• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2019

Layered $LiNi_{0.83}Co_{0.11}Mn_{0.06}O_2$ cathode materials single- and dual-doped by the rare-earth elements Ce and Nd are successfully fabricated by using a coprecipitation-assisted solid-phase method. For comparison purposes, non-doping pristine $LiNi_{0.83}Co_{0.11}Mn_{0.06}O_2$ cathode material is also prepared using the same method. The crystal structure, morphology, and electrochemical performances are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) mapping, and electrochemical techniques. The XRD data demonstrates that all prepared samples maintain a typical ${\alpha}-NaFeO_2$-layered structure with the R-3m space group, and that the doped samples with Ce and/or Nd have lower cation mixing than that of pristine samples without doping. The results of SEM and EDS show that doped elements are uniformly distributed in all samples. The electrochemical performances of all doped samples are better than those of pristine samples without doping. In addition, the Ce/Nd dual-doped cathode material shows the best cycling performance and the least capacity loss. At a 10 C-rate, the electrodes of Ce/Nd dual-doped cathode material exhibit good capacity retention of 72.7, 58.5, and 45.2% after 100, 200, and 300 cycles, respectively, compared to those of pristine samples without doping (24.4, 11.1, and 8.0%).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2019

To improve the performance of carbon nanofibers as electrode material in electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), we prepare three types of samples with different pore control by electrospinning. The speciments display different surface structures, melting behavior, and electrochemical performance according to the process. Carbon nanofibers with two complex treatment processes show improved performance over the other samples. The mesoporous carbon nanofibers (sample C), which have the optimal conditions, have a high sepecific surface area of $696m^2g^{-1}$, a high average pore diameter of 6.28 nm, and a high mesopore volume ratio of 87.1%. In addition, the electrochemical properties have a high specific capacitance of $110.1F\;g^{-1}$ at a current density of $0.1A\;g^{-1}$ and an excellent cycling stability of 84.8% after 3,000 cycles at a current density of $0.1A\;g^{-1}$. Thus, we explain the improved electrochemical performance by the higher reaction area due to an increased surface area and a faster diffusion path due to the increased volume fraction of the mesopores. Consequently, the mesoporous carbon nanofibers are demonstrated to be a very promising material for use as electrode materials of high-performance EDLCs.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2019

Current synthesis processes for titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) nanoparticles require expensive precursors or templates as well as complex steps and long reaction times. In addition, these processes produce highly agglomerated nanoparticles. In this study, we demonstrate a simple and continuous approach to synthesize $TiO_2$ nanoparticles by a salt-assisted ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. We also investigate the effect of salt content in a precursor solution on the morphology and size of synthesized products. The synthesized $TiO_2$ nanoparticles are systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron micrograph, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. These nanoparticles appear to have a single anatase phase and a uniform particle-size distribution with an average particle size of approximately 10 nm. By extrapolating the plots of the transformed Kubelka-Munk function versus the absorbed light energy, we determine that the energy band gap of the synthesized $TiO_2$ nanoparticles is 3.25 eV.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.633-639
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• 2018

In anion exchange membrane fuel cells, Pd nanoparticles are extensively studied as promising non-Pt catalysts due to their electronic structure similar to Pt. In this study, to fabricate Pd nanoparticles well dispersed on carbon support materials, we propose a synthetic strategy using mixed organic ligands with different chemical structures and functions. Simultaneously to control the Pd particle size and dispersion, a ligand mixture composed of oleylamine(OA) and trioctylphosphine(TOP) is utilized during thermal decomposition of Pd precursors. In the ligand mixture, OA serves mainly as a reducing agent rather than a stabilizer since TOP, which has a bulky structure, more strongly interacts with the Pd metal surface as a stabilizer compared to OA. The specific roles of OA and TOP in the Pd nanoparticle synthesis are studied according to the mixture composition, and the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) activity and durability of highly-dispersed Pd nanocatalysts with different particles sizes are investigated. The results of this study confirm that the Pd nanocatalyst with large particles has high durability compared to the nanocatalyst with small Pd nanoparticles during the accelerated degradation tests although they initially indicated similar ORR performance.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.646-652
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• 2018

During a long-term operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs), the fuel cell performance may degrade due to severe agglomeration and dissolution of metal nanoparticles in the cathode. To enhance the electrochemical durability of metal catalysts and to prevent the particle agglomeration in PEMFC operation, this paper proposes a hybrid catalyst structure composed of PtCo alloy nanoparticles encapsulated by porous carbon layers. In the hybrid catalyst structure, the dissolution and migration of PtCo nanoparticles can be effectively prevented by protective carbon shells. In addition, $O_2$ can properly penetrate the porous carbon layers and react on the active Pt surface, which ensures high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Although the hybrid catalyst has a much smaller active surface area due to the carbon encapsulation compared to a commercial Pt catalyst without a carbon layer, it has a much higher specific activity and significantly improved durability than the Pt catalyst. Therefore, it is expected that the designed hybrid catalyst concept will provide an interesting strategy for development of high-performance fuel cell catalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.70-77
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• 2019

