• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2015

The object of this study is to obtain the optimum mix proportion of halogen free compound with flame resistance and, for the purpose, thermal/electrical characteristics test are conducted using compatibilizing agents, flame resistance agents, hydroxide aluminum, sunscreen, antioxidant and silicon oil on the base resin of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). Existing compound method accompanies many requirements to be satisfied including a lot of addition of flame resistance agents, prohibition of impact on mixing capability with base and property and etc. In this study, different from the existing method, the optimum mix proportion is determined and experimented by adding nano clay. Oxygen index test shows no difference between specimens while T-6, T-9 shows oxygen index of 29[%] and 26[%], respectively. This is concluded that hydroxide aluminum, which is a flame resistance agent, leads low oxygen index. From UL94-V vertical flame resistance test, the combustion behavior is determined as V-0, Fail based on UL94-V decision criteria. Viscometry shows low measurements in specimens with separate addition of compatibilizing agents or nano clay. Volume resistivity test shows low measurement mainly in specimens without compatibilizing agents. Therefore, with the flame resistance compound shows better performance for thermal/electrical property and the optimum mix proportion are achieved among many existing materials.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.233-239
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• 2009

The electrocatalytic behavior of the PtCo catalyst supported on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) has been evaluated and compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell(PEMFC). A PtCo/MWNTs electrocatalyst with a Pt:Co atomic ratio of 79:21 was synthesized and applied to a cathode of PEMFC. The structure and morphology of the synthesized PtCo/MWNTs electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. As a result of the X-ray studies, the crystal structure of a PtCo particle was determined to be a face-centered cubic(FCC) that was the same as the platinum structure. The particle size of PtCo in PtCo/MWNTs and Pt in Pt/C were 2.0 nm and 2.7 nm, respectively, which were calculated by Scherrer's formula from X-ray diffraction data. As a result we concluded that the specific surface activity of PtCo/MWNTs is superior to Pt/C's activity because of its smaller particle size. From the electrochemical impedance measurement, the membrane electrode assembly(MEA) fabricated with PtCo/MWNTs showed smaller anodic and cathodic activation losses than the MEA with Pt/C, although ohmic loss was the same as Pt/C. Finally, from the evaluation of cyclic voltammetry(CV), the unit cell using PtCo/MWNTs as the cathode electrocatalyst showed slightly higher fuel cell performance than the cell with a commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.51-54
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• 2010

Transparent conductive films of single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) were prepared by spray coating method. The effect of acid treatment on the SWCNT films was investigated. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) shows that acid treatment can remove dispersing agent. The electrical and optical properties of acid-treated films were enhanced compared with those of as deposited SWCNT films. Nitric acid ($HNO_3$), sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$), nitric acid:sulfuric acid (3:1) were used for post treatment. Although all solutions reduced sheet resistance of CNT films, nitric acid can improve electrical characteristics efficiently. During acid treatment, transmittance was increased continuously with time. But the sheet resistance was decreased for the first 20 minutes and then increased again. Post-treated SWCNT films were transparent (85%) in the visible range with sheet resistance of about $162{\Omega}/sq$. In this paper we discuss simple fabrication, which is suitable for different types of large-scale substrates and simple processes to improve properties of SWCNT films.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.513-517
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• 2010

There have been many efforts to modify and improve the properties of functional thin films by hybridization with nano-sized materials. For the fabrication of electronic circuits, micro-patterning is a commonly used process. For photochemical metal-organic deposition, photoresist and dry etching are not necessary for microscale patterning. We obtained direct-patternable $SnO_2$ thin films using a photosensitive solution containing Ag nanoparticles and/or multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The optical transmittance of direct-patternable $SnO_2$ thin films decreased with introduction of nanomaterials due to optical absorption and optical scattering by Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs, respectively. The crystallinity of the $SnO_2$ thin films was not much affected by an incorporation of Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs. In the case of mixed incorporation with Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs, the sheet resistance of $SnO_2$ thin films decreased relative to incorporation of either single component. Valence band spectral analyses of the nano-hybridized $SnO_2$ thin films showed a relation between band structural change and electrical resistance. Direct-patterning of $SnO_2$ hybrid films with a line-width of 30 ${\mu}m$ was successfully performed without photoresist or dry etching. These results suggest that a micro-patterned system can be simply fabricated, and the electrical properties of $SnO_2$ films can be improved by incorporating Ag nanoparticles and MWNTs.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.508-512
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• 2010

The optimum route to fabricate nano-sized Fe-50 wt% Co and hydrogen-reduction behavior of calcined Fe-/Conitrate was investigated. The powder mixture of metal oxides was prepared by solution mixing and calcination of Fe-/Co-nitrate. A DTA-TG and microstructural analysis revealed that the nitrates mixture by the calcination at $300^{\circ}C$ for 2 h was changed to Fe-oxide/$Co_3O_4$ composite powders with an average particle size of 100 nm. The reduction behavior of the calcined powders was analyzed by DTA-TG in a hydrogen atmosphere. The composite powders of Fe-oxide and Co3O4 changed to a Fe-Co phase with an average particle size of 40 nm in the temperature range of $260-420^{\circ}C$. In the TG analysis, a two-step reduction process relating to the presence of Fe3O4 and a CoO phase as the intermediate phase was observed. The hydrogen-reduction kinetics of the Fe-oxide/Co3O4 composite powders was evaluated by the amount of peak shift with heating rates in TG. The activation energies for the reduction, estimated by the slope of the Kissinger plot, were 96 kJ/mol in the peak temperature range of $231-297^{\circ}C$ and 83 kJ/mol of $290-390^{\circ}C$, respectively. The reported activation energy of 70.4-94.4 kJ/mol for the reduction of Fe- and Co-oxides is in reasonable agreement with the measured value in this study.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.78-81
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• 2010

