• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.242-255
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• 2008

In lithium-ion batteries(LIB), the development of electrolytes had mainly focused on the characteristics of lithium cobalt oxide($LiCoO_2$) cathode and graphite anode materials since the commercialization in 1991. Various studies on compatibility between electrode and electrolytes had been actively developed on their interface. Since then, as they try to adopt silicon and tin as anode materials and three components(Ni, Mn, Co), spinel, olivine as cathode materials for advanced lithium batteries, conventional electrolyte materials are facing a lot of challenges. In particular, requirements for electrolytes performance become harsh and complicated as safety problems are seriously emphasized. In this report, we summarized the research trend of electrolyte materials for the electrode materials of lithium rechargeable batteries.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.569-578
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• 2011

The $SiO_2$ membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are preapared by electrospinning method. It leads to high porosity and surface area of membrane to accommodate the proton conducting materials. The composite membrane was prepared by impregnating of Nafion ionomer into the pores of electrospun $SiO_2$ membranes. The $SiO_2$:heteropolyacid (HPA) nano-particles as a inorganic proton conductor were prepared by microemulsion process and the particles are added to the Nafion ionomer. The characterization of the membranes was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and single cell performance test for PEMFC. The Nafion impregnated electrospun $SiO_2$ membrane showed good thermal stability, satisfactory mechanical properties and high proton conductivity. The addition of the $SiO_2$:HPA nano-particle improved proton conductivity of the composite membrane, which allow further extension for operation temperature in low humidity environments. The composite membrane exhibited a promising properties for the application in high temperature PEMFC.

• Electronic Materials Letters
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.755-765
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• 2018

In situ nitrogen doped hard carbon nanotubes (NHCNT) were fabricated by pyrolyzing tubular nitrogen doped conjugated microporous polymer. KOH activated NHCNT (K-NHCNT) were also prepared to improve their porous structure. XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, Raman spectra, $N_2$ adsorption-desorption, galvanostatic charging-discharge, cyclic voltammetry and EIS were used to characterize the structure and performance of NHCNT and K-NHCNT. XRD and Raman spectra reveal K-NHCNT own a more disorder carbon. SEM indicate that the diameters of K-NHCNT are smaller than that of NHCNT. TEM and EDS further indicate that K-NHCNT are hollow carbon nanotubes with nitrogen uniformly distributed. $N_2$ adsorption-desorption analysis reveals that K-NHCNT have an ultra high specific surface area of $1787.37m^2g^{-1}$, which is much larger than that of NHCNT ($531.98m^2g^{-1}$). K-NHCNT delivers a high reversible capacity of $918mAh\;g^{-1}$ at $0.6A\;g^{-1}$. Even after 350 times cycling, the capacity of K-NHCNT cycled after 350 cycles at $0.6A\;g^{-1}$ is still as high as $591.6mAh\;g^{-1}$. Such outstanding electrochemical performance of the K-NHCNT are clearly attributed by its superior characters, which have great advantages over those commercial available carbon nanotubes ($200-450mAh\;g^{-1}$) not only for its desired electrochemical performance but also for its easily and scaling-up preparation.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.93-99
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• 2021

In order to decrease the weight of stretchable energy storage devices, interest in developing lightweight materials to replace metal current collectors is increasing. In this study, nanofibers prepared by electrospinning a conductive polymer, PEDOT:PSS, were used as current collectors for lithium ion batteries. The nanofiber showed improved electrical conductivity by using DMSO, a dopant, and indicated a stretch rate of 30% or more from the elasticity evaluation result. In addition, the use of the nanofiber current collector facilitates penetration of the liquid electrolyte and exhibits the effect of increasing the electronic conductivity through the nanofiber network. The lithium-ion battery using the DMSO-doped PEDOT:PSS@PAM nanofiber current collector indicated a high discharge capacity of 135mAh g^-1, and indicated a high capacity retention rate of 73.5% after 1000 cycles. Thus, the excellent electrochemical stability and mechanical properties of conductive nanofibers showed that they can be used as lightweight current collectors for stretchable energy storage devices.

• 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.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.262-271
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• 2023

For electrode stability and the electrochemical performance of the Li-ion cell, it is essential that the active ingredients and unique additives in the polymer binder be well dispersed with the solvent-based slurry. The efficient procedure used to create the slurry affects the rheological characteristics of the electrode slurry. When successively adding different steps of Nmethyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent to the cathode composition, it is evenly disseminated. The electrochemical performance of the Li-ion cells and the electrodes made with slurry formed by single step and multiple steps of addition of NMP solvent are examined. To preform rheological properties of cathode electrode slurry on Ni-rich Lithium Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum Oxide (LiNi_0.80Co_0.15Al_0.05) (NCA). Also, we investigate different step addition of electrode formation and mechanical strength characterization like peel strength. According to the EIS study, a multi-step electrode slurry has lower internal resistance than a single-step electrode slurry, which results in better electrical characteristics and efficiency. Further, microstructure of electrodes is obtained electrochemical performance in the 18650 cylindrical cells with targeted capacity of 1.5 Ah. The slurry of electrodes prepared by single step and multiple steps of addition of NMP solvent and its effect on the fabrication of 1.5 Ah cells. A three-step solvent addition on slurry has been found to be a lower internal resistance than a single-step electrode slurry as confirmed by the EIS analysis, yielding improved electrical properties and efficiency.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

