• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.427-438
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• 2023

In this study, in order to improve the performance of the reverse osmosis membrane with high water flux and high salt rejection, a study was conducted on the evaluation of characteristics according to the curing temperature and time during various additives and interfacial polymerization. The morphology of the membrane with no additives and the membrane with additives both showed a "rigid-and-valley" structure, confirming that the polyamide layer was successfully polymerized on the surface of the porous support layer. In addition, the additive of 2-Ethyl-1,3-hexanediol (EHD) had improved hydrophilicity and water flux, which was confirmed by measuring the contact angle. Finally, a highly permeable TFC membrane with NaCl and MgSO₄ salt rejection of 97.78% and 98.7% and a high water flux of 3.31 L/(m²⋅h⋅bar) was prepared.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.88-96
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• 2024

Lithium metal has garnered attention as a promising anode active material thanks to its high specific capacity, energy density, and the lowest reduction potential. However, the formation of dendrites, dendritic crystals that arise during the charge and discharge process, has posed safety and lifetime stability challenges. To resolve this, our study has introduced a novel separator design. This separator features a composite coating of vapor-grown carbon fiber, a conductive material in nanofibers, and silver. We have meticulously studied the impact of this innovative separator on the electrochemical properties of the lithium metal anode, unveiling promising results. To confirm the synergistic effect of VGCF and Ag, a separator with no surface treatment and a separator with only VGCF coated on one side were prepared and compared with the Ag-VGCF-separator. In the case of the bare separator, the Li metal surface is covered with dendrites during the initial charge and discharge process. In contrast, both the VGCF-separator and the Ag-VGCF-separator show Li precipitation inside the conductive coating layer coated on the separator surface. Additionally, the Ag-VGCF-separator showed a more uniform precipitate shape than the VGCF-separator. As a result, the Ag-VGCF-separators show improved electrochemical properties compared to the bare separators and the VGCF-separators.