• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.285-295
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• 2021

The inverse spinel Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄, CFO) is considered to be a promising alternative to commercial graphite anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the further development of CFO is limited by its unstable structure during battery cycling and low electrical conductivity. In an effort to address the challenge, we construct three-dimensional hierarchical flower-like CFO nanoclusters (CFO NCs)-decorated carbonized cotton carbon fiber (CFO NCs/CCF) composite. This structure is consisted of microfibers and nanoflower cluster composited of CFO nanoparticle, in which CCF can be used as a long-range conductive matrix, while flower-like CFO NCs can provide abundant active sites, large electrode/electrolyte interface, short lithium ion diffusion path, and alleviated structural stress. As anode materials in LIBs, the flower-like CFO NCs/CCF exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. After 100 cycles at a current density of 0.3 A g^-1, the CFO NCs/CCF delivers a discharge/charge capacity of 1008/990 mAh g^-1. Even at a high current density of 15 A g^-1, it still maintains a charge/discharge capacity of 362/361 mAh g^-1.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.479-485
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• 2022

The power of energy storage devices is characterized by capacitance and the internal resistance. The capacitance is measured on an assumption that the charges are stored at the electrode interface and the electric double layer behaves like an ideal capacitor. However, in most cases, the electric double layer is not ideal so a constant phase element (CPE) is used instead of a capacitor to describe the practical observations. Nevertheless, another problem with the use of the CPE is that CPE does not give capacitance directly. Fortunately, a few methods were suggested to evaluate the effective capacitance in the literature. However, those methods may not be suitable for supercapacitors which are modeled as an equivalent circuit of a CPE and resistor connected in series because the time constant of the equivalent circuit is not clearly studied. In this report, in order to study the time constant of the CPE and find its equivalent capacitor, AC and DC methods are utilized in a complementary manner. As a result, the time constants in the AC and DC domains are compared with digital simulation and a proper equation is presented to calculate the effective capacitance of a supercapacitor, which is extended to an electrochemical system where faradaic and ohmic processes are accompanied by imperfect charge accumulation process.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.445-453
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• 2022

SiO_x was prepared from a mixture of Si and SiO₂ via high-energy ball milling as a negative electrode material for Li-ion batteries. The molar ratio of Si to SiO₂ as precursors and the milling time were varied to identify the synthetic condition that could exhibit desirable anode performances. With an appropriate milling time, the material showed a unique microstructure in which amorphous Si nanoparticles were intimately embedded within the SiO₂ matrix. The interface between the Si and SiO₂ was composed of silicon suboxides with Si oxidation states from 0 to +4 as proven by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis. With the addition of a conductive carbon (Super P carbon black) as a coating material, the SiO_x/C manifested superior specific capacity to a commercial SiO_x/C composite without compromising its cycle-life performance. The simple mechanochemical method described in this study will shed light on cost-effective synthesis of high-capacity silicon oxides as promising anode materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.53-53
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• 2003

Plasma polymerized organic thin films were deposited on Si(100) glass and metal substrates using thiophene and ethylcyclohexane precursors by PECVD method. In order to compare electrochemical properties of the as-grown thin films, the effects of the RF plasma power in the range of 30~100 W. AFM showed that the polymer films with smooth surface and sharp interface could be grown under various deposition conditions. Impedance analyzer was utilized for the determination of I-V curve for leakage current density and C-V for dielectric constants, respectively. To obtain C-V curve, we used a MIM structure of metal(Al)-insulator(plasma polymerized thin film)-metal(Pt) structure. Al as the electrode was evaporated on the thiophene films that grew on Pt coated silicon substrates, and the dielectric constants of the as-grown films were then calculated from C- V data measured at 1MHz. From the electrical property measurements such as I-V and C-V characteristics, the minimum dielectric constant and the best leakage current of thiophene thin films were obtained to be about 3.22 and $1{\;}{\times}10^{-11}{\;}A/cm^2$. However, in case of ethylcyclohexane thin films, the minimum dielectric constant and the best leakage current were obtained to be about 3.11 and $5{\;}{\times}10^{-12}{\;}A/cm^2$.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.391-396
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• 2023

