• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.473-480
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• 2011

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system is critically dependent on the humidity, which should be properly maintained over the entire operating range. A membrane humidifier is used for the water management in the PEMFC because of the membrane humidifier's reliable performance and zero parasitic power loss. In the PEMFC system, the membrane humidifier is required to provide appropriate humidity for the design point of the fuel cell. Although the performance of the fuel cell depends on the performance of the humidifier, few studies have provided a systematic analysis of the humidifier. We carry out an experimental analysis of the membrane humidifier using a vapor condensation bottle. The dry air pressure, water flow temperature, and air flow rate were chosen as the operating parameters. The results show that the time constant for the dynamic response of the membrane humidifier is relatively short, but additional analysis should be carried out.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2012

There are many factors to consider when attempting to improve the efficiency of fuel cell operation, such as the operation temperature, humidity, stoichiometry, operation pressure, geometric features, etc. In this paper, the effects of the operation pressure were investigated to find the current density and water saturation behavior on a cross section designated by the design geometry. A two-dimensional geometric model was established with a gas channel that can provide $H_2$ to the anode and $O_2$ and water vapor to the cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL). The results from this numerical modeling revealed that higher operation pressures would produce a higher current density than lower ones, and the water saturation behavior was different at operation pressures of 2 atm and 3 atm in the cathode GDL. In particular, the water saturation ratios are higher directly below the collector than in other areas. In addition, this paper presents the dependence of the velocity behavior in the cathode on pressure changes, and the velocity fluctuations through the GDL are higher in the output area than in inlet area. This conclusion will be utilized to design more efficient fuel cell modeling of real fuel cell operation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.232-232
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• 1999

교류형 플라즈마 방전 표시기(AC Plasma Display Panel, AC PDP)에 사용되는 플라즈마는 그 부피가 너무 작아서 플라즈마에 변화를 일으키지 않고 그 물성을 관측하기란 쉬운일이 아니다. 그래서 주로 PDP 내의 물성을 관측하는 데 시뮬레이션에 의존하게 된다. 그 물성중에 PDP내의 전계 분포에 대한 정보는 방전의 형성 및 소멸에 대한 많은 단서를 제공하고 있다. 특히 AC PDP의 경우, 유전체에 형성되는 벽적하(wall charge)가 방전의 형성 및 PDP 구동에 중요한 역할을 하는데, 이는 PDP 내의 전계 분포를 살펴봄으로써 대략 예측할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 시뮬레이션에 의존하지 않고, 직접 레이저 유도 형광법을 이용하여 AC PDP 내의 전계를 측정하였다. 방전 가스인 헬륨(He)의 에너지 준위는 전계의 크기에 따라 에너지 준위가 변화하여, Rydberg(n$\geq$8) 준위가 여러 개의 준위로 나누어지는 현상이 일어나는데, 이를 Stack 효과라고 한다. 따라서 전계의 세기가 커짐에 따라서 각 준위와 준위 사이 값(splitting)이 커지는데, 이를 이용하면 전계를 측정할 수 있다. 즉, 헬륨 원자를 여기시키는 레이저 파장을 변화시키면서 관측되는 레이저 유도 형광 신호를 관측하면, 준위의 splitting을 관측할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 PDP 내의 전계의 시간적 변화를 관측하였다. 50%, 40kHz의 구형파를 PDP의 두 전극에 가하였을 때, 플라즈마가 켜진 상태뿐만 아니라 플라즈마가 꺼진 후에도 전계에 의한 Splitting 신호가 관측이 되었는데, 전계로 환산하였을 때, 그 값은 대략 수 kV/cm의 값을 갖았는데, 이는 wall charge에 의한 값으로 사료된다.결과로 생각되어진다.플라즈마의 강도값을 입력하여 플라즈마의 radiation을 검출하고, 스퍼터링 공정중 실질적인 in-situ 정보로 이용하였다. PEM을 통하여 In/Sn의 플라즈마 강도변화를 조사하였다. 초기 In/Sn의 플라즈마 강도(intensity)는 강도를 100하여, 산소를 주입한 결과, plasma intensity가 35 줄어들었고, 이때 우수한 ITO 박막을 얻을 수 있었다. Pulsed DC power를 사용하여 아크 현상을 방지하였다. PET 상에 coating 된 ITO 박막의 표면저항과 광투과도는 4-point prove와 spectrophotometer를 이용하여 분석하였고, AES로 박막의 두께에 따른 성분비를 확인하였다. ITO 박막의 광투과도는 산소의 유량과 sputter 된 In/Sn ion의 plasma emission peak에 따라 72%-92%까지 변화하였으며, 저항은 37$\Omega$/$\square$ 이상을 나타내었다. 박막의 Sn/In atomic ratio는 0.12, O/In의 비율은 In2O3의 화학양론적 비율인 1.5보다 작은 1.3을 나타내었다.로 보인다.하면 수평축과 수직축의 분산 장벽의 비에 따라 cluster의 두께비가 달라지는 성장을 볼 수 있었고, 한 축 방향으로의 팔 넓이는 fcc(100) 표면의 경우 동일한 Ed+Ep값에 대응하는 팔 넓이와 거의 동일한 결과가 나타나는 것을 볼 수 있다. 따라서 이러한 비대칭적인 모양을 가지는 성장의 경우도 cluster 밀도, cluster 모양, cluster의 양 축 방향 길이 비, 양 축 방향의 평균 팔 넓이로부터 각 축 방향의 분산 장벽을 얻어낼 수 있을 것으로 보인다. 기대할 수 있는 여러

