• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1909-1913
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• 2022

This work shows the technical feasibility to obtain uranium tetrafluoride through an electrochemical mercury cell. This technique represents a custom scaling-up methodology from our previous studies to obtain UF₄ using the dropping mercury electrode cell. The UF₄ products were obtained from natural UF₆ gas, which was hydrolyzed to obtain a 50 g/L UO₂F₂ solution. The electrolysis cell was made using a mercury reservoir, to reach UF₄ production rates of 1 Kg UF₄/day. This custom design allowed a stable UF₄ production thanks to the mercury cathode, which do not permit the accumulation of solid products in its surface. The cell was tested using current densities from 5.000 to 17.500 A/m² and temperatures from 25 to 65 ℃. The maximum current efficiency achieved under these conditions was 80%. The UF₄ powders possessed spherical morphology, with diameters between 20 and 80 ㎛. Compared to the SnCl₂ precipitation, this process did not allow preferential growth of the precipitates. This improved the compaction of the UF₄ - Mg powders mixtures, with densities between 3.0 and 3.5 g/cm³. The purity of the UF₄ products was over 98%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.643-648
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• 2010

Portable fuel cells are commonly operated in the dead-end mode because of such as high fuel utilization. However, the performance of such systems deteriorates continuously with an increase in the amount of by-products such as water vapor and nitrogen. In this study, to verify the effect of water vapor on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), constant-load experiments were carried out for a current density of 600 mA/cm2 and a voltage of 0.4 V, respectively. The performance of the cell was more stable under constant voltage conditions than under constant current density conditions. Condensed water accumulated in the anode channel near the cell outlet. The experimental results show how the relative humidity (RH = 0.15, 0.4 and 0.75) of air at the cathode side affect the performance of PEMFCs with dead-end anode. At RH values higher than 0.15, the mean power density increased by up to 51% and the mean purge duration decreased by up to 25% compared to the corresponding initial values.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.307-311
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• 2010

The aim of this study is to investigate PAE, as the result of the test of kVp accuracy, according to detector measurement method. Based on the indicated value of 70kVp, each distance between a focus and a kVp meter was 100cm, 80cm and 60cm and the angle of X-ray tube was set on $5^{\circ},\;10^{\circ},\;15^{\circ},\;20^{\circ},\;25^{\circ},\;30^{\circ}$. Each indicated value, 60kVp, 70kVp, 80kVp, 90kVp and 100 kVp, was used compare Small focus with Large focus. As a result, PAE on the side of cathode was higher than it on the side of anode in the case of 100cm and PAE on the side of anode was higher in the case of 80cm and 60cm. The coefficient rate was stable both the side of cathode and anode in the case of 100cm and it was fluctuated in the case of 80cm and 60cm. PAE in the case of Small focus was higher than Large focus and it was disproportionate to an indicated value. Error rate was in inverse proportion to the indicated value.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.4205-4209
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• 2011

The $Li_2Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}SiO_4$ silicate was prepared by blending of $Li_2MnSiO_4$ and $Li_2FeSiO_4$ precursors with same molar ratio. The one of the silicates of $Li_2FeSiO_4$ is known as high capacitive up to ~330 mAh/g due to 2 mole electron exchange, and the other of $Li_2FeSiO_4$ has identical structure with $Li_2MnSiO_4$ and shows stable cycle with less capacity of ~170 mAh/g. The major drawback of silicate family is low electronic conductivity (3 orders of magnitude lower than $LiFePO_4$). To overcome this disadvantage, carbon composite of the silicate compound was prepared by sucrose mixing with silicate precursors and heat-treated in reducing atmosphere. The crystal structure and physical morphology of $Li_2Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}SiO_4$ was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The $Li_2Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}SiO_4$/C nanocomposite has a maximum discharge capacity of 200 mAh/g, and 63% of its discharge capacity is retained after the tenth cycles. We have realized that more than 1 mole of electrons are exchanged in $Li_2Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}SiO_4$. We have observed that $Li_2Mn_{0.5}Fe_{0.5}SiO_4$ is unstable structure upon first delithiation with structural collapse. High temperature cell performance result shows high capacity of discharge capacity (244 mAh/g) but it had poor capacity retention (50%) due to the accelerated structural degradation and related reaction.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-33
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• 2011

