• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2022

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as a promising candidate for next-generation power sources due to their high theoretical energy density, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur and its insoluble discharging products (Li₂S₂/Li₂S), large volume changes, severe self-discharge, and dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates result in rapid capacity fading, low Coulombic efficiency, and safety risks, hindering Li-S battery commercial development. In this study, a three-dimensionally (3D) connected hierarchical porous carbon framework (HPCF) derived from waste sunflower seed shells was synthesized as a sulfur host for Li-S batteries via a chemical activation method. The natural 3D connected structure of the HPCF, originating from the raw material, can effectively enhance the conductivity and accessibility of the electrolyte, accelerating the Li⁺/electron transfer. Additionally, the generated micropores of the HPCF, originated from the chemical activation process, can prevent polysulfide dissolution due to the limited space, thereby improving the electrochemical performance and cycling stability. The HPCF/S cell shows a superior capacity retention of 540 mA h g^-1 after 70 cycles at 0.1 C, and an excellent cycling stability at 2 C for 700 cycles. This study provides a potential biomass-derived material for low-cost long-life Li-S batteries.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2023

Silicon (Si) is considered as a promising substitute for the conventional graphite due to its high theoretical specific capacity (3579 mAh/g, Li₁₅Si₄) and proper working voltage (~0.3V vs Li⁺/Li). However, the large volume change of Si during (de)lithiation brings about severe degradation of battery performances, rendering it difficult to be applied in the practical battery directly. As a one feasible candidate of industrial Si anode, silicon monoxide (SiO_x) demonstrates great electrochemical stability with its specialized strategy, downsized Si nanocrystallites surrounded by Li⁺ inactive buffer phase (Li₂O and Li₄SiO₄). Nevertheless, SiO_x inherently has the initial irreversible capacity and poor electrical conductivity. To overcome those issues, conformal carbon coating has been performed on SiO_x utilizing ethylbenzene as the carbon precursor of chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Through various characterizations, it is confirmed that the carbon is homogeneously coated on the surface of SiO_x. Accordingly, the carbon-coated SiOx from CVD using ethylbenzene demonstrates 73% of the first cycle efficiency and great cycle life (88.1% capacity retention at 50th cycle). This work provides a promising synthetic route of the uniform and scalable carbon coating on Si anode for high-energy density.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2023

Silicon has been studied as an anode material for next-generation lithium ion batteries due to its high theoretical electrochemical capacity. However, the extreme volume change during the lithiation/delithiation and the inherently low electronic conductivity of silicon hamper the practical application of silicon anodes. Conductive polymer binders are effective means to solve these problems, and it has been reported that the performance of the silicon anode can be greatly improved through the proper molecular design of the conductive polymer binders. In this paper, representative recent studies on conductive polymer binders for silicon anodes will be introduced, and through this, binder design strategies to overcome the limitations of silicon anodes will be explored.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2023

In this work, the preparation and its oil adsorption behavior of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon nanofiber sponge were investigated. The prepared carbon sponges showed excellent selective oil adsorption in the mixture of water and oil, and the adsorption capacity of reused carbon nanofiber sponge was also investigated. Further, carbon nanofiber sponge adsorbent with internally structured channel showed fast oil adsorption behavior due to a capillary phenomenon. After use, sponge adsorbent was heat-treated at 800℃ under N² and studied the possibility of a sensor for electrochemical detection of 4-aminophenol.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.194-198
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• 2022

All-solid-state thin-film battery can realize the integration of electronic circuits into small devices. However, a high voltage cathode material is required to compensate for the low energy density. Therefore, it is necessary to study all-solid-state thin-film battery based on the high voltage cathode material LNMO. Nevertheless, the electrochemical properties deteriorate due to the problem of the interface between LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) and the solid electrolyte LiPON. In this study, to solve this problem, amorphous V₂O₅ was deposited as an interlayer between LNMO and LiPON. We confirmed the possibility of improving cycle performance of LNMO based thin-film battery. We expect that the results of this study can extend the battery lifespan of small devices using LNMO based all-solid-state thin-film battery.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.257-264
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• 2023

To develop a high capacity lithium secondary battery, a new approach to anode material synthesis is required, capable of producing an anode that exceeds the energy density limit of a carbon-based anode. This research synthesized carbon nano silicon composites as an anode material for a secondary battery using the RF thermal plasma method, which is an ecofriendly dry synthesis method. Prior to material synthesis, a silicon raw material was mixed at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt% based on the carbon raw material in a powder form, and the temperature change inside the reaction field depending on the applied plasma power was calculated. Information about the materials in the synthesized carbon nano silicon composites were confirmed through XRD analysis, showing carbon (86.7~52.6 %), silicon (7.2~36.2 %), and silicon carbide (6.1~11.2 %). Through FE-SEM analysis, it was confirmed that the silicon bonded to carbon was distributed at sizes of 100 nm or less. The bonding shape of the silicon nano particles bonded to carbon was observed through TEM analysis. The initial electrochemical charging/discharging test for the 40 wt% silicon mixture showed excellent electrical characteristics of 1,517 mAh/g (91.9 %) and an irreversible capacity of 133 mAh/g (8.1 %).

