• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.195-201
• /
• 2018

To enhance the performance of cathodes at low temperatures, a Cu-coated cathode is prepared, and its electrochemical performance is examined by testing its use in a single cell. At $620^{\circ}C$ and a current density of $150mAcm^{-2}$, a single cell containing the Cu-coated cathode has a significantly higher voltage (0.87 V) during the initial operation than does that with an uncoated cathode (0.79 V). According to EIS analysis, the high voltage of the cell with the Cu-coated cathode is due to the dramatic decrease in the high-frequency resistance related to electrochemical reactions. From XPS analysis, it is confirmed that the Cu is initially in the form of $Cu_2O$ and is converted into CuO after 150 h of operation, without any change in the state of the Ni or Li. Therefore, the high initial cell voltage is confirmed to be due to $Cu_2O$. Because $Cu_2O$ is catalytically active toward $O_2$ adsorption and dissociation, $Cu_2O$ on a NiO cathode enhances cell performance and reduces cathode polarization. However, the cell with the Cu-coated cathode does not maintain its high voltage because $Cu_2O$ is oxidized to CuO, which demonstrates similar catalytic activity toward $O_2$ as NiO.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.186-192
• /
• 2010

In situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy (ECAFM) observations of the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was performed before and after cyclic voltammetry in lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) dissolved in 1-buthyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium (BDMI)-TFSI to understand the interfacial reactions between graphite and BDMI-based ionic liquids. The formation of blisters and the exfoliation of graphene layers by the intercalation of $BDMI^+$ cations within HOPG were observed instead of reversible lithium intercalation and de-intercalation. On the other hand, lithium ions are reversibly intercalated into the HOPG and de-intercalatied from the HOPG without intercalation of the $BDMI^+$ cations in the presence of 15 wt% of 4.90 mol/$kg^{-1}$ LiTFSI dissolved in propylene carbonate (PC). ECAFM results revealed that the concentrated PC-based solution is a very effective additive for preventing $BDMI^+$ intercalation through the formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI).

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.184-193
• /
• 2023

This study investigates the effects of a carbon fiber layer formed on the surface of an etched aluminum current collector on the electrochemical properties of the activated carbon electrodes for an electric double layer capacitor. A particle size analyzer, field-emission SEM, and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm analyzer are employed to analyze the structure of the carbon fiber layer. The electric and electrochemical properties of the activated carbon electrodes using a carbon fiber layer are evaluated using an electrode resistance meter and a charge-discharge tester, respectively. To uniformly coat the surface with carbon fiber, we applied a planetary mill process, adjusted the particle size, and prepared the carbon paste by dispersing in a binder. Subsequently, the carbon paste was coated on the surface of the etched aluminum current collector to form the carbon under layer, after which an activated carbon slurry was coated to form the electrodes. Based on the results, the interface resistance of the EDLC cell made of the current collector with the carbon fiber layer was reduced compared to the cell using the pristine current collector. The interfacial resistance decreased from 0.0143 Ω·cm² to a maximum of 0.0077 Ω·cm². And degradation reactions of the activated carbon electrodes are suppressed in the 3.3 V floating test. We infer that it is because the improved electric network of the carbon fiber layer coated on the current collector surface enhanced the electron collection and interfacial diffusion while protecting the surface of the cathode etched aluminum; thereby suppressing the formation of Al-F compounds.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.443-455
• /
• 2013

Electrochemical studies on charge transfer reactions across the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) have greatly attracted researcher's attentions due to their wide applicability in research fields such as ion sensing and biosensing, modeling of biomembranes, pharmacokinetics, phase-transfer catalysis, fuel generation and solar energy conversion. In particular, there have been extensive efforts made on developing sensing platforms for ionic species and biomolecules via gelifying one of the liquid phases to improve mechanical stability in addition to creating microscale interfaces to reduce ohmic loss. In this review, we will mainly discuss on the basic principles, applications and future aspects of various sensing platforms utilizing ion transfer reactions across the ITIES. The ITIES is classified into four types : (i) a conventional liquid/liquid interface, (ii) a micropipette supported liquid/liquid interface, (iii) a single microhole or an array of microholes supported liquid/ liquid interface on a thin polymer film, and (iv) a microhole array liquid/liquid interface on a silicon membrane. Research efforts on developing ion selective sensors for water pollutants as well as biomolecule sensors will be highlighted based on the use of direct and assisted ion transfer reactions across these different ITIES configurations.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.11a
• /
• pp.86.2-86.2
• /
• 2010

