The hydrogen reduction behavior of MoO3-CuO powder mixture for the synthesis of homogeneous Mo-20 wt% Cu composite powder is investigated. The reduction behavior of ball-milled powder mixture is analyzed by XRD and temperature programmed reduction method at various heating rates in Ar-10% H2 atmosphere. The XRD analysis of the heat-treated powder at 300oC shows Cu, MoO3, and Cu2MoO5 phases. In contrast, the powder mixture heated at 400oC is composed of Cu and MoO2 phases. The hydrogen reduction kinetic is evaluated by the amount of peak shift with heating rates. The activation energies for the reduction, estimated by the slope of the Kissinger plot, are measured as 112.2 kJ/mol and 65.2 kJ/mol, depending on the reduction steps from CuO to Cu and from MoO3 to MoO2, respectively. The measured activation energy for the reduction of MoO3 is explained by the effect of pre-reduced Cu particles. The powder mixture, hydrogen-reduced at 700oC, shows the dispersion of nano-sized Cu agglomerates on the surface of Mo powders.

Since the so-called diesel gates of German automobiles, interest in environmentally-friendly vehicles has been rising, among other alternatives, hydrogen-fueled electric vehicles with 0% vehicle emissions are expected to replace a significant portion of passenger cars. Here, we analyze trends of US, Europe, PCT (WO) 3-patent offices application of hydrogen-fueled electric vehicles and analyze the patent application trends of national and individual companies, the patent application trend of detailed technology through clustering analysis, technology competitiveness. The global market for hydrogen-fueled electric vehicles, which is currently only 0.01% of other alternatives, is expected to grow to several percent in 2020. Major automobile makers such as Japan, United States of America, Germany, and Korea continue to fiercely compete for eco-friendly vehicles.

Hydrogen evolution on a steel surface and subsequent hydrogen diffusion into the steel matrix are evaluated using an electrochemical permeation test with no applied cathodic current on the hydrogen charging side. In particular, cyclic operation in the permeation test is also conducted to clarify the corrosion-induced hydrogen evolution behavior. In contrast to the conventional perception that the cathodic reduction reaction on the steel in neutral aqueous environments is an oxygen reduction reaction, this study demonstrates that atomic hydrogen may be generated on the steel surface by the corrosion reaction, even in a neutral environment. Although a much lower permeation current density and significant slower diffusion kinetics of hydrogen are observed compared to the results measured in acidic environments, they contribute to the increase in the embrittlement index. This study suggests that the research on hydrogen embrittlement in ultra-strong steels should be approached from the viewpoint of corrosion reactions on the steel surface and subsequent hydrogen evolution/diffusion behavior.

We report a method for preparing rare earth oxides (RexOy) from the recycling process for spent Ni-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. This process first involves a leaching of spent Ni-MH powders with sulfuric acid at 90℃, resulting in rare earth precipitates (i.e., NaRE(SO4)2·H2O, RE = La, Ce, Nd), which are converted into rare earth oxides via two different approaches: i) simple heat treatment in air, and ii) metathesis reaction with NaOH at 70℃. Not only the morphological features but also the crystallographic structures of all products are systematically investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD); their thermal behaviors are also analyzed. In particular, XRD results show that some of the rare earth precipitates are converted into oxide form (such as La2O3, Ce2O3, and Nd2O3) with heat treatment at 1200℃; however, secondary peaks are also observed. On the other hand, rare earth oxides, RExOy can be successfully obtained after metathesis of rare earth precipitates, followed by heat treatment at 1000℃ in air, along with a change of crystallographic structures, i.e., NaRE(SO4)2·H2O → RE(OH)3 → RExOy.

Acidic and basic mixtures of odorous compounds are commonly emitted from various sources, and, in an absorption process, pH conditions in the liquid phase significantly affect the performance. In this study, the effect of pH on mass transfer in a bubble column reactor was evaluated using hydrogen sulfide and ammonia as a model mixture. Their mass transfer coefficients were then calculated. Furthermore, the total mass transfer coefficients as a function of pH were evaluated, and the experimental data were fitted into an empirical equation using dimensionless numbers. The mass transfer rates of hydrogen sulfide, the non-ionic form, increased dramatically with increasing pHs, while those of ammonia were almost unchanged because of its high solubility. As a result, a favorable pH condition for less soluble compounds must be selected to achieve high absorption capacity. The total mass transfer rates, which took into account pH effects as well as all the non-ionic and ionic constituents together, were found to be from 2.2 to 2.4 × 10−3 min−1 for hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, respectively, and they were almost constant at different pHs. The empirical equations, which were derived to obtain the best fit for the total mass transfer rates, implied that a method to increase diffusivity of each compound should be applied to improve overall mass transfer. In addition, when using the empirical equation, a mass transfer coefficient at a given set of pH and operating conditions can be calculated and used to design a water scrubbing process.

