• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2011

It is, in general, believed that during the activation process, the proton conductivity increases due to wetting effect and the electrochemical resistance reduction, resulting in an increase in the fuel cell performance with time. However, until now, very scant information is available on the understanding of activation processes. In this study, dominant variables that effect on the performance increase of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) during the activation process were investigated. Wetting, pore restructuring and active metal utilization were analyzed systematically. Unexpectedly, the changes for both ohmic and reaction resistance characterized by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) after initial wetting process were much smaller when considering the degree of cell performance increases. However, the EIS spectra represents that the pore opening of electrode turns into gas transportable structure more easily. The increase in the performance with activation cycles was also investigated in a view of active metals. Though the particle size was grown, the number of effective active sites might be exposed more. The impurity removal and catalytic activity enhancement measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) could be a strong evident. The results and analysis revealed that, not merely wetting of membrane but also restructuring of electrodeand catalytic activity increase are important factors for the fast and efficient activation of the polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.436-445
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• 2011

In this paper, equivalent properties of 2-2 mode piezocomposites were studied. Variation of the properties of 2-2 mode piezocomposites was analyzed by the finite element method, and the result was compared with experimental measurement data to confirm the validity of the analysis. The equivalent properties of a single phase material to represent the piezocomposite composed of PZT-5H and polymer were derived by the asymptotic averaging method. Accuracy of the derived equivalent properties was enhanced by minimizing the discrepancy between the impedance spectra of full 2-2 piezocomposite and equivalent single phase material resonators of various vibration modes by the least square method. The equivalent properties of 2-2 piezocomposites derived in this study can be utilized to the design of diverse acoustic sensors.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.2207-2212
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• 2012

Dimethylaluminum isopropoxide (DMAI, $(CH_3)_2AlO^iPr$) as a single precursor, which contains one aluminum and one oxygen atom, has been adopted to deposit non-stoichiometric aluminum oxide ($AlO_x$) films by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition without an additional oxygen source. The atomic concentration of Al and O in the deposited $AlO_x$ film was measured to be Al:O = ~1:1.1 and any serious interfacial oxide layer between the film and Si substrate was not observed. Gaseous by-products monitored by quadruple mass spectrometry show that ${\beta}$-hydrogen elimination mechanism is mainly contributed to the $AlO_x$ CVD process of DMAI precursor. The current-voltage characteristics of the $AlO_x$ film in Au/$AlO_x$/Ir metalinsulator-metal (MIM) capacitor structure show high ON/OFF ratio larger than ${\sim}10^6$ with SET and RESET voltages of 2.7 and 0.8 V, respectively. Impedance spectra indicate that the switching and memory phenomena are based on the bulk-based origins, presumably the formation and rupture of filaments.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.403-412
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• 2019

Aiming at the problems of large dv/dt and di/dt in traditional single-ended converters and high electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise levels, a single-ended isolated converter using the secondary resonance technique is proposed in this paper. In the proposed converter, the voltage stress of the main power switch can be reduced and the voltage across the output diode is clamped to the output voltage when compared to the conventional flyback converter. In addition, the peak current stress through the main power switch can be decreased and zero current switching (ZCS) of the output diode can be achieved through the resonance technique. Moreover, the EMI noise coupling path and an equivalent model of the proposed converter topology are presented through the operational principle of the proposed converter. Analysis results indicate that the common mode (CM) EMI noise and the differential mode (DM) EMI noise of such a converter are deduced since the frequency spectra of the equivalent controlled voltage sources and controlled current source are decreased when compared with the traditional flyback converter. Furthermore, appropriate parameter selection of the resonant circuit network can increase the equivalent impedance in the EMI coupling path in the low frequency range, which further reduces the common mode interference. Finally, a simulation model and a 60W experimental prototype of the proposed converter are built and tested. Experimental results verify the theoretical analysis.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.237-245
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• 2021

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enhances the stability of cathode materials via surface modification. Previous studies have demonstrated that an Ni-rich cathode, such as LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂, is a promising candidate owing to its high capacity, but is limited by poor cycle stability. In this study, to enhance the stability of the Ni-rich cathode, synthesized LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ was coated with Al₂O₃ using ALD. Thus, the surface-modified cathode exhibited enhanced stability by protecting the interface from Ni-O formation during the cycling process. The coated LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ exhibited a capacity of 176 mAh g^-1 at 1 C and retained up to 72% of the initial capacity after 100 cycles within a range of 2.8-4.3 V (vs Li/Li⁺. In contrast, pristine LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ presented only 58% of capacity retention after 100 cycles with an initial capacity of 173 mAh g^-1. Improved cyclability may be a result of the ALD coating, which physically protects the electrode by modifying the interface, and prevents degradation by resisting side reactions that result in capacity decay. The electrochemical impedance spectra and structural and morphological analysis performed using electron microscopy and X-ray techniques establish the surface enhancement resulting from the aforementioned strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2000