The cathode, which is one of the four major components of a lithium secondary battery, is an important component responsible for the energy density of the battery. The mixing process of active material, conductive material, and polymer binder is very essential in the commonly used wet manufacturing process of the cathode. However, in the case of mixing conditions of the cathode, since there is no systematic method, in most cases, differences in performance occur depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, LiMn₂O₄ (LMO) cathodes were prepared using a commonly used THINKY mixer and homogenizer to optimize the mixing method in the cathode slurry preparation step, and their characteristics were compared. Each mixing condition was performed at 2000 RPM and 7 min, and to determine only the difference in the mixing method during the manufacture of the cathode other experiment conditions (mixing time, material input order, etc.) were kept constant. Among the manufactured THINKY mixer LMO (TLMO) and homogenizer LMO (HLMO), HLMO has more uniform particle dispersion than TLMO, and thus shows higher adhesive strength. Also, the result of the electrochemical evaluation reveals that HLMO cathode showed improved performance with a more stable life cycle compared to TLMO. The initial discharge capacity retention rate of HLMO at 69 cycles was 88%, which is about 4.4 times higher than that of TLMO, and in the case of rate capability, HLMO exhibited a better capacity retention even at high C-rates of 10, 15, and 20 C and the capacity recovery at 1 C was higher than that of TLMO. It's postulated that the use of a homogenizer improves the characteristics of the slurry containing the active material, the conductive material, and the polymer binder creating an electrically conductive network formed by uniformly dispersing the conductive material suppressing its strong electrostatic properties thus avoiding aggregation. As a result, surface contact between the active material and the conductive material increases, electrons move more smoothly, changes in lattice volume during charging and discharging are more reversible and contact resistance between the active material and the conductive material is suppressed.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 2013

Using $Na_2CO_3$ and $MeSO_4$ (Me = Ni, Co and Mn) as starting materials, the precursor of $[Ni_{0.6}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.2}]CO_3$ has been synthesized by carbonate co-precipitation. The precursor was mixed with $Li_2CO_3$, and calcined at 750, 850, and$950^{\circ}C$ in air. Effect of calcinations temperature on characteristics of $Li[Ni_{0.6}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.2}]O_2$ cathode materials was investigated. The structure and characteristics of $Li[Ni_{0.6}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.2}]O_2$ were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical measurements. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the intensity ratio of $I_{(003)}/I_{(104)}$ increased and the R-factor ratio decreased with the increase of calcinations temperature. And Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) result show that the primary particle size increased. Especially, the $Li[Ni_{0.6}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.2}]O_2$ calcined at $950^{\circ}C$ for 24 H shows excellent electrochemical performances with reversible specific capacity of $165.3mAhg^{-1}$ [cut-off voltage 2.5~4.3 V, 0.1 C($17mAhg^{-1}$)] and good capacity retention of 95.4% after 50th charge/discharge cycles[cut-off voltage 2.5~4.3 V, 1 C($170mAhg^{-1}$)].

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 1998

The mixtures of ultra-high molecular weight polythylene (UHMWPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), process oil (mineral oil) and potassium hexatitanate whisker were melted and mixed at $150^{\circ}C$ for 30min, and prepared by compression molding to the specimen of separator of about $200{\mu}m$ thickness at the same temperature and 5000 psi. Thereafter the pores were formed by extracting process oil with organic solvents. In this study, the range of PR (the ratio polymer to process oil) was varied from 0.1 to 0.5 because the specimen turned into rubbery phase at which PR was below 0.1 whereas it changed into gel phase at which PR was above 0.5. When the specimen was treated with nonpolar organic solvents, process oil was extracted nearly 98%. Tensile strength was $31kg/cm^2$ at PR = 0.426, and resistance of specimen was $37m{\Omega}/cm^2$ at PR = 0.186, and $53m{\Omega}/cm^2$ at PR = 0.426. The $N_2$ adsorption-desorption isotherm showed a hysteresis representing regions of capillary condensation, and the surface area at PR = 0.186 was relatively large as $130cm^2/g$. Potassium hexatitanate whisker was randomly dispersed in between PE layers. It might be that the whisker is intercalated through the PE thin layers oriented by compression.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2016

In the stratosphere, the air is stable and a photovoltaic (PV) system can produce more solar energy compared to in the atmosphere. If unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly in the stratosphere, the flight stability and efficiency of the mission are improved. On the other hand, the weakened lift force of the UAV due to the rarefied atmosphere can require more power for lift according to the weight and/or wing area of the UAV. To solve this problem, it is necessary to minimize the weight of the aircraft and improve the performance of the power system. A regenerative fuel cell (RFC) consisting of a fuel cell (FC) and water electrolysis (WE) combined PV power system has been investigated as a good alterative because of its higher specific energy. The WE system produces hydrogen and oxygen, providing extra energy beyond the energy generated by the PV system in the daytime, and then saves the gases in tanks. The FC system supplies the required power to the UAV at night, so the additional fuel supply to the UAV is not needed anymore. The specific energy of RFC systems is higher than that of Li-ion battery systems, so they have less weight than batteries that supply the same energy to the UAV. In this paper, for a stratospheric long-endurance hybrid UAV based on an RFC system, three major design factors (UAV weight, wing area and performance of WE) affecting the ability of long-term flight were determined and a simulation-based feasibility study was performed. The effects of the three design factors were analyzed as the flight time increased, and acceptable values of the factors for long endurance were found. As a result, the long-endurance of the target UAV was possible when the values were under 350 kg, above 150 m² and under 80 kWh/kg H₂.