• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.97-104
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• 2020

One of the main challenges of electrochemical water splitting technology is to develop a high performance, low cost oxygen-evolving electrode capable of substituting a noble metal catalyst, Ir or Ru based catalyst. In this work, CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with sub-44 nmsize of a inverse spinel structure for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) were synthesized by the injection of KNO₃ and NaOH solution to a preheated CoSO₄ and Fe(NO₃)₃ solution. The synthesis time of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was controlled to control particle and crystallite size. When the synthesis time was 6 h, CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles had high conductivity and electrochemical surface area. The overpotential at current denstiy of 10 mA/㎠ and Tafel slope of CoFe₂O₄ (6h) were 395 mV and 52 mV/dec, respectively. In addition, the catalyst showed excellent durability for 18 hours at 10 mA/㎠.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.411-417
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• 2022

Environmental issues such as global warming due to fossil fuel use are now major worldwide concerns, and interest in renewable and clean energy is growing. Of the various types of renewable energy, green hydrogen energy has recently attracted attention because of its eco-friendly and high-energy density. Electrochemical water splitting is considered a pollution-free means of producing clean hydrogen and oxygen and in large quantities. The development of non-noble electrocatalysts with low cost and high performance in water splitting has also attracted considerable attention. In this study, we successfully synthesized a NiCo₂O₄/NF electrode for an oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline water splitting using a hydrothermal method, which was followed by post-heat treatment. The effects of heat treatment on the electrochemical performance of the electrodes were evaluated under different heat-treatment conditions. The optimized NCO/NF-300 electrode showed an overpotential of 416 mV at a high current density of 50 mA/cm² and a low Tafel slope (49.06 mV dec^-1). It also showed excellent stability (due to the large surface area) and the lowest charge transfer resistance (12.59 Ω). The results suggested that our noble-metal free electrodes have great potential for use in developing alkaline electrolysis systems.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.585-590
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• 2014

Microstructural evolution in the thickness direction of an oxygen free copper processed by accumulative rollbonding (ARB) is investigated by electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) measurement. For the ARB, two copper alloy sheets 1 mm thick, 30 mm wide and 300 mm long are first degreased and wire-brushed for sound bonding. The sheets are then stacked and roll-bonded by about 50% reduction rolling without lubrication at an ambient temperature. The bonded sheet is then cut to the two pieces of the same dimensions and the same procedure was repeated on the sheets up to eight cycles. The specimen after 1 cycle showed inhomogeneous microstructure in the thickness direction so that the grains near the surface were finer than those near the center. This inhomogeneity decreased with an increasing number of ARB cycles, and the grain sizes of the specimens after 3 cycles were almost identical. In addition, the aspect ratio of the grains decreased with an increasing number of ARB cycles due to the subdivision of the grains by shear deformation. The fraction of grains with high angle grain boundaries also increased with continuing process of the ARB so that it was higher than that of the low angle grain boundaries in specimens after 3 cycles. A discontinuous dynamic recrystallization occurred partially in specimens after 5 cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.528-534
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• 2012

In this study, the densification behavior and microstructural evolution of CuO were examined when this material was sintered at different temperatures in $O_2$, air and Ar atmospheres. The CuO samples maintained their phases even after prolonged sintering at $900-1100^{\circ}C$ in an oxygen atmosphere. When sintering in air, the densification was faster than it was when sintering in oxygen. However, when the samples were sintered at $1100^{\circ}C$, large pores were observed in the sample due to the phase transformation from CuO to $Cu_2O$ which accompanies the generation of oxygen gas. The pore channels in the sample became narrower as the sintering time increased, eventually undergoing a Rayleigh breakup and forming discrete isolated pores. On the other hand, CuO sintering in Ar did not contribute to the densification, as all CuO samples underwent a phase transformation to $Cu_2O$ during the heating process.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.609-615
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• 1994

Partial oxidation of ethylene over 10wt% $Ag/{\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ catalyst was studied with a pulse reactor which was connected directly to a G. C. When ethylene was injected after oxygen injection at the temperature where molecular adsorption of oxygen is difficult ethylene oxide was evolved. From the results, it is suggested that adsorbed atomic oxygen is related with the evolution of ethylene oxide. The selectivity to ethylene oxide decreased with the decrease of the amounts of adsorbed oxygen and bulk oxygen. Ethylene oxide was either decomposed to ethylene and adsorbed oxygen or isomerized to acetaldehyde. However, the isomerization of ethylene oxide to acetaldehyde was strongly suppressed by the preadsorbed oxygen.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2013