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2011

The contamination effect of toluene in the airstream on PEM fuel cell performance was studied with various toluene concentration under different operation conditions. And the recovery of the cell performance by applying clean air and the removal of toluene in the air by adsorption of active carbon were investigated. The toluene concentration range used in the experiments was from 0.1 ppm to 5.0 ppm. The performance degradation and recovery were measured by constant-current discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS). Toluene adsorption capacity of KOH impregnated active carbon was obtained from the adsorption isotherm curve. The severity of the contamination increased with increasing toluene concentration, current density and air stoichiometry, but decrease with increasing relative humidity. The cell performance was recovered by toluene oxidation with oxygen and water in humidified neat air. EIS showed that the increase of charge transfer resistance due to toluene adsorption on Pt surface mainly reduced the performance of PEMFC. Toluene adsorption capacity of active carbon decreased as KOH weight increased in KOH impregnated active carbon.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2009

The influence of graphitization of carbon support on the electrochemical corrosion of carbon and sintering of Pt particles are investigated by measuring $CO_2$ emission at a constant potential of 1.4 V for 30 min using on-line mass spectrometry and cyclic voltammogram. In comparison to commercial Pt/C (from Johnson Matthey), highly graphitized carbon nanofiber (CNF) supported Pt catalyst exhibits lower performance degradation and $CO_2$ emission. As the more carbon corrosion occurred, the more prominent changes were detected in electrochemical characteristics of fuel cell. This indicates that the carbon corrosion affects significantly the fuel cell durability. From the observed results, CNF is considered to be more corrosion resistant material as a catalyst support. However, CNF shows higher aggregation of Pt particles under repeated cyclic voltammetry between 0 and 0.8 V where the carbon corrosion is not initiated.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 2009

Pt catalyst was adsorbed on Carbon nanofiber (CNF) by modified polyol method after acid treatment of the carbon support with $HNO_3$ and $H_{2}SO_{4}$. As the time for acid treatment increases, more oxygen functional groups on carbon surface were produced which improve the loading amount and dispersion of Pt catalyst on carbon supports. In order to inspect the effect of CNF acid treatment time on electrochemical corrosion, constant potential of 1.4 V was applied to a single cell for 30 min and the amount of $CO_2$ emitted was monitored with on-line mass spectrometry. According to the results of our experiment, more $CO_2$ was produced with Pt/ oxidized-CNF catalyst in compared to that with unoxidized-CNF. Increasing acid treatment time also induces the more $CO_2$ emission. Besides, performance degradation after corrosion test expanded with severer carbon corrosion. From the observed results, it can be concluded that the acid treatment of CNF is beneficial to catalyst loading, but it also is a significant factor declining the fuel cell durability by accelerating electrochemical oxidation of carbon support.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.491-498
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• 2010

