• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.217-221
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• 2012

Over the last decade, performances of low temperature fuel cells are substantially improved by developing highly active Pt-M alloy catalysts. The electrochemical stability of those catalysts, however, still does not meet the commercial grade for fuel cells to be long-term power sources of electrical vehicles. To unveil a major mechanism causing such weak durability, we extensively utilize ab-initio computations on nano-scale Pt-Co alloy catalysts and analyze thermodynamically the most stable structure as a function of compositional variation. Our results indicate that there is a certain feature governing the particle distribution of a specific alloy element on the nano-scale catalysts, which aggravates the electrochemical degradation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.391-397
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• 2015

NiO catalysts/$Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam for hydrogen production was prepared using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subsequent dip-coating methods. FeCrAl alloy foam and $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer were used as catalyst supports. To improve the dispersion and stability of NiO catalysts, an $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer was introduced and their thickness was systematically controlled to 0, 20, 50 and 80 nm using an ALD technique. The structural, chemical bonding and morphological properties (including dispersion) of the NiO catalysts/$Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy. In particular, to evaluate the stability of the NiO catalysts grown on $Al_2O_3$/FeCrAl alloy foam, chronoamperometry tests were performed and then the ingredient amounts of electrolytes were analyzed via inductively coupled plasma spectrometer. We found that the introduction of $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer improved the dispersion and stability of the NiO catalysts on the supports. Thus, when an $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer with a 80 nm thickness was grown between the FeCrAl alloy foam and the NiO catalysts, it indicated improved dispersion and stability of the NiO catalysts compared to the other samples. The performance improvement can be explained by optimum thickness of $Al_2O_3$ inter-layer resulting from the role of a passivation layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.129-129
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• 2013

Nanometal alloy catalysts have been found to significantly increase catalytic efficiency, compared to the monometallic counterparts. This enhancement can be attributed to various alloying effects: i) the existence of uniquemixed-metal surface sites [the so called ensemble (geometric) effect]; ii) electronic state changes due to metal-metal interactions [the so called ligand (electronic) effect]; and iii) strain caused by lattice mismatch between the alloy components [the socalled strain effect]. In addition, the presence of low-coordination surface atoms and preferential exposure of specific facets [(111), (100), (110)] in association with the size and shape of nanoparticle catalysts [the so called shape-size-facet effect] can be another important factor for modifying the catalytic activity. However, mechanisms underlying the alloying effect still remain unclear owing to the difficulty of direct characterization. Computational approaches, particularly the prediction using first-principles density functional theory (DFT), can be a powerful and flexible alternative for unraveling the role of alloying effects in catalysis since those can give us quantitative insights into the catalytic systems. In this talk, I will present the underlying principles (such as atomic arrangement, facet, local strain, ligand interaction, and effective atomic coordination number at the surface) that govern catalytic reactions occurring on Pd-based alloys using the first-principles calculations. This work highlights the importance of knowing how to properly tailor the surface reactivity of alloy catalysts for achieving high catalytic performance.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.393-399
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• 2016

Flower-like nickel oxide (NiO) catalysts were coated on NiCrAl alloy foam using a hydrothermal method. The structural, morphological, and chemical bonding properties of the NiO catalysts coated on the NiCrAl alloy foam were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. To obtain flower-like morphology of NiO catalysts on the NiCrAl alloy foam, we prepared three different levels of pH of the hydrothermal solution: pH-7.0, pH-10.0, and pH-11.5. The NiO morphology of the pH-7.0 and pH-10.0 samples exhibited a large size plate owing to the slow reaction of the hydroxide ($OH^-$) and nickel ions ($Ni^+$) in lower pH than pH-11.5. Flower-like NiO catalysts (${\sim}4.7{\mu}m-6.6{\mu}m$) were formed owing to the fast reaction of $OH^-$ and $Ni^{2+}$ by increased $OH^-$ concentration at high pH. Thus, the flower-like morphology of NiO catalysts on NiCrAl alloy foam depends strongly on the pH of the hydrothermal solution.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.393-400
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• 2014

NiO catalysts were successfully coated onto FeCrAl metal alloy foam as a catalyst support via a dip-coating method. To demonstrate the optimum amount of NiO catalyst on the FeCrAl metal alloy foam, the molar concentration of the Ni precursor in a coating solution was controlled, with five different amounts of 0.4 M, 0.6 M, 0.8 M, 1.0 M, and 1.2 M for a dip-coating process. The structural, morphological, and chemical bonding properties of the NiO-catalyst-coated FeCrAl metal alloy foam samples were assessed by means of field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy(SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction(XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). In particular, when the FeCrAl metal alloy foam samples were coated using a coating solution with a 0.8 M Ni precursor, well-dispersed NiO catalysts on the FeCrAl metal alloy foam compared to the other samples were confirmed. Also, the XPS results exhibited the chemical bonding states of the NiO phases and the FeCrAl metal alloy foam. The results showed that a dip-coating method is one of best ways to coat well-dispersed NiO catalysts onto FeCrAl metal alloy foam.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.191-194
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• 2009

