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Objective Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that are based on event-related potentials (ERPs) can estimate to which stimulus a user pays particular attention. In typical BCIs, the user silently counts the selected stimulus (which is repeatedly presented among other stimuli) in order to focus the attention. The stimulus of interest is then inferred from the electroencephalogram (EEG). Detecting attention allocation implicitly could be also beneficial for human-computer interaction (HCI), because it would allow software to adapt to the user’s interest. However, a counting task would be inappropriate for the envisaged implicit application in HCI. Therefore, the question was addressed if the detectable neural activity is specific for silent counting, or if it can be evoked also by other tasks that direct the attention to certain stimuli. Approach Thirteen people performed a silent counting, an arithmetic and a memory task. The tasks required the subjects to pay particular attention to target stimuli of a random color. The stimulus presentation was the same in all three tasks, which allowed a direct comparison of the experimental conditions. Results Classifiers that were trained to detect the targets in one task, according to patterns present in the EEG signal, could detect targets in all other tasks (irrespective of some task-related differences in the EEG). Significance The neural activity detected by the classifiers is not strictly task specific but can be generalized over tasks and is presumably a result of the attention allocation or of the augmented workload. The results may hold promise for the transfer of classification algorithms from BCI research to implicit relevance detection in HCI.

Recently, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have been shown to achieve remarkable communication speeds. As they use electroencephalography (EEG) as non-invasive method for recording neural signals, the application of gel-based EEG is time-consuming and cumbersome. In order to achieve a more user-friendly system, this work explores the usability of dry EEG electrodes with a VEP-based BCI. While the results show a high variability between subjects, they also show that communication speeds of more than 100 bit/min are possible using dry EEG electrodes. To reduce performance variability and deal with the lower signal-to-noise ratio of the dry EEG electrodes, an averaging method and a dynamic stopping method were introduced to the BCI system. Those changes were shown to improve performance significantly, leading to an average classification accuracy of 76% with an average communication speed of 46 bit/min, which is equivalent to a writing speed of 8.8 error-free letters per minute. Although the BCI system works substantially better with gel-based EEG, dry EEG electrodes are more user-friendly and still allow high-speed BCI communication.

Ventilator-induced or ventilator-associated lung injury (VILI/VALI) is common and there is an increasing demand for a tool that can optimize ventilator settings. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can detect changes in impedance caused by pulmonary ventilation and perfusion, but the effect of changes in the position of the body and in the placing of the electrode belt on the impedance signal have not to our knowledge been thoroughly evaluated. We therefore studied ventilation-related and perfusion-related changes in impedance during spontaneous breathing in 10 healthy subjects in five different body positions and with the electrode belt placed at three different thoracic positions using a 32-electrode EIT system. We found differences between regions of interest that could be attributed to changes in the position of the body, and differences in impedance amplitudes when the position of the electrode belt was changed. Ventilation-related changes in impedance could therefore be related to changes in the position of both the body and the electrode belt. Perfusion-related changes in impedance were probably related to the interference of major vessels. While these findings give us some insight into the sources of variation in impedance signals as a result of changes in the positions of both the body and the electrode belt, further studies on the origin of the perfusion-related impedance signal are needed to improve EIT further as a tool for the monitoring of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion.

Focusing one's attention by external guiding stimuli towards a specific area of the visual field produces systematical neural signatures. One of the most robust is the change in topological distribution of oscillatory alpha band activity across parieto-occipital cortices. In particular, decreases in alpha activity over contralateral and/or increases over ipsilateral scalp sites, respect to the side of the visual field where attention was focused. This evidence comes mainly from experiments where an explicit cue informs subjects where to focus their attention, thus facilitating detection of an upcoming target stimulus. However, recent theoretical models of attention have highlighted a stochastic or non-deterministic component related to visuospatial attentional allocation. In an attempt to evidence this component, here we analyzed alpha activity in a signal detection paradigm in the lack of informative cues; in the absence of preceding information about the location (and time) of appearance of target stimuli. We believe that the unpredictability of this situation could be beneficial for unveiling this component. Interestingly, although total alpha power did not differ between Seen and Unseen conditions, we found a significant lateralization of alpha activity over parieto-occipital electrodes, which predicted behavioral performance. This effect had a smaller magnitude compared to paradigms in which attention is externally guided (cued). However we believe that further characterization of this spontaneous component of attention is of great importance in the study of visuospatial attentional dynamics. These results support the presence of a spontaneous component of visuospatial attentional allocation and they advance pre-stimulus alpha-band lateralization as one of its neural signatures.