Recently, as power and electronic devices have increased in frequency and capacity, it has become a major concern to protect electronic circuits and electronic components used in these devices from abnormal voltages such as various surges and pulse noise. To respond to variously rated voltages applied to power electronic devices, the rated voltages of various varistors can be obtained by controlling the size of internal particles of the varistor or controlling the number of layers of the varistor. During bonding, the problem of unbalanced thermal runaway occurring between the electrode and the varistor interface causes degradation of the varistor and shortens its life of the varistor. In this study, to solve the problem of unbalanced heat distribution of stacked varistors to adjust the operating voltage, the contents of the ZnO-based varistor composition were 96 wt% ZnO, 1 mol% Sb₂O₃, 1 mol% Bi₂O₃, 0.5 mol% CoO, 0.5 mol% MnO, and 1 mol% TiO₂. A multi-layered ZnO varistor was modeled by bonding a single varistor with a composition in three layers according to the operating voltage. The thermal distribution of the triple-layered ZnO varistor was analyzed for the thermal runaway phenomenon that occurred during varistor operation using the finite element method according to Comsol 5.2.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.447-454
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• 2014

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have intensively studied in recent years due to their advantages such as cost effectiveness and possibility of applications in flexible devices. In spite of the high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10 %, the OSCs still have a draw back of their low environmental stability due to the oxidization of aluminum cathode and etching of transparent conducting oxide as electrode. To solve these problems, the inverted structured OSCs (I-OSCs) having greatest potential for achieving an improvement of device performances are suggested. Therefore, there are a lot of studies to develope of interface layer based on organic/inorganic materials for the electron transport layer (ETL) and passivation layer, significant advancements in I-OSCs have driven the development of interface functional materials including electron transport layer. Recent efforts to employing 2D/3D zinc oxide (ZnO) based ETL into I-OSCs have produced OSCs with a power conversion efficiency level that matches the efficiency of ~9 %. In this review, the technical issues and recent progress of ZnO based ETL in I-OSCs to enhancement of device efficiency and stability in terms of materials, process and characterization have summarized.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2000

The relation between the phase-shift profile fur the intermediate frequencies and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm at the poly-Ir/0.1 M $H_2SO_4$ aqueous electrolyte interface has been studied using ac impedance measurements, i.e., the phase-shift methods. The simplified interfacial equivalent circuit consists of the serial connection of the electrolyte resistance $(R_s)$, the faradaic resistance $(R_F)$, and the equivalent circuit element $(C_P)$ of the adsorption pseudoca-pacitance $(C_\phi)$. The comparison of the change rates of the $\Delta(-\phi)/{\Delta}E\;and\;\Delta{\theta}/{\Delta}E$ are represented. The delayed phase shift $(\phi)$ depends on both the cathode potential (E) and frequency (f), and is given by $\phi=tan^{-1}[1/2{\pi}f(R_s+R_F)C_P]$. The phase-shift profile $(-\phi\;vs.\;E)$ for the intermediate frequency (ca. 1 Hz) can be used as an experimental method to determine the Langmuir adsorption isotherm $(\theta\;vs.\;E)$. The equilibrium constant (K) for H adsorption and the standard free energy $({\Delta}G_{ads})$ of H adsorption at the poly-Ir/0.1 M $H_2SO_4$ electrolyte interface are $2.0\times10^{-4}$ and 21.1kJ/mol, respectively. The H adsorption is attributed to the over-potentially deposited hydrogen (OPD H).

