• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.442-454
• /
• 2021

The porous transport layer (PTL) is essential to effectively remove oxygen and hydrogen gas from the electrode surface at high current density operation conditions. In this study, the effect of PTL with different characteristics such as pore size, pore gradient, interfacial coating was investigated by multi-layered sintered mesh. A water electrolysis single cell of active area of the 34.56 cm² was constructed, and IV performance and impedance analysis were conducted in the range of 0 to 2.0 A/cm². It was confirmed that the multi-layered sintered mesh PTL, which have an average pore size of 25 to 57 ㎛ and a larger pore gradient, removed bubbles effectively and thus seemed to improve IV performance. Also, it was confirmed that the catalytic metals such as Ni, NiMo coating on the PTL reduced activation overpotential, but increased mass transport overpotential.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.66 no.3
• /
• pp.209-217
• /
• 2022

We have developed photosensitive electrochromic smart windows that does not require any transparent conducting oxide (TCO) substrate. In our previous study, we demonstrated that a flexible film-type device made with a low temperature curing WO₃ sol and TiO₂ sol could show a reversible and rapid switching between colored and bleached state via incorporation of platinum catalysts on the surface of WO₃ layer. However, when these devices were exposed to sunlight over 4 hour, it was confirmed that they did not return to fully bleached state in the darkened state due to their overcoloring process. In this study, we added 4-hydroxy-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPOL) as an additive to the electrolyte of photosensitive electrochromic device to effectively prevent the undesired overcoloring process. The resulting device with TEMPOL indeed did not undergo excessive coloration and showed great reversibility even after being exposed to sunlight for over 4 hours. Various concentrations of TEMPOL were applied to compare changes in the visible transmittance and coloring/bleaching kinetics of devices. In terms of energetic point of view, we proposed a plausible mechanism of TEMPOL to prevent excessive coloration.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.58-63
• /
• 2022

Graphite has been used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries for the past 30 years due to its low de-/lithiation voltage, high theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g, low price, and long life properties. Recently, all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLB), which are composed of inorganic solid materials with high stability, have received great attention as electric vehicles and next-generation energy storage devices, but research works on graphite that works well for ASSLB systems are insufficient. Therefore, we induced the performance improvement of ASSLB anode electrode graphite material by removing the amorphous carbon present in the carbon material surface, acting as a resistive layer from the graphite. As a result of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis using heat treated graphite in air at 400, 500, and 600 ℃, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) at (002) peak was reduced compared to that of bare graphite, indicating that the crystallinity of graphite was improved after heat treatment. In addition, the discharge capacity, initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and cycle stability increased as the crystallinity of graphite increased after heat treatment. In the case of graphite annealed in air at 500 ℃, the high capacity retention rate of 331.1 mAh/g and ICE of 86.2% and capacity retention of 92.7% after 10-cycle measurement were shown.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.53-62
• /
• 2019

Heterotrophic bacteria are a major member of the microbial loop in the marine ecosystem and play an important role in the biogeochemical cycle decomposing organic matter. Therefore study of bacterial variation is important to understand the material cycle and energy flow of marine ecosystems. We investigated the monthly variations of bacteria and environmental factors in the Youngsan River estuary, and the correlation between bacteria and phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a) including size-structure. As a result, bacteria of the Youngsan River estuary were higher in the surface than in the bottom layer, and higher in the summer than in winter. And the closer to the dike, the abundance increased, and it increased to the peaks in August, September, and June 2019 at the station closest to the dike. The chlorophyll-a also increases at the stations and time when the bacterial abundance was high and they correlates positively displaying no difference between size fractions. The results indicate that organic matter derived from phytoplankton has an effect on bacterial variation but no size-dependent effects. In addition, the seasonal pattern of bacteria increasing in proportion to the water temperature suggests the effect of water temperature on the growth of bacteria. No association of bacterial abundance variation with nutrient supply due to freshwater input was observed. In this study, dissolved oxygen was depleted and hypoxia was observed for a short time when a strong stratification was not developed. This may be resulted from the supply of organic matter from phytoplankton and the consumption of oxygen due to bacterial decomposition.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2022

Generally, the plate load test and the field density test are conducted for compaction quality control in earthwork, and then additional analysis. Recently developed that the DCPT (Dynamic Cone Penetration Test) equipment for smart compaction quality control its the system are able to get location and real-time information about worker history management. The IoT-based the DCPT system improved the time-cost in the field compared traditional test, and the functions recording and storage of the DPI (Dynamic Cone Penetration Index) were automated. This paper describes using these DCPT equipment on in-situ and compared to the standards of the DCPT, and the compaction trend had be confirmed with DPI as the field test data. As a result, the DPI of the final compaction decreased by 1.4 times compared to the initial compaction, confirming the increase in the compaction strength of the subgrade compaction layer 10 to 14 cm deep from the surface. A trend of increasing compaction strength was observed. This showed a tendency to increase the compaction strength of the target DPI proposed by MnDOT and the results of the existing plate load test, but there was a difference in the increase rate. Therefore, additional studies are needed on domestic compaction materials and laboratory conditions for target DPI and correlation studies with the plate load tests. If this is reflected, it is suggested that DCPT will be widely used as smart construction equipment in earthworks.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.228-236
• /
• 2022

Riverbank revetments are installed to increase the stability, while preventing scouring, and utilize the rivers; their construction is prioritized to secure dimensional safety that can withstand flooding. Existing revetment technologies employ use of rocks, gabions, and concrete. However, stone and gabions are easily erosion and destroyed by extensive flooding. Though the materials used in concrete technology possess strength and stability, the strong base adversely affects the aquatic ecosystem as components leach and remain in water for a long time. This serves as an environmental and ecological issue as vegetation does not grow on the concrete surface. This study introduces multi-layer porous riverbank revetment technology using biopolymer materials extracted from castor oil. Results obtained from this study suggest that this technology provides greater dimensional stability as compared to existing technologies. Moreover. it does not release toxic substances into the rivers. Multiple experiments conducted to review the application of this technology to diverse river environments confirm that stability is achieved at a flow velocity of 8.0 m/s and maximum tractive force of 67.25 kg_f/m² (659.05 N/m²).

