• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.383-389
• /
• 2018

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative environmental and energy system that converts organic wastewater into electrical energy. For practical implementation of MFC as a wastewater treatment process, a number of limitations need to be overcome. Improving cathodic performance is one of major challenges, and introduction of a current collector can be an easy and practical solution. In this study, three types of current collectors made of stainless steel (SS) were tested in a single-chamber cubic MFC. The three current collectors had different contact areas to the cathode (P $1.0cm^2$; PC $4.3cm^2$; PM $6.5cm^2$) and increasing the contacting area enhanced the power and current generations and coulombic and energy recoveries by mainly decreasing cathodic charge transfer impedance. Application of the SS mesh to the cathode (PM) improved maximum power density, optimum current density and maximum current density by 8.8%, 3.6% and 6.7%, respectively, comparing with P of no SS mesh. The SS mesh decreased cathodic polarization resistance by up to 16%, and cathodic charge transfer impedance by up to 39%, possibly because the SS mesh enhanced electron transport and oxygen reduction reaction. However, application of the SS mesh had little effect on ohmic impedance.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.46 no.10
• /
• pp.683-690
• /
• 2008

In order to develop transparent electrodes for high efficiency GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs), the electrical and optical properties of the electron beam evaporated ITO contacts have been investigated as a function of the deposition temperature and flow rate of oxygen during the deposition. As the deposition temperature increases from $140^{\circ}C$ to $220^{\circ}C$, the resistivity of the ITO films decreases slightly from $4.0{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$ to $3.3{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$, meanwhile the transmittance of the ITO films significantly increases from 67% to 88% at the wavelength of 470 nm. When the flow rate of oxygen during the deposition increases from 2 sccm to 4 sccm, the resistivity of the ITO films increases from $3.6{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$ to $7.4{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$, meanwhile the transmittance of the ITO films increases from 86% to 99% at 470 nm. Blue LEDs fabricated with the electron beam evaporated ITO electrode show that the ITO films deposited at $200^{\circ}C$ and 3 sccm of the oxygen flow rate give a low forward-bias voltage of 3.55 V at injection current of 20 mA with a highest output power.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.90-95
• /
• 2022

The effect of the structure of an ITO nanoparticle film sensor on its performance was studied. A printed ITO film (P-ITO film) was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, and the contact resistance of the electrode and sensor response change were clarified according to the detection position. The contact resistance between Ag and P-ITO was observed to be -204.4 Ω using the transmission line method (TLM), confirming that a very good ohmic contact is possible. In addition, we confirmed that the contact position of the analyte had a significant influence on the response of the sensor. Based on these results, the performance of the four types of sensors was compared. Consequently, we observed that 1) optimizing the resistance of the printed film, 2) optimizing the electrode structure and analyte input position, and 3) optimizing the electrode area are very important for fabricating a metal oxide nanoparticle (MONP) sensor with optimal performance.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.106-110
• /
• 2023

Lignin is compatible with various polymeric materials and useful as a carbon precursor. In this work, carbon monolith films were produced from polyacrylonitrile (PAN)@lignin precursor films by a controlled carbonization cycle. In addition, their morphological features, electrical properties, and adsorption behavior were analyzed and compared with those of carbonized PAN films. The successful formation of PAN@lignin precursor was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. SEM was used to examine the morphology of precursor and carbonized films, revealing that both precursor and carbonized films retained structural stability following carbonization. A trace of lignin in the carbonized films was also found. The pore structure of the carbonized PAN@lignin film was measured using the BET method, indicating the formation of fairly uniform pores. The electrical properties were also analyzed to obtain the Ohmic relation, which demonstrated that the electrical signal was influenced by incoming materials. Finally, the carbonized PAN@lignin films were useful as adsorbents to remove metal ions. This study provides important information for future initiatives in relevant research fields.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.356-371
• /
• 2024

Novel meat-inspired products, such as cell-cultivated meat and meat analogues, embrace environmental sustainability, food safety and security, animal welfare, and human health, but consumers are still hesitant to accept these products. The appearance of food is often the most persuasive determinant of purchasing decisions for food. Producing cultivated meat and meat analogues with similar characteristics to conventional meat could lead to increased acceptability, marketability, and profitability. Color is one of the sensorial characteristics that can be improved using color-inducing methods and colorants. Synthetic colorants are cheap and stable, but natural pigments are regarded as safer components for novel food production. The complexity of identifying specific colorants to imitate both raw and cooked meat color lies in the differences in ingredients and methods used to produce meat alternatives. Research devoted to improving the sensorial characteristics of meat analogues has noted various color-inducing methods (e.g., ohmic cooking and pasteurization) and additives (e.g., lactoferrin, laccase, xylose, and pectin). Additionally, considerations toward other meat components, such as fat, can aid in mimicking conventional meat appearance. For instance, the use of plant-based fat replacers and scaffolds can produce a marked sensory enhancement without compromising the sustainability of alternative meats. Moving forward, consumer-relevant sensorial characteristics, such as taste and texture, should be prioritized alongside improving the coloration of meat alternatives.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.451-462
• /
• 2024

