Components for manufacturing polyurethane foams can adversely affect the human body, particularly if they are in contact with it for long periods. In applications where the foam is not placed directly into the body, the study of the product’s effects is often neglected. In the case of human skin, distinguishing the increasingly frequent problems of skin atopy, more attention should be paid to this. This paper presents the influence of the different catalytic systems on cytotoxic and thermomechanical properties in polyurethane foams. Among others, foams were produced with the most popular catalysts on the market, DABCO and a metal-organic tin catalyst. The foams were characterized by thermomechanical properties and were subjected to a cytotoxicity test against human keratinocytes. In biocompatibility tests with skin cells, the results were highly variable. VAB 2 with a catalytic system consisting of commercial Diethanolamine and Addocat®105 performed the best. However, with such a catalytic system, the mechanical properties have worsened.
High-temperature fuel cells (namely, molten carbonate and solid oxide; MCFCs and SOFCs) require the cathode to be designed to maximize oxygen catalytic reduction, oxygen ion transport, electrical conductivity, and gas transport. This then leads to the optimization of the volume fraction and morphology of phases, as they are a pathway for electrons, ions, and gases to be continuous and self-interpenetrating. Apart from the functional properties, the cathode must be mechanically stable to prevent cracking during fuel cell assembly and operation. The manufacturing process of the composite cathode was optimized to meet such requirements in this research work. The tape casting technique and further firing process were used to fabricate the cathodes. The slurry for the green tape was composed of nickel (Ni), cerium oxide doped with samarium oxide (SDC), water (solvent), and an organic binder (which becomes pore space after firing). Each of these elements is necessary for the effective transport of specific species: electrons, oxygen, ions, and gas particles, respectively. Moreover, the nickel foam was embedded into the powder-based structure to improve mechanical strength. The study involved many technological issues, such as the effect of the SDC fraction on the cathode microstructure, mechanical strength, and chemical stability at high temperatures, and also involved environmental issues.
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