This paper proposes a reasonable methodology for the design of pulse arrays applied in classification and quantification techniques based on the use of pulse voltammetric electronic tongues. As model problem we designed a procedure to predict levels of ferrocene, TCNQ and Ru(bipy)(3)(2+) using a voltammetric electronic tongue employing a set of noble electrodes; i.e. Au, Pt, Ir and Rh. Ferrocene, TCNQ and Ru(bipy)(3)(2+) have been selected as model compounds because these are molecules with well-defined redox processes. The electrodes were housed inside a stainless steel cylinder which was used as the body of the electronic tongue system. A SCE was used as reference electrode. An electrochemical study of the response of ferrocene TCNQ and Ru(bipy)(3)(2+) was carried out as a first step with the aim of characterise the redox processes in these compounds. Different samples containing ferrocene,TCNQ and Ru(bipy)(3)(2+) were prepared following an experimental design in which a system of three compounds/three levels was established. Multivariate analysis based on Partial Least Square (PLS) techniques was applied for data management and prediction models building. Several set of pulses were tested and a general procedure to their design for their use in voltammetric electronic tongues is discussed and proposed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., We thank the Spanish Government (projects MAT2009-14564-C04-01), Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEO/2009/016) for support. PCI-Mediterraneo A/024590/09/A/03044/10) and the UPV (project PAID-05-10) are gratefully acknowledged.

This work investigates the local transient phenomena occurring in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) operated with a dead-ended anode. The dead-end mode consists in closing the anode outlet, which leads eventually to local hydrogen starvation due to the excessive accumulation of liquid water and nitrogen (because of membrane crossover) in the anode compartment. Such fuel-starvation events may remain undetected but can entail a significant rise of the anode (and thus cathode) potentials and accelerate carbon corrosion and catalyst degradation. To access local information, we developed an innovative segmented linear cell with reference electrodes along the gas channels. By simultaneously monitoring the local potentials and current densities during operation, we assessed the impact of fuel starvation and observed strong local cathode potential excursions close to the anode outlet. Aging protocols based on fuel cell operation with a dead-ended anode (longer than in real use condition) showed non-uniform cathode ElectroChemical Surface Area (ECSA) losses and performance degradation along the cell area: the damage was more severe in the regions suffering the longest from fuel starvation. Parametric studies completed by numerical simulations showed that the fuel starvation is mainly governed by liquid water accumulation in the anode channels, as well as nitrogen crossover through the membrane. As a consequence, water management impacts significantly the cathode potential variations and thus the resulting electrode degradation. Starting from this founding, we propose strategies to improve fuel cell lifetime.; Cette thèse concerne les phénomènes locaux qui se produisent dans une pile à combustible à membrane (PEMFC) fonctionnant en mode bouché. Ce mode de fonctionnement consiste à alimenter l’anode en hydrogène sec tout en maintenant sa sortie fermée ce qui favorise l’accumulation d’eau et d’azote (issus du compartiment cathodique) près de la sortie anodique. Certaines régions sont donc convenablement alimentées en gaz tandis que d’autres ne le sont plus. Ces déséquilibres s’accompagnent de hausses localisées de potentiel (à l'anode et à la cathode) qui accélèrent la dégradation du catalyseur et de son support carboné à la cathode. Afin d’étudier ces dégradations à une échelle locale, une cellule segmentée novatrice permettant la mesure simultanée des densités de courant et des potentiels locaux a été développée. Des protocoles de vieillissement accélérés reposant sur un fonctionnement prolongé en mode bouché montrent que les pics de potentiel ont pour conséquence, après quelques heures, une distribution non-uniforme de la surface active (ECSA) à la cathode et des courants le long de la cellule : les dommages sont plus prononcés dans les zones les plus touchées par le déficit en hydrogène. Des études paramétriques et un modèle numérique permettent de comprendre que le déficit en hydrogène résulte principalement de l’accumulation d’eau liquide dans les canaux de l’anode, bien que l'azote joue également un rôle. Par conséquent, la gestion de l’eau impacte fortement les variations de potentiel à la cathode et donc leurs conséquences en termes de dégradation ; basées sur ces constatations, des solutions sont proposées pour améliorer les durée de vie des piles.

