• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2019

This paper presents an air flow sensor (AFS) based on a polymer thin film. This AFS primarily consists of a polymer membrane attached to a metal-patterned glass substrate and a temperature-sensing element composed of NiCr. These two components were integrated on a single glass substrate. The AFS measures changes in capacitance caused by deformation of the polymer membrane based on the air flow and simultaneously detects the temperature of the surrounding environment. A readout integrated circuit (ROIC) was also fabricated for signal processing, and an ROIC chip, 1.8 mm by 1.9 mm in size, was packaged with an AFS in the form of a system-in-package module. The total size of the AFS is 1 by 1 cm, and the diameter and thickness of the circular-shaped polymer membrane are 4 mm and $15{\mu}m$, respectively. The rate of change of the capacitance is approximately 11.2% for air flows ranging between 0 and 40 m/s.

• New & Renewable Energy
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.46-52
• /
• 2010

Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been extensively studied to improve their initial performance as well as their durability and to facilitate the commercialization of fuel cell technology. To improve the MEA performance, particularly at low Pt loadings, many approaches have been made. In the present study, MEA performance improvement was performed by adding $TiO_2$ particles into the catalyst layer of MEA. Most of previous studies have focused on the MEA performance enhancement under low humidity conditions by adding metal oxides into the catalyst layer mainly due to the water keeping ability of those metal oxides particles such as $Al_2O_3$, $SiO_2$ and zeolites. However, this study mainly focused on the improvement of MEA performance under fully humidified normal conditions. In this study, the MEA was prepared by decal method aiming for a continuous MEA fabrication process. The decal process can make very thin and uniform catalyst layer on the surface of electrolyte membrane resulting in very low interfacial resistance between catalyst layer and the membrane surface and uniform electrode structure in the MEA. It was found that the addition of $TiO_2$ particles into the catalyst layer made by decal method can minimize water flooding in the catalyst layer, resulting in the improvement of MEA performance.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.586-590
• /
• 2006

As one of electro active polymers for soft smart materials, the ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC) are easy to produce through chemical reduction processing and show high displacements at low voltage. When the IPMC actuates, the deformation depends on a few factors including the structure of based membrane, species and morphology of the metal electrodes, the nature of cations and the level of hydration. As previously published, we have been studying on improvement of actuation through surface electrode modification of IPMC to grasp the effect of electrode morphology on actuation. This study is comparative experiments through the chemical reaction and deposition by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) in order to prepare the very thin and homogeneous surface electrode of IPMC. The IPMCs were prepared with different surface roughness of polymer membrane, and the influence of the surface roughness on the actuation was studied. By investigating the electrical properties and driving displacement, the actuating properties of IPMC with different surface roughness were studied.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.71-75
• /
• 2023

In general, the presence of non-selective intercrystalline (grain boundary) defects in polycrystalline metal-organic framework (MOF) or zeolite membranes, which are known to be ca. 1 nm in size, causes lower membrane performance (selectivity) than the intrinsically expected. In this study we show that applying a thin polymeric coating of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on a polycrystalline MOF membrane is effective to cap the non-selective intercrystalline defects and therefore improve membrane performance. To demonstrate the concept, first, polycrystalline UiO-66, one of Zr-based MOFs, membranes were prepared by an in-situ solvothermal growth. By controlling membrane growth condition with respect to growth temperature, we were able to obtain polycrystalline UiO-66 membranes at 150 ℃ with intercrystalline defects of which the quantity is not significant, so it can be plugged by the suggested PDMS deposition. Second, their performances were compared before and after the PDMS deposition. As expected, the PDMS deposition ended up with a noticeable increase in CO₂/N₂ ideal selectivity from 6 to 14, indicating successful intercrystalline defect plugging. However, the enhancement in CO₂/N₂ selectivity was accompanied by a significant reduction in CO₂ permeance from 5700 to 33 GPU because the PDMS deposition not only plugs defects but also forms a continuous coating on membrane surface, adding an additional transport resistance.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.527-532
• /
• 2005

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC) are soft polymeric smart materials having large displacement at low voltage in air and water. The polymeric electrolyte actuator consists of a thin and porous membrane and metal electrodes plated on both faces, in impregnation electro-plating method. The response and actuation of actuator are governed. Among many factors governing the activation and response of IPMC actuator, the surface electrode plays an important role. In this study, the well-designed modification of electrode surface was carried out in order to improve the chemical stability well as electromechanical characteristics of the IPMC actuator. We employed Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) method to prepare the topologically homogeneous thin surface electrode. After roughing the surface of Nafion membrane in order to get a larger surface area, the IPMC was prepared by impregnation for electro-plating and re- coating on the surface through traditional chemical deposition, followed by an additional surface treatment with high conductive metals with IBAD. It was observed that our IPMC specimen shows the enhanced surface electrical properties as well as the improved actuation and response characteristics under applied electric field.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.417-425
• /
• 2021

