• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.273-274
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• 2005

Photovoltaic effects in organic solar cell were studied in a cell configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CuPc(20nm)/$C_{60}$(40nm)/BCP/Al(150nm) at room temperature. Here, the BCP layer works as an exciton blocking layer. The exciton blocking layer must transport electrons from the acceptor layer to the metal cathode with minimal increase in the total cell series resistance and should absorb damage during cathode deposition. Therefore, a proper thickness of the exciton blocking layer is required for an optimized photovoltaic cell. Several thicknesses of BCP were made between $C_{60}$ and Al. And we obtained characteristic parameters such as short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and power conversion efficiency of the device under the illumination of AM 1.5.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.72-72
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• 2010

Recent development of organic solar cell approaches the level of 8% power conversion efficiency by the introduction of new materials, improved material engineering, and more sophisticated device structures. As for interface engineering, various interlayer materials such as LiF, CaO, NaF, and KF have been utilized between Al electrode and active layer. Those materials lower the work function of cathode and interface barrier, protect the active layer, enhance charge collection efficiency, and induce active layer doping. However, the addition of another step of thin layer deposition could be a little complicated. Thus, on a typical solar cell structure of Al/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/ITO glass, we used Li:Al alloy electrode instead of Al to render a simple process. J-V measurement under dark and light illumination on the polymer solar cell using Li:Al cathode shows the improvement in electric properties such as decrease in leakage current and series resistance, and increase in circuit current density. This effective charge collection and electron transport correspond to lowered energy barrier for electron transport at the interface, which is measured by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Indeed, through the measurement of secondary ion mass spectroscopy, the Li atoms turn out to be located mainly at the interface between polymer and Al metal. In addition, the chemical reaction between polymer and metal electrodes are measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.878-882
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• 2006

We have fabricated single organic layer devices of the organolanthanide complex, terbium tris-(1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-(tertiarybutyry)pyrazol-5-one)triphenylphosphine oxide [$(tb-PMP)_{3}Tb-(Ph_{3}PO)$] for the investigation of its light emission and electrical conduction properties. The thickness of ($(tb-PMP)_{3}Tb-(Ph_{3}PO)$) layer was varied to 60, 75, 95 nm. Mg and Ca layers were used for the cathode contact. The electrical conduction in the $(tb-PMP)_{3}Tb-(Ph_{3}PO)$ single layer devices was dominated by the injection of electrons into the organic layer from the cathode. A higher current density at much lower voltages can be attained with Ca cathode because of the enhanced electron injection. The device shows very sharp emission at 548 nm. The FWHM of the strongest emission peak was 12 nm.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.443-448
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• 1996

In order to plasma-sulfnitride by combining ion-nitriding of a steel and sputtering of MoS$_2$, chromium-molybdenum steel was plasma-sulfritrided using hollow cathode discharge with parallel electrodes which are a main of the steel and a subsidiary cathode of $MoS_2$. The treatment was carried out at 823K for 10.8ks under 665Pa in a 30% $N_2$-70% $H_2$ gas atmosphere. Plasma-sulfnitriding layers formed of the steel were characterized with EDX, XRD, micrographic structure observation and hardness measurement. A compound layer of 8-15$\mu\textrm{m}$ and nitrogen diffusion layer of about 400$\mu\textrm{m}$ were formed on the surface of plasma-sulfnitrided steel. The compound layer consisted of FeS containing Mo and iron nitrides. The nitrides of $\varepsilon$-$Fe_2_3N$ and $\gamma$'-$Fe_4N$ formed under the FeS. The thickness of compound layer and surface hardness were different with the gaps between main and subsidiary cathodes even in the same sulfnitriding temperature. The surface hardnesses after plasma-sulfnitriding were distributed from 640 to 830Hv. The surface hardness was higher in the plasma-sulfnitriding than the usual sulfnitriding in molten salt. This may be due to Mo in sulfnitriding layer.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2023

Spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) has been considered as one of most promising cathode material, because of its low-cost and competitive energy density. However, 4.7V vs. Li/Li⁺ of high operating potential facilitates electrolyte degradation on cathode-electrolyte interface during charge-discharge process. In particular, commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is not sutaible for LNMO cathode binder because its weak van der waals force induces thick and non-uniform coverage on the cathode surface. In this review, we study high performance binders for LNMO cathode, which forms uniform coating layer to prevent direct contact between electrolyte and LNMO particle as well as modifying high quality cathode electrolyte interphase, improved cell performace.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2010

