• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2012.03a
• /
• pp.406-409
• /
• 2012

Recently, enormous research efforts have been focused on the development of non-precious catalysts to replace Pt for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and to reduce the cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In recent years, heteroatom (N, B, and P) doped carbon nanostructures have been received enormous importance as a non-precious electrode materials for oxygen reduction. Doping of foreign atom into carbon is able to modify electronic properties of carbon materials. In this study, nitrogen and boron doped carbon nanostructures were synthesized by using a facile and cost-effective thermal annealing route and prepared nanostructures were used as a non-precious electrocatalysts for the ORR in alkaline electrolyte. The nitrogen doped carbon nanocapsules (NCNCs) exhibited higher activity than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst, excellent stability and resistance to methanol oxidation. The boron-doped carbon nanostructure (BC) prepared at $900^{\circ}C$ showed higher ORR activity than BCs prepared lower temperature (800, $700^{\circ}C$). The heteroatom doped carbon nanomaterials could be promising candidates as a metal-free catalysts for ORR in the PEMFCs.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.10-18
• /
• 2010

Controlled electrodeposition of dendritic nano-structured gold-platinum (AuPt) alloy onto an electrochemically pretreated carbon paper substrate was conducted in an attempt to improve catalyst utilization and to secure an electronic percolation network toward formic acid (FA) fuel cell application. The AuPt catalysts were obtained by potentiostatic deposition. AuPt catalysts synthesized as bimetallic alloys with 60% Au content exhibited the highest catalytic activity towards formic acid electro-oxidation. The origin of this high activity and the role of Au were evaluated, in particular, by XPS analysis. Polarization and stability measurements with 1 mg $cm^{-2}$ AuPt catalyst (only 0.4 mg $cm^{-2}$ Pt) showed 52 mW $cm^{-2}$ and sustainable performance using 3M formic acid and dry air at $40^{\circ}C$.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.252.1-252.1
• /
• 2010

These studies convert to useful electricity from swine wastewater and to treat this wastewater. In order to operate the microbial fuel cell(MFC) for the swine wastewater, the anode volume of MFCs was scaled up with 5L in the vacant condition. Graphite felts and low-priced mesh stainless-less as electrode had mixed up and packed into the anode compartment. The meshed stainless-less electrode could also be acted the collector of electron produced by microorganisms in anode. For a cathode compartment, graphite felt loaded Pt/C catalyst was used. Graphite felt electrode embedded in the anode compartment was punched holds at regular intervals to prevent occurred the channeling phenomenon. The sources of seeding on microbial fuel cell was used a mixture of swine wastewater and anaerobic digestion sludge(1:1). It was enriched within 6 days. Swine wastewater was fed with 53.26 ml/min flow rate. The MFCs produced a current of about 17 mA stably used swine wastewater with $3,167{\pm}80mg/L$. The maximum power density and current density was 680 $mW/m^3$ and 3,770 $mA/m^3$, respectively. From these results it is showed that treatment of swine wastewater synchronizes with electricity generation using modified low priced microbial fuel cell.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.184-187
• /
• 2007

Hydrogen could be produced from any substance containing hydrogen atoms, such as water, hydrocarbon (HC) fuels, acids or bases. Hydrocarbon fuels couold be converted to hydrogen-rich gas through reforming process for hydrogen production. Even though fuel cell have high efficiency with pure hydrogen from gas tank, it is more beneficial to generate hydrogen from city gas (mainly methane) in residential application such as domestic or office environments. Thus hydrogen is generated by reforming process using hydrocarbon. Unfortunately, the reforming process for hydrogen production is accompanied with unavoidable impurities. Impurities such as CO, $CO_2$, $H_2S$, $NH_3$, and $CH_4$ in hydrogen could cause negative effects on fuel cell performance. Those effects are kinetic losses due to poisoning of electrode catalysts, ohmic losses due to proton conductivity reduction including membrane and catalyst ionomer layers, and mass transport losses due to degrading catalyst layer structure and hydrophobic property. Hydrogen produced from reformer eventually contains around 73% of $H_2$, 20% or less of $CO_2$, 5.8% of less of $N_2$, or 2% less of $CH_4$, and 10ppm or less of CO. Most impurities are removed using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process to get high purity hydrogen. However, high purity hydrogen production requires high operation cost of reforming process. The effect of carbon dioxide on fuel cell performance was investigated in this experiment. The performance of PEM fuel cell was investigated using current vs. potential experiment, long run (10 hr) test, and electrochemical impedance measurement when the concentrations of carbon dioxide were 10%, 20% and 30%. Also, the concentration of impurity supplied to the fuel cell was verified by gas chromatography (GC).

