• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.464.1-464.1
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• 2014

Among numerous material candidates, Cu(InxGa1-x)(SySe2-y) (CIGS) thin films have emerged as promising material candidates for thin film solar cell applications due to the high energy conversion efficiency and relatively low fabrication cost. The CIGS thin film solar cells consist of several materials, including Mo back contacts, ZnO-based window layers, and CdS buffer layers. All these materials have different crystal structures and contain quite distinct chemical elements, and hence the device characterization requires careful analyses. Most of all, identification of the major trap states resulting in the carrier recombination processes is a key step toward realization of high efficiency CIGS solar cells. We have carried out electrical investigations of CIGS thin film solar cells to specify the major trap states and their roles in photovoltaic performance. In particular, we have used the temperature-dependent transport characterizations and admittance spectroscopy. In this presentation, we will introduce some exemplary studies of DC and AC electrical characteristics of the CIGS solar cells.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.688-693
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• 2008

This paper presents a study on the photocatalytic reaction about the composite particles of $TiO_2$-coated phosphors under visible light irradiation. Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide layers were directly coated on the alkaline earth aluminate phosphor, $CaAl_2O_4:Eu^{2+},\;Nd^{3+}$ particles by an sol-gel processing method. The photocatalytic reaction was analyzed with the degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under UV and visible light irradiations. $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed different photocatalytic mechanism, compared with pure $TiO_2$ (P-25, Degussa). Under UV-irradiation, $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed slow photocatalytic reactivity in the early stage and fast in the latter, compared with that of pure $TiO_2$. However, $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed much faster photocatalytic reactivity than that of pure $TiO_2$ under visible irradiation. In addition, the characterizations of the $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders were conducted by a X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.633-639
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• 2007

A variety of NMR techniques were applied to the micro-chemical structural characterization of polyanilines prepared via an efficient synthetic method in a self-stabilized dispersion medium in which the polymerization was conducted in a heterogeneous organic/aqueous biphasic system without any stabilizers. Here, the monomer and growing polymer chain were shown to function simultaneously as a stabilizer, imparting compatibility for the dispersion of the organic phase, and as a form of flexible template in an aqueous reaction medium. Polymerizations predicated on this concept generated polyanilines with a low defect content: solution state $^{13}C-NMR$ and solid $^{13}CDD/CP/MAS$ spectroscopy indicated that the synthesized HCPANi and its soluble derivative, HCPANi-t-BOC, evidenced distinctly different NMR spectra with fewer side peaks, as compared to conventionally prepared PANis, and the complete structural assignments of the observed NMR peaks could be determined via the combination of both 1D and 2D techniques. Ortho-linked defects in HCPANi were estimated to be as low as 7%, as shown by a comparison of the integration of the carbonyl carbon resonance peaks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2018

This article reviews the multiscale nature of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) observed by high-resolution characterizations in austenite stainless steels and Ni-base superalloys in light water reactors (including boiling water reactors, pressurized water reactors, and supercritical water reactors) with related opinions. A new statistical summary and comparison of observed degradation phenomena at different length scales is included. The intrinsic causes of this multiscale nature of SCC are discussed based on existing evidence and related opinions, ranging from materials theory to practical processing technologies. Questions of interest are then discussed to improve bottom-up understanding of the intrinsic causes. Last, a multiscale modeling and simulation methodology is proposed as a promising interdisciplinary solution to understand the intrinsic causes of the multiscale nature of SCC in light water reactors, based on a review of related supporting application evidence.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.533-540
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• 2010

An activated carbon was tested for its ability to remove transition metal ions from aqueous solutions. Physical, chemical and liquid-phase adsorption characterizations of the carbon were done following standard procedures. Studies on the removal of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Fe(III) ions were attempted by varying adsorbate dose, pH of the metal ion solution and time in batch mode. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted with Freundlich and Langmuir and the isotherm constants were evaluated, equilibrium time of the different three metal ions were determined. pH was found to have a significant role to play in the adsorption. The processes were endothermic and the thermodynamic parameters were evaluated. Desorption studies indicate that ion-exchange mechanism is operating.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.1077-1081
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• 2014

