• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2021

A solar water battery is a system that generates power using solar energy. It is a combination of photoelectrochemical cells and an energy storage system. It can simultaneously convert and store solar energy without additional external voltage. Solar water batteries consist of photoelectrodes, storage electrodes and counter electrodes, and their properties and combination are important for the performance and the efficiency of the system. In this study, we tried to find the effect that changing the components of solar water batteries has on its system. The effects of the counter electrode during discharge, the kinds of photoelectrode and storage electrode materials, and electrolytes on the solar energy conversion and storage capacitance were studied. The optimized composition (TiO2 : NaFe-PB : Pt foil) exhibited 72.393 mAh g-1 of discharge capacity after 15 h of photocharging. It indicates that the efficiency of solar energy conversion and storage is largely affected by the configuration of the system. Also, the addition of organic pollutants to the chamber of the photoelectrode improved the battery's photo-current and discharge capacity by efficient photoelectron-hole pair separation with simultaneous degradation of organic pollutants. Solar water batteries are a new eco-friendly solar energy conversion and storage system that does not require additional external voltages. It is also expected to be used for water treatment that utilizes solar energy.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2010

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems are promising methods of producing H2 gas using solar energy in an aqueous solution. The photoelectrochemical properties of numerous metal oxides have been studied. Among them, the PEC systems based on TiO2 have been extensively studied. However, the drawback of a PEC system with TiO2 is that only ultraviolet (UV) light can be absorbed because of its large band gap (3.2 - 3.4 eV). Two approaches have been introduced in order to use PEC cells in the visible light region. The first method includes doping impurities, such as nitrogen, into TiO2, and this technique has been extensively studied in an attempt to narrow the band gap. In comparison, research on the second method, which includes visible light water splitting in molecular photosystems, has been slow. Mallouk et al. recently developed electrochemical water-splitting cells using the Ru(II) complex as the visible light photosensitizer. the dye-sensitized PEC cell consisted of a dye-sensitized TiO2 layer, a Pt counter electrode, and an aqueous solution between them. Under a visible light (< 3 eV) illumination, only the dye molecule absorbed the light and became excited because TiO2 had the wide band gap. The light absorption of the dye was followed by the transfer of an electron from the excited state (S*) of the dye to the conduction band (CB) of TiO2 and its subsequent transfer to the transparent conducting oxide (TCO). The electrons moved through the wire to the Pt, where the water reduction (or H2 evolution) occurred. The oxidized dye molecules caused the water oxidation because their HOMO level was below the H2O/O2 level. Organic dyes have been developed as metal-free alternatives to the Ru(II) complexes because of their tunable optical and electronic properties and low-cost manufacturing. Recently, organic dye molecules containing multi-branched, multi-anchoring groups have received a great deal of interest. In this work, tri-branched tri-anchoring organic dyes (Dye 2) were designed and applied to visible light water-splitting cells based on dye-sensitized TiO2 electrodes. Dye 2 had a molecular structure containing one donor (D) and three acceptor (A) groups, and each ended with an anchoring functionality. In comparison, mono-anchoring dyes (Dye 1) were also synthesized. The PEC response of the Dye 2-sensitized TiO2 film was much better than the Dye 1-sensitized or unsensitized TiO2 films.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.140-145
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• 2013

This study describes the electrodeposition of $Cu_2Se$ thin films with a two-step approach that is based on the initial modification of polycrystalline Au electrode with a selenium overlayer followed by a cathodic stripping of the layer as $Se^{2-}$ in a 1 M lactic acid electrolyte containing $Cu^{2+}$ ions. For this two-step approach to be effective, the $Cu^{2+}$ reduction potential should be shifted to more negative potentials passed potentials for the reduction of Se to $Se^{2-}$. This was accomplished by the complexation of $Cu^{2+}$ ions with lactic acid. The resultant $Cu_2Se$ films were characterized by linear sweep voltammetry combined with electrochemical quartz crystal microgravimetry, UV-vis absorption spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical experiments revealed that $Cu_2Se$ synthesized thus, behaved as a p-type semiconductor.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.709-715
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• 2001

We have been studied photosensitization mechanism's additive effect, of perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyl-diimide and X-phthalocyanine (charge generation materials), using the photochemical and photoelectrochemical approach. It was found that the photoreceptor on the excited state reacts with metal oxide, which creates the charge transfer on the interface of SnO2/electrolyte. In the electrode (X5P1) made of five X-phthalocyanine and single perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide layers, the cathodic photocurrent of X-phthalocyanine in the 400-600 nm region was increased by the addition of perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide. The maximum wavelength of fluorescence of perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide showed no dependence on the temperature. The addition of 4-dibenzylamino-2-methylbenzaldehyde diphenylhydrazone known as charge transport material was represented as decreasing photocurrent for X-phthalocyanine and perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide, respectively. In the electrode (X1P1) made of single X-phthalocyanine and single perylene 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide layers, an anodic photocurrent of about 10.5 nA was generated by addition of hydroquinone at 550 nm. And the characteristic of photoinduced discharge was shown to decrease by a factor of 5 and the speed of dark decay was increased by a factor of 1.2.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.13.1-13.1
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• 2011

