• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2011

We investigated the effect of composition of a sulfur electrode with MWNT on the discharge behavior and cycling property of a Li/S cell. The MWNT content of a 60wt.% sulfur electrode varied from 10 wt.% to 30 wt.%. The optimum content of MWNT is 20wt.%, which shows the best cycling property. The first discharge capacity is 1166 mAh/g and decrease to the 542 mAh/g after 30th cycle. The homogeneous distribution of MWNT is an important factor for cycling properties.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.574-581
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• 2022

Nanofibers comprising reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and Mo₂C/Mo₂N nanoparticles (Mo₂C/Mo₂N rGO NFs) were prepared for a functional interlayer of Li-S batteries (LSBs). The well-dispersed Mo₂C and Mo₂N nanoparticles in the nanofiber structure served as active polar sites for efficient immobilization of dissolved lithium polysulfide. The rGO nanosheets in the structure also provide conductive channels for fast ion/electron transport during charging-discharging and ensured reuse of lithium polysulfide during redox reactions through a fast charge transfer process. As a result, the cell assembled with Mo₂C/Mo₂N rGO NFs-coated separator and pure sulfur electrode (70 wt% of sulfur content and 2.1 mg cm^-2 of sulfur loading) showed a stable discharge capacity of 476 mA h g^-1 after 400 charge-discharge cycles at 0.1 C. Furthermore, it exhibited a discharge capacity of 574 mA h g^-1 even at a high current density of 1.0 C. Therefore, we believe that the proposed unique nanostructure synthesis strategy could provide new insights into the development of sustainable and highly conductive polar materials as functional interlayers for high performance LSBs.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.111-122
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• 2013

Sodium sulfur (NAS) battery is a high energy storage system (ESS). These days, as the use of renewable green energy like wind energy, solar energy and ocean energy is rapidly increasing, the demand of ESS is increasing and NAS battery is considered to be one of the most promising ESS. Since NAS battery has a high energy density(3 times of lead acid battery), long cycle life and no self-charge and discharge, it is a good candidate for ESS. A NAS battery consists of sulfur as the positive electrode, sodium as the negative electrode and ${\beta}$"-alumina as the electrolyte and a separator simultaneously. Since sulfur is an insulator, carbon felt should be used as conductor with sulfur and so the composition and property of the cathode could largely influence the cell performance and life cycle. Therefore, in this paper, the composition of NAS battery, the property of carbon felt and sodium polysulfides ($Na_2S_x$, intermediates of discharge), and the effects of these factors on cycle performance of cells are described in detail.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.492-494
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• 2002

The fundamental principles of the operation of microwave discharges that are used to convert microwave energy to broad spectrum visual light are known. In this paper, emission dependance of microwave discharges in mixture content of sulfur with noble gases was studied. It is shown that the excitation of this gaseous mixture is carried out in two phases: (1) ionization of noble gas atoms by a microwave field and (2) the consequent maintenance of slightly ionized nonequilibrium plasma by the field. These two processes have essentially various thresholds for the microwave pump. The purpose of this work is to investigate spectral properties of the high frequency discharges in a mixture sulfur vapors with noble gases.

• Carbon letters
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• v.27
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• pp.12-17
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• 2018

We fabricated a Li-S battery with post-treated carbon nanotube (CNT) films which offered better support for sulfur, and investigated the effect of the surface properties and pore structure of the post-treated CNT films on Li-S battery performance. Post-treatments, i.e., acid treatment, unzip process and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) treatment, effectively modified the surface properties and pore structure of the CNT film. The modified pore structure impacted the ability of the CNT films to accommodate the catholyte, resulting in an increase in initial discharge capacity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.167-168
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• 2007

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.110-115
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• 2010

The plasticized polymer electrolytes based on polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (P(VdF-co-HFP)), tetra (ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (TEGDME), and lithium perchlorate ($LiClO_4$) are prepared for the lithium sulfur batteries by solution casting with a doctor-blade. The polymer electrolyte with EO : Li ratio of 16 : 1 shows the maximum ionic conductivity, $6.5\;{\times}\;10^{-4}\;S/cm$ at room temperature. To understand the effect of the salt concentration on the electrochemical performance, the polymer electrolytes are characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), viscometer, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The optimum concentration and mobility of the charge carriers could lead to enhance the utilization of sulfur active materials and the cyclability of the Li/S unit cell.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2022

