• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.863-867
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• 2008

Pitch based activated carbon fiber(ACF) was prepared from reformed naphtha cracking bottom oil(NCB oil) by melt spinning. The fibers obtained were stabilized, carbonized, and then steam activated. The ACF was sensitized with Pd-Sn catalytic nuclei via a single-step activation approach. This sensitized ACF was used as precursors for obtaining copper plated ACFs via electroless plating. ACFs uniformly decorated with metal particles were obtained with reduced copper plating in the reaction solution. Effects of the amount of copper on characteristics of ACF/Cu catalysts were investigated through BET surface area, X-ray diffraction, scanning emission microscopy, and ICP. The amount of copper increased with plating time, but the surface area as well as the pore volume decreased. NO conversion increased with reaction temperature. NO conversion decreased with increasing the amount of copper, which is seemed to be due to the reduction of surface area as well as the dispersion of copper.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.90-91
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• 2007

Nano-sized conical-type tungsten(W) field-emitters based on carbon nanotubes(CNTs) are fabricated with the configuration of CNTs/catalyst/buffer/W-tip by adopting various buffer layers, such as TiN, Al, Al/TiN, and Al/hi/TiN. This study focuses on elucidating how the buffer layers affect the structural properties of CNTs and the electron-emission characteristics of CNT-emitters. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) are used to monitor the nanostructures and surface morphologies of all the catalysts and CNTs grown. The crystalline structure of CNTs is also characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the measurement of field-emission characteristics for all the field-emitters fabricated shows that the emitter using the Al/Ni/TiN stacked buffer reveals the most excellent performances, such as maximum emission current of $202{\mu}A$, threshold field of 2.08V/${\mu}m$, and long-term (up to 24h) stability of emission current.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.186-196
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• 2020

Pillared clays with Zr and Fe/Cu/Zr polycations have been prepared from natural clays found in large deposits of Kazakhstan and assessed as catalysts for the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO), using 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as model compound. The performance of the catalysts was followed by measuring the concentration of 4-NP, H₂O₂ and the total organic carbon (TOC), considering C_4-NP = 5 g L^-1, $C_{H_2O_2}$ = 17.8 g L^-1, C_cat = 2.5 g L^-1, initial pH = 3.0 and T = 50℃. At those selected conditions, the pillared clays showed higher activity than natural clays in the CWPO of 4-NP. The conversion of the model pollutant was complete when Fe/Cu/Zr-PILCs were used, with the TOC removal reaching 78.4% after 24 h with the best Fe/Cu/Zr-PILC. The H₂O₂, 4-NP and TOC time-evolution was well described by a kinetic model based on TOC lumps in three blocks, considering the initial TOC (corresponding to 4-NP), the production of oxidizable intermediates and the formation of refractory products.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.332-336
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• 2010

Ionic liquid immobilized on mesoporous amorphous silica was prepared from the coupling of 1-(triethoxysilylpropyl)-3-n-alkyl-imidzolium halides with tetraethyl orthosilicate(TEOS) through template-free condensation under strong acidic conditions. The immobilized 1-n-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide ionic liquid on amorphous silica(BMImBr-AS) was proved to be an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate(DMC) from transesterification of ethylene carbonate(EC) with methanol. High temperature, high carbon dioxide pressure and long reaction time were favorable for the reactivity of BMImBr-AS. Kinetic studies based on two step reactions revealed that the proposed reaction model fitted well the experimental data. The apparent activation energy was estimated to be 67.4 kJ/mol.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.697-700
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• 2008

The underpotential deposited Bi on Pt($Bi_{upd}/Pt$) anode for formic acid fuel cells (FAFCs) was developed using multi-layered preparation method for better electrocatalytic utilization of Pt. The electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) result indicated that $Bi_{upd}$ remains through the catalyst layer during stability test. In performance test, the multilayered $Bi_{upd}$ on Pt black showed superior performance by approximately 200 mV at current density of $150mA/cm^2$ compared with PtRu black anode catalyst. Based on preparation condition of $Bi_{upd}/Pt$ black, carbon supported $Bi_{upd}/Pt/C$ electrode was prepared and it showed enhanced performance and stability.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2019

Spent coffee is one of biomass sources to be converted into bio-oil. However, the bio-oil should be further upgraded to achieve a higher quality bio-oil because of its high oxygen content. Deoxygenation under hydrotreating using different catalysts (catalytic hydrodeoxygenation; HDO) is considered as one of the promising methods for upgrading bio-oil from pyrolysis by removal of O-containing groups. In this study, the HDO of spent coffee bio-oil, which was collected from fast pyrolysis of spent coffee ($460^{\circ}C$, $2.0{\times}U_{mf}$), was carried out in an autoclave. The product yields were 72.16 ~ 96.76 wt% of bio-oil, 0 ~ 18.59 wt% of char, and 3.24 ~ 9.25 wt% of gas obtained in 30 min at temperatures between $250^{\circ}C$ and $350^{\circ}C$ and pressure in the range of 3 to 9 bar. The highest yield of bio-oil of 97.13% was achieved at $250^{\circ}C$ and 3 bar, with high selectivity of D-Allose. The carbon number distribution of the bio-oil was analyzed based on the concept of simulated distillation. The $C_{12}{\sim}C_{14}$ fraction increased from 22.98 wt% to 27.30 wt%, whereas the $C_{19}{\sim}C_{26}$ fraction decreased from 24.74 wt% to 17.18 wt% with increasing reaction time. Bio-oil yields were slightly decreased when the HZSM-5 catalyst and dolomite were used. The selectivity of CO was increased at the HZSM-5 catalyst and decreased at the dolomite.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.437-442
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• 2023

