• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.153-156
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• 2012

The optimization and integration of a fuel cell were performed to improve the performance and reliability of the fuel cell in this paper. To improve the performance of the PEMFC, current and voltage of the fuel cell were measured using an electrical load, and the results was compared and analyzed with the data of a commercial fuel cell. Based on the above results, a controller for a fuel cell UAV applications was designed, and the fuel cell control algorithm was developed to optimize the performance of the fuel cell UAV.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2009

In order to develop a novel polymer electrolyte membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), styrene monomer was graft-polymerized into poly(tetrafluoroethylene perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA) film followed by a sulfonation reaction. The graft polymerization was prepared by the $\Upsilon$-ray radiation-grafting method. Subsequently, sulfonation of the radiation-grafted film was carried out in a chlorosulfonic acid/1,2-dichloroethane (2 v/v%) solution. The chemical, physical, electrochemical and morphological properties of the radiation-grafted membranes (PFA-g-PSSA) were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water uptake, ionic conductivity, and methanol permeability of the PFA-g-PSSA membrane were also measured. The cell performances of MEA prepared with the PFA-g-PSSA membranes were evaluated and the cell resistances were measured by an impedance analyzer. The MEA using PFA-g-PSSA membranes showed superior performance for DMFCs in comparison with the commercial Nafion 112 membrane.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.438-442
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• 2006

The degradation of Nafion membrane by hydrogen peroxide was investigated in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Degradation tests were carried out in a solution of $10{\sim}30%$ hydrogen peroxide containing 4ppm $Fe^{2+}$ ion which is well known as Fenton's reagent at $80^{\circ}C$ for 48hr. Characterization of degraded membranes were examined through the IR, Water-uptake, Ion exchange capacity, mechanical strength and $H_2$ permeability. After degradation, C-F, S-O and C-O chemical bonds of membrane were broken by radical formed by $H_2O_2$ decomposition. Breaking of C-F bond which is the membrane backbone reduced the mechanical strength of Nafion membrane and hence induced pinholes, resulting in increase of $H_2$ crossover through the membrane. Also the decomposition of C-O and S-O, side chain and terminal bond of membrane, decreased the ion exchange capacity of the membrane.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.192-196
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• 2008

The generation of high purity hydrogen from reformed hydrocarbon fuels, or syngas, is essential for efficient operation of the fuel cell (PEMFC, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell). Usually, major components of reformed gas are $H_2$, CO, $CO_2$ and $H_2O$. Especially a major component, CO poisons the electrode of fuel cells. The water gas shifter (WGS) that shifts CO to $CO_2$ and simultaneously produces $H_2$, was developed to a two stage catalytic conversion process involving a high temperature shifter (HTS) and a low temperature shifter (LTS). Also, experiments were carried out to reduce the carbon monoxide up to $3{\sim}4%$ in the HTS and lower than 5,000 ppm via the LTS.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.169-171
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• 2007

A breaking layer was introduced to conventional decal transfer method in membrane electrolyte assembly fabrication for high catalyst transfer ratio. In this study, the modified decal transfer method with high catalyst transfer ratio was introduced and its performance is studied. The structural features of electrodes made by decal method were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and current-voltage polarization measurement.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1577-1582
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• 2010

A 20 wt % Pt/C is fabricated and characterized for use as the cathode catalyst in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). By using the polyol method, the fabrication process is optimized by modifying the carbon addition sequence and precursor mixing conditions. The crystallographic structure, particle size, dispersion, and activity toward oxygen reduction of the as-prepared catalysts are compared with those of commercial Pt/C catalysts. The most effective catalyst is obtained by ultrasonic treatment of ethylene glycol-carbon mixture and immediate mixing of this mixture with a Pt precursor at the beginning of the synthesis. The catalyst exhibits very uniform particle size distribution without agglomeration. The mass activities of the as-prepared catalyst are 13.4 mA/$mg_{Pt}$ and 51.0 mA/$mg_{Pt}$ at 0.9 V and 0.85 V, respectively, which are about 1.7 times higher than those of commercial catalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2012

The cathode catalyst layer in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was fabricated with anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and its structure was characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The SEM analysis showed that the catalyst layer was fabricated the Pt nanowire with uniform shape and size. The BET analysis showed that the volume of pores in range of 20-100 nm was enhanced by AAO template. The electrochemical properties with the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) were evaluated by current-voltage polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the MEA with AAO template reduced the mass transfer resistance and improved the cell performance by approximately 25% through controlling the structure of catalyst layer.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2013

In this study, a metal-plated polycarbonate was adopted as a material for bipolar plates in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The coated layers included 40-${\mu}m$-thick copper, 10-${\mu}m$-thick nickel, and 0.3-${\mu}m$-thick gold that respectively played the roles of current conduction, adhesion between copper and gold, and minimization of surface corrosion. The maximum power of the air-breathing PEMFC with polycarbonate bipolar plates was $120mW/cm^2$, which was similar to that of graphite bipolar plates. Finally, the maximum power of a 12-cell stack of polycarbonate bipolar plates was $132.7mW/cm^2$, and it had an operating time of 12 h. Therefore, this was considered a suitable material for bipolar plates in PEMFCs.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.75.2-75.2
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• 2010

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have received a lot of attention as a power source for both stationary and mobile applications due to their attractive feature. In general, the performance of PEFCs is highly affected by the property of the electrodes. A PEFC electrode essentially consists of a gas diffusion layer and a catalyst layer. The gas difusion layer is highly porous and hydrophobicized with PTFE polymer. The catalyst layer usually contains electrocatalyst, proton conducting polymer, even PTFE as additive. Particularly, the proton conducting ionomer helps to increase the catalytic activity at three-phase boundary and catalyst utilization. Futhermore, it helps to retain moisture, resulting in preventing the electrodes from membrane dehydration. The most widely used proton conducting ionomer is perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer, namely, Nafion from DuPont due to its high proton conductivity and good mechanical property. However, there are great demands for alternative ionomers based on non-fluorinated materials in terms of high temperature availability, environmental adaptability and production cost. In this study, the electrodes with the various content of the sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) ionomer in the catalyst layer were prepared. In addition, we evaluated electrochemical properties of the prepared electrodes containing the various amount of the ionomers by using the cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy to find an optimal ionomer composition in the catalyst layer.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.687-693
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• 2014

In this study, the performance characteristics of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) were investigated at low operating temperatures under steady-state and dynamic conditions. The performance of the PEMFC was analyzed according to the external humidifying rate and air stoichiometry. The ohmic resistance was also investigated using EIS tests. At the operating temperature of $35^{\circ}C$, voltage fluctuation occurred to a greater degree compared to that at $45^{\circ}C$. Therefore, it was found that the air stoichiometry should be higher than 2.5 for the stable operation of the fuel cell. In addition, the relative humidity of the reactant gases should be higher than 60 to reduce the ohmic resistance.