• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2006

The effect of $ZrO_2$-coating on the electrochemical properties of the cathode material $LiNi_{0.8}Co_{0.2}O_2$ was investigated using EPMA, TEM, and EIS. In particular, we facused on the distribution of the $ZrO_2$ on the particle surface to study the relation between electrochemical properties of the coated cathode and the distribution of the coating materials in the particle. Based on the results from the composition analysis and electrochemical tests, it was found that the coating layer consisted of nano-sized $ZrO_2$ particles attached non-uniformly on the particle surface and the $ZrO_2$ layer significantly improved the electrochemical properties of the cathode by suppressing the impedance growth at the interface between the electrodes and the electrolyte.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.777-781
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• 2008

Experiments were conducted using SUS430 and Crofer 22 APU steels coated by LSM using plasma spray and slurry spray methods, respectively. High-temperature conductivity and oxidation resistance were investigated. For comparison, SUS430 and Crofer 22 APU without LSM coating were also investigated and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was measured. The results show that the materials without LSM coating exhibit almost the same CTE as YSZ electrolyte in a range of temperatures of $550{\sim}850^{\circ}C$. When coated with LSM, the oxidation rate of the steels decreases by $30{\sim}40%$ using slurry spray and by $10{\sim}30%$ using plasma spray whereas the steels using plasma spray have a better high-temperature conductivity than the steels using slurry spray. It is thus concluded that the LSM coating has a limited effect on increasing high-temperature conductivity while it can effectively reduce the oxidation of the steels.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.11
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• pp.2214-2218
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• 2009

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) has been considered as a possible alternative to current silicon based p-n junction photovoltaic devices due to its advantages of high efficiency, simple fabrication process and low production cost. Numerous researches for high efficient DSC in the various fields are under way even now. Among them, the compact layer, which prevents the back electron transfer between transparent conductive oxides and the redox electrolyte, is fabricated by various methods such as a ZnO dip-coating, $TiCl_4$ dip-coating, and Ti sputtering. In this study, we tried to fabricate the $TiO_2$ compact layer by the spin-coating method using aqueous $TiCl_4$ solution. The effect of the spin-coating method was checked as compared with conventional dip-coating method. As a result, DSC with a spin-coated compact layer had 33.4% and 6% better efficiency than standard DSC and DSC with a dip-coated compact layer.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.57-70
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• 2024

Nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) are increasingly prominent in the energy storage system due to their high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, they face significant challenges, such as rapid capacity fading and structural instability during high-voltage operation cycles. Addressing these issues, numerous researchers have studied the enhancement of electrochemical performance through the coating of NCM cathode materials with substances like metal oxides, lithium composites, and polymers. Coating these cathode materials serves several critical functions: it acts as a protection barrier against electrolyte decomposition, mitigates the dissolution of transition metals, enhances the structural integrity of the electrode, and can even improve the ionic conductivity of the cathode. Ultimately, these improvements lead to better cycle stability, increased efficiency, and enhanced overall battery life, which are crucial for the advancement of NCM-based lithium-ion batteries in high-demand applications. So, this paper will review various cathode coating materials and examine the roles each plays in improving battery performance.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.247-252
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• 2012

Crystal structure and chemical compositions of Plasma electrolytic oxidized layer of A-1100, A-2024, A-5052, A-6061, A-6063, A-7075, ACD-7B and ACD-12 were investigated. The electrolyte for plasma electrolytic oxidation was mixture of distilled water, $Na_2P_2O_7$, Cu, Cr metal salts and KOH. ${\eta}$-Alumina, as well as ${\alpha}$-alumina, was main crystal phase. Another crystals such as $(Al_{0.948}Cr_{0.052})_2O_3$ and $(Al_{0.9}Cr_{0.1})_2O_3$ were also formed in the oxide layer. It was thought that the effect of electrolyte compositions on the physical properties and crystal system of PEO layers was greater than the effect of Al alloy composition variation.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2008

The key component of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane and catalyst layers (anode and cathode electrode). Generally the catalyst layer is coated on the porous electrode supporter (e.g. carbon paper or cloth) using various coating methods such as brushing, decal transfer, spray coating and screen printing methods. However, these methods were disadvantageous in terms of the uniformity of catalyst layer thickness, catalyst loss, and coating time. In this work, we used bar-coating method which can prepare the catalyst layer with uniform thickness for MEA of DMFC. The surface and cross-section morphologies of the catalyst layers were observed by SEM. The performances and resistance of the MEAs were investigated through a single cell evaluation and impedance analyzer.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.407-415
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• 2022

