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Heo, Su Jeong

Publications and source records attributed to Heo, Su Jeong.

Surface engineering with oxidized Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene enables efficient and stable p-i-n-structured CsPbI 3 perovskite solar cells

All-inorganic CsPbI 3 perovskite has a near-ideal band gap, high thermal stability, and simple material composition, thus presenting a promising option for developing perovskite/Si tandem solar cells. However, CsPbI 3 undergoes a rapid phase transition under exposure to moisture and exhibits a significant performance gap relative to other perovskite compounds, particularly in the p-i-n structure favored for perovskite/Si tandems. In this work, we demonstrate highly efficient and stable p-i-n-structured CsPbI 3 perovskite solar cells by surface engineering the CsPbI 3 layer with oxidized Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene (OMXene) nanoplates via spray coatings. OMXene provides a physical barrier against moisture and improves charge separation at the perovskite-electron transporting layer interface via an enhanced electric field. Consequently, we demonstrated CsPbI 3 /OMXene-based p-i-n devices with efficiencies of 19.69% for 0.096-cm 2 cells and 14.64% for 25-cm 2 minimodules. The encapsulated minimodule showed good stability, retaining ~85% of the initial efficiency under simultaneous damp heat (85°C/85% relative humidity) and 1-sun light soaking for over 1,000 h.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Super Flexible Transparent Conducting Oxide-Free Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells with 19.01% Efficiency (Active Area=1 cm 2 )

Highly efficient organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (OIHP-SCs) are often fabricated on a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) substrate such as indium tin oxide (ITO). However, the presence of TCOs is disadvantageous to the development of flexible OIHP-SCs due to the brittle nature of ITO which is easily breakable during bending. Herein, a flexible TCO-free OIHP-SC is demonstrated by using lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (Li-TFSI) as a codopant for the single-layer graphene transparent conducting electrode and poly(triarylamine) hole-transporting material (HTM) on a flexible polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The optical and electrical properties of the Li-TFSI-doped graphene substrate are measured by controlling the doping amount and the best conditions for charge extraction are established at a doping concentration of 20 mm Li-TFSI, thus optimizing the device photovoltaic performance. As a result, a highest power conversion efficiency of 19.01% is demonstrated by the flexible TCO-free OIHP-SC devices with an active area of 1 cm 2 . In addition, the flexible TCO-free OIHP-SCs exhibit good bending stability after 5000 bending cycles at radii of 6, 4, and 2 mm and excellent light soaking stability under 1 Sun light intensity over 1000 h as opposed to the poor stability when using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate as the HTM.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Double-Site Substitution of Ce into (Ba, Sr)MnO 3 Perovskites for Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production

Solar thermochemical hydrogen production (STCH) is a renewable alternative to hydrogen production using fossil fuels. While serial bulk experimental methods can accurately measure STCH performance, screening chemically complex materials systems for new promising candidates is more challenging. Here we identify double-site Ce-substituted (Ba,Sr)MnO 3 oxide perovskites as promising STCH candidates using a combination of bulk synthesis and high-throughput thin-film experiments. The Ce substitution on the B-site in 10H-BaMnO 3 and on the A-site in -SrMnO 3 leads to 2–3 times higher hydrogen production compared to CeO 2 , but these bulk single-site substituted perovskites suffer from incomplete reoxidation. Double-site Ce substitution on both A- and B-sites in (Ba,Sr)MnO 3 thin films increases Ce solubility and extends the stability of 10H and 3C structures, which is promising for their thermochemical reversibility. This study demonstrates a high-throughput experimental method for screening complex oxide materials for STCH applications.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Hydroxide melt induced corrosion of Ni at elevated temperatures under steam electrolysis conditions

Molten alkali electrolyte based high temperature water electrolysis (HTWE) process offers an efficient pathway to integrate renewable energy resources for large scale and economic hydrogen production. Long term and stable operation of these systems require an in-depth understanding of materials stability under anodic and cathodic exposure conditions of the cell and cell stacks. In the present study, we report our findings on the corrosion of Ni in the presence and absence of (LieNa) hydroxide melt at 600 °C under oxidizing and reducing conditions representative of HTWE. While the Ni electrode was found to remain thermodynamically stable in metallic form under cathodic (reducing) exposure conditions, the corrosion rate in molten hydroxide under oxidizing conditions was found to be nonparabolic in nature. A cyclic voltammetry study provides the breakdown of the passive metal-oxide surface layer at the anodic overpotential region between 0.45 V and 2 V in molten hydroxide under oxidizing conditions. As a result, a thermochemical process for accelerated corrosion based on the oxide scale fluxing in hydroxide melt has been developed.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Combinatorial screening of crystal structure in Ba-Sr-Mn-Ce perovskite oxides with ABO 3 stoichiometry

