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

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 1996

Alkaline water electrolysis has been commercialized as the only large-scale method for a long time to produce hydrogen and the technology is superior to other methods such as photochemical, thermochemical water splitting, and thermal decomposition method in view of efficiency and related technical problem. However, such conventional electrolyzer do not have high electric efficiency and productivity to apply to large scale hydrogen production for energy or chemical feedstocks. Solid polymer electrolyte water electrolysis using a perfluorocation exchange membrane as an $H^+$ ion conductor is considered to be a promising method, because of capability for operating at high current densities and low cell voltages. So, this is a good technology for the storage of electricity generated by photovoltaic power plants, wind generators and other energy conversion systems. One of the most important R&D topics in electrolyser is how to minimize cell voltage and maximize current density in order to increase the productivity of the electrolyzer. A commercialized technology is the hot press method which the film type electrocatalyst is hot-pressed to soild polymer membrane in order to eliminate the contact resistance. Various technologies, electrocatalyst formed over Nafion membrane surface by means of nonelectrolytic plating process, porous sintered metal(titanium powder) or titanium mesh coated with electrocatalyst, have been studied for preparation of membrane-electrocatalyst composites. In this study some experiments have been conducted at a solid polymer electrolyte water electrolyzer, which consisted of single cell stack with an electrode area of $25cm^2$ in a unipolar arrangement using titanium mesh coated with electrocatalyst.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.70.1-70.1
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• 2012

In-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies of SOFC cathode materials will be discussed in this presentation. The mixed conducting perovskites (ABO3) containing rare and alkaline earth metals on the A-site and a transition metal on the B-site are commonly used as cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, the details of the oxygen reduction reaction are still not clearly understood. The information about the type of adsorbed oxygen species and their concentration is important for a mechanistic understanding of the oxygen incorporation into these cathode materials. XPS has been widely used for the analysis of adsorbed species and surface structure. However, the conventional XPS experiments have the severe drawback to operate at room temperature and with the sample under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, which is far from the relevant conditions of SOFC operation. The disadvantages of conventional XPS can be overcome to a large extent with a "high pressure" XPS setup installed at the BESSY II synchrotron. It allows sample depth profiling over 2 nm without sputtering by variation of the excitation energy, and most importantly measurements under a residual gas pressure in the mbar range. It is also well known that the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction is very sensitive to their electrical conductivity and oxygen nonstoichiometry. Although the electrical conductivity of perovskite oxides has been intensively studied as a function of temperature or oxygen partial pressure (Po2), in-situ measurements of the conductivity of these materials in contact with the electrolyte as a SOFC configuration have little been reported. In order to measure the in-plane conductivity of an electrode film on the electrolyte, a substrate with high resistance is required for excluding the leakage current of the substrate. It is also hardly possible to measure the conductivity of cracked thin film by electrical methods. In this study, we report the electrical conductivity of perovskite $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}CoO_{3-{\delta}}$ (LSC) thin films on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte quantitatively obtained by in-situ IR spectroscopy. This method enables a reliable measurement of the electronic conductivity of the electrodes as part of the SOFC configuration regardless of leakage current to the substrate and cracks in the film.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.503-512
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• 2012

There is a new power generation system such as direct coal fuel cell (DCFC) with a solid oxide electrolyte operated at relatively high temperature. In the system, it is of great importance to feed coal continuously into anodic electrode surface for its better contact, otherwise it would reduce electrochemical conversion of coal. For that purpose, it is required to improve the electrochemical conversion efficiency by using either rigorous mixing condition such as fluidized bed condition or just by recirculating coal particle itself successively into the reaction zone of the system. In this preliminary study, we followed the second approach to investigate how significantly particle recycle would affect the coal conversion efficiency. As a first phase, coal conversion was analyzed and evaluated from the thermochemical reaction of carbon with air under particle recirculating condition. The coal conversion efficiency was obtained from raw data measured by two different techniques. Effects of temperature and fuel properties on the coal conversion are specifically examined from the thermochemical reaction.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.12 s.295
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• pp.812-822
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• 2006

This study amis to investigate the functional analysis of anode and cathode materials in Anode supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The concentration polarization of single cell was investigated with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) method for the case of the different morphology by using four types of unit cell and discussed to reduce the concentration polarization. The concentration polarization at anode side effected the voltage loss in Anode supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and increased contact areas between fuel gas and anode side could reduce the concentration polarization. For intermediate temperature operation, Anode-supported single cells with thin electrolyte layer of YSZ (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia) were fabricated and short stacks were built and evaluated. We also developed diesel and methane autothermal reforming (ATR) reactors in order to provide fuels to SOFC stacks. Influences of the $H_2O/C$ (steam to carbon ratio), $O_2/C$ (oxygen to carbon ratio) and GHSV (Gas Hourly Space Velocity) on performances of stacks have been investigated. Performance of the stack operated with a diesel reformer was lower than with using hydrogen as a fuel due to lower Nernst voltage and carbon formation at anode side. The stack operated with a natural gas reformer showed similar performances as with using hydrogen. Effects of various reformer parameters such as $H_2O/C$ and $O_2/C$ were carefully investigated. It is found that $O_2/C$ is a sensitive parameter to control stack performance.

• 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.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2008

The end plates of fuel cell assemblies are used to fasten the inner stacks, reduce the contact pressure, and provide a seal between Membrane-Electrode Assemblies (MEAs). They therefore require sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the tightening pressure, light weight to obtain high energy densities, and stable chemical/electrochemical properties, as well as provide electrical insulation. The design criteria for end plates can be divided into three parts: the material, connecting method, and shape. In the past, end plates were made from metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel alloys, but due to corrosion problems, thermal losses, and their excessive weight, alternative materials such as plastics have been considered. Composite materials consisting of combinations of two or more materials have also been proposed for end plates to enhance their mechanical strength. Tie-rods have been traditionally used to connect end plates, but since the number of connecting parts has increased, resulting in assembly difficulties, new types of connectors have been contemplated. Ideas such as adding reinforcement or flat plates, or using bands or boxes to replace tie-rods have been proposed. Typical end plates are rectangular or cylindrical solid plates. To minimize the weight and provide a uniform pressure distribution, new concepts such as ribbed-, bomb-, or bow-shaped plates have been considered. Even though end plates were not an issue in fuel cell system designs in the past, they now provide a great challenge for designers. Changes in the materials, connecting methods, and shapes of an end plate allow us to achieve lighter, stronger end plates, resulting in more efficient fuel cell systems.