• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.295-300
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• 2017

Aluminum-oxide($Al_2O_3$) thin films were deposited by electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition at room temperature using trimethylaluminum(TMA) as the Al source and $O_2$ plasma as the oxidant. In order to compare our results with those obtained using the conventional thermal ALD method, $Al_2O_3$ films were also deposited with TMA and $H_2O$ as reactants at $280^{\circ}C$. The chemical composition and microstructure of the as-deposited $Al_2O_3$ films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photo-electric spectroscopy(XPS), atomic force microscopy(AFM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). Optical properties of the $Al_2O_3$ films were characterized using UV-vis and ellipsometry measurements. Electrical properties were characterized by capacitance-frequency and current-voltage measurements. Using the ECR method, a growth rate of 0.18 nm/cycle was achieved, which is much higher than the growth rate of 0.14 nm/cycle obtained using thermal ALD. Excellent dielectric and insulating properties were demonstrated for both $Al_2O_3$ films.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.699-704
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• 2017

Recently, the use of an aluminum nitride(AlN) buffer layer has been actively studied for fabricating a high quality gallium nitride(GaN) template for high efficiency Light Emitting Diode(LED) production. We confirmed that AlN deposition after $N_2$ plasma treatment of the substrate has a positive influence on GaN epitaxial growth. In this study, $N_2$ plasma treatment was performed on a commercial patterned sapphire substrate by RF magnetron sputtering equipment. GaN was grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD). The surface treated with $N_2$ plasma was analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) to determine the binding energy. The XPS results indicated the surface was changed from $Al_2O_3$ to AlN and AlON, and we confirmed that the thickness of the pretreated layer was about 1 nm using high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HR-TEM). The AlN buffer layer deposited on the grown pretreated layer had lower crystallinity than the as-treated PSS. Therefore, the surface $N_2$ plasma treatment on PSS resulted in a reduction in the crystallinity of the AlN buffer layer, which can improve the epitaxial growth quality of the GaN template.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.4 no.S2
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• pp.40-48
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• 1995

$TiB_2$-TiN double-layer coating have been prepared by ion beam enhanced deposition. AES, XRD, TEM and HRTEM were employed to characterize the $TiB_2$ layer. The microhardness of the coatings was evaluated by an ultra low-load microhardness indenter system, and the tribological behavior was examined by a ball-on-disc tribology wear tester. It was found that in a single titanium diboride layer, the composition is uniform along the depth of the film, and it is mainly composed of nanocrystalline $TiB_2$ with hexagonal structure, which resulted from the ion bombardment during the film growth. The hardness of the $TiB_2$ films increases with increasing ion energy, and approaches a maximum value of the $TiB_2$ films increases with increasing ion energy, and approaches a maximum value of 39 Gpa at ion energy of 85 keV. The tribological property of the TiB2 films is also improved by higher energy of 85keV. The tribological property of the $TiB_2$ films is also improved by higher energy ion beam bombardment. There is no major disparity in the mechanical properties of double-layer $TiB_2$/TiN coatings and TiN/$TiB_2$ coatings. Both show an improved wear resistance compared with single-layer $TiB_2$ films. The adhesion of double-layer coatings is also superior to that of single-layer films.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2016

$TiO_2$ nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol-gel process using titanium tetra isopropoxide as a precursor at room temperature. Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were prepared by photoreduction of $AgNO_3$ on $TiO_2$ under UV light irradiation and calcinated at $400^{\circ}C$. Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were characterized for their structural and morphological properties by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic properties of the $TiO_2$ and Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were evaluated according to the degree of photocatalytic degradation of gaseous benzene under UV and visible light irradiation. To estimate the rate of photolysis under UV (${\lambda}=365nm$) and visible (${\lambda}{\geq}410nm$) light, the residual concentration of benzene was monitored by gas chromatography (GC). Both undoped/doped nanoparticles showed about 80 % of photolysis of benzene under UV light. However, under visible light irradiation Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles exhibited a photocatalytic reaction toward the photodegradation of benzene more efficient than that of bare $TiO_2$. The enhanced photocatalytic reaction of Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles is attributed to the decrease in the activation energy and to the existence of Ag in the $TiO_2$ host lattice, which increases the absorption capacity in the visible region by acting as an electron trapper and promotes charge separation of the photoinduced electrons ($e^-$) and holes ($h^+$). The use of Ag-doped $TiO_2$ nanoparticles preserved the option of an environmentally benign photocatalytic reaction using visible light; These particles can be applicable to environmental cleaning applications.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.592-595
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• 2011

It is well known that modified 9Cr-1Mo steel has a low thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity with excellent high temperature properties compared to austenitic stainless steel. For these advantages, the steel is very popular for the boiler tube of thermal power plants. Normalizing is commonly utilized to obtain martensite in this steel, which shows an unusual toughness for martensite. However, some accidents related to this steel have been reported recently, opening the necessity for further study. As a particular behavior of the steel, an abrupt drop of the impact value has been identified upon tempering at 750$^{\circ}C$ for about 1 hour. It is well known that $Fe_3C$ forms during autotempering and turns to $Cr_2C$ at an early stage and then transforms to $Cr_{23}C_6$. In this study, the cause of the abrupt drop of the impact value was investigated with an impact test, microstructural observation, nanodiffraction and phase analyses using instruments such as optical and transmission electron microscopes (TEM) with an extraction carbon replica of the carbides. The analyses revealed that the $M_2C$ that formed when retained for about 1 hour at 750$^{\circ}C$ causes a drastic decrease in the mechanical properties. The sharp drop in mechanical properties, however, disappeared as the $M_2C$ transformed into $M_{23}C_6$ with longer retention.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.604-610
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• 2011