Photoelectrochemical solar cells such as dye-sensitized cells (DSSCs), which exhibit high performance and are cost-effective, provide an alternative to conventional p-n junction photovoltaic devices. However, the efficiency of such cells plateaus at 11~12%, in contrast to their theoretical value of 33%. The majority of research has focused on improving energy conversion efficiency of DSSC by controlling nanostructure and exploiting new materials in photoelectrode consisting of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles and a transparent conducting oxide electrode (TCO) [1-5]. In this presentation, we introduce inverse opal-based scattering layers containing highly crystalline anatase nanoparticles and their feasibility for use as bi-functional light scattering layer is discussed in terms of optical reflectance and charge generation properties as a function of optical wavelength. A new ITO nanowire-based photoelecrode is also introduced and its unique charge collection property is presented, demonstrating potential use for highly efficient charge collection in DSSC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1995.11a
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• pp.240-243
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• 1995

The basic electrochemical and photochemical behavior of ultrathin mono- and hetero-type LB film of amphiphilic Ru bipyridine complex adsorbed on ITO electrode by the Langmuir- Blodgett(LB) method as monolayer and alternating multilayer state. With theoretical equation of cyclic voltammetry for redox species, the cyclic voltammogram were simulated successfully taking account the interaction parameters. We could fit almost all measured voltammograms with k$^{\circ}$=72s$\^$-1/, ${\alpha}$$\sub$a/=0.44, ${\alpha}$$\sub$c/=0.54, $\Gamma$$\sub$T/=1.4${\times}$10$\^$-10/, k=0.015s$\^$-1/ values. The AFM images of mono and hetero type LB film surfaces on ITO were also studied.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.7.2-7.2
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• 2011

Photoelectrochemical solar cells such as dye-sensitized cells (DSSCs), which exhibit high performance and are cost-effective, provide an alternative to conventional p-n junction photovoltaic devices. However, the efficiency of such cells plateaus at 11~12%, in contrast to their theoretical value of 33%. The majority of research has focused on improving energy conversion efficiency of DSSC by controlling nanostructure and exploiting new materials in photoelectrode consisting of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles and a transparent conducting oxide electrode (TCO). In this presentation, we introduce monodisperesed TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by forced hydrolysis method and their superiority as photoelectrode materials was characterized with aids of optical and electrochemical analysis. Inverse opal-based scattering layers containing highly crystalline anatase nanoparticles are also introduced and their feasibility for use as bi-functional light scattering layer is discussed in terms of optical reflectance and charge generation properties as a function of optical wavelength.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.266-270
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• 1984

The photoelectrochemical properties of the reduced $TiO_2$ceramic electrodes are investigated varying the thickness of the electrodes and the amounts of $Sb_2O_3$ as dopant. As the thickness of the undoped. $TiO_2$ceramic electrode increases the photocurrent tends to decrease. However for the R-F sputtered $TiO_2$ thin film electrodes the photocurrent tends to increase to about 1$\mu\textrm{m}$ thick and then decreases with increasing thickness. For the $TiO_2$ ceramic electrodes doped with $Sb_2O_3$ the photocurrent decreases with inreasing the amounts of dopant and in the case of rapid cooling in air without reduction treatment the photocurrent shows lower value. Also visible light excitation is observed at 500~550(nm) wavelength for the $TiO_2$ ceramic electrodes doped with $Sb_2O_3$comparing wtih the $TiO_2$ ceramic electrodes (~420nm)

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.496-500
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• 2003

Molecular self-assembled of surfactant viologen are of recent interest because they can from functional electrodes as well as micellar assemblies, which can be profitably utilized for display devices, photoelectrochemical studies and electrocatalysis as electron acceptor or electron mediator. Fromherz et al studied the self-assembly of thiol and disulfide derivatives of viologens bearing long n-alkyl chains on Au electrode surface[1]. The electrochemical behavior of self-assembled viologen monolayer has been investigated with QCM, which has been known as nano-gram order mass detector. The self-assembly process of viologen was monitored using resonant frequency(ΔF) and resonant resistance(R). The redox process of viologen was observed with resonant frequency(ΔF).

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.226-229
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• 2009

The present works were performed that titanium foil was anodized in various dilution ratios of seawater and distilled water with 10V external voltage applied, then annealed at $450^{\circ}C$ to obtain $TiO_2$ on the Ti substrate. The prepared samples were characterized by instruments (XRD, SEM, and photocurrent) and used to investigate rate of hydrogen production in photoelectrochemical cell as well as Cr(VI) reduction. As the results of experiments, the anodized $TiO_2$ in seawater electrolytes, which are ranged from 15 to 50 times dilution of seawater, was showed a relatively higher hydrogen production (ca. 97~110 umol/hr-$cm^2$) and Cr(VI) reduction (ca. 95% reduction).