• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2022

Transition metal carbides (TMCs) are used to process difficult-to-cut materials due to the trend of requiring superior wear and corrosion properties compared to those of cemented carbides used in the cutting industry. In this study, TMC (TiC, TaC, Mo₂C, and NbC)-based cermets were consolidated by spark plasma sintering at 1,300 ℃ (60 ℃min) with a pressure of 60 MPa with Co addition. The sintering behavior of TMCs depended exponentially on the function of the sintering exponent. The Mo₂C-6Co cermet was fully densified, with a relative density of 100.0 %. The Co-binder penetrated the hard phase (carbides) by dissolving and re-precipitating, which completely densified the material. The mechanical properties of the TMCs were determined according to their grain size and elastic modulus: TiC-6Co showed the highest hardness of 1,872.9 MPa, while NbC-6Co showed the highest fracture toughness of 10.6 MPa^*m^1/2. The strengthened grain boundaries due to high interfacial energy could cause a high elastic modules; therefore, TiC-6Co showed a value of 452 ± 12 GPa.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.199-207
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• 2022

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high energy density and economic viability. In addition, all-solid-state LSBs, which use solid-state electrolytes, have been proposed to overcome the polysulfide shuttle effect while improving safety. However, the high interfacial resistance and poor ionic conductivity exhibited by the electrode and solid-state electrolytes, respectively, are significant challenges in the development of these LSBs. Herein, we apply a poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based composite solid-state electrolyte with oxide Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte in an all-solid-state LSB to overcome these challenges. We use an electrochemical method to evaluate the degradation of the all-solid-state LSB in accordance with the carbon content and loading weight within the cathode. The all-solid-state LSB, with sulfur-carbon content in a ratio of 3:3, exhibited a high initial discharge capacity (1386 mAh g^-1), poor C-rate performance, and capacity retention of less than 50%. The all-solid-state LSB with a high loading weight exhibited a poor overall electrochemical performance. The factors influencing the electrochemical performance degradation were revealed through systematic analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2000.02a
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• pp.173-173
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• 2000

Multilayered films (MLF) consisting of transition metals and semiconductors have drawn a great deal of interest because of their unique properties and potential technological applications. Fe/Si MLF are a particular topic of research due to their interesting antiferromagnetic coupling behavior. although a number of experimental works have been done to understand the mechanism of the interlayer coupling in this system, the results are controversial and it is not yet well understood how the formation of an iron silicide in the spacer layers affects the coupling. The interpretation of the coupling data had been hampered by the lack of knowledge about the intermixed iron silicide layer which has been variously hypothesized to be a metallic compound in the B2 structure or a semiconductor in the more complex B20 structure. It is well known that both magneto-optical (MO0 and optical properties of a metal depend strongly on their electronic structure that is also correlated with the atomic and chemical ordering. In order to understand the structure and physical properties of the interfacial regions, Fe/Si multilayers with very thin sublayers were investigated by the MO and optical spectroscopies. The Fe/si MLF were prepared by rf-sputtering onto glass substrates at room temperature with a totall thickness of about 100nm. The thicknesses of Fe and Si sublayers were varied from 0.3 to 0.8 nm. In order to understand the fully intermixed state, the MLF were also annealed at various temperatures. The structure and magnetic properties of Fe/Si MLF were investigated by x-ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnertometer, respectively. The MO and optical properties were measured at toom temperature in the 1.0-4.7 eV energy range. The results were analyzed in connection with the MO and optical properties of bulk and thin-film silicides with various structures and stoichiometries.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.162-173
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• 2023

