Nickel Mesh Research Articles

Direct Synthesis of cubic shaped Ag2S on Ni mesh as Binder-free Electrodes for Energy Storage Applications

A facile approach of chemical bath deposition was proposed to fabricate direct synthesis of silver sulphide (Ag2S) on nickel (Ni) mesh without involvement for binders for supercapacitor electrodes. The phase purity, structure, composition, morphology, microstructure of the as-fabricated Ag2S electrode was validated from its corresponding comprehensive characterization tools. The electrochemical characteristics of the Ag2S electrodes were evaluated by recording the electrochemical measurements such as cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge profile in a three electrode configuration system. Ag2S employed as working electrode demonstrates notable faradaic behaviour including high reversible specific capacitance value of 179 C/g at a constant charge/discharge current density of 1 A/g with high cyclic stability which is relatively good as compared with other sulphide based materials. The experimental results ensure fabricated binder-free Ag2S electrodes exhibits better electrochemical performance and suitable for potential electrodes in electrochemical energy storage applications.

Long-Term Operation and Post Analysis of a Stack with Methane Fuel

In the commercialization of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, the long-term stability and the use of hydrocarbon fuels are important. An 18-layer SOFC stack with anode-supported cells was first designed, assembled and operated in Huatsing Power Co., Ltd in China. After the basic performance test with H2, the stack was operated at 750 °C with a 14.53 L/min hydrocarbon fuel for nearly 800 hours. The voltage degradation rate was only 1.42%/kh. Post analysis was performed through SEM and EDS. Microstructures of Ni particles with different degree of carbon deposition at the fuel inlet were observed and discussed. A phenomenon of rainbow-shaped color distributions on the surfaces of anode and nickel mesh in every layer was found. This phenomenon was related to the oxidation of the upper part of the nickel contact layer. Due to the light interference taking place at the nickel-oxide-air interfaces, different thickness of oxide film led to different colors. Carbon deposition and oxide film of nickel contact layer with non-uniform thickness were the possible causes of degradation.

Development of highly efficient and scalable free-standing electrodes for the fabrication of hydrazine-O2 fuel cell

The electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine at the electrode surface offers great scientific and technological interests because of the more favorable energy and power densities compared to the PEMFCs. In the present work, we report an easy and scalable electrochemical deposition method for the preparation of highly efficient, noble metal-free hydrazine oxidation electrocatalysts for the fabrication of hydrazine-O2 fuel cell (HOFCs). For the electrode preparation, we have employed readily available environmental friendly metals (Co and Ni) which have shown better catalytic activity than the state-of-the-art catalysts in terms of onset potential (−0.22 V versus Hg/HgO) and current density. The employed, catalyst synthesis strategy has the capability to prepare the electrodes without employing any catalysts binder, using highly conductive nickel mesh support as a current collector.

Development and evaluation of a novel personal sampler for PM1 using rotating porous media

A rotating filtration device (RFD) that is filled with porous media is developed for sampling particulate matter with a diameter of 1 μm or less (PM1). An experiment is conducted on a test system using corn oil as a test aerosol. The RFD was evaluated using an aerodynamic particle sizer. The results yielded cutoff sizes of 1.68 μm and 1.04 μm at rotational speeds of 0 rpm and 9000 rpm, respectively, with foam with 80 pores per inch (ppi), a thickness of 80 mm, and a face velocity of 13.5 cm/s. When the foam was replaced with 94 ppi nickel mesh, the cutoff size decreased from 1.45 μm to 0.98 μm as the thickness increased from 17 to 68 mm. As the face velocity of the RFD increased from 13.5 to 108.3 cm/s, the cutoff size declined from 1.04 μm to 0.77 μm. Most of the changes in the cutoff sizes of the RFD were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The maximum pressure drops through the foam and the nickel mesh were 33.5 and 36.6 mm H2O, respectively. The experiment revealed that increasing the rotational speed and face velocity of the RFD, and the thickness and nominal size of the porous media reduced the penetration of oil aerosols.

