• Carbon letters
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2010

Graphene is one of the most promising materials for many applications. It can be used in a variety of applications not only as a reinforcement material for polymer to obtain a combination of desirable mechanical, electrical, thermal, and barrier properties in the resulting nanocomposite but also as a component in energy storage, fuel cells, solar cells, sensors, and batteries. Recent research at Michigan State University has shown that it is possible to exfoliate natural graphite into graphite nanoplatelets composed entirely of stacks of graphene. The size of the platelets can be controlled from less than 10 nm in thickness and diameters of any size from sub-micron to 15 microns or greater. In this study we have investigated the influence of melt compounding processing on the physical properties of a polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposite reinforced with exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP). The morphology, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties of xGnP-PA6 nanocomposite were characterized with electrical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, AC impedance, and mechanical properties. It was found that counter rotation (CNR) twins crew processed xGnP/PA6 nanocomposite had similar mechanical properties with co-rotation (CoR) twin screw processed or with CoR conducted with a screw design modified for nanoparticles (MCoR). Microscopy showed that the CNR processed nanocomposite had better xGnP dispersion than the (CoR) twin screw processed and modified screw (MCoR) processed ones. It was also found that the CNR processed nanocomposite at a given xGnP content showed the lowest graphite X-ray diffraction peak at $26.5^{\circ}$ indicating better xGnP dispersion in the nanocomposite. In addition, it was also found that the electrical conductivity of the CNR processed 12 wt.% xGnP-PA6 nanocomposite is more than ten times higher than the CoR and MCoR processed ones. These results indicate that better dispersion of an xGnP-PA6 nanocomposite is attainable in CNR twins crew processing than conventional CoR processing.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.94-99
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• 2004

Anode-supported flat tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) was investigated to increase the cell power density. The anode-supported flat tube was fabricated by extrusion process. The porosity and pore size of Ni/YSZ ($8mol\%$ yttria-stabilized zirconia) cermet anode were $50.6\%\;and\;0.23{\mu}m$, respectively. The Ni particles in the anode were distributed uniformly and connected well to each other particles in the cermet anode. YSZ electrolyte layer and multilayered cathode composed of $LSM(La_{0.85}Sr_{0.15})_{0.9}MnO_3)/YSZ$ composite, LSM, and $LSCF(La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.7}O_3)$ were coated onto the anode substrate by slurry dip coating, subsequently. The anode-supported flat tubular cell showed a performance of $300mW/cm^2 (0.6V,\; 500 mA/cm^2)\;at\;500^{\circ}C$. The electrochemical characteristics of the flat tubular cell were examined by ac impedance method and the humidified fuel enhanced the cell performance. Areal specific resistance of the LSM-coated SUS430 by slurry dipping process as metallic interconnect was $148m{\Omega}cm^2\;at\;750^{\circ}C$ and then decreased to $148m{\Omega}cm^2$ after 450hr. On the other hand, the LSM-coated Fecralloy by slurry dipping process showed a high area specific resistance.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.465-469
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• 2011

In this study, poly(ethyleneoxide) and poly(ethylene imine) polymer blends containing fumed silica fillers were studied in order to enhance the ion conductivity and interfacial properties. Lithium perchlorate ($LiClO_4$) as a salt, and silica($SiO_2$) as the inorganic filler were introduced into the polymer composite electrolyte composites and the composites were examined to evaluate their ionic conductivity for a possibility test of electrolyte application. As the diameter of semicircle in an impedance test became smaller, ionic conductivity of composite electrolytes had been enhanced by addition of 20 wt% silica filler. However, the conductivity was not greatly changed over 20 wt% content because the silica was sufficiently saturated in the polymer electrolytes. Diffraction peaks of PEO became weaker with the addition of inorganic fillers using XRD analysis. It showed that a crystallinity was proportionally reduced by increasing filler contents. The morphology of composite electrolyte films has been investigated by SEM. The heterogeneous morphology which silica was evenly dispersed by the strong adhesion of PEI was shown at higher contents of silica.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.129-137
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• 2013

From the cooked-rice as a raw material, activated carbons throughout a hydrothermal synthesis and vacuum soak of KOH for chemical activation were obtained. Activated carbon electrodes for electric double layer supercapacitors were prepared and electrochemical characteristics were examined. Including the specific surface area by BET method and pore size distribution by NLDFT method, physical properties of activated carbons were investigated by means of SEM, EDS, XRD, and TG analyses. Cycle voltammetry and AC-impedance measurements were conducted to confirm the electrochemical characteristics for the electrodes. From hydrothermal synthesis, $5{\sim}7{\mu}m$ diameters of spherical carbons were obtained. After the activation at $800^{\circ}C$, it was notable for the activated carbon to be the specific surface $1631.8cm^2/g$, pore size distribution in 0.9~2.1 nm, and micro-pore volume $0.6154cm^3/g$. As electrochemical characteristics of the activated carbon electrode in 6M KOH electrolyte, it was confirmed that the specific capacitances of 236, 194, and 137 F/g at the scan rate of 5, 100, and 500 mV/s respectively were exhibited and 91.2% of initial capacitance after 100,000 cycles at 200 mV/s was maintained.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1125-1132
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• 2000

