• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.3761-3766
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• 2012

$Ag_2Se$-Graphene/$TiO_2$ composite was synthesized by a facile sonochemical method. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. During the reaction, both of the reduction of graphene oxide and loading of $Ag_2Se$ and $TiO_2$ particles were achieved. The as-prepared $Ag_2Se$-Graphene/$TiO_2$ composites possessed great adsorptivity of dyes, extended light absorption range, and efficient charge separation properties simultaneously. Hence, in the photodegradation of rhodamine B (Rh.B), a significant enhancement in the reaction rate was observed with $Ag_2Se$-Graphene/$TiO_2$ composites, compared to the pure $TiO_2$. The high activity can be attributed to the synergetic effects of high charge mobility, and red shift in absorption edge of $Ag_2Se$-Graphene/$TiO_2$ composites.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2017

Electrochemical conversion of $CO_2$ and production of $H_2$ were attempted on a three-dimensionally ordered, porous metal organic framework (MOF-74) in which transition metals (Co, Ni, and Zn) were impregnated. A lab-scale proton exchange membrane-based electrolyzer was fabricated and used for the reduction of $CO_2$. Real-time gas chromatography enabled the instantaneous measurement of the amount of carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced. Comprehensive calculations, based on electrochemical measurements and gaseous product analysis, presented a time-dependent selectivity of the produced gases. M-MOF-74 samples with different central metals were successfully obtained because of the simple synthetic process. It was revealed that Co- and Ni-MOF-74 selectively produce hydrogen gas, while Zn-MOF-74 successfully generates a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The results indicated that M-MOF-74 can be used as an electrocatalyst to selectively convert $CO_2$ into useful chemicals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.317.2-317.2
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• 2013

Ultrathin oxide encapsulated metal-oxide hybrid nanocatalysts have been fabricated by a soft chemical and facile route. First, SiO2 nanoparticles of 25~30 nm size have been synthesized by modified Stobber's method followed by amine functionalization. Metal nanoparticles (Ru, Rh, Pt) capped with polymer/citrate have been deposited on functionalized SiO2 and finally an ultrathin layer of TiO2 coated on surface which prevents sintering and provides high thermal stability while maximizing the metal-oxide interface for higher catalytic activity. TEM studies confirmed that 2.5 nm sized metal nanoparticles are well dispersed and distributed throughout the surface of 25 nm SiO2 nanoparticles with a 3-4 nm TiO2 ultrathin layer. The metal nanoparticles are still well exposed to outer surface, being enabled for surface characterization and catalytic activity. Even after calcination at $600^{\circ}C$, the structure and morphology of hybrid nanocatalysts remain intact confirm the high thermal stability. XPS spectra of hybrid nanocatalyst suggest the metallic states as well as their corresponding oxide states. The catalytic activity has been evaluated for high temperature CO oxidation reaction as well as photocatalytic H2 generation under solar simulation. The design of hybrid structure, high thermal stability, and better exposure of metal active sites are the key parameters for the high catalytic activity. The maximization of metal-TiO2 interface interaction has the great role in photocatalytic H2 production.

• 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.

• Nano
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.1850115.1-1850115.10
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• 2018

A novel sensor material of Au nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized 1D ${\alpha}-MoO_3$ nanobelts (NBs) was fabricated by a facile lysine-assisted approach. The obtained $Au/{\alpha}-MoO_3$ product was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). Then, in order to investigate the gas sensing performances of our samples, a comparative gas sensing study was carried out on both the ${\alpha}-MoO_3$ NBs before and after Au NPs decoration by using ethanol vapor as the molecular probe. The results turned out that, after the functionalization of Au NPs, the sensor exhibited improved gas-sensing characteristics than the pure ${\alpha}-MoO_3$, such as response and recovery time, optimal operating temperature (OT) and excellent selectivity. Take for example 200 ppm of ethanol, the response/recovery times were 34 s/43 s and 5.7 s/10.5 s, respectively, while the optimal operating temperature (OT) was lower to $200^{\circ}C$ rather than $250^{\circ}C$. Besides, the functionalized sensor showed a higher response to ethanol at $200^{\circ}C$, and response was 1.6 times higher than the pure $MoO_3$. The mechanism of such improved sensing properties was interpreted, which might be attributed to the spillover effect of Au NPs and the electronic metal-support interaction.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 2018

In our previous study, tricarbonyl $^{99m}Tc$-labeled TSPO-binding ligand, named $^{99m}Tc$-CB256, having positively charge (+1) was investigated but did not show promising results in in vivo environment despite of a nanomolar binding affinity for TSPO. Because the overall positively charge of $^{99m}Tc$-CB256 would likely interrupt its target protein uptake, we herein designed the neutral tricarbonyl-$^{99m}Tc$ labeled TSPO-binding ligand ($^{99m}Tc$-CB257, 1). $^{99m}Tc$-CB257 was prepared by the facile incorporation of the $[^{99m}Tc(CO)_3]^+$ into a N-(hydroxycarbonylmethyl)-2-picoly moiety in CB257. The radiochemical yield of $^{99m}Tc$-CB257 after HPLC purification was $54.1{\pm}2.4%$ (decay corrected, n = 3). The authentic Re-CB257 (2) was synthesized by using $(NEt_4)_2[Re(CO)_3Br_3]$ in 69.0% yield. The binding affinity of 2 for TSPO was measured in leukocyte and showed approximately 280 times higher than that observed for the positively charged (+1) ligand, Re-CB256 ($K_i=0.57{\pm}0.06nM$ versus $159.3{\pm}8.7nM$, respectively). Our results indicated that 1 can be considered potentially as a new SPECT radiotracer for TSPO-rich cancer and provides the foundation for further in vivo evaluation related with abnormal TSPO-overexpression environments.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.593-600
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• 2021

