• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2011

The contamination effect of toluene in the airstream on PEM fuel cell performance was studied with various toluene concentration under different operation conditions. And the recovery of the cell performance by applying clean air and the removal of toluene in the air by adsorption of active carbon were investigated. The toluene concentration range used in the experiments was from 0.1 ppm to 5.0 ppm. The performance degradation and recovery were measured by constant-current discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS). Toluene adsorption capacity of KOH impregnated active carbon was obtained from the adsorption isotherm curve. The severity of the contamination increased with increasing toluene concentration, current density and air stoichiometry, but decrease with increasing relative humidity. The cell performance was recovered by toluene oxidation with oxygen and water in humidified neat air. EIS showed that the increase of charge transfer resistance due to toluene adsorption on Pt surface mainly reduced the performance of PEMFC. Toluene adsorption capacity of active carbon decreased as KOH weight increased in KOH impregnated active carbon.

• Clean Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.198-205
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• 2018

This study investigated the influence of catalyst preparation on the activity of $Co-CeO_2$ catalyst for $N_2O$ decomposition. $Co-CeO_2$ catalysts were synthesized by co-precipitation and incipient wetness impregnation. In order to estimate the performance of the as prepared catalysts, direct catalytic $N_2O$ decomposition test was carried out under $250{\sim}375^{\circ}C$. As a result, the catalyst prepared by co-precipitation (CoCe-CP) showed an enhanced performance on $N_2O$ decomposition reaction even in the presence of $O_2$ and/or $H_2O$, whereas the impregnation catalyst (CoCe-IM) did not. In order to investigate the difference in catalytic activity, characterization such as XRD, BET, TEM, $H_2-TPR$, $O_2-TPD$, and XPS was conducted. It is confirmed that the particle size and specific surface area were changed depending on the catalyst preparation method and the synthesis process influenced the physical properties of the catalysts. In addition, the improvement in the activity of the catalyst prepared by co-precipitation is due to the enhanced reduction from $Co^{3+}$ to $Co^{2+}$ and the improved oxygen desorption rate. However, it has been confirmed that the surface electron state and binding energy, which are related to $N_2O$ decomposition, do not change depending on the preparation method.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.422-430
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• 2015

The present study announces that the pH value of seed coating solution makes a significant effect on the microstructure of silicalite-1 zeolite layer formed on ${\alpha}$-alumina support. Seed with an average diameter of 75 nm was dispersed in ethanol to prepare three kinds of seed coating solutions with different pH values, and dip-coated on the support. The pH value was controlled to be 2.2, 7.0, and 9.3, respectively. In the secondary growth process, pH 7 seed solution resulted an uniform, 3 to $4{\mu}m$ thick, completely covered, and 100 nm grained silicalite-1 zeolite separation layer. The uniformity and completeness were explained by a uniform, closely packed, multi-layered, and completely covered seed coating in the pH 7 condition. In the condition, ${\alpha}$-alumina support and seed are oppositely charged: support is positively charged (8.4 mV) and seed, negatively (-1.7 mV). The opposite charging induced a strong electrostatic attraction between seed and support, which made the good seed coating state. On the other hand, pH 2.2 and pH 9.3 seed solutions resulted non-uniform, partially covered, and around $1{\mu}m$ grained zeolite separation layer, since seed and support are the same sign charged in the conditions. The same sign charging induced a strong electrostatic repulsion between seed and support which caused a low coverage of seed. It could be concluded that the pH value of seed coating solution is a key parameter to determine the microstructure of silicalite-1 zeolite separation layer.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.258-263
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• 2023

