• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.12-18
• /
• 2012

The prohibitively high cost of Pt catalyst might be the biggest barrier for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) of which wide application is expected. Worldwide research efforts for the development of alternative to Pt oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst are made recently. One of the important considerations in the catalyst development is durability issue as well as economic aspect. From this point of view, platinum group metals (PGM) except Pt can be a candidate for replacing Pt catalyst because the material properties and the catalytic activity of PGM are expected to be similar to Pt. In contrast to Ir, Rh and Os to which not so much attention has been paid as an ORR catalyst, Pd that is most similar to Pt in terms of material properties and catalytic activity and Ru that is in the form of chalcogenide have been studied intensively. Activity comparison between non-Pt and Pt oxygen reduction catalysts by half cell test using RDE (rotating disk electrode) or PEMFC MEA (membrane electrode assembly) operation indicates that Pd-based catalysts show the most similar activity to Pt. In this paper we analyze the composition of PGM ORR catalyst in literature to promote the development of non-Pt ORR catalyst.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.1755-1762
• /
• 2013

A graphene-Zn/Al layered double hydroxide composite film was simultaneously prepared by electrochemical deposition on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (G-LDH/GCE) from the mixture solution containing GO and nitrate salts of $Zn^{2+}$ and $Al^{3+}$. The modified electrode showed good electrochemical performances toward the simultaneous electrochemical detection of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CA) and resorcinol (RE) due to the unique properties of graphene (G) and LDH such as large active surface area, facile electronic transport and high electrocatalytic activity. The redox characteristics of G-LDH/GCE were investigated with cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The well-separated oxidation peak potentials, corresponding to the oxidation of HQ, CA and RE, were observed at 0.126 V, 0.228 V and 0.620 V respectively. The amperometric response of the modified electrode exhibited that HQ can be detected without interference of CA and RE. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current of HQ is linear with the concentration of HQ from 6.0 ${\mu}M$ to 325.0 ${\mu}M$ with the detection limit of 0.077 ${\mu}M$ (S/N=3). The modified electrode was successfully applied to the direct determination of HQ in a local tap water, showing reliable recovery data.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2002.07a
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2002

In this study, Pt/Pd (1.1), PtPd (2:1) and PtPd (3:1) binary catalysts and Pt/Ru/Pd (5:4:1) ternary catalyst were designed. The catalysts were synthesized by impregnation method using $NaBH_4$ as a reducing agent. A good catalyst for methanol oxidation requires low on-set potential, stable durability and low activation energy. In order to investigate the catalytic activity for the methanol oxidation, electrochemical measurements such as cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were peformed in sulfuric acid with/without methanol solution. In order to calculate the activation energy of the reaction, electrochemical measurements were also tested at different temperatures. For investigation of the structural analysis such as particle size and alloying, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis were used. In order to identify the role of the Pd and to determine the composition of the surface of the Pt/Pd nanoparticles, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was investigated. The XPS spectra of Pd showed that Pd appears only as a metallic state in the binary catalysts. The chemical states of Pt in PtPd catalysts are both metallic and oxidative. Polarization curves and power density data were obtained by testing the DMFC unit cell performance of PtPd and PtRuPd catalysts. These data showed that Pt/Pd (2:1) and Pt/Ru/Pd (5:4:1) have better performance than Pt and Pt/Ru, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.7
• /
• pp.666-674
• /
• 2009

An electrochemical bioreactor (ECB) composed of a cathode compartment and an air anode was used in this study to characterize the ethanol fermentation of Zymomonas mobilis. The cathode and air anode were constructed of modified graphite felt with neutral red (NR) and a modified porous carbon plate with cellulose acetate and porous ceramic membrane, respectively. The air anode operates as a catalyst to generate protons and electrons from water. The growth and ethanol production of Z. mobilis were 50% higher in the ECB than were observed under anoxic nitrogen conditions. Ethanol production by growing cells and the crude enzyme of Z. mobilis were significantly lower under aerobic conditions than under other conditions. The growing cells and crude enzyme of Z. mobilis did not catalyze ethanol production from pyruvate and acetaldehyde. The membrane fraction of crude enzyme catalyzed ethanol production from glucose, but the soluble fraction did not. NADH was oxidized to $NAD^+$in association with $H_2O_2$reduction, via the catalysis of crude enzyme. Our results suggested that NADH/$NAD^+$balance may be a critical factor for ethanol production from glucose in the metabolism of Z. mobilis, and that the metabolic activity of both growing cells and crude enzyme for ethanol fermentation may be induced in the presence of glucose.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.135-148
• /
• 2012

