• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.422-428
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• 2023

The electrical contact resistance between the bipolar plate (BP) and the carbon felt electrode (CFE), which are in contact by the stack clamping pressure, has a great impact on the stack efficiency because of the relatively low clamping pressure of the vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) stack. In this study, a polyethylene (PE) composite-CFE hybrid bipolar plate structure is developed through a local heat welding process to reduce such contact resistance and improve cell performance. The PE matrix of the carbon fiber composite BP is locally melted to create a direct contact structure between the carbon fibers of CFE and the carbon fibers of BP, thereby reducing the electrical contact resistance. Area specific resistance (ASR) and gas permeability are measured to evaluate the performance of the PE composite-CFE hybrid bipolar plate. In addition, an acid aging test is performed to measure stack reliability. Finally, a VFRB unit cell charge/discharge test is performed to compare and analyze the performance of the developed PE composite-CFE hybrid BP and the conventional BP.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.111-122
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• 2013

Sodium sulfur (NAS) battery is a high energy storage system (ESS). These days, as the use of renewable green energy like wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy is rapidly increasing, the demand of ESS is increasing and NAS battery is considered to be one of the most promising ESS. Since NAS battery has a high energy density(3 times of lead acid battery), long cycle life and no self-charge and discharge, it is a good candidate for ESS. A NAS battery consists of sulfur as the positive electrode, sodium as the negative electrode and ${\beta}$"-alumina as the electrolyte and a separator simultaneously. Since sulfur is an insulator, carbon felt should be used as conductor with sulfur and so the composition and property of the cathode could largely influence the cell performance and life cycle. Therefore, in this paper, the composition of NAS battery, the property of carbon felt and sodium polysulfides ($Na_2S_x$, intermediates of discharge), and the effects of these factors on cycle performance of cells are described in detail.

• Carbon letters
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.36-39
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• 2003

Carbon and carbon-based materials are used in nuclear reactors and there has recently been growing interest to develop graphite and carbon based materials for high temperature nuclear and fusion reactors. Efforts are underway to develop high density carbon materials as well as amorphous isotropic carbon for the application in thermal reactors. There has been research on coated nuclear fuel for high temperature reactor and research and development on coated fuels are now focused on fuel particles with high endurance during normal lifetime of the reactor. Since graphite as a moderator as well as structural material in high temperature reactors is one of the most favored choices, it is now felt to develop high density isotropic graphite with suitable coating for safe application of carbon based materials even in oxidizing or water vapor environment. Carboncarbon composite materials compared to conventional graphite materials are now being looked into as the promising materials for the fusion reactor due their ability to have high thermal conductivity and high thermal shock resistance. This paper deals with the application of carbon materials on various nuclear reactors related issues and addresses the current need for focused research on novel carbon materials for future new generation nuclear reactors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2008.08a
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• pp.115-115
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• 2008

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.3731-3739
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• 2009

One-chambered sediment cells with a variety of anodic electrodes were tested for generation of electricity. Material used for anodes was iron, brass, zinc/iron, copper and graphite felt which was used for a common cathode. The estuarine sediment served as supplier of oxidants or electron-producing microbial habitat which evoked electrons via fast metal corrosion reactions or a complicated microbial electron transfer mechanism, respectively. Maximum power density and current density were found to be $6.90\;W/m^2$ (iron/zinc) and $7.76\;A/m^2$ (iron), respectively. Interestingly, copper wrapped with carbon cloth produced better electric performance than copper only, by 60%, possibly because the cloth not only prevented rapid corrosion on the copper surface by some degrees, but also helped growing some electron-emitting microbes on its surface. At anodes oxidation reduction potential(ORP) was kept to be stationary over time except at the very initial period. The pH reduction in the copper and copper/carbon electrodes could be a sign of organic acid production due to a chemical change in the sediment. The simple estimation of interfacial, electrical resistances of electrodes and electrolyte in the sediment cell that a key to the electricity generation should be in how to control corrosion rate or microbial electron transfer activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.150-150
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• 2016

