• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2015

Surface modification is a technology to form a new surface layer and overcome the intrinsic properties of the base material by applying thermal energy or stress onto the surface of the material. The purpose of this technique is to achieve anti-corrosion, beautiful appearance, wear resistance, insulation and conductance for base materials. Surface modification techniques may include plating, chemical conversion treatment, painting, lining and surface hardening. Among which, a surface modification process using electrolytes has been investigated for a long time in connection with research on its industrial application. The technology is highly favoured by various fields because it provides not only high productivity and cost reduction opportunities, but also application availability for components with complex geometry. In this study, an electrochemical experiment was performed on the surface of 5083-O Al alloy to determine an optimal electrolyte temperature, which produces surface with excellent corrosion resistance under marine environment than the initial surface. The experiment result, the modified surface presented a significantly lower corrosion current density with increasing electrolyte temperature, except for $5^{\circ}C$ of electrolyte temperature at which premature pores was created.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.288-294
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• 2011

Simultaneous Ni and C codeposition by electrolysis was investigated with the aim of obtaining better corrosion resistivity and surface conductivity of a metallic bipolar plate for application in fuel cells and redox flow batteries. The carbon content in the Ni-C composite plate fell in a range of 9.2~26.2 at.% as the amount of carbon in the Ni Watt bath and the roughness of the composite were increased. The Ni-C composite with more than 21.6 at.% C content did not show uniformly dispersed carbon. It also displayed micro-sized defects such as cracks and crevices, which result in pitting or crevice corrosion. The corrosion resistance of the Ni-C composite in sulfuric acid is similar with that of pure Ni. Electrochemical test results such as passivation were not satisfactory; however, the Ni-C composite still displayed less than $10^{-4}$ $A/cm^2$ passivation current density. Passivation by an anodizing technique could yield better corrosion resistance in the Ni-C composite, approaching that of pure Ni plating. Surface resistivity of pure Ni after passivation was increased by about 8% compared to pure Ni. On the other hand, the surface resistivity of the Ni-C composite with 13 at.% C content was increased by only 1%. It can be confirmed that the metal plate electrodeposited Ni-C composite can be applied as a bipolar plate for fuel cells and redox flow batteries.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.27-32
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• 2011

Management of gas safety is becoming important with increasing use of gas facilities. U-safety system is being promoted as part of national management of gas, and thus real-time and in-situ gas sensor should be developed. Detection method for When the gas sensor is installed in gas conduit, explosion may be likely, because hydrocarbon gases is usually used the difference of thermal resistance between reference and working electrode. Therefore, it is required to detect the hydrocarbons, such as $CH_4$ and CO, at room temperature via electrochemically catalytic reaction. In this study, Pt nanoparticle was doped on the porous gold powder by electrolytic plating method, and then it was used as catalytic electrode for CO oxidation. For Pt/PAu electrode, approximately 21% of CO conversion was obtained. It is noted that Pt/PAu electrode could be used to react the oxidation of hydrocarbon gases at room temperature via applying of external voltage.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2008

The dental orthodontic wire provides a good combination of strength, corrosion resistance and moderate cost. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of TiN and ZrN coating on corrosion resistance and physical property of orthodontic wire using various instruments. Wires(round type and rectangular type) were used, respectively, for experiment. Ion plating was carried out for wire using Ti and Zr coating materials with nitrogen gas. Ion plated surface of each specimen was observed with field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), atomic force microscopy(AFM), vickers hardness tester, and electrochemical tester. The surface of TiN and ZrN coated wire was more smooth than that of other kinds of non-coated wire. TiN and ZrN coated surface showed higher hardness than that of non-coated surface. The corrosion potential of the TiN coated wire was comparatively high. The current density of TiN coated wire was smaller than that of non-coated wire in 0.9% NaCl solution. Pit nucleated at scratch of wire. The pitting corrosion resistance $|E_{pit}-E_{rep}|$ increased in the order of ZrN coated(300 mV), TiN coated(120 mV) and non-coated wire(0 mV).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.681-686
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• 2006

