A composite electrode that contains home‐made nickel coated carbon micro‐particles as active materials and epoxy binder has been prepared. The surface morphology, elemental composition and size distribution of microparticles were investigated using SEM, EDS, AAS, micro Raman spectroscopy and appropriate seizer apparatus. The prepared micro‐particles appeared monodispers with 33 μm most numerous particle size diameter and with 10.1 w/w % Ni content. Conventional electrochemical methods like impedance spectroscopy and voltammetry as well as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) were used for investigation the properties of the composite electrodes. It has been proved that the electrode can be well used for electro‐catalytic reduction of CO2 directly in aqueous mono‐ethanol amine (MEA) solution that frequently are applied for capturing it from power plant flue gases. SECM measurements showed that presence of dissolved CO2 hinders the hydrogen evolution in aqueous MEA solution.
Tattooing is becoming more and more accepted at different levels of society today. A contributor to this is that besides body decoration, the cosmetics industry is increasingly using it for make-up tattoos and to hide skin imperfections and surgical scars. Tattoo needles, despite being in direct contact with human tissues and even with blood, are not subject to current Medical Device Regulation, so they do not require a number of material and biocompatibility tests in order to be placed on the market. The focus of our research was on how the needle and the soldering of the needles are damaged during tattooing, and how this develops over time, as a worn needle tip can not only degrade the quality of the tattoo, but also increase skin breakdown and the amount of dissolving allergenic substances.
During implantation, stents are delivered in crimped state to the narrowed lesion, where they are expanded to the desired size by the balloon. Due to insufficient size selection or high resistance to plaque, the stent is often widened by the expansion pressure to a level greater than the nominal pressure specified by the manufacturer. Depending on the degree of overpressure, the nominal diameter of the stent may change by several tenths of a millimetre. Numerous studies have dealt with the physiological effects of overexposure and stenogenic stress, but so far no studies have been carried out to investigate the stent coating and corrosion properties of the stent. In our research a widely used drug-eluting, platinum-chromium alloyed steel stent was observed with an inflation pressure of 12 and 18 bar. Scanning electron microscopy revealed lesions of the coating and potentiodynamic tests were performed to determine the corrosion rate.
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