Humidification of PEM fuel cells is necessary for enhancing their performance and lifetime. In this study, a humidification system was designed and tested; the system includes an air-supply tube (inner diameter: 75 mm) through which a nozzle can be directly inserted and a cyclonic separator for the removal of water droplets. Three types of nozzles were employed to study the influence of injection pressure, air flow rate, and spray direction on the humidification performance. To evaluate the humidification performance, the concept of humidification efficiency was defined. In the absence of an external heat source, latent heat for evaporation will be supplied by the own enthalpies of water and air. Thus, the amount of water sprayed from the nozzle is the most critical factor affecting the humidification efficiency. Water droplets were efficiently removed by a cyclonic separator, but re-entrainment occurred at high air flow rates. The absolute humidity and humidification efficiency were $21.29\;kJ/kg_{da}$ and 86.57%, respectively, under the following conditions: nozzle type PJ24; spray direction angle $90^{\circ}$; injection pressure 1200 kPa; air flow rate 6000 Nlpm.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.301-310
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• 2014

In this study, the silica nanoparticles were considerably chosen to improve a dimensional stability, proton transport and electrochemical performance of the resulting inorganic-organic nanocomposite membranes. For this purpose, hydrophobic silica (Aerosil$^{(R)}$ 812, Degussa) and hydrophilic silica (Aerosil$^{(R)}$ 380, Degussa) nanoparticles were, respectively, introduced into a Sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPAES) polymer matrix. The $SiO_2$ particles are evenly dispersed in a SPAES matrix by the aid of a non-ionic surfactant (Pluronics$^{(R)}$ L64). A $SiO_2$ content plays an important role in membrane microstructures and membrane properties such as proton conductivity and water uptake. Therefore, to study nanocomposite membranes with excessive amount of silica, the content of silica nanoparticles were increased up to 5 wt%. Interestingly, a hydrophobic $SiO_2$ containing nanocomposite membrane showed better electrochemical performance (29% higher than pristine SPAES) despite of low proton conductivity due to its adhesive properties with a catalyst layer in a single cell test. All the silica-SPAES membranes exhibited better performance than a pristine SPAES membrane.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.521-530
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• 2013

Protein-energy malnutrition, PEM, and increased hs-CRP level are considered to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This is commonly referred to as the vicious circle of malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease (MIA syndrome) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Low protein intake can decrease the serum level of albumin and increase inflammational markers; further, both low serum albumin and high hs-CRP are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in HD patients. The aim of this study is comparing the serum levels of albumin and hs-CRP in HD patients according to the protein intake levels. The total number of subjects was 60 hemodialysis patients; they were grouped by dietary protein intake: low protein intake group (LPI, protein intake < 1.0 g/kg IBW, 11 men and 19 women) and adequate protein intake group (API, protein intake ${\geq}$ 1.0g/kg IBW, 12 men and 18 women). Blood biochemical parameters, nutrient intake, and dietary behaviors were compared between the LPI and API groups. The LPI group showed a significantly lower serum level of albumin and higher serum level of hs-CRP than the API group (p < 0.05). The LPI group showed a significantly lower intake of most nutrients than the API group (p < 0.05). Index of Nutritional Quality of most nutrients of the LPI and API groups were lower than 1.0. Dietary protein intake was positively correlated with the serum level of albumin (r = 0.306, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the serum level of hs-CRP (r = -0.435, p < 0.01). The serum level of hs-CRP was negatively correlated with that of albumin (r = -0.393, p < 0.01). According to these result, serum albumin and hs-CRP in HD patients were influenced by the protein intake levels. To prevent MIA syndrome, it is necessary to improve nutritional status, especially in protein and energy.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.504-510
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• 1992

Several single or mixed water-miscible organic solvent systems were investigated to develop the most effective solvent system for enzymatic synthesis of N-benzoylaspartame(BzAPM). The BzAPM was prepared by immobilized thermolysin with using N-benzoyl-L-aspartic acid(Bz-Asp) and L-phenylalanine methyl ester(PheOMe). The solubilities of BzAPM and L-phenylalanine were highest in 4.5% methanol(1.89 and 1.79%, respectively) among the solvents system investigated while a mixed solvent system of 25% dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) and 20% polyethylene glycol(PEG) 200 showed relatively high values. The synthetic activity of BzAPM as well as initial reaction rate were found to be high in 45% methanol, 45% DMSO and a mixed solvent of 25% DMSO and 20% PEM 200. The imobilized thermolysin was most stable in 25% DMSO and 20% PEG 200 during storage at $40^{\circ}C$ for 42 days. PheOMe in the same solvent system was also found fairly stable against non-enzymatic decomposition at $40^{\circ}C$. Based on the synthetic efficiency and stability, the solvent system containing 25% DMSO and 20% PEG 200 was selected to be appropriate for the enzymatic synthesis of BzAPM.