• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.627-631
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• 2012

Sodium borohydride, $NaBH_4$, shows a number of advantages as hydrogen source for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The durability of Co-P-B/Cu catalyst for sodium borohydride hydrolysis reaction was studied. The effect of reaction temperature, $NaBH_4$ concentration, NaOH concentration and calcination temperature of catalyst on the durability of Co-P-B/Cu catalyst were measured. The gel formed during hydrolysis reaction affected the durability of catalyst (loss of catalyst). Formation of gel increased the loss of the catalyst. When $NaBH_4$ concentration was high and reaction temperature was higher than $60^{\circ}C$, loss of catalyst was low because gel was not formed. But under the temperature of $40^{\circ}C$, loss of catalyst increased due to gel formation When $NaBH_4$ concentration was 40 weight % and the reaction temperature was $40^{\circ}C$, the loss of catalyst increased as the NaOH concentration increased. As the calcination temperature of catalyst decreased, the loss of catalyst decreased and the activity of catalyst decreased. Calcination of the catalyst at high temperature enhanced the durability of catalyst but diminished the activity of catalyst.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.516-520
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• 2011

Sodium borohydride, $NaBH_4$, shows a number of advantages as hydrogen source for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The hydrogen yield of sodium borohydride hydrolysis reaction was studied. The effect of temperature, $NaBH_4$ concentration, NaOH concentration and catalyst type on the hydrogen yield from $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction were measured. The catalysts of Co-P/Cu, Co-B/Cu and Co-P-B/Cu were used in this study and there was no different effect of these catalysts on the hydrogen yield from $NaBH_4$. Under the temperature of $60^{\circ}C$, the hydrogen yield decreased as $NaBH_4$ concentration increased due to formation of gel with by-products and reactants. The gel formed during $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction diminished the hydrogen evolution rate and total volume of hydrogen. Addition of NaOH stabilizer enhanced the formation of gel and then decreased the hydrogen yield.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.5647-5654
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• 2012

In this paper, we developed an electro impedance spectroscopy (EIS) device, which are primarily used for the analysis of fuel cells or batteries, to widen its coverage to the next generation super capacitor EDLC characterization. The developed system was composed of a signal generator that can generate various signal patterns, a potentiostatic generator, and a high speed digital filter for signal processing and measurement program. The developed system is portable, which is not only suitable laboratory use but also for mass production line. The special features of the system include a patterned output signal from 0.01 to 20 kHz, and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis of current signals, both of which are acquired simultaneously. Our tests showed similar results after comparing the analysis from our newly-developed device showing the characteristics of EDLC complex impedance and the analysis from an equivalent impedance which was applied to an equivalent circuit. Now, we can expect a fast inspection time from the application of the present system to the super capacitor production line, based on time-varying changes in electrochemical impedance.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2015

Sodium borohydride, $NaBH_4$, shows a number of advantages as hydrogen source for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs). Properties of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction using unsupported Co-B, Co-P-B catalyst were studied. BET surface area of catalyst, yield of hydrogen, effect of $NaBH_4$ concentration and durability of catalyst were measured. The BET surface area of unsupported Co-B catalyst was $75.7m^2/g$ and this value was 18 times higher than that of FeCrAlloy supported Co-B catalyst. The hydrogen yield of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction by unsupported catalysts using 20~25 wt% $NaBH_4$ solution was 97.6~98.5% in batch reactor. The hydrogen yield decrease to 95.3~97.0% as the concentration of $NaBH_4$ solution increase to 30 wt%. The loss of unsupported catalyst was less than that of FeCrAlloy supported catalyst during $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction and the loss increased with increasing of $NaBH_4$ concentration. In continuous reactor, hydrogen yield of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis was 90% using 1.2 g of unsupported Co-P-B catalyst with $3{\ell}/min$ hydrogen generation rate.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.641-646
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• 2018

Sodium borohydride, $NaBH_4$, shows a number of advantages as hydrogen source for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Properties of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction using activated carbon supported Co-B/C, Co-P-B/C catalyst were studied. BET surface area of catalyst, yield of hydrogen, effect of $NaBH_4$ concentration and durability of catalyst were measured. The BET surface area of carbon supported catalyst was over $500m^2/g$ and this value was 2~3 times higher than that of unsupported catalyst. Hydrogen generation of activated carbon supported catalyst was more stable than that of unsupported catalyst. The activation energy of Co-P-B/C catalyst was 59.4 kJ/mol in 20 wt% $NaBH_4$ and 14% lower than that of Co-P-B/FeCrAlloy catalyst. Catalyst loss on activated carbon supported catalyst was reduced to about 1/3~1/2 compared with unsupported catalyst, therefore durability was improved by supporting catalyst on activated carbon.