• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.489-496
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• 2018

Fuel cells are seen as eco-friendly energy resources that convert chemical energy into electrical energy. However, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have problems such as the use of expensive platinum catalysts for the reduction of conductivity under high temperature humidification conditions. Thus, an anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) is attracting a great attention. Anion exchange fuel cells use non - Pt catalysts and have the advantage of better efficiency because of the lower activation energy of the oxygen reduction reaction. However, there are various problems to be solved including problems such as the electrode damage and reduction of ion conductivity by being exposed to the carbon dioxide. Therefore, this mini review proposes various solutions for different problems of anion exchange fuel cells through a wide range of research papers.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.1069-1074
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• 2008

In this work, we made a study for the 3D SAM formation of octanethiol, decanethiol, and dodecanethiol on copper nanoparticles and we verified stability of the copper particle depending on the ratio of dodecanethiol to copper. The reaction was performed in a one-phase system under nitrogen atmosphere and the thiolated copper particles could be obtained by centrifugation. We could confirm that the nanoparticles consisted of a spherical shape of 3~6 nm from TEM images. FT-IR, XPS and TGA results showed that alkanethiols were chemisorbed via thiol group and the packing density of the alkanethiols on copper surface increased with the alkyl chain lengths. XRD patterns gave us useful information about superlattice formations. Finally, $Cu_2O$ was formed when the molar ratio of dodecanethiol to copper is less than unity and copper nanoparticles formed more compact 3D SAMs when the molar ratio of dodecanethiol to copper was 1.25.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2016

In a borate buffer solution, the growth kinetics and the electronic properties of passive film on aluminum were investigated, using the potentiodynamic method, chronoamperometry, and multi-frequency electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The corrosion of aluminum was heavily influenced by the degree of oxygen concentration because of the increasing reduction current. The oxide film formed during the passivation process of aluminum has showed the electronic properties of n-type semiconductor, which follow from the Mott-Schottky equation. It was found out that the passive film (Al(OH)₃) of Al formed in the low electrode potential changes to Al₂O₃ while the electrode potential increases. The growth kinetics data as measured by chronoamperometry suggests a mechanism in which the growth of the film of Al₂O₃ is determined by field-assisted transport of ions through the film.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1010-1018
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• 1993

The titanium oxide thin films were prepared by anodic oxidation. The Photo-electrochemical properties of the electrodes were studied in 1 M NaOH solution. The flat band potentials of $TiO_2$ electrodes prepared by anodic oxidation showed around -0.8V and the values were shifted 0.2V to the positive potential direction that of single crystal $TiO_2$. Reduction potential of oxygen by cyclic voltammetry showed around -0.95V vs. SCE and these reactions were processed totally irreversible. The photocurrent of electrodes were showed shorter wavelength than that of single crystal $TiO_2$ and its current density decreased.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.531-539
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• 2019

The development of cost-effective electrocatalysts with high durability is one of the most important challenges for the commercialization of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The durability of the electrocatalyst has been studied in terms of structural change in the active metal and the support. In particular, in fuel cell vehicles, degradation of the carbon-based support is known to have a significant effect on the electrocatalyst deterioration since the start-up/shut-down cycle is frequently repeated. The requirements for the support of the electrocatalyst include high surface area, electrical conductivity, chemical stability, and so on. In this study, we propose the evaluation methods for choosing better support materials and present the physicochemical properties that promising carbon supports should have. Three kinds of carbon materials with different crystallinity are compared. From in-depth study using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and accelerated stress test, it is clearly confirmed that the durability of carbon-supported electrocatalysts is closely related to the physicochemical properties of the carbon supports.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.79-79
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• 2011

water cavitation peening(WCP)은 water jet 과정으로 인한 cavitation이 발생할 때, 금속표면 cavitation 현상에 의해 재료표면의 잔류응력과 경도 등의 물성을 변화시키게 되며, 그로 인해 생긴 잔류 응력으로 재료의 내구성 및 수명을 향상시키는 기술이다. 최근에는 water jet을 이용한 장치들이 건설 분야, 일반기계분야, 컷팅 공정, 분쇄 등 다양한 분야에서도 사용되고있다. 그러나 water jet을 이용한 peening은 소개 된지 20여년이 경과했음에도 불구하고 연구 및 개발 내용은 shot peening에 비해 아직 초기 단계이다. water cavitation peening은 기존의 피닝 방법의 단점을 보완 할 뿐만 아니라 환경적인 측면에서도 그 가치가 크다. 아직은 다른 peening 기법 보다 잔류압축응력 부가 측면에서 그 효과가 떨어지지만, water cavitation peening은 열에 영향을 받는 영역이 생성되지 않으며, 기계의 표면 가공을 하는 동안 어떤 미세한 먼지도 생성하지 않아 친환경적이다. 또한 복잡한 외형을 가지는 부품 및 내면에 적용성이 뛰어나고, 표면 정밀도 저하가 낮다는 장점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 조류발전용 블레이드의 재료로 사용하려는 동합금에 대하여 증류수 내에서 water cavitation peening 시간, 거리, 파형 등의 변수를 적용하여 최적 조건을 찾고, 다양한 전기화학적 실험을 실시하였으며, water cavitation peening 부의 부식특성을 평가 하였다. ASTM-G32 규정에 의거하여 압전효과를 용한 진동발생 장치(RB 111-CE)를 이용하여 동합금 표면에 water cavitation peening을 실시하고, 실험 후 표면의 손상거동을 관찰하기 위하여 3D현미경 및 전자주사현미경(SEM)을 사용하였다. 물성치 변화를 확인하기 위하여 SHIMADZU사의 HVM-2 Model의 비커스 경도기를 이용하여 표면 경도값을 측정하였다. 전기화학실험은 각 3회 이상 실시하였으며, Tafel 분석결과로 부식전류밀도와 부식전위의 평균, 부식전위를 알 수 있었고, 음분극 실험결과, 용존산소 환원반응에 의한 농도분극에서 수소가스발생에 의한 활성화 분극으로 진행되는 변곡점을 확일 할 수 있었다.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.633-639
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• 2018

