• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.3553-3558
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• 2014

The reduced graphene oxide(rGO)/aluminum phosphate($AlPO_4$)-coated $LiMn_{1.5}Ni_{0.5}O_4$ (LMNO) cathode material has been developed by hydroxide precursor method for LMNO and by a facile solution based process for the coating with GO/$AlPO_4$ on the surface of LMNO, followed by annealing process. The amount of $AlPO_4$ has been varied from 0.5 wt % to 1.0 wt %, while the amount of rGO is maintained at 1.0 wt %. The samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The rGO/$AlPO_4$-coated LMNO electrodes exhibit better cyclic performance compared to that of pristine LMNO electrode. Specifically, rGO(1%)/$AlPO_4$(0.5%)- and rGO(1%)/$AlPO_4$(1%)-coated electrodes deliver a discharge capacity of, respectively, $123mAhg^{-1}$ and $122mAhg^{-1}$ at C/6 rate, with a capacity retention of, respectively, 96% and 98% at 100 cycles. Furthermore, the surface-modified LMNO electrodes demonstrate higher-rate capability. The rGO(1%)/$AlPO_4$(0.5%)-coated LMNO electrode shows the highest rate performance demonstrating a capacity retention of 91% at 10 C rate. The enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to (1) the suppression of the direct contact of electrode surface with the electrolyte, resulting in side reactions with the electrolyte due to the high cut-off voltage, and (2) smaller surface resistance and charge transfer resistance, which is confirmed by total polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.255-255
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• 2011

Zinc oxide based thin films have been extensively studied in recent several years because they have very interesting properties and zinc oxide is non-poisonous, abundant and cheap material. ZnO films are employed in different applications like transparent conductive layers in solar cells, protective coatings and so on. Wide industrial application of the ZnO films requires of development of cheap, effective and scalable technology. Typically used technologies don't completely satisfy the industrial requirements. In the present work, we studied effect of the deposition parameters on the structure and properties of ZnO films deposited by DC arc plasmatron. The varied parameters were gas flow rates, precursor composition, substrate temperature and post-deposition annealing temperature. Vapor of Zinc acetylacetone was used as source materials, oxygen was used as working gas and argon was used as the cathode protective gas and a transport gas for the vapor. The plasmatron power was varied in the range of 700-1500 watts. Flow rate of the gases and substrate temperature rate were varied in the wide range to optimize the properties of the deposited coatings. After deposition films were annealed in the hydrogen atmosphere in the wide range of temperatures. Structure of coatings was investigated using XRD and SEM. Chemical composition was analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Sheet conductivity was measured by 4-point probe method. Optical properties of the transparent ZnO-based coatings were studied by the spectroscopy. It was shown that deposition by a DC Arc plasmatron can be used for low-cost production of zinc oxide films with good optical and electrical properties. Increasing of the oxygen content in the gas mixture during deposition allow to obtain high-resistive protective and insulation coatings with high adhesion to the metallic surface.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.153-153
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• 2016

Aluminum alloys have poor corrosion resistance compared to the pure aluminum due to the additive elements. Thus, anodizing technology artificially generating thick oxide films are widely applied nowadays in order to improve corrosion resistance. Anodizing is one of the surface modification techniques, which is commercially applicable to a large surface at a low price. However, most studies up to now have focused on its commercialization with hardly any research on the assessment and improvement of the physical characteristics of the anodized films. Therefore, this study aims to select the optimum temperature of sulfuric electrolyte to perform excellent corrosion resistance in the harsh marine environment through electrochemical experiment in the sea water upon generating porous films by variating the temperatures of sulfuric electrolyte. To fabricate uniform porous film of 5083 aluminum alloy, we conducted electro-polishing under the 25 V at $5^{\circ}C$ condition for three minutes using mixed solution of ethanol (95 %) and perchloric (70 %) acid with volume ratio of 4:1. Afterward, the first step surface modification was performed using sulfuric acid as an electrolyte where the electrolyte concentration was maintained at 10 vol.% by using a jacketed beaker. For anode, 5083 aluminum alloy with thickness of 5 mm and size of $2cm{\times}2cm$ was used, while platinum electrode was used for cathode. The distance between the two was maintained at 3 cm. Afterward, the irregular oxide film that was created in the first step surface modification was removed. For the second step surface modification process (identical to the step 1), etching was performed using mixture of chromic acid (1.8 wt.%) and phosphoric acid (6 wt.%) at $60^{\circ}C$ temperature for 30 minutes. Anodic polarization test was performed at scan rate of 2 mV/s up to +3.0 V vs open circuit potential in natural seawater. Surface morphology was compared using 3D analysis microscope to observe the damage behavior. As a result, the case of surface modification presented a significantly lower corrosion current density than that without modification, indicating excellent corrosion resistance.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.40-49
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• 2022

In this study, the phase and electrochemical properties of Co and Ti substituted layered perovskites SmBaCo_2-xTi_xO_5+d (x=0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, and 1.5) were analyzed, and their application as electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were evaluated. After calcination at 1300℃ for 6 h, a single phase was observed for two compositions of the SmBaCo_2-xTi_xO_5+d oxide system, SmBaCoTiO_5+d (x=1.0) and SmBaCo_0.9Ti_1.1O_5+d (x=1.1). However, the phases of SmBaCoTiO_5+d (SBCTO) and SmTiO₃ coexisted for compositions with x≥1.3 (Ti content). In contrast, for compositions of x≤0.7, the SmBaCo₂O_5+d phase was observed instead of the SmTiO₃ phase. To evaluate the applicability of these materials as SOFC electrodes, the electrical conductivities were measured under various atmospheres (air, N₂, and H₂). SBCTO exhibited stable semi-conductor electrical conductivity behavior in an air and N₂ atmosphere. However, SBCTO showed insulator behavior at temperatures above 600℃ in a H₂ atmosphere. Therefore, SBCTO may only be used as cathode materials. Moreover, SBCTO had an area specific resistance (ASR) value of 0.140 Ω·cm² at 750℃.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.246-256
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• 2021

Mo,Cu-doped CeO₂ (CMCuO) nanopowders were synthesized by the nitrate-fuel combustion method aiming to improve the electrical and electrochemical properties of its Mo-doped CeO₂ (CMO) parent by the addition of copper. An electrical conductivity of ca. 1.22·10^-2 S cm^-1 was measured in air at 800℃ for CMCuO, which is nearly 10 times higher than that reported for CMO. This increase was associated with the inclusion of copper into the crystal lattice of ceria and the presence of Cu and Cu₂O as secondary phases in the CMCuO structure, which also could explain the increase in the charge transfer activities of the CMCuO based anode for the hydrogen and carbon monoxide electro-oxidation processes compared to the CMO based anode. A maximum power density of ca. 120 mW cm^-2 was measured using a CMCuO based anode in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with YSZ electrolyte and LSM-YSZ cathode operating at 800℃ with humidified syngas as fuel, which is comparable to the power output reported for other SOFCs with anodes containing copper. An increase in the area specific resistance of the SOFC was observed after ca. 10 hours of operation under cycling open circuit voltage and polarization conditions, which was attributed to the anode delamination caused by the reduction of the Cu₂O secondary phase contained in its microstructure. Therefore, the addition of a more electroactive phase for hydrogen oxidation is suggested to confer long-term stability to the CMCuO based anode.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.199-207
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• 2022

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high energy density and economic viability. In addition, all-solid-state LSBs, which use solid-state electrolytes, have been proposed to overcome the polysulfide shuttle effect while improving safety. However, the high interfacial resistance and poor ionic conductivity exhibited by the electrode and solid-state electrolytes, respectively, are significant challenges in the development of these LSBs. Herein, we apply a poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based composite solid-state electrolyte with oxide Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte in an all-solid-state LSB to overcome these challenges. We use an electrochemical method to evaluate the degradation of the all-solid-state LSB in accordance with the carbon content and loading weight within the cathode. The all-solid-state LSB, with sulfur-carbon content in a ratio of 3:3, exhibited a high initial discharge capacity (1386 mAh g^-1), poor C-rate performance, and capacity retention of less than 50%. The all-solid-state LSB with a high loading weight exhibited a poor overall electrochemical performance. The factors influencing the electrochemical performance degradation were revealed through systematic analysis.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.743-748
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• 2022

The initial operation stability of hydrogen-fueled, solid oxide fuel cell with Ni thin-film anode fabricated by direct current sputtering was evaluated in terms of electrochemical properties such as peak power density, open circuit voltage, overpotential, and alternating current impedance at 500℃. Hydrogen and air were used as anode fuel and cathode fuel, respectively.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.139-142
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• 2016

β-AgVO₃ nanorods have been successfully synthesized using a soft chemistry route followed by heat treatment. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy, and their electrochemical properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectra, and charge-discharge tests. The results showed that the smooth-surfaced nanorods are very uniform and well dispersed, with diameters of ~100-200 nm and lengths of the order of several macrometers. The nanorods deliver a maximum specific discharge capacity of 275 mAh g^-1 at 30 mA g^-1. They also demonstrated good rate capability with a discharge capacity at the 100^th cycle of 51 mAh g^-1.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2007

CuO is an important transition metal oxide with many practical applications such as catalysts, p-type semiconductor, solar cells, magnetic storage media and cathode materials. In this contribution, nanocrystalline CuO powders were prepared by solution reduction method using copper chloride ($CuCl_{2}{\cdot}2H_{2}O$), hydrazine ($N_{2}H_{4}$) and NaOH and subsequent heat treatment. The gas sensor using nanocrystalline CuO powders showed high sensitivities to acetone and ethanol.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.28-31
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• 2013

A volcano shaped gated Si-FEA (silicon field emitter array) was simply fabricated using sputtering as a gate electrode deposition and lift-off for the removal of the oxide mask, respectively. Due to the limited step coverage of well-controlled sputtering and the high aspect ratio in Si dry etch caused by high RF power, it was possible to obtain Si FEAs with a stable volcano shaped gate structure and to realize the restriction of gate leakage current in field emission characteristics. For 100 tip arrays and 625 tip arrays, gate leakage currents were restricted to less than 1% of the anode current in spite of the volcano-shaped gate structure. It was also possible to keep the emitters stable without any failure between the Si cathode and gate electrode in field emission for a long time.