• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2016

$TiO_2$ nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol-gel process using titanium tetra isopropoxide as a precursor at room temperature. Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were prepared by photoreduction of $AgNO_3$ on $TiO_2$ under UV light irradiation and calcinated at $400^{\circ}C$. Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were characterized for their structural and morphological properties by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic properties of the $TiO_2$ and Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were evaluated according to the degree of photocatalytic degradation of gaseous benzene under UV and visible light irradiation. To estimate the rate of photolysis under UV (${\lambda}=365nm$) and visible (${\lambda}{\geq}410nm$) light, the residual concentration of benzene was monitored by gas chromatography (GC). Both undoped/doped nanoparticles showed about 80 % of photolysis of benzene under UV light. However, under visible light irradiation Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles exhibited a photocatalytic reaction toward the photodegradation of benzene more efficient than that of bare $TiO_2$. The enhanced photocatalytic reaction of Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles is attributed to the decrease in the activation energy and to the existence of Ag in the $TiO_2$ host lattice, which increases the absorption capacity in the visible region by acting as an electron trapper and promotes charge separation of the photoinduced electrons ($e^-$) and holes ($h^+$). The use of Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles preserved the option of an environmentally benign photocatalytic reaction using visible light; These particles can be applicable to environmental cleaning applications.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.352-357
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• 2012

$SnO_2$-mixed and Sn-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were synthesized via a hydrothermal process. $SnO_2$-mixed $TiO_2$ nanoparticles prepared in a neutral condition consisted of anatase $TiO_2$ nanoparticles(diamond shape, ~25 nm) and cassiterite $SnO_2$ nanoparticles(spherical shape, ~10 nm). On the other hand, Sn-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles obtained under a high acidic condition showed a crystalline phase corresponding to rutile $TiO_2$. As the Sn content increased, the particle shape changed from rod-like(d~40 nm, 1~200 nm) to spherical(18 nm) with a decrease in the particle size. The peak shift in the XRD results and a change of the c-axis lattice parameter with the Sn content demonstrate that the $TiO_2$ in the rutile phase was doped with Sn. The photocatalytic activity of the $SnO_2$-mixed $TiO_2$ nanoparticles dramatically increased and then decreased when the $SnO_2$ content exceeded 4%. The increased photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the improved charge separation of the $TiO_2$ nanoparticles with the $SnO_2$. In the case of Sn-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, the photocatalytic activity increased slightly with the Sn content due most likely to the larger energy bandgap caused by Sn-doping and the decrease in the particle size. The $SnO_2$-mixed $TiO_2$ nanoparticles generally exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than the Sn-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. This was caused by the phase difference of $TiO_2$.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.2442-2451
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• 2018

Novel highly active visible-light photocatalysts in the form of zinc bismuth oxide ($ZnBi_2O_4$) and graphite hybrid composites were prepared by coupling via a co-precipitation method followed by calcination at $450^{\circ}C$. The asprepared $ZnBi_2O_4$-graphite hybrid composites were tested for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) solutions under visible-light irradiation. The existence of strong electronic coupling between the two components within the $ZnBi_2O_4$-graphite heterostructure suppressed the photogenerated recombination of electrons and holes to a remarkable extent. The prepared composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity, leading to more than 93% of RhB degradation at an initial concentration of $50mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ with 1.0 g catalyst per liter in 150 min. The excellent visible-light photocatalytic mineralization of $ZnBi_2O_4-1.0graphite$ in comparison with pristine $ZnBi_2O_4$ could be attributed to synergetic effects, charge transfer between $ZnBi_2O_4$ and graphite, and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electrons and holes. The photo-induced $h^+$ and the superoxide anion were the major active species responsible for the photodegradation process. The results demonstrate the feasibility of $ZnBi_2O_4-1.0graphite$ as a potential heterogeneous photocatalyst for environmental remediation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2010

The analysis of structure response and design of buried structures subjected to dynamic destructive loads have been receiving increasing interest due to recent severe damage caused by strong earthquakes and terrorist attacks. For a comprehensive design of buried structures subjected to blast loads to be conducted, the whole system behaviour including simulation of the explosion, propagation of shock waves through the soil medium, the interaction of the soil with the buried structure and the structure response needs to be simulated in a single model. Such a model will enable more realistic simulation of the fundamental physical behaviour. This paper presents a complete model simulating the whole system using the finite element package ABAQUS/Explicit. The Arbitrary Lagrange Euler Coupling formulation is used to model the explosive charge and the soil region near the explosion to eliminate the distortion of the mesh under high deformation, while the conventional finite element method is used to model the rest of the system. The elasto-plastic Drucker-Prager Cap model is used to model the soil behaviour. The explosion process is simulated using the Jones-Wilkens-Lee equation of state. The Concrete Damage Plasticity model is used to simulate the behaviour of concrete with the reinforcement considered as an elasto-plastic material. The contact interface between soil and structure is simulated using the general Mohr-Coulomb friction concept, which allows for sliding, separation and rebound between the buried structure surface and the surrounding soil. The behaviour of the whole system is evaluated using a numerical example which shows that the proposed model is capable of producing a realistic simulation of the physical system behaviour in a smooth numerical process.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2019

We report on the fabrication and characterization of an oxide photoanode with a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod array embedded in cuprous oxide ($Cu_2O$) thin film, namely a $ZnO/Cu_2O$ oxide p-n heterostructure photoanode, for enhanced efficiency of visible light driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. A vertically oriented n-type ZnO nanorod array is 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 is directly electrodeposited onto the vertically oriented ZnO nanorod array to form an oxide p-n heterostructure. The introduction of $Cu_2O$ layer produces a noticeable enhancement in the visible light absorption. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior under visible light illumination, the photoconversion efficiency of this $ZnO/Cu_2O$ p-n heterostructure photoanode is found to reach 0.39 %, which is seven times that of a pristine ZnO nanorod photoanode. In particular, a significant PEC performance is observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs $Hg/Hg_2Cl_2$, which makes the device self-powered. The observed improvement in the PEC performance is 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, which provides a new avenue for preparing efficient photoanodes for PEC water splitting.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.967-974
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• 2018

