• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2011

Corrosion of steel bars embedded in concrete admixed with 0%, 2% and 4% calcium nitrite (CN), having compressive strengths of 20 and 46 MPa was investigated. Reinforced concrete specimens were immersed in 3% NaCl solutions for 1, 7 and 15 days where 0.4A external current was applied to accelerate the chemical reactions. Corrosion rate was measured by retrieving electrochemical data via potentiodynamic polarization technique. Pull-out tests of reinforced concrete specimens were then conducted to assess the corroded steel-concrete bond characteristics. Experimental results showed that corrosion rate of steel bars and steel-concrete bond strength were dependent on concrete strength, amount of CN added and accelerated corrosion period. As concrete strength increased from 20 to 46 MPa, corrosion rate of embedded steel decreased. The addition of 2% CN to concrete of 20 MPa was not effective in retarding corrosion of steel at long time of exposure. However, the combination of higher strength concrete and 2% or 4% CN appear to be a desirable approach to reduce the effect of chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcement. After 1 day of corrosion acceleration, specimens without CN showed higher bond strength in both concrete mixes than those with CN. After 7 and 15 days of exposure, the higher concentration of CN, the higher bond strength in both concrete mixes achieved, except for the concrete specimen of 20 MPa compressive strength with 2% CN that recorded the highest deterioration in bond strength at 15 days of exposure.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.65-71
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• 2014

As an important component of a fuel cell, the bipolar plate comprises a large proportion in the fuel cell's volume, weight and price. The bipolar plate is the most widely used; however, graphite bipolar plate is large in volume, brittle and therefore easily broken during assembling. In addition, due to its poor machinability, production costs a lot, unless mass production. Compared with the graphite bipolar plate, the metal bipolar plate has good machinability, high electric conductivity and strong mechanical strength; however, it corrodes easily and has a high contact resistance, so in order to prevent corrosion and reduce the contact resistance, the basic metal needs to be processed by use of electro polishing and coating. The water which is produced by electrochemical reactions in the fuel cell must be discharged smoothly. In this study, in order to prevent corrosion the processes of electro polishing and CrN coating were used. According to the presence or absence of these processes, the contact angles can be measured and different metal bipolar plates can be made, these plates can be used for comparing and analyzing the performance of the fuel cell.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.208-209
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• 2011

In this work, we developed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold that can release amine groups, when an electrical potential was applied to the gold. The strategy was based on the introduction of the electroactive carbamate group, which underwent the two-electron oxidation with simultaneous release of the amine molecules, to alkanethiols. The synthesis of the designed thiol compounds was achieved by coupling isocyanate-containing compound with hydroquinone. The electroactive thiols were mixed with hydroxyl-containing alkanethiol [$HS(CH_2)_{11}OH$] to form mixed monolayers, and cyclic votammetry was used for the characterization of the release. The mixed SAMs showed a first oxidation peak at +540 mV (versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode), demonstrating irreversible conversion from carbamate to hydroqinone with simultaneous release of the amine groups. The second and third cycles showed typical reversible redox reaction of hydroquinone and quione: the oxidation and reduction occurred at +290 mV and -110 mV, respectively. The measurement of ToF-SIMS further indicates that electrochemical-assisted chemical reaction successfully released amine groups. This new SAM-based electrochemistry would be applicable for direct release of biologically active molecules that contain amine groups.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 2014

Among the Ruddlesden-Popper series, $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ has received widespread attention as a promising cathode material by reason of its favorable properties for realizing high performance of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). The $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ cathode is prepared using the facile sol-gel method by employing tri-blockcopolymer (F127) to obtain a single phase in a short sintering time. There are no reactions between the $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ cathode and the $Ce_{0.9}Gd_{0.1}O_{2-\delta}$ (GDC) electrolyte upon sintering at $1000^{\circ}C$, indicating that the $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ cathode has good chemical compatibility with the GDC electrolyte. The maximum electrical conductivity of $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ reaches approximately 240 S $cm^{-1}$ at $100^{\circ}C$ and gradually decreases with increasing temperaturein air atmosphere. The area specific resistance value of $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$ composite with 40 wt% GDC is $0.435{\Omega}cm^2$ at $700^{\circ}C$. These data allow us to propose that the $La_4Ni_3O_{10}$-GDC composite cathode is a good candidate for IT-SOFC applications.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.404-412
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• 1977

Electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene (${\phi}NO_2$) and its derivatives on Pb electrode was studied by means of galvanostatic measurements and coulometric electrolysis in ethanol-water solvent. In acidic solutions phenylhydroxyl amine and aniline ethanol-water solvent. In acidic solutions phenylhydroxyl amine and aniline were produced while nitrosobenzene and coupled products such as azo-and hydrazobenzene were produced in basic solutions. Nitrosobenzene (${\phi}NO$) was not found to be an intermediate in the reduction reactions of ${\phi}NO_2$ in acidic solutions. No direct coupling between ${\phi}NO\;and\;{\phi}NHOH$ was observed to occur in the electrolyte solutions used. Mechanisms of the production of phenylhydroxylamine and nitrosobenzene are deduced from Tafel slope, pH dependence and reaction order with respect to nitrobenzene. Mechanism for the reduction of substituted nitrobenzenes seems to be identical to that of nitrobenzene.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.479-484
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• 2011

In this paper, investigations of thick film $La_{0.75}Sr_{0.25}Ga_{0.8}Mg_{0.16}Fe_{0.04}O_{3-{\delta}}$ (LSGMF) cells fabricated via spin coating on either NiO-YSZ anode or $La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Ga_{0.6}Fe_{0.4}O_3$ (LSGF) cathode substrates are presented. A La-doped $CeO_2$ (LDC) layer is inserted between NiO-YSZ and LSGMF in order to prevent reactions from occurring during co-firing. For the LSGF cathode-supported cell, no interlayer was required because the components of the cathode are the same as those of LSGMF with the exception of Mg. An LSGMF electrolyte slurry was deposited homogeneously on the porous supports via spin coating. The current-voltage characteristics of the anode and cathode supported LSGMF cells at temperatures between $700^{\circ}C$ and $850^{\circ}C$ are described. The LSGF cathode supported cell demonstrates a theoretical OCV and a power density of ~420 mW $cm^2$ at $800^{\circ}C$, whereas the NiO-YSZ anode supported cell with the LDC interlayer demonstrates a maximum power density of ~350 mW $cm^2$ at $800^{\circ}C$, which decreased more rapidly than the cathode supported cell despite the presence of the LDC interlayer. Potential causes of the degradation at temperatures over $700^{\circ}C$ are also discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.75.2-75.2
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• 2013

Atomic layer deposition (ALD), utilizing self-limiting surface reactions, could offer promising perspectives for future efficient energy conversion devices. The capabilities of ALD for surface/interface modification and construction of novel architectures with sub-nanometer precision and exceptional conformality over high aspect ratio make it more valuable than any other deposition methods in nanoscale science and technology. In the context, a variety of researches on fabrication of active materials for energy conversion applications by ALD are emerging. Among those materials, one-dimensional nanotubular titanium dioxide, providing not only high specific surface area but also efficient carrier transport pathway, is a class of the most intensively explored materials for energy conversion systems, such as photovoltaic cells and photo/electrochemical devices. The monodisperse, stoichiometric, anatase, TiO2 nanotubes with smooth surface morphology and controlled wall thickness were fabricated via low-temperature template-directed ALD followed by subsequent annealing. The ALD-grown, anatase, TiO2 nanotubes in alumina template show unusual crystal growth behavior which allows to form remarkably large grains along axial direction over certain wall thickness. We also fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) introducing our anatase TiO2 nanotubes as photoanodes, and studied the effect of blocking layer, TiO2 thin films formed by ALD, on overall device efficiency. The photon convertsion efficiency ~7% were measured for our TiO2 nanotubebased DSCs with blocking layers, which is ~1% higher than ones without blocking layer. We also performed open circuit voltage decay measurement to estimate recombination rate in our cells, which is 3 times longer than conventional nanoparticulate photoanodes. The high efficiency of our ALD-grown, anatase, TiO2 nanotube-based DSCs may be attributed to both enhanced charge transport property of our TiO2 nanotubes photoanode and the suppression of recombination at the interface between transparent conducting electrode and iodine electrolytes by blocking layer.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.243-248
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• 2014