As the demand for high-capacity batteries increases, there has been growing researches on the lithium metal anode with a capacity (3,860 mAh/g) of higher than that of conventional one and a low electrochemical potential (-3.040 V). In this study, using the anatase phased TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis, a PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ organic/inorganic composite material was designed and used as an interfacial protective layer for a Li metal anode. As-formed organic/inorganic-lithium composite thin film was confirmed through the crystalline structure and morphological analyses. In addition, the electrochemical test (cycle stability and voltage profile) confirmed that the protective layer of PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ composite (10 wt% TiO₂ and 1.1 ㎛ film thickness) contributed to the enhanced electrochemical performance of the lithium metal anode (Colombic efficiency retention: 90% for 77 cycles). Based on comparative test with the untreated lithium electrode, it was confirmed that our protective layer plays an important role to stabilize/improve the EC performance of the lithium metal negative electrode.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.167-172
• /
• 2020

The effectiveness of in situ sediment capping as a technique for heavy metal risk mitigation in Hyeongsan River estuary, South Korea was studied. Sites in the estuary were found previously to show moderate to high levels of contamination of mercury, methylmercury and other heavy metals. A 400 m x 50 m section of the river was selected for a thin layer capping demonstration, where the total area was divided into 4 sections capped with different combinations of capping materials (zeolite, AC/zeolite, AC/sand, zeolite/sand). Pore water concentrations in the different sites were studied using diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) probes. All capping amendments showed reduction in the pore water concentration of the different heavy metals with top 5 cm showing %reduction greater than 90% for some heavy metals. The relative maxima for the different metals were found to be translated to lower depths with addition of the caps. For two-layered cap with AC, order of placement should be considered since AC can easily be displaced due to its relatively low density. Investigation of methylmercury (MeHg) in the site showed that MeHg and %MeHg in pore water corresponds well with maxima for sulfide, Fe and Mn suggesting mercury methylation as probably coupled with sulfate, Fe and Mn reduction in sediments. Our results showed that thin-layer capping of active sorbents AC and zeolite, in combination with passive sand caps, are potential remediation strategy for sediments contaminated with heavy metals.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.257-264
• /
• 2005

This paper proposes an ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) based artificial muscle to be applicable to the Myoelectric hand prosthesis. The IPMC consists of a thin polymer membrane with metal electrodes plated chemically on both faces, and it is widely applying to the artificial muscle because it is driven by relatively low input voltage. The control commands for the IPMC-based artificial muscle is given by electromyographic (EMG) signals obtained from human forearm. By an intended contraction of the human flexor carpi ulnaris and extensor carpi ulnaris muscles, we investigated the actuation behavior of the IPMC-based artificial muscle. To obtain higher actuation force of the IPMC, the single layered as thick as $800[{\mu}m]$ or multi-layered IPMC of which each layer can be as thick as $178[{\mu}m]$ are prepared. As a result, the bending force was up to the maximum 12[gf] from 1[gf] by actuating the single layered IPMC with $178[{\mu}m]$, but the bending displacement was reduced to 6[mm] from 30[mm]. The experimental results using an implemented IPMC control system show a possibility and a usability of the bio-mimetic artificial muscle.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.149-157
• /
• 2023

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have shown promise in various applications, including molecular separation, dye separation, gas separation, filtration, and desalination. Integrating COFs into membranes enhances permeability, selectivity, and stability, improving separation processes. Combining COFs with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) creates nanocomposite membranes with high permeability and stability, ideal for dye separation. Incorporating COFs into polyamide (PA) membranes improves permeability and selectivity through a synthetic interfacial strategy. Three-dimensional COF fillers in mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) enhance CO₂/CH₄ separation, making them suitable for biogas upgrading. All-nanoporous composite (ANC) membranes, which combine COFs and metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes, overcome permeance-selectivity trade-offs, significantly improving gas permeance. Computational simulations using hypothetical COFs (hypoCOFs) demonstrate superior CO₂ selectivity and working capacity relevant for CO₂ separation and H₂ purification. COFs integrated into thin-film composite (TFC) and polysulfonamide (PSA) membranes enhance rejection performance for organic contaminants, salt contaminants, and heavy metal ions, improving separation capabilities. TpPa-SO₃H/PAN covalent organic framework membranes (COFMs) exhibited superior desalination performance compared to traditional polyamide membranes by utilizing charged groups to enable efficient desalination through electrostatic repulsion, suggesting their potential for ionic and molecular separations. These findings highlight COFs' potential in membrane technology for enhanced separation processes by improving permeability, selectivity, and stability. In this review, COF applied for the separation process is discussed.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.375-381
• /
• 2011

Ionic polymer-metal composite(IPMC) consists of an ion conductive membrane plated by metallic electrodes on both surfaces. When it bends, a voltage is generated between two electrodes. Since IPMC is flexible and thin, it can be easily mounted on the various surfaces of a body. The present study investigates a sensor system using IPMC to effectively detect the bending angles applied on IPMC sensor. The paper evaluates several R and C circuit models that describe the physical composition of IPMC and selects the best model for the detection of angles. The circuit models implemented with a charge model describe the relationship between input bending angles and output voltages. The identification of R and C values was performed by minimizing the error between the real output voltages and the simulated output voltages from the circuit models of IPMC sensor. Then the output signal of a sensor was fed into the inverse model of the identified model to reproduce the bending angles. In order to support the validation of the model, the output voltages from an arbitrary bending motion were also applied to the selected inverse model, which successfully reproduced the arbitrary bending motion.