Surface modification of silica nanoparticles was investigated using an aerosol self assembly. Stearic acid was used as surface treating agent. A two-fluid jet nozzle was employed to generate an aerosol of the colloidal suspension, which contained 20 nm of silica nanoparticles, surface modifier, and ethyl alcohol. Powder properties such as morphology, specific surface area and pore size distribution were analyzed by SEM, BET and BJH methods, respectively. Surface properties of the silica power were analyzed by FT-IR. The OH bond of the $SiO_2$ surface was converted to a C-H bond. It was revealed that the hydrophilic surface changed to a hydrophobic one due to the aerosol self assembly. Morphology of the surface treated powder was nanostructured with lots of pores having an average diameter of around $2\;{\mu}m$. Depending on the stearic acid concentration (0.25 to 1.0 wt%), the pore size distribution of the particles and the degree of hydrophobicity ranged from 1.5 nm to 180 nm and 29.6% to 50.2%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.437-441
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• 2007

Preparation and morphology control of $TiO_2$ nano powders for gas sensor applications are investigated. $TiO_2$ nanopowders with rutile and anatase structures were prepared by controlling the pH value of a precursor solution without any heat treatment. The mean particle size of $TiO_2$ powders were below 10nm. The prepared $TiO_2$ nano powders were hydrothermal treated by NaOH solution. The sample was washed in HCl solution. As a result and $TiO_2$ nanotubes were formed. The lengths of $TiO_2$ nanotube were $1{\mu}m$ and the diameters were 10nm. Crystal structure and microstructure of $TiO_2$ nanotube were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). As-prepared $TiO_2$ nanotube powders have several advantages of nano particle size and high surface area and could be a prominent candidate for nano-sensors. The sensitivity of $TiO_2$ nanotube sensor was measured for toluene and NO in this study.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.655-660
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• 2013

Photoelectrochemical cells have been used in photolysis of water to generate hydrogen as a clean energy source. A high efficiency electrode for photoelectrochemical cell systems was realized using a ZnO hierarchical nanostructure. A ZnO nanofiber mat structure was fabricated by electrospinning of Zn solution on the substrate, followed by oxidation; on this substrate, hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods on the ZnO nanofibers was carried out to form a ZnO hierarchical structure. The thickness of the nanofiber mat and the thermal annealing temperature were determined as the parameters for optimization. The morphology of the structures was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The performance of the ZnO nanofiber mat and the potential of the ZnO hierarchical structures as photoelectrochemical cell electrodes were evaluated by measurement of the photoelectron conversion efficiencies under UV light. The highest photoconversion efficiency observed was 63 % with a ZnO hierarchical structure annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ in air. The morphology and the crystalline quality of the electrode materials greatly influenced the electrode performance. Therefore, the combination of the two fabrication methods, electrospinning and hydrothermal synthesis, was successfully applied to fabricate a high performance photoelectrochemical cell electrode.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.546-549
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• 2011

Nano-sized $SnO_2$ thick films were prepared by a screen-printing method onto $Al_2O_3$ substrates. The sensing characteristics were investigated by measuring the electrical resistance of each sensor in a test box as a function of the detection gas. The nano-sized $SnO_2$ thick film sensors were treated in a $N_2$ atmosphere. The structural properties of the nano $SnO_2$with a rutile structure according to XRD showed a (110) dominant $SnO_2$ peak. The particle size of $SnO_2$:Ni nano powders at Ni 8 wt% was about 45 nm, and the $SnO_2$ particles were found to contain many pores according to the SEM analysis. The sensitivity of the nano $SnO_2$-based sensors was measured for 5 ppm $CH_4$ gas and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in the target gases. The results showed that the best sensitivity of $SnO_2$:Ni and $SnO_2$:Co sensors for $CH_4$ gas and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas at room temperature was observed in $SnO_2$:Ni sensors doped with 8 wt% Ni. The response time of the $SnO_2$:Ni gas sensors was 10 seconds and recovery time was 15 seconds for the $CH_4$ and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gases.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.508-513
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• 2005

[ $TiO_2-Fe_2O_3$ ] nanocomposite powders for magnetic photocatalyst were synthesized by sol-gel process, in which $TiO_2$ photocatalytic layer was formed on the surface of $\gamma-Fe_2O_3$ magnetic core. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis revealed that$\gamma-Fe_2O_3$ nanoparticles, $10\~20nm$ in diameter, were coated by $TiO_2$ shell of 5nm in thickness and $TiO_2$ was anatase phase. Also hydroxyl group (-OH) used to decompose organic compounds was detected by Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry(FT-IR) analysis. UV-Visible spectrophotometry results showed that light absorption occurred in the wavelength range of $400\~700 nm$, and the band gap energy $(E_g)$ of powder was 1.8 eV. Finally it was found that the coercivity $(H({ci})$ and saturation magnetization $(M_s)$ of the powder were 79 Oe and 14.8 emu/g, respectively as experimental vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements.