• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.187-192
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• 2008

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/$SnO_2$ nano-composite (MSC) for the anode electrode of a Li-ion battery was prepared using a homogeneous precipitation method with $SnCl_2$ precursors in the presence of MWNT. XRD results indicate that when annealed in Ar at $400^{\circ}C$, $Sn_6O_4(OH)_4$ was fully converted to $SnO_2$ phases. TEM observations showed that most of the $SnO_2$ nanoparticles were deposited directly on the outside surface of the MWNT. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode showed higher specific capacities than a MWNT and better cycleability than a nano-$SnO_2$ electrode. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode improved because the MWNT in the MSC electrode absorbed the mechanical stress induced from a volume change during alloying and de-alloying reactions with lithium, leading to an increase in the electrical conductivity of the composite material.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.243-248
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• 2014

Silicon-carbon composite was prepared by the magnesiothermic reduction of mesoporous silica and subsequent impregnation with a carbon precursor. This was applied for use as an anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Well-ordered mesoporous silica(SBA-15) was employed as a starting material for the mesoporous silicon, and sucrose was used as a carbon source. It was found that complete removal of by-products ($Mg_2Si$ and $Mg_2SiO_4$) formed by side reactions of silica and magnesium during the magnesiothermic reduction, was a crucial factor for successful formation of mesoporous silicon. Successful formation of the silicon-carbon composite was well confirmed by appropriate characterization tools (e.g., $N_2$ adsorption-desorption, small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses). A lithium-ion battery was fabricated using the prepared silicon-carbon composite as the anode, and lithium foil as the counter-electrode. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the silicon-carbon composite showed better cycling stability than graphite, when used as the anode in the lithium-ion battery. This improvement could be due to the fact that carbon efficiently suppressed the change in volume of the silicon material caused by the charge-discharge cycle. This indicates that silicon-carbon composite, prepared via the magnesiothermic reduction and impregnation methods, could be an efficient anode material for lithium ion batteries.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.111-122
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• 2013

Sodium sulfur (NAS) battery is a high energy storage system (ESS). These days, as the use of renewable green energy like wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy is rapidly increasing, the demand of ESS is increasing and NAS battery is considered to be one of the most promising ESS. Since NAS battery has a high energy density(3 times of lead acid battery), long cycle life and no self-charge and discharge, it is a good candidate for ESS. A NAS battery consists of sulfur as the positive electrode, sodium as the negative electrode and ${\beta}$"-alumina as the electrolyte and a separator simultaneously. Since sulfur is an insulator, carbon felt should be used as conductor with sulfur and so the composition and property of the cathode could largely influence the cell performance and life cycle. Therefore, in this paper, the composition of NAS battery, the property of carbon felt and sodium polysulfides ($Na_2S_x$, intermediates of discharge), and the effects of these factors on cycle performance of cells are described in detail.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of LSGM electrolyte and LSM cathode. The unit cell based on the optimum conditions and processing for high performance was fabricated and measured. The single phase of $LaGaO_3$ was obtained on sintering at $1500^{\circ}$ for 6h with composition of $(La_{0.85}Sr_{0.15})(Ga_{0.8}Mg_{0.2})O_{3-\delta}와 (La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2})(Ga_{0.8}Mg_{0.2})O_{3-\delta}$ and $(La_{0.85}Sr_{0.15})(Ga_{0.8}Mg_{0.2})O_{3-\delta}$. The grain size of the sintered body was about $10∼30{\mu}m$ and electrical conductivity was 0.13 S/cm measured at $800^{\circ}$. The single phase of $LaMnO_3$ structure in $(La1-xSrx)MnO_3$ system was obtained at x=0∼0.2 and the particle size of the synthesized powder was about 40 nm. The unit cell was prepared by firing at $1200^{\circ}$ for 1h with $(La_{0.9}Sr_{0.1})MnO_3$ cathode and 0.9NiO-0.1YSZ anode screen-printed on surfaces of $(La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2})(Ga_{0.8}Mg_{0.2})O_{3-\delta}$ electrolyte. The grain size of the electrode was close to $1{\mu}m$ and the electrode had porous structure. The maximum power density of unit cell showed $0.3W/cm^2$ at $800^{\circ}$.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 2019