Large quantities of irradiated graphite waste from graphite-moderated nuclear reactors exist and are expected to increase in the case of High Temperature Reactor (HTR) deployment [1,2]. This situation indicates the need for a graphite waste management strategy. Of greatest concern for long-term disposal of irradiated graphite is carbon-14 ($^{14}C$), with a half-life of 5730 years. Fachinger et al. [2] have demonstrated that thermal treatment of irradiated graphite removes a significant fraction of the $^{14}C$, which tends to be concentrated on the graphite surface. During thermal treatment, graphite surface carbon atoms interact with naturally adsorbed oxygen complexes to create $CO_x$ gases, i.e. "gasify" graphite. The effectiveness of this process is highly dependent on the availability of adsorbed oxygen compounds. The quantity and form of adsorbed oxygen complexes in pre- and post-irradiated graphite were studied using Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in an effort to better understand the gasification process and to apply that understanding to process optimization. Adsorbed oxygen fragments were detected on both irradiated and unirradiated graphite; however, carbon-oxygen bonds were identified only on the irradiated material. This difference is likely due to a large number of carbon active sites associated with the higher lattice disorder resulting from irradiation. Results of XPS analysis also indicated the potential bonding structures of the oxygen fragments removed during surface impingement. Ester- and carboxyl-like structures were predominant among the identified oxygen-containing fragments. The indicated structures are consistent with those characterized by Fanning and Vannice [3] and later incorporated into an oxidation kinetics model by El-Genk and Tournier [4]. Based on the predicted desorption mechanisms of carbon oxides from the identified compounds, it is expected that a majority of the graphite should gasify as carbon monoxide (CO) rather than carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). Therefore, to optimize the efficiency of thermal treatment the graphite should be heated to temperatures above the surface decomposition temperature increasing the evolution of CO [4].

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.912-918
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• 1992

Microstructure evolution including morphological change in the vicinity of the electrodes, porosity change and grain boundary migration was observed in polycrystalline CoO subject to electric fields at 1100 and 121$0^{\circ}C$ in air. At the cathode, the transported cations react with oxygen in the surrounding to form new lattices, while, at the anode, the reverse reaction occurs leading to lattice annihilation. Lattice formation also takes place at the surface of pores near the cathode inducing pore-filling effect. Grain boundary migration was found bo be enhanced or retarded depending on the field direction. It is therefore implied that the driving force of grain boundary migration is the vectorial sum of the curvature-induced chemical potential gradient and the electric field applied.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.64.2-64.2
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• 2013

As more spectroscopic observations accumulate, it becomes evident that there are variations in light elements, such as C, N, O, and Na, between the sub-populations in most globular clusters (GC) in the Milky Way. We have constructed a new set of isochrones and horizontal branch evolutionary tracks with enhanced Nitrogen and depleted Oxygen to study their effects on the evolution of stars in GCs. From these results, we found that their effects on the evolution in color-magnitude diagram are significant in determining the age of GCs. In order to reflect these effects in the construction of population models for GCs, we have expanded the parameter space of Yonsei-Yale Isochrones and HB evolutionary tracks by introducing abundance enhancements of N for various global metal abundances and helium contents. In this paper, we will present our preliminary results from these calculations.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.46.2-46.2
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• 2013

We utilize Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 spectroscopic data of ~380 star forming galaxies in the Virgo cluster to investigate their chemical properties depending on the environments. The chemical evolution of galaxies is linked to their star formation histories as well as to the gas interchange in different environments. We derived star formation rate (SFR) and gaseous metallicity (e.g., oxygen abundance) of star forming galaxies. Combining with GALEX ultraviolet photometry and ALFALFA HI 21 cm data, we examine the relations between SFRs, metallicity, and HI deficiency of galaxies in various regions of the Virgo cluster. We also quantify the degree of ram pressure around galaxy using the ROSAT X-ray surface brightness map. We discuss environmental effects on the chemical properties and evolution of star forming galaxies.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2012

Composting of water hyacinth, mixed with cattle manure, rice husk and sawdust in four different proportions, was performed in a pilot scale rotary drum composter. The physico-chemical characteristics, i.e., temperature, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, total organic matter (OM), nitrogen dynamics and nutrients were evaluated during the 20 days composting process. The stabilities of the composts were also investigated with respirometric analysis, i.e., $CO_2$ evolution rates and oxygen uptake rate (OUR). Among all trials, trial 1 (6 water hyacinth, 3 cattle manure, 1 rice husk) indicated the best composting mix, as shown by the highest temperature profile and OM loss, and lowest $CO_2$ evolution rate and OUR.