Fabrication of 3D microporous amorphous metallic phosphides for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction

The design and prediction of composition and structure is critical for the development of robust and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts for water splitting. To enhance electrochemical catalytic activity of catalyst, a series of 3D microporous amorphous metallic phosphides, such as NiP, FeP, CoP, NiFeP, FeCoP, NiCoP and NiFeCoP, were electrodeposited on nickel mesh (dubbed NM) via hydrogen bubbles electroplating technique. The electrocatalytic performances of all as-prepared phosphides in alkaline solution for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) were investigated. The optimal 3D microporous NiFeCoP/NM electrode exhibits remarkable catalytic activity for HER and delivers a current density of 10 mA cm−2 only required an extremely low overpotential (33 mV) and a small Tafel slope (71.1 mV dec−1) in 1.0 M KOH solution. Meanwhile the NiFeCoP/NM electrode also shows outstanding strong durability and robustness in alkaline water electrolysis. Further, the NiFeCoP/NM electrode displays superior catalytic activity towards OER. In a two-electrode water electrolytic cell, the bi-functional NiFeCoP/NM electrodes could obtain current densities of 10 and 50 mA cm−2 at overall cell potentials of only 1.64 and 1.82 V, respectively. The remarkable electrocatalytic activities of the NiFeCoP/NM electrode both for HER and OER are attributed to the synergistic effect of tri-metal elements in metallic phosphide, amorphous phase structure, and the superlarge electrochemical surface area fabricated by the hydrogen bubbles electroplating.

Optimization of the Electrolyte Parameters and Components in Zinc Particle Fuel Cells

Zinc (Zn)-air fuel cells (ZAFC) are a widely-acknowledged type of metal air fuel cells, but optimization of several operational parameters and components will facilitate enhanced power performance. This research study has been focused on the investigation of ZAFC Zn particle fuel with flowing potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte. Parameters like optimum electrolyte concentration, temperature, and flow velocity were optimized. Moreover, ZAFC components like anode current collector and cathode conductor material were varied and the appropriate materials were designated. Power performance was analyzed in terms of open circuit voltage (OCV), power, and current density production and were used to justify the results of the study. The flow rate of the electrolyte was determined as 150 mL/min in the self-designed configuration. KOH electrolyte of 40 wt% concentration, at a temperature of 55 to 65 ℃, and with a flow velocity of 0.12 m/s was considered to be beneficial for the ZAFCs operated in this study. Nickel mesh with a surface area of 400 cm2 was chosen as anode current collector and copper plate was considered as cathode conductor material in the fuel cells designed and operated in this study. The power production of this study was better compared to some previously published works. Thus, effective enhancement and upgrading process of the ZAFCs will definitely provide great opportunities for their applications in the future.

Fabrication and characterization of Li-coated nickel mesh for anode of lithium-metal batteries

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for lithium rechargeable batteries owing to its high capacity. However, its practical use is not yet realized owing to safety issues. In this study, we fabricated a Li-coated Ni-mesh and tested it in a Li/Li symmetric and Li/Cu cell. The Ni-mesh is oxidized to make it lithiophilic prior to coating with lithium in a lithium melt. The Li-coated Ni-mesh electrode exhibits a significantly better cycling stability and lower interfacial resistance than those of a pristine lithium-foil electrode. We believe that the good cycling stability is attributed to the suppressed dendritic growth of lithium and fast electron transport along the Ni-mesh. The suppressed dendritic growth of lithium is closely related with the three-dimensional structure of the Li-coated Ni-mesh electrode which i) lower the current density owing to its large surface area, ii) and prevent electron localization at lithium dendrites and iii) the Li2O phase on Ni-mesh which raises transference number of Li+ (tLi+).

Novel electrocatalyst of nickel sulfide boron coating for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solution

Seeking cost-effective and highly active non-precious hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts is still strongly desired in water splitting. In this work, a low-cost and highly efficient HER electrocatalysts of amorphous Ni–S–B coating on nickel mesh is successfully synthesized by means of a simple current-density electrodeposition. The obtained Ni–S–B coating shows superior HER electrocatalytic activity as evidenced by low onset overpotential of 27 mV and 240 mV to drive 10 mA·cm−2 under alkaline conditions. Such high hydrogen evolution activity for Ni–S–B coating can be mainly attributed to the larger surface area (more exposed active sites), faster electron transport between electrode-catalyst-electrolyte interfaces, and nickel mesh substrate. Therefore, Ni–S–B coating can be applied as an efficient HER electrocatalyst to use in alkaline water electrolyzers.