We report herein the use of a combined system for the analysis of the spoilage of wine when in contact with air. The system consists of a potentiometric electronic tongue and a humid electronic nose. The potentiometric electronic tongue was built with thick-film serigraphic techniques using commercially available resistances and conductors for hybrid electronic circuits; i.e. Ag, Au, Cu, Ru, AgCl, and C. The humid electronic nose was designed in order to detect vapours that emanate from the wine and are apprehended by a moist environment. The humid nose was constructed using a piece of thin cloth sewn, damped with distilled water, forming five hollows of the right size to introduce the electrodes. In this particular case four electrodes were used for the humid electronic nose: a glass electrode, aluminium (Al), graphite and platinum (Pt) wires and an Ag-AgCl reference electrode. The humid electronic nose together with the potentiometric electronic tongue were used for the evaluation of the evolution in the course of time of wine samples. Additionally to the analysis performed by the tongue and nose, the spoilage of the wines was followed via a simple determination of the titratable (total) acidity. © 2011 Elsevier B.V., We thank the Spanish Government (project MAT2009-14564-C04) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROME-TEO/2009/016) for support. Luis Gil-Sanchez also thanks the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for support (Primeros Proyectos de Investigacion - PAID-06-09) and the Generalitat Valenciana (proyectos de I+D para grupos de investigacion emergentes - 2009/8650).

Accurate spatial co-registration of EEG electrode positions with individual head models is an important component for EEG source localization and imaging. Due to variations in head shape between individuals, this requires measurements of electrode locations in each individual. Existing hardware for digitization can be accurate, but also relatively expensive. With the goal of making digitization more accessible for a range of research laboratories, we have developed an open-source software tool that can make use of less expensive consumer virtual reality hardware for EEG electrode digitization. Here we describe our developed VRDigitizer system and compare it to existing digitization solutions. Experimental evaluations were performed in a phantom head model and in 12 human subjects. In our comparison experiments, VRDigitizer was able to measure electrode positions with a mean error of 3.74 mm, compared to 1.73 mm and 2.98 mm for the commercial systems tested.

Small-holding farmers in the developing world suffer from sub-optimal crop yields because they lack a soil diagnostic system that is affordable, usable, and actionable. This paper details the fabrication and characterization of an integrated point-of-use soil-testing system, comprised of disposable ion-selective electrode strips and a handheld electrochemical reader. Together, the strips and reader transduce soil ion concentrations into to an alphanumeric output that can be communicated via text message to a central service provider offering immediate, customized fertilizer advisory. The solid-state ion-selective electrode (SSISE) strips employ a two-electrode design with screen-printable carbon nanotube ink serving as the electrical contacts for the working and reference electrodes. The working electrode comprises a plasticizer-free butyl acrylate ion-selective membrane (ISM), doped with an ion-selective ionophore and lipophilic salt. Meanwhile, the reference electrode includes a screen-printed silver-silver chloride ink and a polyvinyl-butyral membrane, which is doped with sodium chloride for stable reference potentials. As a proof of concept, potassium-selective electrodes are studied, given potassium's essential role in plant growth and reproduction. The ISE-based system is reproducibly manufactured to yield a Nernstian response with a sub-micromolar detection limit (pK+ of 5.18 ± 0.08) and near-Nernstian sensitivity (61 mV/decade) in the presence of a 0.02 M strontium chloride extraction solution. Analysis of soil samples using the printed electrodes and reader yielded a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.89 with respect to values measured via inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The reliable performance of this system is encouraging toward its deployment for soil nutrient management in resource-limited environments., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tata Center for Technology and Design, National Science Foundation (U.S.) (award number DMR-1419807)

