Neste trabalho o carbono comercial Vulcan XC72 foi modificado com heteroátomos de N, S e P por meio do tratamento térmico a 800 °C com ureia, ácido sulfúrico e ácido fosfórico, respectivamente. Os carbonos modificados foram utilizados na preparação de eletrocatalisadores Pt/C e PtRu/C e aplicados na oxidação eletroquímica do metanol. Os materiais obtidos foram caracterizados por espectroscopia dispersiva de raios X, difração de raios X, espectroscopia Raman, microscopia eletrônica de transmissão e voltametria cíclica. A oxidação eletroquímica do metanol foi estudada por voltametria cíclica e cronoamperometria. Os espectros Raman mostraram que as razões de intensidades das bandas D e G dos suportes de carbono modificados com heteroátomos foram maiores que a observada para o carbono Vulcan XC72 sugerindo a incorporação na estrutura do carbono. As análises por difração de raios X mostraram para todos os eletrocatalisadores Pt/C a estrutura cúbica de face centrada (cfc) e as micrografias eletrônicas de transmissão que todos materiais apresentaram tamanhos de partícula na faixa 4-5 nm. Para os eletrocatalisadores PtRu/C preparados com os suportes de carbono modificados com N e S, os difratogramas de raios-X apresentaram apenas a fase Pt (cfc) não havendo deslocamento dos picos desta fase. Nestes materiais os picos referentes a fases de Ru não foram identificados sugerindo que o Ru apresenta-se como uma fase amorfa. Por outro lado, para o material modificado com P, observou-se um deslocamento dos picos da fase Pt(cfc) para ângulos maiores, sugerindo a formação de liga Pt-Ru e também foi observado a presença da fase Ru hexagonal compacta. Os eletrocatalisadores Pt/C e PtRu/C preparados com os suportes contendo heteroátomos apresentaram uma melhora significativa na atividade eletrocatalítica quando comparados aos materiais preparados com o suporte não modificado. A melhora na atividade pode estar relacionada a modificações na interação metal-suporte, bem como, as diferentes espécies Pt e Ru presentes no caso do eletrocatalisador PtRu/C preparado utilizando o suporte modificado com P. / In this work, commercial Vulcan XC72 carbon was modified with heteroatoms like N, S and P by thermal treatment at 800 ° C in the presence of urea, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid, respectively. The modified carbons were used in the preparation of Pt/C and PtRu/C electrocatalysts and tested for methanol electro-oxidation. The materials were characterized by dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The methanol electro-oxidation was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The Raman spectra showed that the intensity ratios of D- and G- bands of the carbon supports modified with heteroatoms were higher than that observed for Vulcan XC72 carbon suggesting the incorporation in the structure. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that Pt/C electrocatalysts have face-centered cubic structure (fcc) and transmission electron micrographs presented particle sizes in the range 4-5 nm. For PtRu/C electrocatalysts made with carbon supports modified with N and S, the X-ray diffraction patterns showed only the presence of Pt(fcc) phase with no shift of the Pt peaks. Peaks of Ru crystalline phases were not identified suggesting that in these materials Ru appears as an amorphous phase. On the other hand, for PtRu/C electrocatalyst prepared with carbon support modified with P, there was a shift of Pt(fcc) peaks to higher angles suggesting Pt-Ru alloy formation and the presence of Ru hexagonal close-packed phase was also observed. Pt/C and PtRu/C electrocatalysts prepared with carbon support modified with heteroatoms showed a significant improvement of electrocatalytic activity when compared to the unmodified material. The improvement in electrocatalytic activity can be related to changes in the metal-support interaction, as well as to the different Pt and Ru species for PtRu/C electrocatalyst prepared with carbon support modified with P.

