• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2019

In this study, we reported a solid-state supercapacitor consisting of titanium nitride (TiN) nanofiber and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) conducting polymer electrode and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based polymer electrolyte membrane. The TiN nanofiber was selected as electrode materials due to high electron conductivity and 2-dimensional structure which is beneficial for scaffold effect. PEDOT-PSS is suitable for organic/inorganic composites due to good redox reaction with hydrogen ions in electrolyte and good dispersion in solution. By synergetic effect of TiN nanofiber and PEDOT-PSS, the PEDOT-PSS/TiN electrode showed higher surface area than the flat Ti foil substrate. The PVA-based polymer electrolyte membrane could prevent leakage and explosion problem of conventional liquid electrolyte and possess high specific capacitance due to the fast ion diffusion of small $H^+$ ions. The specific capacitance of PEDOT-PSS/TiN supercapacitor reached 75 F/g, which was much higher than that of conventional carbon-based supercapacitors.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2024

In this experiment, a Ti-based flat hydrogen separation membrane was designed and manufactured. In order to find a Ti-based hydrogen separation membrane of a new composition, the correlation between the physical-chemical properties and hydrogen permeability of various alloys was investigated. Based on this, two types of new alloy films (Ti_14.2Zr_66.4Ni_12.6Cu_6.8 (70 ㎛), Ti_17.3Zr_62.7Ni₂₀ (80 ㎛)) was designed and manufactured. The manufactured flat hydrogen separation membrane was tested for hydrogen permeation using mixed gas (H₂, N₂) and sweep gas (Ar) at 300~500℃ and 1~4 bar. The Ti_14.2Zr_66.4Ni_12.6Cu_6.8 alloy film has a maximum flux of 16.35 mL/cm² min at 500℃ and 4 bar, and the Ti_17.3Zr_62.7Ni₂₀ alloy film has a maximum flux of 10.28 mL/cm² min at 450℃ and 4 bar.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.373-379
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• 2021

A series of novel PBI/SrTiO₃ nanocomposite membranes composed of polybenzimidazole (PBI) and strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) with a perovskite structure were fabricated with various concentrations of SrTiO₃ through a solution casting method. Various characterization techniques such as proton nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and AC impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the chemical structure, thermal, phosphate absorption and morphological properties, and proton conductivity of the fabricated nanocomposite membranes. The optimized PBI/SrTiO₃-8 polymer nanocomposite membrane containing 8wt% of SrTiO₃ showed a higher proton conductivity of 7.95 × 10^-2 S/cm at 160℃ compared to other nanocomposite membranes. The PBI/SrTiO₃-8 composite membrane also showed higher thermal stability compared to pristine PBI. In addition, the roughness change of the polymer composite membrane was also investigated by AFM. Based on these results, nanocomposite membranes based on perovskite structures are expected to be considered as potential candidates for high-temperature PEM fuel cell applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.484.2-484.2
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• 2014

There are many efforts to improving the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Although DSCs have a low production cost, their low PCE and low thermal stability have limited commercial applications. This study describes the preparation of a novel multifunctional polymer gel electrolyte in which a cross-linking polymerization reaction is used to encapsulate $TiO_2$ nanoparticles toward improving the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability of a quasi-solid state DSC. A series of liquid junction dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was fabricated based on polymer membrane encapsulated dye-sensitized $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, prepared using a surface-induced cross-linking polymerization reaction, to investigate the dependence of the solar cell performance on the encapsulating membrane layer thickness. The ion conductivity decreased as the membrane thickness increased; however, the long term-stability of the devices improved with increasing membrane thickness. Nanoparticles encapsulated in a thick membrane (ca. 37 nm), obtained using a 90 min polymerization time, exhibited excellent pore filling among $TiO_2$ particles. This nanoparticle layer was used to fabricate a thin-layered, quasi-solid state DSC. The thick membrane prevented short-circuit paths from forming between the counter and the $TiO_2$ electrode, thereby reducing the minimum necessary electrode separation distance. The quasi-solid state DSC yielded a high power conversion efficiency (7.6/8.1%) and excellent stability during heating at $65^{\circ}C$ over 30 days. These performance characteristics were superior to those obtained from a conventional DSC (7.5/3.5%) prepared using a $TiO_2$ active layer with the same thickness. The reduced electrode separation distance shortened the charge transport pathways, which compensated for the reduced ion conductivity in the polymer gel electrolyte. Excellent pore filling on the $TiO_2$ particles minimized the exposure of the dye to the liquid and reduced dye detachment.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.271-275
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• 2019