In order to improve polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) durability, the durability of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), in which the electrochemical reactions actually occur, is one of the vital issues. Many articles have dealt with catalyst layer degradation of the durability-related factors on MEAs in relation to loss of catalyst surface area caused by agglomeration, dissolution, migration, formation of metal complexes and oxides, and/or instability of the carbon support. Degradation of catalyst layer during long-term operation includes cracking or delamination of the layer which result either from change in the catalyst microstructure or loss of electronic or ionic contact with the active surface, can result in apparent activity loss in the catalyst layer. Membrane degradation of the durability-related factors on MEAs can be caused by mechanical or thermal stress resulting in formation of pinholes and tears and/or by chemical attack of hydrogen peroxide radicals formed during the electrochemical reactions. All of these effects, the mechanical damage of membrane and degradation of catalyst layers are more facilitated by uneven stress or improper MEA fabrication process. In order to improve the PEMFC durability, therefore, it is most important to minimize the uneven stress or improper MEA fabrication process in the course of the fabrication of MEA. We analyzed the effects of the MEA fabrication condition on the PEMFC durability with MEA produced using CCM (catalyst coated membrane) method. This paper also investigated the effects of MEA fabrication condition on the PEMFC durability by adding additional treatment process, hot pressing and pressing, on the MEA produced using CCM method.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.183-196
• /
• 2017

The research efforts directed at advancing water electrolysis technology continue to intensify together with the increasing interest in hydrogen as an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels. Among the various water electrolysis systems reported to date, systems employing a solid polymer electrolyte membrane are known to display both improved safety and efficiency as a result of enhanced separation of products: hydrogen and oxygen. Conducting water electrolysis in an alkaline medium lowers the system cost by allowing non-platinum group metals to be used as catalysts for the complex multi-electron transfer reactions involved in water electrolysis, namely the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER, respectively). We briefly review the anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and electrocatalysts developed and applied thus far in alkaline AEM water electrolysis (AEMWE) devices. Testing the developed components in AEMWE cells is a key step in maximizing the device performance since cell performance depends strongly on the structure of the electrodes containing the HER and OER catalysts and the polymer membrane under specific cell operating conditions. In this review, we discuss the properties of reported AEMs that have been used to fabricate membrane-electrode assemblies for AEMWE cells, including membranes based on polysulfone, poly(2,6-dimethyl-p-phylene) oxide, polybenzimidazole, and inorganic composite materials. The activities and stabilities of tertiary metal oxides, metal carbon composites, and ultra-low Pt-loading electrodes toward OER and HER in AEMWE cells are also described.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.486-491
• /
• 2004

Dimensionally stable anode(DSA) can be used for the hydro-metallurgy of non-ferrous metals like as Zn, and the electrolysis of sea water. MnO$_2$ electrode satisfies the requirements of DSA, and has a good cycle life and a low overpotential for oxygen evolution. MnO$_2$ electrodes based on Ti matrix were prepared by using thermal decomposition method and also MnO$_2$ was coated on Ti and Pb matrix with DMF and PVDF compositions. The MnO$_2$ electrodes prepared by thermal decomposition method had very weak adhesive strength onto Ti matrix and MnO$_2$ layer was removed out so that electrochemical properties for MnO$_2$ were not investigated. The viscosity of solvent used as a binder of MnO$_2$ Powder increased with the increasing PVDF contents. The thickness of the MnO$_2$ layer on Pb matrix in DSA, which was prepared with 5 times dipping at the solution mixed with PVDF : DMF = 1 : 9, was 150${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. When the ratio of PVDF to MnO$_2$ was lower than 1 : 6, the Pb electrode didn't show any reaction irrespective of the concentrations of DMF. However, When the ratio of PVDF to MnO$_2$ was higher than 1: 6, the Pb electrode showed constant current reactions and homogeneous cyclic voltammetry even though at a high cycle. The reason for the high current and homogeneous cyclic voltammetry is the good catalytic reactions of MnO$_2$ powder in electrode.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.516-520
• /
• 2023

