• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.635-644
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• 2023

Due to the rapid development of the livestock industry, particularly due to residual pharmaceutical antibiotics, environmental populations have been negatively affected. Herein, we report a ZnO/melamine-functionalized carboxylic-rich graphene oxide (ZFG) photocatalyst for visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride in aqueous solutions. The properties of the photocatalysts were evaluated by XRD, FTIR, XPS, Fe-SEM, HR-TEM, TGA, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, zeta potential, and electrochemical measurements. The photocatalytic activity was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The photocatalytic properties of the ZFG photocatalyst evaluated against the tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) antibiotic under visible light irradiation showed superior photodegradation of 96.27% within 60 min at an initial pH of 11. The enhancement of photocatalytic degradation was due to the introduction of functionalized graphene, which increases the light-harvesting capability and molecular adsorption capability in addition to minimizing the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers due to its role as an electron acceptor and mediator.

• 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.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.86.2-86.2
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• 2010

In order to improve polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) durability, the durability of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), in which the electrochemical reactions actually occur, is one of the vital issues. Many articles have dealt with catalyst layer degradation of the durability-related factors on MEAs in relation to loss of catalyst surface area caused by agglomeration, dissolution, migration, formation of metal complexes and oxides, and/or instability of the carbon support. Degradation of catalyst layer during long-term operation includes cracking or delamination of the layer which result either from change in the catalyst microstructure or loss of electronic or ionic contact with the active surface, can result in apparent activity loss in the catalyst layer. Membrane degradation of the durability-related factors on MEAs can be caused by mechanical or thermal stress resulting in formation of pinholes and tears and/or by chemical attack of hydrogen peroxide radicals formed during the electrochemical reactions. All of these effects, the mechanical damage of membrane and degradation of catalyst layers are more facilitated by uneven stress or improper MEA fabrication process. In order to improve the PEMFC durability, therefore, it is most important to minimize the uneven stress or improper MEA fabrication process in the course of the fabrication of MEA. We analyzed the effects of the MEA fabrication condition on the PEMFC durability with MEA produced using CCM (catalyst coated membrane) method. This paper also investigated the effects of MEA fabrication condition on the PEMFC durability by adding additional treatment process, hot pressing and pressing, on the MEA produced using CCM method.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.265-273
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• 2017

Solid-state alkaline water electrolysis is a promising method for producing hydrogen using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Despite active investigations of component development for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE), understanding of the device performance remains insufficient for the commercialization of AEMWE. The study of assembled AEMWE devices is essential to validate the activity and stability of developed catalysts and electrolyte membranes, as well as the dependence of the performance on the device operating conditions. Herein, we review the development of catalysts and membranes reported by different AEMWE companies such as ACTA S.p.A. and Proton OnSite and device operating conditions that significantly affect the AEMWE performance. For example, $CuCoO_x$ and $LiCoO_2$ have been studied as oxygen evolution catalysts by Acta S.p.A and Proton OnSite, respectively. Anion exchange membranes based on polyethylene and polysulfone are also investigated for use as electrolyte membranes in AEMWE devices. In addition, operation factors, including temperature, electrolyte concentration and acidity, and solution feed methods, are reviewed in terms of their influence on the AEMWE performance. The reaction rate of water splitting generally increases with increase in operating temperature because of the facilitated kinetics and higher ion conductivity. The effect of solution feeding configuration on the AEMWE performance is explained, with a brief discussion on current AEMWE performance and device durability.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1221-1228
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• 2005

Carbon electrode was applied to a wastewater treatment system as biofilm media. The spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria in aerobic wastewater biofilm grown on carbon electrode was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and biomass measurement. Five volts of electric oxidation and reduction potential were charged to the carbon anode and cathode of the bioelectrochemical system, respectively, but were not charged to electrodes of a conventional system. To correlate the biofilm architecture of bacterial populations with their activity, the bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons was measured in the bioelectrochemical system and compared with that in the conventional system. In the SEM image, the biofilm on the anodic medium of the bioelectrochemical system looked intact and active; however, that on the carbon medium of the conventional system appeared to be shrinking or damaging. In the AFM image, the thickness of biofilm formed on the carbon medium was about two times of those on the anodic medium. The bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons in the bioelectrochemical system was about 1.5 times higher than that in the conventional system. Some denitrifying bacteria can metabolically oxidize $H_{2}$, coupled to reduction of $NO_{3}^{-}\;to\;N_{2}$. $H_{2}$ was produced from the cathode in the bioelectrochemical system by electrolysis of water but was not so in the conventional system. The denitrification efficiency was less than $22\%$ in the conventional system and more than $77\%$ in the bioelectrochemical system. From these results, we found that the electrochemical coupling reactions between aerobic and anaerobic reactors may be a useful tool for improvement of wastewater treatment and denitrification efficiency, without special manipulations such as bacterial growth condition control, C/N ratio (the ratio of carbon to nitrogen) control, MLSS returning, or biofilm refreshing.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2266-2270
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• 2007

