Hysteresis in the solid oxide fuel cell cathode reaction

Activation of Porous Pt Electrodes Deposited on YSZ Electrolyte by Nitric Acid Treatment

The effect of nitric acid treatment on the electrochemical performance of porous Pt electrodes deposited on YSZ (abbreviation from yttria stabilized zirconia) electrolyte was investigated. Two identical symmetrical Pt/YSZ/Pt cells with porous Pt electrodes were fabricated, after which the electrodes of the first cell were kept as sintered, while those of the second cell were impregnated with HNO₃ solution. The electrochemical behavior of the prepared electrodes was studied using impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Significant reduction of the polarization resistance of the HNO₃-treated electrodes was revealed. The observed enhancement of the electrochemical performance of porous Pt electrodes was assumed to be caused by adsorption of NO_x-species on YSZ and Pt surfaces, which promotes oxygen molecules dissociation and transport to the triple phase boundary by the "relay-race" mechanism. The obtained results allow for considering the nitric acid treatment of a porous Pt electrode as an effective way of electrode activation.

Memristors in plants

We investigated electrical circuitry of the Venus flytrap, Mimosa pudica and Aloe vera. The goal was to discover if these plants might have a new electrical component--a resistor with memory. This element was postulated recently and the researchers were looking for its presence in different systems. The analysis was based on cyclic current-voltage characteristic where the resistor with memory should manifest itself. We found that the electrostimulation of plants by bipolar sinusoidal or triangle periodic waves induces electrical responses in the Venus flytrap, Mimosa pudica and Aloe vera with fingerprints of memristors. Tetraethylammonium chloride, an inhibitor of voltage gated K(+) channels, transforms a memristor to a resistor in plant tissue. Our results demonstrate that a voltage gated K(+) channel in the excitable tissue of plants has properties of a memristor. This study can be a starting point for understanding mechanisms of memory, learning, circadian rhythms, and biological clocks.