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are considered as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for energy storage owing to their safety and cost efficiency. However, their lifespan is limited by the irreversibility of Zn anodes because of Zn dendrite growth and side reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion during cycling. Herein, we present a strategy to restrict direct contact between the Zn anode and aqueous electrolyte by fabricating a protective layer on the surface of Zn foil via phosphidation method. The Zn₃(PO₄)₂ protective layer effectively suppresses Zn dendrite growth and side reactions in aqueous electrolytes. The electrochemical properties of the Zn₃(PO₄)₂@Zn anode, such as the overpotential, linear polarization resistance, and hydrogen generation reaction, indicate that the protective layer can suppress interfacial corrosion and improve the electrochemical stability compared to that of bare Zn by preventing direct contact between the electrolyte and the active sites of Zn. Remarkably, MnO₂ Zn₃(PO₄)₂@Zn exhibited enhanced reversibility owing to the formation a stable porous layer, which effectively inhibited vertical dendrite growth by inducing the uniform plating of Zn²⁺ ions underneath the formed layer.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.269-278
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• 2022

Utilization of high-voltage electrolyte additive(s) at a small fraction is a cost-effective strategy for a good solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and performance improvement of a lithium-rich layered oxide-based high-energy lithium-ion cell by avoiding the occurrence of metal-dissolution that is one of the failure modes. To mitigate metal-dissolution, we explored fluorinated dual-additives of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and di(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)carbonate (DFDEC) for building-up of a good SEI in a 4.7 V full-cell that consists of high-capacity silicon-graphite composite (15 wt% Si/C/CF/C-graphite) anode and Li_1.13Mn_0.463Ni_0.203Co_0.203O₂ (LMNC) cathode. The full-cell including optimum fractions of dual-additives shows increased capacity to 228 mAhg^-1 at 0.2C and improved performance from the one in the base electrolyte. Surface analysis results find that the SEI stabilization of LMNC cathode induced by dual-additives leads to a suppression of soluble Mn²⁺-O formation at cathode surface, mitigating metal-dissolution event and crack formation as well as structural degradation. The SEI and structure of Si/C/CF/C-graphite anode is also stabilized by the effects of dual-additives, contributing to performance improvement. The data give insight into a basic understanding of cathode-electrolyte and anode-electrolyte interfacial processes and cathode-anode interaction that are critical factors affecting full-cell performance.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.36.1-36.17
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aging on the marginal quality of glass hybrid (GH) material used to elevate dentin gingival margins, and to analyze the consistency of the results obtained by 3 in vitro methods. Materials and Methods: Ten teeth received compound class II cavities with subgingival margins. The dentin gingival margins were elevated with GH, followed by resin composite. The GH/gingival dentin interfaces were examined through digital microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using resin replicas, and according to the World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria. After initial evaluations, all teeth were subjected to 10,000 thermal cycles, followed by repeating the same marginal evaluations and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis for the interfacial zone of 2 specimens. Marginal quality was expressed as the percentage of continuous margin at ×200 for microscopic techniques and as the frequency of each score for FDI ranking. Data were analyzed using the paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Pearson and Spearmen correlation coefficients. Results: None of the testing techniques proved the significance of the aging factor. Moderate and strong significant correlations were found between the testing techniques. The EDS results suggested the presence of an ion-exchange layer along the GH/gingival dentin interface of aged specimens. Conclusions: The marginal quality of the GH/dentin gingival interface defied aging by thermocycling. The replica SEM and FDI ranking results had stronger correlations with each other than either showed with the digital microscopy results.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.190-196
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• 2023

Anti-adhesion coatings are very important in the processing of adhesive materials such as optical clear adhesive (OCA) films. Choosing the appropriate release coating material for dies and tools can be quite challenging. Hydrophobic surface treatment is usually performed, and its performance is often estimated by the static water contact angle (CA). However, the relationship between the release performance and the CA is not well understood. In this study, the water CAs of surfaces coated with anti-adhesion materials and the peel strengths of the acrylic-based adhesive films are evaluated. STC5 and SUS304 are selected as the base materials. Base materials with different surface roughnesses are produced by hairline finishing, mirror-polishing, and end milling. Four fluoropolymer compounds, including a self-assembled monolayer, are selected to make the base surface hydrophobic. Static, advancing, and receding CAs are mostly increased due to the coating, but the CA hysteresis is found to increase or decrease depending on the coating material. The peel strengths all decreased after coating and are largely dependent on the coating material, with significantly lower values observed for fluorosilane and perfluoropolyether silane coatings. The peel strength is observed to correlate better with the static CA and advancing CA than with the receding CA or hysteresis. However, it is not possible to accurately predict the anti-adhesion performance based on water CA alone, as the peel strengths are not fully proportional to the CAs.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.283-290
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• 2024

