• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.638-645
• /
• 2015

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have been investigated for their potential utility as large energy storage systems due to their advantageous performances in terms of long cycle life, high energy efficiency, low cost, and flexible design. Carbon materials are typically used as electrodes in redox reactions and as a liquid electrolyte support. The activities, surface areas, and surface morphologies of porous carbon materials must be optimized to increase the redox flow battery performance. Here, to reduce the resistance in VRFBs, surface-modified carbon felt electrodes were fabricated, and their structural, morphological, and chemical properties were characterized. The surface-modified carbon felt electrode improved the cycling energy efficiencies in the VRFBs, from 65% to 73%, due to the improved wettability with electrolyte. From the results of impedances analysis with proposed fitting model, the electrolyte-coupled polarization in VRFB dramatically decreased upon modification of carbon felt electrode surface. It is also demonstrated that the compressibility of carbon felt electrodes was important to the VRFB polarization, which are concerned with mass transfer polarization. The impedance analysis will be helpful for obtaining better and longer-lived VRFB performances.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.9
• /
• pp.2583-2588
• /
• 2013

A new type of solid and gel-state ionics based on siloxane pyridinium iodides was synthesized and used as electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells. The resulting electrolytes were characterized by $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy, TGA and diffusion coefficient. The synthesized siloxane pyridinium iodide electrolytes have characteristics of different chain length of siloxane moieties. The ion conductivities were given 2.7-3.2 S/cm. Among the three SiDPIs based electrolytes, DSSC employing the SiDPI2 gives an open circuit voltage of 0.704 V, a short-circuit current of 15.85 $mA/cm^2$ and conversion efficiency of 6.8% under light intensity of 100 $mW/cm^2$. In addition, the performance of the DSSCs showed relatively reasonable compared with the propylpyridinium iodide (PPI) electrolyte.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.652-659
• /
• 2017

In the present research, in order to predict activity coefficient of inorganic ions in electrolyte solution of a petroleum system, we studied 13 components in the electrolyte solution, including $H_2O$, $CO_2$ (aq), $H^+$, $Na^+$, $Ba^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Sr^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $SO_4$, $CO_3$, $OH^-$, $Cl^-$, and $HCO_3$. To predict the activity coefficient of the components of the petroleum system (a solid/liquid equilibrium system), activity coefficient model of Extended UNIQUAC was studied, along with its adjustable parameters optimized based on a genetic algorithm. The total calculated error associated with optimizing the adjustable parameters of Extended UNIQUAC model considering the 13 components under study at three temperature levels (298.15, 323.15, and 373.15 K) using the genetic algorithm is found to be 0.07.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.34 no.7
• /
• pp.715-720
• /
• 2010

We propose an electroosmosis-based air delivery scheme for polymer electrolyte fuel cells and experimentally investigate its feasibility. An electroosmotic pump under a low-frequency AC electric field is used to displace initially a volume of pump working liquids. This working liquid is then pumped into a space enclosed by a flexible membrane and the movement of the membrane delivers air to a fuel cell. We successfully demonstrated the operation of a forced-convection fuel cell using this technique. In this preliminary study, however, the power consumption of the pump exceeds the power generated by the fuel cell. We conclude this paper with a discussion of several ways to reduce the pump-to-fuel cell power ratio.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.735-738
• /
• 1996

Amorphous nickelphthalocyanine(NiPc) thin films were prepared by vacuum evaporation and their electrochromic behavior and voltammograms were examined in the five kinds of aqueous electrolytes. Amorphous NiPc films were prepared on indium-tin-oxide(ITO) glass substrates cooled to-$120^{\circ}C$ by using liquid nitrogen under a vacuum of $2.4 \times 10^{-4}$. The voltammetric and electrochromic measurements were made using a potential galvanostat. In order to confirm the color change, optical vis-transmission spectra of the NiPc films were measured by a spectrophotometer with various electrode potential applied. The NiPc amorphous thin films exhibited most clearly electrochromism in $KNO_3$ aqueous electrolyte. The specimen films underwent 3 color transitions (from blue to yellow-green, then to red violet, then to dark blue), corresponding to the three peaks on the voltammograms in $KNO_3$ aqueous electrolyte. Blue is color of the as-prepared film. When the potential was swept, charge compensation was attained upon oxidation by injection of anions from the electrolyte and upon reduction by expulsion of anions.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.90-96
• /
• 2013

