수소는 연소 과정에서 산소와 반응하여 물과 열만을 생성하며 공해 물질이 배출하지 않아 깨끗한 에너지원으로 간주된다. 이러한 특징으로 산업 활동으로 비롯된 대기 오염, 이상 기후 문제 등을 해결 하기 위한 대책안으로써 수소를 활용한 신재생에너지가 세계적으로 주목받고 있다. 이에 따라 선행 연 구에서는 수직형 탱크 구조의 취약부로 평가되는 지지부 단면 변화에 따른 영향성을 평가하기 위해 수소 생산 인프라 현장 조사를 수행한 바 있으며, 현장 조사 중에 현장 설치된 수소 탱크 강재 지지부 의 부식 문제를 확인하였다. 지지부의 부식은 구조물의 전체 강성을 감소시키며, 재난(지진)에 취약해 져 수소 저장 용기가 손상으로 인한 2차 피해로 이어질 수 있다. 이에 따라 본 연구는 선행 연구의 후속 연구로써 강재 지지부의 부식 문제를 개선하고자 고강도-저중량 재료인 CFRP(Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer)를 사용한 지지부를 개발하여 수치해석을 통해 CFRP 지지부의 내진 성능평가를 목적으로 한다. 해석에 사용된 수소 탱크는 크게 몸체, 지지부, 기초부, 앵커 볼트로 구성되어 있으며, 지지부는 높이 965mm, 75×75×9.5mm의 L형강 4개로 확인되었다. 지진 하중에 대한 동적 성능을 평가하기 위해 시간이력해석법이 사용되었으며, 적용 동적하중의 경우, ASCE의 ICC-ES에서 제시한 평가 기준에 따라 AC 156 Amplitude 100%의 인공 지진을 적용하였다. 해석 결과, CFRP 지지부와 강재 지지부 상단의 최대 변위가 각각 35.48, 32.54mm로 매우 유사한 것으로 나타났으며, Hashin Damage Criteria를 사용하여 CFRP 지지부의 최대 손상 지수를 측정한 결과 수지의 인장측에서 0.065로 확인되었다. 이는 기준 손상 지수 1 대비 매우 낮은 수준이며, 해석 결과를 종합했을 때 CFRP 지지부는 충분한 안전성을 보이는 것으로 판단된다.

Carbon supports for dispersed platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are being continuously developed to improve electrochemical performance and catalyst stability. However, carbon supports still require solutions to reduce costs and improve catalyst efficiency. In this study, we prepare well-dispersed Pt electrocatalysts by introducing titanium dioxide (TiO2) into biomass based nitrogen-doped carbon supports. In order to obtain optimized electrochemical performance, different amounts of TiO2 component are controlled by three types (Pt/TNC-2 wt%, Pt/TNC-4 wt%, and Pt/TNC-6 wt%). Especially, the anodic current density of Pt/TNC-4 wt% is 707.0 mA g−1 pt, which is about 1.65 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (429.1 mA g−1 pt); Pt/TNC-4wt% also exhibits excellent catalytic stability, with a retention rate of 91 %. This novel support provides electrochemical performance improvement including several advantages of improved anodic current density and catalyst stability due to the well-dispersed Pt nanoparticles on the support by the introduction of TiO2 component and nitrogen doping in carbon. Therefore, Pt/TNC-4 wt% may be electrocatalyst a promising catalyst as an anode for high-performance DMFCs.

Nitrogen (N)-doped protein-based carbon as platinum (Pt) catalyst supports from tofu for oxygen reduction reactions are synthesized using a carbonization and reduction method. We successfully prepare 5 wt% Pt@N-doped protein-based carbon, 10 wt% Pt@N-doped protein-based carbon, and 20 wt% Pt@N-doped protein-based carbon. The morphology and structure of the samples are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron micro scopy, and crystllinities and chemical bonding are identified using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The oxygen reduction reaction are measured using a linear sweep voltammogram and cyclic voltammetry. Among the samples, 10 wt% Pt@N-doped protein-based carbon exhibits exellent electrochemical performance with a high onset potential of 0.62 V, a high E1/2 of 0.55 V, and a low ΔE1/2= 0.32 mV. Specifically, as compared to the commercial Pt/C, the 10 wt% Pt@N-doped proteinbased carbon had a similar oxygen reduction reaction perfomance and improved electrochemical stability.

To improve the methanol electro-oxidation in direct methanol fuel cells(DMFCs), Pt electrocatalysts embedded on porous carbon nanofibers(CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning followed by a reduction method. To fabricate the porous CNFs, we prepared three types of porous CNFs using three different amount of a styrene-co acrylonitrile(SAN) polymer: 0.2 wt%, 0.5 wt%, and 1 wt%, respectively. A SAN polymer, which provides vacant spaces in porous CNFs, was decomposed and burn out during the carbonization. The structure and morphology of the samples were examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and their surface area were measured using the Brunauer- Emmett-Teller(BET). The crystallinities and chemical compositions of the samples were examined using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties on the methanol electro oxidation were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Pt electrocatalysts embedded on porous CNFs containing 0.5 wt% SAN polymer exhibited the improved methanol oxidation and electrocatalytic stability compared to Pt/conventional CNFs and commercial Pt/ C(40 wt% Pt on Vulcan carbon, E-TEK).

In this study, PtRu nanoparticles deposited on binary carbon supports were developed for use in direct methanol fuel cells using carbon blacks (CBs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The particle sizes and morphological structures of the catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, and the PtRu loading content was determined using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. The electrocatalytic characteristics for methanol oxidation were evaluated by means of cyclic voltammetry with 1 M CH3OHin a 0.5 MH2SO4 solution as the electrolyte. The PtRu particle sizes and the loading level were found to be dependent on the mixing ratio of the two carbon materials. The electroactivity of the catalysts increased with an increasing MWCNT content, reaching a maximum at 30% MWCNTs, and subsequently decreased. This was attributed to the introduction of MWCNTs as a secondary support, which provided a highly accessible surface area and caused morphological changes in the carbon supports. Consequently, the PtRu nanoparticles deposited on the binary support exhibited better performance than those deposited on the single support, and the best performance was obtained when the mass ratio of CBs to MWCNTs was 70:30.