The pH effect of the precursor solution on the preparation of $LiCoO_2$ by a solution phase reaction containing malonic acid was carried out. Layered $LiCoO_2$ powders were obtained with the precursors prepared at the different pHs (4, 7, and 9) and heat-treated at $700^{\circ}C(LiCoO_2-700)$ or $850^{\circ}C(LiCoO_2-850)$ in air. pHs of the media for precursor synthesis affects the charge/discharge and electrochemical properties of the $LiCoO_2electrodes.$ Upon irrespective of pH of the precursor media, X-ray diffraction spectra recorded for $LiCoO_2-850$ powder showed higher peak intensity ratio of I(003)/I(104) than that of $LiCoO_2-700$, since the better crystallization of the former crystallized better. However, $LiCoO_2$ synthesized at pH 4 displayed an abnormal higher intensity ratio of I(003)/I(104) than those synthesized at pH 7 and 9. The surface morphology of the $LiCoO_2-850$ powders was rougher and more irregular than that of $LiCoO_2-700$ made from the precursor synthesized at pH 7 and 9. The $LiCoO_2electrodes$ prepared with the precursors synthesized at pH 7 and 9 showed a better electrochemical and charge/discharge characteristics. From the AC impedance spectroscopic experiments for the electrode made from the precursor prepared in pH 7, the chemical diffusivity of Li ions (DLi+) in $Li0.58CoO_2determined$ was 2.7 ${\times}$10-8 $cm^2s-1$. A cell composed of the $LiCoO_2-700$ cathode prepared in pH 7 with Lithium metal anode reveals an initial discharge specific capacity of 119.8 mAhg-1 at a current density of 10.0 mAg-1 between 3.5 V and 4.3 V. The full-cell composed with $LiCoO_2-700$ cathode prepared in pH 7 and the Mesocarbon Pitch-based Carbon Fiber (MPCF) anode separated by a Cellgard 2400 membrane showed a good cycleability. In addition, it was operated over 100 charge/discharge cycles and displayed an average reversible capacity of nearly 130 mAhg-1.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.378-387
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• 2018

The optimal fabrication conditions for $Gd_{0.1}Ce_{0.9}O_{2-{\delta}}$(GDC) buffer layer and $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.8}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (LSCF) cathode on 1mol% $CeO_2-10mol%\;Sc_2O_3$ stabilized $ZrO_2$ (CeScSZ) electrolyte were investigated for application of IT-SOFCs. GDC buffer layer was used in order to prevent undesired chemical reactions between LSCF and CeScSZ. These experiments were carried out with $5{\times}5cm^2$ anode supported unit cells to investigate the tendencies of electrochemical performance, Microstructure development and interface reaction between LSCF/GDC/CeScSZ along with the variations of GDC buffer layer thickness, sintering temperatures of GDC and LSCF were checked, respectively. Electrochemical performance was analyzed by DC current-voltage measurement and AC impedance spectroscopy. Microstructure and interface reaction were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Although the interfacial reaction between these materials could not be perfectly inhibited, We found that the cell, in which $6{\mu}m$ GDC interlayer sintered at $1200^{\circ}C$ and LSCF sintered at $1000^{\circ}C$ were applied, showed good interfacial adhesions and effective suppression of Sr, thereby resulting in fairly good performance with power density of $0.71W/cm^2$ at $800^{\circ}C$ and 0.7V.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.185-193
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• 2024

In this study, NASICON-type Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ (x = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.4) solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries were synthesized through the sol-gel method. In addition, the influence on the ion conductivity of solid-state electrolytes when partially substituted for Ti⁴⁺ (0.61Å) site to Ga³⁺ (0.62Å) of trivalent cations was investigated. The obtained precursor was heat treated at 450 ℃, and a single crystalline phase of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ systems was obtained at a calcination temperature above 650 ℃. Additionally, the calcinated powders were pelletized and sintered at temperatures from 800 ℃ to 1,000 ℃ at 100 ℃ intervals. The synthesized powder and sintered bodies of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ were characterized using TG-DTA, XRD, XPS and FE-SEM. The ionic conduction properties as solid-state electrolytes were investigated by AC impedance. As a result, Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ was successfully produced in all cases. However, a GaPO₄ impurity was formed due to the high sintering temperatures and high Ga content. The crystallinity of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ increased with the sintering temperature as evidenced by FE-SEM observations, which demonstrated that the edges of the larger cube-shaped grains become sharper with increases in the sintering temperature. In samples with high sintering temperatures at 1,000 ℃ and high Ga content above 0.3, coarsening of grains occurred. This resulted in the formation of many grain boundaries, leading to low sinterability. These two factors, the impurity and grain boundary, have an enormous impact on the properties of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃. The Li_1.3Ga_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ pellet sintered at 900 ℃ was denser than those sintered at other conditions, showing the highest total ion conductivity of 7.66 × 10^-5 S/cm at room temperature. The total activation energy of Li-ion transport for the Li_1.3Ga_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ solid-state electrolyte was estimated to be as low as 0.36 eV. Although the Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ sintered at 1,000 ℃ had a relatively high apparent density, it had less total ionic conductivity due to an increase in the grain-boundary resistance with coarse grains.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.131-142
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• 2002

