• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.137-144
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• 2012

Chemical functionalization of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) is generally carried out for increasing interfacial adhesion between filler and polymer matrix for CNM-polymer nanocomposites. The chemically functionalized CNTs can produce strong interfacial bonds with many polymers, allowing CNT based nanocomposites to possess high mechanical and functional properties. Hence, increased surface adhesion can be measured indirectly by observing increased mechanical properties. However, there is a more direct way to observe interfacial bonds between polymer and CNM by measuring piezoresistivity behavior so that we can imagine the behavior of CNM particles in polymer matrix under deflection. Fuctionalization of MWCNT and rGO was carried out by oxidization reaction of MWCNT and rGO with $H_2SO_4/HNO_3$ solution. Electrical resistivities of MWCNT-PMMA and rGO-PMMA composites were decreased after functionalization because of the destructive fuctionalization process. Meanwhile, piezoresistivities of functionalized CNM-PMMA composites showed more sensitive behavior under the same deflection as compared to pristine CNM-PMMA composites. Therefore, mobility of CNM in polymer matrix was found to be improved with chemical functionalization.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 1998

In this work, the in-situ viscoelastic characteristics of electropolymerized polypyrrole (PPy) thin film were investigated in the electrolyte solutions of $NaClO_4$, $LiClO_4$, and $KClO_4$ by using quartz crystal analyzer (QCA). One side of quartz crystal was used as a working electrode mounted in a special fabricated QCA electrochemical ceil. The resonant frequency and resonant resistance diagram (F-R diagram) was used to interpret the viscoelastic characteristics of Pby thin film and compared with AFM photograph. The resonant frequency, resonant resistance, and current were measured to analyze the redox reaction behaviors when the cyclic voltammetry was performed using AT-cut quartz crystal electrode coated with galvanostatically polymerized Ppy film. The result suggests that the Ppy film polymerized onto the crystal behaves as a rigid elastic layer at the initial stage of electropolymerization, while the film becomes a viscoelastic layer the polymerization proceeds further. At the same time, the film thickness increases and some morphological changes take place due to the penetration of electrolyte solution into the film. These phenomena take place when cyclic voltammetry was performed using different electrolyte solution compared with polymerization process.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.433-441
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• 2007

This work investigated the stability of a Sn-modified Pt electrode, which was used for reduction of nitrate, fabricated by an adsorption or electro-deposition of Sn on Pt. In order to find the causes for instability of the electrode, the effects of the solutions in which the electrode was used and the potential applied to the electrode on the electrochemical and metallurgical behaviors of Sn on Pt were studied. The Sn of freshly- prepared modified-Sn Pt electrode existed as Sn hydroxide form, which brought about an easy loss of the electro-activity of the electrode even staying in water, especially in acid solution. When the Sn-modified Pt electrode was used for the reduction of nitrate, the electro-activity of the electrode was affected depending on the potential applied to the electrode. When a more negative potential than the redox equilibrium potential between $Sn(OH)_2$ and Sn was applied to the electrode, the Sn hydroxide was converted to Sn that could diffused into Pt, which leaded to the loss of electro-activity of the electrode as well. The solid diffusion of Sn increased linearly with the applied potential. The Sn-electrodeposited Pt electrode which had more Sn on the electrode was more favorable to maintaining the integrity of the electrode during the reduction of nitrate than the Sn-adsorbed Pt electrode prepared in the under-potential deposition way.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2007

Electrochemical studies were performed for a single particle of nickel hydroxide for the cathode of Ni-MH batteries. A carbon fiber microelectrode was manipulated to make electrical contact with an alloy particle, and electrochemical experiments were performed. As a result of cyclic voltammetry, the oxidation/reduction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are clearly separated for a single particle. The total cathodic charge (Qred) is practically constant for the scan rate investigated, indicating that the whole particle has reacted. The total anodic charge(Qox) was larger than that of reduction reaction, and the magnitude of oxygen evolution taking place as a side reaction was enhanced at lower scan rates. As a result of galvanostatic charge and discharge measurement, the discharge capacity of single particle was found to be 250 mAh/g, value being very close to the theoretical capacity (289 mAh/g). The apparent proton diffusion coefficient(Dapp) using potential step method inside the nickel hydroxide was found to range within $3{\sim}4{\times}10^{-9}\;cm^2/s$.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.98-104
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• 2023