Mankind is enjoying a great convenience of their life by the rapid growth of secondary industry since the Industrial Revolution and it is possible due to the invention of huge power such as engine. The automobile which plays the important role of industrial development and human movement is powered by the Engine Module, and especially Diesel engine is widely used because of mechanical durability and energy efficiency. The main work mechanism of the Diesel engine is composed of inhalation of the organic material (coal, oil, etc.), combustion, explosion and exhaust Cycle process then the carbon compound emissions during the last exhaust process are essential which is known as the major causes of air pollution issues in recent years. In particular, COx, called carbon oxide compound which is composed of a very small size of the particles from several ten to hundred nano meter and they exist as a suspension in the atmosphere. These Diesel particles can be accumulated at the respiratory organs and cause many serious diseases. In order to compensate for the weak point of such a Diesel Engine, the DPF(Diesel Particulate Filter) post-cleaning equipment has been used and it mainly consists of ceramic materials(SiC, Cordierite etc) because of the necessity for the engine system durability on the exposure of high temperature, high pressure and chemical harsh environmental. Ceramic Material filter, but it remains a lot of problems yet, such as limitations of collecting very small particles below micro size, high cost due to difficulties of manufacturing process and low fuel consumption efficiency due to back pressure increase by the small pore structure. This study is to test the possibility of new structure by direct infiltration of SiC Whisker on Carbon felt as the next generation filter and this new filter is expected to improve the above various problems of the Ceramic DPF currently in use and reduction of the cost simultaneously. In this experiment, non-catalytic VS CVD (Vapor-Solid Chemical Vaporized Deposition) system was adopted to keep high mechanical properties of SiC and MTS (Methyl-Trichloro-Silane) gas used as source and H2 gas used as dilute gas. From this, the suitable whisker growth for high performance filter was observed depending on each deposition conditions change (input gas ratio, temperature, mass flow rate etc.).

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.163-169
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• 2008

Tribological properties of ceramic brake discs were investigated using a commercial friction material. The discs were manufactured by liquid silicon infiltration (LSI) into a C-C preform. The disc surface was modified by two different methods, producing sliding surfaces with chopped carbon fibers and carbon felt. In addition, the composition of the surface was also changed. Friction characteristics of the discs were examined using a 1/5 scale dynamometer. Results showed that the type and composition of the disc surface significantly affected the level of braking effectiveness and high temperature brake performance. The discs with felt surfaces showed higher friction levels than those with chopped fiber surfaces and SiC tended to increase the friction level while C lowered the friction coefficient. The ceramic disc was more sensitive to the deceleration rate than gray iron, showing high speed sensitivity.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.164-170
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• 2021

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) have emerged as large-scale energy storage systems (ESS) due to their advantages such as low cross-contamination, long life, and flexible design. However, Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the negative half-cell causes a harmful influence on the performance of the VRFB by consuming current. Moreover, HER hinders V²⁺/V³⁺ redox reaction between electrode and electrolyte by forming a bubble. To address the HER problem, carbon nanotube/graphite felt electrode (CNT/GF) with oxygen functional groups was synthesized through the hydrothermal method in the H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ (3:1) mixed acid solution. These oxygen functional groups on the CNT/GF succeed in suppressing the HER and improving charge transfer for V²⁺/V³⁺ redox reaction. As a result, the oxygen functional group applied electrode exhibited a low overpotential of 0.395 V for V²⁺/V³⁺ redox reaction. Hence, this work could offer a new strategy to design and synthesize effective electrodes for HER suppression and improving the energy density of VRFB.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.123-148
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• 2023

The first part of the study involved calculating emission factors from electricity production. The second part of the study aimed to analyze perceptions of the concept of carbon dioxide utilization and was conducted through a questionnaire survey with participants from Almaty and Astana. The results showed that there were no significant improvements in the decrease of carbon dioxide emissions between 2017 and 2020. Almost no change occurred in the rate of carbon dioxide emission throughout the course of the four years. According to the results of the survey, a number of respondents had reservations about the feasibility of using carbon dioxide utilization as a solution to tackle climate change. They felt that this technology would only offer a temporary solution to carbon emissions, without addressing the underlying causes of the problem. Despite these concerns, the participants acknowledged that carbon dioxide utilization had certain advantages in promoting sustainability.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2010

The electrode material is one of the factors affecting the power production of microbial fuel cell. In this study, effects of carbon electrode material, thickness and configuration on the power density, biofilm formation and microbial community diversity of microbial fuel cell were investigated. To optimize the anode-cathode electrode assembly, seven lab-scale reactors which had various carbon electrode constructions were operated in continuous mode. Under the steady state condition, the electrode combination of graphite felt (6 mm) with hole showed the highest cell voltage of 238 mV and the coulombic efficiency of 37%. As a result of SEM analysis, the bacteria growing on surface of knitted type of carbon cloth and graphite felt electrode ncreased significantly. The change of dominant species between seeding sludge and biofilm on the surface of anode electrode, microbial analysis with PCR-DGGE showed that the dominant species of seeding sludge are quite different from those of biofilm on the surface of each anode electrode. Especially Geobacter sp., a well known electrochemical bacteria, was found as the dominant species of the electrode combination with graphite felt.