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as a promising candidate for next-generation power sources due to their high theoretical energy density, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur and its insoluble discharging products (Li₂S₂/Li₂S), large volume changes, severe self-discharge, and dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates result in rapid capacity fading, low Coulombic efficiency, and safety risks, hindering Li-S battery commercial development. In this study, a three-dimensionally (3D) connected hierarchical porous carbon framework (HPCF) derived from waste sunflower seed shells was synthesized as a sulfur host for Li-S batteries via a chemical activation method. The natural 3D connected structure of the HPCF, originating from the raw material, can effectively enhance the conductivity and accessibility of the electrolyte, accelerating the Li⁺/electron transfer. Additionally, the generated micropores of the HPCF, originated from the chemical activation process, can prevent polysulfide dissolution due to the limited space, thereby improving the electrochemical performance and cycling stability. The HPCF/S cell shows a superior capacity retention of 540 mA h g^-1 after 70 cycles at 0.1 C, and an excellent cycling stability at 2 C for 700 cycles. This study provides a potential biomass-derived material for low-cost long-life Li-S batteries.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.426-438
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• 2023

Lithium-sulfur batteries, recently attracting attention as next-generation batteries, have high energy density but are limited in application due to sulfur's insulating properties, shuttle phenomenon, and volume expansion. This study used an economical and simple vacuum filtration method to prepare a freestanding electrode without a binder and collector. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are used to improve the electrical conductivity of sulfur, where CNT also acts as both collector and conductor. In addition, metal oxides (MO_x, M=Ni, Mg), which are easy to adsorb lithium polysulfide, are added to the CNT/S electrode to suppress the shuttle reaction in lithium-sulfur batteries, which is a result of suppressing the loss of active sulfur material due to the excellent adsorption of lithium polysulfide by metal oxides. The MO_x@CNT/S electrode exhibited higher capacity characteristics and cycle stability than the CNT/S electrode without metal oxides. Among the MO_x@CNT/S electrodes, the NiO@CNT/S electrode displayed a high discharge capacity of 780 mAh g^-1 at 1 C and an extreme capacity decrease to 134 mAh g^-1 after 200 cycles. Although the MgO@CNT/S electrode exhibited a low discharge rate of 544 mAh g^-1 in the initial cycle, it showed good cycle stability with 90% of capacity retention up to 200 cycles. Further, to achieve high capacity and cycle stability, the Ni_0.7Mg_0.3O@CNT/S electrode, mixed with Ni:Mg in the ratio of 0.7:0.3, manifested an initial discharge rate of 755 mAh g^-1 (1 C) and a capacity retention rate of more than 90% after 200 cycles. Therefore, applying binary metal oxides to CNT/S provides a freestanding electrode for developing economical and high-performance Li-S batteries, effectively improving lithium polysulfide's high capacity characteristics and dissolution.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.18
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• pp.249-258
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• 1998

In this paper, we investigated the post-combustion removal of nitrogen oxide($NO_x$) and sulfur oxide($SO_x$) which is based on the gas to particle conversion process by the pulsed corona discharge. Under normal pressure, the pulsed corona discharge produces the energetic free electrons which dissociate gas molecules to form the active radicals. These radicals cause the chemical reactions that convert $SO_x$ and $NO_x$ into acid mists and these mists react with $NH_3$ to form solid particles. Those particles can be removed from the gas stream by conventional devices such as electrostatic precipitator or bag filter. The reactor geometry was coaxial with an inner wire discharge electrode and an outer ground electrode wrapped on a glass tube. The simulated flue gas with $SO_x$ and $NO_x$ was used in the experiment. The corona discharge reactor was more efficient in removing $SO_x$ and $NO_x$ by adding $NH_3$ and $H_2O$ in the gas stream. We also measured the removal efficiency of $SO_x$ and $NO_x$ in a cylinder type corona discharge reactor and obtained more than 90 % of removal efficiency in these experimental conditions. The effects of process variables such as the inlet concentrations of $SO_x$, $NH_3$ and $H_2O$, residence time, pulse frequencies and applied voltages were investigated.