A macroporous Sn thick film as a high capacity negative electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery was prepared by using a chemical etching method using nitric acid for a Sn film having a thickness of $52{\mu}m$. The porous Sn thick film greatly reduced the over-voltage for the alloying reaction with lithium by the increased reaction area. At the same time. The porous structure of active Sn film plays a part in the buffer and reduces the damage by the volume change during cycles. Since the porous Sn thick film electrode does not require the use of the binder and the conductive carbon black, it has substantially larger energy density. As the concentration of nitric acid in etching solution increased, the degree of the etching increased. The etching of the Sn film effectively proceeded with nitric acid of 3 M concentration or more. The porous Sn film could not be recovered because the most of Sn was eluted within 60 seconds by the rapid etching rate in the 5 M nitric acid. In the case of etching with 4 M nitric acid for 60 seconds, the appropriate porous Sn film was formed with 48.9% of weight loss and 40.3% of thickness change during chemical acid etching process. As the degree of etching of Sn film increased, the electrochemical activity and the reversible capacity for the lithium storage of the Sn film electrode were increased. The highest reversible specific capacity of 650 mAh/g was achieved at the etching condition with 4 M nitric acid. The porous Sn film electrode showed better cycle performance than the conventional electrode using a Sn powder.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.41 no.10 s.269
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• pp.777-782
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• 2004

In this research, $5\times5cm^2$ unit cells were fabricated via liquid condensation process and uniaxial pressing followed by the screen printing of electrolyte and cathode layer. The SOFC stack was assembled with unit cells, gasket-type sealant and metal interconnect. The stack was designed to have a single column with internal-manifold and cross-flow type gas-channels. The SOFC stack produced 15 W, which is $50\%$ of the maximum power being expected from the maximum power density of the unit cell. Controlling factors for the proper operation of the SOFC stack and other designing factors of stack manifold and gas channels were discussed.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.321-332
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• 2017

In order to build a general model of a high-throughput uranium electrorefining process according to the electrode configuration, numerical analysis was conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics V5.3 electrodeposition module with Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) interfaces. The generated model was validated by comparing a current density-potential curve according to the distance between the anode and cathode and the electrode array, using a lab-scale (1kg U/day) multi-electrode electrorefiner made by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The operating temperature was $500^{\circ}C$ and LiCl-KCl eutectic with 3.5wt% $UCl_3$ was used for molten salt. The efficiency of the uranium electrorefining apparatus was improved by lowering the cell potential as the distance between the electrodes decreased and the anode/cathode area ratio increased. This approach will be useful for constructing database for safety design of high throughput spent nuclear fuel electrorefiners.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.116-120
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• 2015

$La_2NiO_{4+{\delta}}$ based oxides, a mixed electronic-ionic conductors (MIECs) with $K_2NiF_4$ type structure, have been considerably investigated in recent decades as electrode materials for advanced solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to their high electrical conductivity, and oxidation reduction reaction (ORR). In this study, structure properties of $La(Ca)_2Ni(Cu)O_{4+{\delta}}$ were studied as a potential cathode for intermediate temperature SOFCs (IT-SOFCs).

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2012

We developed a new high-yield synthesis method of free-standing germanium nanocrystals (Ge NCs) by means of the gas-phase photolysis of tetramethyl germanium in a closed reactor using an Nd-YAG pulsed laser. Size control (5-100 nm) can be simply achieved using a quenching gas. The $Ge_{1-x}Si_x$ NCs were synthesized by the photolysis of a tetramethyl silicon gas mixture and their composition was controlled by the partial pressure of precursors. The as-grown NCs are sheathed with thin (1-2 nm) carbon layers, and well dispersed to form a stable colloidal solution. Both Ge NC and Ge-RGO hybrids exhibit excellent cycling performance and high capacity of the lithium ion battery (800 and 1100 mAh/g after 50 cycles, respectively) as promising anode materials for the development of high-performance lithium batteries. This novel synthesis method of Ge NCs is expected to contribute to expand their applications in high-performance energy conversion systems.

• Composites Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2017

Structural battery has been researched extensively to combine the functions of the battery and structure without gravimetric or volumetric increments compared to their individual components. The main idea is to employ carbon fabric as the reinforcement and electrode, glass fabric as the separator, and solid-state electrolyte which can transfer load. However, state-of-the-art solid-state electrolytes do not have sufficient load carrying functionality and exhibiting appropriate ion conductivity simultaneously. Therefore, in this research, a system which has both battery and load carrying capabilities using glass fabric separator and liquid electrolyte was devised and tested to investigate the potential and feasibility of this structural battery system and observe electric properties. It was observed that elongating separator decreased electrical behavior stability. A possible cause of this phenomenon was the elongated glass fabric separator inadequately preventing the penetration of small particles of the cathode material into the anode. This problem was verified additionally by using a commercial separator. The characteristic of the glass fabric and the interface between the electrode and glass fabric needed to be further studied for the realization of such a load carrying structural battery system.