Silicon-carbon composite was prepared by the magnesiothermic reduction of mesoporous silica and subsequent impregnation with a carbon precursor. This was applied for use as an anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Well-ordered mesoporous silica(SBA-15) was employed as a starting material for the mesoporous silicon, and sucrose was used as a carbon source. It was found that complete removal of by-products ($Mg_2Si$ and $Mg_2SiO_4$) formed by side reactions of silica and magnesium during the magnesiothermic reduction, was a crucial factor for successful formation of mesoporous silicon. Successful formation of the silicon-carbon composite was well confirmed by appropriate characterization tools (e.g., $N_2$ adsorption-desorption, small-angle X-ray scattering, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses). A lithium-ion battery was fabricated using the prepared silicon-carbon composite as the anode, and lithium foil as the counter-electrode. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the silicon-carbon composite showed better cycling stability than graphite, when used as the anode in the lithium-ion battery. This improvement could be due to the fact that carbon efficiently suppressed the change in volume of the silicon material caused by the charge-discharge cycle. This indicates that silicon-carbon composite, prepared via the magnesiothermic reduction and impregnation methods, could be an efficient anode material for lithium ion batteries.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.646-652
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• 2018

During a long-term operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs), the fuel cell performance may degrade due to severe agglomeration and dissolution of metal nanoparticles in the cathode. To enhance the electrochemical durability of metal catalysts and to prevent the particle agglomeration in PEMFC operation, this paper proposes a hybrid catalyst structure composed of PtCo alloy nanoparticles encapsulated by porous carbon layers. In the hybrid catalyst structure, the dissolution and migration of PtCo nanoparticles can be effectively prevented by protective carbon shells. In addition, $O_2$ can properly penetrate the porous carbon layers and react on the active Pt surface, which ensures high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Although the hybrid catalyst has a much smaller active surface area due to the carbon encapsulation compared to a commercial Pt catalyst without a carbon layer, it has a much higher specific activity and significantly improved durability than the Pt catalyst. Therefore, it is expected that the designed hybrid catalyst concept will provide an interesting strategy for development of high-performance fuel cell catalysts.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2021

One-dimensional (1D) piezoelectric nanostructures are attractive candidates for energy generation because of their excellent piezoelectric properties attributed to their high aspect ratios and large surface areas. Vertically grown BaTiO₃ nanotube (NT) arrays on conducting substrates are intensively studied because they can be easily synthesized with excellent uniformity and anisotropic orientation. In this study, we demonstrate the synthesis of 1D BaTiO₃ NT arrays on a conductive Ti substrate by electrochemical anodization and sequential hydrothermal reactions. Subsequently, we explore the effect of hydrothermal reaction conditions on the piezoelectric energy conversion efficiency of the BaTiO₃ NT arrays. Vertically aligned TiO₂ NT arrays, which act as the initial template, are converted into BaTiO₃ NT arrays using hydrothermal reaction with various concentrations of the Ba source and reaction times. To validate the electrical output performance of the BaTiO₃ NT arrays, we measure the electricity generated from each NT array packaged with a conductive metal foil and epoxy under mechanical pushings. The generated output voltage signals from the BaTiO₃ NT arrays increase with increasing concentration of the Ba source and reaction time. These results provide a new strategy for fabricating advanced 1D piezoelectric nanostructures by demonstrating the correlation between hydrothermal reaction conditions and piezoelectric output performance.