• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.330-335
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• 2020

Silicon surface nanostructures, which can be easily prepared by electrochemical etching, have attracted considerable attention because of its useful physical properties that facilitate application in diverse fields. In this work, electrochemical and electrochemical-scanning tunneling microscopic (EC-STM) techniques were employed to study the evolution of surface morphology during the electrochemical etching of Si(111)-H in a fluoride solution. The results exhibited that silicon oxide of the Si(111) surface was entirely stripped and then the surface became hydrogen terminated, atomically flat, and anisotropic in the fluoride solution during chemical etching. At the potential more negative than the flat band one, the surface had a tendency to be eroded very slowly, whereas the steps of the terrace were not only etched quickly but the triangular pits also deepened on anodic potentials. These results provided information on the conditions required for the preparation of porous nanostructures on the Si(111) surface, which may be applicable for sensor (or device) preparation (Nanotechnology and Functional Materials for Engineers, Elsevier 2017, pp. 67-91).

• 한국표면공학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.205-210
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• 2010

The A106 Gr B low carbon steel, which was used in the electric power plants and heavy chemical plants, was welded by multi-pass arc welding. The heat affected zone (HAZ) formed by welding was corroded in acid chloride solution, or in saturated $H_2S$ containing acid chloride solution, or in saturated $H_2S$ containing acid chloride solution under applied current. In this order of corrosion solution, the rate of corrosion increased, because $H_2S$ accelerated the iron dissolution, hydrogen evolution, and the formation of nonprotective FeS, whereas the applied current accelerated the electrochemical reaction. The scales formed in acid chloride solution consisted primarily of $Fe_3O_4$, while those formed in $H_2S$ containing acid chloride solution consisted primarily of $Fe_3O_4$ and FeS.

• 대한화학회지
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• 제57권5호
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• pp.533-539
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• 2013

변전위법과 전기화학 임피던스 측정법을 이용하여 borate 완충용액에서 니켈 회전원판전극의 전기화학적 부식과 부동화를 연구하였다. Tafel 기울기, 임피던스, 회전원판전극의 회전속도, 그리고 부식전위와 부식전류의 pH 의존성으로부터 니켈의 부식과 부동화 반응 메커니즘과 환원반응에서의 수소 발생 반응구조를 제안하였다. EIS data로부터 등가회로를 제안하였으며 산화반응의 영역별로 전기화학적 변수들을 측정하였다. 부동화 반응에 의하여 생성된 $Ni(OH)_2$ 산화피막은 전기장의 영향을 받는 탈수반응에 의해 NiO로 전환되는 것으로 보인다.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제30권12호
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• pp.687-692
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• 2020

A zinc-air battery consists of a zinc anode, an air cathode, an electrolyte, and a separator. The active material of the positive electrode is oxygen contained in the ambient air. Therefore, zinc-air batteries have an open cell configuration. The external condition is one of the main factors for zinc-air batteries. One of the most important external conditions is temperature. To confirm the effect of temperature on the electrochemical properties of zinc-air batteries, we perform various analyses under different temperatures. Under 60 ℃ condition, the zinc-air cell shows an 84.98 % self-discharge rate. In addition, high corrosion rate and electrolyte evaporation rate are achieved at 60 ℃. Among the cells stored at various temperature conditions, the cell stored at 50 ℃ delivers the highest discharge capacity; it also shows the highest self-discharge rate (65.33 %). On the other hand, the cell stored at 30 ℃ shows only 2.28 % self-discharge rate.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.377-389
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• 2022

The current global energy supply depends heavily on fossil fuels. This makes technology such as direct water splitting from harvesting solar energy in photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems potentially attractive due to its a promising route for environmentally benign hydrogen production. In this study, undoped and nickel-doped molybdenum oxide photoanodes (called photoanodes S₁ and S₂ respectively) were synthesized through electrodeposition by applying -1.377 V vs Ag/AgCl (3 M KCl) for 3 hours on an FTO-coated glass substrate immersed in molibdatecitrate aqueous solutions at pH 9. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used for microstructural and compositional characterizations of the photoanodes. In addition, the optical and photoelectrochemical characterizations of these photoanodes were performed by UV-Visible spectroscopy, and linear scanning voltammetry (LSV) respectively. The results showed that all the photoanodes produced exhibit conductivity and catalytic properties that make them attractive for water splitting application in a photoelectrochemical cell. In this context, the photoanode S₂ exhibited better photocatalytic activity than the photoanode S₁. In addition, photoanode S₂ had the lowest optical band-gap energy value (2.58 eV), which would allow better utilization of the solar spectrum.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.15-20
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• 2023

Ionic liquids are considered as a promising, alternative solvent for the electrochemical synthesis of metals because of their high thermal and chemical stability, relatively high ionic conductivity, and wide electrochemical window. In particular, their wide electrochemical window enables the electrodeposition of metals without any side reaction of electrolytes such as hydrogen evolution. The electrodeposition of silver is conducted in 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]Cl) ionic liquid system with a silver source of AgCl. This study is the first attempt to electrodeposit silver nanoparticles without using co-solvents other than [C4mim]Cl. Pulse electrolysis is employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by varying applied potentials from -3.0 V to -4.5 V (vs. Pt-quasi reference electrode) and pulse duration from 0.1 s to 0.7 s. Accordingly, the silver nanoparticles whose size ranges from 15 nm to ~100 nm are obtained. The successful preparation of silver nanoparticles is demonstrated regardless of the kinds of substrate including aluminum, stainless steel, and carbon paper in the pulse electrolysis. Finally, the antimicrobial property of electrodeposited silver nanoparticles is confirmed by an antimicrobial test using Staphylococcus aureus.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2016년도 제50회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.102-102
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• 2016

