• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.69-80
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• 2022

The anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis for high purity hydrogen production is attracting attention as a next-generation green hydrogen production technology by using inexpensive non-noble metal-based catalysts instead of conventional precious metal catalysts used in proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis systems. However, since AEM water electrolysis technology is in the early stages of development, it is necessary to develop research on AEM, ionomers, electrode supports and catalysts, which are key elements of AEM water electrolysis. Among them, current research in the field of catalysts is being studied to apply a previously developed half-cell catalyst for alkali to the AEM system, and the applied catalyst has disadvantages of low activity and durability. Therefore, this review presented a catalyst synthesis technique that promoted oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using a non-noble metal-based catalyst in an alkaline medium.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.275-281
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• 2021

To evaluate the possibility as a separator in alkaline water electrolysis, the thermal stability, ion conductivity and durability of 5 commercially available anion exchange membranes were tested. The thermal stability of FAAM-PK-75 and FAAM-40 membrane analyzed by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed good performance compared to the other three types of AEM, AHO, and AHA membrane. The ion conductivity of AEM membrane measured in 7 M KOH solution at 25℃ and 80℃ had a higher value of about 4~17 times compared to the other membranes. The durability of FAAM-PK-75 tested in 7 M KOH solution at 25℃ was high compared to the other membranes.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.185-194
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• 2024

Fe-Ni nanocatalysts loaded on carbon black were prepared via spontaneous reduction reaction of iron (II) acetylacetonate and nickel (II) acetylacetonate in dry process. Their morphology and elemental analysis were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. The loading weight of the nanocatalysts was measured by thermogravimetric analyze and the surface area was measured by BET analysis. TEM observation showed that Fe and Ni nanoparticles was well dispersed on the carbon black and their average particle size was 4.82 nm. The loading weight of Fe-Ni nanocatalysts on the carbon black was 6.83-7.32 wt%, and the value increased with increasing iron (II) acetylacetonate content. As the Fe-Ni loading weight increased, the specific surface area decreased significantly by more than 50%, because Fe-Ni nanoparticles block the micropores of carbon black. I-V characteristics showed that water electrolysis performance increased with increasing Ni nanocatalyst content.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.285-292
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• 2021

To study the effect of the mixture ratio of Ni-Pt nanocatalysts on water electrolysis characteristics in anion exchange membrane system, Ni-Pt nanocatalysts were loaded on carbon black by using a spontaneous reduction reaction of acetylacetonate compounds. The loading weight of Ni-Pt nanocatalysts on the carbon black was measured by thermogravimetric analyzer and the elemental ratio of Ni and Pt was estimated by energy dispersive x-ray analyzer. It was found that the loading weight of Ni-Pt nanoparticles was 5.36-5.95 wt%, and the loading weight increased with increasing Pt wt%. As the Ni-Pt loading weight increased, the specific surface area decreased, because Ni-Pt nanoparticles block the pores of carbon black. It was confirmed by BET analysis and dynamic vapor sorption analysis. I-V characteristics were estimated.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.715-722
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• 2022

Pt-Fe/carbon black nanocatalysts were prepared by spontaneous reduction reaction of Platinum(II) acetylacetonate and Iron(II) acetylacetonate in a nucleophilic solvent and they were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDS), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area analysis and anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis test station. The distribution of the Pt and Fe nanoparticles on carbon black was observed by TEM, and the loading weight of Pt-Fe nanocatalysts on the carbon black was measured by TGA. Elemental ratio of Fe:Pt was estimated by EDS and it was found that elemental ratio of Pt and Fe was changed in the range of 1:0 to 0:1, and the loading weight of Pt-Fe nanoparticles on the carbon black was 5.95-6.78 wt%. Specific surface area was greatly reduced because Pt-Fe nanocatalysts blocked the pores. I-V characteristics were estimated.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.330-336
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• 2022

In order to evaluate the possibility as a separator in alkaline water electrolysis, the high temperature characteristics were evaluated by measuring the membrane resistance and durability of 5 types of commercial anion exchange membranes in 7 M KOH solution and at 80℃. The membrane resistance of AEM membrane measured in 7 M KOH solution and at 80℃ had a lower value of about 8-24 times compared to the other membranes. The durability of AEM membrane tested with the soaking time in 7 M KOH solution and at 80℃ showed a very good stability and that of FAAM40 and FAAM75-PK showed secondly a good stability. The thermal stability with the soaking time in 7 M KOH solution and at 80℃ of FAAM40 and FAAM75-PK membrane analyzed by thermo-gravimetric analysis showed a good stability compared to the other membranes.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.55-63
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• 2023

