• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.110-116
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• 2011

Ru black was used for cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell which showed low performance at the initial test. However, it was observed that the performance of Ru black cathode was dramatically enhanced after certain kind of experiment compared with initial one. It might be due to an electrochemical treatment in which a voltage was applied to the Ru cathode for constant period time. When a constant potential of 0.1 V was applied to Ru cathode for 30 min, the fuel cell performance of Ru cathode showed the best results. In order to investigate the effect of electrochemical treatment on the performance enhancement, the characteristics of electrochemically treated Ru black was compared with that of Ru black which was reduced under $H_2$ atmosphere. From XRD results, it was turned out that Ru black was not completely converted to metallic Ru by electrochemical treatment, but it is sufficient to be one of reasons for the performance enhancement. According to the results of CO stripping voltammetry, it was observed that some Ru was removed from Ru electrode by electrochemical treatment which might have a bad effect on the fuel cell performance. The removal of some Ru from as-received Ru black by electrochemical treatment is also another reason for the enhancement of fuel cell performance.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2002

A supercapacitor was developed using an amorphous ruthenium oxide material. The electrode of supercapacitor was prepared using an amorphous ruthenium oxide, which was synthesized from ruthenium trichloide hydrate$(RuCl_3{\cdo5}xH_2O)$. Thin film of tantalum was used as a current collector because it had wide. potential window characteristics than titanium and 575304 materials. A supercapacitor was assembled with ruthenium oxide as an electrode active material and 4.8M sulfuric acid solution as an electrolyte. The specific capacitance of the electrode was tested by a cyclic voltammetry using a half cell. The maximum differential specific capacitances during the oxidative and the reductive scans were 710 and $645\;F/g-RuO_2{\cdot}nH_2O$, respectively. The average specific capacitance was $521\;F/g-RuO_2{\cdot}nH_2O$. The assembled supercapacitor was protonated to the potential level of 0.5V vs. SCE. Super-capacitor, which was adjusted to the appropriate protonation level, had the specific capacitance of $151\;F/g-RuO_2{\cdot}nH_2O$ based on the concept of full cell.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.89.1-89.1
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• 2010

Since Gratzel and co-workers developed a new type of solar cell based on the nanocrystalline $TiO_2$ electrode, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted considerable attention on account of their high solar energy-to-conversion efficiencies (11%), their easy manufacturing process with low cost production compared to conventional p-n junction solar cells. The mechanism of DSSC is based on the injection of electrons from the photoexcited dye into the conduction band of nanocrystalline $TiO_2$. The oxidized dye is reduced by the hole injection process from either the hole counter or electrolyte. Thus, the electronic structures, such as HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO-LUMO gap, of dye molecule in DSSC are deeply related to the electron transfer by photoexcitation and redox potential. To date, high performance and good stability of DSSC based on Ru-dyes as a photosensitizer had been widely addressed in the literatures. DSSC with Ru-bipyridyl complexes (N3 and N719), and the black ruthenium dye have achieved power conversion efficiencies up to 11.2% and 10.4%, respectively. However, the Ru-dyes are facing the problem of manufacturing costs and environmental issues. In order to obtain even cheaper photosensitizers for DSSC, metal-free organic photosensitizers are strongly desired. Metal-free organic dyes offer superior molar extinction coefficients, low cost, and a diversity of molecular structures, compared to conventional Ru-dyes. Recently, novel photosensitizers such as coumarin, merocyanine, cyanine, indoline, hemicyanine, triphenylamine, dialkylaniline, bis(dimethylfluorenyl)-aminophenyl, phenothiazine, tetrahydroquinoline, and carbazole based dyes have achieved solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiencies up to 5-9%. On the other hand, organic dye molecules have large ${\pi}$-conjugated planner structures which would bring out strong molecular stacking in their solid-state and poor solubility in their media. It was well known that the molecular stacking of organic dyes could reduce the electron transfer pathway in opto-electronic devices, significantly. In this paper, we have studied on synthesis and characterization of dendritic organic dyes with different number of electron acceptor/anchoring moieties in the end of dendrimer. The photovoltaic performances and the incident photon-to-current (IPCE) of these dyes were measured to evaluate the effects of the dendritic strucuture on the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.117.2-117.2
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• 2011

Since Gratzel and co-workers developed a new type of solar cell based on the nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted considerable attention on account of their high solar energy-to-conversion efficiencies (11%), their easy manufacturing process with low cost production compared to conventional p-n junction solar cells. The mechanism of DSSC is based on the injection of electrons from the photoexcited dye into the conduction band of nanocrystalline TiO2. The oxidized dye is reduced by the hole injection process from either the hole counter or electrolyte. Thus, the electronic structures, such as HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO-LUMO gap, of dye molecule in DSSC are deeply related to the electron transfer by photoexcitation and redox potential. To date, high performance and good stability of DSSC based on Ru-dyes as a photosensitizer had been widely addressed in the literatures. DSSC with Ru-bipyridyl complexes (N3 and N719), and the black ruthenium dye have achieved power conversion efficiencies up to 11.2% and 10.4%, respectively. However, the Ru-dyes are facing the problem of manufacturing costs and environmental issues. In order to obtain even cheaper photosensitizers for DSSC, metal-free organic photosensitizers are strongly desired. Metal-free organic dyes offer superior molar extinction coefficients, low cost, and a diversity of molecular structures, compared to conventional Ru-dyes. Recently, novel photosensitizers such as coumarin, merocyanine, cyanine, indoline, hemicyanine, triphenylamine, dialkylaniline, bis(dimethylfluorenyl)-aminophenyl, phenothiazine, tetrahydroquinoline, and carbazole based dyes have achieved solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiencies up to 5-9%. On the other hand, organic dye molecules have large ${\pi}$-conjugated planner structures which would bring out strong molecular stacking in their solid-state and poor solubility in their media. It was well known that the molecular stacking of organic dyes could reduce the electron transfer pathway in opto-electronic devices, significantly. In this paper, we have studied on synthesis and characterization of dendritic organic dyes with different number of electron acceptor/anchoring moieties in the end of dendrimer. The photovoltaic performances and the incident photon-to-current (IPCE) of these dyes were measured to evaluate the effects of the dendritic strucuture on the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.213-220
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• 2016

Mast cells are primary mediators of allergic inflammation. Beta-1,3-glucan (BG) protects against infection and shock by activating immune cells. Activation of the BG receptor induces an increase in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$, which may induce exocytosis. However, little is known about the precise mechanisms underlying BG activation of immune cells and the possible role of mitochondria in this process. The present study examined whether BG induced mast cell degranulation, and evaluated the role of calcium transients during mast cell activation. Our investigation focused on the role of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) in BG-induced degranulation. Black mouse (C57) bone marrow-derived mast cells were stimulated with $0.5{\mu}g/ml$ BG, $100{\mu}g/ml$ peptidoglycan (PGN), or $10{\mu}M$ A23187 (calcium ionophore), and dynamic changes in cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium and membrane potential were monitored. BG-induced mast cell degranulation occurred in a time-dependent manner, and was significantly reduced under calcium-free conditions. Ruthenium red, a mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ uniporter blocker, significantly reduced mast cell degranulation induced by BG, PGN, and A23187. These results suggest that the mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ uniporter has an important regulatory role in BG-induced mast cell degranulation.