• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 2020

SnO₂-based high-capacity anode materials are attractive candidate for the next-generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries since the theoretical capacity of SnO₂ can be ideally extended from 781 to 1494 mAh g^-1. Here 3D etched Cu foam is applied as a current collector for electron path and simultaneously a substrate for the SnO₂ coating, for developing an integrated electrode structure. We fabricate the 3D etched Cu foam through an auto-catalytic electroless plating method, and then coat the SnO₂ onto the self-supporting substrate through a simple sol-gel method. The catalytic dissolution of Cu metal makes secondary pores of both several micrometers and several tens of micrometers at the surface of Cu foam strut, besides main channel-like interconnected pores. Especially, the additional surface pores on etched Cu foam are intended for penetrating the individual strut of Cu foam, and thereby increasing the surface area for SnO₂ coating by using even the internal of Cu foam. The increased areal capacity with high structural integrity upon cycling is demonstrated in the SnO₂-coated 3D etched Cu foam. This study not only prepares the etched Cu foam using the spontaneous chemical reactions but also demonstrates the potential for electroless plating method about surface modification on various metal substrates.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.431-436
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• 2004

Cross-linked network solid polymer electrolytes were prepared by means of in situ hydrosilylation between poly[hydromethylslioxane-g-oligo(ethylene oxide)] and diallyl or triallyl group-containing poly(ethylene glycols). The conductivities of the resulting polymer electrolytes were greatly enhanced upon the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME) as an ion-conducting plasticizer. Conductivities of the cross-linked polymer electrolytes were more dependent on the molecular weight of PEGDME than on the cross-linkers. The maximum conductivity was found to be 5.6${\times}$10$\^$-4/ S/cm at 30$^{\circ}C$ for the sample containing 75 wt% of PEGDME (M$\_$n/ =400). These electrolytes exhibited electrochemical stability up to 4.5 V against the lithium reference electrode. We observed reversible electrochemical plating/stripping of lithium on the nickel electrode.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.602-606
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• 2003

Silicon has been developed as an alternate anode material for lithium secondary batteries. A simple approach to improve the electrical contact of silicon powder has described. Carbon-coated and silver-coated silicon have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition and electroless plating respectively. Assembled cells, which consisted of surface modified silicon, lithium foil and $Li^+$ contained organic electrolyte, have been studied using electrochemical methods. Carbon-coated silicon was improved in the electrochemical performance such as reversibility and resistance compared to surface-unmodified silicon.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2020

Lithium-ion cells have become the go-to energy source across all applications; however, dendritic growth remains an issue to tackle. While there have been various research conducted and possible solutions offered, there is yet to be one that efficiently rules out the problem without, however, introducing another. This paper seeks to present a fast charging method and system to which lithium-ion batteries are charged while maintaining their lifetime. In the proposed method, various lithium cells are charged under multiple profiles. The parameters of charge profiles that inflict damage to the cell's electrodes are obtained and used as thresholds. Thus, during charging, voltage, current, and temperature are actively controlled under these thresholds. In this way, dendrite formation suppressed charging is achieved, and battery life is maintained. The fast-charging system designed, comprises of a 1.5kW charger, an inbuilt 600W battery pack, and an intelligent BMS with cell balancing technology. The system was also designed to respond to the aging of the battery to provide adequate threshold values. Among other tests conducted by KCTL, the cycle test result showed a capacity drop of only 0.68% after 500 cycles, thereby proving the life maintaining capability of the proposed method and system.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2007

Nano-sized Sn particles were coated with Ni-P layer using an electroless deposition method and their anodic performance was tested for lithium secondary batteries. Uniform coating layers were obtained, of which the thickness was controlled by varying the $Ni^{2+}$ concentration in the plating bath. It was found that the Ni-P layer plays two important roles in improving the anodic performance of Sn powder electrode. First, it prevents the inter-particle aggregation between Sn particles during the charge/discharge process. Second, it provides an electrical conduction pathway to the Sn particles, which allows an electrode fabrication without an addition of conductive carbon. A pseudo-optimized sample showed a good cyclability and high capacity ($>400mAh\;g^{-1}$) even without conductive carbon loading.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2020

Here we report our preliminary results about nickel phosphide (Ni-P) electroless coating on the surface of cellulose paper (CP) and its feasibility as the anode for lithium (Li) batteries. In particular, CP can act as a flexible skeleton to maintain the mechanical structure, and the Ni-P film can play the roles of both the anode substrate and the active material in Li batteries. Ni-P films with different P contents were plated uniformly and compactly on the microfiber strands of CP. When they were tested as the anode for Li battery, their theoretical capacity per physical area was comparable to or higher than hypothetical pure graphite and P film electrodes having the same thickness. After the large irreversible capacity loss in the first charge/discharge process, the samples showed relatively reversible charge/discharge characteristics. All samples showed no separation of the plating layer and no detectable micro-cracks after cycling. When the charge cut-off voltage was adjusted, their capacity retention could be improved significantly. The electrochemical result was just about the same before and after mechanical bending with respect to the overall shape of voltage curve and capacity.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.472-478
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• 2022

