• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Sengon (Falcataria moluccana Miq.) tree offers a wood of low quality and durability owing to its low density and thin cell walls. This study aimed to improve the properties of sengon wood by making the wood magnetic, producing new functions, and characterizing magnetic sengon wood. Each wood sample was treated using one of the following impregnation solutions: Untreated, 7.5% nano magnetite-furfuryl alcohol (Fe₃O₄-FA), 10% nano Fe₃O₄-FA, and 12.5% nano Fe₃O₄-FA. The impregnation process began with vacuum treatment at 0.5 bar for 2 h, followed by applying a pressure of 1 bar for 2 h. The samples were then tested for dimensional stability and density and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) analysis. The results showed that the Fe₃O₄-FA impregnation treatment considerable affected the dimensional stability, measured in terms of weight percent gain, anti-swelling efficiency, water uptake, and bulking effect, as well as the density of sengon wood. Changes in wood morphology were detected by the presence of Fe deposits in the cell walls and cell cavities of the wood using SEM-EDX analysis. XRD and FTIR analyses showed the appearance of magnetite peaks in the diffractogram and Fe-O functional groups. Based on the VSM analysis, treated sengon wood is classified as a superparamagnetic material with soft magnetic properties. Overall, 10% Fe₃O₄-FA treatment led to the highest increase in dimensional stability and density of sengon wood.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.83-92
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• 2023

Excess N and P from the livestock manure applied to farmlands, have entered the water systems and poses a serious threat to the natural environment. Consequently, there has been recent awareness towards the management of livestock manure and its related fields. In this study, piggery wastewater was collected from a piggery in Pohang city, Korea. At 800℃, thermal decomposition of a natural stone, magnesite (MgCO₃), yielded powered MgO with particle sizes ranging between 10 to 100 ㎛. Furthermore, NH₄⁺-N and PO₄^3--P were recovered as struvite precipitates from the piggery wastewater, by adjusting the pH with MgO and H₃PO₄. At pH 10, the recovery efficiencies of NH₄⁺-N and PO₄^3--P were found to be 86.1% and 94.1%, respectively. Using an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), the struvite in the precipitate was confirmed to be consistent with standard pure struvite. Further, the purity of the struvite precipitate was analyzed using an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and thermal gravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and found to be between 79.2% and 93.0%. Additionally, struvite-containing piggery wastewater and sawdust were mixed in a weight ratio of 2.5:1 and processed into a mature compost. The newly manufactured compost passed all quality standards required for first-class graded livestock composts. Moreover, this compost was sprayed directly onto the soil at the test site, and various parameters of the soil's effluent, such as total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (T-N), total phosphorus (T-P), and dissolved oxygen (DO), were analyzed and measured. Based on these results, it is determined that the newly manufactured compost can more significantly reduce water pollution than commercial compost.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.420-426
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• 2023

We prepared a highly sensitive hydrogen (H₂) sensor based on Indium oxides (In₂O₃) porous nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with Platinum (Pt) nanoparticle in the range of 1.6~5.7 at.%. In₂O₃ NPs were fabricated by microwave irradiation method, and decorations of Pt nanoparticles were performed by electroless plating on In₂O₃ NPs. Crystal structures, morphologies, and chemical information on Pt-loaded In₂O₃ NPs were characterized by grazing-incident X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The effect of the Pt nanoparticles on the H₂-sensing performance of In₂O₃ NPs was investigated over a low concentration range of 5 ppm of H₂ at 150-300 ℃ working temperatures. The results showed that the H₂ response greatly increased with decreasing sensing temperature. The H₂ response of Pt loaded porous In₂O₃ NPs is higher than that of pristine In₂O₃ NPs. H₂ gas selectivity and high sensitivity was explained by the extension of the electron depletion layer and catalytic effect. Pt loaded porous In₂O₃ NPs sensor can be a robust manner for achieving enhanced gas selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of H₂.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.305-309
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• 2024

Trimethylamine (TMA) is an organic amine gas that serves as a key indicator for evaluating the freshness of seafood. We synthesized a highly sensitive trimethylamine (TMA) sensor based on porous indium oxide (In₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with CuO in the range of 6.7 to 28.4 at.%. CuO was loaded by hydrazine reduction onto as prepared In₂O₃ NPs using the microwave irradiation method. Crystal structures, morphologies, and chemical composition of CuO/In₂O₃ nanostructures (NSs) were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The response of the 23.8 at.% CuO/In₂O₃ to 2.5 ppm TMA at 325℃ was 5.7, which was 2.8 times higher than that of porous In₂O₃ NPs. The high sensitivity and selective detection of TMA were attributed to electronic interactions between CuO and In₂O₃ and the high catalytic activity of CuO to TMA. Altogether, this CuO/In₂O₃ sensor could be used in the future to detect low concentrations of TMA, thereby aiding in the storage and distribution of marine food resources.

