• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2010

To understand the effects of acclimation schemes on the formation of anode biofilms, different electrical performances are characterized in this study, with the roles of suspended and attached bacteria in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The results show that the generation of current in single-chamber MFCs is significantly affected by the development of a biofilm matrix on the anode surface containing abundant immobilized microorganisms. The long-term operation with suspended microorganisms was demonstrated to form a dense biofilm matrix that was able to reduce the activation loss in MFCs. Also, a Pt-coated anode was not favorable for the initial or long-term bacterial attachment due to its high hydrophobicity (contact angle = $124^{\circ}$), which promotes easy detachment of the biofilm from the anode surface. Maximum power ($655.0\;mW/m^2$) was obtained at a current density of $3,358.8\;mA/m^2$ in the MFCs with longer acclimation periods. It was found that a dense biofilm was able to enhance the charge transfer rates due to the complex development of a biofilm matrix anchoring the electrochemically active microorganisms together on the anode surface. Among the major components of the extracellular polymeric substance, carbohydrates ($85.7\;mg/m^2_{anode}$) and proteins ($81.0\;mg/m^2_{anode}$) in the dense anode biofilm accounted for 17 and 19%, respectively, which are greater than those in the sparse anode biofilm.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.44 no.10
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• pp.542-547
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• 2007

We have determined an optimal reduction condition for NiO-based anode in single chamber solid oxide fuel cells that involve samaria-doped ceria (SDC) as an electrolyte. Optimal condition should not only induce sufficient reduction of NiO to Ni, but also prevent the reduction of SDC electrolyte in order to achieve high open circuit voltage (OCV) and power output. Thermodynamic consideration allowed us to determine the optimal anode reduction condition as $96%H_2-4%H_2O$ atmosphere at $250^{\circ}C$. This finding was in a good agreement with the experimental verifications by monitoring the conductivities of SDC and NiO under different reducing conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.12 s.295
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• pp.798-804
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• 2006

Co-planar type single chamber solid oxide fuel cell with patterned electrode on a surface of electrolyte has been fabricated by robo-dispensing method and microfluidic lithography. The cells were composed of NiO-GDC-Pd or NiO-SDC cermet anode, $(La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3})_{0.95}MnO_3$ cathode, and yttria stablized zirconia electrolyte. The cell performance at $900^{\circ}C$ was investigated as a function of electrode geometries, such as anode-to-cathode distance, numbers of electrode pairs. Relationship between OCV and I-V characteristics at the optimized operation condition was also studied by DC source meter under the mixed gas condition of methane, air, and nitrogen. An increase of anode-facing-cathode area leads to lower OCV due to intermixing between product gases of anode and cathode, which in turn decreases the oxygen partial pressure difference.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.3649-3653
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• 2013

As anode fabrication with different materials has been proven to be a successful alternative for enhancing power generation in the microbial fuel cells, a new approach to improved performance of MFCs with the use of menadione/carbon powder composite-modified carbon cloth anode has been explored in this study. Menadione has formal potential to easily accept electrons from the outer membrane cytochromes of electroactive bacteria that can directly interact with the solid surface. Surface bound menadione was able to maintain an electrical wiring with the trans-membrane electron transfer pathways to facilitate extracellular electron transfer to the electrode. In a single chamber air cathode MFC inoculated with aerobic sludge, maximum power density of $1250{\pm}35mWm^{-2}$ was achieved, which was 25% higher than that of an unmodified anode. The observed high power density and improved coulomb efficiency of 61% were ascribed to the efficient electron shuttling via the immobilized menadione.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.45-48
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• 2008

This paper presents a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) which has been designed and tested. The single cell is fuelled by methanol vapor that is supplied through flow channel from a methanol reservoir at the anode, and the oxygen is supplied via natural air-breathing at the cathode. The methods for supplying the methanol vapor to the single cell were parallel channel and chamber. This research investigates various methods to identify the effects of using flow channels for providing the methanol vapor at the anode, and the opening ratio between the inlet and outlet ports for the methanol flow at the anode. The best flow channel condition for passive DMFC was a chamber, and the opening ratio was 0.8. Under these conditions, the peak power was 10.2mW/$cm^2$ at room temperature and ambient pressure. The key issues for the Passive DMFCs for using methanol vapor are that sufficient methanol needs to be supplied using a large as possible opening ratio. However, it is shown that the performance of the passive DMFC, which has a channel at the anode,is low due to the low differential pressure and insufficient methanol supply rate.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.443-448
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• 2019

