• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.337-350
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• 2016

Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries (LIBs) have garnered increasing attention with the rapid advancements in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage systems which are expected to drastically change our future lives. This review describes a separator membrane, one of the key components in LIBs, in terms of porous structure and physicochemical properties, and its recent development trends are followed. The separator membrane is a kind of porous membrane that is positioned between a cathode and an anode. Its major functions involve electrical isolation between the electrodes while serving as an ionic transport channel that is filled with liquid electrolyte. The separator membranes are not directly involved in redox reactions of LIBs, however, their aforementioned roles significantly affect performance and safety of LIBs. A variety of research approaches have been recently conducted in separator membranes in order to further reinforce battery safeties and also widen chemical functionalities. This review starts with introduction to commercial polyolefin separators that are currently most widely used in LIBs. Based on this understanding, modified polyolefin separators, nonwoven separators, ceramic composite separators, and chemically active separators will be described, with special attention to their relationship with future research directions of advanced LIBs.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.49-54
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• 2017

We develop a ceramic composite separator prepared by coating $ZrO_2$ nanoparticles with a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) copolymer on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mechanical support prepared by electrospinning technique to improve thermal properties. The gurley number of the ceramic composite separator shows much lower value than that of a PE separator even though it possesses the polymeric coating layer with ceramic nanoparticles. In addition, the proposed sample shows higher electrolyte uptake than PE separator, leading to enhancing the ionic conductivity of the proposed sample and, by extension, the rate discharge properties of lithium ion batteries. Thermal stability of the ceramic composite separator is dramatically improved without any degradation in electrochemical performance compared to the performance of conventional PE separators.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.486-495
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• 2022

This study presents the improved recovery efficiency of rare metal ions through the modified separation membrane wettability and hydrogen ion permeation in the anion exchange membrane (AEM) under the recovery process of combined electrodialysis and solvent extraction. Specifically, the wettability of the separator was enhanced by hydrophilic modification on one separator surface through polydopamine (PDA) and lipophilic modification on the other surface through SiO₂ or graphene oxide (GO). In addition, the modified surface of AEM with polyethyleneimine (PEI), PDA, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), etc. reduces the water uptake and modify the pore structure for proton ions generation. The suppressed transport resulted in the reduced hydrogen ion permeation. In the characterization, the surface morphology, chemical properties and composition of membrane or AEM were analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Based on the analyses, improved extraction and stripping and hydrogen ion transport inhibition were demonstrated for the copper ion recovery system.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.74-80
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• 1995

Asymmetric poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared by varying the precipitation conditions of the phase inversion technique, and the influences of precipitation conditions on the water uptake of the membrane were investigate. The degree of water uptake of the membrane increased and reached a certain maximum value, as the precipitation time increased. However, it decreded after that. As the precipition temperauure became lower, the degree of water uptake increased more or less. The addition of a nonionic surfactant to the precipitaon solution was effective reducing the precipitation time by lowering the surface tension of the precipitation solution, but ig didn't change the maximum value of its own degree of water uptake. In addition, the relationship between the degree of water uptake and the separation characteristics and mechanical properies of the membrane were investigated. The selectivity factor of the membrane for pervaperation separation decreased, but the permeate flux increased, respectively, with increasing the degree of water uptake. The tensile strength and elongation of the membrane, respectively, increased to a maximum value with increasing the degree of water uptake, and then decreased abtuptly.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2017

Herein, we have fabricated an ultrathin aluminum oxide ($Al_2O_3$) coated PP separator by using a RF sputter deposition process. Approximately 20 nm thickness coating layer on the bare PP separator was formed at the power of 55 W for 2 minutes without thermal damage. Whereas only permeability of the coated separator was degraded slightly, other properties such as thermal stability, uptake amount of liquid electrolyte, and ionic conductivity were improved comparing to the bare PP separator. As a result, an only 20-nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ coating layer could improve the rate capability compared with a bare PP separator under a high current density.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2017

