• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2005

New fast proton-conducting organic-inorganic nanocomposite membranes were successfully fabricated using polymer matrix obtained through proper oxidation of thiol ligands in (3-Mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTS) and hydrolysis/condensation reaction of (3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPTS). The obtained nanocomposite membranes showed relatively hirh proton-conductivity over $10^{-2}S/cm$ at $ 25^{circ}C$. The proton conductivities of the fabricated composite membranes increased up to $3.6{\times}10^{-1}$ S/cm cm by increasing temperature and relative humidity to $70^{circ}C$ and 100 $100RH\%$. The high proton conductivity of the composites Is due to the proton conducting path through the GPTS-derived 'pseudo-polyethylene oxide 'network in which sulfonic acid ligands work as a proton donor.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.649-655
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• 2011

Methane direct cracking can be utilized to produce $CO_x$ and $NO_x$-free hydrogen for PEM fuel cells, oil refineries, ammonia and methanol production. We present the results of a systematic study of methane direct cracking using a mixed conducting oxide, Y-doped $BaZrO_3$ ($BaZr_{0.85}Y_{0.15}O_3$), membrane. In this paper, dense $BaZr_{0.85}Y_{0.15}O_3$ membrane with disk shape was successfully sintered at $1400^{\circ}C$ with a relative density of more 93% via addition of 1 wt% ZnO. The ($BaZr_{0.85}Y_{0.15}O_3$) membrane is covered with Pd as catalyst for methane decomposition with an DC magnetron sputtering method. Reaction temperature was $800^{\circ}C$ and high purity methane as reactant was employed to membrane side with 1.5 bar pressure. The $H_2$ produced by the reaction was transported through mixed conducting oxide membrane to the outer side. In addition, it was observed that the carbon, by-product, after methane direct cracking was deposited on the Pd/ZnO-$BaZr_{0.85}Y_{0.15}O_3$ membrane. The produced carbon has a shape of sphere and nanosheet, and a particle size of 80 to 100 nm.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.356-363
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• 2010

For this paper, we investigated the area specific resistance (ASR) of commercially available ferritic stainless steels with different chemical compositions for use as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) interconnect. After 430h of oxidation, the STS446M alloy demonstrated excellent oxidation resistance and low ASR, of approximately 40 $m{\Omega}cm^2$, of the thermally grown oxide scale, compared to those of other stainless steels. The reason for the low ASR is that the contact resistance between the Pt paste and the oxide scale is reduced due to the plate-like shape of the $Cr_2O_3$(s). However, the acceptable ASR level is considered to be below 100 $m{\Omega}cm^2$ after 40,000 h of use. To further improve the electrical conductivity of the thermally grown oxide on stainless steels, the Co layer was deposited on the stainless steel by means of an electroless deposition method; it was then thermally oxidized to obtain the $Co_3O_4$ layer, which is a highly conductive layer. With the increase of the Co coating thickness, the ASR value decreased. For Co deposited STS444 with 2 ${\mu}m$hickness, the measured ASR at $800^{\circ}$ after 300 h oxidation is around 10 $m{\Omega}cm^2$, which is lower than that of the STS446M, which alloy has a lower ASR value than that of the non-coated STS. The reason for this improved high temperature conductivity seems to be that the Mn is efficiently diffused into the coating layer, which diffusion formed the highly conductive (Mn,Co)$_3O_4$ spinel phases and the thickness of the $Cr_2O_3$(S), which is the rate controlling layer of the electrical conductivity in the SOFC environment and is very thin

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2011

In this study, polymer composite membranes based on sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPAES) were prepared using a solution casting method with different amount of vermiculite (VMT) content. The dispersion of VMT particles in the SPAES matrix was confirmed by means of a scanning electron microscopy observation. The composite membrane containing less than 1 wt% of VMT has a smooth skin on the top and bottom, which means there is a good dispersion of VMT in the matrix. The water uptake of the composite membranes gradually increases as the temperature increases, and the results confirm that all the adsorbed water is bound water because VMT has a strong water affinity on account of its high cation exchange value. A composite membrane with a VMT content of less than 1 wt% increases the proton conductivity and reduces the methanol permeability. Of all the composite membranes, the membrane SPAES/VMT 1.0 has the best fuel cell performance in terms of membrane selectivity. The performance value of SPAES/VMT 1.0 is double that of Nafion 112, which suggests that SPAES/VMT1.0 could be an excellent candidate for direct methanol fuel cells.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.33.1-33.1
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• 2011

Strontium doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) with perovskite structure for SOFC cathode material shows high electrical conductivity and good chemical stability, whereas the electrical conductivity at intermediate temperature below $800^{\circ}C$ is not sufficient due to low oxygen ion conductivity. The approach to improve electrical conductivity is to make more oxygen vacancies by substituting alkaline earths (such as Ca, Sr and Ba) for La and/or a transition metal (such as Fe, Co and Cu) for Mn. Among various cathode materials, $LaSrMnCuO_3$ has recently been suggested as the potential cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). As for the Cu doping at the B-site, it has been reported that the valence change of Mn ions is occurred by substituting Cu ions and it leads to formation of oxygen vacancies. The electrical conductivity is also affected by doping element at the A-site and the co-doping effect between A-site and B-site should be described. In this study, the $La_{1-x}Sr_xMn_{0.8}Cu_{0.2}O_{3{\pm}{\delta}}$ ($0{\leq}x{\leq}0.4$) systems were synthesized by a combined EDTA-citrate complexing process. The crystal structure, morphology, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity with different Sr contents were studied and their co-doping effects were also investigated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.567-567
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• 2012

