essential electrolyte that maintains homeostasis within the body, where abnormal chloride levels in biological fluids may indicate various diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis. However, current analytical solutions for chloride detection fail to meet the clinical needs of both high performance and low material or labor costs, hindering translation into clinical settings. Here we present a new class of fluorescence chloride sensors derived from a facile citrate -based synthesis platform that utilize dynamic quenching mechanisms. Based on this low-cost platform, we demonstrate for the first time a selective sensing strategy that uses a single fluorophore to detect multiple halides simultaneously, promising both selectivity and automation to improve performance and reduce labor costs. We also demonstrate the clinical utility of citrate-based sensors as a new sweat chloride test method for the diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis by performing analytical validation with sweat controls and clinical validation with sweat from individuals with or without Cystic Fibrosis. Lastly, molecular modeling studies reveal the structural mechanism behind chloride sensing, serving to expand this class of fluorescence sensors with improved chloride sensitivities. Thus citrate-based fluorescent materials may enable low-cost, automated multi-analysis systems for simpler, yet accurate, point-of-care diagnostics that can be readily translated into clinical settings. More broadly, a wide range of medical, industrial, and environmental applications can be achieved with such a facile synthesis platform, demonstrated in our citrate-based biodegradable polymers with intrinsic fluorescence sensing.

A low-cost non-toxic post-growth activation step for CdTe solar cells.

Cadmium telluride, CdTe, is now firmly established as the basis for the market-leading thin-film solar-cell technology. With laboratory efficiencies approaching 20 per cent, the research and development targets for CdTe are to reduce the cost of power generation further to less than half a US dollar per watt (ref. 2) and to minimize the environmental impact. A central part of the manufacturing process involves doping the polycrystalline thin-film CdTe with CdCl2. This acts to form the photovoltaic junction at the CdTe/CdS interface and to passivate the grain boundaries, making it essential in achieving high device efficiencies. However, although such doping has been almost ubiquitous since the development of this processing route over 25 years ago, CdCl2 has two severe disadvantages; it is both expensive (about 30 cents per gram) and a water-soluble source of toxic cadmium ions, presenting a risk to both operators and the environment during manufacture. Here we demonstrate that solar cells prepared using MgCl2, which is non-toxic and costs less than a cent per gram, have efficiencies (around 13%) identical to those of a CdCl2-processed control group. They have similar hole densities in the active layer (9×10(14)cm(-3)) and comparable impurity profiles for Cl and O, these elements being important p-type dopants for CdTe thin films. Contrary to expectation, CdCl2-processed and MgCl2-processed solar cells contain similar concentrations of Mg; this is because of Mg out-diffusion from the soda-lime glass substrates and is not disadvantageous to device performance. However, treatment with other low-cost chlorides such as NaCl, KCl and MnCl2 leads to the introduction of electrically active impurities that do compromise device performance. Our results demonstrate that CdCl2 may simply be replaced directly with MgCl2 in the existing fabrication process, thus both minimizing the environmental risk and reducing the cost of CdTe solar-cell production.

Promoting H2 generation from the reaction of Mg nanoparticles and water using cations

H2 generation from the reaction between Mg nanoparticles and water can be significantly promoted by low cost chlorides. The promotion effect exhibits strong correlation with the OH(-) affinity of the corresponding cation. This interesting observation offers a simple and effective solution to portable H2 generation under mild conditions.

One-Step Synthesis of Mesoporous Hybrid Titania−Silica Xerogels for the Epoxidation of Alkenes

Highly active and selective titania−silica epoxidation catalysts modified by MeSiO1.5 and Me3SiO0.5 groups were obtained in one step by a nonhydrolytic sol−gel process using low-cost chloride precursors and routine evaporative drying.