Hot-press forming(HPF) steel can be applied successfully to auto parts because of its superior mechanical properties. However, its resistances to aqueous corrosion and the subsequent hydrogen embrittlement(HE) decrease significantly when the steel is exposed to corrosive environments. Considering that the resistances are greatly dependent on the properties of coating materials formed on the steel surface, the characteristics of the corrosion and hydrogen diffusion behaviors regarding the types of coating material should be clearly understood. Electrochemical polarization and impedance measurements reveal a higher corrosion potential and polarization resistance and a lower corrosion current of the Al-coating compared with Zn-coating. Furthermore, it was expected that the diffusion kinetics of the hydrogen atoms would be much slower in the Al-coating, and this would be due mainly to the much lower diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the Al-coating with a face-centered cubic structure. The superior surface inhibiting effect of the Al-coating, however, is degraded by the formation of local cracks in the coated layer under severe stress conditions, and therefore further study will be necessary to gain a clearer understanding of the effect of cracks formed on the coated layer on the subsequent corrosion and hydrogen diffusion behaviors.

수소원자는 금속 표면에 흡착하여 해리되고 금속 격자 사이를 이동해 다시 수소분자로 재결합되어 탈착할 수 있으며 이러한 과정으로 수소는 금속을 통해 투과할 수 있다. 특히 수소원자는 팔라듐에서 높은 용해도와 이동도를 보이기 때문에 우수한 수소 투과 특성을 나타낸다. 본 연구에서는 무전해 도금을 이용하여 Pd 금속을 α-Al2O3 중공사 지지체에 증착시켜 SEM&EDS 분석을 통해 Pd 코팅 특성을 확인하였다. 치밀 Pd 층을 확인하기 위한 분리막의 leak 테스트 후 고온 수소투과 실험을 통해 분리막의 수소투과특성을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 “교육부 기본연구(NRF-2017R1D1A1B03036250)”의 지원으로 수행되었습니다.

수소를 연료로 사용하는 PEMFC는 고효율⋅출력밀도를 나타내며, 짧은 시동시간, 우수한 응답특성에 따라 현지설치형 발전기술로 사용되며, 이를 위한 고효율 연료처리장치가 필수적이다. SMR반응은 연료당 고회수율을 때문에 경제성이 우수하며, 전환율 확보를 위해 700°C, 20 bar 이상의 운전조건에서 수행되며, WGS, PSA의 후단공정을 통해 수소를 생산한다. 분리막 개질기를 이용한 SMR반응은 분리막이 수소를 제거함에 따라 반응효율 증진, 공정온도 저감, 후단공정 배제를 할 수 있어 공정구성 및 경제성이 우수하다. 본 연구에서는 팔라듐분리막 개질기를 사용하여 550°C, 5 bar에서 SMR반응을 통해 수소를 생산하였으며, 개질된 가스의 CO 농도를 최소화하여 고온 PEMFC용 연료처리장치를 개발하였다.

산업과 의학이 발전되면서 많은 인구는 삶의 질에 관심을 가지게 되었다. 건강에 대한 시각이 높아지면서 육류보다 채식 또는 식물성 오일을 선호하게 되었다. 오늘날 주로 니켈 촉매를 사용한 공정이 개발되면서 식물성 오일의 보존기간이 늘어나고 이동성이 편리해졌다. 현재 유지경화용 니켈 촉매는 외국기업이 세계시장을 장악하고 있다. 한편, 국내 니켈 촉매의 대량 생산 기술은 퇴보 되어 전량 외국에서 수입하고 있는 실정이다. 따라서 활발한 기초연구가 필요하고 국내에서 상용화 할 수 있는 촉매개발이 필요하다. 본 연구는 수소화 반응으로부터 유지경화에 기반이 되는 니켈을 주 활성 촉매제로 사용하였고, 희토류가 촉매의 활성에 주는 영향을 알아보았다. 일정량의 희토류는 니켈의 분산을 유도하여 효율을 증가시키고 조촉매로써 사용이 가능하였다.

The present study demonstrates the effect of raw powder on the pore structure of porous W-Ni prepared by freeze drying of camphene-based slurries and sintering process. The reduction behavior of WO3 and WO3-NiO powders is analyzed by a temperature programmed reduction method in Ar-10% H2 atmosphere. After heat treatment in hydrogen atmosphere, WO3- NiO powder mixture is completely converted to metallic W without any reaction phases. Camphene slurries with oxide powders are frozen at −30 oC, and pores in the frozen specimens are generated by sublimation of the camphene during drying in air. The green bodies are hydrogen-reduced at 800 oC and sintered at 1000 oC for 1 h. The sintered samples show large and aligned parallel pores to the camphene growth direction, and small pores in the internal wall of large pores. The strut between large pores, prepared from pure WO3 powder, consists of very fine particles with partially necking between the particles. In contrast, the strut densification is clearly observed in the Ni-added W sample due to the enhanced mass transport in activation sintering.