PtRu based and PtSn based ternary catalysts were prepared by a conventional impregnation method using NaBH4 as reducing agent. The alloy formation, crystalline size and chemical composition of the in-house catalysts were determined by XRD, TEM and EDX, respectively. The chemical compositions of in-house catalysts were quite similar to the nominal value and good alloy formations were also observed. Further, crystalline sizes of ternary catalysts were comparatively smaller than binary catalysts and were approximately 3.5 ~ 5.5 nm. The electrochemical measurements were carried out in the solution 1 M $H_2SO_4$ with 1 M $C_2H_5OH$ at room temperature. LSV results obtained that ternary catalysts were higher current densities and specific activities. Especially, in case of tungsten addition system, Pt5Sn4W/C have the highest specific activities values and was approximately 21.2 and 3.1 times higher than that of PtRu/C and PtSn/C electrocatalyst.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 2016

The anodization of ADC12 aluminum alloy was investigated in the metal anionic acid media. Anodic oxide films containing foreign elements were formed on ADC12 Al alloy by anodization in the anion complex solution. Furthermore, the rough surface and cracks were considerably smoothened by the deposit of metal anions. When the size of metal anion was small, relatively large amount of metal anions was loaded in anodic films. Existence of $MoO_3$, $TiO_2$ and MgO was confirmed by XPS. According to the results of Tafel analysis, Mo oxide represented the most noble anti-corrosion potential due to $MoS_2$ formation. Corrosion current densities were generally higher than that of pristine anodic oxide without anion complexes.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.151-156
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• 2010

In this paper, we characterized bimetallic Pt-Ru/C alloy catalysts having four different compositions and compared the catalytic activities of the prepared alloys for CO oxidation. ICP-AES, EDS, XRD, TEM, and XAS were used to investigate the composition, degree of alloying, particle size, and electronic structure of the prepared Pt-Ru/C catalysts. Those results indicated the synthesis of the alloy catalysts with intended composition and uniform size. The electrochemical study of the characterized alloys showed higher catalytic activity for CO oxidation than that of the commercial Pt/C (E-TEK, Inc., 20 wt %) catalyst. Especially, it was shown that the alloy catalyst with Ru composition of 50 atomic % gave the highest catalytic activity for CO oxidation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.667-673
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• 2009

The electrocatalytic characteristics of oxygen reduction reaction of the $PtxM_{(1-x)}$ (M = Co, Cu, Ni) supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been evaluated in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC). The $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$/MWNTs catalysts with a Pt : M atomic ratio of about 3 : 1 were synthesized and applied to the cathode of PEMFC. The crystalline structure and morphology images of the $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$ particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The results showed that the crystalline structure of the Pt alloy particles in Pt/MWNTs and $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$/MWNTs catalysts are seen as FCC, and synthesized $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$ crystals have lattice parameters smaller than the pure Pt crystal. According to the electrochemical surface area (ESA) calculated with cyclic voltammetry analysis, $Pt_{0.77}Co_{0.23}$/MWNTs catalyst has higher ESA than the other catalysts. The evaluation of a unit cell test using Pt/MWNTs or $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$/MWNTs as the cathode catalysts demonstrated higher cell performance than did a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Among the MWNTs-supported Pt and $Pt_xM_{(1-x)}$ (M = Co, Cu, Ni) catalysts, the $Pt_{0.77}Co_{0.23}$/MWNTs shows the highest performance with the cathode catalyst of PEMFC because they had the largest ESA.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.2019-2024
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• 2014

NiCu alloys have been suggested as potential candidates for catalysts in glucose oxidation. In this study, NiCu alloys with different compositions were prepared on a glassy carbon substrate by changing the electrodeposition potential to examine the effect of Ni/Cu ratios in alloys on catalytic activity toward glucose oxidation. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry showed that NiCu alloys had higher catalytic activity than pure Ni and Cu catalysts. Especially, Ni59Cu41 had superior catalytic activity, which was about twice that of Ni at a given oxidation potential. X-ray analyses showed that the oxidation state of Ni in NiCu alloys was increased with the content of Cu by lattice expansion. Ni components in alloys with higher oxidation state were more effective in the oxidation of glucose.