Os enantiômeros de um fármaco administrado como mistura racêmica, podem manifestar diferentes efeitos farmacológicos e toxicológicos. A fluvastatina (FV), um inibidor da HMG-CoA redutase, é comercializada como mistura racêmica dos enantiômeros (-)-3S,5R e (+)-3R,5S (eutômero) e com eliminação no homem essencialmente dependente do CYP2C9. O metanol, amplamente usado como solvente, combustível e em processos de sínteses, é um inibidor do CYP2C9 em humanos. Diante do exposto, o estudo visou avaliar a influência do metanol na farmacocinética enantiosseletiva da fluvastatina administrada sob forma racêmica a ratos. Foram investigados ratos machos Wistar tratados com dose única de 5 mg/kg de fluvastatina racêmica administrada por gavagem. Os animais foram divididos em três grupos: controle e expostos a metanol em concentrações de 262 mg/m3 e 1048 mg/m3. A exposição ao metanol foi feita em câmara de exposição do tipo apenas pelo nariz, em sessões consecutivas de 6 horas com intervalos de 2 horas, durante o período de 30 horas de coletas seriadas de sangue. Os enantiômeros da FV foram analisados em HPLC com amostrador automático e detecção por fluorescência, operando em 305 nm para excitação e 390 nm para emissão. A análise farmacocinética foi realizada por modelo bicompartimental e cinética de primeira ordem. Os resultados são reportados como medianas, médias e respectivos intevalos de confiança (95%). A farmacocinética da fluvastatina é enantiosseletiva em ratos do grupo controle com acúmulo plasmático do enantiômero (-)-3S,5R, com AUC0-? (2,97 vs 0,99 ?g.h.mL-1), volume de distribuição (9,80 vs 44,60 L.kg-1) e clearance aparente (0,85 vs 2,52 L.h-1.kg-1). A disposição cinética da fluvastatina nos animais do grupo metanol 262 mg/m3, à semelhança do grupo controle foi enantiosseletiva com observação de acúmulo plasmático do enantiômero (-)-3S,5R. Não foram observadas diferenças nas razões enantioméricas entre os animais do grupo controle e metanol 262 mg/m3. As diferenças para o eutômero (+)-3R,5S entre os grupos controle e metanol (1048 mg/m3) foram respectivamente: Cl/F 2.52 (1.64- 3.40) vs 1.51 (1.01-2.06) L.h-1.Kg-1; Vd/F 44.60 (19.20-55.49) vs 10.45 (7.20-15.96) L.Kg-1; t1/2? 10.85 (5.92-14,47) vs 5.23 (4.22-6.27) h; ? 0.06 (0.04-0.11) 0.13 (0.10- 0.16)h-1, AUC 0-? 991.79 (689.57-1491.00) vs 1647.20 (1155.30-2391.60) ng.h.mL-1,e AUC(-)/AUC(+) 2.50 (2.03-4.06) vs 1.22 (0.96-1.56). Em resumo, os dados evidenciam que a exposição ao metanol (1048 mg/m3) resulta em perda da enantiosseletividade com inibição do metabolismo somente do eutômero (+)-3R,5S, alterando portanto de maneira enantiosseletiva a disposição cinética da FV administrada a ratos. / Dislipidemia is one of the main causes of cardiovascular illness and very frequent in the adults population. Fluvastatin, a racemic mixture of the (-)-3S,5R and (+)-3R,5S enantiomers, has been shown to be a potent competitive inhibitor of HMGCoA reductase used in the hypercholesterolemia treatment and with elimination in the man essentially dependent of the CYP2C9. Methanol is used by solvent and is an inhibitor of the CYP2C9 in human beings. The present study reports the influence of methanol inhalation on the enantiosselective pharmacokinetics of fluvastatin in rats. Fluvastatin was administrated by oral gavage (5 mg/Kg) to the animals (n=6/time) and blood samples were collected until 30 hours. The enantiomers were analysed by HPLC using Chiralcel® OD-H column and fluorescence detection. The pharmacokinetics parameters were analysed by Wilcoxon and Mann-Witney tests. The results are reported as mean (95% CI). Kinetic disposition of FV for animals exposed to methanol (262mg/m3), as for control group, was enantiosselective with plasma accumulation of (-)-3S,5R enantiomer. The following differences (p< 0.05) were observed between the control and methanol (1048 mg/m3), apparent total clearance (Cl/F) of 2.52 (1.64-3.40) vs 1.51 (1.01-2.06) L.h-1.Kg-1; apparent volume of distribution (Vd/F) of 44.60 (19.20-55.49) vs 10.45 (7.20-15.96) L.Kg-1; elimination half life (t1/2?) of 10.85 (5.92-14,47) vs 5.23 (4.22-6.27) h; elimination rate constant (?) of 0.06 (0.04-0.11) 0.13 (0.10-0.16) h-1, area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC 0-?) of 991.79 (689.57-1491.00) vs 1647.20 (1155.30- 2391.60) ng.h.mL-1, and AUC(-)/AUC(+) 2.50 (2.03-4.06) vs 1.22 (0.96-1.56). The data demonstrated that methanol inhalation at 1048 mg/m3 results in loss of enantioselectivity with plasmatic accumulation of (+)-3R5S, modifying the enantioselective kinetic disposition of Fluvastatin in rats.

