• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2017

In order to investigate the electrochemical properties and the particle size effect of $LiNi_{1-x-y}Co_xAl_yO_2$ (x=0.15, y=0.045 or 0.05, NCA) for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), two commercial NCA cathode materials (NCA#1, NCA#2) were used as cathode materials for LIB. The average particle size of the NCA#1 which consisted of uniform spherical particles was found to be approximately $5m{\mu}$. NCA#2 consisted of particles with bimodal size distribution of approximately $5m{\mu}$ and $11m{\mu}$. From the results of charge-discharge performance test, a high initial discharge capacity of 197.0 mAh/g was obtained with NCA#2, which is a higher value than that with NCA#1. The cycle retentions of NCA#1 and NCA#2 up to 30 cycles were 92% and 94%, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.789-795
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• 2016

Laser-induced combustions and explosions generated by high laser irradiances were explored by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The laser used for target ablation is a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with 7 ns pulse duration at wavelength of 1064 nm laser energies from 40 mJ to 2500 mJ ($6.88{\times}10^{10}-6.53{\times}10^{11}W/cm^2$). The plasma light source from aluminum detected by the echelle grating spectrometer and coupled to the gated ICCD(a resolution (${\lambda}/{\Delta}{\lambda}$) of 5000). This spectroscopic study has been investigated for obtaining both the atomic/molecular signals of aluminum-oxygen and the calculated ambient condition such as plasma temperature and electron density. The essence of the paper is observing specific electron density ratio which can support the processes of chemical reaction and combustion between ablated aluminum plume and oxygen from air by inducing high laser energy.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.315-326
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• 2021

Lithium ion battery (LIB) demands increase every year globally to reduce the burden on fossil fuels. LIBs are used in electric vehicles, stationary storage systems and various other applications. Lithium is available in seawater, salt lakes, and brines and its extraction using environmentally friendly and inexpensive methods will greatly relieve the pressure in lithium mining. Membrane separation processes, mainly nanofiltration (NF), is an effective way for the separation of lithium metal from solutions. Electrodialysis and electrolysis are other separation processes used for lithium separation. The process of reverse osmosis (RO) is already a well-established method for the desalination of seawater; therefore, modifying RO membranes to target lithium metals is an excellent alternative method in which the only bottleneck is the interfering presence of other metal elements in the solution. Selectively removing lithium by finding or developing suitable NF membranes can be challenging, but it is nonetheless an exciting area of research. This review discusses in detail about lithium recovery via nanofiltration, electrodialysis, electrolysis and other processes.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.22-35
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• 2019

Development of low cost rechargeable batteries has been considered as a significant task for future large-scale energy storage units (i.e. electric vehicles, smart grids). Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been recognized as a promising alternative to replace conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their abundancy and economic benign. Nevertheless, Na ions have larger ionic radius than that of Li ions, resulting in sluggish transport of Na ions in electrodes for cell operation. There have been efforts to seek suitable anode materials for the past years operated based on three different kinds of reaction mechanism (intercalation, alloy reaction, and conversion reaction). In this review, we introduce a class of conversion reaction anode materials for Na-ion batteries, which have been reported.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2021

The quality of the ceramic sintered coating on a metal surface through laser surface treatment is affected by the laser irradiation pattern. Depending on the laser irradiation pattern, the amount of residual stress and heat applied or accumulated on the surface increases or decreases, affecting the thickness attained in the ceramic sintering area. When the heat energy accumulated in the sintering area is high, the ceramic and the metal alloy melt and sufficiently mix to form a homogeneous and thick bonding interface. In this study, the thermal energy accumulation in the region sintered with zirconia was controlled using four types of laser processing patterns. The thickness of the diffusion region is analyzed by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of Mg-ZrO2 generated by laser sintering zirconia powder on the magnesium alloy surface. On the basis of the analysis of the Mg and Zr present in the sintered region through LIBS, the effect of the irradiation pattern on the sintering quality is confirmed by comparing and analyzing the heat and mass transfer tendency of the diffusion layer and the degree of diffusion according to the irradiation pattern. The derived diffusion coefficients differed by up to 9.8 times for each laser scanning pattern.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2021

