• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.313-317
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• 2018

Carbon-based coatings, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and buckyball ($C_{60}$), receive much interest because of their outstanding mechanical and electrical properties for a wide range of electromechanical component-based applications. Previous experimental results demonstrate that these carbon-based coatings are promising solid lubricants because of their superior tribological properties, and thus help prolong the lifetime of silicon-based applications. In this study, CNT coatings are deposited on a bare silicon (100) substrate by electrodynamic spraying under different deposition conditions. During the coating deposition, the applied voltage, CNT concentration of the solution, distance between the injecting nozzle and the substrate and diameter of the injecting nozzle are optimized to control the thickness and surface roughness of the CNT coatings. The surface morphology and thickness of the coatings are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The friction and wear properties of the coatings are investigated by using a pin-on-reciprocating-type tribotester under various experimental conditions. The friction coefficient of the CNT coating is as low as 0.15 under high normal loads. The overall results reveal that CNT coatings deposited by electrodynamic spraying provide relatively uniform with superior lubrication performance.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.140-143
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• 2005

Carbon Nanotube(CNTs) counter electrode is a promising alternative to Platinum counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, CNT counter electrodes having different visible light transmittance were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass surface by spray coating method. Microstructural images show that there are CNT-tangled region coated on FTO glass counter electrodes. Using such CNT counter electrodes and screen printed $TiO_2$ electrodes, DSSCs were assembled and its I-V characteristics have been studied and compared. Light energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs increased with decreasing in light transmittance of CNT counter electrode. Efficiency of DSSCs having CNT counter electrode is compatible to that of Pt counter electrode.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.7-12
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• 2013

Ni-CNT(Carbon Nanotube) composite coatings is were formed by electrodeposition and their physical properties were investigated with variations of CNT content(1, 3, 6. 9 g/L) in the electrolyte solution, while the current density and electroplating time were fixed respectively at $6A/dm^2$ and 90 min.. With increasing CNT content from 1 to 9 g/L, incorporated CNTs into the composite coating were limited from 4.65 wt.% to 7.38 wt.%. Microhardness and contact angle values were increased with increasing CNT content of upto 3 g/L. With increasing the CNT content further, physical properties were degraded due to agglomeration, poor adhesion of CNTs to Ni matrix and thus rough surfaces. Optimum electroplating conditions were found to be the CNT content of 3 g/L, current density of 6 A/dm2 and electroplating time of 90 min.

• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.269-275
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• 2016

Multiscale hybrid composites, which consist of polymeric resins, microscale fibers and nanoscale reinforcements, have drawn significant attention in the field of advanced, high-performance materials. Despite their advantages, multiscale hybrid composites show challenges associated with nanomaterial dispersion, viscosity, interfacial bonding and load transfer, and orientation control. In this paper, carbon nanotube(CNT)/carbon fiber(CF)/polycarbonate(PC) multiscale hybrid composite were fabricated by a solution process to overcome the difficulties associated with controlling the melt viscosity of thermoplastic resins. The dependence of CNT loading was studied by varying the method to add CNTs, i.e., impregnation of CF with CNT/PC/solvent solution and impregnation of CNT-coated CF with PC/solvent solution. In addition, hybrid composites were fabricated through surfactant-aided CNT dispersion followed by vacuum filtration. The morphologies of the surfaces of hybrid composites, as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, revealed the quality of PC impregnation depends on the processing method. Dynamic mechanical analysis was performed to evaluate their mechanical performance. It was analyzed that if the position of the value of tan ${\delta}$ is closer to the ideal line, the adhesion between polymer and carbon fiber is stronger. The effect of mechanical interlocking has a great influence on the dynamic mechanical properties of the composites with CNT-coated CF, which indicates that coating CF with CNTs is a suitable method to fabricate CNT/CF/PC hybrid composites.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.23-28
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• 2006

Carbon nanotubes reinforced copper matrix laminated nanocomposites were developed and the mechanical properties were evaluated by using micro-tensile testing system. Sandwich-type laminated structure constituted with carbon nanotube layers as a reinforcement and electroplated copper matrix were fabricated by a new processing approach based on selective dip-coating of carbon nanotubes. The mechanical properties of nanocomposites were improved due to an enhanced load sharing capacity of carbon nanotubes homogeneously distributed within the in-plane direction, as well as a bridging effect of carbon nanotubes along the out-of-plane direction between the upper and lower matrices. The universality of the layering approach is applicable to a wide range of functional materials, and here we demonstrate its potential use in reinforcing composite materials.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.237-242
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• 2012