The Langmuir adsorption isotherms of the under-potentially deposited hydrogen (UPD H) and the over-potentially deposited hydrogen (OPD H) at the poly-Pt/0.5M $H_2SO_4$ and 0.5 M LiOH aqueous electrolyte interfaces have been studied using cyclic voltammetric and ac impedance techniques. The behavior of the phase shift $(0^{\circ}{\leq}{-\phi}{\leq}90^{\circ})$ for the optimum intermediate frequency corresponds well to that of the fractional surface coverage $(1{\geq}{\theta}{\geq}0)$ at the interfaces. The phase-shift method, i.e., the phase-shift profile $({-\phi}\;vs.\;E)$ for the optimum intermediate frequency, can be used as a new electrochemical method to determine the Langmuir adsorption isotherms $({\theta}\;vs.\;E)$ of the UPD H and the OPD H for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions at the interfaces. At the poly-Pt/0.5M $H_2SO_4$ aqueous electrolyte interface, the equilibrium constant (K) and the standard free energy $({\Delta}G_{ads})$ of the OPD H are $2.1\times10^{-4}$ and 21.0kJ/mol, respectively. At the poly-Pt/0.5M LiOH aqueous electrolyte interface, K transits from 2.7(UPD H) to $6.2\times10^{-6}$ (OPD H) depending on the cathode potential (E) and vice versa. Similarly, ${\Delta}G_{ads}$ transits from -2.5kJ/mol (UPD H) to 29.7kJ/mol (OPD H) depending on I and vice versa. The transition of K and ${\Delta}G_{ads}$ is attributed to the two distinct adsorption sites of the UPD H and the OPD H on the poly-Pt surface. The UPD H and the OPD H on the poly-Pt surface are the independent processes depending on the H adsorption sites themselves rather than the sequential processes for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions. The criterion of the UPD H and the OPD H is the H adsorption sites and processes rather than the $H_2$ evolution reactions and potentials. The poly-Pt wire electrode is more efficient and useful than the Pt(100) disc electrode for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions in the aqueous electrolytes. The phase-shift method is well complementary to the thermodynamic method rather than conflicting.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1998

For the purpose of finding new cathode materials for medium-temperature $(700\~800^{\circ}C)$ solid oxide fuel cells, $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3,\;(x=0.0\~0.5)$ are prepared, and their thermal stability and conductivity characteristics are investigated. Also, the cathodic activities are measured after the cathode layer being attached on CGO (cerium-gadolinium oxide) electrolyte disk. The X-ray analyses indicate that the materials prepared by calcining the citrate-gels at $800^{\circ}C$ have the orthorhombic perovskite structure without discernible impurities. The thermal stability of the undoped Co perovskite is so poor that it is decomposed to the individual binary oxide even at $1300^{\circ}C$. But the partially Fe-doped cobaltates exhibit a better thermal stability to retain their structural integrity up to $1400^{\circ}C$. The observation whereby both the undoped and Fe-doped cobaltates melt at ca. $1300^{\circ}C$ leads us to perform the electrode adhesion at <$1300^{\circ}C$. The cathodic activity of $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3,\;(x=0.0\~0.5)$, electrodes is superior to $La_{0.9}Sr_{0.1}MnO_3$, among the samples of $x=0.0\~0.5$, the x=0.2 cathode shows the best activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. It is likely that the Fe-doping provides a better thermal stability to the materials but in turn imparts an inferior cathodic activity, such that the optimum trade-off is made at x=0.2 between the two factors. The total electrical conductivity and ion conductivity of $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3$, are measured to be 51 S/cm and $6.0\times10^{-4}S/cm\;at\;800^{\circ}C$, respectively. The conductivity values illustrate that the materials are a mixed conductor and the reaction sites can be expanded to the overall electrode surface, thereby providing a better cathodic activity than $La_{0.9}Sr_{0.1}MnO_3$.