Zinc-ion Batteris (ZIBs) are recently being considered as energy storage devices due to their high specific capacity and high safety, and the abundance of zinc sources. Especially, ZIBs can overcome the drawbacks of conventional lithium ion batteris (LIBs), such as cost and safety issues. However, in spite of their advantages, the cathode materials under development are required to improve performance of ZIBs, because the capacity and cycling stability of ZIBs are mainly influenced by the cathode materials. To design optimized cathode materials for high performance ZIBs, a novel manganese oxide (MnO2) coated graphite sheet is suggested herein with improved zinc-ion diffusion capability thanks to the uniformly decorated MnO2 on the graphite sheet surface. Especially, to optimize MnO2 on the graphite sheet surface, amounts of percursors are regulated. The optimized MnO2 coated graphite sheet shows a superior zinc-ion diffusion ability and good electrochemical performance, including high specific capacity of 330.8 mAh g-1 at current density of 0.1 A g-1, high-rate performance with 109.4 mAh g-1 at a current density of 2.0 A g-1, and remarkable cycling stability (82.2 % after 200 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A g-1). The excellent electrochemical performance is due to the uniformly decorated MnO2 on the graphite sheet surface, which leads to excellent zinc-ion diffusion ability. Thus, our study can provide a promising strategy for high performance next-generation ZIBs in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.91-97
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• 2020

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have a longer lifespan, higher energy density, and lower self-discharge rates than other batteries, therefore, they are preferred as an Energy Storage System (ESS). However, during years 2017-2019, 28 ESS fire accidents occurred in Korea, and accurate capacity estimation of LIB is essential to ensure safety and reliability during operations. In this study, data-driven modeling that predicts capacity changes according to the charging cycle of LIB was conducted, and developed models were compared their performance for the selection of the optimal machine learning model, which includes the Decision Tree, Ensemble Learning Method, Support Vector Regression, and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). For model training, lithium battery test data provided by NASA was used, and GPR showed the best prediction performance. Based on this study, we will develop an enhanced LIB capacity prediction and remaining useful life estimation model through additional data training, and improve the performance of anomaly detection and monitoring during operations, enabling safe and stable ESS operations.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.497-501
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• 2021

Cobalt (Co) is mainly used to prepare cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and binder metals for WC-Co hard metals. Developing an effective method for recovering Co from WC-Co waste sludge is of immense significance. In this study, Co is extracted from waste cemented carbide soft scrap via mechanochemical milling. The leaching ratio of Co reaches approximately 93%, and the leached solution, from which impurities except nickel are removed by pH titration, exhibits a purity of approximately 97%. The titrated aqueous Co salts are precipitated using oxalic acid and hydroxide precipitation, and the effects of the precipitating agent (oxalic acid and hydroxide) on the cobalt microstructure are investigated. It is confirmed that the type of Co compound and the crystal growth direction change according to the precipitation method, both of which affect the microstructure of the cobalt powders. This novel mechanochemical process is of significant importance for the recovery of Co from waste WC-Co hard metal. The recycled Co can be applied as a cemented carbide binder or a cathode material for lithium secondary batteries.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.199-207
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• 2022

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high energy density and economic viability. In addition, all-solid-state LSBs, which use solid-state electrolytes, have been proposed to overcome the polysulfide shuttle effect while improving safety. However, the high interfacial resistance and poor ionic conductivity exhibited by the electrode and solid-state electrolytes, respectively, are significant challenges in the development of these LSBs. Herein, we apply a poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based composite solid-state electrolyte with oxide Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte in an all-solid-state LSB to overcome these challenges. We use an electrochemical method to evaluate the degradation of the all-solid-state LSB in accordance with the carbon content and loading weight within the cathode. The all-solid-state LSB, with sulfur-carbon content in a ratio of 3:3, exhibited a high initial discharge capacity (1386 mAh g^-1), poor C-rate performance, and capacity retention of less than 50%. The all-solid-state LSB with a high loading weight exhibited a poor overall electrochemical performance. The factors influencing the electrochemical performance degradation were revealed through systematic analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2020

The Prussian blue analogues of Fe₂(CN)₆ and Na_xFe₂(CN)₆ are prepared by precipitation method and evaluated the electrochemical characteristics as positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their low cost. Fe₂(CN)₆ shows a low reversible capacity of 34.6 mAh g^-1, whereas sodium-containing Na_xFe₂(CN)₆ exhibits a reversible capacity of 107.5 mAh g^-1 when the discharge process proceeds first. When charging is first carried out to remove sodium in the structure, the reversible capacity of 114.1 mAh g^-1 is achieved and the cycle performance is further improved. In addition, Na_x-Fe₂(CN)₆ is synthesized at 0℃, room temperature (RT), and 60℃, respectively. Regardless of the synthesis temperature, Na_xFe₂(CN)₆ shows similar initial reversible capacity, but the crystallite size is formed smaller and improved cycle performance when synthetic temperature is lower. The sample synthesized at 0℃ shows a reversible capacity of 86.4 mAh g^-1 at the 120^th cycle and maintains 76.8% of the initial capacity.