• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.308-318
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• 2022

The surface modification and treatment using thermal plasma were reviewed in academic fields. In general, thermal plasma is generated by direct current (DC) and radiofrequency (RF) power sources. Thermal spray coating, a typical commercial process using thermal plasma, is performed by DC thermal plasma, whereas other promising surface modifications have been reported and developed using RF thermal plasma. Beyond the thermal spray coating, physical and chemical surface modifications were attempted widely. Superhydrophobic surface treatment has a very high industrial demand particularly. Besides, RF thermal plasma system for large-area film surface treatment is being developed. Thermal plasma is especially suitable for the surface modification of low-dimensional nanomaterial (e.g., nanotubes) by utilizing high temperature and rapid quenching. It is able to synthesize and modify nanomaterials simultaneously in a one-pot process.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2014

Effects of wet chemical treatment and thermal cycle conditions on the quantitative interfacial adhesion energy of $Cu/SiN_x$ thin film interfaces were evaluated by 4-point bending test method. The test samples were cleaned by chemical treatment after Cu chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). The thermal cycle test between Cu and $SiN_x$ capping layer was experimented at the temperature, -45 to $175^{\circ}C$ for 250 cycles. The measured interfacial adhesion energy increased from 10.57 to $14.87J/m^2$ after surface chemical treatment. After 250 thermal cycles, the interfacial adhesion energy decreased to $5.64J/m^2$ and $7.34J/m^2$ for without chemical treatment and with chemical treatment, respectively. The delaminated interfaces were confirmed as $Cu/SiN_x$ interface by using the scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis results, the relative Cu oxide amounts between $SiN_x$ and Cu decreased by chemical treatment and increased after thermal cycle. The thermal stress due to the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficient during thermal cycle seemed to weaken the $Cu/SiN_x$ interface adhesion, which led to increased CuO amounts at Cu film surface.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.69-74
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• 2017

Here we report the influence of thermal treatment on the performance of high efficiency polymer solar cells with the bulk heterojunction films of poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene-alt-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate] (PTB7-Th) and [6,6]-phenyl $C_{71}$ butyric acid methyl ester ($PC_{71}BM$). The crystalline nanostructure of PTB7-Th:$PC_{71}BM$ layers, which were annealed at three different temperatures, was investigated by employing synchrotron radiation grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) technique. Results showed that the device performance was slightly reduced by thermal annealing at $50^{\circ}C$ but became significantly poor by thermal annealing at $100^{\circ}C$. The poor device performance by thermal annealing was attributed to the collapse in the crystalline nanostructure of PTB7-Th in the PTB7-Th:$PC_{71}BM$ layers as evidenced by the GIXD measurements that exhibited huge reduction in the intensity of PTB7-Th (100) peak even at $50^{\circ}C$.

• Carbon letters
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2015

In this study, in order to improve the thermal and electrical properties of epoxy/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), surface modifications of GNPs are conducted using silane coupling agents. Three silane coupling agents, i.e. 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)-ethyltrimethoxysilane (ETMOS), 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTS), and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), were used. Among theses, GPTMS exhibits the best modification performance for fabricating GNP-incorporated epoxy composites. The effect of the silanization is evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrical and thermal conductivities are characterized. The epoxy/silanized GNPs exhibits higher thermal and electrical properties than the epoxy/raw GNPs due to the improved dispersion state of the GNPs in the epoxy matrix. The TEM microphotographs and Turbiscan data demonstrate that the silane molecules grafted onto the GNP surface improve the GNP dispersion in the epoxy.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.334-340
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• 1993

The physico-chemical properties and characteristics after thermal treatment of natural zeolite from Kampo area were studied. The physico-chemical properties of natural zeolite were studied by investigating chemical composition, x-ray diffraction pattern(XRD), scanning electronic microscope(SEM), infrared spec-tra(IR), thermal analysis(TA), and cation exchange capacity(C.E.C.), and the characteristics of natural zeo-lite after thermal treatment from $400^{\circ}C$ to $900^{\circ}C$ were compared with the natural zeolite. This study showed that clinoptilolite was the predominant costituent in natural zeolite, and the natural zeolite contained a little amount of quartz and feldspar as impurities. Zeolite mineral was seen to develop slowly by the natural alternation of volcanic ash considering the almost amorphous crystal structure. The more temperature of ther-mal treatment increased, the more adsorption capacity decreased, considering the fact that the hydroxy peak diminished on infrared spectra, and that cation exchange capacity also decreased distinctly.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.146-159
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• 2013