Electron transfer of a redox protein at a bare gold electrode is too slow to observe the redox peaks. A novel Nafion-riboflavin functional membrane was constructed during this study and electron transfer of cytochrome c, superoxide dismutase, and hemoglobin were carried out on the functional membrane-modified gold electrode with good stability and repeatability. The immobilized protein-modified electrodes showed quasireversible electrochemical redox behaviors with formal potentials of 0.150, 0.175, and 0.202 V versus Ag/AgCl for the cytochrome c, superoxide dismutase and hemoglobin, respectively. Whole experiment was carried out in the 50 mM MOPS buffer solution with pH 6.0 at 25 oC. For the immobilized protein, the cathodic transfer coefficients were 0.67, 0.68 and 0.67 and electron transfer-rate constants were evaluated to be 2.25, 2.23 and 2.5 s?1, respectively. Hydrogen peroxide concentration was measured by the peroxidase activity of hemoglobin and our experiment revealed that the enzyme was fully functional while immobilized on the Nafion-riboflavin membrane.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.2185-2189
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• 2010

Closely arranged CdSe and Zn doped CdSe vertical nanorod bundles were grown directly on FTO coated glass by using electrodeposition method. Structural analysis by XRD showed the hexagonal phase without any precipitates related to Zn. FE-SEM image showed end capped vertically aligned nanorods arranged closely. From the UV-vis transmittance spectra, band gap energy was found to vary between 1.94 and 1.98 eV due to the incorporation of Zn. Solar cell parameters were obtained by assembling photoelectrochemical cells using CdSe and CdSe:Zn photoanodes, Pt cathode and polysulfide (1M $Na_2S$ + 1M S + 1M NaOH) electrolyte. The efficiency was found to increase from 0.16 to 0.22 upon Zn doping. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) indicate that the charge-transfer resistance on the FTO/CdSe/polysulfide interface was greater than on FTO/CdSe:Zn/polysulfide. Cyclic voltammetry results also indicate that the FTO/CdSe:Zn/polysulfide showed higher activity towards polysulfide redox reaction than that of FTO/CdSe/polysulfide.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.336-345
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• 2020

Nickel-doped lanthanum cobalt oxide (LaCo_1-xNi_xO_3-δ, LCN) was investigated as an alternative anode material for solid oxide fuel cells. To improve its catalytic activity for steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction, Ni²⁺ was substituted into Co³⁺ lattice in LaCoO₃. LCN anode, synthesized using the Pechini method, reacts with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte at high temperatures to form an electrochemically inactive phase such as La₂Zr₂O₇. To minimize the interlayer by-products, the LCN was coated via a double-tape casting method on the Ni/YSZ anode as a catalytic functional layer. By increasing the Ni doping amount, oxygen vacancies in the LCN increased and the cell performance improved. CH₄ fuel decomposed to H₂ and CO via SMR reaction in the LCN functional layer. Hence, the LCN-coated Ni/YSZ anode exhibited better cell performance than the Ni/YSZ anode under H₂ and CH₄ fuels. LCN with 12 mol% of Ni (LCN12)-modified Ni/YSZ anode showed excellent long-term stability under H₂ and CH₄ conditions.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.419-424
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• 2011

Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on $RuO_2$ nanowire support were successfully synthesized and their electrochemical properties, such as methanol electro-oxidation and electrochemically active surface (EAS) area, were demonstrated for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). After fabricating $RuO_2$ nanowire support via an electrospinning method, two different types of incorporated Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts were prepared using a precipitation method via the reaction with $NaBH_4$ as a reducing agent. One electrocatalyst was 20 wt% Pt/$RuO_2$, and the other was 40 wt% Pt/$RuO_2$. The structural and electrochemical properties of the Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts incorporated on electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support were investigated using a bright field transmission electron microscopy (bright field TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry. The bright field TEM, XRD, and XPS results indicate that Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts with sizes of approximately 2-4 nm were well incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support with a diameter of approximately 50 nm. The cyclic voltammetry results showed that the Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support give superior catalytic activity in the methanol electro-oxidation and a higher electrochemically active surface (EAS) area when compared with the electrospun Pt nanowire electrocatalysts without the $RuO_2$ nanowire support. Therefore, the Pt nanoparticle catalysts incorporated on the electrospun $RuO_2$ nanowire support could be a promising electrode for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 2016

A combined system with PEMFC and reformer is introduced and optimized for the real use of this kind of system in the future. The hydrogen source to operate the PEMFC system is methanol, which needs two parts of methanol reforming reaction and preferential oxidation (PROX) for the hydrogen fuel process in the combined operation PEMFC system. With the optimized methanol steam reforming condition, we tested PROX reactions in various operation temperature from 170 to 270 ℃ to investigate CO concentration data in the reformed gases. Using these different CO concentration, PEMFC performances are achieved at the combined system. Pt/C and Ru promoted Pt/C were catalysts were used for the anode to compare the stability in CO contained gases. The alloy catalyst of PtRu/C shows higher performance and better resistance to CO than the Pt/C at even high CO amount of 200 ppm, indicating a promotion not only to the activity but also to the CO tolerance. Furthermore, in a system point of view, there is a fluctuation in the PEMFC operation due to the unstable fuel supply. Therefore, we also modified the methanol reforming by a scaled up reactor and pressurization to produce steady operation of PEMFC. The optimized system with the methanol reformer and PEMFC shows a stable performance for a long time, which is providing a valuable data for the PEMFC commercialization.