In this study, we evaluated the photocatalytic oxidation efficiency of aromatic volatile hydrocarbons by using $WO_3$-doped $TiO_2$ nanotubes (WTNTs) under visible-light irradiation. One-dimensional WTNTs were synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal method and impregnation. XRD analysis revealed successful incorporation of $WO_3$ into $TiO_2$ nanotube (TNT) structures. UV-Vis spectra exhibited that the synthesized WTNT samples can be activated under visible light irradiation. FE-SEM and TEM images showed the one-dimensional structure of the prepared TNTs and WTNTs. The photocatalytic oxidation efficiencies of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene were higher using WTNT samples than undoped TNT. These results were explained based on the charge separation ability, adsorption capability, and light absorption of the sample photocatalysts. Among the different light sources, light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) are more highly energy-efficient than 8-W daylight used for the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene, though the photocatalytic oxidation efficiency is higher for 8-W daylight.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2019

Crack instability propagation during coal and rock mass failure is the main reason for electromagnetic radiation (EMR) generation. However, original cracks on coal and rock mass are hard to study, making it complex to reveal EMR laws and mechanisms. In this paper, we prefabricated cracks of different inclinations in coal and rock samples as the analogues of the native cracks, carried out uniaxial compression experiments using these coal and rock samples, explored, the effects of the prefabricated cracks on EMR laws, and verified these laws by measuring the surface potential signals. The results show that prefabricated cracks are the main factor leading to the failure of coal and rock samples. When the inclination between the prefabricated crack and axial stress is smaller, the wing cracks occur first from the two tips of the prefabricated crack and expand to shear cracks or coplanar secondary cracks whose advance directions are coplanar or nearly coplanar with the prefabricated crack's direction. The sample failure is mainly due to the composited tensile and shear destructions of the wing cracks. When the inclination becomes bigger, the wing cracks appear at the early stage, extend to the direction of the maximum principal stress, and eventually run through both ends of the sample, resulting in the sample's tensile failure. The effect of prefabricated cracks of different inclinations on electromagnetic (EM) signals is different. For samples with prefabricated cracks of smaller inclination, EMR is mainly generated due to the variable motion of free charges generated due to crushing, friction, and slippage between the crack walls. For samples with larger inclination, EMR is generated due to friction and slippage in between the crack walls as well as the charge separation caused by tensile extension at the cracks' tips before sample failure. These conclusions are further verified by the surface potential distribution during the loading process.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.414-423
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• 2018

In this study, the commercial nanofiltration membranes were modified with octyltrimethoxysilane(OcTMS) and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) to improve fouling resistance and to separate dye. The chemical structure and binding energy of elements of silane-deposited surface were analyzed using XPS analysis. And the morphology and hydrophilicity property of silane-modified NF membrane were analyzed using FE-SEM, EDX, AFM, and contact angle. The surface charge of silane-modified NF membrane was characterized by zeta potentiometer analyzer. As a result, silane-modified NF membrane improved fouling resistance about 2 times as compared with that of the commercial membrane. And the silane-modified NF membranes effectively were removed cation dye over 98%.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.2283-2289
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• 2018

$TiO_2$ microspheres were successfully synthesised by simple solution phase method by using various amount of titanium butoxide as precursor. The prepared $TiO_2$ were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance absorption spectra (UV-DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis revealed that the as-synthesized $TiO_2$ microsphere poses an anatase phase. The photocatalytic degradation experiments were carried out with three different dyes, such as methylene blue, brilliant black, reactive red-120 for four hours under UV light irradiation. The results show that $TiO_2$ morphology had great influence on photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes. The experimental results of dye mineralization indicated the concentration was reduced by a high portion of up to 99% within 4 hours. On the basis of various characterization of the photocatalysts, the reactions involved to explain the photocatalytic activity enhancement due to the concentration of titanium butoxide and morphology include a better separation of photogenerated charge carriers and improved oxygen reduction inducing a higher extent of degradation of aromatics.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.175-179
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• 2022

The physical properties of biomaterials are important for their isolation and separation from body fluids. In particular, the precise evaluation of the multi-physical properties of single biomolecules is essential in that the correlation between physical and biological properties of specific biomolecule. However, the majority of scientific equipment, can only determine specific-physical properties of single nanoparticles, making the evaluation of the multi-physical properties difficult. The improvement of analytical techniques for the evaluation of multi-physical properties is therefore required in various research fields. In this study, we developed a motion-tracking algorithm to evaluate the multi-physical properties of single-nanoparticles by analyzing their behavior. We observed the Brownian motion and electric-field-induced drift of fluorescent nanoparticles injected in a microfluidic chip with two electrodes using confocal microscopy. The proposed algorithm is able to determine the size of the nanoparticles by i) removing the background noise from images, ii) tracking the motion of nanoparticles using the circular-Hough transform, iii) extracting the mean squared displacement (MSD) of the tracked nanoparticles, and iv) applying the MSD to the Stokes-Einstein equation. We compared the evaluated size of the nanoparticles with the size measured by SEM. We also determined the zeta-potential and surface-charge density of the nanoparticles using the extracted electrophoretic velocity and the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski equation. The proposed motion-tracking algorithm could be employed in various fields related to biomaterial analysis, such as exosome analysis.