The aggressive scaling of dynamic random-access memory capacitors has increased the need to maintain high capacitance despite the limited physical thickness of electrodes and dielectrics. This makes it essential to use high-k dielectric materials. TiO₂ has a large dielectric constant, ranging from 30~75 in the anatase phase to 90~170 in rutile phase. However, it has significant leakage current due to low energy barriers for electron conduction, which is a critical drawback. Suppressing the leakage current while scaling to achieve an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) below 0.5 nm is necessary to control the influence of interlayers on capacitor performance. For this, Pt and Ru, with their high work function, can be used instead of a conventional TiN substrate to increase the Schottky barrier height. Additionally, forming rutile-TiO₂ on RuO₂ with excellent lattice compatibility by epitaxial growth can minimize leakage current. Furthermore, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) can be used to deposit a uniform thin film with high density and low defects at low temperatures, to reduce the impact of interfacial reactions on electrical properties at high temperatures. In this study, TiO₂ was deposited using PEALD, using substrates of Pt and Ru treated with rapid thermal annealing at 500 and 600 ℃, to compare structural, chemical, and electrical characteristics with reference to a TiN substrate. As a result, leakage current was suppressed to around 10^-6 A/cm² at 1 V, and an EOT at the 0.5 nm level was achieved.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.777-782
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• 2011

Micro features on the surface are well-known to have significant effects on optical or mechanical properties such as the optical interference, reflectance at the surface, contact angle, interfacial friction, etc. These surface micro features are increasingly employed to enhance the functionality of the applications in various application areas such as optical components for LCD or solar panel. Diverse surface features have been proposed and some of them are showing excellent efficiency or functionality, especially in optical applications. Most applications employing the micro features need manufacturing process for mass production and the injection molding and roll-to-roll forming, which are typical processes for mass production adopting polymeric materials, may be also preferred for micro patterned plastic product. Since the functionality or efficiency of the surface structures generally depends on the shape and the size of the structure itself or the array of the structures on the surface, it would be very important to replicate the features very precisely as being designed during the molding the micro pattern applications. In this paper, a series of research activities is introduced for roll-to-roll forming of micro patterned film including filling of patterns with UV curable resin, demolding of surface structures from the roll tool, control of surface energy and cure shrinkage of resin and dispose time and intensity of the UV light for curing of UV curable resin.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

Capacity of layered lithium nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide ($LiNi_{1-x-y}Co_xMn_yO_2$) cathode material can increase by raising the charge cut-off voltage above 4.3 V vs. $Li/Li^+$, but it is limited due to anodic instability of conventional electrolyte. We have been screening and evaluating various sulfone-based compounds of dimethyl sulfone (DMS), diethyl sulfone (DES), ethyl methyl sulfone (EMS) as electrolyte additives for high-voltage applications. Here we report improved cycling performance of $LiNi_{0.5}Co_{0.2}Mn_{0.3}O_2$ cathode by the use of dimethyl sulfone (DMS) additive under an aggressive charge condition of 4.6 V, compared to that in conventional electrolyte, and cathode-electrolyte interfacial reaction behavior. The cathode with DMS delivered discharge capacities of $198-173mAhg^{-1}$ over 50 cycles and capacity retention of 84%. Surface analysis results indicate that DMS induces to form a surface protective film at the cathode and inhibit metal-dissolution, which is correlated to improved high-voltage cycling performance.