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.61-72
• /
• 2022

We investigated the electrochemical behavior of Sn (93.0 %)-Ag (4.06 %)-Cu (0.89 %) during electrolysis of Pb-free solder waste to recover tin and silver. A thin strip of the solder waste produced by high-temperature melting and casting was used as a working electrode to perform electrochemical analysis. During anodic polarization, the current peak of an active region decreased with an increase in the concentration of sulfuric acid used as an electrolyte. This resulted in the electro-dissolution of the working electrode in the electrolyte (1.0 molL^-1 sulfuric acid) for a constant current study. The study revealed that the thickening of an anode slime layer at the working surface continuously increased the electrode potential of the working electrode. At 10 mAcm^-2, the dissolution reaction continued for 25 h. By contrast, at 50 mAcm^-2, a sharp increase in the electrode potential stopped the dissolution in 2.5 h. During dissolution, silver enrichment in the anode slime reached 94.3% in the 1 molL^-1 sulfuric acid electrolyte containing a 0.3 molL^-1 chlorine ion, which was 12.7% higher than that without chlorine addition. Moreover, the chlorine enhanced the stability of the dissolved tin ions in the electrolyte as well as the current efficiency of tin electro-deposition at the counter electrode.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.115-125
• /
• 2022

The high-Reynolds number flow around a rectangular cylinder, having streamwise to crossflow length ratio equal to 5 is analyzed in the present paper. The flow is characterized by shear-layer separation from the upstream edges. Vortical structures of different size form from the roll-up of these shear layers, move downstream and interact with the classical vortex shedding further downstream in the wake. The corresponding mean flow is characterized by a recirculation region along the lateral surface of the cylinder, ending by mean flow reattachment close to the trailing edge. The mean flow features on the cylinder side have been shown to be highly sensitive to set-up parameters both in numerical simulations and in experiments. The results of 21 Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are analyzed herein to highlight the impact of the lateral mean recirculation characteristics on the near-wake flow features and on some bulk quantities. The considered simulations have been carried out at Reynolds number Re=DU_∞/ν=40 000, being D the crossflow dimension, U_∞ the freestream velocity and ν the kinematic viscosity of air; the flow is set to have zero angle of attack. Some simulations are carried out with sharp edges (Mariotti et al. 2017), others with different values of the rounding of the upstream edges (Rocchio et al. 2020) and an additional LES is carried out to match the value of the roundness of the upstream edges in the experiments in Pasqualetto et al. (2022). The dimensions of the mean recirculation zone vary considerably in these simulations, allowing us to single out meaningful trends. The streamwise length of the lateral mean recirculation and the streamwise distance from the upstream edge of its center are the parameters controlling the considered quantities. The wake width increases linearly with these parameters, while the vortex-shedding non-dimensional frequency shows a linear decrease. The drag coefficient also linearly decreases with increasing the recirculation length and this is due to a reduction of the suctions on the base. However, the overall variation of C_D is small. Finally, a significant, and once again linear, increase of the fluctuations of the lift coefficient is found for increasing the mean recirculation streamwise length.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.243-253
• /
• 2022

Using non-destructive analytical methods, we identified the material characteristics of two gold fabric artifacts excavated from the Cheongsong Sim clan (Bugeum Wonsam, Jikgeum Chima), including the artifact condition, fiber type, surface contamination, and metallic threads. We found that the artifacts were buried and had turned brown; thus, we were unable to determine their original color. The fiber type was determined to be silk from cocoons, based on scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses of Amide I, II, III, and IV peaks, and color reactions Further, the FT-IR and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses identified the white and black stains as natural resin hydrolyzed substances, such as lipids and proteins, that occurred as microbial decomposition due to body decay. Finally, the XRF analyses identified the thin gold layer of the metallic yarn as gold (Au). According to the FT-IR data and the color reaction to the metallic yarn medium, the adhesive component of the medium was a product of-Amides I, II, III, and 3000 cm^-1 within Amides A and B (an animal type), respectively. Thus, the medium was identified as Hanji (Korean paper), which is made from domestically produced Broussonetia kazinoki fibers.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.69-83
• /
• 2023

Forest fires increase the risk of subsequent soil erosion and mass movement in burned areas, even under rainfall conditions below landslide alert thresholds, by destroying plants and vegetation and causing changes to soil properties. These effects of forest fires can alter runoff in burned areas by altering soil composition, component minerals, soil water repellency, soil mass stability, and soil fabric. Heat from forest fires not only burns shallow organic matter and plants but also spreads below the surface, affecting soil constituents including minerals. This study analyzed X-ray diffraction and physical properties of topsoil and subsoil obtained from both burned and non-burned areas to identify the composition and distribution of clay minerals in the soil. Small amounts of mullite, analcite, and hematite were identified in burned soils. Vermiculite and mixed-layer illite/vermiculite (I/V) were found in topsoil samples from burned areas but not in those from non-burned areas. These findings show changes in soil mineral composition caused by forest fires. Expansive clay minerals increase the volume of soil during rainfall, degrading the structural stability of slopes. Clay minerals generated in soil in burned areas are therefore likely to affect the long-term stability of slopes in mountainous areas.