$La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{0.2}Fe_{0.8}O_{3-\delta}$ (LSCF) powders with different particle sizes, synthesized through a citrate complexation method and a gel-casting technique, are used to fabricate porous LSCF cathodes with graded microstructures via tape casting. To create porous electrodes with desired porosity and pore structures, graphite and starch are used as pore former for different layers of the graded cathode. Examination of the microstructures of the as-prepared LSCF cathode using an SEM revealed that both grain size and porosity changed gradually from the catalytically active layer (near the electrodeelectrolyte interface) to the current collection layer (near the electrode-interconnect interface). Impedance analysis showed that a 3-layer LSCF cathode with graded microstructures exhibited much-improved performance compared to that of a single-layer LSCF cathode, corresponding to interfacial resistance of 0.053, 0.11, and 0.27 $\Omega{\cdot}cm^2$ at 800, 750, and $700^{\circ}C$ respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2016

Development of advanced Li-ion battery cells with high durability is critical for safe operation, especially in applications to electric vehicles and portable electronic devices. Understanding fundamental mechanism on the formation of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, which plays a substantial role in the electrochemical stability of the Li-ion battery, in a cathode was rarely reported unlike in an anode. Using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab-initio molecular dynamic (AIMD) simulations we demonstrate atomic-level process on the generation of the SEI layer at the interface of a carbonate-based electrolyte and a spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ cathode. To accomplish the object we calculate the energy band alignment between the work function of the cathode and frontier orbitals of the electrolyte. We figure out that a proton abstraction from the carbonate-based electrolyte is a critical step for the initiation of an SEI layer formation. Our results can provide a design concept for stable Li-ion batteries by optimizing electrolytes to form proper SEI layers.

• Proceedings of the Optical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.02a
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• pp.397-398
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• 2008

We have developed simplified processes for the formation of insulators, cathode separators and bus electrodes in PMOLEDs. The insulators and cathode separators are patterned simultaneously by a single layer of image reversal photoresist. And, the bus electrodes of low resistance are formed by the cathode separator and cathode metal. Using these simplified processes, we fabricated 1.17" $96{\times}RGB{\times}96$ panels and analyzed their performance and reliability.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.237-245
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• 2021

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enhances the stability of cathode materials via surface modification. Previous studies have demonstrated that an Ni-rich cathode, such as LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂, is a promising candidate owing to its high capacity, but is limited by poor cycle stability. In this study, to enhance the stability of the Ni-rich cathode, synthesized LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ was coated with Al₂O₃ using ALD. Thus, the surface-modified cathode exhibited enhanced stability by protecting the interface from Ni-O formation during the cycling process. The coated LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ exhibited a capacity of 176 mAh g^-1 at 1 C and retained up to 72% of the initial capacity after 100 cycles within a range of 2.8-4.3 V (vs Li/Li⁺. In contrast, pristine LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ presented only 58% of capacity retention after 100 cycles with an initial capacity of 173 mAh g^-1. Improved cyclability may be a result of the ALD coating, which physically protects the electrode by modifying the interface, and prevents degradation by resisting side reactions that result in capacity decay. The electrochemical impedance spectra and structural and morphological analysis performed using electron microscopy and X-ray techniques establish the surface enhancement resulting from the aforementioned strategy.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.407-415
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• 2022

Surface coating of cathodes is an essential process for all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) based on sulfide electrolytes as it efficiently suppresses interfacial reactions between oxide cathodes and sulfide electrolytes. Based on computational calculations, Li₃PO₄ has been suggested as a promising coating material because of its higher stability with sulfides and its optimal ionic conductivity. However, it has hardly been applied to the coating of ASSBs due to the absence of a suitable coating process, including the selection of source material that is compatible with ASSBs. In this study, polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and (NH₄)₂HPO₄ were used as source materials for preparing a Li₃PO₄ coating for ASSBs, and the properties of the coating layer and coated cathodes were compared. The Li₃PO₄ layer fabricated using the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source was rough and inhomogeneous, which is not suitable for the protection of the cathodes. Moreover, the water-based coating solution with the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source can deteriorate the electrochemical performance of high-Ni cathodes that are vulnerable to water. In contrast, when an alcohol-based solvent was used, the PPA source enabled the formation of a thin and homogeneous coating layer on the cathode surface. As a consequence, the ASSBs containing the Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the PPA source exhibited significantly enhanced discharge and rate capabilities compared to ASSBs containing a pristine cathode or Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source.