• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.429-434
• /
• 2015

Resistance switching memory cells were fabricated using atomically dispersed Pt-$SiO_2$ thin film prepared via RF co-sputtering. The memory cell can switch between a low-resistance-state and a high-resistance-state reversibly and reproducibly through applying alternate voltage polarities. Percolated conducting paths are the origin of the low-resistance-state, while trapping electrons in the negative U-center in the Pt-$SiO_2$ interface cause the high-resistance-state. Intermediate resistance-states are obtained through controlling the compliance current, which can be applied to multi-level operation for high memory density. It is found that the resistance value is related to the capacitance of the memory cell: a 265-fold increase in resistance induces a 2.68-fold increase in capacitance. The exponential growth model of the conducting paths can explain the quantitative relationship of resistance-capacitance. The model states that the conducting path generated in the early stage requires a larger area than that generated in the last stage, which results in a larger decrease in the capacitance.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.19 no.10
• /
• pp.527-532
• /
• 2009

The electrochromic properties of Au nanoparticles (NPs) incorporating poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiphene) (PEDOT) film were investigated. Trisodium citrate was used for stabilizing Au NPs to control the size. The capping molecules of the Au nanoparticles were exchanged from citrate to 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME). Water was removed by centrifuge and Au NPs were redispersed in methanol (MeOH). Finally, we obtained ca. 11.7 nm diameter of Au NPs. The effects of 0.15 at% of Au NPs incorporation on the optical, electrical, and eletrochromic properties of PEDOT films were investigated. The electrical property and switching speed of Au/PEDOT film was slightly improved over that of PEDOT film because Au NPs play a hopping site role and affect packing density of the PEDOT chain. Through the ultra violet-visible spectra of PEDOT and Au/PEDOT films at -0.7 V (vs Ag/AgCl), blue shift of maximum absorption peak was observed from PEDOT (585.4 nm) to Au/PEDOT (572.2 nm) due to a shortening of conjugated length of PEDOT. The Au NPs interfered with the degree of conjugation and the maximum absorption peak was shifted to shorter wavelength.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.19 no.10
• /
• pp.562-568
• /
• 2009

Electrospinning is a technique that produces sub-micron sized continuous fibers by electric force from polymer solutions or melts. Due to its versatile manufacturability and the cost effectiveness, this method has been recently adopted for the fabrication of one-dimensional materials. Here, we fabricated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer fibers, from which uniform carbon fibers with diameters of 100-200 nm were obtained after carbonization at 800 $^{\circ}C$ in N$_2$. Special emphasis was directed to the influence of the phase separated polymer solution on the morphology and the microstructure of the resulting carbon fiber. The addition of poly(stylene-co-acrylonitile) (SAN) makes the polymer solution phase separated, which allows for the formation of internal pores by its selective elimination after electrospinning. XPS and Raman Spectroscopy were used to confirm the surface composition and the degree of carbonization. At the PAN:SAN = 50:50 in vol%, the uniform carbon fibers with diameters of 300$\sim$500 nm and surface area of 131.6 m$^2$g$^{-1}$ were obtained.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.592-599
• /
• 2010

A porous nickel-tin nano-dendritic electrode, for use as the anode in a rechargeable lithium battery, has been prepared by using an electrochemical deposition process. The adjustment of the complexing agent content in the deposition bath enabled the nickel-tin alloys to have specific stoichiometries while the amount of acid, as a dynamic template for micro-porous structure, was limited to a certain amount to prevent its undesirable side reaction with the complexing agent. The ratios of nickel to tin in the electro-deposits were nearly identical to the ratios of nickel ion to tin ion in the deposition bath; the particle changed from spherical to dendritic shape according to the tin content in the deposits. The nickel to tin ratio and the dendritic structure were quite uniform throughout the thickness of the deposits. The resulting nickel-tin alloy was reversibly lithiated and delithiated as an anode in rechargeable lithium battery. Furthermore, the resulting anode showed much more stable cycling performance up to 50 cycles, as compared to that resulting from dense electro-deposit with the same atomic composition and from tin electrodeposit with a similar porous structure. From the results, it is expected that highly-porous nickel-tin alloys presented in this work could provide a promising option for the high performance anode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.610-616
• /
• 2008

Oil-based nanofluids were prepared by dispersing Ag, graphite and carbon black nanoparticles in lubricating oil. Agglomerated nanoparticles were dispersed evenly with a high-speed bead mill and/or ultrasonic homogenizer, and the surfaces of the nanoparticles were modified simultaneously with several dispersants. Their tribological behaviors were evaluated with a pin-on-disk, disk-on-disk and four-ball EP and wear tester. It is obvious that the optimal combination of nanoparticles, surfactants and surface modification process is very important for the dispersity of nanofluids, and it eventually affects the tribological properties as a controlling factor. Results indicate that a relatively larger size and higher concentration of nanoparticles lead to better load-carrying capacity. In contrast, the use of a smaller size and lower concentration of particles is recommended for reducing the friction coefficient of lubricating oil. Moreover, nanofluids with mixed nanoparticles of Ag and graphite are more suitable for the improvement of load-carrying capacity and antiwear properties.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.18 no.9
• /
• pp.503-506
• /
• 2008