The posterior auricular muscle (PAM) reflex to sounds has been used clinically to determine hearing threshold as an alternative to other audiological diagnostic measures such as the auditory brainstem response. We have shown that the PAM response is also sensitive to interaural timing differences in normally hearing adults. PAM responses were evoked by both ipsilateral/ contralateral monaural stimulation and by binaural stimulation. Introducing sound delays ipsilaterally or contralaterally decreased the PAM response amplitude and increased its latency. The PAM response in this study shows a qualitatively similar pattern to that seen by the binaural interaction component (BIC) of the auditory brainstem potential to binaural clicks described in previous studies, in that both: have their shortest latency and maximal amplitudes centred around zero interaural timing differences, have response latencies increase with increasing interaural delays up to 1.2 ms and have response amplitudes decrease with increasing interaural delays of up to 1.2 ms. Our data show that the PAM response may be useful in measuring binaural integration in humans non-invasively for diagnostic or research studies.

Pyocyanin is a toxin produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here we describe a novel paper-based electrochemical sensor for pyocyanin detection, manufactured with a simple and inexpensive approach based on electrode printing on paper. The resulting sensors constitute an effective electrochemical method to quantify pyocyanin in bacterial cultures without the conventional time consuming pretreatment of the samples. The electrochemical properties of the paper-based sensors were evaluated by ferri/ferrocyanide as a redox mediator, and showed reliable sensing performance. The paper-based sensors readily allow for the determination of pyocyanin in bacterial cultures with high reproducibility, achieving a limit of detection of 95 nM and a sensitivity of 4.30 μA/μM in standard culture media. Compared to the similar commercial ceramic based sensors, it is a 2.3-fold enhanced performance. The simple in-house fabrication of sensors for pyocyanin quantification allows researchers to understand in vitro adaptation of P. aeruginosa infections via rapid screenings of bacterial cultures that otherwise are expensive and time-consuming.

A microelectrochemical cell housed in an optical microscope and custom-made accessories have been designed and fabricated, which allows performing spatially resolved corrosion measurements. The cell assembly was designed to directly integrate the reference electrode close to the capillary tip to avoid air bubbles. A hard disk along with an old optical microscope was re-engineered into a microgrinder, which made the vertical grinding of glass capillary tips very easy. A stepper motor was customized into a microsyringe pump to dispense a controlled volume of electrolyte through the capillary. A force sensitive resistor was used to achieve constant wetting area. The functionality of the developed instrument is demonstrated by studying ?-electrochemical behavior of worn surface on AA2014-T6 alloy. � 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

This work investigates the local transient phenomena occurring in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) operated with a dead-ended anode. The dead-end mode consists in closing the anode outlet, which leads eventually to local hydrogen starvation due to the excessive accumulation of liquid water and nitrogen (because of membrane crossover) in the anode compartment. Such fuel-starvation events may remain undetected but can entail a significant rise of the anode (and thus cathode) potentials and accelerate carbon corrosion and catalyst degradation. To access local information, we developed an innovative segmented linear cell with reference electrodes along the gas channels. By simultaneously monitoring the local potentials and current densities during operation, we assessed the impact of fuel starvation and observed strong local cathode potential excursions close to the anode outlet. Aging protocols based on fuel cell operation with a dead-ended anode (longer than in real use condition) showed non-uniform cathode ElectroChemical Surface Area (ECSA) losses and performance degradation along the cell area: the damage was more severe in the regions suffering the longest from fuel starvation. Parametric studies completed by numerical simulations showed that the fuel starvation is mainly governed by liquid water accumulation in the anode channels, as well as nitrogen crossover through the membrane. As a consequence, water management impacts significantly the cathode potential variations and thus the resulting electrode degradation. Starting from this founding, we propose strategies to improve fuel cell lifetime., Cette thèse concerne les phénomènes locaux qui se produisent dans une pile à combustible à membrane (PEMFC) fonctionnant en mode bouché. Ce mode de fonctionnement consiste à alimenter l’anode en hydrogène sec tout en maintenant sa sortie fermée ce qui favorise l’accumulation d’eau et d’azote (issus du compartiment cathodique) près de la sortie anodique. Certaines régions sont donc convenablement alimentées en gaz tandis que d’autres ne le sont plus. Ces déséquilibres s’accompagnent de hausses localisées de potentiel (à l'anode et à la cathode) qui accélèrent la dégradation du catalyseur et de son support carboné à la cathode. Afin d’étudier ces dégradations à une échelle locale, une cellule segmentée novatrice permettant la mesure simultanée des densités de courant et des potentiels locaux a été développée. Des protocoles de vieillissement accélérés reposant sur un fonctionnement prolongé en mode bouché montrent que les pics de potentiel ont pour conséquence, après quelques heures, une distribution non-uniforme de la surface active (ECSA) à la cathode et des courants le long de la cellule : les dommages sont plus prononcés dans les zones les plus touchées par le déficit en hydrogène. Des études paramétriques et un modèle numérique permettent de comprendre que le déficit en hydrogène résulte principalement de l’accumulation d’eau liquide dans les canaux de l’anode, bien que l'azote joue également un rôle. Par conséquent, la gestion de l’eau impacte fortement les variations de potentiel à la cathode et donc leurs conséquences en termes de dégradation ; basées sur ces constatations, des solutions sont proposées pour améliorer les durée de vie des piles.