Polyacrylamide (PAM) -HgS nanocomposites were successfully prepared in polyacrylamide (PAM) matrix. From TEM and XRD characterizations, the synthesized HgS nanocrystals were chain-like spherical in shape with a diameter of about 40-60 nm and high crystalline quality. The quantum-confined effect of HgS nanocrystals was confirmed by UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra. The optical properties of products were investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) spectra, which showed that HgS nanocrystals exhibited good optical properties with maximum emission peak at about 640 and 650 nm at different reaction temperatures. The interaction of HgS nanocrystals with PAM was studied through FT-IR spectroscopy and TG analysis, which suggested that $Hg^{2+}$ could interact with functional groups of PAM. The experimental results indicated that PAM not only induced nucleation, but also inhibited further growth of HgS crystals and play an important role in the formation of PAM/HgS nanocomposites. In addition, the possible mechanism of HgS nanoparticles growth in PAM solution was also discussed.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2011

In this study, we have investigated the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells utilizing conjugated polymer/fullerene bulk-hetero junction(BHJ) device structures. We have fabricated poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT), poly[2methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyl-oxy)-1-4-phenylenevinylene] as an electron donor, [6,6]-phenyl $C_{61}$ butyric acid methylester(PCBM-$C_{61}$)as an electron acceptor, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS) used as a hole injection layer(HIL), after fabricated active layer, between active layer and metal cathode(Al) deposited LiF interlayer(5 nm). The properties of fabricated organic solar cell(OSC) devices have been analyzed as a function of different thickness. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated devices were investigated by means J-V, fill factor(FF) and power conversion efficiency(PCE). We observed the highest PCEs of 0.628%(MDMO-PPV:PCBM-$C_{61}$) and 2.3%(P3HT:PCBM-$C_{61}$) with LiF inter-layer at the highest thick active layer, which is 1.3times better than the device without LiF inter-layer.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.193-205
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• 2015

Contamination by bacterial strands is a major problem after bone replacement surgeries, so there is a great need to develop low cost biocompatible antibacterial bioactive scaffolds to be used in bone tissue engineering. For this purpose, nano-zinc doped hydroxyapatite with different zinc-concentrations (5, 10 and 15 mol%) was successfully prepared by the wet chemical precipitation method. The prepared powders were used to form porous scaffolds containing biodegradable Ca-cross-linked alginate (5%) in order to enhance the properties of alginate scaffolds. The scaffolds were prepared using the freeze-gelation method. The prepared powders were tested by X-ray diffraction; transmission electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared analyses, while the prepared scaffolds were investigated by Fourier transform infrared analyses, thermogravimetric analyses and measurement of the antibacterial properties. Best results were obtained from scaffold containing 15% mol zinc-doped hydroxyapatite powders and 5% alginate concentration with ratio of 70:30.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.925-931
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• 2007

We successively fabricated the Ni metal mask by additive method and evaluated the effects of wetting agents addition on the microstructure, hardness, and friction coefficient. In the process, the additive patterns with fine hole and pitch were made by photolithography technique and subsequently Ni plate was electroformed on the patterns. We found that the microstructure and mechanical properties were significantly varied when the different combinations of the wetting agents were used. When the wetting agents of both SF-1 and SF-2 were added, the microstructure consisted of crystal and amorphous phases, the grain size reduced to 5-40 nm, the RMS value decreased to 11.4 nm and the wear resistance improved. In addition, the hardness was as high as 638 Hv which is higher than that of commercial stainless steel mask and this improvement is probably due to the presence of amorphous Phase and fine grain size. The improvement of the wear resistance can provide a higher reliability and a longer service life.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.367-373
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• 2011

This paper studies the experimental method that uses the homogeneous precipitation method to prepare mica flakes coated with anatase-type titania pearlescent pigment with urea as precipitant. The optimum technology parameters, the chemical composition, the microstructure, and the color property of resulting pigments are discussed. The coating principle of mica coated titania with various coating thickness is analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and tested by spectrophotometer analysis. The colored nanocrystalline pigments with different morphology and coating thickness 45-170 nm were prepared by homogeneous precipitation treatment of $TiOSO_4$(titanum oxysulfate) aqueous solutions. Characterizations on the pigments show that the pearlescent effects of the pigments depend mainly on mica size, thickness of the metal oxide deposit, its chemical composition, and crystal structure.