Taking Advantage of Phosphate Functionalized Waterborne Acrylic Binders to Get Rid of Inhibitors in Direct-to-Metal Paints

In this paper, two phosphate functionalized acrylic binders are formulated to yield direct-to-metal paints without using corrosion inhibitors. The difference between both binders is the addition of polystearylacrylate crystalline nanodomains in one of them, and an amorphous methyl methacylate-co-butyl acrylate copolymer in the other. The water sensitivity, mechanical stability, adhesion, and the performance of the paints against corrosion (high humidity resistance, accelerated weathering, and salt-spray tests) are assessed and compared with a DTM paint formulated from a commercial binder. The performance of both phosphate functionalized paints formulated without corrosion inhibitors in high humidity and weathering tests is superior to the commercial DTM paint formulated without corrosion inhibitors and similar to the DTM paint formulated with them. Furthermore, the paint based on the amorphous copolymer binder provides significantly good performance in the salt spray test (even superior to that of the DTM paint formulated with corrosion inhibitors).

Hydrogen migration in BaTiO3-based dielectrics under high humidity and electric field bias

This study investigates the possibility of hydrogen migration in BaTiO3-based dielectrics to improve the electrical reliability of multi-layer ceramic capacitors under conditions of high temperature, humidity, and electric field bias. It was observed that the deuterium in the dielectric drifted and migrated with the electric field, suggesting that deuterium exists as D+. The activation energy was found to be 0.34 eV, which is lower than that observed in previous studies. This finding offers a better understanding of the mechanism behind the migration of deuterium in a dielectric, which is highly relevant to future research in dielectrics and electronic components.

Coalescence and counterflow of droplets on needle electrode with negative corona discharge

The coalescence of droplets on the discharge electrode surface in high humidity environments has rarely been studied, which may affect discharge characteristics. Meanwhile, directional transport of droplets is of great significance for many applications ranging from fluidic processing to thermal management. Here, corona discharge in needle-plate electrode is adopted to explore the coalescence rule of droplets attached on the discharge electrode surface in high-humidity environment, and realize the counterflow of droplets. The experimental results show that the amount of coalesced droplets on the needle electrode surface reaches the maximum under -7.5 kV at relative humidity ~ 94% and ambient temperature ~ 20 ℃. When the applied voltage increases from -6 kV to -11 kV, the droplet moves up 2.76 mm in 5 s. The size of attached droplet depends on the balance of coalescence and evaporation. The coalescence is mainly attributed to the dielectrophoretic force caused by the high electric field gradient. The evaporation is related with the ionic wind generated by the corona discharge. As for the counterflow phenomenon of droplet, we speculate that the high concentration gradient of positive ions near the needle electrode provides a driving force for the negatively charged droplets. Meanwhile, the electrons and negative ions below the needle tip offer a repulsive force to the droplet. The shape and moving direction of the droplet attached on the needle surface can be manipulated by changing the voltage applied to the needle electrode, which shows the potential application value in realizing self-cleaning of electrode, liquid lens and so on.

Green Tobacco Sickness: A Review

It is still an unknown fact among many that tobacco harvesters are at a potential at a risk of suffering from “Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS)”, with its prevalence seen mostly among Asian and South American tobacco harvesters. These harvesters working in hot, wet conditions are likely to develop GTS, as in such climatic conditions, the wetness and high humidity causes nicotine to reside on the surfaces of the leaves, while the high ambient temperature increases skin absorption, thereby increasing plasma nicotine concentrations by 30-45%. Patients suffering from GTS report nausea, vomiting, pallor, dizziness, headaches, increased perspiration, chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea, increased salivation, prostration, weakness, cough with or without expectoration, breathlessness and occasional reduction in blood pressure or heart rate. GTS is self-limiting and of short duration and hence treatment is not always necessary and not often sought by the harvesters. This review educates readers about GTS as well as encourages their participation in making tougher regulations in their respective countries for the control of this disease.