Neste trabalho os diferentes sistemas eletrocatalíticos PtIn/C, PtRu/C, PtRuIn/C e suas diferentes proporções mássicas foram sintetizados pelo método de redução por Borohidreto de Sódio, a fim de serem utilizados como ânodo na célula a combustível alcalina de metanol direto (DMFC). Os materiais obtidos foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de EDX, DRX e MET. O método de redução aplicado na síntese se mostrou efetivo, uma vez que as partículas apresentaram boa dispersão no suporte de carbono Vulcan XC72, de acordo com as analises de EDX e MET. Os resultados obtidos por DRX evidenciaram em todos os difratogramas apresentados a estrutura CFC da platina e um relativo deslocamento do pico equivalente ao plano (220) para valores maiores e menores que 2&theta;. O tamanho médio do cristalito e os parâmetros de rede calculados indicaram a inserção de átomos de Índio e Rutênio à estrutura da Platina, supondo a formação de ligas. A oxidação eletroquímica do metanol foi estudada por voltametria cíclica, cronoamperometria e curvas de polarização. Os experimentos eletroquímicos demonstraram que nos eletrocatalisadores binários com maior composição de Índio e Rutênio a eficiência catalítica frente a oxidação do combustível foi melhor e para os ternários, o eletrocatalisador que possuía maior composição de Rutênio se mostrou mais eficiente. Nos experimentos práticos em células a combustível, as curvas de polarização mostraram divergências de resultados com os obtidos por voltametria cíclica e cronoamperometria, justificadas por problemas de prensagem e descolamento de MEA\'s em sistemas que apresentaram maior quantidade de cocatalisador como Índio e Rutênio. / In this work the different electrocatalytic systems PtIn/C, PtRu/C, PtRuIn/C and their different mass proportions were synthesized by the sodium borohydride reduction method, in order to be used as an anode in the alkaline direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The obtained materials were characterized by EDX, DRX and MET techniques. The reduction method applied in the synthesis was effective, since the particles showed good dispersion in the carbon support Vulcan XC72, according to the EDX and MET analyzes. The results obtained by XRD showed in all the diffractograms presented the CFC structure of platinum and a relative displacement of the equivalent peak to the plane (220) for values greater than and less than 2&theta;. The mean crystallite size and the calculated net parameters indicated the insertion of Indium and Ruthenium atoms to the Platinum structure, assuming the formation of alloys. The electrochemical oxidation of methanol was studied by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and polarization curves. The electrochemical experiments showed that in the binary electrocatalysts with higher composition of Indium and Ruthenium, the catalytic efficiency against the oxidation of the fuel demonstrated a better result. Meanwhile the ternary, the electrocatalyst with the higher Ruthenium composition was more efficient. In terms of the practical experiments in fuel cells, the polarization curves showed divergences of results with those obtained by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, which can be justified by issues of pressing and detachment of MEA\'s in systems that presented higher amounts of cocatalysts such as Indium and Ruthenium.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Engineering. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Julian A. LoRusso. / M.S.

A sociedade moderna depende integralmente da produção e consumo de energia em seu dia a dia desde cozinhar, ter energia elétrica, transporte, e para processos industriais. O aumento da demanda de energia elevou também os níveis de poluição, o que produz efeitos diretos na saúde do homem. Desta forma, o homem tem que pesquisar novas formas de energia, que em condições ideais, deve ser gerada de forma limpa. Uma alternativa para que se possa enfrentar este problema é a conversão eletroquímica de energia, a qual pode ser realizada de forma eficiente e limpa através das células a combustível. Existe um interesse muito grande em células que oxidam metanol como combustível, para a aplicação em veículos e equipamentos portáteis. No entanto, para se implementar estas células, é necessário um grande progresso na caracterização dos fenômenos eletródicos associados a esta reação, tanto em nível fundamental quanto tecnológico. No presente trabalho foram desenvolvidos catalisadores de PtW, PtOs, PtRuW, PtWOs, suportados em carbono de alta área superficial, para a oxidação de metanol. Os catalisadores foram preparados através da redução por ácido fórmico e através do método de Bonnëmann. As composições dos materiais foram determinadas por EDX. O tamanho médio das partículas foi obtido por TEM, e foi comparado ao tamanho médio dos cristalitos à partir dos difratogramas de raios X. Os estudos eletroquímicos foram realizados através de voltametrias cíclicas e curvas corrente potencial de estado estacionário utilizando-se a técnica do eletrodo de camada fina porosa. Foram feitas também medidas de EXAFS nos catalisadores mais promissores. Os catalisadores possuem atividade na faixa de potencial de interesse, e foram feitos alguns testes em células a combustível. / Modern society integrally depends on the production and consumption of energy for its activities like cooking, lighting and transportation and also for industrial processes. The increase in the demand for energy increases the levels of pollution, which has a direct negative effect in human health. Thus, it is imperative to search for new power sources which, under ideal conditions, do not pollute the environment. One of the alternatives to attack this problem is the electrochemical energy conversion of chemical energy into electricity which can be carried out in an efficient and clean way with fuel cells. Presently, there is a great interest in fuel cells that oxidize methanol directly, for application in vehicles, portable devices and distributed generation. To make these cells a reality it is still necessary much progress in the understanding of the electrodic phenomena associated to the oxidation of methanol, and in the development of suitable electrocatalysts, at both the fundamental and the technological levels. In this work, PtW; PtOs, PtRuW and PtWOs eletrocatalysts, supported on high surface area carbon, for the direct oxidation of methanol were developed. The catalysts were prepared by reduction with formic acid of the corresponding precursors and by Bonnëmann´s method. Their composition was determined by XRD. The average particle size was determined from TEM, and the results compared to crystallite sizes determined from x-ray diffractograms. The electrochemical studies were carried out with cyclic voltammetry and steady state polarization curves using the thin porous coating electrode technique. Some catalysts were also studied by the EXAFS technique. The catalysts prepared show activity in the potential region of interest, and some of then were tested in single fuel cells.