Mesoscale simulation is a type of molecular simulation techniques where groups of atoms are defined as a single bead for calculations, and accordingly, is possible to simulate longer time ($ns{\sim}{\mu}s$) and bigger size ($nm{\sim}{\mu}m$). There are two types of mesoscale simulations : (1) particle-based mesoscale which simulates the system by calculating the movement of the particles themselves and (2) field theory which simulates the system by calculating changes in the chemical potential filed or density field. Mesoscale simulations are powerful tools to study the macroscopic properties of polymers for various applications of energy and environment. In this review, we report the trends and useful information in mesoscale simulation and provide an opportunity for membrane researchers working in the energy-environment field to understand mesoscale simulation techniques.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.465-477
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• 2015

Recently membrane-based gas separation has attracted a lot of attention due to the growing demands on energy efficient separation processes. Current membrane-based gas separation is dominant by polymer membranes and limited mostly to non-condensable gases rather than condensable gases such as hydrocarbon isomers due to the limitation s of polymer materials. Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, consisting of metal ions and organic ligands, have received a tremendous attention as membrane materials due to high surface area, controllable pore structure, and functionality. In this review, we provide a recent development of MOF membrane preparation methods and their gas separation applications.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.134-153
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• 2022

Regardless of a trade-off relationship between energy density and safety, it is essential to improve both properties for future lithium secondary batteries. Especially, to improve the energy density of batteries further, not only thickness but also weight of separators including ceramic coating layers should be reduced continuously apart from the development of high-capacity electrode active materials. For this purpose, an attempt to replace conventional slurry coating methods with a deposition one has attracted much attention for securing comparable thermal stability while minimizing the thickness and weight of ceramic coating layer in the separator. This review introduces state-of-the-art technology on ceramic-coated separators (CCSs) manufactured by the deposition method. There are three representative processes to form a ceramic coating layer as follows: chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and physical vapor deposition (PVD). Herein, we summarized the principle and advantages/disadvantages of each deposition method. Furthermore, each CCS was analyzed and compared in terms of its mechanical and thermal properties, air permeability, ionic conductivity, and electrochemical performance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.7-25
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• 2008

Sodium dodecyl sulfate, which was anionic surfactant, at a concentration higher than its critical micellar concentration was added to calcium solution for forming micelles. Then aggregates were formed by adsorption or binding of calcium ions on the surface of micelles, and gathering between them, and then rejected by two kinds of ceramic membranes to remove calcium ions. As result, rejection rates of calcium were higher than 99.98%. And in our experimental range the higher TMP trended to increase the resistance of membrane fouling ($R_f$), total permeate volume ($V_T$), dimensionless permeate flux ($J/J_o$) and permeate flux (J) because TMP was driving force. And we investigated effects of $N_2$-back-flushing time and filtration time, that was back-flushing period, during periodic $N_2$-back-flushing on ceramic membranes. As result, optimal BTs for NCMT-623l ($0.07{\mu}m$ pore size) and NCMT-7231 membrane ($0.10{\mu}m$) were 10 sec and 15 sec, respectively. Also, optimal FT was 5 min for both membranes, and the frequent $N_2$-back-flushing could decrease membrane fouling effectively. Then, the optimal conditions resulting from our experiments for synthetic calcium solution were applied to groundwater using as washing process of soymilk package. As result, rejection rates of calcium were higher than 99.98%.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2020

In the present study, a biomimetic alumina membrane was fabricated by using selenic acid as an electrolyte to overcome the asymmetry limit of the square pulse anodization process. The prepared membrane has conical channels with a minimum diameter of 10 nm, a maximum diameter of 50 nm, and a length of 5 ㎛. The rectification property was higher than membranes fabricated by sulfuric acid. It showed 2.9 times larger current at +1 V than -1 V. Also, the membrane, which sulfonic acid group was introduced by surface modification, showed 4.2 times larger rectification property at -1 V than +1 V. Theoretical verifications were supported by the numerical analyses of 2D models. The results of the present study present a convenient method to fabricate two type membranes with different rectification properties and are expected to be used to control ion transport.