• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2008

Proton conducting composite membranes were prepared by solution blending of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene)-graft-poly(sulfopropyl methacrylate) (P(VDF-CTFE)-g-PSPMA) graft copolymer and heteropolyacid (HPA). The P(VDF-CTFE)-g-PSPMA graft copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of P(VDF-CTFE). FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that HPA nanoparticles were incorporated into the graft copolymer via hydrogen bonding interactions. The water uptake of membranes continuously decreased with increasing HP A concentration up to 45wt%, after which it slightly increased. It is presumably due to the decrease in number of water absorption sites due to hydrogen bonding interaction between the HP A particles and the polymer matrix. The proton conductivity of membranes increased with increasing HPA concentration up to 45wt%, resulting from both the intrinsic conductivity of HP A particles and the enhanced acidity of the sulfonic acid of the graft copolymer.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.434-441
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• 2018

The pore size of nickel (Ni) bottom electrode layer (BEL) for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells embedded with ultrathin-film electrolyte was controlled by changing the substrate surface morphology and deposition process parameters. For ~150-nm-thick Ni BEL, the upper side of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrate with ~65-nm-sized pores provided ~1.7 times smaller pore size than the lower side of the AAO substrate. For ~100-nm-thick Ni BEL, the AAO substrate with ~45-nm-sized pores provided ~2.6 times smaller pore size than the AAO substrate with ~95-nm-sized pores, and the deposition pressure of ~4 mTorr provided ~1.3 times smaller pore size than that of ~48 mTorr. On the AAO substrate with ~65-nm-sized pores, the Ni BEL deposited for 400 seconds had ~2 times smaller pore size than the Ni BEL deposited for 100 seconds.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2024

High-temperature superconducting rotors offer advantages in terms of output-to-weight ratio and efficiency compared to conventional phase conduction motors or generators. The rotor can be cooled by conduction cooling, which attaches a cryocooler, and by refrigerant circulation, which uses circulating liquid or gas neon, helium and hydrogen. Recent work has focused on environmental issues and on high-temperature superconducting motors cooled with liquid hydrogen that can be combined with fuel cells. However, to ensure smooth supply and return of the cryogenic cooling fluid, a cryogenic rotational coupling between the rotating and stationary parts is necessary. Additionally, the development of a sealing structure to minimize fluid leakage applicable to the coupling is essential. This study describes the design and performance evaluation of a non-contact sealing method, specifically a labyrinth seal, which avoids power loss and heat load caused by friction in contact sealing structures. The seal design incorporates a spiral flow path to reduce leakage using centrifugal force, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to analyze the flow path and rotational speed. A performance evaluation device was configured and employed to evaluate the designed seal. The results of this study will be used to develop a cryogenic rotational coupling with supply and return flow paths for cryogenic applications.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2013

Carbon materials are mainly used as catalyst supports for polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Catalyst supports are required specific characteristics of the carbon materials, such as large surface area and high electrical conductivity. Attempted were to improve electrical conductivity and to maintain high surface area of carbon materials using a microwave treatment. Microwave treatment, as a relatively new technique, takes short reaction time and reduce the consumption of the gases used for carbon treatment compared to a traditional heat treatment. Hybrid carbon (ACF/Graphene) as catalyst supports by microwave-irradiation method for PEMFC increase the cell performance because of increased electrical conductivity resulting in triple-phase contact and reduced the interfacial resistance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to analyze carbon materials. The performance of microwave-treated carbon materials was evaluated by measuring current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and electrode impedance.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.50-54
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• 2008

In this research, anode for SOFC has been manufactured from two different kinds of feedstock materials through thermal spraying process and the properties of the coatings were characterized and compared. One kind of feedstock was manufactured from spray drying method which includes nano-components of NiO, YSZ (300 nm) and graphite. And the other is manufactured by blending the micron size NiO coated graphite, YSZ and graphite powders as feedstock materials. Microstructure, mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the coatings as-sprayed, after oxidation and after hydrogen reduction containing nano composite which is prepared from spray-dried powders were evaluated and compared with the same properties of the coatings prepared from blended powder feedstock. The coatings prepared from the spray dried powders has better properties as they provide larger triple phase boundaries for hydrogen oxidation reaction and is expected to have lower polarization loss for SOFC anode applications than that of the coatings prepared from blended feedstock. A maximum electrical conductivity of 651 S/cm at $800^{\circ}C$ was achieved for the coatings from spray dried powders which much more than that of the average value.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.76-83
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• 2013

