• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.526-530
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• 2012

Silica-based ceramic-matrix composites have shown promise as advanced materials for many applications such as chemical catalysts, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. $SiO_2$-CuO-$CeO_2$ multi-component powders and their thin film, using an oxalic acid template as a chelating agent, have larger surface areas and more uniform pore size distribution than those of inorganic acid catalysts. $SiO_2$-CuO-$CeO_2$ composite powders were synthesized using tetraethylorthosilicate, copper (II) nitrate hemi (pentahydrate), and cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate with oxalic acid as template or pore-forming agent. The process of thermal evolution, the phase composition, and the surface morphology of these powders were monitored by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS). The mesoporous property of the powders was observed by Brunner-Emmett-Teller surface (BET) analysis. The improved surface area of this powder template with oxalic acid was $371.4m^2/g$. This multi-component thin film on stainless-steel was prepared by sol-gel dip coating with no cracks.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.337-348
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• 2020

Tropical organic soils having more than 65% of organic matters are named "peat". This soil type is extremely soft, unconsolidated, and possesses low shear strength and stiffness. Different conventional and industrial binders (e.g., lime or Portland cement) are used widely for stabilisation of organic soils. However, due to many factors affecting the behaviour of these soils (e.g., high moisture content, fewer mineral particles, and acidic media), the efficiency of the conventional binders is low and/or cost-intensive. This research investigates the impact of different constituents of cement-sodium silicate grout system on the compressibility behaviour of organic soil, including settlement and void ratio. A microstructure analysis is also carried out on treated organic soil using Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the settlement and void ratio of treated organic soils decrease gradually with the increase of cement and kaolinite contents, as well as sodium silicate until an optimum value of 2.5% of the wet soil weight. The microstructure analysis also demonstrates that with the increase of cement, kaolinite and sodium silicate, the void ratio and porosity of treated soil particles decrease, leading to an increase in the soil density by the hydration, pozzolanic, and polymerisation processes. This research contributes an extra useful knowledge to the stabilisation of organic soils and upgrading such problematic soils closer to the non-problematic soils for geotechnical applications such as deep mixing.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.549-556
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• 2012

The tribological behavior of CrMoN films with respect to surface chemistry was investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All of the films were prepared from a hybrid PVD system consisting of DC unbalanced magnetron (UBM) sputtering and arc ion plating (AIP) sources. The tribological property of the films was evaluated by a friction coefficient using a Ball-on-disk type tribometer. The chemistry of wear track was analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and XPS. The friction coefficient was measured to be 0.4 for the CrMoN film, which is lower than that of a monolithic CrN film. EDS and XPS results imply the formation of an oxide layer on the coating surface, which was identified as molybdenum oxide phases, known to be a solid lubricant during the wear test.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.315-323
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• 2021

In general, surface treatments of electroless Ni-P coating are extensively applied in the industry due to their excellent properties for considerable wear resistance, hardness, corrosion resistance. This study aims to determine the effect of ultrasonic conditions on the morphology, alumina content, roughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance of electroless Ni-P-Al₂O₃ composite coatings. The characteristics were analyzed by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray diffractions (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), etc. In this study, the effect of ultrasonic condition uniformly distributed alumina within Ni-P solution resulting in a smoother surface, lower surface roughness. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance behavior of the coating was analyzed using tafel polarization curves in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at 25 ℃. Under ultrasonic, Al₂O₃ content in Ni-P composite solution increased from 0.5 to 5.0 g/L, Al₂O₃ content at 3.0 g/L was showed a significantly enhanced corrosion resistance. These results suggested that ultrasonic condition was an effective method to improve the properties of the composite coating.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.220-224
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• 2019

The aluminum (Al)/copper oxide (CuO) complex is known as the most promising material for thermite reactions, releasing a high heat and pressure through ignition or thermal heating. To improve the reaction rate and wettability for handling safety, nanosized primary particles are applied on Al/CuO composite for energetic materials in explosives or propellants. Herein, graphene oxide (GO) is adopted for the Al/CuO composites as the functional supporting materials, preventing a phase-separation between solvent and composites, leading to a significantly enhanced reactivity. The characterizations of Al/CuO decorated on GO(Al/CuO/GO) are performed through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping analysis. Moreover, the functional bridging between Al/CuO and GO is suggested by identifying the chemical bonding with GO in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The reactivity of Al/CuO/GO composites is evaluated by comparing the maximum pressure and rate of the pressure increase of Al/CuO and Al/CuO/GO. The composites with a specific concentration of GO (10 wt%) demonstrate a well-dispersed mixture in hexane solution without phase separation.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2019