ABO 3 oxides with the perovskite-related structures are attracting significant interest due to their promising physical and chemical properties for many applications requiring tunable chemistry, including fuel cells, catalysis, and electrochemical water splitting. Here we report on the crystal structure of the entire family of perovskite oxides with ABO 3 stoichiometry, where A and B are Ba, Sr, Mn, Ce. Given the vast size of this chemically complex material system, exploration for stable perovskite-related structures with respect to its constituent elements and annealing temperature is performed by combinatorial pulsed laser deposition and spatially-resolved characterization of composition and structure. As a result of this high-throughput experimental study, we identify hexagonal perovskite-related polytypic transformation as a function of composition in the Ba 1-x Sr x MnO 3 oxides after annealing at different temperatures. Furthermore, a hexagonal perovskite-related polytype is observed in a narrow composition-temperature range of the Ba 1-x Sr x MnO 3 oxides. In contrast, a tetragonally-distorted perovskite is observed across a wider range of compositions and annealing temperatures in the Sr 1-x Ce x MnO 3 oxides. This structure stability is further enhanced along the Ba 1-x Sr x MnO 3 - Sr 1-x Ce x MnO 3 pseudo-binary tie-line at x=0.25 by increasing Ba-incorporation and annealing temperature. These results indicate that the BaCe x Mn 1-x O 3 - Sr 1-x Ce x MnO 3 pseudo-binary oxide alloys (solid solutions) with tetragonal perovskite structure and broad composition-temperature range of stability are promising candidates for thermochemical water splitting applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Sulfur Poisoning and Performance Recovery of SOFC Air Electrodes

The sulfur poisoning and performance recovery of the state-of-the-art SOFC cathodes (La 0 . 80 Sr 0 . 20 ) 0 . 95 MnO 3 ± δ (LSM) and (La 0 . 60 Sr 0 . 40 ) 0 . 95 Co 0 . 20 Fe 0 . 80 O 3 – δ (LSCF), have been studied. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements of LSCF|GDC and LSM|YSZ half-cells are carried out in alternating atmospheres of air and SO 2 –air at 700°C for hundreds of hours. In the presence of SO 2 , the electrochemical performance of both the cells decays with ohmic and non-ohmic losses, owing to the absorption and chemical interaction of SO 2 with the electrodes. In LSCF, the SrO segregated on the surface tends to absorb and react with SO 2 , forming SrSO 4 followed by the exsolution of Co-Fe. As for LSM, SO 2 is absorbed onto the Sr-rich areas of LSM, including the active reaction sites near the TPBs, leading to Sr exsolution and SrSO 4 formation, leaving a Sr-deficient LSM. During the subsequent exposure to air, the performance of the sulfur-contaminated LSM is almost restored. The LSM particles, exposed to alternating atmospheres of air and SO 2 -air during the electrochemical tests, show a relatively clean surface with sparsely distributed SrSO 4 particles, indicating a high stability against sulfur poisoning. It is suggested that the loosely adsorbed SO 2 at the TPBs is readily swept away by the SO 2 -free air flow, recovering its ORR activity, whereas the Sr-deficient LSM due to Sr-exsolution stays modified, contributing to the incomplete performance restoration. Unlike the case of LSM, the performance of the sulfur-poisoned LSCF partially recovers during the subsequent exposure to air. Correspondingly, the LSCF particles have a modified morphology covered with numerous nanoparticles, mostly SrSO 4 , showing the irreversible aspect of the sulfur poisoning. The morphology modification is not concentrated near the electrode/electrolyte interface but over the entire cathode, indicating that the degree of recovery from sulfur poisoning is closely related to the presence of SrO and chemical activity of Sr in the electrodes at the solid-gas interface. These results also show the potential application of LSM for a sulfur sensor available in high-temperature harsh conditions.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Water mediated growth of oriented single crystalline SrCO3 nanorod arrays on strontium compounds