The present study evaluated brain connectivity using electroencephalography (EEG) data from 14 patients with schizophrenia and 14 healthy controls. Phase-Locking Value (PLV), Phase-Lag Index (PLI) and Directed Transfer Function (DTF) were calculated for the original EEG data and following current source density (CSD) transformation, re-referencing using the average reference electrode (AVERAGE) and reference electrode standardization techniques (REST). The statistical analysis of adjacency matrices was carried out using indices based on graph theory. Both CSD and REST reduced the influence of volume conducted currents. The largest group differences in connectivity were observed for the alpha band. Schizophrenic patients showed reduced connectivity strength, as well as a lower clustering coefficient and shorter characteristic path length for both measures of phase synchronization following CSD transformation or REST re-referencing. Reduced synchronization was accompanied by increased directional flow from the occipital region for the alpha band. Following the REST re-referencing, the sources of alpha activity were located at parietal rather than occipital derivations. The results of PLV and DTF demonstrated group differences in fronto-posterior asymmetry following CSD transformation, while for PLI the differences were significant only using REST. The only analysis that identified group differences in inter-hemispheric asymmetry was DTF calculated for REST. Our results suggest that a comparison of different connectivity measures using graph-based indices for each frequency band, separately, may be a useful tool in the study of disconnectivity disorders such as schizophrenia.

The equilibrium potentials of praseodymium-diluted homogeneous Pr-Ga-In alloys in a (Li-K-Cs)Cleut-based salt electrolyte were measured between 573-1073 K by the emf method. These potentials are used to calculate the activity coefficients of α-praseodymium in liquid Ga-In eutectic alloys. PrIn3 alloy with well-known thermodynamic characteristics and without phase transitions in the temperature range 428-1483 K was employed as the reference electrode. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.

Thick-film screen printed silver–silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrodes have been fabricated and investigated as an alternative to liquid electrolyte Ag/AgCl reference electrodes. The performance of the electrodes was examined with variations of the potassium chloride (KCl) concentration in the final (top) layer of the electrode. Also, different types of binder (glass and polymer) were tested for the underlying Ag/AgCl layer. The addition of another layer on top of the KCl containing salt matrix layer has been found to provide a better stability in varying concentrations of KCl test solutions. The electrodes were found to give a satisfactory performance when tested for stability in different pH solutions., The authors wish to thank the UK Environment Agency and the National Environmental Research Council for partially funding this work.

Nanostructured electrochemical sensors often suffer from irreversible aggregation and poor adhesion to the supporting materials, resulting in reduced sensitivity and selectivity over time. We describe a versatile method for fabrication of a H2O2 sensor by immobilizing copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs; 20 nm) on graphene oxide (GO) sheets via in-situ reduction of copper(II) on a polydopamine (PDA) coating on a glassy carbon electrode. The PDA film with its amino groups and catechol groups acts as both a reductant and an adhesive that warrants tight bonding between the Cu NPs and the support. The modified electrode, best operated at a working voltage of -0.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), has a linear response to H2O2 in the 5 μM to 12 mM concentration range, a sensitivity of 141.54 μA∙mM‾1∙cm‾2, a response time of 4 s, and a 1.4 μM detection limit (at an S/N ratio of 3). The sensor is highly reproducible and selective (with minimal interference to ascorbic acid and uric acid). The method was applied to the determination of H2O2 in sterilant by the standard addition method and gave recoveries between 97% and 99%.