The feasibility of using benzotriazole (BTAH) to inhibit pitting corrosion in the sprinkler copper tubes was investigated by filling the tubes with BTAH-water solution in 829 households at an eight-year-old apartment complex. The water leakage rate was reduced by approximately 90% following BTAH treatment during 161 days from the previous year. The leakage of one of the two sprinkler copper tubes was investigated with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis to determine the formation of Cu-BTA film inside the corrosion pits. All the inner components of the corrosion pits were coated with Cu-BTA films suggesting that BTAH molecules penetrated the corrosion products. The Cu-BTA film was about 2 nm in thickness at the bottom of a corrosion pit. A layer of CuCl and $Cu_2O$ phases lies under the Cu-BTA film. This complex structure effectively prevented the propagation of corrosion pits in the sprinkler copper tubes and reduced the water leakage.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.325-331
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• 2018

Calcium carbonate($CaCO_3$) films were formed by an eco-friendly electro-chemical technique on steel substrates in synthesized distilled water solutions containing $NaHCO_3$, $CaCl_2$ and $MgCl_2$ with different ratio respectively. It was investigated to confirm the effect of $Mg^{2+}$ concentration by Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM), Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy(EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction(XRD) respectively. From an experimental result, only calcite crystals were found in solution containing no $Mg^{2+}$. By increasing concentration of $Mg^{2+}$, deposition rate decreased and crystal structure was transformed form calcite to aragonite. In case of including $MgCl_2$ 300mM in synthesized solutions containing $NaHCO_3$, $CaCl_2$ 60mM, it was showed over the 90% of aragonite contents which have quite high deposition rate of aragonite. Also, it was confirmed that $Mg^{2+}$ acted as inhibitor on the films which made transforming from calcite to aragonite.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.108-114
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• 2019

In the present study, rutile phase titanium dioxide nanoparticles ($R-TiO_2$ NPs) were prepared by hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride in an aqueous solution followed by calcination at $900^{\circ}C$. The composition of $R-TiO_2$ NPs was determined by the analysis of X-ray diffraction data, and the characteristic features of $R-TiO_2$ NPs such as the surface functional group, particle size, shape, surface topography, and morphological behavior were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. The average size of the prepared $R-TiO_2$ NPs was 76 nm, the surface area was $19m^2/g$, zeta potential was -20.8 mV, and average hydrodynamic diameter in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-$H_2O$ solution was 550 nm. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and morphological observations revealed that $R-TiO_2$ NPs were cytocompatible with oral cancer cells, with no inhibition of cell growth and proliferation. This suggests the efficacy of $R-TiO_2$ NPs for the aesthetic white pigmentation of teeth.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1171-1184
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• 2020

The green synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) using biomaterials has garnered considerable attention in recent years because of its eco-friendly, non-toxic, simple, and low-cost nature. In this study, we synthesized NPs of noble metals, such as Ag and Au using an aqueous extract of a marine seaweed, Ecklonia cava. The formation of AgNPs and AuNPs was confirmed by the presence of surface plasmon resonance peaks in UV-Vis absorption spectra at approximately 430 and 530 nm, respectively. Various properties of the NPs were evaluated using characterization techniques, such as dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Phytochemicals in the seaweed extract, such as phlorotannins, acted as both reducing and stabilizing agents for the growth of the NPs. The green-synthesized AgNPs and AuNPs were found to exhibit high catalytic activity for the decomposition of organic dyes, including azo dyes, methylene blue, rhodamine B, and methyl orange.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2020

The biocompatibility and plasmonic properties of Au nanoparticles make them useful for photothermal therapy, drug delivery, imaging, and many other fields. This study demonstrated a novel, facile, economic, and green synthetic method to produce gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with spherical and triangular shapes were effectively synthesized using only Schisandra chenesis fruit extract as the capping and reducing agent. The shape of the AuNPs could be engineered simply by adjusting the molar concentration of HAuCl4 in the reaction mixture. The as-synthesized AuNPs were characterized using UV-VIS spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA). This study revealed that by using the HAuCl4 concentration in the AuNP synthesis, the shape and size of the AuNPs could be controlled by the concentration of HAuCl4 and Schisandra chinensis fruit extract as a surfactant. The as-synthesized AuNPs samples had sufficient colloidal stability without noticeable aggregation and showed the predominant growth of the (111) plane of face-centered cubic gold during the crystal growth. The catalytic efficiency of the AuNPs synthesized using Schisandra chenesis fruit extract was examined by monitoring the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol using Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectroscopy). The synthesized AuNPs showed good catalytic activity to reduce 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, revealing their practical usefulness.