• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.161-165
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• 2021

In general, SOFCs mainly use Ni-YSZ cermet, a mixture of Ni and YSZ, as an anode material, which is stable in a high-temperature reducing atmosphere. However, when SOFCs have operated at a high temperature for a long time, the structural change of Ni occurs and it results in the problem of reducing durability and efficiency. Accordingly, a development of a new anode material that can replace existing nickel and exhibits similar performance is in progress. In this study, SrTiO₃, which is a perovskite-based mixed conductor and one of the candidate materials, was used. In order to increase the electrical conduction properties, Y_0.08Sr_0.92Fe_0.3Ti_0.7O₃, doped with 0.08 mol of Y³⁺ in Sr-site and 0.03 mol of transition metal Fe³⁺ in Ti-site, was synthesized and its chemical diffusion coefficient and reaction constant were measured. Its electrical conductivity changes were also observed while changing the oxygen partial pressure at a constant temperature. The performance as a candidate electrode material was verified by predicting the defect area through the electrical conductivity pattern according to the oxygen partial pressure.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.145-159
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• 2021

Light soaking (LS) stability in polymer solar cells (PSCs) has always been a challenge to achieve due to unstable photoactive layer-electrode interface. Especially, the electron transport layer (ETL) and photoactive layer interface limits the LS stability of PSCs. Herein, we have modified the most commonly used and robust zinc oxide (ZnO) ETL-interface using an organic dye molecule and a co-adsorbent. Power conversion efficiencies have been slightly improved but when these PSCs were subjected to long term LS stability chamber, equipped with heat and humidity (45℃ and 85% relative humidity), an outstanding stability in the case of ZnO/dye+co-adsorbent ETL containing devices have been achieved. The enhanced LS stability occurred due to the suppressed interfacial defects and robust contact between the ZnO and photoactive layer. Current density as well as fill factors have been retained after LS with the modified ETL as compared to un-modified ETL, owing to their higher charge collection efficiencies which originated from higher electron mobilities. Moreover, the existence of less traps (as observed from light intensity-open circuit voltage measurements and dark currents at -2V) are also found to be one of the reasons for enhanced LS stability in the current study. We conclude that the mitigation ETL-surface traps using an organic dye with a co-adsorbent is an effective and robust approach to enhance the LS stability in PSCs.

• Journal of Multimedia Information System
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2022

The authors are making a prototype flexible board of a radio-frequency transmitter for measuring an electromyogram (EMG) of a flying moth and plan to apply for an experimental station license from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan in the summer of 2022. The goal is to create a continuous low-dose exposure standard that incorporates scientific and physiological functional assessments to replace the current standard based on lethal dose 50. This paper describes the technical evaluation of the hardware. The signal of a bipolar EMG electrode is amplified by an operational amplifier. This potential is added to a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (27 MHz, bandwidth: 4 kHz), frequency-converted, and transmitted from an antenna about 10 cm long (diameter: 0.03 mm). The power source is a 1.55-V wristwatch battery that has a total weight of about 0.3 g (one dry battery and analog circuit) and an expected operating time of 20 minutes. The output power is -7 dBm and the effective isotropic radiated power is -40 dBm. The signal is received by a dual-whip antenna (2.15 dBi) at a distance of about 100 m from the moth. The link margin of the communication circuit is above 30 dB within 100 m. The concepts of this hardware and the measurement data are presented in this paper. This will be the first biological data transmission from a moth with an official license. In future, this telemetry system will improve the detection of physiological abnormalities of moths.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.439-444
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• 2022

Laser-induced plasmonic sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising technology to fabricate flexible conducting electrodes, since it provides instantaneous, simple, and scalable manufacturing strategies without requiring costly facilities and complex processes. However, the metal NPs are quite expensive because complicated synthesis procedures are needed to achieve long-term reliability with regard to chemical deterioration and NP aggregation. Herein, we report laser-induced Ag NP self-generation and sequential sintering process based on low-cost Ag organometallic material for demonstrating high-quality microelectrodes. Upon the irradiation of laser with 532 nm wavelength, pre-baked Ag organometallic film coated on a transparent polyimide substrate was transformed into a high-performance Ag conductor (resistivity of 2.2 × 10^-4 Ω·cm). To verify the practical usefulness of the technology, we successfully demonstrated a wearable transparent heater by using Ag-mesh transparent electrodes, which exhibited a high transmittance of 80% and low sheet resistance of 7 Ω/square.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.128-137
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• 2022

For this study, the sol gel method was used to synthesize the spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) electrode material. Structural, morphological, electrochemical, and kinetic aspects of the LNMO have been characterized. The synthesized LNMO was indexed with the Fd3m cubic space group. The excellent capacity retention indicates that the spinel framework of LNMO has the ability to withstand high rate charge-discharge throughout long cycle tests. The Li diffusion coefficient (D_Li) changes non-monotonically across three orders of magnitude, from 10^-9 to 10^-12 cm² s^-1 determined from GITT method. The variation of D_Li seemed to be related to three oxidation reactions that happened throughout the charging process. A small dip in D_Li at the beginning stage of Li deintercalation is correlated with the oxidation of Mn³⁺ to Mn⁴⁺. While two pronounced D_Li minima at 4.7 V and 4.75 V are due to the oxidation of Ni²⁺/Ni³⁺ and Ni³⁺/Ni⁴⁺ respectively. The depletion of D_Li at the high voltage region is attributed to the occurrence of two successive phase transformation phenomena.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2022

