The Effect of Nano-Morphology Modification Using an Amphiphilic Polymer on the Proton Conductivity of Composite Membrane for a Polymer Membrane-Based Fuel Cell.

The effect of morphology modification using an amphiphilic polymer on the proton conductivity of composite membrane for a polymer membrane-based fuel cell was investigated. The proton conductivity of each composite membrane was analyzed by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The morphological change was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the composite membrane, the proton conductive component was sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (sPEEK), while the nonconductive component was poly(vinylidenedifluoride) and the amphiphilic polymer as a compatibilizer was urethane acrylate non-ionomer (UAN). UAN as a compatibilizer improved the interfacial stability between sPEEK and PVdF polymers, even though two polymers were apparently immiscible. The homogeneous distribution of sPEEK and PVdF domains in the composite membrane was obtained with the introduction of UAN due to the amphiphilicity. Therefore, it was found that the proton conductivity of the composite membrane increased with the incorporation of UAN as a compatibilizer.

Effects of TiO2 structures in dye-sensitized solar cell.

In this work, the effects of crystalline structure of the TiO2, which is incorporated in fabrication of the n-type electrode, on the DSSC performance were investigated in terms of the energy conversion efficiency. In this effort, TiO2 nanoparticle pastes with varying contents of rutile and anatase structures were prepared by using the ethanol mixing method. The most efficient photo-electro-chemical performance was achieved for the DSSC fabricated with the TiO2 paste in which the anatase form of the nanocrystal extends to 90%.

Bactericidal effect of TiO2 on the selected Vibrio parahaemolyticus and optimization using response surface methodology.

In this work, the bactericidal effect of TiO2 on selected typical food pathogenic bacteria, Vibrio parahaemolyticus was studied. V parahaemolyticus is an important pathogen of humans and aqua-cultured animals. We established the response surface methodology (Box-Behnken Design) to investigate the effect of principal parameters on the cell sterilization such as TiO2 concentration, UV illumination time, temperature, and pH. The sterilization rate reached maximum value at the TiO2 concentration of 1.0 mg/ml. During irradiation under the time of 30 min with UV light with the 1g-TiO2/l, the sterilization rate was greater than 85%, and 99% or more cell lost their viability with 3 hours of irradiation. Sterilization rate of the cell increased with decrease in the pH and temperature.