The present study was conducted to compare the voltage generation in two-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with a biocathode where nitrate and oxygen are used as a terminal electron acceptors (TEA) and to investigate the nitrogen removal and the electrochemical characteristics depending on the separators of the MFCs for denitrification. The maximum power density in a biocathode MFC using an anion exchange membrane (AEM) was approximately 40% lower with the use of nitrate as a TEA than when using oxygen. The MFC for denitrification using an AEM allows acetate ($CH_3COO^-$) as a substrate and nitrate ($NO_3{^-}$) as a TEA to be transported to the opposite sides of the chamber through the AEM. Therefore, heterotrophic denitrification and electrochemical denitrification occurred simultaneously at the anode and the cathode, resulting in a higher COD and nitrate removal rate and a lower maximum power density. The MFC for the denitrification using a cation exchange membrane (CEM) does not allow the transport of acetate and nitrate. Therefore, as oxidation of organics and electrochemical denitrification occurred at the anode and at the cathode, respectively, the MFC using a CEM showed a higher coulomb efficiency, a lower COD and nitrate removal rate in comparison with the MFC using an AEM.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.751-757
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• 2018

In this article, a UV sensor that is an appropriate tool for fire detection has been designed and constructed. The structure of this UV sensor is an air-filled single-wire detector that is able to operate under normal air condition. A reflective CsI photocathode is installed at the end of the sensor chamber to generate photoelectrons in the ion chamber. An electric current is produced by accelerating photoelectrons to the anode in the electric field. The detector is able to measure the intensity of the incident UV rays whenever the current is sufficiently high. Therefore, the sensitivity coefficient of this sensor is found to be $7.67{\times}10^{-6}V/photons/sec$.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.306-309
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• 2016

The Cs₃Sb photocathode was formed by non-vacuum process technology. An in-situ vacuum device was fabricated successively with flat cesium antimonide photocathode emitters fabricated in a process chamber. The electrical properties of the device were characterized. Electron emission from the devices was induced by photoemitted electrons, which were accelerated by an anode electric field that was shielded from the photoemitter surface. The electrical characteristics of the devices were investigated by measuring the anode current as a function of device operation times with respect to applied anode voltages. Planar blue LED light with a 450 nm wavelength was used as an excitation source. The results showed that the cesium antimonide photocathode emitter has the potential of long lifetime with stable electron emission characteristics in panel devices. These features demonstrate that the cesium antimony photocathodes produced by non-vacuum processing technology is suitable for flat cathodes in panel device applications.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2010

Burnup of spent fuel should be determined accurately for the safety control of spent fuel. Especially, it is necessary to measure the burnup profile along the nuclear fuel axis. In the present work, an ionization chamber was designed and fabricated to measure the gamma ray profile inside the guide tube of spent fuel. The ionization chamber was composed of three parts; induction part, gas-inlet part, and sensor part. The sensor part had two electrodes; cathode and anode. A guide electrode was considered in the ionization chamber design to make the ionization chamber to be inserted easily into the guide tube. Pure gas (argon and xenon) was inserted into the ionization chamber, and the leakage current and saturation curve were measured to determine the operation characteristics of the ionization chamber. The gamma ray radiation was also measured in relatively high dose environment. The gamma ray profile of the spent fuel will be measured with the ionization chamber.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.510-515
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• 2016

Single-chamber solid oxide fuel cells (SC-SOFCs) consist of only one gas chamber, in which both the anode and the cathode are exposed to the same fuel-oxidant mixture. Thus, this configuration shows good thermal and mechanical resistance and allows rapid start-up and -down. In this study, the unit cell consisting of $La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}MnO_3$ (cathode) / $Zr_{0.84}Y_{0.16}O_{2-x}$ (electrolyte) / $Ni-Zr_{0.84}Y_{0.16}O_{2-x}$ (anode) was fabricated and its electrochemical property was investigated as a function of temperature and the volume ratio of fuel and oxidant for SC-SOFCs. Impedance spectra were also investigated in order to figure out the electrical characteristics of the cell. As a result, the cell performance was governed by the polarization resistances of the electrodes. The cell exhibited an acceptable cell-performance of $86mW/cm^2$ at $800^{\circ}C$ and stable performance for 3 hs under 0.7 V.