• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.476-483
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• 2012

Proper water management is crucial for the efficient operation of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Especially, for automotive applications, A novel water management that can avoid both membrane dry-out and flooding is a very important task to achieve good performance and efficiency of PEM fuel cells. The aim of this study is to investigate the liquid water behavior on the gas diffusion layer (GDL) surface and in the cathode flow channel of a PEM unit fuel cell under flooding conditions. For this purpose, a transparent unit fuel cell is devised and fabricated by modifying the conventional PEM fuel cell design. The results of water droplet behavior under flooding conditions are mainly presented. The water distributions in the cathode flow channels with cell operating voltage are also compared and analyzed. Through this work, it is expected that the data obtained from this fundamental study can be effectively used to establish the basic water management strategy in terms of water removal from the flow channels in a PEM fuel cell stack.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.625-632
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• 2012

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the cathode channel flooding effects at different stoichiometries in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells by using visualization techniques. The phenomena of liquid water formation and removal caused by current variations were also examined experimentally. Tests were conducted at cathode stoichiometries of 1.5 and 2.0, and the anode stoichiometry was fixed at 1.5. It is found that at an air-side stoichiometry of 2.0, liquid water begins to form and the flooding occurs faster than at an air-side stoichiometry of 1.5. Also, when the air-side stoichiometry of 1.5 is maintained, the dry-out phenomena is observed in the dry-out area 7.8 A following the field of flooding. Thus, a stoichiometry of 1.5 produced better performance in terms of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) durability and hydrogen ion conductivity than did a stoichiometry of 2.0, in which dry-out occurs beyond 8A.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.353-353
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• 2008

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are attractive for field emitter because of their outstanding electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. Several applications using CNTs as field emitters have been demonstrated such as field emission display (FED), backlight unit (BLU), and X-ray source. In this study, we fabricated a CNT cathode using transparent ultra-thin CNT film. First, CNT aqueous solution was prepared by ultrasonically dispersing purified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in deionized water with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). To obtain the CNT film, the CNT solution in a milliliter or even several tens of micro-litters was deposited onto a porous alumina membrane through vacuum filtration process. Thereafter, the alumina membrane was solvated by the 3 M NaOH solution and the floating CNT film was easily transferred to an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass substrate of $0.5\times0.5cm^2$ with a film mask. The transmittance of as-prepared ultra-thin CNT films measured by UV-Vis spectrophotometer was 68~97%, depending on the amount of CNTs dispersed in an aqueous solution. Roller activation, which is a essential process to improve the field emission characteristics of CNT films, increased the UV-Vis transmittance up to 93~98%. This study presents SEM morphology of CNT emitters and their field emission properties according to the concentration of CNTs in an aqueous solutions. Since the ultra-thin CNT emitters prepared from the solutions show a high peak current density of field emission comparable to that of the paste-base CNT emitters and do not contain outgassing sources such as organic binders, they are considered to be very promising for small-size-but-high-end applications including X-ray sources and microwave power amplifiers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.428-428
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• 2013

Red color light emitting diodes were fabricated using CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). Patterned indium-tin-oxide (ITO) was used as a transparent anode, and oxygen plasma treatment on a surface of ITO was performed. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was spin coated on the ITO surface as a hole injection layer. Then CdSe/CdS/ZnS QDs was spin coated and thermal treatment was performed for the cross-linking of QDs. TiO2 was coated on the QDs as an electron transport layer, and 150 nm of aluminum cathode was formed using thermal evaporator and shadow mask. The device shows a pure red color emission at 606 nm wavelength. Device characteristics will be presented in detail.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.58-59
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• 2007

We have fabricated top-emission. organic ligth-emitting diodes in a structure of Glass/Al/2-TNATA/TPD/$Alq_3$/LiF/Al/Ag. By varying a film thickness of 2-TNATA and TPD, current efficiency, luminance efficiency, and viewing angle dependence of the device were measured. The top device using $Alq_3$ showed electroluminescent peak wavelengths of 522nm and 505nm at $0^{\circ}$ and $60^{\circ}$ viewing angles, respectively. It is thought that a microcavity effect affects on peak wavelength position for different viewing angles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.5-6
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• 2007

반투명 전도성 음극 (semi-transparent conducting cathode)인 Ba (x nm)/Au (20 nm)/ITO (100 nm)을 이용하여 전면발광 유기전계 발광 소자 (top-emitting organic light-emitting didodes, TEOLEDs)를 제작했다. Ba과 bis(8-quinolinolato)aluminum (III) ($Alq_3$) 계면의 전자구조는 엑스선 광전자 분광법 (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS), 자외선 광전자 분광법 (ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, UPS) 및 가까운 끝머리 엑스선 흡수 미세구조 (near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure, NEXAFS) 스펙트럼의 광 방출 특성을 통하여 조사되었다. $Alq_3$/Ba 계면 특성에 있어서 XPS와 NEXAFS 특성에 의하면, $Alq_3$ (10.0 nm) 위에 Ba이 연속적으로 증착됨에 따라 Ba으로부터 $Alq_3$로의 전자전달 (electron charge transfer) 특성은 꾸준희 증가된다. 그러나 Ba의 두께가 1.0 nm 이상 초과되면 Ba의 전자전달에 기인한 반응성때문에 $Alq_3$의 분자구조가 해리된다. 한편, 제작된 TEOLEDE의 전류-전압-휘도 곡선의 경우에서도 바륨의 증착 두께가 1.0 nm일 때 가장 우수한 구동특성을 나타냈다.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.23-27
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• 2010