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.416-421
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• 2023

Multifunctional composite materials capable of both load-carrying and energy functions are promising innovative candidates for the advancement of contemporary technologies owing to their relative feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and optimized performance. Carbon fiber (CF)-based structural batteries utilize the graphitic inherent structure to enable the employment of carbon fibers as electrodes, current collectors, and reinforcement, while the matrix system is an ion-conduction and load transfer medium. Although it is possible to enhance performance through the modification of constituents, there remains a need for a systematic design methodology scheme to streamline the commercialization of structural batteries. In this work, a bi-phasic epoxy-based ionic liquid (IL) modified structural battery electrolyte (SBE) was developed via thermally initiated phase separation. The polymer's morphological, mechanical, and electrochemical characteristics were studied. In addition, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) between CF/SBE was investigated via microdroplet tests. The results accentuated the significance of considering IFSS and matrix plasticity in designing composite structural batteries. This approach is expected to lay the foundation for realizing smart structures with optimized performance while minimizing the need for extensive trial and error, by paving the way for a streamlined computational design scheme in the future.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.258-266
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• 2024

Rechargeable Li-SnO₂ batteries suffer from issues such as poor electronic/ionic conductivity and huge volume changes. In order to overcome these inherent limitations, this study designed a cell with a unique hierarchical structure, denoted as SnO₂@PCNF. The SnO₂@PCNF cell design incorporates in-situ generated SnO₂ nanoparticles strategically positioned within N-doped porous carbon nanofibers (PCNF). The in-situ generated SnO₂ nanoparticles can alleviate strains during cycling and shorten the pathway for the ions and electrons, improving the utilization of active materials. Moreover, the N-doped PCNF establishes a continuously conductive network to further increase the electrical conductivity and also buffers the significant volume changes that occur during charging and discharging. The resulting SnO₂@PCNF cell exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance and stable cycling characteristics. Notably, a reversible capacity of 520 mAh g^-1 was achieved after 100 cycles at 70 mA g^-1. Even under a higher current density of 1 A g^-1, the cell maintained a capacity retention of 393 mAh g^-1 after 1,000 cycles. These results highlight the SnO₂@PCNF cell's exceptional cycling stability and superior rate capability.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2024

Enhancing the oxygen surface exchange reaction by increasing the specific surface area of the electrode is a promising structural approach to lowering the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Nanowire structures, due to their high specific surface area and lower tortuosity of ion and electron conduction pathways, play a vital role in enhancing SOFC electrode performance. In this study, we synthesized La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3-𝛿 (LSC) nanowires using a polycarbonate membrane filter as a nanotemplate and applied them to the cathode for intermediate-temperature SOFC fabrication. The fabricated cell exhibited a 10% increase in peak power density at 650℃, achieving 0.506 W·cm^-2, compared to cell using only commercial LSC powder. Furthermore, distribution of relaxation times analysis revealed a 15% reduction in area-specific polarization resistance in the mid-frequency range. These findings demonstrated that the electrode with LSC nanowires fabricated through electrospray deposition can significantly improve electrochemical performance of intermediate-temperature SOFC.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2000

In the present we.k, temperature dependence of oxygen diffusivity in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film $D_f$ formed on gold electrode was investigated using steady-state rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique and modulated electrohydrodynamic (EHD) impedance technique. Both the diffusion rate defined as the ratio of oxygen diffusivity in the PVC film to the film thickness $D_f/\delta_f$ and the time constant $\delta_f^2/D_f$ for oxygen diffusion through the PVC film were obtained from plot of the limiting current versus disk rotation speed and from filing the EHD impedance spectra experimentally measured to those theoretically calculated on the basis of the diffusion equation for mass transport through the non-conductive and porous film, respectively. By combining measured $D_f/\delta_f$ with $\delta_f^2/D_f$, we determined $\delta_f\;and\;D_f$ at room temperature separately. As temperature increased, it appeared that the $D_f$ value measured for the PVC film-covered gold RDE was enhanced more rapidly than that $D_s$ value in the solution measured for the PVC film-free gold RDE. This means that the pores glowing with increasing temperature act as effective diffusion paths within the film. The present in-situ steady-state and modulated EHD measurements prove to be effective for determining $\delta_f\;and\;D_f$, separately and at the same time the porosity of the PVC film at temperatures below glass temperature $T_g$ of the film.