• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제30권7호
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• pp.1559-1562
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• 2009

The influence of hot pressing on the pore structures of Nafion membranes was investigated by observing the Nafion before and after hot pressing with $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The freezing point depression and chemical shift data of water in the Nafion indicated the presence of two different pore size ranges in Nafion. Hot pressing mainly reduced the sizes and number of the big pores. The reduction of water uptake and proton conductivity after hot pressing was explained by this variation of pore size and number. We demonstrated the potential application of chemical shift data and NMR cryoporometry experiments to measure the relative pore sizes, on a nano scale, and numbers.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.449-455
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• 2006

Ionic cluster mimic, polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared using polymer composites of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with sulfated-${\beta}$-cyclodextrins (${\beta}-CDSO_3H$) or phosphated-${\beta}$-cyclodextrins (${\beta}-CDPO(OH)_2$). When Nafion, developed for a fuel cell using low temperature, polymer electrolyte membranes, is used in a direct methanol fuel cell, it has a methanol crossover problem. The ionic inverted micellar structure formed by micro-segregation in Nafion, known as ionic cluster, is distorted in methanol aqueous solution, resulting in the significant transport of methanol through the membrane. While the ionic structure formed by the ionic sites in either ${\beta}-CDSO_3H$ or ${\beta}-CDPO(OH)_2$ in this composite membrane is maintained in methanol solution, it is expected to reduce methanol transport. Proton conductivity was found to increase in PVA membranes upon addition of ionized cyclodextrins. Methanol permeability through the PVA composite membrane containing cyclodextrins was lower than that of Nafion. It is thus concluded that the structure and fixation of ionic clusters are significant barriers to methanol crossover in direct methanol fuel cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권12호
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• pp.2171-2178
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• 2016

Polyester cloth (PC) was selected as a prospective inexpensive substitute separator material for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). PC was compared with a traditional Nafion proton exchange membrane (PEM) as an MFC separator by analyzing its physical and electrochemical properties. A single layer of PC showed higher mass transfer (e.g., for $O_2/H^+/ions$) than the Nafion PEM; in the case of oxygen mass transfer coefficient ($k_o$), a rate of $50.0{\times}10^{-5} cm{\cdot}s^{-1}$ was observed compared with a rate of $20.8{\times}10^{-5}cm/s$ in the Nafion PEM. Increased numbers of PC layers were found to reduce the oxygen mass transfer coefficient. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of oxygen ($D_O$) for PC ($2.0-3.3{\times}10^{-6}cm^2/s$) was lower than that of the Nafion PEM ($3.8{\times}10^{-6}cm^2/s$). The PC was found to have a low ohmic resistance ($0.29-0.38{\Omega}$) in the MFC, which was similar to that of Nafion PEM ($0.31{\Omega}$); this resulted in comparable maximum power density and maximum current density in MFCs with PC and those with Nafion PEMs. Moreover, a higher average current generation was observed in MFCs with PC ($104.3{\pm}15.3A/m^3$) compared with MFCs with Nafion PEM ($100.4{\pm}17.7A/m^3$), as well as showing insignificant degradation of the PC surface, during 177 days of use in swine wastewater. These results suggest that PC separators could serve as a low-cost alternative to Nafion PEMs for construction of cost-effective MFCs.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.17-21
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• 2019

산화환원흐름전지(Redox Flow Battery, RFB)는 대용량 에너지 저장장치로 바나듐 산화환원흐름전지가 대표적인 RFB인데, V-RFB는 고가인 점이 문제다. 철-크롬 RFB는 저가의 활물질(철, 크롬)을 사용해 경제적인 점이 장점인데, 성능이 낮은 점이 해결해야 할 과제다. 낮은 성능의 한 원인이 활물질의 크로스오버인데, 본 연구에서 불소계막 대신 탄화수소계막인 sulfonated Poly (ether ether ketone) (sPEEK)막을 사용해 활물질 투과를 감소시키는 연구를 하였다. sPEEK막의 크롬 이온 투과도는 $1.8{\times}10^{-6}cm^2/min$으로 Nafion막에 비해 약 1/33으로 작아서 불소계막 대신 sPEEK막을 사용하면 높은 활물질 투과문제를 해결할 수 있음을 보였다. 철 이온의 sPEEK막 확산의 활성화 에너지도 24.9 kJ/mol으로 Nafion막의 약 66%로 작았다. 그리고 고분자막에 들어간 e-PTFE 지지체가 철-크롬 산화환원흐름전지(ICRFB)에서 활물질 투과도를 감소시킴을 보였다.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.473-477
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• 2017

고분자 전해질 연료전지(PEMFC)의 고분자 막은 PEMFC 성능과 내구성에 많은 영향을 준다. 본 연구에서는 고분자막의 두께가 성능과 내구성에 미치는 영향을 파악하기 위해 두께가 다른 Nafion 막의 수소투과도, 불소 유출 속도(FER), 수명, 성능을 측정했다. 막 두께에 따른 수소투과도, 수소투과도와 FER과의 관계, FER과 수명과의 관계로부터 막 두께와 수명의 관계를 얻었다. 막이 두꺼워지면 수소투과도와 FER이 작아지면서 수명이 증가하였다. 반면에 막이 두꺼워지면 막 저항이 증가하면서 성능은 감소하였다. 성능과 내구성을 동시에 만족시키는 막 두께 범위는 $25{\sim}28{\mu}m$였다.