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 1998

To AC impedance study was performed in this study on the interfacial reaction between organic electrolyte and amorphous tungsten oxides thin film, cathodically coloring oxide, prepared by e-beam evaporation method in the 1 M $LiClO_4/PC$ organic solution. The electrochemical reactions at the interface were analyzed by the transient method and the complex impedance spectroscopy. The impedance spectrums showed that the electro-chemical intercalation of lithium cations was consisted of the following three steps; the first step, the charge transfer reaction of lithium cation at the interface between amorphous tungsten oxides thin film and the organic electrolyte, the second step, the adsorption of lithium atom on the surface of amorphous tungsten oxides thin film, and then the third step, the absorption and the diffusion of lithium atom into amorphous tungsten oxides thin layer. The bleaching and the coloring characteristics of amorphous tungsten oxides thin film were explained in terms of thermodynamic and kinetic variables, the simulated $R_{ct},\;C_{dl},\;D$ and $\sigma_{Li}$ by CNLS fitting method. Especially it was found that the limiting values of electrochromic reaction were the molar ratio of lithium, y=0.167 and the electrode potential, E=2.245 V (vs. Li).

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

The importance of high capacity energy storage devices has recently emerged for stable power supply through renewable energy generation. From this point of view, the Na-air battery (NAB), which is a next-generation secondary battery, is receiving huge attention because it can realize a high capacity through abundant and inexpensive raw materials. In this study, activated carbon-based catalysts for hybrid type Na-air batteries were prepared and their characteristics were compared and analysed. In particular, from the viewpoint of resource recycling, activated carbon (Orange-C) was prepared using discarded orange peel, and performance was compared with Vulcan carbon, which is widely used. In addition, a Pt/C catalyst (homemade-Pt/C, HM-Pt/C) was synthesized using a modified polyol method to check whether the prepared activated carbon can be used as a supported catalyst, and a commercial Pt/C catalyst (Commercial Pt/C) and electrochemical performance were compared. The prepared Orange-C exhibited a typical H3 type BET isotherm, which is evidence that micropore and mesopore exist. In addition, in the case of HM-Pt/C, it was confirmed through TEM analysis that Pt particles were evenly distributed on the activated carbon supported catalyst. In particular, the HM-Pt/C-based NAB showed the smallest voltage gap (0.224V) and good voltage efficiency (92.34%) in the 1st galvanostatic charge-discharge test. In addition, the cycle performance test conducted for 20 cycles showed the most stable performance.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.131-142
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• 2002

The Langmuir adsorption isotherms of the under-potentially deposited hydrogen (UPD H) and the over-potentially deposited hydrogen (OPD H) at the poly-Pt/0.5M $H_2SO_4$ and 0.5 M LiOH aqueous electrolyte interfaces have been studied using cyclic voltammetric and ac impedance techniques. The behavior of the phase shift $(0^{\circ}{\leq}{-\phi}{\leq}90^{\circ})$ for the optimum intermediate frequency corresponds well to that of the fractional surface coverage $(1{\geq}{\theta}{\geq}0)$ at the interfaces. The phase-shift method, i.e., the phase-shift profile $({-\phi}\;vs.\;E)$ for the optimum intermediate frequency, can be used as a new electrochemical method to determine the Langmuir adsorption isotherms $({\theta}\;vs.\;E)$ of the UPD H and the OPD H for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions at the interfaces. At the poly-Pt/0.5M $H_2SO_4$ aqueous electrolyte interface, the equilibrium constant (K) and the standard free energy $({\Delta}G_{ads})$ of the OPD H are $2.1\times10^{-4}$ and 21.0kJ/mol, respectively. At the poly-Pt/0.5M LiOH aqueous electrolyte interface, K transits from 2.7(UPD H) to $6.2\times10^{-6}$ (OPD H) depending on the cathode potential (E) and vice versa. Similarly, ${\Delta}G_{ads}$ transits from -2.5kJ/mol (UPD H) to 29.7kJ/mol (OPD H) depending on I and vice versa. The transition of K and ${\Delta}G_{ads}$ is attributed to the two distinct adsorption sites of the UPD H and the OPD H on the poly-Pt surface. The UPD H and the OPD H on the poly-Pt surface are the independent processes depending on the H adsorption sites themselves rather than the sequential processes for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions. The criterion of the UPD H and the OPD H is the H adsorption sites and processes rather than the $H_2$ evolution reactions and potentials. The poly-Pt wire electrode is more efficient and useful than the Pt(100) disc electrode for the cathodic $H_2$ evolution reactions in the aqueous electrolytes. The phase-shift method is well complementary to the thermodynamic method rather than conflicting.