• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2005

In order to know the electrochemical decomposition characteristics of ammonia to nitrogen, this work has studied several experimental variables on the electrolytic ammonia decomposition. The effects of pH and chloride ion at $IrO_2$, $RuO_2$, and Pt anodes on the electrolytic decomposition of ammonia were compared, and the existence of membrane equipped in the cell and the changes of the current density, the initial ammonia concentration and so on were investigated on the decomposition. The performances of the electrode were totally in order of $RuO_2{\approx}IrO_2>Pt$ in the both of acid and alkali conditions, and the ammonia decomposition was the highest at a current density of $80mA/cm^2$, over which it decreased, because the adsorption of ammonia on the electrode surface was hindered due to the evolution of oxygen. The ammonia decomposition increased with the concentration of chloride ion in the solution. However, the increase became much dull over 10 g/l of chloride ion. The $RuO_2$ electrode among the tested electrodes generated the most OH radicals which could oxidized the ammonium ion at pH 7.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.276.2-276.2
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• 2016

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are promising candidates for light-to-energy conversion devices due to their low-cost, easy fabrication and relative high conversion efficiency. An important component of DSCs is counter electrode (CE) collect electrons from external circuit and reduct I3- to I-. The conventional CEs are thermally decomposed Pt on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates, which have shown excellent performance and stability. However, Pt is not suitable in terms of cost effect. In this report, we demonstrated that nickel sulfide thin films by atomic layer deposition (ALD)-using Nickel(1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-butanolate)2 and hydrogen sulfide at low temperatures of $90-200^{\circ}C$-could be good CEs in DSCs. Notably, ALD allows the thin films to grow with good reproducibility, precise thickness control and excellent conformality at the angstrom or monolayer level. The nickel sulfide films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, hall measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The ALD grown nickel sulfide thin films showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of I3- to I- in DSC. The DSCs with the ALD-grown nickel sulfide thin films as CEs showed the solar cell efficiency of 7.12% which is comparable to that of the DSC with conventional Pt coated counter electrode (7.63%).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.1075-1082
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• 1999

Composite air electrodes of 50/50 vol% LSM- YSZ where LSM =$\textrm{La}_{1-x}\textrm{Sr}_{x}\textrm{MnO}_{3}$(0$\leq$x$\leq$0.5) were prepared by colloidal deposition technique. The electrodes were then examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and studied by ac impedance spectroscopy in order to improve the performance of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Reproducible impedance spectra were confirmed by using the improved cell, consisting of LSM- YSZ/YSZ/LSM-YSZ. These spectra were a strong function of operating temperature and the stable conditions for the cells were typically reached at $900^{\circ}C$. The typical spectra measured for an air//air cell at $900^{\circ}C$ were composed of two arcs. Addition of YSZ to the LSM electrode led to a pronounced decrease in cathodic resistivity of LSM-YSZ composite electrodes. Polishing the electrolyte surface to eliminate the influences of surface impurities could further reduce cathode resistivity. The cathodic resistivity of the LSM-YSZ electrodes with catalytic interlayer (Ni or Sr) was much smaller than that of LSM-YSZ electrodes without catalytic interlayer. In addition, the cathodic resistivity of the LSM-YSZ electrodes was a strong function of composition of electrode materials, the electrolyte geometry, and applied current.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 2014

In this article, we report the fabrication and characterization of carbon sphere/$Fe_3O_4$ nanocomposite for Li/air batteries. $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles are dispersed homogeneously on the surface of carbon spheres in an attempt to enhance the low conductivity of oxide catalyst ($Fe_3O_4$). The carbon sphere/$Fe_3O_4$ nanocomposite could offer wide surface area of $Fe_3O_4$ and increased carbon/catalyst contact area, which lead to enhanced catalytic activity. The electrode employing carbon sphere/$Fe_3O_4$ nanocomposite presented relatively low overpotential and stable cyclic performance compared with the electrode employing carbon sphere.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.27-33
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• 2004

The catalytic effect of waterworks sludge on NOx removal in $BaTiO_3$pellets and sludge pellets combined packed-bed plasma reactor with plate-plate electrode geometry is measured for the various conditions. NOx removal rate is about 90[%] at $BaTiO_3$-sludge combined reactor used fresh sludge. $NO_2$ and $O_3$ as byproducts are significantly generated in only $BaTiO_3$ packed-bed plasma reactor, however, in $BaTiO_3$-sludge combined packed-bed reactor, $NO_2$ and $O_3$ are completely removed while $CO_2$ as by-products are observed from FTIR spectra. $NO_2$ and $O_3$ seem to react with metallic molecules, metal oxide, and organic compounds that are generally chlorophyll included in sludge. NOx removal rate increases with $O_2$ concentration increasing. Removal rates $NO_2$ and $O_3$ are independent of operating time and repetition measurement times.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 1998