This research aims to enhance the efficiency of Pt/C catalysts due to the limited availability and high cost of platinum in contemporary fuel cell catalysts. Nano-sized platinum particles were distributed onto a carbon-based support via the polyol process, utilizing the metal precursor H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O. Key parameters such as pH, temperature, and RPM were carefully regulated. The findings revealed variations in the particle size, distribution, and dispersion of nano-sized Pt particles, influenced by temperature and pH. Following sodium hydroxide treatment, heat treatment procedures were systematically executed at diverse temperatures, specifically 120, 140, and 160 ℃. Notably, the thermal treatment at 140 ℃ facilitated the production of Pt/C catalysts characterized by the smallest platinum particle size, measuring at 1.49 nm. Comparative evaluations between the commercially available Pt/C catalysts and those synthesized in this study were meticulously conducted through cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FE-SEM EDS) methodologies. The catalyst synthesized at 160 ℃ demonstrated superior electrochemical performance; however, it is imperative to underscore the necessity for further optimization studies to refine its efficacy.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.232-237
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• 2022

Biorefineries, in which renewable resources are utilized, are an eco-friendly alternative based on biomass feedstocks. Alginic acid, a major component of brown algae, which is a type of marine biomass, is widely used in various industries and can be converted into value-added chemicals such as sugars, sugar alcohols, furans, and organic acids via catalytic hydrothermal decomposition under certain conditions. In this study, ruthenium-supported activated carbon and magnesium oxide were mixed and applied to the depolymerization of alginic acid in a batch reactor. The addition of magnesium oxide as a basic promoter had a strong influence on product distribution. In this heterogeneous catalytic system, the separation and purification processes are also simplified. After the reaction, low molecular weight alcohols and organic acids with 5 or fewer carbons were produced. Specifically, under the optimal reaction conditions of 30 mL of 1 wt% alginic acid aqueous solution, 100 mg of ruthenium-supported activated carbon, 100 mg of magnesium oxide, 210 ℃ of reaction temperature, and 1 h of reaction time, total carbon yields of 29.8% for alcohols and 43.8% for a liquid product were obtained. Hence, it is suggested that this catalytic system results in the enhanced hydrogenolysis of alginic acid to value-added chemicals.

• Clean Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.426-431
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• 2012

Carbon-rich coal can be utilized as a fuel for direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC). However, left-behind ash after the electrochemical oxidation may hinder the electrochemical reactions. In this study, we produced ash-free coal (AFC) by thermal extraction and then tested it as a fuel for DCFC. DCFC was built based on solid oxide electrolyte and the electrochemical performance of AFC mixed with $K_2CO_3$ was compared with AFC only. Significantly enhanced power density was found by catalytic steam gasification of AFC. However, an increase of the power density by catalytic pyrolysis was negligible. This result indicated that a catalyst activated the steam gasification reactions, producing much more $H_2$ and thus increasing the power density, compared to AFC only. Results of a quantitative analysis showed much improved kinetics in AFC with $K_2CO_3$ in agreement with DCFC results. A secondary phase of potassium on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) surface was observed after the cell operation. This probably caused poor long-term behavior of AFC with $K_2CO_3$. A thin YSZ (30 ${\mu}m$ thick) was found to be higher in the power density than 0.9 mm of YSZ.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2008

Though ethanol can theoretically generate 12 electrons during oxidation to carbon dioxide, the complete oxidation of ethanol is hard to achieve due to the strong bond between the two carbons in its molecular structure. Therefore, development of high activity catalyst for ethanol oxidation is necessary for the commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cell. In this study, some binary and ternary electrocatalysts of PtSn/C and PtSnAu/C have been synthesized and characterized. The catalysts were fabricated with modified polyol method with the amounts of 20 wt%, where the Pt : Sn ratios in the PtSn/C were 1 : 0, 4 : 1, 3 : 1, 2 : 1, 1.5 : 1, 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5 and Pt:Sn:Au ratios in the PtSnAu/C were 5 : 5 : 0, 5 : 4 : 1, 5 : 3 : 2, 5 : 2 : 3. From the XRD and TEM analysis results, the catalysts were found to have face centered cubic structure with particle size of around $1.9{\sim}2.4\;nm$. The activity in the ethanol oxidation was examined with cyclic voltammetry and the results indicated that PtSn(1.5 : 1)/C and PtSnAu(5 : 2 : 3)/C had the highest activity in each catalyst system. Further tests with single cell were performed with those catalysts. It was found that PtSn/C(1.5 : 1) exhibited the best performance while the long term stability of PtSnAu/C(5 : 2 : 3) is better than PtSn/C(1.5 : 1).