Thermo Cycles Research Articles

2R-Cell{trade mark, serif}: Reliability of Anode Supported Thin Electrolyte Upon Multi Thermo and Redox Cycles

Because of their high power density in a wide range of temperature, anode supported thin film electrolytes are nowadays the mostly used cells in the SOFC area. Unfortunately, the latter suffer from an important problem that remained unsolved till today: they are totally destroyed when re-oxidation occurs in the anode chamber. This happens, for instance when fuel supply inappropriately stops. Cell peripheral re-oxidation is another well known figure where failures are initiated. In all cases, when re-oxidation starts, the stack quickly undergoes a fatal destruction and the SOFC system definitely falls down. Fiaxell Sàrl, a new company active in the SOFC area has developed a novel anode supported thin electrolyte, the 2R-Cell{trade mark, serif} that provides robustness and reliability upon multi thermo and redox-cycles. Such cells have now demonstrated for thousands of cumulated hours that they withstand full redox-cycles without any failure in the anode substrate neither in the thin electrolyte.

Bond durability in erbium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet laser-irradiated enamel

This study sought to evaluate the influence of thermocycling and water storage on the microtensile bond strength of composite resin bonded to erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG)-irradiated and bur-prepared enamel. Eighty bovine incisors were selected and sectioned. Specimens were ground to produce a flat enamel surface. Samples were randomly assigned according to cavity preparation device: (I) Er:YAG laser and (II) high-speed turbine, and were subsequently restored with composite resin. They were subdivided according to the duration of water storage (WS)/number of thermocycles (TCs): 24 h WS/no TCs; 7 days WS/500 TCs; 1 month WS/2,000 TCs; 6 months WS/12,000 TCs. The teeth were sectioned into 1.0 mm(2)-thick slabs and subjected to tensile stress in a universal testing machine. Data were submitted to two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test at a 0.05 significance level. The different periods of water storage and thermocycling did not influence the microtensile bond strength (microTBS) values in the Er:YAG laser-prepared groups. In bur-prepared enamel, the group submitted to 12,000 TCs/6 months' WS (IID) showed a significant decrease in bond strength values when compared to the group stored in water for 24 h and not submitted to thermocycling (IIA), but values were statistically similar to those obtained in all Er:YAG laser groups and in the bur- prepared groups degraded with 500 TCs/1 week WS (IIB) or 2,000 TCs/1 month WS (IIC). It may be concluded that adhesion of an etch-and-rinse adhesive to Er:YAG laser-irradiated enamel was not affected by the methods used to simulate degradation of the adhesive interface and was similar to adhesion in the bur-prepared groups in all periods of water storage and thermocycling.

Effects of photo and thermo cycles on flowering time in barley: a genetical phenomics approach

The effects of synchronous photo (16 h daylength) and thermo (2 °C daily fluctuation) cycles on flowering time were compared with constant light and temperature treatments using two barley mapping populations derived from the facultative cultivar ‘Dicktoo’. The ‘Dicktoo’בMorex’ (spring) population (DM) segregates for functional differences in alleles of candidate genes for VRN-H1, VRN-H3, PPD-H1, and PPD-H2. The first two loci are associated with the vernalization response and the latter two with photoperiod sensitivity. The ‘Dicktoo’בKompolti korai’ (winter) population (DK) has a known functional polymorphism only at VRN-H2, a locus associated with vernalization sensitivity. Flowering time in both populations was accelerated when there was no fluctuating factor in the environment and was delayed to the greatest extent with the application of synchronous photo and thermo cycles. Alleles at VRN-H1, VRN-H2, PPD-H1, and PPD-H2—and their interactions—were found to be significant determinants of the increase/decrease in days to flower. Under synchronous photo and thermo cycles, plants with the Dicktoo (recessive) VRN-H1 allele flowered significantly later than those with the Kompolti korai (recessive) or Morex (dominant) VRN-H1 alleles. The Dicktoo VRN-H1 allele, together with the late-flowering allele at PPD-H1 and PPD-H2, led to the greatest delay. The application of synchronous photo and thermo cycles changed the epistatic interaction between VRN-H2 and VRN-H1: plants with Dicktoo type VRN-H1 flowered late, regardless of the allele phase at VRN-H2. Our results are novel in demonstrating the large effects of minor variations in environmental signals on flowering time: for example, a 2 °C thermo cycle caused a delay in flowering time of 70 d as compared to a constant temperature.