In this study, conductive polymers and the enzyme tyrosinase (Tyr) were deposited on the surface of a screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE), which can be fabricated as a disposable sensor chip, and applied to the detection of bisphenol F (BPF), an endocrine disruptor with proven links to male diseases and thyroid disorders, using electrochemical methods. On the surface of the SPCE working electrode, which was negatively charged by oxygen plasma treatment, a positively charged conductive polymer, poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA), a negatively charged polymer compound, poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), and another layer of PDDA were layered by electrostatic attraction in the order of PDDA, PSS, and finally PDDA. Then, a layer of Tyr, which was negatively charged due to pH adjustment to 7.0, was added to create a PDDA-PSS-PDDA-Tyr sensor for BPF. When the electrode sensor is exposed to a BPF solution, which is the substrate and target analyte, 4,4'-methylenebis(cyclohexa-3,5-diene-1,2-dione) is generated by an oxidation reaction with the Tyr enzyme on the electrode surface. The reduction process of the product at 0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) generating 4,4'-methylenebis(benzene-1,2-diol) was measured using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetries, resulting in a change in the peak current with respect to the concentration of BPF. In addition, we compared the detection performance of BPF using an ionic liquid electrolyte as an alternative to phosphate-buffered saline, which has been used in many previous sensing studies. Furthermore, the selectivity of bisphenol S, which acts as an interfering substance with a similar structure to BPF, was investigated. Finally, we demonstrated the practical applicability of the sensor by applying it to analyze the concentration of BPF in real samples prepared in the laboratory.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.185-195
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• 2012

Due to the high reduction and sorption capacity as well as the large specific surface area, nanosized mackinawite (FeS) is useful in reductively transforming chlorinated organic pollutants and sequestering toxic metals and metalloids. Due to the dynamic nature in its colloid stability, however, nanosized FeS may be washed out with the groundwater flow or result in aquifer clogging via particle aggregation. Thus, these nanoparticles should be modified such as to be built into permeable reactive barriers. This study employed coating methods in efforts to facilitate the installation of permeable reactive barriers of nanosized mackinawite. In applying the methods, nanosized mackinawite was coated on non-treated silica sand (NTS) and chemically treated silica sand (CTS). For both silica sands, the maximum coating of mackinawite occurred around pH 5.4, the condition of which was governed by (1) the solubility of mackinawite and (2) the surface charge of both silica and mackinawite. Under this pH condition, the maximum coating by NTS and CTS were found to be 0.101 mmol FeS/g and 0.043 mmol FeS/g respectively, with such elevated coatings by NTS likely linked with impurities (e.g., iron oxides) on its surface. Arsenite sorption experiments were performed under anoxic conditions using uncoated silica sands and those coated with mackinawite at the optimal pH to compare their reactivity. At pH 7, the relative sorption efficiency between uncoated NTS and coated NTS changed with the initial concentration of arsenite. At the lower initial concentration, uncoated NTS showed the higher sorption efficiency, whereas at the higher concentration, coated NTS exhibited the higher sorption efficiency. This could be attributed to different sorption mechanisms as a function of arsenite concentration: the surface complexation of arsenite with the iron oxide impurity on silica sand at the low concentration and the precipitation as arsenic sulfides by reaction with mackinawite coating at the high concentration. Compared to coated NTS, coated CTS showed the lower arsenite removal at pH 7 due to its relatively lower mackinawite coating. Taken together, our results indicate that NTS is a more effective material than CTS for the coating of nanosized mackinawite.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.270-275
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• 2013

Single-layer graphene layers have been synthesized by using chemical vapor deposition, subsequently transferred on 300 nm $SiO_2/Si$ and quartz substrates, and doped with $AuCl_3$ by spin coating for various doping concentrations ($n_D$) from 1 to 10 mM. Based on the $n_D$-dependent variations of Raman frequencies/peak-intensity ratios, sheet resistance, work function, and Dirac point, measured by structural, optical, and electrical analysis techniques, the p-type nature of graphene is shown to be strengthened with increasing $n_D$. Especially, as estimated from the drain current-gate voltage curves of graphene field effect transistors, the hole mobility is very little varied with increasing $n_D$, in strong contrast with the $n_D$-dependent large variation of electron mobility. These results suggest that $AuCl_3$ is one of the best p-type dopants for graphene and is promising for device applications of the doped graphene.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.235-243
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• 2006

