Sharif Digital Repository

We present here an analysis of controlling the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) using the Q-learning algorithm, the most widely-known among reinforcement learning (RL) techniques. The method is to train the controller to guide and sustain the fuel cell power output in the 2.5 kW mark by way of manipulating elements of the reaction subsystem including the fuel cell current, the relative humidity, and the anode/cathode pressures. As the Q-learning algorithm need be implemented within a fuel cell simulation environment, the mathematical model known as Amphlett steady-state model of the PEM fuel cell was employed. The semi-empirical nature of this model necessitates the... 

By studying and evaluating methods for producing deuterium gas from heavy water, the electrolysis method with polymer membranes (PEM) was defined as the proposed method.The (PEMWEs) is a new method in electrolysis, which utilizes solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) membranes as electrolytes to play a significant role in reducing the resistivity in the electrolysis and also in comparison with alkaline electrolysis in terms of energy consumption and optimal being in condition is also a better condition for the purity of the produced gas.In this regard, a polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysers (PEMWEs) was designed and developed on a laboratory scale. After analysis of the sample gas, and... 

In many previous Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) models,the catalyst distribution in Catalyst Layer (CL) was assumed to be uniform and there are just a few models which consider variation of catalyst loading across the CL. In this research, a half-cell PEMFC cathode model is applied to investigate the effect of catalyst loading in CL plane under the land and channels of bipolar plates. In addition, the agglomerate model which has been shown to be more complete representation of the fuel cell CL is used. It is necessary to mention, in many previous PEMFC models, the catalyst layer was treated as a pseudohomogenous layer. In both models, the micro structure of CL and its effect... 

The elastic field is one of the challenges in optimizing the lifetime and capacity of the lithium-ion batteries. Graphite nanoparticles have been widely used in Li-ion batteries, due to their mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. During the lithiation, chemical reactions occurred in the electrolyte, which forms a solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) in the surrounding of nanoparticles as well as stress fields inside the nanoparticles. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine the effects of the surface/interface on diffusion induced stresses(DIS) within core-shell nanosphere due to non-uniform distribution of eigenstrain fields. Due to the mechanical behavior of the phases,... 

The elastic field is one of the challenges in optimizing the lifetime and capacity of the lithiumion batteries. Graphite nanoparticles have been widely used in Li-ion batteries, due to their mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. During the lithiation, chemical reactions occurred in the electrolyte, which forms a solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) in the surrounding of nanoparticles as well as stress fields inside the nanoparticles. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine the effects of the surface/interface on diffusion induced stresses(DIS) within core-shell nanosphere due to non-uniform distribution of eigenstrain fields. Due to the mechanical behavior of the phases,... 

The gas flow field geometry influences the transport phenomena inside PEMFCs and hence affecting their overall performance. Radial force and secondary flows resulting from curvature of the spiral channels in PEMFCs can improve mass transport limits and so does to their overall performance. Studying the effects of curvature of spiral channels on fuel cell performance and comparing them with similar designs is the aim of this thesis. The geometries are generated using concentric Archimedes’ spirals and categorized as axial or radial depending on the direction of the vector perpendicular to their MEA . Each category has five geometries which are the result of branching the main channel into... 

Nowadays, along with the increasing development of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, the need to use cost-effective fixed energy storage systems with cyclic stability at high rates is increasing. Due to their abundance and high safety, aqueous rechargeable calcium-ion batteries have the potential to meet the growing needs of stationary energy storage devices. In addition, they can be produced at low cost and have a higher volume capacity. However, the electrochemical stability window, which is controlled by the hydrogen production reaction on the anode and the oxygen production reaction on the cathode, severely limits the application of electrode materials in aqueous... 

Plasma electrolyte oxidation process is one of the surface coating methods which is recommended to use as a surface preparation before applying the final coating on magnesium alloys due to its unique properties such as excellent adhesion.The aim of this study was to create an oxide layer on the AZ91 substrate and after optimizing the PEO coating conditions and choosing the best coating in order to increase adhesion and corrosion resistance, the composite coating of graphene oxide, hydroxyapatite and chitosan was applied by electrophoretic method. After studying the morphology of PEO oxide coating at current densities of 0.25, 0.35, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 amp/cm2 during times of 5 and 8 minutes, it... 

Water-in-salt (WIS) electrolytes with a wide electrochemical stability window (ESW) have made great progress in the field of aqueous batteries and capacitors. However, the slow diffusion of metal ions, such as lithium or calcium, has limited the use of these devices. Meanwhile, adding an organic co-solvent can improve the penetration of metal ions in salt water electrolytes. This electrolyte category, which has also used organic solvent in addition to water, is called organic/aqueous hybrid electrolyte modification. Since the effect of organic solvent on the performance of aqueous electrolyte in calcium batteries has not been investigated so far, in this research the physical and chemical... 

Connecting titanium and aluminum alloys is widely used in different industries such as transportation, chemical, aircraft manufacturing, etc. Friction stir welding is one of the methods of joining these two metals. In order to obtain a sound joint, the formation of intermetallic phases in the interface must be controlled. One of the ways to control these phases is the use of an interlayer, which in this research is the interlayer applied by plasma electrolytic oxidation method with different current densities and coating times. In this regards, first the optimal parameters of friction stir welding were determined. Then, Ti6Al4V and Al6061-t6 welding was performed in the presence of... 