In anion exchange membrane fuel cells, Pd nanoparticles are extensively studied as promising non-Pt catalysts due to their electronic structure similar to Pt. In this study, to fabricate Pd nanoparticles well dispersed on carbon support materials, we propose a synthetic strategy using mixed organic ligands with different chemical structures and functions. Simultaneously to control the Pd particle size and dispersion, a ligand mixture composed of oleylamine(OA) and trioctylphosphine(TOP) is utilized during thermal decomposition of Pd precursors. In the ligand mixture, OA serves mainly as a reducing agent rather than a stabilizer since TOP, which has a bulky structure, more strongly interacts with the Pd metal surface as a stabilizer compared to OA. The specific roles of OA and TOP in the Pd nanoparticle synthesis are studied according to the mixture composition, and the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) activity and durability of highly-dispersed Pd nanocatalysts with different particles sizes are investigated. The results of this study confirm that the Pd nanocatalyst with large particles has high durability compared to the nanocatalyst with small Pd nanoparticles during the accelerated degradation tests although they initially indicated similar ORR performance.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.640-645
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• 2018

The design of non-precious electrocatalysts with low-cost, good stability, and an improved oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) to replace the platinium-based electrocatalyst is significant for application of fuel cells and metal-air batteries with high energy density. In this study, we synthesize iron-carbide($Fe_3C$) embedded nitrogen(N) doped carbon nanofiber(CNF) as electrocatalysts for ORRs using electrospinning, precursor deposition, and carbonization. To optimize electrochemical performance, we study the three stages according to different amounts of iron precursor. Among them, $Fe_3C$-embedded N doped CNF-1 exhibits the most improved electrochemical performance with a high onset potential of -0.18 V, a high $E_{1/2}$ of -0.29 V, and a nearly four-electron pathway (n = 3.77). In addition, $Fe_3C$-embedded N doped CNF-1 displays exellent long-term stabillity with the lowest ${\Delta}E_{1/2}=8mV$ compared to the other electrocatalysts. The improved electrochemical properties are attributed to synergestic effect of N-doping and well-dispersed iron carbide embedded in CNF. Consequently, $Fe_3C$-embedded N doped CNF is a promising candidate for non-precious electrocatalysts for high-performance ORRs.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.646-652
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• 2018

During a long-term operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs), the fuel cell performance may degrade due to severe agglomeration and dissolution of metal nanoparticles in the cathode. To enhance the electrochemical durability of metal catalysts and to prevent the particle agglomeration in PEMFC operation, this paper proposes a hybrid catalyst structure composed of PtCo alloy nanoparticles encapsulated by porous carbon layers. In the hybrid catalyst structure, the dissolution and migration of PtCo nanoparticles can be effectively prevented by protective carbon shells. In addition, $O_2$ can properly penetrate the porous carbon layers and react on the active Pt surface, which ensures high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Although the hybrid catalyst has a much smaller active surface area due to the carbon encapsulation compared to a commercial Pt catalyst without a carbon layer, it has a much higher specific activity and significantly improved durability than the Pt catalyst. Therefore, it is expected that the designed hybrid catalyst concept will provide an interesting strategy for development of high-performance fuel cell catalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.160-166
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• 2019

Cerium oxide ($CeO_2$, often called as Ceria) is one of the valuable rare earth oxide materials, which has been widely used for high temperature applications such as solid oxide fuel cells, automotive three-way catalysts and oxygen storage capacity. Considering those application, it is important to improve high redox and thermal stability with high surface morphology because the high surface area of $CeO_2$ could improve the catalytic reactivity at high temperature conditions. Herein we successfully fabricated hierarchical flower-like $CeO_2$ deposited via controlling pathway of precipitation reaction to supply carbonate ion lead to the flower-like morphology. The hexagonal lattice system of precipitated precursor shows better thermal stability then orthorhombic one during thermal cycling condition.