• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2009

In order to improve the electrochemical, mechanical and electrocatalytic characteristics, engineering plastic of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) as polymer matrix was sulfonated (SPEEK) and the organic-inorganic blend composite membranes has been prepared by loading heteropoly acids (HPAs), including tungstophosphoric acid (TPA), molybdophosphoric acid (MoPA), and tungstosilicic acid (TSiA). And then these were covalently cross-linked (CL-SPEEK/HPA) as the electrolyte and MEA of polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis (PEME). As a result, the optimum reaction conditions of CL-SPEEK/HPA was established and the electrochemical characteristics such as ion conductivity ($\sigma$) were in the order of magnitude: CL-SPEEK /TPA30 (${\sigma}=0.128\;S/cm^{-1}$) < /MoPA40 (${\sigma}=0.14\;S/cm^{-1})$ < /TSiA30 (${\sigma}=0.22\;S/cm^{-1}$) at $80^{\circ}C$, and mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength: CL-SPEEK /TSiA30 $\fallingdotseq$ /MoPA40 < /TPA30. Consequently, in regards of above characterisitics and oxidation durability, the CL-SPEEK/TPA30 exhibited a better performance in PEME than the others, but CL-SPEEK/MoPA40 showed the best electrocatalytic activity of cell voltage 1.71 V among the composite membranes. The dual effect of higher proton conductivity and electrocatalytic activity with the addition of HPAs, causes a synergy effect.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2014

Fuel consumption rates of electric vehicles strongly depend on their battery performance. Because the battery performance is sensitive to the operating temperature, temperature management of the battery ensures its performance and durability. In particular, the temperature distribution among modules in the battery pack affects the cooling characteristics. This study focuses on the thermal modeling of a battery pack to observe the temperature distribution among the modules. The battery model is a prismatic model of 10 NiMH battery modules. The thermal model of the battery consists of heat generation, convective heat transfer through the channel and conduction heat transfer among modules. The heat generation is calculated by the electric resistance heat during the charge/discharge state. The model is used to determine a strategy for proper thermal management in Electric vehicles.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

A graft copolymer, i.e. poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene )-g-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (P(VDF-co-CTFE)-g-PSSA) with 47 wt% of PSSA was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). This copolymer was combined with titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to produce graft copolymer/$TiO_2$ nanocomposite membranes via sol-gel process. $TiO_2$ precursor (TTIP) was selectively incorporated into the hydrophilic PSSA domains of the graft copolymer and grown to form $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, as confirmed by FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopy. Water uptake and ion exchange capacity (IEC) decreased with TTIP contents due to the decrease in number of sulfonic acid in the membranes. At 5 wt% of TTIP, the mechanical properties of membranes increased while maintaining the proton conductivity.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.338-343
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• 2019

The water transport and water content of the electrolyte membrane greatly affect the performance of the membrane in PEMFC(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell). In this study, the parameters (electroosmotic coefficient, water diffusion coefficient) of polymer membranes for water transport were measured by a simple method, and water flux and ion conductivity were simulated by using a model equation. One dimensional steady state model equation was constructed by using only the electro-osmosis and diffusion as the driving force of water transport. The governing equations were simulated with MATLAB. The electro-osmotic coefficient of $144{\mu}m$ thick polymer membranes was measured in hydrogen pumping cell, the value was 1.11. The water diffusion coefficient was expressed as a function of relative humidity and the activation energy for water diffusion was $2,889kJ/mol{\cdot}K$. The water flux and ion conductivity results simulated by applying these coefficients showed good agreement with the experimental data.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.294-301
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• 2007

To improve oxidative stability of non-fluorinated styrene-based polymer electrolyte membranes, copolymerized membranes were prepared using styrene derivatives such as p-methylstyrene, t-butylstyrene, and ${\alpha}-methylstyrene$ by monomer sorption method. Prepared membrane was characterized by measurement of weight gain ratio, water content, ion-exchange capacity, proton conductivity, and oxidative stability under the accelerated condition. It was found that each step of monomer sorption method including sorption, polymerization and sulfonation could be affected by the properties and the structures of styrenederivatives. Due to difficulty of polymerization, ${\alpha}$-methylstyrene was copolymerized with styrene or p-methylstyrene. Prepared membrane using ${\alpha}-methylstyrene$ and styrene showed higher performance and stability comparing to copolymerized membrane with styrene. However, copolymerized membranes with ${\alpha}-methylstyrene$ did not showed much improved oxidative stability comparing to styrene membrane due to their lower molecular weight. The t-butylstyrene membrane showed a low performance due to substituted bulky-butyl group which prevents sorption and sulfonation reaction. However, copolymerized t-butylstyrene membranes with p-methylstyrene showed good performance and much improved stability than the styrene membranes.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2009