In order to optimize the operational safety and reliability of the upper launcher for the CFETR ECRH system, a design of the launcher based on the remote steering concept is currently being carried out for comparison with the front steering equivalent. This paper presents the remote steering system's conceptual design and simulation analysis. A Square Corrugated Waveguide (SCW) of 65 × 65 mm has been designed with an optimized length of 9.35 m. By changing the relative length of the waveguide, the transmission efficiency of the SCW is optimized within the range of steering angles ±12°. Different error factors are investigated in detail, and corresponding acceptable error ranges are provided. Considering these error factors and ignoring ohmic losses and thermal effects, the relative transmission efficiency of the SCW is estimated to be >98 % within the steering angle range. A matching steering unit for the SCW is designed, which consists of an ellipsoidal focusing mirror and a steerable flat mirror. The detailed design of the steerable mirror motion trajectory is presented. Also, the influence of the possible beam incident errors caused by the steering unit on the transmission efficiency is analyzed in detail.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.342-351
• /
• 2010

The SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites were fabricated by combining 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 vol. % of zirconium diboride ($ZrB_2$) powders with silicon carbide (SiC) matrix. The SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites and the sintered compacts were produced through spark plasma sintering (SPS) under argon atmosphere, and its physical, electrical, and mechanical properties were examined. Also, the thermal image analysis of the SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites was examined. Reactions between $\beta$-SiC and $ZrB_2$ were not observed via x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The apparent porosity of the SiC+30vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+35vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+40vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+45vol.%$ZrB_2$ and SiC+50vol.%$ZrB_2$ composites were 7.2546, 0.8920, 0.6038, 1.0981, and 10.0108%, respectively. The XRD phase analysis of the sintered compacts demonstrated a high phase of SiC and $ZrB_2$. Among the $SiC+ZrB_2$ composites, the SiC+50vol.%$ZrB_2$ composite had the lowest flexural strength, 290.54MPa, the other composites had more than 980MPa flexural strength except the SiC+30vol.%$ZrB_2$ composite; the SiC+40vol.%$ZrB_2$ composite had the highest flexural strength, 1011.34MPa, at room temperature. The electrical properties of the SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites had positive temperature coefficient resistance (PTCR). The V-I characteristics of the SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites had a linear shape in the temperature range from room to $500^{\circ}C$. The electrical resistivities of the SiC+30vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+35vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+40vol.%$ZrB_2$ SiC+45vol.%$ZrB_2$ and SiC+50vol.%$ZrB_2$ composites were $4.573\times10^{-3}$, $1.554\times10^{-3}$, $9.365\times10^{-4}$, $6.999\times10^{-4}$, and $6.069\times10^{-4}\Omega{\cdot}cm$, respectively, at room temperature, and their resistance temperature coefficients were $1.896\times10^{-3}$, $3.064\times10^{-3}$, $3.169\times10^{-3}$, $3.097\times10^{-3}$, and $3.418\times10^{-3}/^{\circ}C$ in the temperature range from room to $500^{\circ}C$, respectively. Therefore, it is considered that among the sintered compacts the SiC+35vol.%$ZrB_2$, SiC+40vol.%$ZrB_2$ and SiC+45vol.%$ZrB_2$ composites containing the most outstanding mechanical properties as well as PTCR and V-I characteristics can be used as an energy friendly ceramic heater or ohmic-contact electrode material through SPS.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.307-312
• /
• 2018