The ITO (indium tin oxide) conductive glass-matrix CuS-GeO2-TiO2 composite coating was generated via EPD (electrophoretic deposition) and followed by a sintering treatment at 450°C for 40 minutes. Characterizations of the CuS-GeO2-TiO2 composite coating were taken by SEM (scanning electron microscope), XRD (X-ray diffraction), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray), UV-Vis DRS (ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectrum), and FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). Results showed that CuS and GeO2 had dispersed in this CuS-GeO2-TiO2 composite coating (mass percentages for CuS and GeO2 were 1.23% and 2.79%, respectively). The electrochemical studies (cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel polarization) of this CuS-GeO2-TiO2 composite coating electrode were performed in pH = 9.51 Na2CO3-NaHCO3 buffer solution containing 0.50 mol/L CH3OH under the conditions of visible light, ultraviolet light (λ = 365 nm), and dark (without light irradiation as control), respectively. Electrochemical studies indicated that this CuS-GeO2-TiO2 composite coating electrode had better photoelectrocatalytic activity than the pure TiO2 electrode in the electrocatalysis of methanol under visible light.

A new selective and sensitive sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer/acetylene black (MIP/AB) was developed for the determination of azithromycin (AZM) in pharmaceuticals and biological samples. The MIP of AZM was synthesized by precipitation polymerization. MIP and AB were then respectively introduced as selective and sensitive elements for the preparation of MIP/AB-modified carbon paste (MIP/ABP) electrode. The performance of the obtained sensor was estimated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. Compared with non-molecularly imprinted polymer (NIP) electrodes, NIP/ABP electrodes, and MIP-modified carbon paste electrodes, MIP/ABP electrode exhibited excellent current response toward AZM. The prepared sensor also exhibited good selectivity for AZM in comparison with structurally similar compounds. The effect of electrode composition, extraction parameters, and electrolyte conditions on the current response of the sensor was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the prepared sensor showed two dynamic linear ranges of 1.0 × 10-7 mol L-1 to 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 and 2.0 × 10-6 mol L-1 to 2.0 × 10-5 mol L-1, with a limit of detection of 1.1 × 10-8 mol L-1. These predominant properties ensured that the sensor exhibits excellent reliability for detecting AZM in pharmaceuticals and biological fluids without the assistance of any separation techniques. The results were validated by the high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method.

sensors available for applications in high temperature liquids. The topics addressed include: the calculation rules of the e.m.f. of the electrochemical chain, with special emphasis on sources of errors, a discussion on the reference electrodes of the cells according to the temperature and the types of analyzed solutions. Finally, the state of the art of the potentiometric sensors available for monitoring of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon in molten metals and for studying oxoacidic properties of molten salts is presented. 1. Electrochemical Chains High temperature potentiometric sensors can be used for the measurement of the thermodynamic activity of ions (such as O 2- ), atoms (such as O or C) or molecules (such as O2 or H2) dissolved in molten salts or in molten metals. The choice of the constituents of the electrochemical chains has to fulfill different requirements according to their utilization, i.e., one-shot measurements (oxygen monitoring in molten steel) or long-term on-line monitoring.

An experimental study of cathodic protection (CP) was carried out with a conductive primer anode applied to specimens from a concrete bridge. The bridge was demolished after 30 years of service due to severe delaminations and reinforcement corrosion. Four specimens of approximately 1 m2 each were made and characterised by steel potential, concrete resistivity and corrosion rate measurements, chloride analysis and microscopy. The resistivity was strongly influenced by humidity and temperature. Active corrosion was present, varying locally. CP current distribution was studied between two layers of reinforcement. The steel near the anode received about 60 % of the current, while the remote steel received 40 %. Lead and Activated Titanium reference electrodes were installed for potential and depolarisation measurements. The distribution of polarisation was influenced by the distance from the feeding point. In particular at low temperatures it was difficult to obtain sufficient depolarisation of the steel. Lead and Activated Titanium reference electrodes were found suitable for monitoring free corrosion potentials and effectiveness of CP.