$SiO_x$ nanoparticles were granulated, and their microstructures and effects on electrochemical behaviors were investigated. In spite of the promising electrochemical performance of $SiO_x$, nanoparticles have limitations such as high surface area, low density, and difficulty in handling during slurry processing. Granulation can be one solution. In this study, pelletizing and annealing were conducted to create particles with sizes of several decades of micron. Decrease in surface area directly influences the initial charge and discharge process when granules are applied as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. Lower surface area is key to decreasing the amount of irreversible phase-formation, such as $Li_2Si_2O_5$, $Li_2SiO_3$ and $Li_4SiO_4$, as well as forming the solid electrolyte interface. Additionally, aggregation of nanoparticles is required to obtain further enhancement of the electrochemical behavior due to restrictions that there be no $Li_4SiO_4$-related reaction during the first discharge process.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 2019

We report on stretchable electrochromic films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) fabricated on silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes. AgNWs electrodes are prepared on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using a spray coater for stretchable electrochromic applications. On top of the AgNW electrode, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is introduced to ensure a stable resistance over the electrode under broad strain range by effectively suppressing the protrusion of AgNWs from PDMS. This bilayer electrode exhibits a high performance as a stretchable substrate in terms of sheet resistance increment by a factor of 1.6, tensile strain change to 40 %, and stretching cycles to 100 cycles. Furthermore, P3HT film spin-coated on the bilayer electrode shows a stable electrochromic coloration within an applied voltage, with a color contrast of 28.6 %, response time of 4-5 sec, and a coloration efficiency of $91.0cm^2/C$. These findings indicate that AgNWs/PEDOT:PSS bilayer on PDMS substrate electrode is highly suitable for transparent and stretchable electrochromic devices.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2019

This study investigates Ag coated $Cu_2O$ nanoparticles that are produced with a changing molar ratio of Ag and $Cu_2O$. The results of XRD analysis reveal that each nanoparticle has a diffraction pattern peculiar to Ag and $Cu_2O$ determination, and SEM image analysis confirms that Ag is partially coated on the surface of $Cu_2O$ nanoparticles. The conductive paste with Ag coated $Cu_2O$ nanoparticles approaches the specific resistance of $6.4{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$ for silver paste(SP) as $(Ag)/(Cu_2O)$ the molar ratio increases. The paste(containing 70 % content and average a 100 nm particle size for the silver nanoparticles) for commercial use for mounting with a fine line width of $100{\mu}m$ or less has a surface resistance of 5 to $20{\mu}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, while in this research an Ag coated $Cu_2O$ paste has a larger surface resistance, which is disadvantageous. Its performance deteriorates as a material required for application of a fine line width electrode for a touch panel. A touch panel module that utilizes a nano imprinting technique of $10{\mu}m$ or less is expected to be used as an electrode material for electric and electronic parts where large precision(mounting with fine line width) is not required.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.311-316
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• 2019

Transparent conducting electrodes are essential components in various optoelectrical devices. Although indium tin oxide thin films have been widely used for transparent conducting electrodes, silver nanowire network is a promising alternative to indium tin oxide thin films owing to its lower processing cost and greater suitability for flexible device application. In order to widen the application of silver nanowire network, the electrical conductance has to be improved while maintaining high optical transparency. In this study, we report the enhancement of the electrical conductance of silver nanowire network transparent electrodes by copper electrodeposition on the silver nanowire networks. The electrodeposited copper lowered the sheet resistance of the silver nanowire networks from $21.9{\Omega}{\square}$ to $12.6{\Omega}{\square}$. We perform detailed X-ray diffraction analysis revealing the effect of the amount of electrodeposited copper-shell on the sheet resistance of the core-shell(silver/copper) nanowire network transparent electrodes. From the relationship between the cross-sectional area of the copper-shell and the sheet resistance of the transparent electrodes, we deduce the electrical resistivity of electrodeposited copper to be approximately 4.5 times that of copper bulk.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.221-227
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• 2019

This study examines the role of the nano- and micro-particle ratio in dispersion stability and mechanical properties of composite resins for SLA(stereolithography) 3D printing technology. VTES(vinyltriethoxysilane)-coated $ZrO_2$ ceramic particles with different nano- and micro-particle ratios are prepared by a hydrolysis and condensation reaction and then dispersed in commercial photopolymer (High-temp) based on interpenetrating networks(IPNs). The coating characteristics of VTES-coated $ZrO_2$ particles are observed by FE-TEM and FT-IR. The rheological properties of VTES-coated $ZrO_2/High-temp$ composite solution with different particle ratios are investigated by rheometer, and the dispersion properties of the composite solution are confirmed by relaxation NMR and Turbiscan. The mechanical properties of 3D-printed objects are measured by a tensile test and nanoindenter. To investigate the aggregation and dispersion properties of VTES-coated $ZrO_2$ ceramic particles with different particle ratios, we observe the cross-sectional images of 3D printed objects using FE-SEM. The 3D printed objects of the composite solution with nano-particles of 80 % demonstrate improved mechanical characteristics.