• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.121-128
• /
• 2019

Supercapacitors are attracting much attention in sensor, military and space applications due to their excellent thermal stability and non-explosion. The ionic liquid is more thermally stable than other electrolytes and can be used as a high temperature electrolyte, but it is not easy to realize a high temperature energy device because the separator shrinks at high temperature. Here, we report a study on electrochemical supercapacitors using a composite electrolyte film that does not require a separator. The composite electrolyte is composed of thermoplastic polyurethane, ionic liquid and fumed silica nanoparticles, and it acts as a separator as well as an electrolyte. The silica nanoparticles at the optimum mass concentration of 4wt% increase the ionic conductivity of the composite electrolyte and shows a low interfacial resistance. The 5 wt% polyurethane in the composite electrolyte exhibits excellent electrochemical properties. At $175^{\circ}C$, the capacitance of the supercapacitor using our free standing composite electrolyte is 220 F/g, which is 25 times higher than that at room temperature. This study has many potential applications in the electrolyte of next generation energy storage devices.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.345-353
• /
• 2008

Organic/inorganic composite electrolyte membranes were prepared for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)s with various molecular weight (400, 600, 1,500 and 3,400) was ethoxysilated to fabricate organic/inorganic composite materials through sol-gel processes. The electrolyte membranes were produced by doping the composite materials with NaI and $I_2$, and their ionic conducting behavior was investigated. The ionic conductivity of the composite electrolyte was highly affected by the PEG molecular weight, and the highest conductivity was shown by the composite membrane prepared with PEG with the molecular weight of 1,500. The composite electrolyte membranes showed considerable improvement of ionic conductivity. Compared to PEO electrolyte membranes, the composite electrolyte membrane prepared by PEG, MW 1,500, showed much higher ionic conductivity.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.362-368
• /
• 2022

The application of polymer composite electrolyte in all-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery (ASSLSBs) can guarantee high energy density and improve the interface contact between electrolyte and electrode, which has a broader application prospect. However, the inherent insulation of the sulfur-cathode leads to a low electron/ion transfer rate. Carbon materials with high electronic conductivity and electrolyte materials with high ionic conductivity are usually selected to improve the electron/ion conduction of the composite cathode. In this work, PEO-LiTFSI-LLZO composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) with high ionic conductivity was prepared. The ionic conductivity was 1.16×10^-4 and 7.26×10^-4 S cm^-1 at 20 and 60℃, respectively. Meanwhile, the composite sulfur cathode was prepared with Sulfur, reduced graphene oxide and composite polymer electrolyte slurry (S-rGO-CPEs). In addition to improving the ion conductivity in the cathode, CPEs also replaces the role of binder. The influence of different contents of CPEs in the cathode material on the performance of the constructed battery was investigated. The results show that the electrochemical performance of the all-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery is the best when the content of the composite electrolyte in the cathode is 40%. Under the condition of 0.2C and 45℃, the charging and discharging capacity of the first cycle is 923 mAh g^-1, and the retention capacity is 653 mAh g^-1 after 50 cycles.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2010

Organic/inorganic composite electrolyte membranes were prepared for dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)s with various molecular weight (600, 1,500, 2,000 and 3,400) were ethoxysilated to fabricate organic/inorganic composite materials through sol-gel processes. The electrolyte membranes were produced by doping the composite materials with KI and $I_2$, and their ionic conducting behaviors were investigated. The ionic conductivity of the composite membrane was highly affected by PEG molecular weight. The highest conductivity was shown by the composite membrane prepared with PEG with the molecular weight of 2,000. The composite electrolyte membranes showed considerable improvement of ionic conductivity. Compared to PEO electrolyte membranes, the composite electrolyte membrane by PEG, MW 2,000 showed much higher ionic conductivity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.605-608
• /
• 2011