In this work the use of the solid acid CsHSO4 as an electrolyte in a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell or the disassociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen has been investigated. Several issues have been cited in literature regarding the use of CsHSO4 as a solid electrolyte; these include: difficulty interpreting proton conductivity profiles of real membranes, high permeability of the membrane to fuel and product gases, and low mechanical strength. In an attempt to improve our understanding and possibly eliminate these issues, performance characteristics of prepared CsHSO4 membranes have been investigated utilizing various methods of synthesis and membrane fabrication. A consistent method of CsHSO4 membrane construction was developed based on these investigations. In addition, a novel method of sintering to decrease the membrane's permeability to fuel gases was developed and evaluated. The effects of these measures were investigated and tested in a prototype cell for proof of concept of fuel cell and electrolysis applications.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Jingguang G. Chen, Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is a very promisingpower source for low power applications. High power and energydensity, low emissions, operation at or near ambientconditions, fast and convenient refuelling and a potentiallyrenewable fuel source are some of the features that makes thefuel cell very promising. However, there are a few problemsthat have to be overcome if we are to see DMFCs in our everydaylife. One of the drawbacks is the low performance of the DMFCanode. In order to make a better anode, knowledge about whatlimits the performance is of vital importance. With theknowledge about the limitations of the anode, the flow field,gas diffusion layer and the morphology of the electrode can bemodified for optimum performance. The aim of this thesis is to elucidate the limiting factorsof the DMFC anode. A secondary goal is to create a model of theperformance, which also has a low computational cost so that itcan be used as a sub model in more complex system models. Toreach the primary goal, to elucidate the limiting factors, amodel has to be set up that describes the most importantphysical principles occurring in the anode. In addition, experiments have to be performed to validatethe model. To reach the secondary goal, the model has to bereduced to a minimum. A visual DMFC has been developed alongwith a methodology to extract two-phase data. This has provento be a very important part of the understanding of thelimiting factors. Models have been developed from a detailedmodel of the active layer to a two-phase model including theentire three-dimensional anode. The results in the thesis show that the microstructure inthe active layer does not limit the performance. Thelimitations are rather caused by the slow oxidation kineticsand, at concentrations lower than 2 M of methanol, the masstransport resistance to and inside the active layer. Theresults also show that the mass transfer of methanol to theactive layer is improved if gas phase is present, especiallyfor higher temperatures since the gas phase then contains moremethanol. It is concluded that the mass transport resistance lower theperformance of a porous DMFC anode at the methanolconcentrations used today. It is also concluded that masstransfer may be improved by making sure that there is gas phasepresent, which can be done by choosing flow distributor and gasdiffusion layer well. Keywords: direct methanol fuel cell, fuel cell, DMFC, anode,model

No description available.

The research addressed in this thesis is focused on the solubility and pseudo-polymorphic transition of L-serine in mixed water-methanol systems. Cooling re-crystallizations were carried out that varied both temperature and methanol concentration. Solubilities were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography. It is found that the solubility increased with increase in temperature and decreased drastically with methanol concentration. The effect of temperature at which there is a transition of L-serine crystals from the rod-shaped (anhydrous) form to hexagonal (monohydrate) form was confirmed and that transition temperatures decreased with methanol concentrations in a non-linear manner. The solubility data were correlated and plotted using the vant Hoff equation and the enthalpy and entropy of dissolution were determined. These values increased with increase in methanol concentration. The solid crystals were analyzed by optical microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The rod-shaped crystals were identified to be anhydrous L-serine, while the hexagonal crystals were L-serine monohydrate. Dehydration of the monohydrated crystals in their solid-state was examined and the onset of such phenomenon was known to start once the crystals were removed from the solutions.