• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.138-143
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• 2011

Nanosized Pt, Pt-Ru and Pt-$CeO_2$ electrocatalysts supported on acid-treated carbon nanotube (CNT) were synthesized by microwave-assisted heating of polyol process using $H_2Cl_6Pt{\cdot}6H_2O$, $RuCl_3$, $CeCl_3$ precursors, respectively, and were characterized by XRD and TEM. And then the electrochemical activity of methanol oxidation for catalyst/CNT nanocomposite electrodes was investigated. The microwave assisted polyol process produced the nano-sized crystalline catalysts particles on CNT. The size of Pt supported on CNT was 7~12 nm but it decreased to 3~5 nm in which 10wt% sodium acetate was added as a stabilizer during the polyol process. This fine Pt catalyst particles resulted in a higher current density for Pt/CNT electrode. It was also found that 10 nm size of PtRu alloys were formed by polyol process and the onset potential decreased with Ru addition. Cyclic voltammetry analysis revealed that the $Pt_{75}Ru_{25}/CNT$ electrode had the highest electrochemical activity owing to a higher ratio of the forward to reverse anodic peak current. And the chronoamperemetry test showed that $Pt_{75}Ru_{25}$ catalyst had a good catalyst stability. The activity of Pt was also found to be improved with the addition of $CeO_2$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2011

Gold have been used as an electrode materials having a good mechanical flexibility as well as electrical conductivity, however the stretchability of the gold on a flexible substrate is poor because of its small elastic modulus. To overcome this mechanical inferiority, the reinforcing gold is necessary for the stretchable electronics. Among the reinforcing materials having a large elastic modulus, carbon nanotube (CNT) is the best candidate due to its good electrical conductivity and nanoscale diameter. Therefore, similarly to ferroconcrete technology, here we demonstrated gold electrodes mechanically reinforced by inserting fabrics of CNTs into their bodies. Flexibility and stretchability of the electrodes were determined for various densities of CNT fabrics. The roles of CNTs in resisting electrical disconnection of gold electrodes from the mechanical stress were confirmed using field emission scanning electron microscope and optical microscope. The best mechanical stability was achieved at a density of CNT fabrics manufactured by 1.5 ml spraying. The concept of the mechanical reinforced metal electrode by CNT is the first trial for the high stretchable conductive materials, and can be applied as electrodes materials in various flexible and stretchable electronic devices such as transistor, diode, sensor and solar cell and so on.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.273-276
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• 2011

Ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) were grown on a patterned n-type GaN substrate (PNS) with 200 nm silicon-di-oxide (SiO2) nano pattern diameter to improve the light output efficiency of the diodes. Wet etched self assembled indium tin oxide (ITO) nano clusters serve as a dry etching mask for converting the SiO2 layer grown on the n-GaN template into SiO2 nano patterns by inductively coupled plasma etching. PNS is obtained by n-GaN regrowth on the SiO2 nano patterns and UV-LEDs were fabricated using PNS as a template. Two UV-LEDs, a reference LED without PNS and a 200 nm PNS UV-LEDs were fabricated. Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Photoluminescence (PL) and Light output intensity- Input current- Voltage (L-I-V) characteristics were used to evaluate the ITO-$SiO_2$ nanopattern surface morphology, threading dislocation propagation, PNS crystalline property, PNS optical property and UVLED device performance respectively. The light out put intensity was enhanced by 1.6times@100mA for the LED grown on PNS compared to the reference LED with out PNS.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.223-227
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• 2010

