Modification of Carbon Black with Hydrogen Peroxide for High Performance Anode Catalyst of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

In this study, high-surface-area carbon black is used to support PtRu. In order to increase the functional groups on the surface of carbon black and to have a more homogenous dispersed PtRu metal, the surface of carbon black is functionalized by H₂O₂. PtRu/carbon black is synthesized by the deposition–precipitation method. NaH₂PO₂ is used as the reducing agent in preparation. These catalysts are characterized by N₂ sorption, temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The methanol oxidation ability of the catalyst is tested by cyclic voltammetry measurement. Using H₂O₂ to modify carbon black can increase the amount of functional groups on the surface, thereby increasing the metal dispersion and decreasing metal particle size. NaH₂PO₂ as a reducing agent can suppress the growth of metal particles. The best modified carbon black catalyst is the one modified with 30% H₂O₂. The methanol oxidation activity of the catalyst is mainly related to the particle size of PtRu metal, instead of the surface area and conductivity of carbon black. The PtRu catalyst supported by this modified carbon black has very high activity, with an activity reaching 309.5 A/g.     

Plasma-Induced Catalyst Support Defects for the Photothermal Methanation of Carbon Dioxide

The presence of defects in a catalyst support is known to benefit catalytic activity. In this work, a He-plasma treatment-based strategy for introducing and stabilising defects on a Ni/TiO₂ catalyst for photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation was established. The impact of pretreatment step sequence—which comprised He-plasma treatment and reduction/passivation—on defect generation and stabilisation within the support was evaluated. Characterisation of the Ni/TiO₂ catalysts indicated that defects created in the TiO₂ support during the initial plasma treatment stage were then stabilised by the reduction/passivation process, (P-R)Ni/TiO₂. Conversely, performing reduction/passivation first, (R-P)Ni/TiO₂, invoked a resistance to subsequent defect formation upon plasma treatment and consequently, poorer photothermal catalytic activity. The plasma treatment altered the metal-support interaction and ease of catalyst reduction. Under photothermal conditions, (P-R)Ni/TiO₂ reached the highest methane production in 75 min, while (R-P)Ni/TiO₂ required 165 min. Decoupling the impacts of light and heat indicated thermal dominance of the reaction with CO₂ conversion observed from 200 °C onwards. Methane was the primary product with carbon monoxide detected at 350 °C (~2%) and 400 °C (~5%). Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of pretreatment step sequence when utilising plasma treatment to generate active defect sites in a catalyst support.     

Parameter Study on Friction Surfacing of AISI316Ti Stainless Steel over EN8 Carbon Steel and Its Effect on Coating Dimensions and Bond Strength

Friction surfacing is a solid-state coating process that uses plastic deformation to improve the efficiency of the core metallic pattern, resulting in fine-grained coatings with superior wear and corrosion properties. This article focuses on the development of inherently homogeneous, non-diluted coating of AISI316Ti stainless steel above EN8 and also encloses the empirical relationship for the prediction of bond strength (B_s), coating thickness (C_t), and coating width (C_w). The key individualities for bonding geometry were believed to be the process parameters such as rotational speed (rpm), traverse speed (mm/s), and axial load (kN). The effect of input parameters on the bond’s external dimensions and strength was investigated using a multi-objective optimization approach through experimentation. The bond’s strength improved as the coating thickness was reduced and the coating width was increased. The grain-refined coatings superimposing martensitic microstructure with no deposition of carbide particles added value to the metallurgical study using the scanning electron microscope.