• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.425-433
• /
• 2017

As the problems related to the environmental pollution such as carbon dioxide emission are emerging, the need for the renewable energy and environmentally friendly energy is getting intense. Fuel cells are eco-friendly energy generation devices that generate electrical energy and produce water as a sole by-product. Compared to the traditional proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), anion exchange membrane alkaline fuel cell (AEMAFC) has a main advantage of possibility to use low cost metal catalysts due to its faster kinetics. The AEM, which conducts $OH^-$ ions, should possess high ion conductivity as well as high chemical stability at high pH conditions. We hereby introduce a crosslinked poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) having a spacer-type conducting group as novel AEM, and report a high ion conductivity ($67.9mScm^{-1}$ at $80^{\circ}C$) and mechanical properties (Young's modulus : 0.53 GPa) as well as chemical stability (6.8% IEC loss at $80^{\circ}C$ for 1,000 h,) for the developed membrane.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2008.05a
• /
• pp.560-563
• /
• 2008

A modified polyol process is developed to enhance Pt loading during the preparation of Pt/C catalysts. With the help of the zeta potential, the effect of pH on the electrostatic forces between the support and the Pt colloid is investigated. It is shown experimentally that the surface charge on the carbon support becomes more electropositive when the solution pH is changed from alkaline to acidic. However, this change does not affect the electronegative surface charge of Pt colloids already attained and stabilized by glycolate anions. This new behavior caused by the change in the solution pH accounts for the enhanced yield of the process and does not affect the Pt particle size. All our experimental results reveal that this simple modification is a cost effective method for the synthesis of highly Pt loaded Pt/C catalysts for fuel cells.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.88-94
• /
• 2022

The anion exchange membrane used in alkaline membrane fuel cells transports hydroxide ions, and ion conductivity affects fuel cell performance. Thus, the measurement of absolute hydroxide ion conductivity is essential. However, it is challenging to accurately measure hydroxide ion conductivity since hydroxide ions are easily poisoned in the form of bicarbonate by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this study, we applied electrochemical ion exchange treatment to measure the absolute hydroxide ion conductivity of the anion exchange membrane. In addition, we investigated the effect of carbon dioxide poisoning of hydroxide ions on electrochemical performance by measuring bicarbonate conductivity. Commercial anion exchange membranes (FAA-3-50 and Orion TM1) and polyphenylene-based block copolymer (QPP-6F) were used.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2012.03a
• /
• pp.406-409
• /
• 2012

Recently, enormous research efforts have been focused on the development of non-precious catalysts to replace Pt for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and to reduce the cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In recent years, heteroatom (N, B, and P) doped carbon nanostructures have been received enormous importance as a non-precious electrode materials for oxygen reduction. Doping of foreign atom into carbon is able to modify electronic properties of carbon materials. In this study, nitrogen and boron doped carbon nanostructures were synthesized by using a facile and cost-effective thermal annealing route and prepared nanostructures were used as a non-precious electrocatalysts for the ORR in alkaline electrolyte. The nitrogen doped carbon nanocapsules (NCNCs) exhibited higher activity than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst, excellent stability and resistance to methanol oxidation. The boron-doped carbon nanostructure (BC) prepared at $900^{\circ}C$ showed higher ORR activity than BCs prepared lower temperature (800, $700^{\circ}C$). The heteroatom doped carbon nanomaterials could be promising candidates as a metal-free catalysts for ORR in the PEMFCs.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.207-219
• /
• 2024

Metal-N-C (MNC) catalysts have been anticipated as promising candidates for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to achieve low-cost polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The structure of the M-N_x moiety enabled a high catalytic activity that was not observed in previously reported transition metal nanoparticle-based catalysts. Despite progress in non-precious metal catalysts, the low density of active sites of MNCs, which resulted in lower single-cell performance than Pt/C, needs to be resolved for practical application. This review focused on the recent studies and methodologies aimed to overcome these limitations and develop an inexpensive catalyst with excellent activity and durability in an alkaline environment. It included the possibility of non-precious metals as active materials for ORR catalysts, starting from Co phthalocyanine as ORR catalyst and the development of methodologies (e.g., metal-coordinated N-containing polymers, metal-organic frameworks) to form active sites, M-N_x moieties. Thereafter, the motivation, procedures, and progress of the latest research on the design of catalyst morphology for improved mass transport ability and active site engineering that allowed the promoted ORR kinetics were discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 2018.06a
• /
• pp.62-62
• /
• 2018

