• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction technology, one of the promising solutions for climate change, can convert CO₂, a representative greenhouse gas (GHG), into valuable base chemicals using electric energy. In particular, carbon monoxide (CO), among various candidate products, is attracting much attention from both academia and industry because of its high Faraday efficiency, promising economic feasibility, and relatively large market size. Although numerous previous studies have recently analyzed the GHG reduction potential of this technology, the assumptions made and inventory data used are neither consistent nor transparent. In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment was carried out to analyze the potential for reducing GHG emissions in the electrochemical CO production process in a more transparent way. By defining three different system boundaries, the global warming impact was compared with that of a fossil fuel-based CO production process. The results confirmed that the emission factor of electric energy supplied to CO₂-electrolyzers should be much lower than that of the current national power generation sector in order to mitigate GHG emissions by replacing conventional CO production with electrochemical CO production. Also, it is important to disclose transparently inventory data of the conventional CO production process for a more reliable analysis of GHG reduction potential.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.399-405
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• 2020

Hollow copper oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CuO/MWCNT) composites were fabricated via an optimized infiltration-reduction-oxidation method, which is more facile and easy to control. The crystalline structure and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The as-prepared CuO/MWCNT composites deliver an initial capacity of 612.3 mAh·g^-1 and with 80% capacity retention (488.2 mAh·g^-1) after 100 cycles at a current rate of 0.2 A·g^-1. The enhanced electrochemical performance is ascribed to the better electrical conductivity of MWCNT, the hollow structure of CuO particles, and the flexible structure of the CuO/MWCNT composites.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.91-97
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• 2023

Electrochemical (EC) CO₂ reduction is a promising method to convert CO₂ into valuable hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals ecofriendly. Here, we report on a facile method to synthesize surface-controlled SnO₂/Cu(OH)₂ nanowires (NWs) and its EC reduction of CO₂ to HCOOH and CO. The SnO₂/Cu(OH)₂ NWs (-16 mA/cm²) showed superior electrochemical performance compared to Cu(OH)2 NWs (-6 mA/cm²) at -1.0 V (vs. RHE). SnO₂/Cu(OH)₂ NWs showed the maximum Faradaic efficiency for conversion to HCOOH (58.01 %) and CO (29.72 %). The optimized catalyst exhibits a high C1 Faradaic efficiency stable electrolysis for 2 h in a KHCO₃ electrolyte. This study facilitates the potential for the EC reduction of CO₂ to chemical fuels.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2016

Oxidation behaviours of ash free coal (AFC), carbon, and H₂ fuels were investigated with a coin type molten carbonate fuel cell. Because AFC has no electrical conductivity, its oxidation occurs via gasification to H₂ and CO. An interesting behaviour of mass transfer resistance reduction at higher current density was observed. Since the anode reaction has the positive reaction order of H₂, CO₂ and H₂O, the lack of CO₂ and H₂O from AFC results in a significant mass transfer resistance. However, the anode products of CO₂ and H₂O at higher current densities raise their partial pressure and mitigate the resistance. The addition of CO₂ to AFC reduced the resistance sufficiently, thus the resistance reduction at higher current densities did not appear. Electrochemical impedance results also indicate that the addition of CO₂ reduces mass transfer resistance. Carbon and H₂ fuels without CO₂ and H₂O also show similar behaviour to AFC: mass transfer resistance is diminished by raising current density and adding CO₂.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.313-320
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• 2019

In this study, cobalt diselenide ($CoSe_2$) and the composites ($CoSe_2@RGO$) of $CoSe_2$ and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal reaction using cobalt ions and selenide source with or without graphene oxide (GO). The formation of $CoSe_2@RGO$ composites was identified by analysis with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the $CoSe_2@RGO$ composites have excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of $I_3{^-}$, possibly indicating a synergetic effect of $CoSe_2$ and RGO. As a consequence, the $CoSe_2@RGO$ composites were applied as a counter electrode in DSSC for the reduction of redox couple electrolyte, and exhibiting the comparable power conversion efficiency (7.01%) to the rare metal platinum (Pt) based photovoltaic device (6.77%).

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.211-214
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• 1990

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.17-31
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• 2023

Amidst escalating global warming fueled by indiscriminate fossil fuel consumption, concerted efforts are underway worldwide to mitigate atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction technology is recognized as a promising and environmentally friendly approach to convert CO₂ into valuable hydrocarbon compounds, deemed essential for achieving carbon neutrality. Copper, among the various materials used as CO₂ reduction electrodes, is known as the sole metal capable of generating C₂₊ compounds. However, low conversion efficiency and selectivity have hindered its widespread commercialization. This review highlights diverse research endeavors to address these challenges. It explores various studies focused on utilizing copper-based electrodes for CO₂ reduction, offering insights into potential solutions for advancing this crucial technology.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.106-110
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• 2015

This study investigates Cu(II) complexes of cyclam, propylene cross-bridged cyclam (PCB-cyclam), and propylene cross-bridged cyclam diacetate (PCB-TE2A) as homogeneous electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction in comparison with Ni(II)-cyclam. It is found that Cu(II)-cyclam can catalyze CO₂ reduction at the potential close to its thermodynamic value (0.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl) in tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.45) on a glassy carbon electrode. Cu(II)-cyclam, however, suffers from severe demetalation due to the insufficient stability of Cu(I)-cyclam. Cu(II)-PCB-cyclam and Cu(II)-PCB-TE2A are revealed to exhibit much less demetalation behavior, but poor CO₂ reduction activities as well. The inferior electrocatalytic ability of Cu(II)-PCB-cyclam is ascribed to its redox potential that is too high for CO₂ reduction, and that of Cu(II)-PCB-TE2A to the steric hindrance preventing facile contact with CO₂ molecules. This study suggests that in addition to the redox potential and chemical stability, the stereochemical aspect has to be considered in designing efficient electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.87-93
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• 2014

The fluorine-substituted $0.3Li_2MnO_3{\cdot}0.7Li[Mn_{0.60}Ni_{0.25}Co_{0.15}]O_{2-x}F_x$ cathode materials were synthesized by using the transition metal precursor, $LiOH{\cdot}H_2O$ and LiF. This was to facilitate the movement of lithium ions by forming more compact SEI layer and to reduce the dissolution of transition metals. The $0.3Li_2MnO_3{\cdot}0.7Li[Mn_{0.60}Ni_{0.25}Co_{0.15}]O_{2-x}F_x$ cathode material was sphere-shaped and each secondary particle had $10{\sim}15{\mu}m$ in size. The fluorine-substituted cathodes initially delivered low discharge capacity, but it gradually increased until 50th charge-discharge cycles. These results indicated that fluorine substitution gave positive effects on the structural stabilization and resistance reduction in materials.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2010

We report Co-tetramethoxyphenylporphyrin on carbon particles (Co-TMPP/C) as a non-Pt catalyst for tri-iodide reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The presence of well-dispersed carbon and cobalt source in the catalyst surface is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. In the C 1s, Co 2p, and N 1s peaks measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the C-N, Co-$N_4$, and N-C are assigned to the component at 285.7, 781.8, and 401 eV, respectively. Especially, the Co-TMPP/C shows improved current density, diffusion coefficient, and charge-transfer resistance in the ${I_3}^-/I^-$ redox reaction compared to conventional catalysts. Furthermore, in the DSSCs performance, the Co-TMPP/C shows increased short circuit current density, higher open circuit voltage, and improved cell efficieny in comparison with Pt/C.