The feasibility of an efficient process proposed for Cu-Cu flip-chip bonding was evaluated by forming a porous Cu layer on Cu pillar and conducting thermo-compression sinter-bonding after the infiltration of a reducing agent. The porous Cu layers on Cu pillars were manufactured through a three-step process of Zn plating-heat treatment-Zn selective etching. The average thickness of the formed porous Cu layer was approximately 2.3 ㎛. The flip-chip bonding was accomplished after infiltrating reducing solvent into porous Cu layer and pre-heating, and the layers were finally conducted into sintered joints through thermo-compression. With reduction behavior of Cu oxides and suppression of additional oxidation by the solvent, the porous Cu layer densified to thickness of approximately 1.1 ㎛ during the thermo-compression, and the Cu-Cu flip-chip bonding was eventually completed. As a result, a shear strength of approximately 11.2 MPa could be achieved after the bonding for 5 min under a pressure of 10 MPa at 300 ℃ in air. Because that was a result of partial bonding by only about 50% of the pillars, it was anticipated that a shear strength of 20 MPa or more could easily be obtained if all the pillars were induced to bond through process optimization.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2014

Pyroprocessing has been developed for the purpose of resolving the current spent nuclear fuel management issue and enhancing the recycle of valuable resources. An electrolytic reduction of the pyroprocessing is a process to reduce oxides into metals using LiCl as an electrolyte and requires a post-treatment process due to the inclusion of residual salt in porous metal products. A vacuum distillation has been adopted for various molten salt systems and could be applied to the post-treatment process of the electrolytic reduction. The residual salt in the metal products includes LiCl, alkali chlorides, and alkaline earth chlorides. In this paper, vapor pressures of chlorides have been estimated and the composition changes on the residual liquid during the vacuum distillation process have been calculated. A model combining a material balance and vapor-liquid equilibrium relations has been proposed under a constant vapor discharging flow rate and liquid composition changes have been calculated using the vapor pressures with respect to a dimensionless time. The behaviors have been compared with temperature and molten salt composition changes to simulate the process condition variation. The distillation of the residual salt has been dominated by LiCl which is the main component of the salt and CsCl of which vapor pressure is higher than that of LiCl would be readily removed. RbCl exhibits similar vapor pressure with LiCl and maintains its composition. However, $SrCl_2$ and $BaCl_2$ of which vapor pressures are much lower than that of LiCl are concentrated with time and expected to be possibly precipitated during the distillation when the initial compositions are increased.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.146.2-146.2
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• 2010

PEMFC를 구성하는 여러 부품 중 핵심부품은 MEA(Membrane Electrode Assembly)으로서 실제 연료전지 반응이 일어나며 연료전지의 성능을 결정하는 부품이다. 그러나 PEMFC의 특성 상 촉매로 귀금속인 Pt가 사용됨에 따라 경제성이 확보된 MEA의 성능을 얻기 위해선 현재 Pt 담지량을 0.3mg/$cm^2$ 이하로 크게 감소시키면서 Pt촉매의 고분산화와 미반응 사이트의 감소가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 Pt 촉매의 미반응 사이트를 줄이고자 전기영동법에 의해 카본전극(carbon black + GDL) 상에 Pt 나노입자를 직접 석출시켜 Pt/C 촉매 전극을 제조 하였다. 본 실험에서는 가장 좋은 Pt 나노입자의 석출거동을 나타낸 30mA/$cm^2$, pH 2, duty cycle 25% 조건을 기준으로 하여 electro-deposition time을 통한 석출량 제어와 carbon paper의 wet proofing 정도에 따른 Pt의 석출거동을 조사하였으며, 종래의 방법으로 제조한 Pt/C 촉매전극의 전기화학적 특성과 비교 분석하였다. 전기영동 석출법에 사용된 Pt나노입자는 $H_2PtCl_6{\cdot}6H_2O$로부터 화학적 환원법으로 합성한 2~3nm 입경을 갖는 Pt콜로이드를 사용하였으며, magnetic stirring과 항온 ($20^{\circ}C$)을 유지하여 실험하였다. 전기영동 석출량 제어는 electro-deposition time을 5~25분까지 5분 간격으로 나누어 실험하였고 카본전극을 구성하는 carbon paper의 wet proofing 정도가 Pt 나노입자 석출거동에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 20, 40, 60%의 서로 다른 wet proofing 값을 갖는 carbon paper를 사용하여 Pt/C 촉매 전극을 제조하였다. 전기영동법으로 석출된 카본블랙 전극 상 Pt나노입자의 분산도와 담지량는 각각 FE-SEM과 TGA 장비를 사용하여 측정하였고, 제조된 Pt/C 촉매 전극의 전기화학적 촉매 특성은 cyclic voltammetry(CV)법으로 측정하였다.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.296-302
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• 2024