The design and fabrication of photoelectrochemical (PEC) electrodes for efficient water splitting is important for developing a sustainable hydrogen evolution system. Among various development approaches for PEC electrodes, the chemical vapor deposition method of atomic layer deposition (ALD), based on self-limiting surface reactions, has attracted attention because it allows precise thickness and composition control as well as conformal coating on various substrates. In this study, recent research progress in improving PEC performance using ALD coating methods is discussed, including 3D and heterojunction-structured PEC electrodes, ALD coatings of noble metals, and the use of sulfide materials as co-catalysts. The enhanced long-term stability of PEC cells by ALD-deposited protecting layers is also reviewed. ALD provides multiple routes to develop improved hydrogen evolution PEC cells.

수소는 산업용 전력생산, 자동차용 연료 등을 위한 대체가능한 에너지 담체로 인식되고 있다. 미래 저탄소 에너지 시스템에서 에너지 저장은 전력 수요에 유연하지 않거나 간헐적인 공급의 균형을 이루기 위한 중추적인 역할을 담당할 수 있 을 것이다. 수소는 에너지 담체로서 전기에너지를 화학에너지로, 화학에너지를 전기에너지로 변환할 수 있는 에너지 저장 방 법 중의 하나이다. 수소제조 방법 중에서, 특히, 물의 전기분해를 이용한 방법은 신재생 에너지원과의 접목을 고려할 때 가장 효율적이고 실용적인 방법으로 여겨지고 있다. 물 전기분해 수소제조 기술은 전기를 이용하여 수소를 물로부터 직접 제조하 는 방법으로, 화석연료 이용 제조방법과 비교하여 수소를 제조할 때 지구환경 오염물질인 이산화탄소의 배출이 없다. 수소제 조 방법 중의 하나인 물 전기분해의 원리와 물 전기분해의 종류인 알칼리 수전해(AWE, alkaline water electrolysis), 고분자 전해질막 수전해(PEMWE, polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis), 고온 수증기 전기분해(HTSE, high temperature steam electrolysis)에 대하여 분석하고자 하였다. 물 전기분해는 수소제조 방법의 하나로 연구가 진행되고 있으며, 최근에는 PTG (power to gas)와 PTL (power to liquid) 시스템의 요소기술로도 주목을 받고 있다. 본 총설에서는 물 전기분해에 대한 원리와 종류, 특히 알칼리 수전해에 대한 최근 연구동향에 대해 설명하였다.

Porous W-10 wt% Ti alloys are prepared by freeze-drying a WO3-TiH2/camphene slurry, using a sintering process. X-ray diffraction analysis of the heat-treated powder in an argon atmosphere shows the WO3 peak of the starting powder and reaction-phase peaks such as WO2.9, WO2, and TiO2 peaks. In contrast, a powder mixture heated in a hydrogen atmosphere is composed of the W and TiW phases. The formation of reaction phases that are dependent on the atmosphere is explained by a thermodynamic consideration of the reduction behavior of WO3 and the dehydrogenation reaction of TiH2. To fabricate a porous W-Ti alloy, the camphene slurry is frozen at -30℃, and pores are generated in the frozen specimens by the sublimation of camphene while drying in air. The green body is hydrogen-reduced and sintered at 1000℃ for 1 h. The sintered sample prepared by freeze-drying the camphene slurry shows large and aligned parallel pores in the camphene growth direction, and small pores in the internal walls of the large pores. The strut between large pores consists of very fine particles with partial necking between them.

수소원자는 금속 표면에 흡착하여 해리되고 금속격자 사이를 이동해 다시 수소분자로 재결합되어 탈착할 수 있으며 이러한 과정으로 수소는 금속을 통해 투과할 수 있다. 특히 수소원자는 팔라듐에서 높은 용해도와 이동도를 보여 우수한 수소투과 특성을 나타낸다. 본 연구에서는 무전해 도금을 이용하여 Pd계 금속을 α-Al2O3 중공사막 지지 체에 증착시켜 수소투과 실험을 진행하였다. Pd을 증착하기 전, Seeding 과정을 통해 지지체에 Pd 핵을 심어 금속의 증착이 용이하도록 하였으며, 중공사막 지지체의 표면 특성에 따른 Pd 증착상태를 확인하였다.