Recently, one-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials have attracted considerable interest for their potential as building blocks for fabricating various nanodevices. Among these semiconducting nanomaterials,, $SnO_2$ nanostructures including nanowires, nanorods, nanobelts, and nanotubes were successfully synthesized and their electrochemical properties were evaluated. Although $SnO_2$ nanowires and nanobelts exhibit fascinating gas sensing characteristics, there are still significant difficulties in using them for device applications. The crucial problem is the alignment of the nanowires. Each nanowire should be attached on each die using arduous e-beam or photolithography, which is quite an undesirable process in terms of mass production in the current semiconductor industry. In this study, a simple process for making sensitive $SnO_2$ nanowire-based gas sensors by using a standard semiconducting fabrication process was studied. The nanowires were aligned in-situ during nanowire synthesis by thermal CVD process and a nanowire network structure between the electrodes was obtained. The $SnO_2$ nanowire network was floated upon the Si substrate by separating an Au catalyst between the electrodes. As the electric current is transported along the networks of the nanowires, not along the surface layer on the substrate, the gas sensitivities could be maximized in this networked and floated structure. By varying the nanowire density and the distance between the electrodes, several types of nanowire network were fabricated. The $NO_2$ gas sensitivity was 30~200 when the $NO_2$ concentration was 5~20ppm. The response time was ca. 30~110 sec.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.199-203
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• 2010

Hybridization of semiconductor materials with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is a recent field of interest in which new nanodevice fabrication and applications are expected. In this work, nanowire type GaAs structures are synthesized on porous single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as templates using the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique. The field emission properties of the as-synthesized products were investigated to suggest their potential applications as cold electron sources, as well. The SWCNT template was synthesized by the arc-discharge method. SWCNT samples were heat-treated at $400^{\circ}C$ under an $N_2/O_2$ atmosphere to remove amorphous carbon. After heat treatment, GaAs was grown on the SWCNT template. The growth conditions of the GaAs in the MBE system were set by changing the growth temperatures from $400^{\circ}C$ to $600^{\circ}C$. The morphology of the GaAs synthesized on the SWCNTs strongly depends on the substrate temperature. Namely, nano-crystalline beads of GaAs are formed on the CNTs under $500^{\circ}C$, while nanowire structures begin to form on the beads above $600^{\circ}C$. The crystal qualities of GaAs and SWCNT were examined by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra. The field emission properties of the synthesized GaAs nanowires were also investigated and a low turn-on field of $2.0\;V/{\mu}m$ was achieved. But, the turn-on field was increased in the second and third measurements. It is thought that arsenic atoms were evaporated during the measurement of the field emission.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.623-627
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• 2010

Semiconducting metal oxides have been frequently used as gas sensing materials. While zinc oxide is a popular material for such applications, structures such as nanowires, nanorods and nanotubes, due to their large surface area, are natural candidates for use as gas sensors of higher sensitivity. The compound ZnO has been studied, due to its chemical and thermal stability, for use as an n-type semiconducting gas sensor. ZnO has a large exciton binding energy and a large bandgap energy at room temperature. Also, ZnO is sensitive to toxic and combustible gases. The NO gas properties of zinc oxide-single wall carbon nanotube (ZnO-SWCNT) composites were investigated. Fabrication includes the deposition of porous SWCNTs on thermally oxidized $SiO_2$ substrates followed by sputter deposition of Zn and thermal oxidation at $400^{\circ}C$ in oxygen. The Zn films were controlled to 50 nm thicknesses. The effects of microstructure and gas sensing properties were studied for process optimization through comparison of ZnO-SWCNT composites with ZnO film. The basic sensor response behavior to 10 ppm NO gas were checked at different operation temperatures in the range of $150-300^{\circ}C$. The highest sensor responses were observed at $300^{\circ}C$ in ZnO film and $250^{\circ}C$ in ZnO-SWCNT composites. The ZnO-SWCNT composite sensor showed a sensor response (~1300%) five times higher than that of pure ZnO thin film sensors at an operation temperature of $250^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.457-462
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• 2008