In the present study, stabilized rayon fabrics were prepared from fast isothermal stabilization processes, which were carried out within four minutes at $350^{\circ}C$. The effects of ultrasonic cleaning and chemical pre-treatment on the chemical composition, physical characteristics, X-ray diffraction pattern, thermal stability and shape of the stabilized rayon fabrics were investigated extensively. In order to reduce the weight loss and thermal shrinkage of rayon fabrics occurring during the stabilization process, ultrasonic cleaning was first conducted and then chemical pre-treatments using $NH_4Cl$, $Na_3PO_4$, $H_3PO_4$, and $ZnCl_2$ were performed, respectively. The results indicated that both ultrasonic cleaning and chemical pre-treatment influenced the weight loss, thermal shrinkage, microstructure, carbon content, thermal stability and fabric shape of stabilized rayon fabrics. Also the results depended on the fast-stabilization time and the type of chemical pre-treatment agents used.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2010

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating was studied to be a good tribological problem-solver due to its low friction characteristics and high hardness. However, generally hydrogenated DLC film has shown a weak thermal stability above $300^{\circ}C$. However, the silicon doping DLC process by DC pulse plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for the new DLC coating which has a good characterization with thermal stability at high temperature itself has been observed. And we were discussed a process for optimizing silicon content to promote a good thermal stability using various tetramethylsilane (TMS) and methane gas at high-temperature. The chemical compositions of silicon-containing DLC film was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after heat treatment. Raman spectrum analysis showed the changed structure on the surface after the high-temperature exposure testing. In particular, the hardness of silicon-containing DLC film showed different values before and after the annealing treatment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2012

Fluorinated compounds mainly used in the semiconductor industry are potent greenhouse gases. Recently, thermal plasma gas scrubbers have been gradually replacing conventional burn-wet type gas scrubbers which are based on the combustion of fossil fuels because high conversion efficiency and control of byproduct generation are achievable in chemically reactive high temperature thermal plasma. Chemical equilibrium composition at high temperature and numerical analysis on a complex thermal flow in the thermal plasma decomposition system are used to predict the process of thermal decomposition of fluorinated gas. In order to increase economic feasibility of the thermal plasma decomposition process, increase of thermal efficiency of the plasma torch and enhancement of gas mixing between the thermal plasma jet and waste gas are discussed. In addition, noble thermal plasma systems to be applied in the thermal plasma gas treatment are introduced in the present paper.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2006

Vacuum deposited copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) was placed as a thin interlayer between indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and a hole transporting layer (HTL) in a multi-layered, organic, light-emitting diode (OLEOs). The well-stacked CuPc layer increased the stability and efficiency of the devices. Thermal annealing after CuPc deposition and magnetic field treatment during CuPc deposition were performed to obtain a stacked-CuPc layer; the former increased the stacking density of the CuPc molecules and the alignment of the CuPc film. Thermal annealing at about 100$^{circ}C$ increased the current flow through the CuPc layer by over 25$\%$. Surface roughness decreased from 4.12 to 3.65 nm and spikes were lowered at the film surface as well. However, magnetic field treatment during deposition was less effective than thermal treatment. Eventually, a higher luminescence at a given voltage was obtained when a thermally-annealed CuPc layer was placed in the present, multi-layered, ITO/CuPc/NPD/Alq3/LiF/AI devices. Thermal annealing at about 100$^{circ}C$ for 3 h produced the most efficient, multi-layered EL devices in the present study.

• Carbon letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.247-254
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• 2014

In this work, thermal treatment accompanied with different acid treatments was applied to a commercial coal tar pitch (CTP) to obtain a spinnable precursor pitch for carbon fiber. In the case of thermal treatment only, a relatively high reaction temperature of between $380^{\circ}C$ and $400^{\circ}C$ was required to obtain a softening point (SP) range of $220^{\circ}C-260^{\circ}C$ and many meso-phase particles were created during the application of high reaction temperature. When nitric acid or sulfuric acid treatment was conducted before the thermal treatment, the precursor pitch with a proper SP range could be obtained at reaction temperatures of $280^{\circ}C-300^{\circ}C$, which were about $100^{\circ}C$ lower than those for the case of thermal treatment only. With the acid treatments, the yield and SP of the precursor pitch increased dramatically and the formation of meso-phase was suppressed due to the lower reaction temperatures. Since the precursor pitches with acid and thermal treatment were not spinnable due to the inhomogeneity of properties such as molecular weight distribution and viscosity, the CTP was mixed with ethanol before the consecutive nitric acid and thermal treatments. The precursor pitches with ethanol, nitric acid, and thermal treatments were easily spinnable, and their spinning and carbon fiber properties were compared to those of air blowing and thermal treated CTP.