• Current Applied Physics
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1571-1576
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• 2018

Recent study shows that the main reason for limiting CZTS device performance lies in the low open circuit voltage, and crucial factor that could affect the $V_{oc}$ is secondary phases like ZnS existing in absorber layer and its interfaces. In this work, the $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ thin film solar cells were prepared by sputtering CuSn and CuZn alloy targets. Through tuning the Zn/Sn ratios of the CZTS thin films, the crystal structure, morphology, chemical composition and phase purity of CZTS thin films were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy. The statistics data show that the CZTS solar cell with a ratio of Zn/Sn = 1.2 have the best power convention efficiency of 5.07%. After HCl etching process, the CZTS thin film solar cell with the highest efficiency 5.41% was obtained, which demonstrated that CZTS film solar cells with high efficiency could be developed by sputtering CuSn and CuZn alloy targets.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.254-259
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• 2000

Metal matrix composites(MMCs) reinforced with hard particles have many potential application in aerospace structures, auto parts, semiconductor package, heat resistant panels, wear resistant materials and so on. In this work, the effect of SiC partioel sizes(50 and 100 ${\mu}m$) and additional elements such as Si, Cu and Ti on the microstructure and the wear property of $Al-5Mg-X(Si,Cu,Ti)/SiC_p$ composites produced by pressureless infiltration method have been investigated using optical microscopy, scanning eletron microcopy(SEM) with EDS(energy dispersive spectrometry), hardness test, X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and wear test. In present study, the sound $Al-5Mg-X(Si,Cu,Ti)/SiC_p$(50 and 100 ${\mu}m$) composites were fabricated by pressureless infiltration method. The $Al-5Mg-0.3Si-O.1Cu-O.1Ti/SiC_p$ composite with $50 {\mu}m$ size of SiC particle has higher hardness and better wear property than any other composite with $100{\mu}m$ size of SiC particle produced by pressureless infiltration method. The hardness and wear property of $Al-5Mg/SiC_p$(50 and 100 ${\mu}m$) composites were enhanced by the addition of Si, Cu and Ti in Al-5%Mg matrix alloy.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the electrochemical characteristics of nanotubular Ti-25Nb-xZr ternary alloys for dental implant materials. Materials and Methods: Ti-25Nb-xZr alloys with different Zr contents (0, 3, 7, and 15 wt.%) were manufactured using commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti), niobium (Nb), and zirconium (Zr) (99.95 wt.% purity). The alloys were prepared by arc melting in argon (Ar) atmosphere. The Ti-25Nb-xZr alloys were homogenized in Ar atmosphere at $1,000^{\circ}C$ for 12 hours followed by quenching into ice water. The microstructure of the Ti-25Nb-xZr alloys was examined by a field emission scanning electron microscope. The phases in the alloys were identified by an X-ray diffractometer. The chemical composition of the nanotube-formed surfaces was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Self-organized $TiO_2$ was prepared by electrochemical oxidation of the samples in a $1.0M\;H_3PO_4+0.8wt.%$ NaF electrolyte. The anodization potential was 30 V and time was 1 hour by DC supplier. Surface wettability was evaluated for both the metallographically polished and nanotube-formed surfaces using a contact-angle goniometer. The corrosion properties of the specimens were investigated using a 0.9 wt.% aqueous solution of NaCl at $36^{\circ}C{\pm}5^{\circ}C$ using a potentiodynamic polarization test. Result: Needle-like structure of Ti-25Nb-xZr alloys was transform to equiaxed structure as Zr content increased. Nanotube formed on Ti-25Nb-xZr alloys show two sizes of nanotube structure. The diameters of the large tubes decreased and small tubes increased as Zr content increased. The lower contact angles for nanotube formed Ti-25NbxZr alloys surfaces showed compare to non-nanotube formed surface. The corrosion resistance of alloy increased as Zr content increased, and nanotube formed surface showed longer the passive regions compared to non-treatment surface. Conclusion: It is confirmed that corrosion resistance of alloy increased as Zr content increased, and nanotube formed surface has longer passive region compared to without treatment surface.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2017