Ionic liquids are steadily attracting interests throughout a recent decade and their application is expanding into various fields including electrochemistry due to their unique properties such as non-volatility, inflammability, low toxicity, good ionic conductivity, wide electrochemical potential window and so on. These features make ionic liquids become an alternative solution for electrodeposition of metals that cannot be electroplated in aqueous electrolytes. In this review, we classify investigated metals into three categories, which are light (Li, Mg), refractory (Ti, Ta) and noble (Pd, Pt, Au) metals, rather than covering the exhaustive list of metals and try to update the recent development in this area. In electrodeposition of light metals, granular fine Li particles were successfully obtained while the passivation of electrodeposited Mg layers is an obstacle to reversible deposition-dissolution process of Mg. In the case of refractory metals, the quality of Ta and Ti deposit particles was effectively improved with addition of LiF and pyrrole, respectively. In noble metal category, EMIM TFSA ionic liquid as an electrolyte for Au electrodeposition was proven to be effective and BMP TFSA ionic liquid developed a smooth Pd deposit. Pt nanoparticle production from ionic liquid droplet in aqueous solution can be cost-effective and display an excellent electrocatalytic activity.

• 한국전기화학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.141-151
• /
• 2003

The electrochemical activity of the olivine type $LiMPO_4$ (M=transition metals) cathodes strongly depends on various factors, e.g., the transition metal element M, perturbative doping of the supervalent cations into Li site, composite formation with conductive additives, state of charge/discharge, and particle size and its geometries, etc. This is, therefore, an important issue of interdisciplinary between electrochemistry and solid state science towards practical applications. In order to shed light on this interesting but complicated issue with the transport properties and crystallographic aspects, systematic discussion will be made with the review of our recent publications; (1) first principle derivation of the electronic structures, (2) crystallographic mapping of the selected solid solutions, (3) quantitative elucidation of the electron-lattice interaction, (4) spectroscopic detection of the local environment with Mossbauer and EXAFS, (5) synthetic optimization of the electrode composite, and (6) electrochemical evaluation of the reaction kinetics, particularly on M = Fe, Mn.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2016

Sr_0.92Y_0.08TiO_3-δ (SYT) was investigated as an alternative anode in humidified CH₄ fuel for SOFCs at low temperatures (650 ℃-750 ℃) and compared with the conventional Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) anode. The goal of the study was to directly use a hydrocarbon fuel in a SOFC without a reforming process. The cell performance of the SYT anode was relatively low compared with that of the Ni/YSZ anode because of the poor electrochemical catalytic activity of SYT. In the presence of CH₄ fuel, however, the cell performance with the SYT anode decreased by 20%, in contrast to the 58% decrease in the case of the Ni/YSZ anode. The severe degradation of cell performance observed with the Ni/YSZ anode was caused by carbon deposition that resulted from methane thermal cracking. Carbon was much less detected in the SYT anode due to the catalytic oxidation. Otherwise, a significant amount of bulk carbon was detected in the Ni/YSZ anode.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.90-94
• /
• 2012

A simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor for simultaneous and quantitative detection of ranitidine (RT) and metronidazole (MT) was developed, based on a poly(thionine)-modified anodized glassy carbon electrode (PTH/GCE). The modified electrode showed the excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of both RT and MT in 0.1M phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0). The peak-to-peak separations (${\Delta}E_p$) for the simultaneous detection of RT and MT between the two reduction waves in CV and DPV were increased significantly from ca. 100 mV at anodized GCE, to ca. 550 mV at the PTH/GCE. The reduction peak currents of RT and MT were linear over the range from 35 to $500{\mu}M$ in the presence of 200 and $150{\mu}M$ of RT and MT, respectively. The sensor showed the sensitivity of 0.58 and $0.78{\mu}A/cm^2/{\mu}M$ with the detection limits (S/N = 3) of 1.5 and $0.96{\mu}M$, respectively for RT and MT.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.337-343
• /
• 2013

Membrane reactors have been showing a promising future and attracted increasing attention in the scientific community as they possess advantages in terms of enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity, combination of processes (reaction and separation), simplicity in process design, and safety in operation. In particular, solid electrolyte membrane reactor principles are realized in fuel cells, electrolyzers and reactors for hydrogenation of carbon dioxide and other economically viable reactions. In this review, as a young generation of ion conducting materials, high temperature proton conductors are discussed in terms of the current status of material development and their various applications.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.233-240
• /
• 2015

Electrochemical synthesis was employed to prepare a novel hydroxyapatite/graphene (HAP/Gr) composite powder suitable for medical applications as a hard tissue implant (scaffold). The synthesis was performed in a homogeneous dispersion containing Na₂H₂EDTA·2H₂O, NaH₂PO₄ and CaCl₂ with a Ca/EDTA/PO₄³⁻ concentration ratio of 0.25/0.25/0.15M, along with 0.01 wt% added graphene nanosheets, at a current density of 137 mA cm⁻² and pH value of 9.0. The field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations of the composite HAP/Gr powder indicated that nanosized hydroxyapatite particles were uniformly placed in the graphene overlay. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirmed graphene incorporation in the HAP/Gr powder. The electrochemically prepared HAP/Gr composite powder exhibited slight antibacterial effect against the growth of the bacterial strain Staphylococcus aureus.