In the present we.k, temperature dependence of oxygen diffusivity in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film $D_f$ formed on gold electrode was investigated using steady-state rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique and modulated electrohydrodynamic (EHD) impedance technique. Both the diffusion rate defined as the ratio of oxygen diffusivity in the PVC film to the film thickness $D_f/\delta_f$ and the time constant $\delta_f^2/D_f$ for oxygen diffusion through the PVC film were obtained from plot of the limiting current versus disk rotation speed and from filing the EHD impedance spectra experimentally measured to those theoretically calculated on the basis of the diffusion equation for mass transport through the non-conductive and porous film, respectively. By combining measured $D_f/\delta_f$ with $\delta_f^2/D_f$, we determined $\delta_f\;and\;D_f$ at room temperature separately. As temperature increased, it appeared that the $D_f$ value measured for the PVC film-covered gold RDE was enhanced more rapidly than that $D_s$ value in the solution measured for the PVC film-free gold RDE. This means that the pores glowing with increasing temperature act as effective diffusion paths within the film. The present in-situ steady-state and modulated EHD measurements prove to be effective for determining $\delta_f\;and\;D_f$, separately and at the same time the porosity of the PVC film at temperatures below glass temperature $T_g$ of the film.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.106-110
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• 2002

Gel-type polyacrylonitrile(PAN) polymer electrolytes have been prepared using ethylene carbonate(EC), propylene carbonate(PC) and dimethyl carbonate(DMC) plasticizer, $LiPF_6$ salt and $TiO_2$ ceramic filler. Electrochemical properties, such as electrochemical stability, ionic conductivity and compatibility with lithium metal and mechanical properly of polymer electrolytes were investigated. Charge/discharge performance of lithium secondary battery using these polymer electrolytes were investigated. The maximum load that the polymer electrolyte resists increased about two times as a result of adding $TiO_2$ in the polymer electrolyte containing EC and PC. Polymer electrolyte containing EC, PC and $TiO_2$ also showed ionic conductivity of $2\times10^{-3} S/cm$ at room temperature and electrochemical stability window up to 와 4.5V. Polymer electrolyte containing EC, PC, and $TiO_2$ showed the most stable interfacial resistance of $130\Omega$ during 20 days in the impedance spectra of the cells which were constructed by lithium metals as electrodes. Lithium metal secondary battery which employed $LiCoO_2$ cathode, lithium metal anode and $TiO_2$-dispersed polymer electrolyte showed $90\%$ of charge/discharge efficiency at the 1C rate of discharge.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1125-1132
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• 2000

The pH effect of the precursor solution on the preparation of $LiCoO_2$ by a solution phase reaction containing malonic acid was carried out. Layered $LiCoO_2$ powders were obtained with the precursors prepared at the different pHs (4, 7, and 9) and heat-treated at $700^{\circ}C(LiCoO_2-700)$ or $850^{\circ}C(LiCoO_2-850)$ in air. pHs of the media for precursor synthesis affects the charge/discharge and electrochemical properties of the $LiCoO_2electrodes.$ Upon irrespective of pH of the precursor media, X-ray diffraction spectra recorded for $LiCoO_2-850$ powder showed higher peak intensity ratio of I(003)/I(104) than that of $LiCoO_2-700$, since the better crystallization of the former crystallized better. However, $LiCoO_2$ synthesized at pH 4 displayed an abnormal higher intensity ratio of I(003)/I(104) than those synthesized at pH 7 and 9. The surface morphology of the $LiCoO_2-850$ powders was rougher and more irregular than that of $LiCoO_2-700$ made from the precursor synthesized at pH 7 and 9. The $LiCoO_2electrodes$ prepared with the precursors synthesized at pH 7 and 9 showed a better electrochemical and charge/discharge characteristics. From the AC impedance spectroscopic experiments for the electrode made from the precursor prepared in pH 7, the chemical diffusivity of Li ions (DLi+) in $Li0.58CoO_2determined$ was 2.7 ${\times}$10-8 $cm^2s-1$. A cell composed of the $LiCoO_2-700$ cathode prepared in pH 7 with Lithium metal anode reveals an initial discharge specific capacity of 119.8 mAhg-1 at a current density of 10.0 mAg-1 between 3.5 V and 4.3 V. The full-cell composed with $LiCoO_2-700$ cathode prepared in pH 7 and the Mesocarbon Pitch-based Carbon Fiber (MPCF) anode separated by a Cellgard 2400 membrane showed a good cycleability. In addition, it was operated over 100 charge/discharge cycles and displayed an average reversible capacity of nearly 130 mAhg-1.