An experimental study of cathodic protection (CP) was carried out with a conductive primer anode applied to specimens from a concrete bridge. The bridge was demolished after 30 years of service due to severe delaminations and reinforcement corrosion. Four specimens of approximately 1 m2 each were made and characterised by steel potential, concrete resistivity and corrosion rate measurements, chloride analysis and microscopy. The resistivity was strongly influenced by humidity and temperature. Active corrosion was present, varying locally. CP current distribution was studied between two layers of reinforcement. The steel near the anode received about 60 % of the current, while the remote steel received 40 %. Lead and Activated Titanium reference electrodes were installed for potential and depolarisation measurements. The distribution of polarisation was influenced by the distance from the feeding point. In particular at low temperatures it was difficult to obtain sufficient depolarisation of the steel. Lead and Activated Titanium reference electrodes were found suitable for monitoring free corrosion potentials and effectiveness of CP.

The removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from clayey soils is an intricate task. The low porosity of compacted clayey soil hinders bacterial activity and makes convective removal by hydraulic flow impossible. Electro-osmosis is a process that has been used for the mobilization and cleanup of contaminants in clayey soils with varying successes. The present study focuses on the remediation of a contaminated peaty clay soil, located in Olst – the Netherlands, by means of electro-osmosis. The soil was originally contaminated by an asphalt production plant, active from 1903 to 1983, and presents high levels of all 16 priority PAHs indicated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Such a long contact times of PAH with the soil (≥100 years) presents a unique study material with well established solid/liquid contaminant partitioning equilibrium, preferable to artificially spiked soil. A batch of 6 electro-osmosis laboratory experiments was carried out to study the removal of 16 PAHs through electro-osmosis. In these experiments, water and a surfactant (Tween 80) were used to enhance the PAH desorption. The electro-osmotic conductivities ranged from 2.88 × 10 −10 to a substantial 1.19 × 10 −7 m 2 V −1 s −1 when applying a current density of 0.005–0.127 A m −2 . Electro-osmosis was expected to occur towards the cathode, because of natural soil characteristics (negative zeta potential), but presented scattered directions. The use of reference electrodes proved to be very effective to the prediction of the flow direction. Finally, the addition of Tween 80 as a surfactant enhanced PAH removal up to 30% of the total PAH content of the soil in 9 days.

The behavior of metallic technetium in chloride melts was studied for the first time. The experiments were conducted in NaCl-2CsCl eutectic melt at 550 °C using high temperature electronic absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. The anodic dissolution of Tc results in the formation of a mixture of Tc(IV) and a lower oxidation state species. Cyclic voltammograms of technetium-containing melts show two cathodic and two associated anodic peaks. One pair is around -0.35 V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode and is associated with the deposition of Tc metal. ©The Electrochemical Society. Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry;Electrodeposition;Energy Technology

Two types of nonbreakable, flexible micro-reference electrodes filled with gel-electrolytes were prepared for use in solutions with alkaline and neutral pH. The electrodes are intended for electrochemical measurements, in which chloride-free conditions are important. Due to the flexible, bendable construction of the electrodes, electrochemical experiments at locations difficult to access with common reference electrodes are enabled. Hg|HgO-type electrodes were prepared from amalgamated Au wires, followed by oxidation of the amalgam, which is mounted in a PTFE tube filled with 0.1M NaOH solution immobilized in a PAA-g-PEO gel. The potential of this type of electrode was found to be 0.162 ± 0.002 V (SHE) at room temperature. Cu|CuSO4 electrodes, consisting of a Cu wire immersed in a saturated CuSO4 solution jellied with gelatin, showed a stable open-circuit potential of 0.312 ± 0.001 V (SHE). Further characterization of the electrodes was performed in terms of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and micro-polarization measurements. As an alternative to the flexible electrodes, rigid electrodes in glass enclosure were fabricated in analogy to the flexible-type electrodes.