The current density in copper electroplating is directly related with the productivity and then to increase the productivity, the increase in current density is required. To obtain the high mass flow rate, rotating disk electrode(RDE) was employed. High rotational speed in RDE can increase the mass flow rate and then high speed electroplating was possible using RDE to control mass flow. Two types of cathode were used. One is RDE and another is rotating cylindrical electrode(RCE). A constant-current, constant-voltage and linear sweep voltammetry were applied to investigate current and voltage relationship. The maximum current density without evolution of hydrogen gas was increased with rotational speed. Over 400 rpm, maximum current density was higher than 1000 A/$m^2$. The diffusion coefficients of copper calculated from the slope of the plots are $5.5{\times}10^6\;cm^2\;s^{-1}$ at $25^{\circ}C$ and $10.5{\times}10^6\;cm^2\;s^{-1}$ at $62^{\circ}C$. The stable voltage without evolution of hydrogen gas was -0.05 V(vs Ag/AgCl). Additives were added to prevent dendritic growth on cathode deposits. The surface roughness was analyzed with UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The reflectance of the copper surface over 600 nm was measured and was related with the surface roughness. As the surface roughness improved, the reflectance was also increased.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.3.1-3.1
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• 2010

Water splitting reaction using photocatalysts is of great interest in the utilization of solar energy [1]. In the present work, visible light-responsive $TiO_2$ thin films (Vis-$TiO_2$) were prepared by a radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS) deposition method and applied for the separate evolution of $H_2$ and $O_2$ from water as well as the photofuel cell. Special attentions will be focused on the effect of HF treatment of Vis-$TiO_2$ thin films on their photocatalytic activities. Vis-$TiO_2$ thin films were prepared by an RF-MS method using a calcined $TiO_2$ plate and Ar as the sputtering gas. The Vis-$TiO_2$ thin films were then deposited on the Ti foil substrate with the substrate temperature at 873 K (Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti). Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films were immersed in a 0.045 vol% HF solution at room temperature. The effect of HF treatments on the activity of Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films for the photocatalytic water splitting reaction have been investigated. Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films treated with HF solution (HF-Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti) exhibited remarkable enhancement in the photocatalytic activity for $H_2$ evolution from a methanol aqueous solution as well as in the photoelectrochemical performance under visible light irradiation as compared with the untreated Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films. Moreover, Pt-loaded HF-Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films act as efficient and stable photocatalysts for the separate evolution of $H_2$ and $O_2$ from water under visible light irradiation in the presence of chemical bias. Thus, HF treatment was found to be an effective way to improve the photocatalytic activity of Vis-$TiO_2$/Ti thin films. Furthermore, unique separate type photofuel cell was fabricated using a Vis-$TiO_2$ thin film as an electrode, which can generate electrical power under solar light irradiation by using various kinds of biomass derivatives as fuel. It was found that the introduction of an iodine ($I^-/{I_3}^-$) redox solution at the cathode side enables the development of a highly efficient photofuel cell which can utilize a cost-efficient carbon electrode as an alternative to the Pt cathode.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.152-159
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• 2021

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) occur in indoor and outdoor industrial and urban areas and cause environmental problems. Malodorous VOCs, along with aesthetic discomfort, can have a serious effect on the human body. Compared with the existing method of reducing malodorous VOCs, a wet scrubbing method using an electrolytic oxidant has the advantage of reducing pollutants and regenerating oxidants. This study investigated the optimal conditions for producing OCl^-, a chlorine-oxidant. Experiments were conducted by changing the type of anode and cathode electrode, the type of electrolyte, the concentration of electrolytes, and the current density. With Ti/IrO₂ as the anode electrode and Ti as the cathode electrode, OClproduction was highest and most stable. Although OCl^- production was similar with the use of KCl or NaCl, NaCl is preferable because it is cheap and easy to obtain. The effect of NaCl concentration and current density was examined, and the OCl^- production rate and concentration were highest at 0.75 M NaCl and 0.03 A cm^-2. However, considering the cost of electric power, OCl^- production under the conditions of 1.00 M NaCl and 0.01 A cm^-2 was most effective among the conditions examined. It is desirable to produce OCl^- by adjusting the current density in accordance with the concentration and characteristics of pollutants.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.267-271
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• 2004

