• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2004

For the fabrication of high efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst of oxygen electrode for PEM URFC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell), which is a promising energy storage and conversion system using hydrogen as the energy medium, several bifunctional electrocatalysts were prepared and tested in a single cell URFC system. The catalysts for oxygen electrode revealed fuel cell performance in the order of Pt black > PtIr > PtRuOx > PtRu ~ PtRuIr > PtIrOx, whereas water electrolysis performance in the order of PtIr ~ PtIrOx > PtRu > PtRuIr > PtRuOx ~ Pt black. Considering both reaction modes PtIr was the most effective elctrocatalyst for oxygen electrode of present PEM URFC system. In addition, the water electrolysis performance was significantly improved when Ir or IrOx was added to Pt black just 1 wt.% without the decrease of fuel cell performance. Based on the catalyst screening and the optimization of catalyst composition and loading, the optimum catalyst electrodes for PEM URFC were $1.0mg/cm^2$ of Pt black as hydrogen electrode and $2.0mg/cm^2$ of PtIr (99:1) as oxygen electrode.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.276-282
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• 2016

The effects of conductive additives in a $La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}MnO_3$ perovskite bifunctional electrode for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) were investigated in an alkaline solution. Highly porous carbon black (CB) and Ni powder were added to the bifunctional electrodes as conductive additives. The surface morphologies of electrodes containing CB and Ni were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The current densities for both ORR and OER were changed by the addition of CB. The conductive additive changed physical properties of bifunctional electrodes such as the sheet conductance, gas permeability and contact angle. It was observed that the air permeability of electrode was most effective to enhance the currents for ORR and OER.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2017

This study aims to examine the influences of substrates/diffusion layers (DL) and oxygen reduction reaction catalysts ($M_{ORR}$) on the performance of $M_{ORR}/IrO_2$/DL-type bifunctional oxygen electrodes for use in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)-type unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFC). The $M_{ORR}/IrO_2$/DL electrodes were prepared via two sequential steps: anodic electrodeposition of $IrO_2$ on various DLs and fabrication of $M_{ORR}$ layers (Pt, Pd, and Pt-Ru) by spraying on $IrO_2/DL$. Experiments using different DLs, with Pt as the $M_{ORR}$, revealed that the roughness factor of the DL mainly determined the electrode performance for both water electrolyzer (WE) and fuel cell (FC) operations, while the contributions of porosity and substrate material were insignificant. When Pt-Ru was utilized as the $M_{ORR}$ instead of Pt, WE performance was enhanced and the electrode performance was assessed by analyzing round-trip efficiencies (${\varepsilon}_{RT}$) at current densities of 0.2 and $0.4A/cm^2$. As a result, using Pt-Ru instead of Pt alone provided better ${\varepsilon}_{RT}$ at both current densities, while Pd resulted in very low ${\varepsilon}_{RT}$. Improved efficiency was related to the additional catalytic action by Ru toward ORR during WE operation.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.677-684
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• 2016

Various commercially available gas diffusion layers (GDLs) from different manufacturers were used to prepare an air electrode using $La_{0.8}Sr_{0.2}CoO_3$ perovskite (LSCP) as the catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline solution. Various GDLs have different physical properties, such as porosity, conductivity, hydrophobicity, etc. The ORR and OER of the resulting cathode were electrochemically evaluated in an alkaline solution. The electrochemical properties of the resulting cathodes were slightly different when compared to the physical properties of GDLs. Pore structure and conductivity of GDLs had a prominent effect and their hydrophobicities had a minor effect on the electrochemical performances of cathodes for ORR and OER.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.171-171
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• 2009

The electrodes are usually made of a porous mixture of carbon-supported platinum and ionomers. $SnO_2$ particles provide as supports that have been used for DMFCs, and it have high catalytic activities toward methanol oxidation. The main advantage of $SnO_2$ supported electrodes is that it has strong chemical interactions with metallic components. The high activity to a synergistic bifunctional mechanism in which Pt provides the adsorption sites for CO, while oxygen adsorbs dissociative on $SnO_2$. The reaction between the adsorbed species occurs at the Pt/$SnO_2$ boundary. The morphological observations were characterized by FESEM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). $SnO_2$ particles crystallinity was analyzed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface bonded state of the $SnO_2$ particles and electrode materials were observed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electric properties of the Pt/$SnO_2$ catalyst for methanol oxidation have been investigated by the cyclic voltametry (CV) in 0.1M $H_2SO_4$ and 0.1M MeOH aqueous solution. The peak current density of methanol oxidation was increased as the $SnO_2$ content in the anode catalysts increased. Pt/$SnO_2$ catalysts improve the removal of CO ads species formed on the platinum surface during methanol electro-oxidation.