• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.196-200
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• 2011

The formation of niobium oxide microcones on niobium substrates was investigated in NaF to the HF electrolytes. This condition builds on the uniqueness of the microstructures niobium oxide. The dimensions and integrity of the bulk microstructures were found to be strongly dependent on potential, temperature, electrolyte composition, and anodization time. The anodic oxide was initially amorphous at all temperatures, but crystalline oxide nucleated during anodization. From XRD patterns of the anodized specimens, the microcones consisted of crystalline $Nb_2O_5$. We demonstrated niobium oxide microcone structures with nanorods. The anodized niobium oxide microcone texture revealed nanorod bundles. The surface of $Nb_2O_5$ microcones is very regular and has a nano-scale. The surface morphologies of the nanorods were examined using FE-SEM. EDS analyses show that the anodically prepared niobium oxide consists of $Nb_2O_5$. The aim of this study is to find the condition of forming the favorable nanorods by anodization method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.907-912
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• 2011

Development of visible light responsive photocatalysts is a promising research area to facilitate utilization of solar energy for hydrogen production via photocatalytic water splitting. In this study two groups of samples, nitrogen (N)-doped niobium pentoxide ($Nb_2O_5$) and titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) ($Nb_2O_5-N$, $HNb_3O_8-N$, $TiO_2-N$) and N-undoped ones ($Nb_2O_5$ and $TiO_2$) were tested. In order to utilize visible light, nitrogen atoms were doped in selected photocatalysts by using urea. A shift of the absorption edges of the Ndoped samples in the visible light region was observed. Under visible light irradiation, N-doped samples were more prominent photocatalytic activities than the N-undoped samples. Specifically, 99.7% of rhodamine B (RhB) was degraded after 60 minutes of visible light irradiation with $TiO_2-N$. Since $TiO_2-N$ shows the highest activity of RhB degradation, it was supposed to generate the highest current response. However, $HNb_3O_8-N$ showed the highest current response ($63.7mA/cm^2$) than $TiO_2-N$. More interestingly, when we compare the hydrogen production, $Nb_2O_5-N$ produced $19.4{\mu}mol/h$ of hydrogen.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.625-629
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• 2011

In this study, we show that by anodization of Nb in NaF electrolytes microcone niobium oxide layers can be formed under a range of experimental conditions. It is found that a single NaF electrolyte leads to the formation of microcones. At 1 M NaF, 40 V, 1 h, well-ordered microcones were generated on Nb discs. XRD results show that the initially formed anodic oxide is amorphous, but an amorphous to crystalline transition occurs during anodization. For the formation of favorable microcones, it is considered that proper parameters such as electrolyte concentration, voltage, anodizing time are necessary according to the kind of electrolytes.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.565-574
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• 1993

The Ar/Ar- $H_{2}$ plasma method Lvas applied to reduce and refine high purity Nb metal. Inaddition, the reaction between molten Nb metal and hydrogen were also analyzed in the Ar-(20%)$H_{2}$plasma. The metallic Nb of 99.5wt% was obtained at the ratio of $C/Nb_{2}O_{5}$=5.00 in the Ar plasma reductionand the $O_2$ loss from the thermal decomposition of niobium oxides did not take place. In the Ar-(20%)Hi plasma the metallic Nb of 99.8wt% was produced at the ratio of $C/Nb_{2}O_{5}$=4.80. It was observedthat a major reaction of the deoxidation was the reaction with H, Hi, and a deoxidation by the evaporationof $NbO_x$ did not occur but a mass loss of Nb did by a "splash" effect. The deoxidation reaction rateobeyed the 1st order reaction kinetics and the reaction rate constant(k') of deoxidation was $7.8 \times 10_{-7}$(m/sec).The solubility of hydrogen in Nb metal was 60ppm and it was larger than the solubility of molecularstate hydrogen by 40ppm in the Ar-(20%)$H_{2}$ plasma method. A saturation was within 60sec anda hydrogen content was reduced below lOppm by a Ar plasma re-treatment.by a Ar plasma re-treatment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.415-421
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• 2015

$SrCo_{0.8}Fe_{0.1}Nb_{0.1}O_{3-{\delta}}$ oxide was synthesized by solid state reaction method. Dense ceramic membrane was prepared using as-prepared powder by pressing and sintering at $1250^{\circ}C$. XRD result of membrane showed single perovskite structure. The oxygen permeability were measured under 0.21 atm of oxygen partial pressure ($P_{O_2}$) and between 800 and $950^{\circ}C$. The oxygen permeation flux of $SrCo_{0.8}Fe_{0.1}Nb_{0.1}O_{3-{\delta}}$ membrane was increased with the increasing temperature. The maximum oxygen permeation flux was $1.839mL/min{\cdot}cm^2$ at $950^{\circ}C$. Long period permeability experiment was carried out to confirm the phase stability and $CO_2$-tolerance of membrane containing Nb in the condition of air with $CO_2$ (500 ppm) as feed stream at $900^{\circ}C$. The phase stability and $CO_2$-tolerance of $SrCo_{0.8}Fe_{0.1}Nb_{0.1}O_{3-{\delta}}$ were investigated by XRD and TG analysis. The result of $SrCo_{0.8}Fe_{0.1}Nb_{0.1}O_{3-{\delta}}$ which exposed carbon dioxide for 100 hours indicated 8wt% of $SrCO_3$. But it was known that the level of $SrCO_3$ production dose not have a significant effect on oxygen permeability.