• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.532-537
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• 2014

In this study, highly sensitive hydrogen micro gas sensors of the multi-layer and micro-heater type were designed and fabricated using the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) process and palladium catalytic metal. The dimensions of the fabricated hydrogen gas sensor were about $5mm{\times}4mm$ and the sensing layer of palladium metal was deposited in the middle of the device. The sensing palladium films were modified to be nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structures using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and nano-sized polystyrene beads, respectively. The sensitivities (Rs), which are the ratio of the relative resistance were significantly improved and reached levels of 0.783% and 1.045 % with 2,000 ppm H2 at $70^{\circ}C$ for nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structured Pd films, respectively, on the other hand, the sensitivity was 0.638% for the plain Pd thin film. The improvement of sensitivities for the nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structured Pd films with respect to the plain Pd-thin film was thought to be due to the nanoporous surface topographies of AAO and nano-sized polystyrene beads.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.178-182
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• 2008

Planar type micro catalytic combustible gas sensor was developed by using nano crystalline $SnO_2$ Pt thin film as micro heater was deposited by thermal evaporation method on the alumina substrate. The thickness of the Pt heater was around 160 nm. The sensor showed high reliability with prominent selectivity against various gases(Co, $C_3H_8,\;CH_4$) at low operating temperature($156^{\circ}C$). The sensor with nano crystalline $SnO_2$ showed higher sensitivity than that without nano crystalline $SnO_2$. This can be explained by more active adsorption and oxidation of hydrogen by nano crystalline $SnO_2$ particles. The present planar-type catalytic combustible hydrogen sensor with nano crystalline $SnO_2$ is a good candidate for detection of hydrogen leaks.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.655-659
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• 2008

The NO gas sensing properties of ZnO-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) composites fabricated by the coaxial coating of single-walled CNTs with ZnO were investigated using pulsed laser deposition. Upon examination, the morphology and crystallinity of the ZnO-CNT composites showed that CNTs were uniformly coated with polycrystalline ZnO with a grain size as small as 5-10 nm. Gas sensing measurements clearly indicated a remarkable enhancement of the sensitivity of ZnO-CNT composites for NO gas compared to that of ZnO films while maintaining the strong sensing stability of the composites, properties that CNT-based sensing materials do not have. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT composites are attributed to an increase in the surface adsorption area of the ZnO layer via the coating by CNTs of a high surface-to-volume ratio structure. These results suggest that the ZnO-CNT composite is a promising template for novel solid-state semiconducting gas sensors.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.179-183
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• 2009

Toluene($C_6H_5CH_3$) gas sensors were fabricated using $PtO_x$ loaded with SWNTs by a new deposition method. The nanoparticle powders of SWNTs-$PtO_x$ composite were deposited on Si wafer substrates by a vacuum filtering deposition method. The fabricated sensors were tested against toluene gas which is a kind of the Volatile Organic Compounds. The composition ratio that exhibited the highest response to toluene gases was SWNTs : $PtO_x\;=\;99:1$ in wt% ratio at operating temperature of about $150^{\circ}C$. The response and recovery times of the sensors were as short as less than 1 min., respectively.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.98-103
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• 2001

Metallic tin powder with diameter less than 50 nm was synthesized by inert gas condensation method and subsequently oxidized to tin oxide ($SnO_2$) along the two heat-treatment routes. The $SnO_2$ powder of single phase with a tetragonal structure was obtained by the heat-treatment route with intermediate annealing step-wise oxidation, whereas the $SnO_2$ powder with mixture of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases was obtained by the heat-treatment route without intermediate annealing (direct oxidation). $SnO_2$ gas sensors fabricated from the nano-phase $SnO_2$ powders were investigated by structural observations as well as measurement of electrical resistance. The $SnO_2$ gas sensors fabricated from the mixed-phase powder exhibited much lower sensitivity against $H_2$ gas than those fabricated from the powder of tetragonal phase. Reduced sensitivity of gas sensors with the new orthorhombic phase was attributed to detrimental effects of phase boundaries between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases and many twin boundaries on the charge mobility.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.342-346
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• 2010

Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully functionalizedon the surfaces of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by dendrimer-mediated synthesis. The hydrogen sensing properties of the Pd NPs functionalized SWNTs were investigated. Pd NPs-dendrimer-SWNTs sensors show much better speedsand superior recovery rates but lower sensitivity compared to Pd NPs-functionalized SWNTs directly fabricated due to the existence of dendrimers. Pyrolysis of the dendrimers by heat treatment resulted in a fast response time and high sensitivity owing to the reduced length of the dendrimers. These results demonstrate that the heat treatment of dendrimers in Pd NPs-dendrimer-SWNTs sensors can enable significant electrical conductance modulation upon exposure to extremely low concentrations (10 ppm) of hydrogen gas ($H_2$) in air.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.1641-1647
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• 2006

A dual micro gas sensor way for detecting reducing gas and bad order was fabricated using nano sized $SnO_2$ thin film fabrication method. To make nano-sized thin gas sensitive $SnO_2$ thin rilm, thin tin metal layer $2500{\AA}$ thick was oxidized between 600 and $800^{\circ}C$ by thermal oxidation. The gas sensing layers such as $SnO_2,\;SnO_2(+Pt)\;and\;SnO_2(+CuO)$ were patterned by metal shadow mask for simple fabrication process on the silicon substrate. The micro gas sensors with $SnO_2(Pt)$ and $SnO_2(+CuO)$ showed good selectivity to CO gas among reducing gases and good sensitivity to $H_2S$ that is main component of bad odor, separately.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.601-604
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• 1998

NOX detecting gas sensors using TiO2 doped tungsten oxide semiconductor were prepared and their electrical and sensing characteristics have been investigated. In normal air condition, the sensors of WO3, TiO2 doped WO3 show grain boundary heights of 0.34 eV, 0.25 eV, respectively. The grain boundary barrier energy variation was increased by doping TiO2 into large variation of resistance to NOX gases. And doping the TiO2 4 wt.%, the particle size of WO3 polycrystal films showed higher sensitivity and better sorption characteristics to NOX gas than the pure WO3 films material in air at operating temperature of $350^{\circ}C.$ The TiO2 doped WO3 semiconductor gas sensor shows nano-sized particle size and good sensitivity to sub-ppm concentration of NOX.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 2013

A superhydrophobic mesh is a unique structure that blocks water, while allowing gases, sound waves, and energy to pass through the holes in the mesh. This mesh is used in various devices, such as gas- and energy-permeable waterproof membranes for underwater sensors and electronic devices. However, it is difficult to fabricate micro- and nano-structures on three-dimensional surfaces, such as the cylindrical surface of a wire mesh. In this research, we successfully produced a superhydrophobic water-repellent mesh with a high contact angle (> $150^{\circ}$) for nanofibrous structures. Conducting polymer (CP) composite nanofibers were evenly coated on a stainless steel mesh surface, to create a superhydrophobic mesh with a pore size of $100{\mu}m$. The nanofiber structure could be controlled by the deposition time. As the deposition time increased, a high-density, hierarchical nanofiber structure was deposited on the mesh. The mesh surface was then coated with Teflon, to reduce the surface energy. The fabricated mesh had a static water contact angle of $163^{\circ}$, and a water-pressure resistance of 1.92 kPa.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.616-623
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• 2007

A dual micro gas sensor array was fabricated using nano sized $SnO_2$ thin films which had good sensitivities to CO and combustible gases, or $H_2S$ gas for air quality sensors in automobile. The already existed air quality sensor detects oxidizing gases and reducing gases, the air quality sensor(AQS), located near the fresh air inlet detected the harmful gases, the fresh air inlet door/ventilation flap was closed to reduce the amount of pollution entering the vehicle cabin through HVAC(heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system. In this study, to make $SnO_2$ thin film AQS sensor, thin tin metal layer between 1000 and $2000{\AA}$ thick was oxidized between 600 and $800^{\circ}C$ by thermal oxidation. The gas sensing layers such as $SnO_2$, $SnO_2$(pt) and $SnO_2$(+CuO) were patterned by metal shadow mask for simple fabrication process on the silicon substrate. The micro gas sensors with $SnO_2$(+Pt) and $SnO_2$(CuO) showed good selectivity to CO gas among reducing gases and good sensitivity to $H_2S$ that is main component of bad odor, separately.