Pt is still considered as one of the most active electrocatalysts for ORR in alkaline fuel cells. However, the high cost and scarcity of Pt hamper the widespread commercialization of fuel cells. As a strong candidate for the replacement of Pt catalyst, silver (Ag) has been extensively studied due to its high activity, abundance, and low cost. Ag is more stable than Pt in the pH range of 8~14 as the equilibrium potential of Ag/Ag+ being ${\approx}200mV$ higher than that of Pt/PtO. However, Ag is the overall catalytic activity of Ag for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is still not comparable to Pt catalyst since the surface Ag atoms are approximately 10 times less active than Pt atoms. Therefore, further enhancement in the ORR activity of Ag catalysts is necessary to be competitive with current cutting-edge Pt-based catalysts. We demonstrate the architectural design of Ag catalysts, synthesized using plasma discharge in liquid phase, for enhanced ORR kinetics in alkaline media. An attractive feature of this work is that the plasma status controlled via electric-field could form the Ag nanowires or dendrites without any chemical agents. The plasma reactor was made of a Teflon vessel with an inner diameter of 80 mm and a height of 80 mm, where a pair of tungsten(W) electrodes with a diameter of 2 mm was placed horizontally. The stock solutions were made by dissolving the 5-mM AgNO3 in DI water. For the synthesis of Agnanowires, the electricfield of 3.6kVcm-1 in a 200-ml AgNO3 aqueous solution was applied across the electrodes using a bipolar pulsed power supply(Kurita, Seisakusyo Co. Ltd). The repetition rate and pulse width were fixed at 30kHz and 2.0 us, respectively. The plasma discharge was carried out for a fixed reaction time of 60 min. In case of Ag nanodendrites, the electric field of 32kVcm-1 in a 200-ml AgNO3 aqueous solution was applied and other conditions were identical to the plasma discharge in water in terms of electrode configuration, repetition rate and discharge time. Using SEM and STEM, morphology of Ag nanowires and dendrites were investigated. With 3.6 kV/cm, Ag nanowire was obtained, while Ag dendrite was constructed with 32 kV/cm. The average diameter and legth of Ag nanowireses were 50 nm and 3.5 um, and thoes values of Ag dendrites were 40 nm and 3.0 um. As a results of XPS analysis, the surface defects in the Ag nanowires facilitated O2 incorporation into the surface region via the interaction between the oxygen and the electron cloud of the adjacent Ag atoms. The catalytic activity of Ag for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) showed that the catalytic ORR activity of Ag nanowires are much better than Ag nanodendrites, and electron transfer number of Ag nanowires is similar to that of Pt (${\approx}4$).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.701-709
• /
• 1992

Silver particles were impregnated on carbon black with colloidal method and used as catalyst for oxygen electrode in alkaline fuel cell. With the addition of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate in $AgNO_3$ and $NaBH_4$solution, colloidal solution was made and confirmed with electrophoresis test. Effects of particle size on electrode performance were studied and $200{\AA}$ of silver particle size shown the highest value of mass activity. The aggromeration of silver particle was Influenced with surfactant amount, stirring time and heat treatment. Considering the increase of particle size caused of operating temperature, recommendable particle size of silver catalyst for manufacturing the electrode was $100{\AA}$. Dispersity of carbon black was investigated and reagglomeration was appeared after homogenizing 30 sec.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.119-136
• /
• 2000

Being autotrophic, algae occupy a trategic place in the biosphere. They produce oxygen both directly and indirectly through the chloroplasts of all green plants. The chloroplasts are believed to have originated from archaic prokaryotic algae through endosymbiosis with primitive eukaryotic cells. Phytoplankton and other algae regulate the global environment not only by releasing oxygen but also by fixing carbon dioxide. They affect water quality, help in the treatment of sewage, and produce biomass. They can be used to produce hydrogen which is a clean fuel, and biodiesel, and fix $N_2$ for use as a biofertilizer. Some other services of algae to the environment include restoration of metal damaged ecosystems, reducing the atmospheric $CO_2$ load and citigating global warming, reclamation of saline-alkaline unfertile lands, and production of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) involved in the regulation of UV radiation. ozone concentration, and global warming. Algae can be valuable in understanding and resolving certain environmental issues.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.163-170
• /
• 1999

The effects of the operating conditions in AFC single cells have not been studied in detail. In this study, by using a one-dimensional isothermal model a computational simulation was conducted to investigate the effects of the initial electrolyte concentration and the operating gas pressure. According to the result, the optimum electrolyte concentration at the base-case was found to be within $3.0\~3.5$ M. The variation of the cell performance according to the electrolyte concentration was found to be caused mainly by the charge transfer resistances of both electrodes, Henry's constant and the liquid phase diffusivity of the dissolved gases. It was also found that an increase in operating pressure increased the reaction rates and the solubilities of the gases, which led to a considerable enhancement of the cell performance.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2012.05a
• /
• pp.70.1-70.1
• /
• 2012

In-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies of SOFC cathode materials will be discussed in this presentation. The mixed conducting perovskites (ABO3) containing rare and alkaline earth metals on the A-site and a transition metal on the B-site are commonly used as cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, the details of the oxygen reduction reaction are still not clearly understood. The information about the type of adsorbed oxygen species and their concentration is important for a mechanistic understanding of the oxygen incorporation into these cathode materials. XPS has been widely used for the analysis of adsorbed species and surface structure. However, the conventional XPS experiments have the severe drawback to operate at room temperature and with the sample under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, which is far from the relevant conditions of SOFC operation. The disadvantages of conventional XPS can be overcome to a large extent with a "high pressure" XPS setup installed at the BESSY II synchrotron. It allows sample depth profiling over 2 nm without sputtering by variation of the excitation energy, and most importantly measurements under a residual gas pressure in the mbar range. It is also well known that the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction is very sensitive to their electrical conductivity and oxygen nonstoichiometry. Although the electrical conductivity of perovskite oxides has been intensively studied as a function of temperature or oxygen partial pressure (Po2), in-situ measurements of the conductivity of these materials in contact with the electrolyte as a SOFC configuration have little been reported. In order to measure the in-plane conductivity of an electrode film on the electrolyte, a substrate with high resistance is required for excluding the leakage current of the substrate. It is also hardly possible to measure the conductivity of cracked thin film by electrical methods. In this study, we report the electrical conductivity of perovskite $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}CoO_{3-{\delta}}$ (LSC) thin films on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte quantitatively obtained by in-situ IR spectroscopy. This method enables a reliable measurement of the electronic conductivity of the electrodes as part of the SOFC configuration regardless of leakage current to the substrate and cracks in the film.