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are environmentally friendly, large-capacity power generation devices operated at approximately 650℃. If MCFCs are to be commercialized by improving their competitiveness, their cell life should be increased by operating them at lower temperatures. However, a decrease in the operating temperature causes a reduction in the cell performance because of the reduction in the electrochemical reaction rate. The cell performance can be improved by introducing a coating on the cathode of the cell. A coating with a high surface area expands the triple phase boundaries (TPBs) where the gas and electrolyte meet on the electrode surface. And the expansion of TPBs enhances the oxygen reduction reaction of the cathode. Therefore, the cell performance can be improved by increasing the reaction area, which can be achieved by coating nanosized LiCoO₂ particles on the cathode. However, although a coating improves the cell performance, a thick coating makes gas difficult to diffuse into the pore of the coating and thus reduces the cell performance. In addition, LiCoO₂-coated cathode cell exhibits stable cell performance because the coating layer maintains a uniform thickness under MCFC operating conditions. Therefore, the performance and stability of MCFCs can be improved by applying a LiCoO₂ coating with an appropriate thickness on the cathode.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.496-513
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• 2022

In this study, we sought to verify the applicability of anion exchange membrane water electrolysis system using FAA-3-50, Neosepta-ASE, Sustainion grade T, and Fujifilm type 10, which are commercial anion exchange membranes. The morphology of the commercial membranes and the elements on the surface were analyzed using SEM/EDX to confirm the distribution of functional groups included in the commercial membranes. In addition, mechanical strength and decomposition temperature were measured using UTM and TGA to check whether the driving conditions of the water electrolyte were satisfied. The ion exchange capacity and ion conductivity were measured to understand the performance of anion exchange membranes, and the alkaline resistance of each commercial membrane was checked and durability test was performed because they were driven in an alkaline environment. Finally, a membrane-electrode assembly was manufactured and a water electrolysis single cell test was performed to confirm cell performance at 60℃, 70℃, and 80℃. The long-term cell test was measured 20 cycles at other temperatures to compare water electrolysis performance.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.63-76
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• 2023

An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) has a low pressure drop and a high collection efficiency but its collection efficiency can be reduced due to dust accumulation on the collection plates during long-term operations. In order to maintain the initial dust collection efficiency, it is necessary to periodically clean the collection plates. The common cleaning methods are using physical impacts or water sprays. These cleaning methods can lead to damage to the collection plate or generate wastewater. Herein, we implemented an electrodynamic screen (EDS) for ESP cleaning and evaluated its surface cleaning performance of particles. The EDS is an electrostatic system that can electrostatically repel particles on surfaces, allowing it to clean the ESP without causing damage and wastewater generation. Our evaluation included the analysis of the effects of AC voltage characteristics, electrode configuration and environmental conditions on the cleaning performance of the EDS with the aim of achieving effective surface cleaning. It has been demonstrated that activating the EDS cleans up to 65% of the particles on the surface, which indicates about 94% of our target cleaning zone.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.377-384
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• 2023

Exploring earth-abundant, highly effective and stable electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting is urgent and essential to the development of hydrogen (H₂) energy technology. Iron-cobalt layered double hydroxide (FeCo-LDH) has been widely used as an electrocatalystfor OER due to its facile synthesis, tunable components, and low cost. However, LDH synthesized by the traditional hydrothermal method tends to easily agglomerate, resulting in an unstable structure that can change or dissolve in an alkaline solution. Therefore, studying the real active phase is highly significant in the design of electrochemical electrode materials. Here, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are used as template precursors to derive FeCo-LDH from different iron sources. Iron salts with different anions have a significant impact on the morphology and charge transfer properties of the resulting materials. FeCo-LDH synthesized from iron sulfate solution (FeCo-LDH-SO₄) exhibits a hybrid structure of nanosheets and nanowires, quite different from other electrocatalysts that were synthesized from iron chloride and iron nitrate solutions. The final FeCo-LDH-SO₄ had an overpotential of 247 mV with a low Tafel-slope of 60.6 mV dec^-1 at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and delivered a long-term stability of 40 h for the OER. This work provides an innovative and feasible strategy to construct efficient electrocatalysts.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.198-206
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• 2024

Given the high theoretical capacity (1,675 mAh g^-1) and the inherent affordability and ubiquity of elemental sulfur, it stands out as a prominent cathode material for advanced lithium metal batteries. Traditionally, sulfur was sequestered within conductive porous carbons, rooted in the understanding that their inherent conductivity could offset sulfur's non-conductive nature. This study, however, pivots toward a transformative approach by utilizing diatom shell (DS, diatomite)-a naturally abundant and economically viable siliceous mineral-as a sulfur host. This approach enabled the development of a sulfurlayered diatomite/S composite (DS/S) for cathodic applications. Even in the face of the insulating nature of both diatomite and sulfur, the DS/S composite displayed vigorous participation in the electrochemical conversion process. Furthermore, this composite substantially curbed the loss of soluble polysulfides and minimized structural wear during cycling. As a testament to its efficacy, our Li-S battery, integrating this composite, exhibited an excellent cycling performance: a specific capacity of 732 mAh g^-1 after 100 cycles and a robust 77% capacity retention. These findings challenge the erstwhile conviction of requiring a conductive host for sulfur. Owing to diatomite's hierarchical porous architecture, eco-friendliness, and accessibility, the DS/S electrode boasts optimal sulfur utilization, elevated specific capacity, enhanced rate capabilities at intensified C rates, and steadfast cycling stability that underscore its vast commercial promise.