Effects of atmospheric NO x on biocalcarenite coated with different conservation products

One of the most important factors of calcareous stone decay is the chemical attack caused by atmospheric pollutants dissolved in water, in particular acidic gases such as SO x , NO x and CO 2. The treatment of stone artefacts with hydrophobic products reduces the water uptake of the rock and is, therefore, considered a “protective treatment”. The aims of the present study were the observation of the effects of NO x on a biocalcarenite (Lecce stone) and the evaluation of the performance of protective products (Paraloid B72 and a fluoroelastomer) normally used in stone conservation. A system for the simulation of accelerated ageing has been assembled and the Lecce stone samples, treated with polymeric products, have been exposed to NO 2 (nearly 1 ppm) during thermo hygrometric cycles. The nitrite and nitrate salts formed on the specimens have been determined by ion chromatography. Both the polymeric products tested have given high hydrophobic properties to the stone, even if they do not assure satisfactory protection toward NO 2 exposure. Actually, their protective efficacy, or ability to reduce the acidic attack of NO 2, quickly decreases when the ageing period increases. Paraloid B72 seems more effective than fluoroelastomer because, on the samples treated with the latter, higher amounts of nitrites and nitrates have always been detected. In contrast, non-treated samples – used as reference – have shown a constant increase in the amount of nitrates and nitrites during ageing. However, the surface analyses of the stone samples, by environmental SEM and μ-laser profilometry, did not show any change in superficial morphology after the ageing, suggesting that NO 2 acts inside the pores.

Effect of surface treatment on the shear bond strength of three resin cements to a machinable feldspatic ceramic

The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of three resin cements to Vita Mark II ceramics under different pretreatments of the ceramic surface and to examine whether simplified pretreatment procedures would result in satisfying results compared to the state of the art. RelyX Unicem (RXU), Calibra (CAL), and Variolink II (VAR) were used as resin cements and bonded to machine milled feldspatic disks, pretreated in five different ways. (1) no pretreatment of the ceramic surface; (2) surface etched with hydrofluoric acid (HF); (3) ceramic surface silanized; (4) ceramic surface etched (HF) and silanized, (5) ceramic surface etched (HF), silanized, and covered with Heliobond. The shear bond strengths were measured initially, after 5000 and 10,000 thermocycles (TC). After 10,000 TC for CAL only procedure 5 resulted in a reliable adhesion median value of 10.7 MPa. VAR showed median values of 24.6, 17.2, and 18.1 MPa for pretreatments 5, 3, and 4, respectively. RXU performed 25.9, 22.0, and 11.0 MPa for procedures 5, 4, and 3, respectively. For procedure 2, RXU revealed the significantly highest value with 15.4 MPa (U-test, p = 0.05). Only RXU-luted specimens of procedure 1 survived the 10,000 thermocycles. The results revealed that a simplification of the ceramic pretreatment for VAR and RXU might be possible.

Adhesive stabilised and pure flip chips on various substrates under thermocycling

The paper presents numerical simulations and experimental investigations of flip chip modules having silicon, alumina ceramics, polyimide or polyester foil, or epoxy glass laminates as substrate material under thermo cycle test conditions. Some of the flip chip modules were stabilised additionally by filling the remaining gap between chip and substrate with an epoxy underfiller. The presented results concern the stress distribution in the joints as basis of their shape optimisation for the modules without underfiller as well as the evaluation of the metallographic cross-sections of the joints before and after the thermo cycles. Both, the simulations and the experiments, lead to the unambiguous result: The flip chip modules can be made reliable enough for industrial application in all cases with the help of the underfiller.