Testing of Salt-Contaminated Materials: Use of Aqueous Solutions for Control of Relative Humidity

In this study, curled gelatin nanofiber was successfully electrospun from aqueous solution by elevating the spinning temperature. The effect of relative humidity was investigated on the morphology of gelatin nanofibers in the current study. It was observed that with the increase of relative humidity during electrospinning process, the proportion of the curled gelatin nanofiber increases. Futhermore, the curled gelatin nanofiber converted into helical structure when electrospun at relative humidity higher than 50%.

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Proton conductivity of functionalized zirconia colloids

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-756-ee1.9 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 756 ◽

Author(s):

D. Carrière ◽

M. Moreau ◽

K. Lahlil ◽

P. Barboux ◽

J.-P. Boilot

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Phosphoric Acid ◽

Aqueous Solutions ◽

Proton Conductivity ◽

Phosphonic Acid ◽

Conduction Mechanism ◽

Covalent Bonding ◽

Sulphonic Acid ◽

High Acidity ◽

Significant Proton

ABSTRACTColloidal 60 nm ZrO2 particles have been treated with aqueous solutions of phosphoric acid and sulphophenyl-phosphonic acid (SPPA). This leads to the covalent bonding of P-OH and C6H4-SO3H acid groups onto the surface of the particles. The resulting acidity yields a significant proton conductivity at the surface of the particles.The proton conductivity of the ZrO2-H3PO4 system is quite stable against a change of relative humidity and temperature. However, it remains limited by the low acidity of the POH group. On the contrary, the proton conductivity of the ZrO2-SPPA system is almost two orders of magnitude higher at high relative humidities due to the high acidity of the C6H4-SO3H group (1.10-3 S.cm-1 in the same conditions). But, it is much more sensitive to changes in relative humidity.A mixed grafting of both H3PO4 and SPPA onto the zirconia particles allows to obtain a conductivity as high as in the SPPA case whereas it remains stable with humidity and temperature as for the phosphoric acid. This probably indicates that the conductivity arises from ionization of sulphonic acid but that the weaker phosphoric acid groups contribute to the conduction mechanism.

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