• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.207-207
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• 2012

Si quantum dot (QD) imbedded in a $SiO_2$ matrix is a promising material for the next generation optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells and light emission diodes (LEDs). However, low conductivity of the Si quantum dot layer is a great hindrance for the performance of the Si QD-based optoelectronic devices. The effective doping of the Si QDs by semiconducting elements is one of the most important factors for the improvement of conductivity. High dielectric constant of the matrix material $SiO_2$ is an additional source of the low conductivity. Active doping of B was observed in nanometer silicon layers confined in $SiO_2$ layers by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling analysis and confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The uniformly distributed boron atoms in the B-doped silicon layers of $[SiO_2(8nm)/B-doped\;Si(10nm)]_5$ films turned out to be segregated into the $Si/SiO_2$ interfaces and the Si bulk, forming a distinct bimodal distribution by annealing at high temperature. B atoms in the Si layers were found to preferentially substitute inactive three-fold Si atoms in the grain boundaries and then substitute the four-fold Si atoms to achieve electrically active doping. As a result, active doping of B is initiated at high doping concentrations above $1.1{\times}10^{20}atoms/cm^3$ and high active doping of $3{\times}10^{20}atoms/cm^3$ could be achieved. The active doping in ultra-thin Si layers were implemented to silicon quantum dots (QDs) to realize a Si QD solar cell. A high energy conversion efficiency of 13.4% was realized from a p-type Si QD solar cell with B concentration of $4{\times}1^{20}atoms/cm^3$. We will present the diffusion behaviors of the various dopants in silicon nanostructures and the performance of the Si quantum dot solar cell with the optimized structures.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.263-269
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• 2016

Graphene oxide (GO) powder processed by Hummer's method is mixed with p-type $Bi_2Te_3$ based thermoelectric materials by a high-energy ball milling process. The synthesized GO-dispersed p-type $Bi_2Te_3$ composite powder has a composition of $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_3$ (BSbT), and the powder is consolidated into composites with different contents of GO powder by using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. It is found that the addition of GO powder significantly decreases the thermal conductivity of the pure BSbT material through active phonon scattering at the newly formed interfaces. In addition, the electrical properties of the GO/BSbT composites are degraded by the addition of GO powder except in the case of the 0.1 wt% GO/BSbT composite. It is found that defects on the surface of GO powder hinder the electrical transport properties. As a result, the maximum thermoelectric performance (ZT value of 0.91) is achieved from the 0.1% GO/BSbT composite at 398 K. These results indicate that introducing GO powder into thermoelectric materials is a promising method to achieve enhanced thermoelectric performance due to the reduction in thermal conductivity.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2011

A series of expanded graphites is prepared from graphite oxide by changing the heat-treatment temperature, and their lithiation/de-lithiation mechanism and rate performance are examined. A featureless sloping profile is observed in their charge-discharge voltage and dilatometry profiles, which is contrasted by the stepwise plateau-like profiles observed with the pristine graphite. With an increase in the heat-treatment temperature from $250^{\circ}C$ to $850^{\circ}C$, the interlayer distance becomes smaller whereas the electric conductivity becomes larger, both of which are resulted from a removal of foreign atoms (mainly oxygen) from the interlayer gaps. The expanded graphite that is prepared by a heat-treatment at $450^{\circ}C$ delivers the best rate performance, which seems to be a trade-off between the $Li^+$ ion diffusivity that is affected by the interlayer distance and electrical conductivity.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2014

The organic-inorganic composite membrane in polymer exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have several fascinating technological advantages such as a proton conductivity, thermal stability and mechanical properties. As the inorganic filler, silicon carbide (SiC) fiber have been used in various fields due to its unique properties such as thermal stability, conductivity, and tensile strength. In this study, composite membrane was successfully fabricated by modified-silicon carbide fiber. Modified process, as a novel process in SiC, takes reaction by phosphoric acid after oxidation process (generated homogeniusly $SiO_2$ layer on SiC fiber). The mechanical property which was conducted by tensile test of the 5wt% modified-$SiO_2@SiCf$ composite membrane was better than that of Aquivion casting membrane as well as ion cxchange capacity(IEC) and proton conductivity. In addition, the single cell performance was observed that the 5wt% modified-$SiO_2@SiCf$ composite membrane was approximately $0.2A/cm^2$ higher than that of a Aquivion casting electrolyte membrane and electrochemical impedance was improved with the charge transfer resistance and membrane resistance.

• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.11
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• pp.1173-1182
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• 2018

Mesoporous silica allows proper hydration of an ion exchange membrane under low relative humidity due to its strong hydrophilicity and structural characteristic. A mesoporous silica and Nafion composite membrane shows good proton conductivity under low relative humidity. An understanding of ion-channel formation and proton transfer through an ion-channel network in mesoporous silica and Nafion composite membranes is essential for the development and the optimization of ion exchange membranes. In this study, a mesoporous cellular foam $SiO_2/Nafion$ composite membrane is fabricated, and its proton conductivity and performance are measured. Also, the ion-channel distribution is analyzed by using electrostatic force microscopy to measure the surface charge density of the mesoporous cellular foam $SiO_2/Nafion$ composite membrane. The research reveals a few remarkable results. First, the composite membrane shows excellent proton conductivity and performance under low relative humidity. Second, the composite membrane is observed to form ion-channel-rich and ion-channel-poor region locally.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.6.2-6.2
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• 2005

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.302-306
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• 2017

Humidity affect performance and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). High humidity of gases generally enhance the performance, but high humidity have the danger of flooding. I-V performance, linear sweep voltammetry, cyclo voltammetry, and impedance of micro-channel cell measured with change of relative humidity (RH). Flooding phenomena started at RH 70%. Ion conductivity of membrane reached maximum value at RH 80%. Maximum current density of $1,700mA/cm^2$ (at 0.6 V) was obtained at RH 80%. Therefore the effect of ion conductivity increasement was higher than that of mass transfer decrease by flooding at RH 80%.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.18-22
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• 2003

Single cell performance has been investigated and characterized with variables in the fabrication of DMFC anode. The performance was checked as a function of ionomer content which affects ion conductivity in the catalyst layer, and catalyst slurry solvent which determines structure of agglomerates consisting of an ionomer and a catalyst. Anode with total ionomer to catalyst ratio of 0.6 showed the best performance and the lowest polarization resistance. Also, electrochemically effective surface area increased with ionomer content. As solubility of the ionomer decreases with decreasing solvent polarity, the size of agglomerates consisting of a catalyst and an ionomer became larger in the less polar solvent. The anode using DPK $(\varepsilon=12.60)$ as a solvent, which is less polar than generally-used water or alcohol species, showed the maximum performance and the lowest polarization resistance.

• Ceramist
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.184-199
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• 2020

The solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are the one of the most promising energy conversion devices which can directly convert chemical energy into electric power with high efficiency and low emission. The lowering operating temperature below 800 ℃ has been considered as the mostly considerable research and development for commercialization. The major issue is to maintain reasonably high performance of SOFCs at reduced temperatures due to increment of polarization resistance of electrodes and electrolyte. Thus, the alternative materials with high catalytic activities and fast oxygen ion conductivity are required. For recent advances in electrolyte materials and technology, newly designed, highly conductive electrolyte materials and structural engineering of them provide a new path for further reduction in ohmic polarization resistance from electrolytes. Here, a powerful strategy of the bilayer concept with various oxide electrolytes of SOFCs are briefly reviewed. These recent developments also highlight the need for electrolytes with greater conductivity to achieve a high performance, thus providing a useful guidance for the rational design of cell structures for SOFCs. Moreover, cell design, materials compatibility, processing methods, are discussed, along with their role in determining cell performance. Results from state-of-the-art SOFCs are presented, and future prospects are discussed.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.8
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• pp.1153-1158
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• 2012

Niobium oxide ($Nb_2O_5$) has a strong chemical coherence and good electrical conductivity. Therefore, this material is helpful to enhance the performance of the dye sensitized solar cells (DSC) by improving the electron mobility. In this study, $Nb_2O_5$ was mixed with $TiO_2$ and this compound was applied to the DSC to improve its performance. As a result, the current density of the DSC using the $Nb_2O_5-TiO_2$ compound on the photoelectrode was increased, because the internal resistance concerned to the electron transfer in the photoelectrode of DSC was decreased. However, large amount of the $Nb_2O_5$ induces the decrease of the efficiency of the DSC because the surface area to attach dye molecules is decreased due to the large particle of $Nb_2O_5$. Therefore, it is important to optimize the mixture ratio of the $Nb_2O_5-TiO_2$ compound for maximizing the performance of the DSC. Finally, the most optimum performance of the DSC was shown in case of the $Nb_2O_5$ concentration of 10 wt% of the $Nb_2O_5-TiO_2$ compound.