• Carbon letters
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2006

The electro-chemical removal (ECR) of water pollutants by metal-ACF electrodes from wastewater was investigated over wide range of ECR time. The ECR capacities of metallic ACF electrodes were related to physical properties such as adsorption isotherm, surface area and pore size and to reaction time. Surface morphologies and elemental analysis for the metal supported ACFs after electro-catalytic reaction were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse X-ray (EDX) to explain the changes in adsorption properties. The IR spectra of metallic ACFs for the investigation of functional groups show that the electro-catalytic treatment is consequently associated with the removal of pollutants with the increasing surface reactivity of the activated carbon fibers. The metal-ACFs were electro-catalytically reacted to waste water to investigate the removal efficiency for the COD, T-N, $NH_4$-N, $NO_3$-N and $NO_2$-N. From these removal results of the piggery waste using metallic ACFs substrate, satisfactory removal performance was achieved. The removal efficiency of the metallic ACFs substrate was mainly determined by the properties of the material for adsorption and trapping of organics, and catalytic effects.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.421-425
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• 2012

Two types of Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts were composited on Pt nanowires by a combination of an electrospinning method and an impregnation method with NaBH4 as a reducing agent. The structural properties and electrocatalytic activities for methanol electro-oxidation in direct methanol fuel cells were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry. In particular, SEM, HRTEM, XRD, and XPS results indicate that the metallic Pt nanoparticles with polycrystalline property are uniformly decorated on the electro-spun Pt nanowires. In order to investigate the catalytic activity of the Pt nanoparticles decorated on the electro-spun Pt nanowires, two types of 20 wt% Pt nanoparticles and 40 wt% Pt nanoparticles decorated on the electro-spun Pt nanowires were fabricated. In addition, for comparison, single Pt nanowires were fabricated via an electrospinning method without an impregnation method. As a result, the cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry results demonstrate that the electrode containing 40 wt% Pt nanoparticles exhibits the best catalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation and the highest electrochemical stability among the single Pt nanowires, the 20 wt% Pt nanoparticles decorated with Pt nanowires, and the 40 wt% Pt nanoparticles decorated with Pt nanowires studied for use in direct methanol fuel cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.3576-3582
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• 2014

Zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs), which have high specific surface area, were prepared by a conventional templating method using microporous zeolite-Y for catalyst supports in direct methanol fuel cells. The ZTCs were synthesized at different temperatures to investigate the characteristics of the surface produced and their electrochemical properties. Thereafter, Pt-Ru was deposited at different carbonization temperatures by a chemical reduction method. The crystalline and structural features were investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The textural properties of the ZTCs were investigated by analyzing $N_2$/77 K adsorption isotherms using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation, while the micro- and meso-pore size distributions were analyzed using the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda and Harvarth-Kawazoe methods, respectively. The surface morphology was characterized using transmission electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The electrochemical properties of the Pt-Ru/ZTCs catalysts were also analyzed by cyclic voltammetry measurements. From the results, the ZTCs carbonized at $900^{\circ}C$ show the highest specific surface areas. In addition, ZTC900-PR led to uniform dispersion of Pt-Ru on the ZTCs, which enhanced the electro-catalytic activity of the Pt-Ru catalysts. The particle size of ZTC900-PR catalyst is about 3.4 nm, also peak current density from the CV plot is $12.5mA/cm^2$. Therefore, electro-catalytic activity of the ZTC900-PR catalyst is higher than those of ZTC1000-PR catalyst.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2016

Application of fuel cell to produce renewable energy for commercial purpose is limited by the high cost of Pt based electrode materials. Development of inexpensive, high energetic electrode is the need of the hour to produce pollution free energy using bio-fuel through a fuel cell. Ni-Cu and Ni-CeO₂-Cu electrode materials, electro synthesized by pulse current have been developed. The surface morphology of the electrode materials is controlled by different deposition parameters in order to produce a high current from the electro-oxidation of the fuel, the ethanol. The developed materials are electrochemically characterized by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Chronoamperometry (CA) and Potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results confirm that the high current is due to their enhanced catalytic properties viz. high exchange current density (i₀), low polarization resistance (R_p) and low impedance. It is worthwhile to mention here that the addition of CeO₂ to Ni-Cu has outperformed Pt as far as the high electro catalytic properties are concerned; the exchange current density is about eight times higher than the same on Pt surface. The morphology of the electrode surface examined by SEM and FESEM exhibits that the grains are narrow and sub spherical with 3D surface, containing vacancies in between the elongated grains. The fact has enhanced more surface area for electro oxidation of the fuel, giving rise to an increase in current. Presence of Ni, CeO₂, and Cu is confirmed by the XRD and EDXS. Fuel cell fabricated with Ni-CeO₂-Cu material electrode is expected to produce clean electrical energy at cheaper rates than conventional one, using bio fuel the derived from biomass.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.83-88
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• 2003

PtRu alloy and $PtRu-WO_3$ nanocomposite thin-film electrodes for methanol electrooxidation were fabricated by means of a sputtering method. The structural and electrochemical properties of well-defined PtRu alloy thin-film electrodes were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The alloy thin-film electrodes were classified as follows: Pt-based and Ru-based alloy structure. Based on structural and electrochemical understanding of the PtRu alloy thin-film electrodes, the well-controlled physical and (electro)chemical properties of $PtRu-WO_3$, showed superior specific current to that of a nanosized PtRu alloy catalyst, The homogeneous dispersion of alloy catalyst and well-formed nanophase structure would lead to an excellent catalytic electrode reaction for high-performance fuel cells. In addition, the enhanced catalytic activity in nanocomposite electrode was found to be closely related to proton transfer in tungsten oxide using in-situ electrochemical transmittance measurement.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.419-424
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• 2011

Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on $RuO_2$ nanowire support were successfully synthesized and their electrochemical properties, such as methanol electro-oxidation and electrochemically active surface (EAS) area, were demonstrated for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). After fabricating $RuO_2$ nanowire support via an electrospinning method, two different types of incorporated Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts were prepared using a precipitation method via the reaction with $NaBH_4$ as a reducing agent. One electrocatalyst was 20 wt% Pt/$RuO_2$, and the other was 40 wt% Pt/$RuO_2$. The structural and electrochemical properties of the Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts incorporated on electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support were investigated using a bright field transmission electron microscopy (bright field TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry. The bright field TEM, XRD, and XPS results indicate that Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts with sizes of approximately 2-4 nm were well incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support with a diameter of approximately 50 nm. The cyclic voltammetry results showed that the Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support give superior catalytic activity in the methanol electro-oxidation and a higher electrochemically active surface (EAS) area when compared with the electrospun Pt nanowire electrocatalysts without the $RuO_2$ nanowire support. Therefore, the Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support could be a promising electrode for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.754-760
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• 1998

It was found that the adsorption of a cobalt(III) complex with a macrocyclic ligand, C-meso-5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (hmc), was induced on a glassy carbon electrode by heavily oxidizing the electrode surface. Adsorption properties are discussed. The glassy carbon electrode with the adsorbed complex was employed to see the catalytic activities for the electro-reduction of O2. In the presence of oxygen, reduction of (hmc)Co3+ showed two cathodic waves in cyclic voltammetry. Compared to the edge plane graphite electrode at which two cathodic waves were also observed in a previous study, catalytic reduction of O2 occurred in the potential region of the first wave while it happened in the second wave region with the other electrode. A rotating disk electrode after the same treatment was employed to study the mechanism of the O2 reduction and two-electron reduction of O2 was observed. The difference from the previous results was explained by the different reactivity of the (hmc)CoOOH2+ intermediate, which is produced after the two electron reduction of (hmc)Co3+ in the presence of O2.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.121-130
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• 2015

The micro emulsion method has been successfully used for preparing perovskite LaCoO₃ with uniform, fine-shaped nanoparticles showing high activity as electro catalysts in oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs). They are, therefore, promising candidates for the air-cathode in metal-air rechargeable batteries. Since the activity of a catalyst is highly dependent on its specific surface area, nanoparticles of the perovskite catalyst are desirable for catalyzing both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Herein, LaCoO₃ powder was also prepared by sol-gel method for comparison, with a broad particle distribution and high agglomeration. The electro catalytic properties of LaCoO₃ and LaCoO₃-carbon Super P mixture layers toward the ORR were studied comparatively using the rotating disk electrode technique in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte to elucidate the effect of carbon Super P. Koutecky-Levich theory was applied to acquire the overall electron transfer number (n) during the ORR, calculated to be ~3.74 for the LaCoO₃-Super P mixture, quite close to the theoretical value (4.0), and ~2.7 for carbon-free LaCoO₃. A synergistic effect toward the ORR is observed when carbon is present in the LaCoO₃ layer. Carbon is assumed to be more than an additive, enhancing the electronic conductivity of the oxide catalyst. It is suggested that ORRs, catalyzed by the LaCoO₃-Super P mixture, are dominated by a 2+2-electron transfer pathway to form the final, hydroxyl ion product.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2009

In this study, we have prepared three kinds of carbon nanometer tube $CNT/TiO_{2}$ electrodes through impregnation with different concentration titanium n-butoxide (TNB) solution. The prepared electrodes were characterized with surface properties, structural crystallinity, elemental identification and photoelectrocatalytic activity. The $N_2$ adsorption data showed that the composites had decreased surface area compared with the pristine CNT. This indicated the blocking of micropores on the surface of CNT, which was further supported by observation via SEM. XRD results showed patterns for the composites and a typical single and clear anatase crystal structure. The main elements such as C, O and Ti were existed for all samples from the EDX data. The catalytic efficiency of the developed electrode was evaluated by the photoelectrodegradation of methylene blue (MB). The positive potential applied in photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation was studied. It was found that photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) decomposition of MB solution could be attributed to combination effects between $TiO_2$ photocatalytic and CNT electro-assisted. Through the comparison between photocatalytic (PC) oxidation and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation, it was found that the PEC oxidation efficiency for MB is higher than that of PC oxidation.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.167-172
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• 2011

In this work, the effect of surface treatment on mesoporous carbons (MCs) supports was investigated by analyzing surface functional groups. MCs were prepared by a conventional templating method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for using catalyst supports in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The MCs were treated with different phosphoric acid ($H_3PO_4$) concentrations i.e., 0, 1, 3, 4, and 5 M at 343 K for 6 h. And then Pt-Ru was deposited onto surface treated MCs (H-MCs) by chemical reduction method. The characteristics of Pt-Ru catalysts deposited onto H-MCs were determined by specific surface area and pore size analyzer, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron, transmission electron microscopy, and inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. The electrochemical properties of Pt-Ru/H-MCs catalysts were also analyzed by cyclic voltammetry experiments. From the results of surface analysis, an oxygen functional group was introduced to the surface of carbon supports. From the results, the H4M-MCs carbon supports surface treated with 4 M $H_3PO_4$ led to uniform dispersion of Pt-Ru onto H4M-MCs, resulting in enhancing the electro-catalytic activity of Pt-Ru catalysts.