Background: Phosphate rock and its by-product are widely used in various industries to produce phosphoric acid, gypsum, gypsum board, and fertilizer. Owing to its high level of natural radioactive nuclides (e.g., $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$), the radiological safety of workers who work with phosphate rock should be systematically managed. In this study, $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, $^{226}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ levels were measured to analyze the transport characteristics of these radionuclides in the production cycle of phosphate rock. Materials and Methods: Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and gamma spectrometry were used to determine the activity of $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, $^{226}Ra$, and $^{40}K$. To evaluate the extent of secular disequilibrium, the analytical results were compared using statistical methods. Finally, the distribution of radioactivity across different stages of the phosphate rock production cycle was evaluated. Results and Discussion: The concentration ratios of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{238}U$ in phosphate rock were close to 1.0, while those found in gypsum and fertilizer were extremely different, reflecting disequilibrium after the chemical reaction process. The nuclide with the highest activity level in the production cycle of phosphate rock was $^{40}K$, and the median $^{40}K$ activity was $8.972Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$ and $1.496Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$, respectively. For the $^{238}U$ series, the activity of $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$ was greatest in phosphate rock, and the distribution of activity values clearly showed the transport characteristics of the radionuclides, both for the byproducts of the decay sequences and for their final products. Conclusion: Although the activity of $^{40}K$ in k-related fertilizer was relatively high, it made a relatively low contribution to the total radiological effect. However, the activity levels of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{238}U$ in phosphate rock were found to be relatively high, near the upper end of the acceptable limits. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically manage the radiological safety of workers engaged in phosphate rock processing.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.102-112
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• 2013

A very high-temperature gas reactor (VHTR) is one of the next generation nuclear reactors owing to its safety, high energy efficiency, and proliferation-resistance. Heat is transferred from the primary helium loop to the secondary helium loop through an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX). Under VHTR environment Alloy 617 is being considered a candidate Ni-based superalloy for the IHX of a VHTR, owing to its good creep resistance, phase stability and corrosion resistance at high temperature. In this study, high-temperature corrosion tests were carried out at 850 - $950^{\circ}C$ in air and impure helium environments. Alloy 617 specimens showed a parabolic oxidation behavior for all temperatures and environments. The activation energy for oxidation was 154 kJ/mol in helium environment, and 261 kJ/mol in an air environment. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results revealed that there were a Cr-rich surface oxide layer, Al-rich internal oxides and depletion of grain boundary carbide after corrosion test. The thickness and depths of degraded layers also showed a parabolic relationship with the time. A corrosion rate of $950^{\circ}C$ in impure helium was higher than that in an air environment, caused by difference in the outer oxide morphology.

• Carbon letters
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• v.28
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• pp.72-80
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• 2018

In this study, an empirical relationship between the energy band gap of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and synthesis parameters in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor using factorial design of experiment was established. A bimetallic (Fe-Ni) catalyst supported on $CaCO_3$ was synthesized via wet impregnation technique and used for MWCNT growth. The effects of synthesis parameters such as temperature, time, acetylene flow rate, and argon carrier gas flow rate on the MWCNTs energy gap, yield, and aspect ratio were investigated. The as-prepared supported bimetallic catalyst and the MWCNTs were characterized for their morphologies, microstructures, elemental composition, thermal profiles and surface areas by high-resolution scanning electron microscope, high resolution transmission electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermal gravimetry analysis and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. A regression model was developed to establish the relationship between band gap energy, MWCNTs yield and aspect ratio. The results revealed that the optimum conditions to obtain high yield and quality MWCNTs of 159.9% were: temperature ($700^{\circ}C$), time (55 min), argon flow rate ($230.37mL\;min^{-1}$) and acetylene flow rate ($150mL\;min^{-1}$) respectively. The developed regression models demonstrated that the estimated values for the three response variables; energy gap, yield and aspect ratio, were 0.246 eV, 557.64 and 0.82. The regression models showed that the energy band gap, yield, and aspect ratio of the MWCNTs were largely influenced by the synthesis parameters and can be controlled in a CVD reactor.