Hybrid composite membranes were prepared by coating poly(ethylene oxide) and $SiO_2$ particles onto the porous polypropylene nonwoven matrix. Gel polymer electrolytes prepared by soaking the hybrid composite membranes in an organic electrolyte solution exhibited ionic conductivities higher than $1.1{\times}10^{-3}Scm^{-1}$ at room temperature. Dyesensitized solar cell (DSSC) employing the hybrid composite membrane with PEO and 10 wt % $SiO_2$ exhibited an open circuit voltage of 0.77 V and a short circuit current of 10.78 $mAcm^{-2}$ at an incident light intensity of 100 $mWcm^{-2}$, yielding a conversion efficiency of 5.2%. DSSC employing the hybrid composite membrane showed more stable photovoltaic performance than that of the DSSC assembled with liquid electrolyte.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2019

Composite polymer electrolyte membranes based on porous supports have been recognized as an alternative for fuel cell applications since it can provide both mechanical as well as electrochemical stabilities. This mini-review highlights recent advances in supported composite polymer electrolyte membranes using porous matrix and nanofibrous supports. In addition, a comprehensive table listing a wide range of anion and proton exchange pore filling membranes was provided at the end of the review.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.411-417
• /
• 2020

In this study, we introduce a Na β"-alumina composite thick film as a solid electrolyte, to reduce the resistance of electrolyte for a Na/S battery. An alumina/zirconia composite material was used to enhance the mechanical properties of the electrolyte. A solid electrolyte of about 40 ㎛ thick was successfully fabricated through the conversion and tape-casting methods. In order to investigate the effect of the surface treatment process of the solid electrolyte on the battery performance, the electrolyte was polished by dry and wet processes, respectively, and then the Na/S batteries were prepared for analyzing the battery characteristics. The battery with the dry process performed much better than the battery made with the wet process. As a result, the battery manufactured by the dry process showed excellent performance. Therefore, it is confirmed that the surface treatment process of the solid electrolyte has an important effect on the battery capacity and coulombic efficiency, as well as the interface reaction.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.127-131
• /
• 2016

Polymer electrolyte membrane for unitized regenerative fuel cells requires high proton conductivity, high dimensional stability, low permeability, and low cost. However, DuPont's Nafion which is a commercial polymer electrolyte membrane has high permeability, high cost, and decreasing proton conductivity and dimensional stability over $80^{\circ}C$. To address these problems, sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (sPEEK) which is a low cost hydrocarbon polymer is selected as matrix polymer for the preparation of polymer electrolyte membrane. In addition, composite membrane with improved proton conductivity and dimensional stability is prepared by introducing sulfonated graphene oxide (sGO). The fundamental properties of polymer electrolyte membranes are analyzed by investigating membrane's water content, dimensional stability, proton conductivity, and morphology. The cell test is conducted to consider the possibility of application of sPEEK/sGO composite membrane for an unitized regenerative fuel cell.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
• /
• 1999.11a
• /
• pp.40-43
• /
• 1999

Electrochemical surface treatment of PAN-based carbon fibers in acidic electrolyte has been studied in increasing the surface functional groups on fiber surfaces for the improvement of fiber-matrix adhesion of the resulting composites. According to the FT-IR and XPS measurements, it reveals that the oxygen functional groups on fibers are largely influence on the composite mechanical behaviors, whereas the nitrogen functional groups are not affected in the system. In this work, a good correlation between surface functionality and mechanical properties is established.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.17 no.10
• /
• pp.729-733
• /
• 2009

Solution casting films of sulfonated poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-r-butylene)-b-styrene] copolymer (sSEBS)-based composite membranes that contained different amounts of organic, nanorod-shaped polyrotaxane were annealed at various temperatures for 1 h. The films' properties were characterized with respect to their use as polymer electrolyte membranes in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Different aspect ratios of polyrotaxane were prepared using the inclusion-complex reaction between $\alpha$-cyclodextrin and poly(ethylene glycol). The presence of the organic polyrotaxane inside the membrane changed the morphology during the membrane preparation and reduced the transport of methanol. The conductivity and methanol permeability of the composite membranes decreased with increasing polyrotaxane content, while the annealing temperature increased. All of the sSEBS-based, polyrotaxane composite membranes annealed at $140^{\circ}C$ showed a higher selectivity parameter, suggesting their potential usage for DMFCs.