Effects of Humidity Pretreatment Devices on the Loss of HCl Gas Emitted from Industrial Stacks

A high humidity at a high temperature presents a common challenge in monitoring the air pollutants emitted from stationary sources. Thus, humidity removal is a pivotal issue. In this study, the effect of humidity pretreatment devices (HPDs) on hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas emitted from an incinerator stack was investigated. A conventional cooler (HPD_CL), and poly-tube (HPD_NP) and single-tube (HPD_NS) Nafion™ dryers were used as HPDs in this study. HCl concentrations varied at five and 10 parts per million in volume (ppmv). Low (i.e., ~4%) and high (i.e., ~17%) humidities were generated at 180 °C. The removal efficiencies of humidity and the loss rates of HCl by the devices were determined. The removal efficiencies of humidity by HPD_CL and the two dryers were found to be similar, at approximately 85% at a low humidity and 95% at a high humidity. In terms of HCl loss rates, HPD_CL revealed the highest loss rates in all conditions (i.e., >95%), followed by HPD_NP and HPD_NS. At normal room temperature (i.e., 25 °C), the HCl loss rates of HPD_NP were >40% at a low humidity and >70% at a high humidity, while those of HPD_NS were >10% at a low humidity and >60% at a high humidity. The performance of the two dryers improved when they were heated to 80 °C. However, this temperature caused damage to the dryers, which reduced their lifetime.

Investigation of the influence of operational factors on the heat-protective characteristics of a package of materials for firefighter combat clothing

The article is devoted to the assessment of the impact of operational factors on the heat-protective performance of a package of materials of firefighter's combat clothing. The paper considers the influence of high humidity, compression of a package of materials, the presence of reflective elements in a package of clothing materials. The operational factors of influence on the heat-protective indicators of the package of materials of the firefighter's combat clothing, which reduce the protective action time by more than 3 times, are determined. The paper notes that it is the humidity and compression of the package of materials that change the nature of heating, which is due to an increase in the thermal conductivity of the layers when these factors affect the porous material.

The diversity of Bryophytes in Nenek Hills, Natural Tourism Park of Mount Permisan, South Bangka Regency

The mosses growth is generally influenced by temperature, habitat humidity, light intensity, and soil acidity. This study aimed to determine the level of diversity of bryophytes species on various substrates in the Nenek Hills Natural Tourism Park of Mount Permisan, South Bangka Regency. The methods used in this study were exploration and observation. The results of this study are the types of mosses (Bryophytes) found Nenek Hills Natural Tourism Park of Mount Permisan, South Bangka Regency, are from the families Calymperaceae, Dicranaceae, Fissidentaceae, Leucobryaceae, Rhizogoniaceae, Sematophylaceae, Calypogeiaceae, Geocalyceae, Lejeuneaceae, Lepidoziaceae and Plagiochilaceae. The dominating family is Leucobryaceae, Lejeuneaceae and Calymperaceae. The type of substrate that moss prefers to grow is rock. Abiotic factors consist of light intensity with a value of 0,2-7,2 Klx (low), air temperature with a value of 25-29°C (medium-high), humidity with a value of 34-68% (medium-high), soil acidity with a value of 5,9-6,9 (slightly-neutral) and soil moisture with a value of 52-65% (moist).

Core-Shell-Like Structured Co3O4@SiO2 Catalyst for Highly Efficient Catalytic Elimination of Ozone

Co3O4 is an environmental catalyst that can effectively decompose ozone, but is strongly affected by water vapor. In this study, Co3O4@SiO2 catalysts with a core-shell-like structure were synthesized following the hydrothermal method. At 60% relative humidity and a space velocity of 720,000 h−1, the prepared Co3O4@SiO2 obtained 95% ozone decomposition for 40 ppm ozone after 6 h, which far outperformed that of the 25wt% Co3O4/SiO2 catalysts. The superiority of Co3O4@SiO2 is ascribed to its core@shell structure, in which Co3O4 is wrapped inside the SiO2 shell structure to avoid air exposure. This research provides important guidance for the high humidity resistance of catalysts for ozone decomposition.