• 멤브레인
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.155-170
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• 2012

연료전지는 석유엔진과 비교하여 높은 전류밀도와 효율성, 그리고 친환경적이기 때문에 21세기 들어 대체 발전시스템으로서 각광받아왔다. 연료전지 시스템에서 고분자 전해질 막은 핵심부품으로써 현재 Nafion막이 연료전지시스템에서 사용 중이지만 높은 제조단가와 고온에서 낮은 전도도를 가지는 단점을 가지고 있다. 그러므로 많은 학자들이 낮은 제조단가, 높은 물리적 특성들을 달성하기 위한 연구를 진행하여 왔으며 연료전지의 상용화와 동시에 고성능의 연료전지의 개발을 위하여 많은 방법들이 개발되어 왔다. 그중, 유무기 복합막은 유기물과 무기물의 물성을 균일하게 조합할 수 있으므로 잠재성을 가지고 있는 제조방법이다. 본고에서는 다양한 무기물이 사용되어 제조된 유무기 복합막의 연구동향에 대하여 조사하였다.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.569-578
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• 2011

The $SiO_2$ membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are preapared by electrospinning method. It leads to high porosity and surface area of membrane to accommodate the proton conducting materials. The composite membrane was prepared by impregnating of Nafion ionomer into the pores of electrospun $SiO_2$ membranes. The $SiO_2$:heteropolyacid (HPA) nano-particles as a inorganic proton conductor were prepared by microemulsion process and the particles are added to the Nafion ionomer. The characterization of the membranes was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and single cell performance test for PEMFC. The Nafion impregnated electrospun $SiO_2$ membrane showed good thermal stability, satisfactory mechanical properties and high proton conductivity. The addition of the $SiO_2$:HPA nano-particle improved proton conductivity of the composite membrane, which allow further extension for operation temperature in low humidity environments. The composite membrane exhibited a promising properties for the application in high temperature PEMFC.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.219-225
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• 2022

In this study, as one part of the studies on the mechanical properties of the polymer electrolyte membrane, a study was conducted on the change in the mechanical properties due to hydration before and after aging of the polymer electrolyte membrane. The mechanical properties of the polymer electrolyte membrane changes due to hydration were confirmed through tensile tests of hydrated and non-hydrated Nafion 117. As results of this study, non-hydrated membrane showed higher mechanical properties than hydrated thing in the elastic region and some plastic regions. But, it was confirmed that hydrated membrane exhibited higher mechanical properties than non-hydrated thing in the large plastic region. Hydrated membrane has a lower glass transition temperature than non-hydrated thing due to the role of water as a plasticizer. In addition, the number of ion aggregates decreases, but the size increases, and the hydrated Nafion 117 is thought to have different mechanical properties from that of the non-hydrated thing due to the characteristic that the internal attraction is strengthened.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제28권12호
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• pp.2266-2270
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• 2007

Electron transfer of a redox protein at a bare gold electrode is too slow to observe the redox peaks. A novel Nafion-riboflavin functional membrane was constructed during this study and electron transfer of cytochrome c, superoxide dismutase, and hemoglobin were carried out on the functional membrane-modified gold electrode with good stability and repeatability. The immobilized protein-modified electrodes showed quasireversible electrochemical redox behaviors with formal potentials of 0.150, 0.175, and 0.202 V versus Ag/AgCl for the cytochrome c, superoxide dismutase and hemoglobin, respectively. Whole experiment was carried out in the 50 mM MOPS buffer solution with pH 6.0 at 25 oC. For the immobilized protein, the cathodic transfer coefficients were 0.67, 0.68 and 0.67 and electron transfer-rate constants were evaluated to be 2.25, 2.23 and 2.5 s?1, respectively. Hydrogen peroxide concentration was measured by the peroxidase activity of hemoglobin and our experiment revealed that the enzyme was fully functional while immobilized on the Nafion-riboflavin membrane.

• 대한화학회지
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• 제59권5호
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• pp.413-422
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• 2015

연료전지는 수소와 산소를 연료로 하여 전기를 생산해 내는 장치로, 전기분해에 의해 음극에서 생성된 수소이온을 양극으로 전달할 수 있는 전해질을 필요로 한다. 전해질로써 Nafion과 같은 불소계 고체 고분자 막이 개발되어 왔으나, 고온에서의 수소이온 전도도 감소 및 높은 함수율에 따른 안정성 감소 등의 문제로 인해 새로운 연료전지용 고분자 전해질 막의 개발을 필요로 하였다. 본 연구에서는 술폰산기가 밀집된 구조를 갖는 단량체를 이용함으로써 높은 수소이온 전도도를 확보하고 이에 따른 고분자 막의 높은 함수율은 고분자 사슬 내에 나이트릴(CN) 작용기를 친수성 올리고머에 함께 도입함으로써 고분자 사슬간 쌍극자-쌍극자 상호작용을 통해 극복할 수 있도록 하였다. 결과적으로 물리적 가교가 형성된 고분자 막들은 높은 함수율 대비 우수한 치수안정성을 나타내었으며, 모든 조성에서 Nafion-117 고분자막에 비해 낮은 IEC값을 가짐에도 불구하고 보다 높은 전도도를 나타내었다.