A method to evaluate some possible potential interactions between food additives and the inner coating of packaging materials is described. This novel approach is based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and may be employed to determine such potential interactions by examining the modification of the capacity values of the inner coating of the packaging materials when the packaging material is exposed to any form of physical degradation or modifications. Although the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis data, resulting from the evaluation of canned carbonated beverages, offers an extended range of characteristic parameters, it was found that the associated capacitance value is in this case particularly suitable in supplying information that could describe the degradation induced by various factors. One has also presented a newly defined parameter that describes the interaction rate and may confirm or infirm the presence of such interactions regardless of the interaction mechanism. Practical applications This proposed method may be used in connection with food expertise to determine if any interactions take place between the food and the corresponding packaging materials or as a mean to determine the aging of packaging materials. Other potential uses envisage the determination of the aggressiveness of the processed food and/or the additives included in the processed food.

Abstract. In this paper, two case studies regarding the application of a reconditioning procedure of aged lithium-polymer batteries used to power a notebook and a tablet are presented. The parameters measured in the evaluating the performance of the reconditioned rechargeable batteries are the charging/discharging capacity and the internal resistance. The results obtained indicate a high degree of reconditioning of the investigated batteries, expressed as a reconditioning coefficient, calculated on the basis of the measured nominal capacities after applying the reconditioning procedure with respect to the initial one.

In this paper the properties of some Ni-Cu layers deposited onto a steel substrate were discussed. One has investigated the influence of the electrodeposition process on the final properties of the Ni-Cu layers, in order to see if these electrodeposited layers could be used as supercapacitor plates. The structural characterization was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and their composition by dispersive energy spectrometry. One has built a number of functional supercapacitors using Ni-Cu layer plates inserting in between them a separation membrane and their capacitance values were determined.