The magnetized water is known to have a unique pattern of hydrogen bond between water molecules, thereby producing different physicochemical properties from the ordinary water. We have examined the effect of magnetized water on the change of critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of some surfactants. The CMC changes of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) dissolved in the magnetized water have been determined by the conductivity measurement at $25\;{^{\circ}C}$ and that of SDS, CTAB and Pluronic F-68 have also been examined by the surface tension method at $25\;{^{\circ}C}$. The CMC variation of SDS was examined by ITC (Isothermal Titration Calorimeter) at $25\;{^{\circ}C}$. The CMC of SDS, CTAB, and Pluronic F-68 are more decreased in the magnetized water, SDS is about $2.7{\sim}6.5$25 %, CTAB is about $2.3{\sim}3.0$%, and Pluronic F-68 is about 24.2 %, than in the control water.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.664-670
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• 2021

Stainless steel was applied as bipolar plate (BP) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) due to high mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and good machinability. However, stainless steel was corroded and increased contact resistance resulting PEMFC performance decrease. Although the corrosion resistance could be improved by surface treatment such as noble metal coating, there is a disadvantage of cost increase. The stainless steel corrosion behavior and passive layer influence on PEMFC performance should be studied to improve durability and economics of metal bipolar plate. In this study, SUS316L bipolar plate of 25 cm² active area was manufactured, and experiments were conducted for corrosion behavior at an anode and cathode. The influence of SUS316L BP corrosion on fuel cell performance was measured using the polarization curve, impedance, and contact resistance. The metal ion concentration in drained water was analyzed during fuel cell operation with SUS316L BP. It was confirmed that the corrosion occurs more severely at the anode than at the cathode for SUS316L BP. The contact resistance was increased due to the passivation of SUS316L during fuel cell operation, and metal ions continuously dissolved even after the passive layer formation.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.17-27
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• 2000

This paper presents deposition and characterization of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (${\mu}c$ -Si:H) films on low cost glass substrate by Hot Wire CVD(HWCVD). The HWCVD ${\mu}c$ -Si:H films had deposition rates ranging from 2${\AA}$/sec to 35${\AA}$/sec with the variations of preparation conditions, which was 10 times higher than that of the films obtained from the conventional PECVD method. From the Raman spectroscopy, the prepared silicon films were found to be composed of the mixture of crystalline and amorphous phases. The crystalline volume fraction and average crystallite size, obtained from the Raman To mode peak near 520cm$^{-1}$, were 37-63% and 6-10 nm, respectively. The conductivity activation energy($E_a$) of the ${\mu}c$ -Si:H films, representing the difference of conduction band and Fermi level in an intrinsic semiconductors, increased from 0.22eV to 0.68eV with increasing pressure from 30mTorr to 300mTorr. The increase of $E_a$ with pressure indicates that the deposited films have properties close to intrinsic semiconductors, which is also proved with low dark conductivity of the ${\mu}c$ -Si:H deposited at 300mTorr. The tungsten concentration incorporated into films was about $6{\times}10^{16}atoms/cm^3$ in the samples prepared at wire temperature of 1800$^{\circ}C$.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.625-632
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• 2012

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the cathode channel flooding effects at different stoichiometries in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells by using visualization techniques. The phenomena of liquid water formation and removal caused by current variations were also examined experimentally. Tests were conducted at cathode stoichiometries of 1.5 and 2.0, and the anode stoichiometry was fixed at 1.5. It is found that at an air-side stoichiometry of 2.0, liquid water begins to form and the flooding occurs faster than at an air-side stoichiometry of 1.5. Also, when the air-side stoichiometry of 1.5 is maintained, the dry-out phenomena is observed in the dry-out area 7.8 A following the field of flooding. Thus, a stoichiometry of 1.5 produced better performance in terms of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) durability and hydrogen ion conductivity than did a stoichiometry of 2.0, in which dry-out occurs beyond 8A.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.556-560
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• 2013

Recently, there are many efforts focused on development of more economical non-fluorinated membranes for use in PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). In this study, characteristics of poly(arylene ether sulfone)(PAES) were compared with fluorinated membrane at PEMFC operation condition. I-V polarization curve, hydrogen crossover, electrochemical surface area, membrane resistance and charge transfer resistance were measured. PAES membrane showed similar performance compared with fluorinated membrane at 100% relative humidity, but the performance of PAES membrane decreased largely due to low ionic conductivity at low relative humidity.