Surface coating of cathodes is an essential process for all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) based on sulfide electrolytes as it efficiently suppresses interfacial reactions between oxide cathodes and sulfide electrolytes. Based on computational calculations, Li₃PO₄ has been suggested as a promising coating material because of its higher stability with sulfides and its optimal ionic conductivity. However, it has hardly been applied to the coating of ASSBs due to the absence of a suitable coating process, including the selection of source material that is compatible with ASSBs. In this study, polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and (NH₄)₂HPO₄ were used as source materials for preparing a Li₃PO₄ coating for ASSBs, and the properties of the coating layer and coated cathodes were compared. The Li₃PO₄ layer fabricated using the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source was rough and inhomogeneous, which is not suitable for the protection of the cathodes. Moreover, the water-based coating solution with the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source can deteriorate the electrochemical performance of high-Ni cathodes that are vulnerable to water. In contrast, when an alcohol-based solvent was used, the PPA source enabled the formation of a thin and homogeneous coating layer on the cathode surface. As a consequence, the ASSBs containing the Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the PPA source exhibited significantly enhanced discharge and rate capabilities compared to ASSBs containing a pristine cathode or Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2022

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are environmentally friendly, large-capacity power generation devices operated at approximately 650℃. If MCFCs are to be commercialized by improving their competitiveness, their cell life should be increased by operating them at lower temperatures. However, a decrease in the operating temperature causes a reduction in the cell performance because of the reduction in the electrochemical reaction rate. The cell performance can be improved by introducing a coating on the cathode of the cell. A coating with a high surface area expands the triple phase boundaries (TPBs) where the gas and electrolyte meet on the electrode surface. And the expansion of TPBs enhances the oxygen reduction reaction of the cathode. Therefore, the cell performance can be improved by increasing the reaction area, which can be achieved by coating nanosized LiCoO₂ particles on the cathode. However, although a coating improves the cell performance, a thick coating makes gas difficult to diffuse into the pore of the coating and thus reduces the cell performance. In addition, LiCoO₂-coated cathode cell exhibits stable cell performance because the coating layer maintains a uniform thickness under MCFC operating conditions. Therefore, the performance and stability of MCFCs can be improved by applying a LiCoO₂ coating with an appropriate thickness on the cathode.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.792-797
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• 1999

The 8mol.%Y$_2$$O_3$-$ZrO_2$mainly employed as an electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs) shows excellent electrical properties but has a weakness in the mechanical properties. Since the electrolyte of SOFCs requires both good electrical and mechanical properties, this study was conducted to meet both requirements. The electrolyte thin films were produced on the LSM(cathode material) substrate of a cell and Si wafer. Four electrolyte film types of single layer and the multiple layer, consisting of 3-YSZ(3mol.%$Y_2$$O_3$) with excellent mechanical properties and 8-YSZ with the excellent electric conduction, were produced by electron beam coating technology. Ther crystal structure and the mechanical properties were also analysed. As the results of the study, the 3-YSZ thin film turned out to be in the tetragonal, partially monoclinic phase, while the 8-YSZ thin film showed the cubic phase. The residual stress in the multiple layer was lower than that of the single layer. The microhardness of the multiple layer was similar to that of the existing 8-YSZ single layer both before and after annealing treatment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.291-301
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• 2009

Double-layered polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared from two different sulfonated poly(aryl ether sulfone) copolymers by the two-step solution casting method for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Sulfonation degrees were adjusted 10% (SPAES-10) and 50% (SPAES-50) by controlling monomer ratios, and the weight ratios of SPAES-10 copolymer were varied in the range of 5~20% to investigate the effect of thickness of coating layers on the membranes. Proton conducting layers were fabricated from SPAES-50 solutions of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by a solution casting technique, and coating layers formed on the semiliquid surface of the conducting layer by pouring of SPAES-10-NMP solutions onto. It was found that double-layered polymer electrolyte membrane could significantly reduce the methanol crossover through the membrane and maintain high proton conductivities being comparable to single-layered SPAES-50 membrane. The maximum power density of membrane-electrolyte assembly (MEA) at the condition of $60^{\circ}C$ and 2 M methanol-air was $134.01\;mW/cm^2$ for the membrane prepared in the 5 wt-% of SPAES-10 copolymer, and it was corresponding to the 105.5% of the performance of the commercial Nafion 115 membrane.