Preparation and characterization of active and cost-effective nickel/platinum electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis

Designing active and cost-effective electrocatalysts is important in the field of energy economics, particularly for hydrogen production, which is at the core of many energy conversion technologies. This investigation reports on the preparation of nickel-based materials targeting electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in either alkali or physiological solutions. Nickel-based metallic nanoparticles were synthesized via the bromide anion exchange method, and their performance was compared with the performances of a homemade nickel mesh and a high-purity nickel foil. The Ni99Pt01/C electrocatalyst performed the best in terms of overpotential and generated current density, notably in physiological conditions. In addition, the homemade electroformed nickel mesh behaved as well as a commercial high-purity nickel foil in alkaline medium and even better in buffered solution at pH 7. Both materials are environmentally friendly and economically viable candidates for technologies that require large cathode materials, especially when hydrogen production in neutral electrolytes is sought.

Laser structured nickel-iron electrodes for oxygen evolution in alkaline water electrolysis

Abstract In the present work, the ultra-short pulse laser ablation method is applied to create novel surface alloys on NiFe electrodes for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline water electrolysis. The nickel-to-iron ratio in the alloy can be controlled with the ultra-short pulse laser ablation method by varying the thickness of electrochemically deposited iron layers onto the nickel mesh substrate. Besides the application of the additional catalyst, the laser treatment enhances the surface area and a defined micro- and submicrometer structure is created in a single step. The laser structured nickel-iron electrodes show a significantly lower overpotential of 249 mV than an electrochemically deposited Ni-NiFe alloy with 292 mV at 10 mA cm−2, 298 K and 32.5 wt% KOH for the OER, although some loss of iron over time could not be prevented.

Understanding the Role of Lithium Ions and Electron Transport in a Multi-Electrode System Designed for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

The formation and decomposition of the discharge products (Li2O2) during the charging and discharging processes in Li-oxygen batteries are the main reactions that drive this technology, initiated at a solid-liquid-gas phase boundary involving Li+, O2 and e- in the cathode compartment. However the mechanistic contribution of each of these component to the electrochemical reactions in a given cell remains unknown. In this study, we seek to understand the role of Li+ and e- at the phase boundary by developing a dual-cathode system containing a lithium conducting electrode(Li3N) and an electron conducting electrode(LiI) separated by nickel mesh. It was observed that, the LiI has the tendency to form reduced oxygens on the electrode surface via I-/I3 - redox couple, while Li-ions migrate to the electrode surface by the Li-ion conductive effect of the Li3N in the reactions leading to the discharge product formation. The discharge products on the Li3N electrode were found to be oxygen-rich, while those on the LiI electrode surface were found to be oxygen-deficient. Electrochemical analyses revealed that the cells could discharge up to a capacity of 3.74mAh/cm2 at a current density of 0.1mA/cm2 with an over potential of 0.59V upon charging. At the same current density the cells were able to discharge-charge up to 184 cycles at a cut-off capacity of 0.2mAh/cm2.

Low-pressure processing and microstructural evaluation of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum-nickel matrix composites

Continuous carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum-nickel matrix composites were manufactured by immersion of an interlayered layup design of aluminum foils, nickel mesh strips and nickel-coated carbon fibers in an aluminum melt at 900 °C for 15 s. Samples with and without fibers were compared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a strong bond at the matrix/reinforcement interface, indicated through no defects and no sign of debonding. Light microscopy (LM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Vickers microhardness tests indicated the presence of Ni2Al3 and NiAl intermetallic phases in the composite, with hardness of 970 ± 27 and 450 ± 23 HV respectively, in agreement with values on reactive diffusion reported in literature. Microstructural analysis of the interfacial region and image binarization suggested an achievable fiber content between 15% and 40% vol, as well as a potential interface improvement by further homogenization of the fiber distribution.

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on metal mesh in inverse diffusion biofuel flames

In this study, renewable biofuels (ethanol and n-butanol) were utilized to synthesize carbon nanotubes on substrate of inexpensive metal mesh (copper alloy and nickel) using inverse diffusion flame. The effects of metal mesh, synthesis time and flame temperature on growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated in details. The morphology and structure of CNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that there were no CNTs formed on nickel mesh. When the substrate was copper alloy mesh, the yield of CNTs increased from 2 min and reached maximum at about 15 min as the synthesis time increased. Under the condition of 15 min, CNTs synthesized in ethanol flame of 1023 K and in n-butanol flame of 1273 K had higher degree of graphitic structure. In addition, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with straight tube wall were synthesized in ethanol flame of 1023 K and 1273 K when the synthesis time was 15 min. For these experiments, CNTs with excellent quality could be synthesized effectively in ethanol flame with temperatures of 1023 K and 1273 K when the synthesis time was 15 min and the substrate was copper alloy mesh.