In this study, an experimental study on the sorption properties of uranium(VI) onto a bentonite colloid generated from Gyeongju bentonite which is a potential buffer material in a high-level radioactive waste repository was performed as a function of the pH and the ionic strength. The bentonite colloid prepared by separating a colloidal fraction was mainly composed of montmorillonite. The concentration and the size fraction of the prepared bentonite colloid measured using a gravitational filtration method was about 5100 ppm and 200-450 nm in diameter, respectively. The amount of uranium removed by the sorption reaction bottle walls, by precipitation, and by ultrafiltration was analyzed by carrying out some blank tests. The removed amount of uranium was found not to be significant except the case of ultrafiltration at 0.001 M $NaClO_4$. The ultrafiltration was significant in the lower ionic strength of 0.001 M $NaClO_4$ due to the cationic sorption onto the ultrafilter by a surface charge reversion. The distribution coefficient $K_d$ (or pseudo-colloid formation constant) of uranium(VI) for the bentonite colloid was about $10^4{\sim}10^7mL/g$ depending upon pH and ionic strength of $NaClO_4$ and the $K_d$ was highest in the neutral pH around 6.5. It is noted that the sorption of uranium(VI) onto the bentonite colloid is closely related with aqueous species of uranium depending upon geochemical parameters such as pH, ionic strength, and carbonate concentration. As a consequence, the bentonite colloids generated from a bentonite buffer can mobilize the uranium(VI) as a colloidal form through geological media due to their high sorption capacity.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.430-439
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• 2000

$In_2O_3$-based thin film sensor with 500-600 nm thick was fabricated for the detection of CO gas by rf magnetron sputtering. In order to improve both sensitivity to CO gas and selectivity to hydrogen gas containing -CH, ultra-thin transition metal Co catalyst was sputtered over $In_2O_3$ thin film and annealed at $500^{\circ}C$. Sensitivity to CO was maximum at the thickness of Co 2.1 nm and $300^{\circ}C$, and that to $C_3H_8$ was at the thickness of Co 1.4 nm and $350-400^{\circ}C$. From the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) result, ultra-thin Co was existed into CoO covered with $Co_2O_3$ on $In_2O_3$ particles, and thus p-n junction of $In_2O_3(n-type)$-CoO(p-type) was thought to be formed. In this p-n junction type sensors, sensing mechanism with reducing gases can be explained by the variation of depletion layer thickness formed in the interface.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.239-247
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• 2005

In this study, an experimental study on the sorption properties of uranium(VI) onto bentonite colloids generated from a domestic calcium bentonite (called as Gyeongju bentonite). Gyeongju bentonite has been considered as a potential candidate buffer material in the Korean disposal concept for high-level radioactive wastes. The size and concentration of the bentonite colloids used in the sorption experiment were measured by a filtration method. The result showed that the concentration of the synthesized bentonite colloid suspension was 5100ppm and the size of the most of bentonite colloids(over $98\%$) was in the range of 200-450nm in diameter. The amount of uranium lost by the sorption onto bottle walls, by precipitation, and by ultrafiltration or colloid formation was analyzed by carrying out some blank tests. The loss of uranium by the ultrafiltration was significant in the lower ionic strength(i.e., in the case of 0.001M $NaClO_4$) due to the cationic sorption effect onto the ultrafilter by a surface charge reversion. The distribution coefficient (or pseudo-colloid formation constant) for the sorption of uranium(VI) onto bentonite colloids was $10^4^{\sim}10^6$ mL/g depending upon pH and the distribution coefficient was highest in the neutral pH around 6.5.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2013

The one of the cathode material, $Li(Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.3})O_2$, was synthesized by the precursor, $Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.3}(OH)_2$, from the co-precipitation method and the morphologies of the primary particle of precursors were flake and needle-shape by controlling the precipitation parameters. Identical powder properties, such as particle size, tap density, chemical composition, were obtained by same process of lithiation and heat-treatment. The relation between electrochemical performances of $Li(Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.3})O_2$ and the primary particle morphology of precursors was analyzed by SEM, XRD and EELS. In the $Li(Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.3})O_2$ cathode from the needle-shape precursor, the primary particle size was smaller than that from flake-shape precursor and high Li concentration at grain edge comparing grain center. The cycle and rate performances of the cathode from needle-shape precursor shows superior to those from flake-shape precursor, which might be attributed to low charge-transfer resistance by impedance measurement.