Through the electrostatic interaction between the poly-diallydimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) modified Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and $SnO_2$ suspension in 1mM $NaNo_3$ solution, MWNT-$SnO_2$ nanocomposites (MSC) for anode electrodes of a Li-ion battery were successfully fabricated by colloidal heterocoagulation method. TEM observation showed that most of the $SnO_2$ nanoparticles were uniformly deposited on the outside surface of the MWNT. Galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling tests showed that MSC anodes exhibited higher specific capacities than bare MWNT and better cyclability than unsupported nano-$SnO_2$ anodes. Also, after 20 cycles, the MSC anode fabricated by heterocoagulation method showed more stable cycle properties than the simply mixed MSC anode. These improved electrochemical properties are attributed to the MWNT, which adsorbs the mechanical stress induced from volume change and increasing electrical conductivity of the MSC anode, and suppresses the aggregation between the $SnO_2$ nanoparticles.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.166-173
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• 2018

Molybdenum (Mo) is one of the representative refractory metals for its high melting point, superior thermal conductivity, low density and low thermal expansion coefficient. However, due to its high melting point, it is necessary for Mo products to be fabricated at a high sintering temperature of over $1800-2000^{\circ}C$. Because this process is expensive and inefficient, studies to improve sintering property of Mo have been researched actively. In this study, we fabricated Mo nanopowders to lower the sintering temperature of Mo and tried to consolidate the Mo nanopowders through ultra high pressure compaction. We first fabricated Mo nanopowders by a mechano-chemical process to increase the specific surface area of the Mo powders. This process includes a high-energy ball milling step and a reduction step in a hydrogen atmosphere. We compacted the Mo nanopowders with ultra high pressure by magnetic pulsed compaction (MPC) before pressureless sintering. Through this process, we were able to improve the green density of the Mo compacts by more than 20 % and fabricate a high density Mo sintered body with more than a 95 % sintered density at relatively low temperature.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.365-369
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• 2018

We perform density functional theory calculations to study the CO and $O_2$ adsorption chemistry of Pt@X core@shell bimetallic nanoparticles (X = Pd, Rh, Ru, Au, or Ag). To prevent CO-poisoning of Pt nanoparticles, we introduce a Pt@X core-shell nanoparticle model that is composed of exposed surface sites of Pt and facets of X alloying element. We find that Pt@Pd, Pt@Rh, Pt@Ru, and Pt@Ag nanoparticles spatially bind CO and $O_2$, separately, on Pt and X, respectively. Particularly, Pt@Ag nanoparticles show the most well-balanced CO and $O_2$ binding energy values, which are required for facile CO oxidation. On the other hand, the $O_2$ binding energies of Pt@Pd, Pt@Ru, and Pt@Rh nanoparticles are too strong to catalyze further CO oxidation because of the strong oxygen affinity of Pd, Ru, and Rh. The Au shell of Pt@Au nanoparticles preferentially bond CO rather than $O_2$. From a catalysis design perspective, we believe that Pt@Ag is a better-performing Pt-based CO-tolerant CO oxidation catalyst.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.214-220
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• 2018

We report on the fabrication and photoelectrochemical(PEC) properties of a $Cu_2O$ thin film/ZnO nanorod array oxide p-n heterojunction structure with ZnO nanorods embedded in $Cu_2O$ thin film as an efficient photoelectrode for solar-driven water splitting. A vertically oriented n-type ZnO nanorod array was first prepared on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via a seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method and then a p-type $Cu_2O$ thin film was directly electrodeposited onto the vertically oriented ZnO nanorods array to form an oxide semiconductor heterostructure. The crystalline phases and morphologies of the heterojunction materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy as well as Raman scattering. The PEC properties of the fabricated $Cu_2O/ZnO$ p-n heterojunction photoelectrode were evaluated by photocurrent conversion efficiency measurements under white light illumination. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior, the $Cu_2O/ZnO$ photoelectrode was found to exhibit a negligible dark current and high photocurrent density, e.g., $0.77mA/cm^2$ at 0.5 V vs $Hg/HgCl_2$ in a $1mM\;Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte, revealing an effective operation of the oxide heterostructure. In particular, a significant PEC performance was observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs $Hg/HgCl_2$, which made the device self-powered. The observed PEC performance was attributed to some synergistic effect of the p-n bilayer heterostructure on the formation of a built-in potential, including the light absorption and separation processes of photoinduced charge carriers.