We report on the NO gas sensing properties of Al-doped zinc oxide-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) wire-like layered composites fabricated by coaxially coating Al-doped ZnO thin films on randomly oriented single-walled carbon nanotubes. We were able to wrap thin ZnO layers around the CNTs using the pulsed laser deposition method, forming wire-like nanostructures of ZnO-CNT. Microstructural observations revealed an ultrathin wire-like structure with a diameter of several tens of nm. Gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites were found to exhibit a novel sensing capability that originated from the genuine characteristics of the composites. Specifically, it was observed by measured gas sensing characteristics that the gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT layered composites showed a very high sensitivity of above 1,500% for NO gas in dry air at an optimal operating temperature of $200^{\circ}C$; the sensors also showed a low NO gas detection limit at a sub-ppm level in dry air. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites are ascribed to a catalytic effect of Al elements on the surface reaction and an increase in the effective surface reaction area of the active ZnO layer due to the coating of CNT templates with a higher surface-to-volume ratio structure. These results suggest that ZnO-CNT composites made of ultrathin Al-doped ZnO layers uniformly coated around carbon nanotubes can be promising materials for use in practical high-performance NO gas sensors.

• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.373-379
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• 2013

The coating of metal surface with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been studied for the heat transfer enhancement of the boiling and condensation of refrigerant. The MWCNT/copper composite powder was made by the attrition ball milling, which has been coated on the copper wafer by electrostatic powder coating and sintered with electric furnace. In this paper, experiments were performed to assess the characterization and comparison of CNT before and after sinterning and the morphology changes of the CNT/Cu-coated surface. The samples were examined by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) and raman spectroscopy. To verify the heat transfer enhancement, boiling heat transfer tests were performed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.416-420
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• 2012

Recently nanoscience and nanotechnology have been studied intensively, and many plants, insects, and animals in nature have been found to have nanostructures in their bodies. Among them, lotus leaves have a unique nanostructure and microstructure in combination and show superhydrophobicity and a self-cleaning function to wipe and clean impurities on their surfaces. Coating films with combined nanostructures and microstructures resembling those of lotus leaves may also have superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning functions; as a result, they could be used in various applications, such as in outfits, tents, building walls, or exterior surfaces of transportation vehicles like cars, ships, or airplanes. In this study, coating films were prepared by dip coating method using polypropylene polymers dissolved in a mixture of solvent, xylene and non-solvent, methylethylketon, and ethanol. Additionally, attempts were made to prepare nanostructures on top of microstructures by coating with the same coating solution with an addition of carbon nanotubes, or by applying a carbon nanotube over-coat on polymer coating films. Coating films prepared without carbon nanotubes were found to have superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of $152^{\circ}$ and sliding angle less than $2^{\circ}$. Coating films prepared with carbon nanotubes were also found to have a similar degree of superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of 150 degrees and a sliding angle of 3 degrees.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-56
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• 2014

The significant growth of the Si photovoltaic industry has been so far limited due to the high cost of the Si photovoltaic system. In this regard, the most expensive factors are the intrinsic cost of silicon material and the Si solar cell fabrication processes. Conventional Si solar cells have p-n junctions inside for an efficient extraction of light-generated charge carriers. However, the p-n junction is normally formed through very expensive processes requiring very high temperature (${\sim}1000^{\circ}C$). Therefore, several systems are currently under study to form heterojunctions at low temperatures. Among them, carbon nanotube (CNT)/Si hybrid solar cells are very promising, with power conversion efficiency up to 15%. In these cells, the p-type Si layer is replaced by a semitransparent CNT film deposited at room temperature on the n-doped Si wafer, thus giving rise to an overall reduction of the total Si thickness and to the fabrication of a device with cheaper methods at low temperatures. In particular, the CNT film coating the Si wafer acts as a conductive electrode for charge carrier collection and establishes a built-in voltage for separating photocarriers. Moreover, due to the CNT film optical semitransparency, most of the incoming light is absorbed in Si; thus the efficiency of the CNT/Si device is in principle comparable to that of a conventional Si one. In this paper an overview of several factors at the basis of this device operation and of the suggested improvements to its architecture is given. In addition, still open physical/technological issues are also addressed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.149-149
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• 2010

The effect of titanium (Ti) coating over the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on field emission characteristics was investigated. Since the work function of CNTs emitter is about 5.0 eV, field emission would be observed at lower voltage if this work function gets lower. Work function of Ti is approximately 4.09eV. Field emission characteristics of as-grown and Ti-coated CNTs were measured in a diode-type configuration. The resultant emission characteristics revealed that thin($50{\AA}$-thick) Ti-coated CNTs could be a better electron emitter with lower emission voltage and higher emission efficiency.