Lithium cobalt oxide $(LiCoO_2)$ cathode powders for rechargeable battery have been successfully prepared using urea hydrolysis method. The obtained hydrolysis-derived precursors with different Li/Co molar ratio were calcined at various temperatures. Low temperature phase $(LT-LiCoO_2)$ and high temperature phase $(HT-LiCoO_2)$ were obtained after calcination at $500^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr, and phase transformation from $LT-LiCoO_2{\;}to{\;}HT-LiCoO_2$ was completely occurred over $700^{\circ}C$. The layered structure of $LiCoO_2$ was well developed with a rise in the calcination temperature. Charge-discharge test show that the lithium cobalt oxide with 1.2 molar ratio prepared at $800^{\circ}C$ has an initial discharge capacity as high as 152 mAh/g, and the relatively stable cycling characteristic with 9.2 % of capacity fading was obtained after 40th charge-discharge test.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2010

The cylindrical magnetron sputtering has not been widely used, although this system is useful for only certain types of applications such as fiber coatings. This paper presents electrode configurations which improved the complicacy of the target assembly by using the positive voltage power supply. It is a modified type which has a target constructed with a large cylindrical part, a conical part and a small cylindrical part. When positive voltage was applied to an anode, a stable glow discharge was established and a high deposition rate was obtained. The substrate bias current was monitored to estimate the effect of ion bombardment. As a result, it was found that the substrate current was large. With cylindrical and conical cathode magnetron sputter deposition on the surface of the substrate to prevent re-sputtering, ion impact because it can increase the effectiveness with excellent ductility and adhesion of Ti film deposition can be obtained. We board at the front end of the ground resistance of $5\;k{\Omega}$ attached to the substrate potential can be controlled easily, and Ti film deposition with excellent adhesion can be obtained. Microstructure and morphology of Ti films deposited on pure Cu wires were investigated by scanning electron microscopy in relation to preparation conditions. High level ion bombardment was found to be effective in obtaining a good adhesion for Cu wire coatings.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2014

Objectives: Feasibility of electrochemical oxidation of the aqueous non-biodegradable wastewater such as cationic dye Rhodamine B (RhB) has been investigated in an electrochemical reactor with solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). Methods: Nafion 117 cationic exchange membrane as SPE has been used. Anode/Nafion/cathode sandwiches were constructed by sandwiching Nafion between two dimensionally stable anodes (JP202 electrode). Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of applied current (0.5~2.0 A), supporting electrolyte type (0.2 N NaCl, $Na_2SO_4$, and 1.0 g/L NaCl), initial RhB concentration (2.5~30.0 mg/L) on RhB and COD degradation and $UV_{254}$ absorbance. Results: Experimental results showed that an increase of applied current in electrolysis reaction with solid polymer electrolyte has resulted in the increase of RhB and $UV_{254}$ degradation. Performance for RhB degradation by electrolyte type was best with NaCl 0.2 N followed by SPE, and $Na_2SO_4$. However, the decrease of $UV_{254}$ absorbance of RhB was different from RhB degradation: SPE > NaCl 0.2 N > $Na_2SO_4$. RhB and $UV_{254}$ absorbance decreased linearly with time regardless of the initial concentration. The initial RhB and COD degradation in electrolysis reaction using SPE showed a pseudo-first order kinetics and rate constants were 0.0617 ($R^2=0.9843$) and 0.0216 ($R^2=0.9776$), respectively. Conclusions: Degradation of RhB in the electrochemical reactor with SPE can be achieved applying electrochemical oxidation. Supporting electrolyte has no positive effect on the final $UV_{254}$ absorbance and COD degradation. Mineralization of COD may take a relatively longer time than that of the RhB degradation.