• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.179-186
• /
• 2006

Two types of $TiO_2$, nanotube and nanoparticle, were used for the mesoporous coatings by doctor blade technique followed by calcining at $450^{\circ}C$. The coatings were used as working materials for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) later on and their photovoltaic characterization was carried out. The nanoparticle was synthesized from hydrogen titanate nanotube by hydrothermal treatment at $180^{\circ}C$ for 24 hr. The solar energy conversion efficiency (${\eta}$) of DSCs prepared by this nanoparticle reached 8.07％ with $V_{OC}$ (open-circuit potential) of 0.81 V, $I_{SC}$ (short-circuit current) of $18.29mV/cm^2$, and FF (fill factor) of 66.95％, respectively. For the preparation of nanotube, the concentration of NaOH solution varied from 3 M to 5 M. In the case of DSCs fabricated with nanotubes from 3 M NaOH solution, the ${\eta}$ reached 6.19％ with $V_{OC}$ of 0.77 V, $I_{SC}$ of $12.41mV/cm^2$, and FF of 64.49％, respectively. On the other hand, in the case of 5 M solution, the photovoltaic ${\eta}$ was decreased with 4.09％ due to a loss of photocarriers. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that the solar energy conversion efficiency of DSCs made from $TiO_2$ nanoparticle showed best results among those under investigation.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2023

The cathode, which is one of the four major components of a lithium secondary battery, is an important component responsible for the energy density of the battery. The mixing process of active material, conductive material, and polymer binder is very essential in the commonly used wet manufacturing process of the cathode. However, in the case of mixing conditions of the cathode, since there is no systematic method, in most cases, differences in performance occur depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, LiMn₂O₄ (LMO) cathodes were prepared using a commonly used THINKY mixer and homogenizer to optimize the mixing method in the cathode slurry preparation step, and their characteristics were compared. Each mixing condition was performed at 2000 RPM and 7 min, and to determine only the difference in the mixing method during the manufacture of the cathode other experiment conditions (mixing time, material input order, etc.) were kept constant. Among the manufactured THINKY mixer LMO (TLMO) and homogenizer LMO (HLMO), HLMO has more uniform particle dispersion than TLMO, and thus shows higher adhesive strength. Also, the result of the electrochemical evaluation reveals that HLMO cathode showed improved performance with a more stable life cycle compared to TLMO. The initial discharge capacity retention rate of HLMO at 69 cycles was 88%, which is about 4.4 times higher than that of TLMO, and in the case of rate capability, HLMO exhibited a better capacity retention even at high C-rates of 10, 15, and 20 C and the capacity recovery at 1 C was higher than that of TLMO. It's postulated that the use of a homogenizer improves the characteristics of the slurry containing the active material, the conductive material, and the polymer binder creating an electrically conductive network formed by uniformly dispersing the conductive material suppressing its strong electrostatic properties thus avoiding aggregation. As a result, surface contact between the active material and the conductive material increases, electrons move more smoothly, changes in lattice volume during charging and discharging are more reversible and contact resistance between the active material and the conductive material is suppressed.