The effect of $BaF_2$ flux in $Y_3Al_5O_{12}:Ce^{3+}$(YAG:Ce) formation was investigated. Phase transformation of $Y_3Al_5O_{12}$(YAG) was characterized by using XRD, SEM, and TEM-EDS, and it was revealed that the sequential formation of the $Y_4Al_2O_9$(YAM), $YAlO_3$(YAP) and $Y_3Al_5O_{12}$(YAG) in the temperature range of 1000-1500$^{\circ}C$. Single phase of YAG was revealed from 1300$^{\circ}C$. In order to find out the effect of $BaF_2$ flux, three modeling experiments between starting materials (1.5$Al_2O_3$-2.5$Y_2O_3$, $Y_2O_3$-$BaF_2$, and $Al_2O_3$-$BaF_2$) were done. These modeling experiments showed that the nucleation process occurs via the dissolution-precipitation mechanism, whereas the grain growth process is controlled via the liquid-phase diffusion route. YAG:Ce phosphor particles prepared using a proposed technique exhibit a spherical shape, high crystallinity, and an emission intensity. According to the experimental results conducted in this investigation, 5% of $BaF_2$ was the best concentration for physical, chemical and optical properties of $Y_3Al_5O_{12}:Ce^{3+}$(YAG:Ce) that is approximately 10-15% greater than that of commercial phosphor powder.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.660-665
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• 2011

1-D ZnO nanowires have been attractive for their peculiar properties and easy growth at relatively low temperature. The length, diameter, and density of ZnO nanowires were determined by the several synthetic parameters, such as PEI concentration, growth time, temperature, and zinc salt concentration. The ZnO nanowires were grown on the <001> oriented seed layer using the hydrothermal process with zinc nitrate and HMTA (hexamethylenetetramine) and their structure and optical properties were characterized. The morphology, length and diameter of the nanowires were strongly affected by the relative and/or absolute concentration of $Zn^{2+}$ and $OH^{-1}$ and the hydrothermal temperature. When the concentrations of the zinc nitrate HMTA were the same as 0.015 M, the length and diameter of the nanowires were $1.97{\mu}m$ and $0.07{\mu}m$, respectively, and the aspect ratio was 28.1 with the preferred orientation along the <001> direction. XRD and TEM results showed a high crystallinity of the ZnO nanowires. Optical measurement revealed that ZnO nanowires emitted intensive stimulated UV at 376 nm without showing visible emission related to oxygen defects.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.132-136
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• 2010

This study examined the biostability and drug delivery efficiency of g-$Fe_2O_3$ magnetic nanoparticles (GMNs) by cytotoxicity tests using various tumor cell lines and normal cell lines. The GMNs, approximately 20 nm in diameter, were prepared using a chemical coprecipitation technique, and coated with two surfactants to obtain a water-based product. The particle size of the GMNs loaded on hangamdan drugs (HGMNs) measured 20-50 nm in diameter. The characteristics of the particles were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-TEM) and Raman spectrometer. The Raman spectrum of the GMNs showed three broad bands at 274, 612 and $771\;cm^1$. A 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that the GMNs were non-toxic against human brain cancer cells (SH-SY5Y, T98), human cervical cancer cells (Hela, Siha), human liver cancer cells (HepG2), breast cancer cells (MCF-7), colon cancer cells (CaCO2), human neural stem cells (F3), adult mencenchymal stem cells (B10), human kidney stem cells (HEK293 cell), human prostate cancer (Du 145, PC3) and normal human fibroblasts (HS 68) tested. However, HGMNs were cytotoxic at 69.99% against the DU145 prostate cancer cell, and at 34.37% in the Hela cell. These results indicate that the GMNs were biostable and the HGMNs served as effective drug delivery vehicles.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.538-543
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• 2007

We fabricated the Ni plate by electroforming process and evaluated the microstructure, mechanical properties and wear behavior of the Ni plate. Specifically, the effects of addition of wetting agents, SF 1 and SF 2 solutions, on the microstructure and properties were investigated. The microstructure and surface morphology were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively, and friction coefficient was measured by the ball-on-disk method. We found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ni plate were changed with kind and amount of wetting agents used. The hardness and tensile strength of Ni plate formed without wetting agents was 228 Hv and 660.7 MPa, respectively, whiled when wetting agent was added, those were improved to be 739 Hv and 1286.3 MPa. These improvements were probably due to the finer grain size and less crystallization of Ni. In addition, when both wetting agents were added, the friction coefficient was reduced from 0.73 to 0.67 which is partially caused by the improved hardness and smooth surface.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.564-570
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• 2008

Nanostructured carbon materials have been found to have applications in fuel cell electrodes, field emitters, electronic devices, sensors and electromagnetic absorbers, etc. Especially, the CNF (carbon nanofiber) can be expected to play an important role in catalyst supporters for fuel cell electrodes and chemical reactions. In this study, we synthesized CNF from a liquid phase carbon source by a solvothermal method. In addition, we studied the parameters for the preparation of CNF by controlling heating and cooling rates, synthesis temperature and time. We characterized the CNF by SEM/TEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and EDS. We found that the heating and cooling rate have strong effects on the CNF formation and growth. We were able to prepare the best CNF at the heating rate of $10^{\circ}$/min, at $450^{\circ}$ for 60 minutes, and at the cooling rate of $4^{\circ}$/min. As a result of Raman spectra, we found that the sample showed two characteristic Raman bands at ${\sim}1350cm^{-1}$ (D band) and ${\sim}1600cm^{-1}$ (G band). The G band indicates the original graphite feature, but the D band has been explained as a disorder feature of the carbon structure. The diameter and length of the CNF was about $15{\sim}20nm$, and over $1{\mu}$, respectively.