Solar energy harvesting is practiced by various nations for the purpose of energy security and environment preservation in order to reduce overdependence on oil. Converting solar energy into electrical energy through Photovoltaic (PV) module can take place either in on-grid or off-grid applications. In recent time Lithium battery is exhibiting its presence in on-grid applications but its role in off-grid application is rarely discussed in the literature. The preliminary capacity and Peukert's study indicated that the battery quality is good and can be subjected for life cycle test. The capacity of the battery was 10.82 Ah at 1 A discharge current and the slope of 1.0117 in the Peukert's study indicated the reaction is very fast and independent on rate of discharge. In this study Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (LFP) after initial characterization was subjected to life cycle test which is specific to solar off-grid application as defined in IEC standard. The battery has delivered just 6 endurance units at room temperature before its capacity reached 75% of rated value. The low life of LFP battery in off-grid application is discussed based on State of Charge (SOC) operating window. The battery was operated both in high and low SOC's in off-grid application and both are detrimental to life of lithium battery. High SOC operation resulted in cell-to-cell variation and low SOC operation resulted in lithium plating on negative electrode. It is suggested that to make it more suitable for off-grid applications the battery by default has to be overdesigned by nearly 40% of its rated capacity.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.243-248
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• 2018

All solid state thin film batteries with two types of cell structure, Pt / $LiCoO_2$ / LiPON / Cu and Pt / $LiCoO_2$ / LiPON / $LiCoO_2$ / Cu, are prepared and their electrochemical performances are investigated to evaluate the effect of $LiCoO_2$ interlayer at the interface of LiPON / Cu. The crystallinity of the deposited $LiCoO_2$ thin films is confirmed by XRD and Raman analysis. The crystalline $LiCoO_2$ cathode thin film is obtained and $LiCoO_2$ as the interlayer appears to be amorphous. The surface morphology of Cu current collector after cycling of the batteries is observed by AFM. The presence of a 10 nm-thick layer of $LiCoO_2$ at the interface of LiPON / Cu enhances the interfacial adhesion and reduces the interfacial resistance. As a result, Li plating / stripping at the interface of LiPON / Cu during charge/discharge reaction takes place more uniformly on Cu current collector, while without the interlayer of $LiCoO_2$ at the interface of LiPON / Cu, the Li plating / stripping is localized on current collector. The thin film batteries with the interlayer of $LiCoO_2$ at the interface of LiPON / Cu exhibits enhanced initial coulombic efficiency, reversible capacity and cycling stability. The thickness of the anode current collector Cu also appears to be crucial for electrochemical performances of all solid state thin film batteries.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.100-105
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• 2021

Recently, all-solid-state batteries have attracted much attention to improve safety of rechargeable lithium batteries, but the solid-state batteries of conductive ceramics or solid polymer electrolytes show poor electrochemical properties because of several problems such as high interfacial resistance and undesired reactions. To solve the problems of the reported all-solid-state batteries, a hybrid solid electrolyte is suggested, in this study, NASICON-type nanoparticle Li_1.5Al_0.5Ti_1.5P₃O₁₂ (LATP) conductive ceramic, PVdF-HFP, and a carbonate-based liquid electrolyte were composited to prepare a quasi-solid electrolyte. The hybrid solid electrolyte has a high voltage stability of 5.6 V and shows an suppress effect of lithium dendrite growth in the stripping-plating test. The LiNi_0.83Co_0.11Mn_0.06O₂ (NCM811)-based battery with the hybrid solid electrolyte exhibits a high discharge capacity of 241.5 mAh/g at a high charge-cut-off voltage of 4.8V and stable electrochemical reaction. The NCM811-based battery also shows 139.4 mAh/g discharge capacity without short circuit or explosion at 90℃. Therefore, the LATP-based hybrid solid electrolyte can be an effective solution to improve the safety and electrochemical properties of rechargeable lithium batteries.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.162-173
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• 2023

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are considered as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for energy storage owing to their safety and cost efficiency. However, their lifespan is limited by the irreversibility of Zn anodes because of Zn dendrite growth and side reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion during cycling. Herein, we present a strategy to restrict direct contact between the Zn anode and aqueous electrolyte by fabricating a protective layer on the surface of Zn foil via phosphidation method. The Zn₃(PO₄)₂ protective layer effectively suppresses Zn dendrite growth and side reactions in aqueous electrolytes. The electrochemical properties of the Zn₃(PO₄)₂@Zn anode, such as the overpotential, linear polarization resistance, and hydrogen generation reaction, indicate that the protective layer can suppress interfacial corrosion and improve the electrochemical stability compared to that of bare Zn by preventing direct contact between the electrolyte and the active sites of Zn. Remarkably, MnO₂ Zn₃(PO₄)₂@Zn exhibited enhanced reversibility owing to the formation a stable porous layer, which effectively inhibited vertical dendrite growth by inducing the uniform plating of Zn²⁺ ions underneath the formed layer.