• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2011

A unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) as a next-generation fuel cell technology was considered in the study. URFC is a mandatory technology for the completion of the hybrid system with the fuel cell and the renewable energy sources, and it can be expected as a new technology for the realization of hydrogen economy society in the $21^{st}$ century. Specifically, the recent research data and results concerning the polymer electrolyte membrane for the URFC technology were summarized in the study. The prime requirements of polymer electrolyte membrane for the URFC applications are high proton conductivity, dimensional stability, mechanical strength, and interfacial stability with the electrode binder. Based on the performance of the polymer electrolyte membrane, the URFC technology combining the systems for the production, storage, utilization of hydrogen can be a new research area in the development of an advanced technology concerning with renewable energy such as fuel cell, solar cell, and wind power.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.185-185
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• 2006

The performances of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) membrane are reported. Pt/C was coated on the membrane directly to fabricate a MEA for PEMFC operation. A single cell test was carried out using $H_2/air$ gases as fuel and oxidant. A current density of $730\;mA/cm^2$ at 0.60 V was obtained at $70^{\circ}C$. Pt-Ru (anode) and Pt (cathode) were coated on the membrane for DMFC operations. It produced $83\;mW/cm^2$ of maximum power density. The sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) membrane was also used for DFAFC operation under several different conditions. It showed good cell performances for several different kinds of polymer electrolyte fuel cell applications.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.364-371
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• 2005

Fuel cell systems(FCS) have a financial and environmental advantage by providing electricity at a high efficiency and useful heat. For use in a residence, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system(PEFCS) with a battery pack and a hot water storage tank has been modelled and simulated. The system is operated without connection to grid line. Its electric conversion efficiency and heat recovery performance are highly dependent on operation strategies and also on the seasonal thermal and electric load pattern. The output of the fuel cell is controlled stepwise as a function of the state of the battery and/or the storage water tank. In this study various operation strategies for cogeneration fuel cell systems are investigated. Average fuel saving rates at different seasons are calculated to find proper load management strategy. The scheme can be used to determine the optimal operating strategies of PEFCS for residential and building applications.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.109-112
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• 2007

In this paper, a mathematical modeling was developed to simulate 1kW class air cooled Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell(PEMFC) system. The proposed modeling was conducted under SIMULINK based environment. The model ing was developed based on the thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium. The objective is to design and implement the entire fuel cell system model ing including the system controller modeling. The fuel cell process and the control system modeling should have to be connected with each other simultaneously， therefore the two types of modeling influences each other when the system simulator run. The fuel cell modeling libraries are simulated using the SIMULINK under the thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium base. The PID controller application was designed and developed to test the process modeling and verify it. This the prototype development of the fuel cell system to design and test more complicate fuel cell systems, like the residential power generation system. The simulation results was compared to the real PEMFC system performance. We have achieved the reasonable accordance with the Lab test and the simulation results.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.283-290
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• 2009

This study focuses on the performance characteristics of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using the AC impedance technique. The experiment was carried out to investigate the optimal operating conditions of PEMFC such as cell temperature, flow rate, humidified temperature and back-pressure. The fuel cell performance was analyzed by DC electronic-loader with constant voltage mode and expressed by voltage-current density. Additionally, AC impedance was measured to analysis of ohmic and activation loss and expressed by Nyquist plot. The results showed that the cell performance increased with increase of cell temperature, air flow rate, humidified temperature and backpressure. Also, the activation loss decreased as the increase of cell temperature, air flow rate, humidified temperature and backpressure.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2021

Various studies about metallic bipolar plates have been conducted to improve fuel cell performance through flow field design optimization. These research works have been mainly focused on fuel cells for vehicle, but not fuel cells for building. In order to reduce the price and volume of fuel cell stacks for building, it is necessary to apply a metallic flow field, In this study, for a metallic flow field applied to a fuel cell for building, the effect of a change in the flow field shape on the performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell was confirmed using a model and experiments with a down-sizing single cell. As a result, the flow field using a metal foam outperforms the channel type flow field because it has higher internal differential pressure and higher reactants velocity in gas diffusion layer, resulting in higher water removal and higher oxygen concentration in the catalyst layer than the channel type flow field. This study is expected to contribute to providing basic data for selecting the optimal flow field for the full stack of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for buildings.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.643-651
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• 2019

Polybenzimidazole (PBI), an engineering polymer with well-known excellent thermal, chemical and mechanical stabilities has been recognized as an alternative to high temperature polymer electrolyte membranes (HT-PEMs). This review focuses on recent advances made on the development of PBI-based HT-PEMs for fuel cell applications. PBI-based membranes discussed were prepared by various strategies such as structural modification, cross-linking, blending and organic-inorganic composites. In addition, intriguing properties of the PBI-based membranes as well as their fuel cell performances were highligted.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.127-131
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• 2016

Polymer electrolyte membrane for unitized regenerative fuel cells requires high proton conductivity, high dimensional stability, low permeability, and low cost. However, DuPont's Nafion which is a commercial polymer electrolyte membrane has high permeability, high cost, and decreasing proton conductivity and dimensional stability over $80^{\circ}C$. To address these problems, sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (sPEEK) which is a low cost hydrocarbon polymer is selected as matrix polymer for the preparation of polymer electrolyte membrane. In addition, composite membrane with improved proton conductivity and dimensional stability is prepared by introducing sulfonated graphene oxide (sGO). The fundamental properties of polymer electrolyte membranes are analyzed by investigating membrane's water content, dimensional stability, proton conductivity, and morphology. The cell test is conducted to consider the possibility of application of sPEEK/sGO composite membrane for an unitized regenerative fuel cell.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2000

The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system was developed. In order to enhance the performance of membrane electrode assembly (MEA), the transfer printing method of the electrocatalyst layer on membrane was developed. The $H_2/O_2$ single cell with an electrode area of $50cm^2$ was fabricated and tested using 20 wt.% Pt/C as an electrocatalyst and the commercial and hand-made MEA such as Nafion 115, Hanwha, Dow, Flemion T and Gore Select. The 100-cell PEMFC stack with an active electrode area of $300cm^2$ was designed and fabricated using 40 wt.% Pt/C and 30 wt.% Pt-Ru/C as a cathode and anode electrocatalysts, respectively. The performance of PEMFC system was obtained to be 7kW (250A at 28V) and 3.5kW (70A at 50V) at $80^{\circ}C$ by flowing $H_2/air$ and methanol reformed fuel gas/air, respectively.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.89.1-89.1
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• 2011

The influence of potential and humidity on the electrochemical carbon corrosion in high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(HT-PEMFCs) is investigated by measuring $CO_2$ emission at different potentials for 30 min using on-line mass spectrometry. These results are compared with low tempterature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(LT-PEMFCs) operated at lower temperature and higher humidity condition. Although the HT-PEMFC is operated at non humidified condition, the emitted $CO_2$ in the condition of HT-PEMFC is more than LT-PEMFC at the same potential in carbon corrosion test. Thus, carbon corrosion shows a stronger positive correlation with the cell temperature. In addition, the presence of a little amount of water activate electrochemical carbon corrosion considerably in HT-PEMFC. With increased carbon corrosion, changes in fuel cell electrochemical characteristics become more noticeable and thereby indicate that such corrosion considerably affects fuel cell durability.