An ionic conjugated polymer-iron (III) chloride composite was prepared via in-situ quaternization polymerization of 2-ethynylpyridine (2EP) using iron (III) chloride. Various instrumental methods revealed that the chemical structure of the resulting conjugated polymer (P2EP)-iron (III) chloride composite has the conjugated backbone system having the designed pyridinium ferric chloride complexes. The polymerization mechanism was assumed to be that the activated triple bond of 2-ethynylpyridinium salt, formed at the first reaction step, is easily susceptible to the step-wise polymerization, followed by the same propagation step that contains the propagating macroanion and monomeric 2-ethynylpyridinium salts. The electro-optical and electrochemical properties of the P2EP-FeCl₃ composite were studied. In the UV-visible spectra of P2EP-FeCl₃ composite, the absorption maximum values were 480 nm and 533 nm, and the PL maximum value was 598 nm. The cyclic voltammograms of the P2EP-FeCl₃ composite exhibited irreversible electrochemical behavior between the oxidation and reduction peaks. The kinetics of the redox process of composites were found to be very close to a diffusion-controlled process from the plot of the oxidation current density versus the scan rate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

The final disposal of spent nuclear fuel(SNF) from nuclear power plants takes place in a deep geological repository. The metal canister encasing the SNF is made of cast iron and copper, and is engineered to effectively isolate radioactive isotopes for a long period of time. The SNF is further shielded by a multi-barrier disposal system comprising both engineering and natural barriers. The deep disposal environment gradually changes to an anaerobic reducing environment. In this environment, sulfide is one of the most probable substances to induce corrosion of copper canister. Stress-corrosion cracking(SCC) triggered by sulfide can carry substantial implications for the integrity of the copper canister, potentially posing a significant threat to the long-term safety of the deep disposal repository. Sulfate can exist in various forms within the deep disposal environment or be introduced from the geosphere. Sulfate has the potential to be transformed into sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB), and this converted sulfide can contribute to the corrosion of the copper canister. Bentonite, which is considered as a potential material for buffering and backfilling, contains oxidized sulfate minerals such as gypsum(CaSO4). If there is sufficient space for microorganisms to thrive in the deep disposal environment and if electron donors such as organic carbon are adequately supplied, sulfate can be converted to sulfide through microbial activity. However, the majority of the sulfides generated in the deep disposal system or introduced from the geosphere will be intercepted by the buffer, with only a small amount reaching the metal canister. Pyrite, one of the potential sulfide minerals present in the deep disposal environment, can generate sulfates during the dissolution process, thereby contributing to the corrosion of the copper canister. However, the quantity of oxidation byproducts from pyrite is anticipated to be minimal due to its extremely low solubility. Moreover, the migration of these oxidized byproducts to the metal canister will be restricted by the low hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite. We have comprehensively analyzed and summarized key research cases related to the presence of sulfates, reduction processes, and the formation and behavior characteristics of sulfides and pyrite in the deep disposal environment. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the impact of sulfates and sulfides on the long-term safety of high-level radioactive waste disposal repository.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.301-307
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• 2005

The morphology of the high burnup $UO_2$ spent fuel, which was oxidized and annealed in a PIA (Post Irradiation Annealing) apparatus, has been observed. The high burnup fuel irradiated in Ulchin Unit 2, average rod burnup 57,000 MWd/tU, was transported to the KAERI's PIEF. The test specimen was used with about 200 mg of the spent $UO_2$ fuel fragment of the local burnup 65,000 MWd/tU. This specimen was annealed at $1400^{\circ}C$ for 4hrs after the oxidation for 3hrs to grain boundary using the PIA apparatus in a hot-cell. In order to oxidize the grain boundary, the oxidation temperature increased up to $500^{\circ}C$ and held for 3hrs in the mixed gas (60 ml He and 100 ml STD-air) atmosphere. The amount of 85Kr during the whole test process was measured to know the fission gas release behavior using the online system of a beta counter and a gamma counter. The detailed micro-structure was observed by a SEM to confirm the change of the fuel morphology after this test. As the annealing temperature increased, the fission products were observed to move to the grain surface and grain boundary of the $UO_2$ matrix. This specimen was re-structured through the reduction process, and the grain sizes were distributed from 5 to $10\;{\mu}m$.