Gold is a noble and precious metal used in various industries, including jewelry, electrical and electronic, catalyst, and medical industries. Multiple processes are used to extract and refine gold; each one has its advantages and disadvantages. In this research Work, comprehensive information on the electrochemical purification process of gold from anode electrode with 75% crude gold and titanium cathode electrode in the chloride electrolyte solution is presented. To perform the purification process, first using the parameters and their levels, including temperature (30, 45, and 60 degrees Celsius), voltage (2, 2.2, and 2.4 volts), and acid concentration (1, 2, and 3 M), Design of... 

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) method was used for the preparation of ceramic coatings on Aluminum 5052 substrate in a silicate-based electrolyte containing different concentrations of ZrO2 nanoparticles. Before the addition of nanoparticles into the electrolyte, determining process parameters including current density, coating time, and frequency were examined carefully. After studying corrosion behavior, thickness, and coating morphology in different circumstances, the frequency of 50Hz, the current density of 150mA/cm2, and the coating time of 20 minutes were chosen as the optimum parameters. After that and with the usage of those parameters, ZrO2 nanoparticles were added to the... 

Hydroxyapatite-Graphene Nanocomposite coatings were formed on Ti-6Al-4V alloy by Plasma electrolytic oxidation. PEO electrolyte contains calcium acetate and calcium glycerophosphate. The effect of adding graphene to PEO electrolyte on the corrosion, mechanical, and biocompatibility properties of the coating investigated. Before adding graphene to the electrolyte, working parameters such as voltage, current density, process time were optimized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), potentiodynamic polarization test, and thickness measurement. Examination of the coating morphology showed that due to thermal stresses, surface cracks formed at Voltages above 350 V. The results of the... 

In the preceding years, hydroxyapatite (HA)-based coatings and scaffolds have been known as the best biomaterials for dental and orthopedics applications. Biocompatible and bioactive hydroxyapatite-based Coatings on metallic implants is one of the best methods for reaching both suitable mechanical properties and appropriate bioactivity, leading to better osseointegration and osteoblast proliferation. The ultimate goal of this project is characterization as well as mechanical and electrochemical behavior investigation of Hydroxyapatite- Chitosan nanocomposite coating by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method on Plasma Electrolyte Oxidation (PEO) treated titanium substrates and Magnesium (Mg)... 

Nowadays, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are highly regarded as a cheap alternative for conventional silicon-based solar cells. Improvements of their efficiency and performance sustainability are two major challenges of their commercialization. Engineering of the photoanode electrode by controlling its thickness, chemical composition, and morphology was proposed as effective method in increasing the light conversion efficiency of the cells. In the present study, mesoporous TiO2 beads with different arrangements including pristine mesoporous beads, mixtures of mesoporous beads with nanoparticles, and in the form of two-layer structure of nanoparticles (as an active layer) and mesoporous... 

Improvement of biological properties by modifying the composition and morphology of the surface layer is one of the main goals of using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) for coating titanium implants. The purpose of this research is formation of biocompatible coating containing calcium, phosphorus and silicon on titanium by two-step PEO method in DC, constant voltage mode. In addition to good corrosion properties of the resultant coatings in simulated body environment (SBF), Having good adhesion due to the use of electrolytes with useful elements for biological function in both step of coating process rather than acidic electrolytes which are incompatible with the body environment, this... 

The purpose of this study is to increase the strength of metal and polymer compound combinations in the direction of this increase, the electrolytic plasma oxidation coating is applied and its effect will be checked to increase bond strength. Also, due to the failure in the polymeric side of the bonding, the effect of adding short fibers of carbon to polypropylene will be checked on the strength of the polymer and bond strength. The effect of current density at coating application, the presence or absence of short carbon fiber in the polymeric field and the formation of initial hole on aluminum alloy on bond strength was studied. For further analysis, the optical and electron microscopic... 

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte is a very promising electrolyte for a variety of ion lithium solid-state batteries, due to high conductivity of Li ions at room temperature as well as its chemical stability with Li metal anode. LLZO phase has two tetragonal and cubic symmetries. The conductivity of the cubic phase is two times higher than that for the tetragonal phase. To stabilize the cubic phase at room temperature, 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3 mol% Aluminum was doped to LLZO solid-state electrolyte. This powder was synthesized by sol-gel combustion method at 1000˚C. The cubic phase and lack of impurity of the samples doped with 0.25 and 0.3% Aluminum were determined by X-ray Diffraction... 

Plasma Electrolytic oxidation has recently been known as a new technology in surface engineering. It is one of the low-cost techniques used for improving corrosion and wear resistance in Al-Mg alloys. The purpose of this study first is to attach aluminum and magnesium alloys safely and without any defects, and then finding the optimum coating condition in connection line to achieve most possible corrosion resistance. For this purpose, first of all optimization of Al-Mg alloys friction stir welding (FSW) condition is required. After required investigations, it was shown that the weld created between Aluminum and Magnesium sheets by the cylindrical pin moving in a rotational speed of 550... 

In this study, the aging of the LiFePO4/graphite cell was investigated in two different types of 18650 Li-ion batteries during cycling at various C-rates (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4C) and high temperature under long-term cycling. An amount of 20% Capacity loss was considered as the end of the cycling. Batteries with a capacity of 1500 mAh after this capacity drop, experience 60, 120, 1502, and 2155 cycles, at the rates of 4, 3, 2, and 1C , and batteries with capacity of 1400 mAh was also 60, 360, 1100, 1000, and 805 cycles at a rate of 0.5C. Capacity decrease of the cell is in linear relationship with cycle number and the slope of the capacity-fading line increases with elevating current rate. Aging...