Highly safe lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are required for large-scale applications such as electrical vehicles and energy storage systems. A highly stable cathode is essential for the development of safe LIBs. LiFePO₄ is one of the most stable cathodes because of its stable structure and strong bonding between P and O. However, it has a lower energy density than lithium transition metal oxides. To investigate the high energy density of phosphate materials, vanadium phosphates were investigated. Vanadium enables multiple redox reactions as well as high redox potentials. LiVPO₄O has two redox reactions (V⁵⁺/V⁴⁺/V³⁺) but low electrochemical activity. In this study, LiVPO₄O is doped with fluorine to improve its electrochemical activity and increase its operational redox potential. With increasing fluorine content in LiVPO₄O_1-xF_x, the local vanadium structure changed as the vanadium oxidation state changed. In addition, the operating potential increased with increasing fluorine content. Thus, it was confirmed that fluorine doping leads to a strong inductive effect and high operating voltage, which helps improve the energy density of the cathode materials.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.40 no.12
• /
• pp.769-776
• /
• 2016

In this study, a numerical simulation of a vanadium redox flow battery was investigated for reactions involving an electrochemical species using comprehensive conservation laws and a kinetic model. For a 3-D geometry of the cell, the distributions of electric potential, vanadium concentration, overpotential, and ohmic loss were calculated. The cell temperature and initial vanadium ion concentration were set as variables. The voltage and electrochemical loss were calculated for each variable. The effects of each variable's impact on the electrochemical performance of a vanadium redox flow battery was numerically analyzed using the calculated overpotential in the electrode and the ohmic loss in the electrolyte phase. The cell temperature increased from $20^{\circ}C$ to $80^{\circ}C$ when the voltage efficiency decreased from 89.34% to 87.29%. The voltage efficiency increased from 88.65% to 89.25% when the vanadium concentration was changed from $1500mol/m^3$ to $3000mol/m^3$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2016.02a
• /
• pp.392.1-392.1
• /
• 2016

Nowadays, research interest in developing the wearable devices are growing remarkably. Portable consumer electronic systems are becoming lightweight, flexible and even wearable. In fact, wearable electronics require energy storage device with thin, foldable, stretchable and conformable properties. Accordingly, developing the flexible energy storage devices with desirable abilities has become the main focus of research area. Among various energy storage devices, supercapacitors have been considered as an attractive next generation energy storage device owing to their advantageous properties of high power density, rapid charge-discharge rate, long-cycle life and high safety. The energy being stored in pseudocapacitors is relatively higher compared to the electrochemical double-layer capacitors, which is due to the continuous redox reactions generated in the electrode materials of pseudocapacitors. Generally, transition metal oxides/hydroxide (such as $Co_3O_4$, $Ni(OH)_2$, $NiFe_2O_4$, $MnO_2$, $CoWO_4$, $NiWO_4$, etc.) with controlled nanostructures (NSs) are used as electrode materials to improve energy storage properties in pseudocapacitors. Therefore, different growth methods have been used to synthesize these NSs. Of various growth methods, electrochemical deposition is considered to be a simple and low-cost method to facilely integrate the various NSs on conductive electrodes. Herein, we synthesized amorphous $NiWO_4$ NSs on cost-effective conductive textiles by a facile electrochemical deposition. The as-grown amorphous $NiWO_4$ NSs served as a flexible and efficient electrode for energy storage applications.