• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.299-308
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• 2023

In this study, phosphorus (P)-doped nickel cobaltite (P-NiCo₂O₄) and nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide (P-NiCo-LDH) were synthesized on nickel (Ni) foam as a conductive support using hydrothermal synthesis. The thermal properties, crystal structure, microscopic surface morphology, chemical distribution, electronic state of the constituent elements on the sample surface, and electrical properties of the synthesized P-NiCo₂O₄ and P-NiCo-LDH samples were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The P-NiCo₂O₄ electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 1,129 Fg^-1 at a current density of 1 Ag^-1, while the P-NiCo-LDH electrode displayed a specific capacitance of 1,012 Fg^-1 at a current density of 1 Ag-1. When assessing capacity changes for 3,000 cycles, the P-NiCo₂O₄ electrode exhibited a capacity retention rate of 54%, whereas the P-NiCo-LDH electrode showed a capacity retention rate of 57%.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.257-268
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• 2023

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is a variation of the conventional CDI process that can improve desalination efficiency by employing an ion-exchange membrane (IEM) together with a porous carbon electrode. The IEM is a key component that greatly affects the performance of MCDI. In this study, we attempted to derive the optimal fabricating factors for IEMs that can significantly improve the desalination efficiency of MCDI. For this purpose, pore-filled IEMs (PFIEMs) were then fabricated by filling the pores of the PE porous support film with monomers and carrying out in-situ photopolymerization. As a result of the experiment, the prepared PFIEMs showed excellent electrochemical properties that can be applied to various desalination and energy conversion processes. In addition, through the correlation analysis between MCDI performance and membrane characteristic parameters, it was found that controlling the degree of crosslinking of the membranes and maximizing permselectivity within a sufficiently low level of membrane electrical resistance are the most desirable membrane fabricating condition for improving MCDI performance.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.359-367
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• 2023

The localized corrosion resistance of the Ni-based Inconel 718 alloy after solution heat treatment was evaluated using electrochemical techniques in a solution of 25 wt% NaCl and 0.5 wt% acetic acid. Solution heat treatment at 1050 ℃ for 2.5 hours resulted in an increased average grain diameter. Both Ti carbides (10 ㎛ diameter) and Nb-Mo carbides (1 - 9 ㎛ diameter) were distributed throughout the material. Despite heat treatment, the shape and composition of these carbides remained consistent. An increase in solution temperature led to a decrease in pitting potential value. However, the pitting potential value of solution heat-treated Inconel 718 was consistently higher than that of as-received Inconel 718 at all tested temperatures. Localized corrosion initiation occurred at 0.4 V_SSE in a temperature environment of 80 ℃ for both as-received and solution heat-treated Inconel 718 alloys. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis indicated that the composition of the passive film formed on specimen surfaces remained largely unchanged after solution heat treatment, with O1s, Cr2p_3/2, Fe2p_3/2, and Ni2p_3/2 present. The difference in localized corrosion resistance between as-received and solution heat-treated Inconel 718 alloys was attributable to microstructural changes induced by the heat treatment process.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.71-81
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• 2024

In this study, the electrochemical properties of garnet-structured all-solid-state battery electrolytes (Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂, hereafter LLZTO) were assessed by altering the calcination temperature, while maintaining a consistent sintering duration. Among the various heat treatment conditions employed for sample fabrication, the '700_1100' condition, denoting a calcination temperature of 700℃ and a sintering temperature of 1100℃, resulted in the most exceptional ionic conductivity of 4.89 × 10^-4 S/cm and a relative density of 88.72% for the LLZTO material. This is attributed to the low calcination temperature of 700℃, leading to reduced grain size and enhanced cohesiveness, thus resulting in a higher sintered density. In addition, a microstructure similar to the typical sintering characteristics observed in Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) methods was identified in the SEM analysis results under the '700_1100' condition. Consequently, the '700_1100' heat treatment condition was deemed to optimal choice for enhancing ionic conductivity.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.543-549
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• 2023

Thallium-201 (²⁰¹Tl) is a medical radioisotope which emits gamma rays when it decays and used in myocardial perfusion scans in single-photon emission tomography due to its similar properties to potassium. Currently, the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences is the only institution producing ²⁰¹Tl in Korea, and optimization of ²⁰¹Tl production research is necessary to meet supply compared to domestic demand. To this end, technical analysis of plating target production and chemical separation methods essential for ²⁰¹Tl production research is conducted. It deals with the process of generating and separating ²⁰¹Tl radioisotope and target production, It can be generated through a nuclear reaction such as ^natHg(p,xn)²⁰¹Tl, ²⁰¹Hg(p,n)²⁰¹Tl, ^natPb(p,xn)²⁰¹Bi → ²⁰¹Pb → ²⁰¹Tl, ²⁰⁵Tl(p,5n)²⁰¹Pb → ²⁰¹Tl, and considering impure nuclide generated simultaneously with the use of proton beam energy of 35 MeV or less, it is intended to be produced using the ²⁰³Tl(p,3n)²⁰¹Pb→²⁰¹Tl nuclear reaction. In particular, the chemical separation of Tl is a very important element, and the chemical separation methods that can separate it is broadly divided into four types, including solid phase extraction, liquid-liquid, electrochemical, and ion exchange membrane separation. Some chemical separations require additional separation steps, such as methods using selective adsorption. Therefore, this technical report describes four chemical separation methods and seeks to separate high-purity ²⁰¹Tl using a method without additional separation steps

