• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2020

Radical scavenger is used to improve the durability of PEMFC polymer membrane. In this study, we investigated whether fucoidan extracted from seaweed as a radical scavenger prevents electrochemical degradation through Fenton and OCV Holding experiments. Fucoidan has an antioxidant effect, protecting the polymer membrane from hydrogen peroxide and oxygen radicals, reducing the degradation rate to 1/10. Fucoidan has been shown to be more effective than MnO₂, which is used as a radical scavenger. In the PEMFC cell, the accelerated durability evaluation method (OCV Holding) showed that fucoidan reduced the hydrogen permeability of the polymer membrane by 12% and enhanced the performance by 29.1% compared to without radical scavenger. And fucoidan was found to be more effective in the cathode side ionomer than the anode side.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.288-294
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• 2009

Various polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) startup procedures were tested to explore possible techniques for reducing performance decay and improving durability during repeated startup-shutdown cycles. The effects of applying a dummy load, which prevents cell reversal by consuming the air at the cathode, on the degradation of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) were investigated via single cell experiments. The electrochemical results showed that application of a dummy load during the startup procedure significantly reduced the performance decay, the decrease in the electrochemically active surface area (EAS), and the increase in the charge transfer resistance ($R_{ct}$), which resulted in a dramatic improvement in durability. After 1200 startup-shutdown cycles, post-mortem analyses were carried out to investigate the degradation mechanisms via various physicochemical methods including FESEM, an on-line $CO_2$ analysis, EPMA, XRD, FETEM, SAED, FTIR. After 1200 startup-shutdown cycles, severe Pt particle sintering/agglomeration/dissolution and carbon corrosion were observed at the cathode catalyst layer when starting up a PEMFC without a dummy load, which significantly contributed to a loss of Pt surface area, and thus to cell performance degradation. However, applying a dummy load during the startup procedure remarkably mitigated such severe degradations, and should be used to increase the durability of MEAs in PEMFCs. Our results suggest that starting up PEMFCs while applying a dummy load is an effective method for mitigating performance degradation caused by reverse current under a repetition of unprotected startup cycles.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.109-112
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• 1997

The Hydrodynamic performance of the trileaflet polymer prosthetic valves depends on the design of the leaflet and the physical properties of the leaflet membrane. In order to study the effect of leaflet membrane elasticity on the hemodynamic performance of trileaflet prosthetic valve, leaflet membranes are manufactured using two different polymers - Biospan and Tecoflex SG-93A. The hemodynamic performance parameters are measured under steady and physiological pulsatile flow, and compared with monoleaflet polymer valve(floating valve) and bileaflet mechanical valve(St. Jude Medical valve). Well designed trileaflet valve shows the lowest mean pressure drop among the tested valves. The trileaflet valves with Biospan membrane show lower pressure drop and back low comparing to those with Tecoflex membrane. More elastic membrane may provide wide opening area during systole and close membrane ree edge contact during diastole. Durability of trileaflet valves are also tested in vitro. Trileaflet valves with non-uniform membrane thickness ail within 17 days because of stress concentration. Trileaflet polymer valves with uniform membrane thickness perform well over 55 days without failure.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 2015

Perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers (PFSAs) have been widely as solid electrolyte materials for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, since they exhibit excellent chemical durability under their harsh application conditions as well as good proton conductivity. Even PFSA materials, however, suffer from physical failures associated with repeated membrane swelling and deswelling, resulting in fairly reduced electrochemical lifetime. In this study, pore-filling membranes are prepared by impregnating a Nafion ionomer into the pore of a porous PTFE support film and their fundamental characteristics are evaluated. The developed pore-filling membranes exhibit extremely high proton conductivity of about $0.5S\;cm^{-1}@90^{\circ}C$ in liquid water.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.318-323
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• 2015

For commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles, one of the key objectives is to improve durability of MEA and electrocatalysts. Regarding electrocatalysts, the major issue is to reduce carbon corrosion and dissolution of Pt caused by harsh conditions, for example, SU/SD (Start-up/Shut-down). In this research, OER (Oxygen Evolution Reaction) catalyst has been developed improvement of durability. A modified polyol process is developed by controlling the pH of the solvent to synthesize the PtIr nanocatalysts on carbon supports. Each performance of the MEAs applying PtIr and Pt are equivalent because PtIrnanocatalysts have both ORR and OER activity. Breadboard test for catalyst durability in harsh conditions and high potentialsis found that the MEA applying PtIrnanocatalysts durability is improved more than the MEA applying Pt nanocatalysts.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.132-132
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• 2009

To achieve the commercialization of PEM fuel cell, the durability problem must be solved. Recently, many researchers have focused on this durability problem and degradation studies about membrane and electrode have been reported. But durability characteristics of gas diffusion layer is not much reported yet. Durability of GDL is very important to maintain the performance of PEM fuel cell because the main function of GDL is a path of fuel and water and the GDL degradation causes the loss of the GDL function. In this study, the degradation of GDL, especially, the mechanical degradation process was investigated with the leaching test. The effect of water dissolution was observed through the test and the amount of GDL degradation was measured with various measurement methods such as weight measurement, static contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscope. After 2,000 hours test, the GDL showed structural damage and loss of hydrophobicity.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.305-309
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• 2016

Recently, there are many efforts focused on development of more economical non-fluorinated membranes for PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). In this study, to test the durability of sPEEK MEA (Membrane and Electrode Assembly), ADT (Accelerated Degradation Test) of MEA degradation was done at the condition that membrane and electrode were degraded simultaneously. Before and after degradation, I-V polarization curve, hydrogen crossover, electrochemical surface area, membrane resistance and charge transfer resistance were measured. Although the permeability of hydrogen through sPEEK membrane was low, sPEEK membrane was weaker to radical evolved at low humidity and OCV condition than fluorinated membrane such as Nafion. Performance after MEA degradation for 144 hours and 271 hours were reduced by 15% and 65%, respectively. It was showed that the main cause of rapid decrease of performance after 144 hours was shorting due to Pt/C particles in the pinholes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.44-45
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• 2017

There are various national standards designed to test the physical properties of waterproofing materials for the respective countries based on each of their environmental parameters, variables and requirements. The problems of these standard systems can be outlined in the following: (1) there are too many test methods and criteria to satisfy in order assess one waterproofing membrane system, and (2) there is currently no known method to compile the separate testing results to provide a comprehensive report on waterproofing system durability. This paper outlines and compares the performance testing results of various types of asphalt waterproofing membrane systems and discusses the potentials of a complex environmental deterioration analysis method.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.233-234
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• 1998

The purpose of this paper is the evaluation of a permeability and blood compatibility for silicone/polypropylene combined membrane. Despite the overall good performances of polypropylene membrane, its long-lasting usage for artificial lung has been limited by serum leakage. In order to overcome this problem, we have newly fabricated polydimethylsiloxane(silicone)/polypropylene combined membrane(SPCM). SPCM has been proved to be serum leakage free in hours experimental. It has shown good long-lasting gas transfer and durability features.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.418-426
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• 2019

Current available commercial membranes are not robust and are therefore destroyed if left to dry out or handled roughly. Woven fibre microfiltration (WFMF) membranes have advantages over its competitors with respect to durability, thus, favourable for the developing economies and operation during rough conditions. Evaluation of the effects of aeration and brushing as a flux enhancement strategies for WFMF membrane was the purpose of this study. The WFMF membrane was found to be susceptible to pore plugging by colloidal material and adsorption/attachment by microbiological contaminants. This led to a 50% loss in flux. Aeration as a single flux enhancement strategy proved insufficient to maintain high flux successfully. Therefore combined flux enhancement strategies yielded the best results.