We report here flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) based on Ti-mesh electrodes that show good mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity. $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays prepared by electrochemical anodizing Ti-mesh substrate were used as photoanode. A Pt-coated Ti-mesh substrate was used as counter electrode. The photoanodes were modified by coating a $TiO_2$ porous layer onto the $TiO_2$ nanotubes in order to increase the specific surface area. To increase the long term stability of the DSSCs, a gel type electrolyte was used instead of a conventional liquid type electrolyte. The DSSC based on $33.2{\mu}m$ long porous $TiO_2$ nanotubes exhibited a better energy conversion efficiency of ~2.33%, which was higher than that of the DSSCs based on non-porous $TiO_2$ nanotubes.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 2017

When designing a redox flow battery system, compression of battery stack is required to prevent leakage of electrolyte and to reduce contact resistance between cell components. In addition, stack compression leads to deformation of the porous carbon electrode, which results in lower porosity and smaller cross-sectional area for electrolyte flow. In this paper, we investigate the effects of electrode compression on the cell performance by applying multi-dimensional, transient model of all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Simulation result reveals that large compression leads to greater pressure drop throughout the electrodes, which requires large pumping power to circulate electrolyte while lowered ohmic resistance results in better power capability of the battery. Also, cell compression results in imbalance between anolyte and catholyte and convective crossover of vanadium ions through the separator due to large pressure difference between negative and positive electrodes. Although it is predicted that the battery power is quickly improved due to the reduced ohmic resistance, the capacity decay of the battery is accelerated in the long term operation when the battery cell is compressed. Therefore, it is important to optimize the battery performance by taking trade-off between power and capacity when designing VRFB system.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.753-763
• /
• 2016

High temperature sodium/sulfur battery(Na/S battery) has good electrochemical properties, but, the battery has some problems such as explosion and corrosion at al. because of using the liquid electrodes at high temperature and production of high corrosion. Room temperature sodium/sulfur batteries (NAS batteries) is developed to resolve of the battery problem. To recently, room temperature sodium/sulfur batteries has higher discharge capacity than its of lithium ion battery, however, cycle life of the battery is shorter. Because, the sulfur electrode and electrolyte have some problem such as polysulfide resolution in electrolyte and reaction of anode material and polysulfide. Cycle life of the battery is improved by decrease of polysulfide resolution in electrolyte and block of reaction between anode material and polysulfide. If room temperature sodium/sulfur batteries (NAS batteries) with low cost and high capacity improves cycle life, the batteries will be commercialized batteries for electric storage, electric vehicle, and mobile electric items.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.334-342
• /
• 2024

The need for efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions has emerged due to a rapidly increasing energy demand and growing concerns about environmental issues. Among various energy storage methods, lithium secondary batteries are widely used in a variety of electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and large-scale power storage systems due to their high energy density, long lifespan, and cost competitiveness. Recently, all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have attracted great attention because they can reduce the risk of fire associated with liquid electrolytes. Additionally, using high-capacity alternative anodes and cathodes in ASSBs can enhance energy density. However, ASSBs that use solid electrolytes experience a degradation in their electrochemical performances due to resistance at solid-solid interfaces. These interfaces can also result in poor physical contact and the presence of products formed from chemical and electrochemical reactions. Solving this interface problem is a critical issue for the commercialization of ASSBs. This review summarizes interfacial reactions between the cathode and solid electrolyte, along with research aimed at improving these interactions. Future development directions in this field are also discussed.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2009.06a
• /
• pp.282-285
• /
• 2009

This study presents preparation and characterization of composite membranes based on ionic liquids. The ionic liquids act as water in sulfonated membranes. On the behalf of ionic conduction through ionic liquid inside the membranes, non-aqueous membranes showed Arrenhius dependence on temperature with no external humidification. It was implied that hopping mechanism of proton was dominant in the ionic liquid based membranes. In addition, small angle X-ray (SAXS) studies provided the information on morphology of ionic clusters formed by the interaction between sulfonic acid groups of the polymers and ionic liquids. The SAXS spectra showed matrix peaks, ionomer peaks and Prodo's law for Nafion based composite membranes and only matrix peaks for hydrocarbon based ones. However, ionic conductivity and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed the clear formation of ionic clusters of the hydrocarbon based composite membranes. It implies for ionic liquid based high temperature membranes that it is important to use sulfonated polymers as solid matrix of ionic liquid which can form clear ionic clusters in SAXS spectra.