G $d_{0.2}$C $e_{0.8}$ $O_{1.9}$(CGO) for electrolyte and L $a_{0.5}$S $r_{0.5}$Mn $O_3$(LSM50) for cathode in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells(SOFC) were synthesized by citrate process. Specimens were prepared with sintering temperatures at 110$0^{\circ}C$, 120$0^{\circ}C$ and 130$0^{\circ}C$, which were fabricated by slurry coating with citric acid contents. Interfacial resistance was measured between cathode and electrolyte using AC-impedance analyzer. With various citric acid content, the degree of agglomeration for the initial particles changed. Also sintering temperature changed the particle size and the degree of densification of cathode. Factors affecting the interfacial resistance were adherent degree of the electrolyte and cathode, distribution of TPB(three phase boundaries, TPB i.e., electrolyte/electrode/gas phase area) and porosity of cathode. By increasing the sintering temperature, particle size and densification of the cathode were increased. And then, TPB area which occurs catalytic reaction was reduced and so interfacial resistance was increased.sed.sed.d.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2016

A new nano-composite carbon ink for the development of disposable dopamine (DA) biosensors based on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) is introduced. The method developed uses SPCEs coupled with a tyrosinase modified nano-composite carbon ink. The ink was prepared by an “in-house” procedure with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), Pt nanoparticles (PtNP), and carbon materials such as carbon black and graphite. The rGO-PtNP carbon composite ink was used to print the working electrodes of the SPCEs and the reference counter electrodes were printed by using a commercial Ag/AgCl ink. After the construction of nano-composite SPCEs, tyrosinase was immobilized onto the working electrodes by using a biocompatible matrix, chitosan. The composite of nano-materials was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the performance characteristics of the sensors were evaluated by using voltammetric and amperometric techniques. The cyclic voltammetry results indicated that the sensors prepared with the rGO-PtNP-carbon composite ink revealed a significant improvement in electro-catalytic activity to DA compared with the results obtained from bare or only PtNP embedded carbon inks. Optimum experimental parameters such as pH and operating potential were evaluated and calibration curves for dopamine were constructed with the results obtained from a series of amperometric detections at −0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The limit of detection was found to be 14 nM in a linear range of 10 nM to 100 µM of DA, and the sensor’s sensitivity was calculated to be 0.4 µAµM⁻¹cm⁻².

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.70.1-70.1
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• 2012

In-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies of SOFC cathode materials will be discussed in this presentation. The mixed conducting perovskites (ABO3) containing rare and alkaline earth metals on the A-site and a transition metal on the B-site are commonly used as cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, the details of the oxygen reduction reaction are still not clearly understood. The information about the type of adsorbed oxygen species and their concentration is important for a mechanistic understanding of the oxygen incorporation into these cathode materials. XPS has been widely used for the analysis of adsorbed species and surface structure. However, the conventional XPS experiments have the severe drawback to operate at room temperature and with the sample under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, which is far from the relevant conditions of SOFC operation. The disadvantages of conventional XPS can be overcome to a large extent with a "high pressure" XPS setup installed at the BESSY II synchrotron. It allows sample depth profiling over 2 nm without sputtering by variation of the excitation energy, and most importantly measurements under a residual gas pressure in the mbar range. It is also well known that the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction is very sensitive to their electrical conductivity and oxygen nonstoichiometry. Although the electrical conductivity of perovskite oxides has been intensively studied as a function of temperature or oxygen partial pressure (Po2), in-situ measurements of the conductivity of these materials in contact with the electrolyte as a SOFC configuration have little been reported. In order to measure the in-plane conductivity of an electrode film on the electrolyte, a substrate with high resistance is required for excluding the leakage current of the substrate. It is also hardly possible to measure the conductivity of cracked thin film by electrical methods. In this study, we report the electrical conductivity of perovskite $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}CoO_{3-{\delta}}$ (LSC) thin films on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte quantitatively obtained by in-situ IR spectroscopy. This method enables a reliable measurement of the electronic conductivity of the electrodes as part of the SOFC configuration regardless of leakage current to the substrate and cracks in the film.

• Clean Technology
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• v.13 no.1 s.36
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• pp.54-63
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• 2007

Even traces of CO in the hydrogen-rich feed gas to proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) poison the platinum anode electrode and dramatically decrease the power output. In this work, a variety of catalytic materials consisting of $Cu/Ce_xZr_{1-x}O_2$, (x = 0.0-1.0) were synthesised, characterized and tested for CO oxidation and preferential oxidation of CO (PROX). These catalysts prepared by hydrothermal and deposition-precipitation methods. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, XRF, SEM, BET, $N_2O$ titration and oxygen storage capacity (OSC) measurement. The effects of composition of the support and degree of excess oxygen were investigated fur activity and $CO_2$ selectivity with different temperatures. The composition of the support markedly influenced the PROX activity. Among the various $Cu/Ce_xZr_{1-x}O_2$ catalysts having different composition, $Cu/Ce_{0.9}Zr_{0.1}O_2$ and $Cu/Ce_{0.7}Zr_{0.3}O_2$ showed the highest activities (>99%) and selectivities (ca.50%) in the temperature range of $150{\sim}160^{\circ}C$. It was found that by using of $Ce_xZr_{1-x}O_2$ mixed oxide support which possesses a high oxygen storage capacity, oxidation-reduction activity of Cu-based catalyst was improved, which resulted in the increase of catalytic activity and selectivity of CO oxidation in excess $H_2$ environments.