Electrodeposited nickel–iron–carbon–molybdenum film as efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting in alkaline solution

Designing and synthesizing of efficient and inexpensive bifunctional electrocatalysts for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is one of the current research topics. In this study, NiFeCMo film in nickel mesh substrate is prepared by one-step direct-current electrodeposition method. The obtained NiFeCMo film shows the excellent electrocatalytic activity, which only requires overpotentials of 254 mV for HER and 256 mV for OER to drive current density of 10 mA cm−2, with corresponding Tafel slopes of 163.9 and 60.3 mV·dec−1 in 30% KOH medium, respectively. Moreover, NiFeCMo film only needs a low cell voltage of 1.61 V to drive current density of 10 mA cm−2 in an alkaline electrolyzer. Such remarkably HER and OER properties of NiFeCMo alloy is attributed to the increased effective electrochemically active surface area and the synergy effect among Ni, Fe, C and Mo.

A 128-Pixel System-on-a-Chip for Real-Time Super-Resolution Terahertz Near-Field Imaging

This paper presents a fully integrated system-on-a-chip for real-time terahertz super-resolution near-field imaging. The chip consists of 128 sensing pixels with individual cross-bridged double 3-D split-ring resonators arranged in a 3.2 mm long $2\times 64$ 1-D array. It is implemented in 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ SiGe bipolar complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology and operated at around 550 GHz. All the functions, including sensor illumination, near-field sensing, and detection, are co-integrated with a readout integrated circuit for real-time image acquisition. The pixels exhibit a permittivity-based imaging contrast with a worst case estimated relative permittivity uncertainty of 0.33 and 10–12- $\mu \text{m}$ spatial resolution. The sensor illumination is provided with on-chip oscillators feeding four-way equal power divider networks to enable an effective pixel pitch of 25 $\mu \text{m}$ and a dense fill factor of 48% for the 1-D sensing area. The oscillators are equipped with electronic chopping to avoid $1/f$ -noise-related desensitization for the SiGe-heterojunction bipolar transistor power detectors integrated at each pixel. The chip features both an analog readout mode and a lock-in-amplifier-based digital readout mode. In the analog readout mode, the measured dynamic range (DR) is 63.8 dB for a 1-ms integration time at an external lock-in amplifier. The digital readout mode achieves a DR of 38.5 dB at 28 f/s. The chip consumes 37–104 mW of power and is packaged into a compact imaging module. This paper further demonstrates real-time acquisition of 2-D terahertz super-resolution images of a nickel mesh with 50- $\mu \text{m}$ feature size, as well as a biometric human fingerprint.

CO2 absorption in flat membrane microstructured contactors of different wettability using aqueous solution of NaOH

Abstract CO2 absorption in solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was performed in three membrane/mesh microstructured contactors: a single-channel polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane contactor, a nickel mesh contactor and an eight-channel PTFE membrane contactor. A membrane/mesh was used to achieve gas/liquid mass transfer without dispersion of one phase within the other. The PTFE membrane consisted of a pure PTFE layer 20 μm thick laminated onto a polypropylene (PP) layer of 80 μm thickness. The pure PTFE layer contained pores of ~0.5 to 5 μm diameter and was hydrophobic, while the PP layer consisted of rectangular openings of 0.8 mm×0.324 mm and was hydrophilic. The nickel mesh was 25 μm thick and contained pores of 25 μm diameter and was hydrophilic. Experiments were performed with a 2 m NaOH solution and an inlet feed of 20 vol % CO2/N2 gas mixture. Numerical simulations matched reasonably well the experimental data. CO2 removal efficiency increased by increasing the NaOH concentration, the gas residence time and the exchange area between gas and liquid. Higher removal of CO2 was achieved when the PP was in the gas side rather than in the liquid side, due to lower mass transfer resistance of the gas phase. For the same reason, CO2 removal efficiency was higher for the eight-channel PTFE contactor compared to the nickel mesh contactor. Average CO2 flux was higher for the eight-channel contactor (8×10−3 mol/min·cm2 with PP on the gas side) compared to the nickel mesh contactor (3×10−3 mol/min·cm2) for the same gas and liquid residence times. The eight-channel PTFE membrane contactor removed around 72% of CO2 in 1.2 s gas residence time, demonstrating the potential for CO2 absorption using flat membrane contactors.