Herein, a series of g-C₃N₄ modified Bi₂MoO₆ nanocomposites using Bi₂MoO₆ and melamine as original materials are fabricated via sintering process. For presynthesis of Bi₂MoO₆ an ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal technique is researched. The structure and composition of the nanocomposites are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The improved photoelectrochemical properties are studied by photocurrent density, EIS, and amperometric i-t curve analysis. It is found that the structure of Bi₂MoO₆ nanoparticles remains intact, with good dispersion status. The as-prepared g-C₃N₄/Bi₂MoO₆ nanocomposites (BMC 5-9) are selected and investigated by SEM analysis, which inhibits special morphology consisting of Bi₂MoO₆ nanoparticles and some g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. The introduction of small sized g-C₃N₄ nanosheets in sample BMC 9 is effective to improve the charge separation and transfer efficiency, resulting in enhancing of the photoelectric behavior of Bi₂MoO₆. The improved photoelectronic behavior of g-C₃N₄/Bi₂MoO₆ may be attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency, photocurrent stability, and fast electron transport pathways for some energy applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.3641-3649
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• 2022

A simple solvothermal reaction was used to prepare a 3-aminopropyl-functionalized silica-gel-based adsorbent for adsorbing Pd(II) from the nitric acid solution. Scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry analysis were performed on the as-synthesized adsorbent to demonstrate the successful introduction of Schiff base groups. Batch experiments were used to investigate the effects of contact time, nitric acid concentration, solution temperature, and adsorption capacity. It is worth noting that the prepared adsorbent exhibited a higher affinity toward Pd(II) with the uptake approximately 100% even in a 2 M HNO₃ solution. At an equilibrium time of 5 h, the maximum adsorption capacity of Pd(II) was estimated to be 0.452 mmol/g. The adsorbed Pd(II) could be completely eluted by dissolving 0.2 M thiourea solution in 0.1 M HNO₃. Using a combination of particle-induced X-ray emission analysis and an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, the adsorbed Pd was found to be uniformly distributed on the surface of the prepared adsorbent and the existing species were Pd(II) and zero-valent Pd(0). Due to the desirable performances, facile preparation method, and abundant raw material source, the prepared adsorbent demonstrated a high application potential in the recovery of Pd(II) from simulated high-level liquid waste treatment.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.377-384
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• 2023

Exploring earth-abundant, highly effective and stable electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting is urgent and essential to the development of hydrogen (H₂) energy technology. Iron-cobalt layered double hydroxide (FeCo-LDH) has been widely used as an electrocatalystfor OER due to its facile synthesis, tunable components, and low cost. However, LDH synthesized by the traditional hydrothermal method tends to easily agglomerate, resulting in an unstable structure that can change or dissolve in an alkaline solution. Therefore, studying the real active phase is highly significant in the design of electrochemical electrode materials. Here, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are used as template precursors to derive FeCo-LDH from different iron sources. Iron salts with different anions have a significant impact on the morphology and charge transfer properties of the resulting materials. FeCo-LDH synthesized from iron sulfate solution (FeCo-LDH-SO₄) exhibits a hybrid structure of nanosheets and nanowires, quite different from other electrocatalysts that were synthesized from iron chloride and iron nitrate solutions. The final FeCo-LDH-SO₄ had an overpotential of 247 mV with a low Tafel-slope of 60.6 mV dec^-1 at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and delivered a long-term stability of 40 h for the OER. This work provides an innovative and feasible strategy to construct efficient electrocatalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.222-227
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• 2018

$Zn_{1-x}Co_x$ Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF) (x = 0~0.05) were prepared by the co-precipitation of $Zn^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$ using 2-methylimidazole, which were converted into pure and Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles by heat treatment at $600^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. Homogeneous Zn/Co ZIFs were achieved at x < 0.05 owing to the strong coordination of the imidazole linker to $Zn^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$, facilitating atomic-scale doping of Co into ZnO via annealing. By contrast, heterogeneous Zn/Co ZIFs were formed at $x{\geq}0.05$, resulting in the formation of $Co_3O_4$ second phase. To investigate the potential as high-performance gas sensors, the gas sensing characteristics of pure and Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated. The sensor using 3 at% Co-doped ZnO exhibited an unprecedentedly high response and selectivity to trimethylamine, whereas pure ZnO nanoparticles did not. The facile, bimetallic ZIF derived synthesis of doped-metal oxide nanoparticles can be used to design high-performance gas sensors.