• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.116-123
• /
• 2008

Proton conductive hybrid nanocomposite polymer electrolyte membranes comprising polystyrene-5-poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PHEMA), sulfosuccinic acid (SA) and phosphotungstic acid (PWA) were prepared by varying PWA concentrations. The PHEMA block was thermally crosslinked by SA via the esterification reaction between -OH of PHEMA and -COOH of SA. Upon the incorporation of PWA into the diblock copolymer, the symmetric stretching bands of the $SO_3^-$ group at $1187cm^{-1}$ shifted to a lower wavenumber at $1158cm^{-1}$, demonstrating that the PWA particles strongly interact with the sulfonic acid groups of SA. When the concentration of PWA was increased to 30wt%, the proton conductivity of the composite membrane at room temperature increased from 0.045 to 0.062 S/cm, presumably due to the intrinsic conductivity of the PWA particles and the enhanced acidity of the sulfonic acid in the membranes. The membrane containing 30wt% of PWA exhibited a proton conductivity of 0.126 S/cm at $100^{\circ}C$. Thermal stability of the composite membranes was also enhanced by introducing PWA nanoparticles.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.540-551
• /
• 2020

Sporotrichosis is a chronic and subacute mycosis causing epidemiological outbreaks involving sick cats and humans in southeastern Brazil. The systemic disease prevails in cats and in humans, with the symptoms restricted to the skin of immunocompetent individuals. Under these conditions, the prolonged treatment of animals and cases of recurrence justify the discovery of new treatments for sporotrichosis. This work addresses the antifungal activity of silver salts of Keggin-type heteropolyacid salts (Ag-HPA salts) such as Ag₃[PW₁₂O₄₀], Ag₆[SiW₁₀V₂O₄₀], Ag₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] and Ag₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] and interactions with the antifungal drugs itraconazole (ITC), terbinafine (TBF) and amphotericin B (AMB) on the yeast and mycelia forms of Sporothrix spp. Sporothrix spp. yeast cells were susceptible to Ag-HPA salts at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 8 to 128 ㎍/ml. Interactions between Ag₃[PW₁₂O₄₀] and Ag₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] with itraconazole and amphotericin B resulted in higher antifungal activity with a reduction in growth and melanization. Treated cells showed changes in cell membrane integrity, vacuolization, cytoplasm disorder, and membrane detachment. Promising antifungal activity for treating sporotrichosis was observed for the Ag-HPA salts Ag₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] and Ag₃[PW₁₂O₄₀], which have a low cost, high yield and activity at low concentrations. However, further evaluation of in vivo tests is still required.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.419-424
• /
• 2016

$H_5PMo_{10}V_2O_{40}$ ($PMo_{10}V_2$) catalyst chemically immobilized on sulfur-containing mesoporous carbon (S-MC) was prepared, and it was applied to the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction. S-MC was synthesized by a templating method using SBA-15 and p-toluenesulfonic acid as a templating agent and a carbon precursor, respectively. S-MC was then modified to have a positive charge, and thus, to provide sites for the immobilization of $PMo_{10}V_2$. By taking advantage of the overall negative charge of $[PMo_{10}V_2O4_{40}]^{5-}$, $PMo_{10}V_2$ catalyst was immobilized on the S-MC support as a charge matching component. It was revealed that $PMo_{10}V_2$ species were finely and molecularly dispersed on the S-MC via chemical immobilization. In the vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol, $PMo_{10}V_2$/S-MC catalyst showed higher conversion of benzyl alcohol and higher yield for benzaldehyde and benzoic acid than unsupported $PMo_{10}V_2$ catalyst. The enhanced catalytic performance of $PMo_{10}V_2$/S-MC was due to fine dispersion of $PMo_{10}V_2$ species on the S-MC via chemical immobilization.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.26-34
• /
• 2010

The electrocatalystic prperties of Pt-Co and Pt-Ni with heteropolyacids (HPAs) entrapped in covalently cross-linked sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (CL-SPEEK)/HPA membranes were investigated for water electrolysis. The HP As, including molybdophosphoric acid (MoPA), and tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) were both used as membrane additives and electrocatalysts. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was prepared by a nonequilibrium impregnation-reduction (I-R) method. $Pt(NH_3)_4Cl_2$, $NiCl_2$ and $CoCl_2$ as electrocatalytic materials and $NaBH_4$ as reducing agent were used. I order to enhance electrocatalytic activity, the catalyst layer prepared above was electrodeposited (Dep) with HP A. Surface morphologies and physico-chemical properties of MEA were investigated by means of SEM, EDX and XRD. The electrocatalytic properties of composite membranes such as the cell voltage and coulombic charge in CV were in the order of magnitude: CL-SPEEK/MoPA40 (wt%) > CL-SPEEK/TPA30 > Nafion117. In the optimum cell applications for water electrolysis, the cell voltage of Pt/CL-SPEEK-MoPA40/Pt-Co (Dep-MoPA) and Pt/CL-SPEEK-TPA30/Pt-Co (Dep-TPA) was 1.75 Vat $80^{\circ}C$ and $1\;A/cm^2$ and voltage efficiency was 87.1%. Also, the observed activity of Pt-Co (84:16 atomic ratio by EDX) is a little higher than that of Pt-Ni (86: 14). The current density peak of electrodeposited electrodes were better a little than those of unactivated electrodes based on the same membranes.