• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.596-600
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• 1998

Reaction bonded $AI_2O_3$(RBAO)-SiC ceramics were prepared from the Al/$AI_2O_3$/SiC powder mixture. The calcined alumina and fused alumina were used as the raw $AI_2O_3$ powder. The same sized (3mm) and differently sized (3mm + Smm) $Zr0_2$ balls were used in attrition milling of starting powders. The effect of $AI_2O_3$ powder shapes on the milling efficiency and reaction sintering was investigated. After attrition milling, isopressed compacts were preheated to 1l00$^{\circ}$C with a heating rate l.5$^{\circ}C$/min and then sintered at the temperature range 1500 to 1$600^{\circ}C$ for S hours with a heating rate 5$^{\circ}C$/min. The powder mixture with fused alumina was effectively comminuted than the mixtures with calcined alumina. And the same sized balls milled more effctive than the differently sized balls. The reaction sintering behavior differed not depending on the shapes of $AI_2O_3$ powder.

• Carbon letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.326-334
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• 2007

In this study, graphite composites were fabricated by warm press molding method to realize commercialization of PEM fuel cells. Graphite composites have been considered as alternative economic materials for bipolar plate of PEM fuel cells. Graphite powder that enables to provide electrical conductivity was selected as the main substance. The graphite powder was mixed with phenolic resin and the mixture was pressed using a warm press method. First of all, the graphite powder was pulverized with a ball mill for the dense packing of composite. As the ball milling time increases, the average size of particles decreases and the size distribution becomes narrow. This allows for improvement of the uniformity of graphite composite. However, the surface electrical resistivity of graphite composite increases as the ball milling time increases. It is due to that graphite particles with amorphous phase are generated on the surface due to the friction and collision of particles during pulverizing. We found that the contact electrical resistivity of graphite particles increases as the particle size decreases. The contact electrical resistivity of graphite powders was reduced due to high molding pressure by warm press molding. This leads to improvement of the mechanical properties of graphite composite. Hydrogen gas impermeability was measured with the graphite composite, showing a possibility of the application for bipolar plate in fuel cell. And, I-V curves of the graphite composite bipolar plate exhibit a similar performance to the graphite bipolar plate.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.331-335
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• 1999

The transition metal oxides have been of interest as bifunctional electrocatalysts for bifunctional air electrodes. The amorphous citrate precursor (ACP) process has been optimized to prepare perovskite (La0.6Ca0.4CoO3) and pyrochlore (Pb2Ru2O6) powders with high surface area, and consequent improvement of The electrocatalytic performance in an air electrode with thermal treatment. PTFE -bonded gas diffusion electrodes loaded with perovskitc and pyrochlore catalysts showed good bifunctional performances. The electrodes were fairly stable up to 100 hour in the galvanostatic mode at ${\pm}25mA/cm^2$, from which these electrodes offer promise as practical bifunctional air electrodes.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.854-860
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• 1997

The tribological property of ceramics is very important for use in seal rings, pump parts, thread guides and mechanical seal, etc. In the present study, which RBSC/graphite composites were manufactured by adding graphite powders with different particle sizes to mixtures of SiC powder, metallic silicon, carbon black and alumina, effects on the tribological property of each RBSC/graphite composite was investigated in accordance with the particle size of the added graphite powder. The water absorption, the bending strength and the resistance for the friction and wear were measured, and the crystalline phase and the microstructure were respectively examined by using XRD and SEM. In case that the particle size of the graphite powder was fine(2${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$), the formation of $\beta$-SiC was accelerated, thereby making the increase of the bending strength and the decrease of the water absorption, but no improvement for the tribological properties. Furthermore, in case that the particle size of the graphite powder was some large(88~149${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$), the formation of $\beta$-SiC was not accelerated, to thereby make the decrease of the bending strength and the increase of the water absorption, but the improvement for the tribological property of only the composite having the graphite powder of 20 vol%. In addition, in case that the particle size distribution of the graphite powder was large (under 53 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$), there was no improvement for every properties. However, the composites, which the graphite powder with the particle size of 53~88 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ was added in 10~15 vol%, had the most increased resistance for the friction and wear which show the worn out amount of 0.4~0.6$\times$10-3 $\textrm{cm}^2$, and the value of the bending strength is 380~520 kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.1170-1175
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• 1999

The microstructures and mechanical properties of $Si_3N_4$ ceramics produced by nitridation and post-sintering using semiconductor-waste-Si sludge were investigated. Lots of microcracks were observed in the waste-Si powders which contained some amounts of amorphous $SiO_2$. The nitridation rate of waste-Si compacts showed lower value than that of commercial Si powder compacts. The nitridation rate was increased with increasing nitridation temperature and then the percent of nitridation at 1470$^{\circ}C$ showed 98%. The phases of $Si_3N_4$ in the reaction-bonded bodies were mixed with ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$-type, and small amounts of $Si_2N_2O$ phase while those after post-sintering were ${\beta}$-$Si_3N_4$ and ${\alpha}$-Sialon. The sample post-sintered at 1950$^{\circ}C$ showed the fracture toughness of 5.6 $^MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ and the fracture strength of 497 MPa which were lower than those of sintered body using commercial Si powder possibly due to the formation of ${\alpha}$-Sialon phase.