Water, which is most abundant in Earth surface and very closely related to all forms of living organisms, has a simple molecular structure but exhibits very unique physical and chemical properties. Even though tremendous effort has been paid to understand this nature's core substance, there amazingly still lefts much room for scientist to explore its novel behaviors. Especially, as the scale goes down to nano-regime, water shows extraordinary properties that are not observable in bulk state. One of such interesting features is the formation of nanoscale bubbles showing unusual long-term stability. Nanobubbles can be spontaneously formed in water on hydrophobic surface or by decompression of gas-saturated liquid. In addition, the nanobubbles can be generated during electrochemical reaction at normal hydrogen electrode (NHE), which possibly distorts the standard reduction potential at NHE as the surface nanobubble screens the reaction with electrolyte solution. However, the real-time evolution of these nanobubbles has been hardly studied owing to the lack of proper imaging tools in liquid phase at nanoscale. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that the behaviors of nanobubbles can be visualized by in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM), utilizing graphene as liquid cell membrane. The results indicate that there is a critical radius that determines the long-term stability of nanobubbles. In addition, we find two different pathways of nanobubble growth: i) Ostwald ripening of large and small nanobubbles and ii) coalescence of similar-sized nanobubbles. We also observe that the nucleation and growth of nanoparticles and the self-assembly of biomolecules are catalyzed at the nanobubble interface. Our finding is expected to provide a deeper insight to understand unusual chemical, biological and environmental phenomena where nanoscale gas-state is involved.

• 공업화학
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.581-584
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• 2020

The effect of a chemical pretreatment on the surface carbon was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical methods. Primitive carbon has a reducing power likely due to incompletely oxidized functional groups on the surface. We aim to control this reducing power by chemical treatment and apply for the spontaneous deposition of nanoparticles (NPs). Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was initially treated with a reducing agent, NaBH4 or an oxidizing agent, KMnO₄, for 5 min. Subsequently, the pretreated carbon was immersed in a platinum (Pt) precursor. Unexpectedly, SEM images showed that the reducing agent increased spontaneous PtNPs deposition while the oxidizing agent decreased Pt loading more as compared to that of using bare carbon. However, the amount of Pt on the carbon obviously decreased by NaBH₄ treatment for 50 min. Secondly, spontaneous reduction on pretreated glassy carbon (GC) was investigated using the catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). GC electrode treated with NaBH4 for a short and long time showed small (onset potential: -640 mV vs. MSE) and large overpotential for the HER, respectively. Although the mechanism is unclear, the electrochemistry results correspond to the optical data. As a proof-of-concept, these results demonstrate that chemical treatments can be used to design the shapes and amounts of deposited catalytic metal on carbon by controlling the surface state.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제57권2호
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• pp.239-243
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• 2019

본 연구에서는 Anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (2,7-AQDS)와 Tiron을 수계 레독스 흐름 전지 음극 및 양극 활물질로 사용하며 기존의 황산 전해질 대신 중성인 염화암모늄 ($NH_4Cl$)을 전해질로 도입하였다. 이렇게 전해질을 변경함으로써, 황산 전해질의 낮은 셀 전압(0.76 V)을 1.01 V까지 향상시킬수 있다. 성능 최적화를 위해 염화암모늄 전해질에 0.1 M로 활물질 농도를 맞춰 컷-오프 전압에 변화를 주며 완전지셀 성능을 평가하였다. 0.2~1.6 V 구간의 컷-오프 전압으로 $40mA/cm^2$ 하에서 20 사이클 동안 완전지셀을 테스트한 결과, 충전 동안 수소가 발생하였다. 이에 컷-오프 전압 조절로 충전 전압을 낮춰서 수소 발생을 제한하고자 0.2~1.2 V 구간으로 $40mA/cm^2$ 하에서 완전지셀 테스트를 진행하였다. 수소 발생은 없었으며, 전류 효율 99%, 방전 용량 3.3 Ah/L의 성능을 보였다.

• 한국결정성장학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.17-20
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• 2020

고성능의 산소생성반응(OER)과 수소생성반응(HER) 전기촉매 개발은 수전해 시스템의 상용화에 있어서 매우 중요하게 여겨진다. 특히 HER에 비하여 OER이 상대적으로 높은 과전압을 가지기 때문에, OER의 과전압을 효과적으로 낮추는 촉매를 개발하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 본 연구에서는, 매우 간단한 공정을 통하여 triple perovskite 구조의 Nd_1.5Ba_1.5CoFeMnO_x 전기촉매를 합성하였으며 그 특성을 분석하였다. 합성된 Nd_1.5Ba_1.5CoFeMnO_x는 OER 뿐만 아니라 HER에서도 우수한 특성을 나타내었다. 이러한 결과를 통하여 높은 결정성을 가지는 triple perovskite 구조가 간단한 연소 합성법(combustion synthetic method)을 통하여 합성될 수 있으며 알칼리 전해질 하에서 매우 우수한 촉매특성을 보이는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 따라서, 높은 OER, HER 특성을 보이는 Nd_1.5Ba_1.5CoFeMnO_x triple perovskite 촉매는 수전해 시스템의 상용화에 큰 기여를 할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.