In this study, the influence of different IEMs (ion exchange membranes) to performance of the hypochlorite electrolysis unit with Cl₂ recovery stream was investigated. More specifically, Nafion 117-a representative cation exchange membrane (CEM)-and aminated polypheylene oxide (APPO)-an anion exchange membrane (AEM)-were installed in the hypochlorite electrolysis unit, and the performance and the energy efficiency of the units were evaluated and compared. Regardless of whether CEM (Nafion 117) or AEM (APPO) was installed, the rate of hypochlorite generation was increased (by up to 24.3% and 22.2% for Nafion 117 and APPO, respectively) compared with the unit without an IEM. On the other hand, the power efficiency and the optimum operation condition of hypochlorite production units seem to depend on the conductivity and stability of the installed IEM. As the result, between Nafion 117 and APPO, higher performance and efficiency were achieved with Nafion 117, due to excellent conductivity and stability of the membrane.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 2016

The hydrogen has been recognized as a clean, nonpolluting and unlimited energy source that can solve fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution problems at the same time. Water electrolysis has been the most attractive technology in a way to produce hydrogen because it does not emit any pollutants compared to other method such as natural gas steam reforming and coal gasification etc. In order to improve efficiency and durability of the water electrolysis, comprehensive studies for highly active and stable electrocatalysts have been performed. The platinum group metal (PGM; Pt, Ru, Pd, Rh, etc.) electrocatalysts indicated a higher activity and stability compared with other transition metals in harsh condition such as acid solution. It is necessary to develop inexpensive non-noble metal catalysts such as transition metal oxides because the PGM catalysts is expensive materials with insufficient it's reserves. The optimization of operating parameter and the components is also important factor to develop an efficient water electrolysis cell. In this study, we optimized the operating parameter and components such as the type of AEM and density of gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the temperature/concentration of the electrolyte solution for the anion exchange membrane water electrolysis cell (AEMWEC) with the transition metal oxide alloy anode and cathode electrocatalysts. The maximum current density was $345.8mA/cm^2$ with parameter and component optimization.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.427-436
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• 2023

In the industry, it is recognized that human activities significantly lead to a large amount of wastewater, mainly due to the increased use of water and energy. As a result, the growing field of wastewater resource technology is getting more attention. The common technology for hydrogen production, water electrolysis, requires purified water, leading to the need for desalination and reprocessing. However, producing hydrogen directly from wastewater could be a more cost-effective option compared to traditional methods. To achieve this, a series of first-principle computational simulations were conducted to assess how waste nutrient ions affect standard electrolysis catalysts. This study focused on understanding the adsorption mechanisms of byproducts related to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis, using Co₃O₄ as a typical non-precious metal catalyst. At the same time, efforts were made to develop a comprehensive free energy prediction model for more accurate predictions of OER results.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.183-196
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• 2017

The research efforts directed at advancing water electrolysis technology continue to intensify together with the increasing interest in hydrogen as an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels. Among the various water electrolysis systems reported to date, systems employing a solid polymer electrolyte membrane are known to display both improved safety and efficiency as a result of enhanced separation of products: hydrogen and oxygen. Conducting water electrolysis in an alkaline medium lowers the system cost by allowing non-platinum group metals to be used as catalysts for the complex multi-electron transfer reactions involved in water electrolysis, namely the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER, respectively). We briefly review the anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and electrocatalysts developed and applied thus far in alkaline AEM water electrolysis (AEMWE) devices. Testing the developed components in AEMWE cells is a key step in maximizing the device performance since cell performance depends strongly on the structure of the electrodes containing the HER and OER catalysts and the polymer membrane under specific cell operating conditions. In this review, we discuss the properties of reported AEMs that have been used to fabricate membrane-electrode assemblies for AEMWE cells, including membranes based on polysulfone, poly(2,6-dimethyl-p-phylene) oxide, polybenzimidazole, and inorganic composite materials. The activities and stabilities of tertiary metal oxides, metal carbon composites, and ultra-low Pt-loading electrodes toward OER and HER in AEMWE cells are also described.