Abstract Morphology-controlled strontianite nanostructures have attracted interest in various fields, such as electrocatalyst and photocatalysts. Basic additives in aqueous strontium solutions is commonly used in controlling strontianite nanostructures. Here, we show that trace water also serves an important role in forming and structuring vertically oriented strontianite nanorod arrays on strontium compounds. Using in situ Raman spectroscopy, we monitored the structural evolution from hydrated strontium to strontianite nanorods, demonstrating the epitaxial growth by vapor–liquid–solid mechanism. Water molecules cause not only the exsolution of Sr liquid droplets on the surface but also the uptake of airborne CO 2 followed by its ionization to CO 3 2− . The existence of intermediate SrHO + –OCO 2 2− phase indicates the interaction of CO 3 2− with SrOH + in Sr(OH) x (H 2 O) y cluster to orient strontianite crystals. X-ray diffraction simulation and transmission electron microscopy identify the preferred-orientation plane of the 1D nanostructures as the (002) plane, i.e., the growth along the c-axis. The anisotropic growth habit is found to be affected by the kinetics of carbonation. This study paves the way for designing and developing 1D architecture of alkaline earth metal carbonates by a simple method without external additives at room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Corrosion of AISI 310 and 316 in Molten Hydroxide Under Steam Electrolysis Conditions

Steam electrolyzers, utilizing molten hydroxide electrolyte, offers potential for improvement in electrochemical efficiency, cost reduction, use of conventional materials of construction and process scale up for large scale hydrogen production. Stainless steels, used for the fabrication of cell components (current collector, gas separator, wet seals, and manifolds) experience accelerated corrosion in the presence of molten hydroxide electrolyte in both oxidizing (anodic) and reducing (cathodic) atmospheres. In this study, the corrosion behavior of AISI 310 and 316 in hydroxide melt has been studied at 600°C for 50 h. Melt immersion tests revealed formation of the porous lithium iron oxide at the melt-oxide interface for both AISI 310 and 316. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) analysis showed the presence of Cr in the electrolyte melt obtained from samples exposed to oxidizing atmosphere. Thermochemical analysis was performed to validate the experimental results.

corrosion↗

Combined Cr and S poisoning behaviors of La 1-x Sr x MnO 3±δ and La 1-x Sr x Co 1-y FeyO 3-δ cathodes in solid oxide fuel cells

Although the individual effects of airborne Cr and S contaminants on SOFC cathode performance degradation have been extensively studied, the combined effects of Cr and S contaminants remain largely unexplored. Under the real SOFC operating condition where the Cr and S species coexist, their effects may compete, affecting the poisoning behavior. Here, our investigation reveals that the combined Cr and S poisoning behavior of LSCF remains different from those of individual Cr and S poisonings, while the combined poisoning mechanism of LSM is equivalent to the sum of those of individual Cr and S effects. For LSCF electrode, gaseous Cr species are deposited mainly at the LSCF/GDC interface by electrochemical reduction, rather than forming SrCrO 4 on LSCF surfaces (as in the case of Cr-only poisoning), indicating no reaction between Cr vapors and SrO on the LSCF surface. Thermodynamic analysis demonstrates that the SrO on LSCF surface absorbs SO 2 (g) and thereby loses the Cr-gettering effect, allowing Cr vapors to flow through LSCF and to reach the LSCF/GDC interface where the Cr deposition occurs. Unlike LSCF, LSM electrode shows cumulative effects of Cr and S, as Cr accumulation occurs at the triple-phase boundary and S absorption takes place at localized Sr-rich regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Stability of ceramic matrix materials in molten hydroxide under oxidizing and reducing conditions

The degradation mechanism of ceramic matrix materials used as molten hydroxide electrolyte support for steam electrolysis cells, is not well documented. In this study, we have investigated the structural and chemical stability of non-oxide and oxide ceramics (SiC, YSZ, Li 2 ZrO 3, LiAlO 2 , and SrZrO 3 ) in the presence of molten hydroxide under oxidizing and reducing conditions with humidity levels of 3 and 85% at 550 °C. SiC, YSZ, Li 2 ZrO 3 and LiAlO 2 showed structural and chemical changes due to dissolution of the ceramic particles in the hydroxide melt followed by precipitation. The SrZrO 3 powder, on the other hand, remained both chemically and structurally stable during 500 h test under both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. The findings of a stable ceramic matrix in molten hydroxide contribute to the enhancement of the durability and performance of intermediate temperature water electrolysis system.

08 HYDROGEN↗