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are regarded as a promising alternative to replace the existing automotive power sources. To get high performance and long-term durability for PEMFC systems, novel water management is essential. To this end, a comprehensive understanding of dynamics of the liquid water droplets within an operating PEMFC plays an important role. In this work, direct visualization of dynamic behaviors of the water droplet in the ex situ unit flow channel of a PEMFC including gas diffusion layer (GDL) is carried out as one of the fundamental studies for novel water management. Water droplet dynamics such as the movement and growth of liquid water droplets are mainly presented. Effects of GDL characteristics and inlet air flow rate on the water droplet transport and its removal from the flow channel are also discussed. The data obtained in this study can contribute to build up the fundamental operating strategy including balanced water removal capacity for automotive PEMFC systems.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.164-175
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• 2022

In this work, sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) composite membranes including strontium zirconate (SrZrO₃) were fabricated by the electrospinning method. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to identify the chemical structure and the crystallinity of SrZrO₃ and electrospun composite membranes. The thermal stability of the pure SPEEK and SPEEK/SrZrO₃ electrospun composite membranes were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis. The physicochemical properties and proton conductivity were enhanced with the addition of different weight ratio of SrZrO₃ nanofiller (2, 4 and 6 wt%) in SPEEK polymer. The optimized SPEEK/SrZrO₃-4 electrospun membrane containing 4 wt% of SrZrO₃ showed a high proton conductivity compared to other electrospun SPEEK/SrZrO₃ composite membranes. The results indicate that electrospun composite membranes incorporating these perovskite nanofillers should be explored as potential candidates for use in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.38-46
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• 2022

Two different gas diffusion layers having noticeable differences in micro-porous layer's (MPL's) crack were studied as a substrate for the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with different binder/carbon (B/C) ratios in high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell (Ht-PEMFC). As a result, the performance defined as the voltage at 0.2 A/cm² and maximum power density from the single cells using GDEs from H23 C2 and SGL38 BC with different B/C ratios were compared. GDEs from H23 C2 showed a proportional increase of the voltage with the binder content on the other hand GDEs from SGL38 BC displayed a proportional decline of the voltage to the binder content. It was revealed that MPL crack influences the structure of catalyst layer in GDEs as well as affects the RC_athode which is in close connection with the Ht-PEMFC performance.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.132.1-132.1
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• 2010

Anode off-gas of high temperature fuel cells such as MCFC still contain combustible components such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon. Thus, it's very important to fully burn anode off-gas and use the generated heat in order to increase system efficiency. In the present study, catalytic combustors have been applied to high temperature MCFC system so that the combustion of anode-off gas can be boosted up. Since the performance of catalytic combustor directly depends on the combustion catalyst, this study has been focused on the experimental investigation on the combustion characteristics of multiple commercial catalysts having different structures and compositions. In order to determine the design conditions of the catalytic combustor, parameters such as inlet temperature, space velocity and excess air ratio have been varied and optimized for combustor design. Results show that $H_2$ in off-gas assists $CH_4$ combustion in a way that it decreases minimum inlet temperature limit and increases maximum space velocity while keeping high fuel conversion efficiency.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 1999

An yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ) thin film on a porous NiO-YSZ substrate for an anode support type solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC) was prepared by an electrophoretic deposition(EPD). Deposition condition and film properties in order to obtain the homogeneous YSZ thin film from the EPD solution with different polarity were studied. In different case of alcohol solution, hydrogen gas was produced in aqueous solution from the electrolyte reaction under constant current above 0.138 mA /$\textrm{cm}^2$.Its reaction generated the bubble-formed defect in the deposited film and decreased weight of the film. The homogeneous YSZ thin film was formed in alcohol solution at a constant current, 0.035 mA /$\textrm{cm}^2$ for 10 s.