Plasma nitrocarburising and plasma post oxidation were performed to improve the wear and corrosion resistance of S45C and SCM440 steel by a plasma ion nitriding system. Plasma nitrocarburizing was conducted for 3h at $570^{\circ}C$ in the nitrogen, hydrogen and methane atmosphere to produce the ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) phase. Plasma post oxidation was performed on the nitrocarburized samples with various oxygen/hydrogen ratio at constant temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The very thin magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) layer $1-2{\mu}m$ in thickness on top of the $15{\sim}25{\mu}m$ ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) compound layer was obtained by plasma post oxidation. A salt spray test and electrochemical testing revealed that in the tested 5% NaCl solution, the corrosion characteristics of the nitrocarburized compound layer could be further improved by the application of the superficial magnetite layer. Throttle valve shafts were treated under optimum plasma processing conditions. Accelerated life time test results, using throttle body assembled with shaft treated by plasma nitrocarburising and post oxidation, showed that plasma nitrocarburizing and plasma post oxidation processes could be a viable technology in the very near future which can replace $Cr^{6+}$ plating.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.10
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• pp.951-956
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• 2010

This study examined the effect of copper and sulfuric acid concentrations on the surface morphology and physical properties of copper plated on a polyimide (PI) film. Electrochemical experiments with SEM and a four-point probe were performed to characterize the morphology and mechanical characteristics of copper electrodeposited in the composition of an electrolyte. The resistivity and peel strength were controlled using a range of electrolyte compositions. A lower resistivity and high flexibility were obtained when an electrolyte with 20 g/l of copper was used. However, a uniform surface was obtained when a high current density that exceeded $20mA/cm^2$ was applied, which was maintained at copper concentrations exceeding 40 g/l. Increasing sulfuric acid to >150 g/l decreased the peel strength and flexibility. The lowest resistivity and fine adhesion were detected at a $Cu^{2+}:H_2SO_4$ ratio of 50:100 g/l.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.9
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• pp.586-590
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• 2009

The effects of additives on the surface morphology and physical properties of copper electrodeposited on polyimide(PI) film were investigated here. Two kinds of additives, an activator(additive A) and a leveler(additive B),were used in this study. Electrochemical experiments, in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and a four-point probe, were performed to characterize the morphology and mechanical characteristics of copper electrodeposited in the presence of the additives. The surface roughness, crystal growth orientation and resistivity could be controlled using various quantities of additive B. High resistivity and lower peel strength were observed on the surface of the copper layer electroplated onto the electrolyte with no additive B. However, a uniform surface, lower resistivity and high flexibility were obtained with a combination of 20 ppm of additive A and 100 ppm of additive B.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.875-884
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• 2023

Hydrogen infiltration into metals has been reported to induce alterations in their mechanical properties under load. In this study, we conducted CTOD (Crack Tip Opening Displacement) tests on steel specimens designed for use in liquid hydrogen storage systems. Electrochemical hydrogen charging was performed using both FCC series austenitic stainless steel and BCC series structural steel specimens, while CTOD testing was carried out using a 500kN-class material testing machine. Results indicate a notable divergence in behavior: SS400 test samples exhibited a higher susceptibility to failure compared to austenitic stainless steel counterparts, whereas SUS 316L test samples displayed minimal changes in displacement and maximum load due to hydrogen charging. However, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) analysis results presented challenges in clearly explaining the mechanical degradation phenomenon in the tested materials. This study's resultant database holds significant promise for enhancing the safety design of liquid hydrogen storage systems, providing invaluable insights into the performance of various steel alloys under the influence of hydrogen embrittlement.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.141-150
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• 2006

Nanocrystalline CoW thin/thick film alloys were electodeposited from citrate baths to investigate the influences of metal ion concentration, current density and solution pH on chemical composition, current efficiency, residual stress, surface morphology, and microstructure of the film. Deposit W (tungsten) content in CoW thin/thick film increased with increasing W ion concentration, current density, and solution pH in the plating bath. It was observed that residual stress in CoW thin/thick film decreased with increasing W ion concentration and solution pH. CoW thin film exhibited mixed phases of hop Co [(100) and (002)] and hcp $Co_3W$ [(002) and (201)] at W ion concentration with 0.02 to 0.08 M. The microstructure of CoW thin film at W ion concentration of 0.1 to 0.2 M was close to amorphous phase. The dominant phases were found to be hop Co (002) and hop $Co_3W$ [(200), (002) and (201)] at the current densities of 5, 10, 25, and $100mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ CoW thin film at the current densities of 50 and $75mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ was close to amorphous phase. At solution pH 8.7, CoW thin film exhibited hcp Co (002) and hop $Co_3W$ [(200), (002) and (201)]. Below solution pH 8.7, CoW thin film exhibited amorphous microstructure. The optimum electrodeposition conditions for CoW thin/thick film were found to be W ion concentration of 0.08 M, current density of $10mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$, and solution pH 8.7.