Since the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have extraordinary material properties, many researchers are trying to make a practical application in various fields [1]. In particular, the high surface area of CNTs was fascinated for nano-template on the catalytic system. $RuO_2$ coated CNTs are useful functional nano-composites in many applications, including super capacitors, fuel cells, biosensors, and field emitters. However, the research of interaction between CNTs and $RuO_2$ was not satisfied with various fields [2]. In this study, we will introduce the change of chemical and electrical state of $RuO_2$/CNTs at different temperatures by synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES). The t-MWCNTs used in this experiment were grown on the Ni/TiN/Si substrates by chemical vapor deposition. $RuO_2$ of 4-20 nm in thickness was deposited on the t-MWNTs by sputter. The SRPES measurements were carried out at the 4B1 beamline of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory in Korea. The result of XPS measurement indicates that the deposited $RuO_2$ on the CNTs was reduced into pure Ru at above $300^{\circ}C$. And we confirmed that the effective work function of $RuO_2$/CNTs was decreased with increasing temperature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.30-31
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• 2006

The LSCF cathode for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell was investigated to develop high performance unit cell at intermediate temperature by modified oxalate method with different electrolyte. The LSCF precursors using oxalic acid, ethanol and $NH_4OH$ solution were prepared at $80^{\circ}C$, and pH was controlled as 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The synthesis precursor powders were calcined at $800^{\circ}C$, $1000^{\circ}C$ and $1200^{\circ}C$ for 4hrs. Unit cells were prepared with the calcined LSCF cathode, buffer layer between cathode and each electrolyte that is the LSGM, YSZ, ScSZ and CeSZ. The synthesis LSCF powders by modified oxalate method were measured by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The interfacial polarization resistance of cell was characterized by Solatron 1260 analyzer. The crystal of LSCF powders show single phase at pH 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and the average particle size was about $3{\mu}m$. The electric conductivity of synthesis LSCF cathode which was calcined at $1200^{\circ}C$ shows the highest value at pH 7. The cell consist of GDC had the lowest interfacial resistance (about 950 S/cm@650) of the cathode electrode. The polarization resistance of synthesis LSCF cathode by modified oxalate method has the value from 4.02 to 7.46ohm at $650^{\circ}C$. GDC among the electrolytes, shows the lowest polarization resistance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.433-442
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• 2020

In this study, in order to build a molecular dynamics simulation model of ionomer for water electrolysis, an ionomer model that reflects the characteristics of a water electrolysis system in which excess water molecules exist was compared to an ionomer built according to the conventional simulation method of the fuel cells membrane. The final ionomer MD models have a strong phase separation and water channel that is one of the important characteristics of the perfluorinated ionomer, and are stable and water-insoluble under excessive water and high temperature conditions. In the ionomer MD models built in this study, the excess water molecules decrease an ion conductivity due to the dilution of ions, but increase a hydrogen diffusivity. Therefore, it is necessary to design the molecular structure of ionomers for water electrolysis in experimental studies as well as molecular dynamics studies according to the characteristics of the water electrolysis system reported in this study.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.18-29
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• 2021

Platinum group metals (PGMs) are used in a wide range of application fields such as catalysts, electronic devices, electrodes, electrical devices, fuel cells and high temperature materials due to their excellent electrical and thermal conductivity as well as chemical resistivity. Platinum group elements are generally associated with nickel-copper sulfides in magmatic rocks. Depending on the relative concentrations of the PGMs, they are produced either as the primary products or as by-products of the nickel and copper. However, PGMs natural resource deposits are strictly limited in countries such as South Africa and Russia. The annual supply of PGMs is only under 500 t. Considering the limited supply of PGMs, there will be a noticeable increase in the supply risk associated with PGMs in the near future. Therefore, it is extremely important to recover PGMs from secondary resources such as spent catalysts. This paper reviews on overview of PGMs extraction and recycling processes.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.758-762
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• 2019

Sodium borohydride,$NaBH_4$, has many advantages as hydrogen source for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). When PEMFC is used for marine use, $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis using seawater is economical. Therefore, in this study, hydrogen was generated by using seawater instead of distilled water in the process of hydrolysis of $NaBH_4$. Properties of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis reaction using activated carbon supported Co-B/C catalyst were studied. The yield of hydrogen decreased as $NaBH_4$ concentration and NaOH concentration were increased during $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis using sea water. At higher concentrations of $NaBH_4$ and NaOH, byproducts adhered to the surface of the catalyst after hydrolysis reaction using sea water, reduced hydrogen yield compared to distilled water. The activation energy of $NaBH_4$ hydrolysis is 59.3, 74.4 kJ/mol for distilled water and sea water, respectively. In order to increase the hydrogen generation rate in seawater as high as distilled water, the reaction temperature has to be increased by $80^{\circ}C$ or more.