We prepared Al doped ZnO thin film as a top electrode on a glass substrate with a deposited $Alq_3$ for the top emission organic Light emitting device (TEOLED) with facing target sputtering (FTS) method and radio-frequency (RF) sputtering method, respectively. Before the deposition of AZO thin film, we evaporated the $Alq_3$ on glass substrate by thermal evaporation. And we evaluated the damage of organic layer. As a result, PL intensity of $Alq_3$ on grown by FTS method showed higher than that of grown by RF sputtering method, so we found that the FTS showed the lower damage sputtering than RF sputtering. Therefore, we can expect the FTS method is promising the low-damage sputtering system that can be used as a direct sputtering on the organic layer.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-30
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• 2008

Purpose: This research is that $V_2O_5$ cathode's composition is possible in low temperature. Methods: Transparent in visible spectra range and crystallographically amorphous $V_2O_5$ thin films were prepared by simple vacuum thermal evaporation on soda-lime-silica slide glass substrate. After annealing at 100$^{\circ}C$, 150$^{\circ}C$ and 200$^{\circ}C$ for 10 minutes in air, the surface morphology and the fracture-cross section of the films were investigated by field emission - scanning electron microscope. Transmittance in visible spectra range and surface roughness of the films were analyzed by ultra violet - visible spectrophotometer and scanning probe microscope, respectively. Results: As the increase of annealing temperature from 100$^{\circ}C$ to 150$^{\circ}C$ and 200$^{\circ}C$, transmittance of the $V_2O_5$ films decreased. Optical properties will be fully discussed on the basis of the surface morphological results. Conclusions: Optical transmissivity was superior in case of 100$^{\circ}C$, and could make amorphous $V_2O_5$ thin film that surface quality of thin film did homogeneity.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.993-994
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• 2008

Electrochromic (EC) devices are capable of reversibly changing their optical properties upon charge injection and extraction induced by the external voltage. The characteristics of the EC device, such as low power consumption, high coloration efficiency, and memory effects under open circuit status, make them suitable for use in a variety of applications including smart windows and electronic papers. Coloration due to reduction or oxidation of redox chromophores can be used for EC devices (e-paper), but the switching time is slow (second level). Recently, with increasing demand for the low cost, lightweight flat panel display with paper-like readability (electronic paper), an EC display technology based on dye-modified $TiO_2$ nanoparticle electrode was developed. A well known organic dye molecule, viologen, was adsorbed on the surface of a mesoporous $TiO_2$ nanoparticle film to form the EC electrode. On the other hand, ZnO is a wide bandgap II-VI semiconductor which has been applied in many fields such as UV lasers, field effect transistors and transparent conductors. The bandgap of the bulk ZnO is about 3.37 eV, which is close to that of the $TiO_2$ (3.4 eV). As a traditional transparent conductor, ZnO has excellent electron transport properties, even in ZnO nanoparticle films. In the past few years, one-dimension (1D) nanostructures of ZnO have attracted extensive research interest. In particular, 1D ZnO nanowires renders much better electron transportation capability by providing a direct conduction path for electron transport and greatly reducing the number of grain boundaries. These unique advantages make ZnO nanowires a promising matrix electrode for EC dye molecule loading. ZnO nanowires grow vertically from the substrate and form a dense array (Fig. 1). The ZnO nanowires show regular hexagonal cross section and the average diameter of the ZnO nanowires is about 100 nm. The cross-section image of the ZnO nanowires array (Fig. 1) indicates that the length of the ZnO nanowires is about $6\;{\mu}m$. From one on/off cycle of the ZnO EC cell (Fig. 2). We can see that, the switching time of a ZnO nanowire electrode EC cell with an active area of $1\;{\times}\;1\;cm^2$ is 170 ms and 142 ms for coloration and bleaching, respectively. The coloration and bleaching time is faster compared to the $TiO_2$ mesoporous EC devices with both coloration and bleaching time of about 250 ms for a device with an active area of $2.5\;cm^2$. With further optimization, it is possible that the response time can reach ten(s) of millisecond, i.e. capable of displaying video. Fig. 3 shows a prototype with two different transmittance states. It can be seen that good contrast was obtained. The retention was at least a few hours for these prototypes. Being an oxide, ZnO is oxidation resistant, i.e. it is more durable for field emission cathode. ZnO nanotetropods were also applied to realize the first prototype triode field emission device, making use of scattered surface-conduction electrons for field emission (Fig. 4). The device has a high efficiency (field emitted electron to total electron ratio) of about 60%. With this high efficiency, we were able to fabricate some prototype displays (Fig. 5 showing some alphanumerical symbols). ZnO tetrapods have four legs, which guarantees that there is one leg always pointing upward, even using screen printing method to fabricate the cathode.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.260-264
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• 2007

We have studied stability in organic light-emitting diode depending on buffer layer and cathode. A transparent electrode of indium-tin-oxide(ITO) was used as an anode. An electron injection energy barrier into organic material is different depending on a work function of cathodes. Theoretically, the energy barriers for the electron injection are 1.2 eV, -0.1 eV, and 0.0 eV for Al, LiAl, and LiF/Al at 300 K, respectively. We considered the cases that holes are injected to organic light-emitting diode. The hole injection energy barrier is about 0.7 eV between ITO and TPD without buffer layer. For hole-injection buffer layers of CuPc and PEDOT:PSS, the hole injection energy barriers are 0.4 eV and 0.5 eV, respectively. When the buffer layer of CuPc and PEDOT:PSS is existed, we observed the effects of hole injection energy barrier, and a reduction of operating-voltage. However, in case of PVK buffer layer, the hole injection energy barrier becomes high(1.0 eV). Even though the operating voltage becomes high, the efficiency is improved. A device structure for optimal lifetime condition is ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TPD/$Alq_3$/LiAl at an initial luminance of $300cd/m^2$.