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.125.2-125.2
• /
• 2010

In this paper, both theoretical and experimental investigations have been performed to examine the effects of key operating parameters on the cell performance of a DMFCs (i.e., methanol feed concentration and operating temperature). For experiment, the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were prepared using a conventional MEA fabrication method based on a catalyst coated electrode (CCE) and tested under various cell temperatures and methanol feed concentrations. The polarization curve measurements were conducted using in-house-made $25cm^2$ MEAs. The voltage-current density data were collected under three different cell temperatures ($50^{\circ}C$, $60^{\circ}C$, and $70^{\circ}C$) and four different methanol feed concentrations (1 M, 2 M, 3 M, and 4 M). The experimental data indicate that the measured I-V curves are significantly altered, depending on these conditions. On the other hand, previously developed one-dimensional, two-phase DMFC model is simulated under the same operating conditions used in the experiments. The model predictions compare well with the experimental data over a wide range of these operating conditions, which demonstrates the validity and accuracy of the present DMFC model. Furthermore, both simulation and experimental results exhibit the strong influences of methanol and water crossover rates through the membrane on DMFC performance and I-V curve characteristics.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2009.11a
• /
• pp.149-149
• /
• 2009

Generally, Nafion ionomer is used in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) electrodes to achieve high power density. At the high temperature operation of PEFC, however, ionic conductivity of Nafion remarkably decreased due to the evaporation of water in Nafion polymer. Recently, many researchers have focused on using the Ionic Liquids(ILs) instead of water in Nafion polymer. ILs have intrinsic properties such as good electrochemical stability, high ionic conductivity, and non-flammability. Especially, ILs play a crucial role in proton conduction by the Grottuss mechanism and act as water in water-free Nafion polymer. However, it was found that the ILs was leached out of the polymer matrix easily. In this study, we prepared membrane electrode assemblies with various contents of ILs. The effect of ILs in the electrode of each designed was investigated by a cyclic voltammetry measurement and the cell performance obtained through a single cell test using H2/Air gases. Electrodes with different contents of ILs in catalyst layer were examined at high temperature and low humidified condition.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.138-143
• /
• 2011

Nanosized Pt, Pt-Ru and Pt-$CeO_2$ electrocatalysts supported on acid-treated carbon nanotube (CNT) were synthesized by microwave-assisted heating of polyol process using $H_2Cl_6Pt{\cdot}6H_2O$, $RuCl_3$, $CeCl_3$ precursors, respectively, and were characterized by XRD and TEM. And then the electrochemical activity of methanol oxidation for catalyst/CNT nanocomposite electrodes was investigated. The microwave assisted polyol process produced the nano-sized crystalline catalysts particles on CNT. The size of Pt supported on CNT was 7~12 nm but it decreased to 3~5 nm in which 10wt% sodium acetate was added as a stabilizer during the polyol process. This fine Pt catalyst particles resulted in a higher current density for Pt/CNT electrode. It was also found that 10 nm size of PtRu alloys were formed by polyol process and the onset potential decreased with Ru addition. Cyclic voltammetry analysis revealed that the $Pt_{75}Ru_{25}/CNT$ electrode had the highest electrochemical activity owing to a higher ratio of the forward to reverse anodic peak current. And the chronoamperemetry test showed that $Pt_{75}Ru_{25}$ catalyst had a good catalyst stability. The activity of Pt was also found to be improved with the addition of $CeO_2$.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.124.1-124.1
• /
• 2010

The impurities in the methanol fuel that is used for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) could greatly affect the performance of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA). The most common impurities in the commercial methanol fuel are mainly ethanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, or ammonia. In this study, the effect of impurities in methanol fuel was investigated on the performance of MEA. The MEA for DMFC were prepared using a semi-automatic bar-coating machine, which can prepare the catalyst layer with uniform thickness for MEA. As a result, a single cell supplied with one of the 6 different kinds of methanol fuels showed a significant degradation of the fuel cell performance. The most common impurities in the commercial methanol fuel is mainly ethanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, or ammonia. The effects of the kind and the concentration of impurities in the methanol fuels were investigated on the performance of MEA for DMFC. We will propose the optimum compositions and limit concentration of impurities in methanol fuel for high performance of MEA for DMFC.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.46-51
• /
• 2003

In this work, the electrode far fuel cell was fabricated by mixing carbon blacks with activated carbon fibers (ACFs) in order to form the proper three phase distribution, and then the change of electrode in three phase distribution was investigated. Pt loading yield with ACF content and Pt particle size were determined by AAS and XRD measurements, respectively. And the pore structures, including specific surface area ($S_{BET}$), microporosity, and pore size distribution (PSD) for each electrode were systematically investigated by BET volumetric measurement. The morphology of electrode in three phase distribution was determined by SEM. As an experimental result, it was observed that Pt loading yield was not influenced on the content of ACF. While, the electrode in three phase distribution was largely improved in the case of 30% ACF addition on carbon blacks. These results were probably explained by the increase of the portion of micropores, resulting in increasing the active sites of catalyst.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.497-501
• /
• 2011

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance degrade when sulfur dioxide is present in the fuel hydrogen gas, this is referred as $SO_2$ poisoning. This paper reveals $SO_2$ poisoning on PEMFC cathode part by measuring electrical performance of single cell under 1 ppm and 5 ppm on $SO_2$ gas operating. The security of $SO_2$ poisoning depended on $SO_2$ concentration under the best operating conditions($65^{\circ}C$ of cell temperature and 100% of relative humidity between anode and cathode). $SO_2$ adsorption occured on the surface of catalyst layer on membrane electrode assembly (MEA), In addition, MEA poisoning by $SO_2$ was cumulative but reversible. After poisoning within 5 ppm $SO_2$ for 1hr, the electrical performance of PEMFC was found to recover up to about 93% by cyclic voltametry scan.