Anodic $TiO_2$ nanotubes were simultaneously grown and doped with $RuO_2$ by single-step anodization in a negatively-charged $RuO_4{^-}$ precursor. Subsequently, a high positive voltage was imposed on the nanotubes in an $F^-$-based electrolyte (a process referred to as potential shock), which led to the formation of a through-hole $RuO_2$-doped $TiO_2$ nanotube membrane without significant loss of the $RuO_2$ catalyst. XPS results confirmed that the doped Ru metal was converted into $RuO_2$ as the potential shock voltage increased. Further increases in the potential shock voltage led to the formation of $RuO_x/Ru$ in the $TiO_2$ nanotubes. All of our results clearly showed that a through-hole catalyst-doped $TiO_2$ nanotube membrane can be produced by a sequence consisting of single-step anodization and the potential shock process.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.398-405
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• 2015

Facilitated transport is considered to be a possible solution to simultaneously improve permeability and selectivity, which is challenging in normal polymeric membranes based on solution-diffusion transport only. We investigated the effect of adding mesoporous $TiO_2$ ($m-TiO_2$) upon the separation performance of facilitated olefin transport membranes comprising poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), Ag nanoparticles, and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane as the polymer matrix, olefin carrier, and electron acceptor, respectively. In particular, $m-TiO_2$ was prepared by means of a facile, mass-producible method using poly(vinyl chloride)-g-poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) graft copolymer as the template. The crystal phase of $m-TiO_2$ consisted of an anatase/rutile mixture, of crystallite size approximately 16 nm as determined by X-ray diffraction. The introduction of $m-TiO_2$ increased the membrane diffusivity, thereby increasing the mixed-gas permeance from 1.6 to 16.0 GPU ($1GPU=10^{-6}cm^3$(STP)/($s{\times}cm^2{\times}cmHg$), and slightly decreased the propylene/propane selectivity from 45 to 37. However, both the mixed-gas permeance and selectivity of the membrane containing $m-TiO_2$ rapidly decreased over time, whereas the membrane without $m-TiO_2$ had more stable long-term performance. This difference might be attributed to specific chemical interactions between $TiO_2$ and Ag nanoparticles, causing Ag to lose activity as an olefin carrier.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.304-313
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• 2022

There is evidence that the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredient (APIs) are a danger for aquatic ecosystems and the human health. The presence of APIs such as tetracycline, an antibiotic, in water causes antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms inflicting enormous costs on individuals and society. Membranes embedded with catalysts such as TiO₂ or bismuth based catalysts degrade and separate the organic effluents from wastewater. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts can be enhanced with noble metal doping and addition of carbonaceous materials and formation of heterojunction with other semiconductors. The recollection of photoctalysts is possible through the immobilization of the photocatalysts in polymeric membranes. In this review, the degradation of antibiotics in water is discussed.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2023

Despite high capacity of lithium metal anode, its uncontrollable dendrite growth results in the poor electrochemical (EC) performance (low Coulomb efficiency and limited cycle stability) and unsafe operation. In this study, we demonstrated a lithium metal anode protected with BaTiO₃/PVDF based piezoelectric layer to enhance its EC performance by utilizing the locally polarized lithium metal after volume expansions. As-formed lithium metal electrode deposited with BTO@PVDF layer exhibited an enhanced Coulombic efficiency (> 98% for 100 cycles) and facilitated lithium ion diffusions (lithium diffusion coefficient: D_Li+), revealing the effectiveness of piezoelectric layer deposited lithium metal electrode approach.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.242-251
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• 2023

The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of 304 stainless steels (STSs) with various coatings (organic coating and dry coating) were examined, and their applicability as bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was validated. The results showed that the organic-coated samples had a significant decrease in anodic and cathodic current density compared to the uncoated sample. However, an increase in carbon black content in the organic coating or additional heat treatment at 700 ℃ resulted in a decrease in corrosion resistance. In addition, improvements in corrosion resistance achieved by adding TiO₂ powder to the organic coating were found to be limited. In contrast, dry coating with TiC and CrC exhibited higher corrosion potential, significantly lower current density, and reduced contact resistance compared to the organic coatings. Notably, the TiC-coated sample showed a comparatively lower current density and more stable behavior than the CrC-coated sample. Based on a series of experimental results, a thin TiC coating without defects is proposed as a promising surface treatment strategy for STS bipolar plates in PEMFC.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.82-84
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• 2013

We fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with $TiO_2$ nanowire (NW)/nanoparticle (NP) composite and solidified nanogel as the photoelectrode and electrolyte, respectively. $TiO_2$ NWs were generated via pore-infiltration of titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) into a track-etched polycarbonate membrane with a pore diameter of 100 nm, followed by calcination at $500^{\circ}C$. Energy conversion efficiency of $TiO_2$ NW/NP-based DSSCs was always higher than that of NP-based cells. We attributed this to improved light scattering and electron transport by $TiO_2$ NWs, as verified by intensity modulation photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) and intensity modulation photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS) analyses. Quasi-solid-state DSSCs with NW/NP composites exhibited 5.0% efficiency at 100 $mW/cm^2$, which was much greater than that of NP-based cells (3.2%).