Liquid phases in ZnO varistors cause more complex phase development and microstructure, which makes the control of electrical properties and reliability more difficult. Therefore, we have investigated 2 mol% $CaCO_3$ doped $ZnO-Co_3O_4-Cr_2O_3-La_2O_3$ (ZCCLCa) bulk ceramics as one of the compositions without liquid phase sintering additive. The results were as follows: when $CaCO_3$ is added to ZCCLCa ($644{\Omega}cm$) acting as a simple ohmic resistor, CaO does not form a secondary phase with ZnO but is mostly distributed in the grain boundary and has excellent varistor characteristics (high nonlinear coefficient ${\alpha}=78$, low leakage current of $0.06{\mu}A/cm^2$, and high insulation resistance of $1{\times}10^{11}{\Omega}cm$). The main defects $Zn_i^{{\cdot}{\cdot}}$ (AS: 0.16 eV, IS & MS: 0.20 eV) and $V_o^{\bullet}$ (AS: 0.29 eV, IS & MS: 0.37 eV) were found, and the grain boundaries had 1.1 eV with electrically single grain boundary. The resistance of each defect and grain boundary decreases exponentially with increasing the measurement temperature. However, the capacitance (0.2 nF) of the grain boundary was ~1/10 lower than that of the two defects (~3.8 nF, ~2.2 nF) and showed a tendency to decrease as the measurement temperature increased. Therefore, ZCCLCa varistors have high sintering temperature of $1,200^{\circ}C$ due to lack of liquid phase additives, but excellent varistor characteristics are exhibited, which means ZCCLCa is a good candidate for realizing chip type or disc type commercial varistor products with excellent performance.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.543-550
• /
• 2011

Conductive SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites were produced by subjecting a 40:60 (vol%) mixture of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) powder and ${\beta}$-silicon carbide (SiC) matrix to spark plasma sintering (SPS). Sintering was carried out for 5 min in an argon atmosphere at a uniaxial pressure and temperature of 50 MPa and $1500^{\circ}C$, respectively. The composite sintered at a heating speed of $25^{\circ}C$/min and an on/off pulse sequence of 12:2 was denoted as SZ12L. Composites SZ12H, SZ48H, and SZ10H were obtained by sintering at a heating speed of $100^{\circ}C$/min and at on/off pulse sequences of 12:2, 48:8, and 10:9, respectively. The physical, electrical, and mechanical properties of the SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites were examined and thermal image analysis of the composites was performed. The apparent porosities of SZ12L, SZ12H, SZ48H, and SZ10H were 13.35%, 0.60%, 12.28%, and 9.75%, respectively. At room temperature, SZ12L had the lowest flexural strength (286.90 MPa), whereas SZ12H had the highest flexural strength (1011.34 MPa). Between room temperature and $500^{\circ}C$, the SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites had a positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR) and linear V-I characteristics. SZ12H had the lowest PTCR and highest electrical resistivity among all the composites. The optimum SPS conditions for the production of energy-friendly SiC-$ZrB_2$ composites are as follows: 1) an argon atmosphere, 2) a constant pressure of 50 MPa throughout the sintering process, 3) an on/off pulse sequence of 12:2 (pulse duration: 2.78 ms), and 4) a final sintering temperature of $1500^{\circ}C$ at a speed of $100^{\circ}C$/min and sintering for 5 min at $1500^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.334-334
• /
• 2013

In the past decade, the infrared detectors based on intersubband transition in quantum dots (QDs) have attracted much attention due to lower dark currents and increased lifetimes, which are in turn due a three-dimensional confinement and a reduction of scattering, respectively. In parallel, focal plane array development for infrared imaging has proceeded from the first to third generations (linear arrays, 2D arrays for staring systems, and large format with enhanced capabilities, respectively). For a step further towards the next generation of FPAs, it is envisioned that a two-dimensional metal hole array (2D-MHA) structures will improve the FPA structure by enhancing the coupling to photodetectors via local field engineering, and will enable wavelength filtering. In regard to the improved performance at certain wavelengths, it is worth pointing out the structural difference between previous 2D-MHA integrated front-illuminated single pixel devices and back-illuminated devices. Apart from the pixel linear dimension, it is a distinct difference that there is a metal cladding (composed of a number of metals for ohmic contact and the read-out integrated circuit hybridization) in the FPA between the heavily doped gallium arsenide used as the contact layer and the ROIC; on the contrary, the front-illuminated single pixel device consists of two heavily doped contact layers separated by the QD-absorber on a semi-infinite GaAs substrate. This paper is focused on analyzing the impact of a two dimensional metal hole array structure integrated to the back-illuminated quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) infrared photodetectors. The metal hole array consisting of subwavelength-circular holes penetrating gold layer (2DAu-CHA) provides the enhanced responsivity of DWELL infrared photodetector at certain wavelengths. The performance of 2D-Au-CHA is investigated by calculating the absorption of active layer in the DWELL structure using a finite integration technique. Simulation results show the enhanced electric fields (thereby increasing the absorption in the active layer) resulting from a surface plasmon, a guided mode, and Fabry-Perot resonances. Simulation method accomplished in this paper provides a generalized approach to optimize the design of any type of couplers integrated to infrared photodetectors.