Comparison of Human Erythrocyte Filterability with Trapping Rate Obtained by Nickel Mesh Filtration Technique: Two Independent Parameters of Erythrocyte Deformability

Comparison of Human Erythrocyte Filterability with Trapping Rate Obtained by Nickel Mesh Filtration Technique: Two Independent Parameters of Erythrocyte Deformability

Use of flexible intramedullary nailing in combination with an external fixator for a postoperative defect and pseudarthrosis of femur in a girl with osteogenesis imperfecta type VIII: a case report

Telescopic rodding has been developed in order to obtain long-lasting osteosynthesis in the growing long bones of children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The major and still unsolved drawback of any telescopic rod or nail design is a lack of rotational stability and, currently, no telescopic system allows immediate weight-bearing. When these problems are associated with insufficient longitudinal bone stability and diminished healing capacity, the result can be unfavourable causing secondary bone fragment displacement, delayed or non-union. This article presents a case report of operative treatment in a 9-year-old girl affected with OI type VIII complicated with postoperative defect and pseudarthrosis of the femur causing functional impairment with loss of walking ability. A combination of intramedullary flexible nailing and minimal external fixation was applied for treatment of femoral defect-pseudarthrosis in a girl of 9 years with OI type VIII. Intramedullary and extramedullary nails with wrapping of titanium nickel mesh subperiosteally provided osteosynthesis and deformity correction of the tibia of a small intramedullary canal diameter. Upright standing and walking with progressive weight-bearing was started 4 days after surgery. There were no septic or vascular complications nor complications related to Ilizarov fixator. Radiographs demonstrated bone union in the femur 46 days after surgery. At the follow-up visit 9 months after fixator removal, clinical alignment remained excellent without any relapse of deformity. Bone remodelling with restitution of medullary canal was noted on lower limb radiographs. The patient was able to stand and walk without pain with an aide or walker. At the follow-up visit 17 months after fixator removal, there was no decrease in achieved functional abilities and the treatment outcome remained satisfactory. Use of an external fixator with intramedullary nailing for treatment of postoperative pseudarthrosis in patient with severe OI (recessive form of OI, type VIII) provides longitudinal, rotational and angular stability. Furthermore, this approach ensured early functional activity and walking with full weight-bearing, both favourable conditions for bone tissue regeneration. The external fixator was applied for a short period and only for additional stability and not for progressive deformity correction or other manipulation. In addition, the combination of intramedullary and extramedullary nailing and subperiosteal titanium nickel mesh seems to be promising for osteosynthesis in the deformity correction of bones with small diameter in children with OI.

Effect of local cell reaction at cathode on the performance of nickel metal-hydride battery

It has been widely known that nickel metal-hydride battery would degrade the capacity after shallow charge-discharge cycles. Whereas the formation of γ-NiOOH has been reported to degrade the capacity, its formation mechanism has not been clarified yet. We thought that local cell reaction between the cathode active material (β-NiOOH) and current collector (CC) results in the formation of γ-NiOOH to degrade the capacity. In the present study, we employed three types of CCs, i.e. gold, platinum and nickel meshes, to compare the phase change and capacity loss in terms of the local cell reaction. Only for nickel mesh CC, additional XRD peak around 13° in 2θ occurs accompanied by capacity degradation during charge-discharge cycles, while such phenomena do not for other CCs. This local cell reaction reduces β-NiOOH to transform into a γ-derivative which degrades the battery performance.

Boosting power density of microfluidic biofuel cell with porous three-dimensional graphene@nickel foam as flow-through anode

Microfluidic microbial fuel cells (μMFC) combine the microfluidic technology and bio-catalysts anchored at the electrode, representing an emerging bio-power generator. However, a major challenge towards further development is their low bio-catalysts loading on the electrodes. Previous researches have revealed the bio-electrode structure and nutrient-feeding type play a significant role in the power generation of μMFC. In this study, we fabricate a membrane-free μMFC with a piece of graphene-decorated nickel mesh as bio-anode, which is fed in a flow-through manner. The scanning electron microscopy and pore-distribution variation analysis show the mixed bacteria grow densely on the surface of the electrode. Benefited from the enriched bacterial colonization and sufficient nutrient supply, the μMFC produces a remarkably high areal power density of 1.11 W m−2 at a current density of 2.15 A m−2. These values are substantially higher than those of conventional two-dimensional electrodes and flow-over architectures measured under the same condition.