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2024

Enhancing the oxygen surface exchange reaction by increasing the specific surface area of the electrode is a promising structural approach to lowering the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Nanowire structures, due to their high specific surface area and lower tortuosity of ion and electron conduction pathways, play a vital role in enhancing SOFC electrode performance. In this study, we synthesized La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3-𝛿 (LSC) nanowires using a polycarbonate membrane filter as a nanotemplate and applied them to the cathode for intermediate-temperature SOFC fabrication. The fabricated cell exhibited a 10% increase in peak power density at 650℃, achieving 0.506 W·cm^-2, compared to cell using only commercial LSC powder. Furthermore, distribution of relaxation times analysis revealed a 15% reduction in area-specific polarization resistance in the mid-frequency range. These findings demonstrated that the electrode with LSC nanowires fabricated through electrospray deposition can significantly improve electrochemical performance of intermediate-temperature SOFC.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2010

A solid oxide fuel cells(SOFC) is a clean energy technology which directly converts chemical energy to electric energy. When the SOFC is used in cogeneration then the efficiency can reach higher than 80%. Also, it has flexibility in using various fuels like natural gases and bio gases, so it has an advantage over polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells in terms of fuel selection. A typical cathode material of the SOFC in conjunction with yttria stabilized zirconia(YSZ) electrolyte is still Sr-doped $LaMnO_3$(LSM). Recently, application of mixed electronic and ionic conducting perovskites such as Sr-doped $LaCoO_3$(LSCo), $LaFeO_3$(LSF), and $LaFe_{0.8}Co_{0.2}O_3$(LSCF) has drawn much attention because these materials exhibit lower electrode impedance than LSM. However, chemical reaction occurs at the manufacturing temperature of the cathode when these materials directly contact with YSZ. In addition, thermal expansion coefficient(TEC) mismatch with YSZ is also a significant issue. It is important, therefore, to develop cathode materials with good chemical stability and matched TEC with the SOFC electrolyte, as well as with high electrochemical activity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2010

The electrode material is one of the factors affecting the power production of microbial fuel cell. In this study, effects of carbon electrode material, thickness and configuration on the power density, biofilm formation and microbial community diversity of microbial fuel cell were investigated. To optimize the anode-cathode electrode assembly, seven lab-scale reactors which had various carbon electrode constructions were operated in continuous mode. Under the steady state condition, the electrode combination of graphite felt (6 mm) with hole showed the highest cell voltage of 238 mV and the coulombic efficiency of 37%. As a result of SEM analysis, the bacteria growing on surface of knitted type of carbon cloth and graphite felt electrode ncreased significantly. The change of dominant species between seeding sludge and biofilm on the surface of anode electrode, microbial analysis with PCR-DGGE showed that the dominant species of seeding sludge are quite different from those of biofilm on the surface of each anode electrode. Especially Geobacter sp., a well known electrochemical bacteria, was found as the dominant species of the electrode combination with graphite felt.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.7-17
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• 2014

Molten salt electrorefining process achieves uranium deposits at cathode using an electrochemical processing of spent nuclear fuel. In order to recover pure uranium from cathode deposit containing about 30wt% salt, the adhered salt should be removed by cathode process (CP). The CP has been regarded as one of the bottle-neck of the pyroprocess as the large amount of uranium is treated in this step and the operation parameters are crucial to determine the final purity of the product. Currently, related research activities are mainly based on experiments consequently it is hard to observe processing variables such as temperature, pressure and salt gas behavior during the operation of the cathode process. Hence, in this study operation procedure of cathode process is numerically described by using appropriate mathematical model. The key parameters of this research are the amount of evaporation at the distillation part, diffusion coefficient of gas phase salt in cathode processor and phase change rate at condensation part. Each of these conditions were composed by Hertz-Langmuir equation, Chapman-Enskog theory, and interphase mass flow application in ANSYS-CFX. And physical properties of salt were taken from the data base in HSC Chemistry. In this study, calculation results on the salt gas behavior and optimal operating condition are discussed. The numerical analysis results could be used to closely understand the physical phenomenon during CP and for further scale up to commercial level.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.317-324
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• 2010

Metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have been developed to commercialize SOFCs. This new type of SOFC has high mechanical strength, but its mass transfer rate may be low due to the presence of a contact layer. In this study, the mass transfer characteristics of an anode-supported SOFC and a metal-supported SOFC are studied by performing numerical simulation. Governing equations, electrochemical reactions, and ceramic physical-property models are determined simultaneously; molecular diffusion and Knudsen diffusion are considered in mass transport analysis of porous media. The experimental results are compared with simulation data to validate the results of numerical simulation. The average current density of the metal-supported SOFC is 23% lower than that of the anode-supported SOFC. However, because of the presence of the contact layer, the metal-supported SOFC has a more uniform distribution than the anode-supported SOFC.