The effect of silver nanoparticles (NPs) incorporation on the electronic properties of poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiphene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) films was investigated. The surface of silver NPs was stabilized with trisodium citrate to control the size of silver NPs and prevent their aggregation. We obtained ca. 5 nm sized silver NPs and dispersed NPs in PEDOT : PSS solution. Sheet resistance, surface morphology, bonding state, and work function values of the PEDOT : PSS films were modified by silver NPs incorporation as well as annealing temperature. Sodium in silver NPs solution could lead to a decrease of work function of PEDOT : PSS; however, large content of silver NPs have an effect on the increase in work function, resulting from charge localization on the silver NPs and a decrease in the number of charge-trapping-related defects by chemical bond formation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.24 no.12
• /
• pp.663-670
• /
• 2014

Diameter-controlled tin oxide nanofibers have been successfully prepared using electrospinning and a subsequent calcination process; their diameters, morphologies, and crystal structures have been characterized. The diameters of the as-spun nanofibers can be decreased by lowering the concentration of a polymer and a tin precursor in the electrospinning solution because of the decrease in the solution viscosity. The crystal structure of the nanofibers calcined at various temperatures from $200^{\circ}C$ to $800^{\circ}C$ has been proved to be the tetragonal rutile of tin oxide; crystallinity is improved by increasing the temperature. However, nanofibers with lower concentrations of tin precursor do not maintain their fibrous structures after calcination at high temperatures. In this study, the effect of the relationship between the precursor concentration and the calcination temperature on the diameter and the morphology of the tin oxide nanofiber has been systematically investigated and discussed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.319-325
• /
• 2014

Cobalt nano-rods were fabricated using a template-free electrochemical-deposition process. The structure of cobalt electro-deposits strongly depends on the electrolyte composition and on the density of the applied current. In particular, as the content of boric acid increased in the electrolyte, deposits of semi-spherical nuclei formed, and then grew into one-dimensional nano-rods. From analysis of the electro-deposits created under the conditions of continuous and pulsed current, it is suggested that the distribution of the active species around the electrode/electrolyte interface, and their transport, might be an important factor affecting the shape of the deposits. When transport of the active species was suppressed by lowering the deposition temperature, more of the well-defined nano-rod structures were obtained. The optimal conditions for the preparation of well-defined nano-rods were determined by observing the morphologies resulting from different deposition conditions. The maximum height of the cobalt nano-rods created in this work was $1{\mu}m$ and it had a diameter of 200 nm. Structural analysis proved that the nano-rods have preferred orientations of (111).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.301-304
• /
• 2014

The effect of oxygen pressure on the synthesis of ZnO nanowires by means of melt-oxidation of an Al-Zn mixture was investigated. The samples were prepared in oxygen ambient for 1 h at $1,000^{\circ}C$ under oxygen pressure ranging from 0.5 to 100 Torr. ZnO nanowires were formed at oxygen pressures lower than 10 Torr. As the oxygen pressure increased from 0.5 to 10 Torr, the width of the nanowires increased, but their length decreased. The ZnO nanowires had a needle shape, which became gradually thinner toward the tip. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the nanowires had a hexagonal wurtzite structure. However, ZnO nanowires were not observed when the oxygen pressure increased from 10 Torr to 100 Torr. In roomtemperature cathodeluminescence spectra of the ZnO nanowires, the intensity of ultra-violet emission at 380 nm increased with decreasing oxygen pressure, which indicated that the lower the oxygen pressure, the better the crystallinity of the ZnO nanowires.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2009.11a
• /
• pp.252-252
• /
• 2009

In this work, the nanocrystalline ZnO/polycrystalline (poly) aluminum nitride (AlN)/Si structure was fabricated for humidity sensor applications based on surface acoustic wave (SAW). In this structure, the ZnO film was used as sensing material layer. These ZnO and AlN(0002) were deposited by so-gel process and a pulse reactive magnetron sputtering, respectively. These experimental results showed that the obtained SAW velocity on AlN film was about 5128 m/s at $h/\lambda$=0.0125 (h and $\lambda$ is thickness and wavelength, respectively). For ZnO sensing layers coated on AlN, films have hexagonal wurtzite structure and nanometer particle size. The crystalline size of ZnO films annealed at 400, 500, and 600 $^{\circ}C$ is 10.2, 29.1, and 38 nm, respectively. Surface of the film exhibits spongy which can adsorb steam in the air. The best quality of the ZnO film was obtained with annealing temperature at 500 $^{\circ}Cis$. The change in frequency response (127.9~127.85 MHz) of the SAW humidity sensor based on ZnO/AlN structure was measured along the change in humidity (41~69%). The structural properties of thin films wereinvestigated by XRD and SEM.