• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.353-357
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• 2016

In this study, $TiO_2$ powders are synthesized from ammonium hexafluoride titanate (AHFT, $(NH_4)_2TiF_6$) as a precursor by heat treatment. First, we evaluate the physical properties of AHFT using X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analysis (PSA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Then, to prepare the $TiO_2$ powders, is heat-treated at $300-1300^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. The ratio of anatase to rutile phase in $TiO_2$ is estimated by XRD. The anatase phase forms at $500^{\circ}C$ and phase transformation to the rutile phase occurs at $1200^{\circ}C$. Increase in the particle size is observed upon increasing the reaction temperature, and the phase ratio of the rutile phase is determined from a comparison with the calculated XRD data. Thus, we show that anatase and rutile $TiO_2$ powders could be synthesized using AHFT as a raw material, and the obtained data are utilized for developing a new process for producing high-quality $TiO_2$ powder.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.281-287
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• 2005

Titanium aluminium nitride((TiAl)N) film is anticipated as an advanced coating film with wear resistance used for drills, bites etc. and with corrosion resistance at a high temperature. In this study, (TiAl)N thin films were deposited both at room temperature and at elevated substrate temperatures of 573 to 773 K by using a two-facing-targets type DC sputtering system in a mixture Ar and $N_2$ gases. Atomic compositions of the binary Ti-Al alloy target is Al-rich (25Ti-75Al (atm%)). Process parameters such as precursor volume %, substrate temperature and Ar/$N_2$ gas ratio were optimized. The crystallization processes and phase transformations of (TiAl)N thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness of (TiAl)N thin films were measured by a dynamic hardness tester. The films obtained with Ar/$N_2$ gas ratio of 1:3 and at 673 K substrate temperature showed the highest microhardness of $H_v$ 810. The crystallized and phase transformations of (TiAl)N thin films were $Ti_2AlN+AlN{\rightarrow}TiN+AlN$ for Ar/$N_2$ gas ratio of 1:3, $Ti_2AlN+AlN{\rightarrow}TiN+AlN{\rightarrow}Ti_2AlN+TiN+AlN$ for Ar/$N_2$ gas ratio of 1:1 and $TiN+AlN{\rightarrow}Ti_2AlN+TiN+AlN{\rightarrow}Ti_2AlN+AlN{\rightarrow}Ti_2AlN+TiN+AlN$ for Ar/$N_2$ gas ratio of 3:1. The above results are discussed in terms of crystallized phases and microhardness.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2014

Niobium nitride coatings have many potential thin film applications due to their chemical inertness, good mechanical properties, temperature stability and superconducting properties. In this study, $NbN_x$ coatings were prepared by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) assisted DC magnetron sputtering method on the surface of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels. Effects of target power were studied on mechanical and chemical properties of the coatings. The coating structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The coating hardness was measured by micro-knoop hardness tester. The coating thickness was measured using a 3D profiler and wear characteristics were estimated using a ball-on-disk wear tester. The thickness of the $NbN_x$ coatings increased linearly from 300 nm to 2000 nm as the Nb target power increased, and it showed over $HK_{0.005}$ 4000 hardness above Nb target power of 300 W. Hexagonal ${\delta}^{\prime}$-NbN phase and cubic ${\delta}$-NbN phase were observed in the coating films and the hardness of the NbNx coatings was higher when these two peaks were mixed. The corrosion resistance increased with the increase of the Nb target power.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2017

Recently, three-dimensional (3D) light harvesting structures are highly attracted because of their high light harvesting capacity and charge collection efficiencies. In this study, we have fabricated $Cu_2ZnSn(S_xSe_{1-x})_4$ based 3D thin film solar cells on PR patterned Molybdenum (Mo) substrates using photolithography technique. Specifically, Mo patterns were deposited on PR patterned Mo substrates by sputtering and the thin Cu-Zn-Sn stacked layer was deposited over this Mo patterns by sputtering technique. The stacked Zn-Sn-Cu precursor thin films were sulfo-selenized to form CZTSSe pattern. Finally, CZTSSe absorbers were coated with thin CdS layer using chemical bath deposition and ZnO window layer was deposited over CZTSSe/CdS using DC sputtering technique. Fabricated 3-D solar cells were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to study their structural, compositional and morphological properties, respectively. The 3% efficiency is achieved for this kind of solar cell. Further efforts will be carried out to improve the performance of solar cell through various optimizations.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2020

Single-phased SnS thin films have been prepared by RF magnetron sputtering at various deposition pressures. The effect of deposition pressure on the structural and optical properties of polycrystalline SnS thin films was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrophotometer. The XRD analysis revealed the orthorhombic structure of the SnS thin films oriented along the (111) plane direction. As the deposition pressure was increased from 5 mTorr to 15 mTorr, the intensity of the peak on the (111) plane increased, and the intensity decreased under the condition of 20 mTorr. The binding energy difference at the Sn 3d_5/2 and S 2p_3/2 core levels was about 324.5 eV, indicating that the SnS thin film was prepared as a pure Sn-S phase. The optical properties of the SnS thin films indicate the presence of direct allowed transitions with corresponding energy band gap in the rang 1.47-1.57 eV.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2013

Fe-TiC composite powder was fabricated via two steps. The first step was a high-energy milling of FeO and carbon powders followed by heat treatment for reduction to obtain a (Fe+C) powder mixture. The optimal condition for high-energy milling was 500 rpm for 1h, which had been determined by a series of preliminary experiment. Reduction heat-treatment was carried out at $900^{\circ}C$ for 1h in flowing argon gas atmosphere. Reduced powder mixture was investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Laser Particle Size Analyser (LPSA). The second step was a high-energy milling of (Fe+C) powder mixture and additional $TiH_2$ powder, and subsequent in-situ synthesis of TiC particulate in Fe matrix through a reaction of carbon and Ti. High-energy milling was carried out at 500 rpm for 1 h. Heat treatment for reaction synthesis was carried out at $1000{\sim}1200^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in flowing argon gas atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the fabricated Fe-TiC composite powder showed that only TiC and Fe phases exist. Results from FE-SEM observation and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectros-copy (EDS) revealed that TiC phase exists uniformly dispersed in the Fe matrix in a form of particulate with a size of submicron.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.177-181
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• 2014

$Cu_2ZnSn(S_xSe_{1-x})_4$ (CZTSSe) absorber thin films were prepared on Mo coated soda lime glass substrates by sulfo-selenization of sputtered stacked Zn-Sn-Cu precursor thin films. The Zn-Sn-Cu precursor thin films were sulfo-selenized inside a graphite box containing S and Se powder using rapid thermal processing furnace at $540^{\circ}C$ in Ar atmosphere with pre-treatment at $300^{\circ}C$. The effect of different S/Se ratio on the structural, compositional, morphological and electrical properties of the CZTSSe thin films were studied using XRD (X-ray diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence analysis), FE-SEM (field-emission scanning electron microscopy), respectively. The XRD, FE-SEM, XRF results indicated that the properties of sulfo-selenized CZTSSe thin films were strongly related to the S/Se composition ratio. In particular, the CZTS thin film solar cells with S/(S+Se)=0.25 shows best conversion efficiency of 4.6% ($V_{oc}$ : 348 mV, $J_{sc}$ : $26.71mA/cm^2$, FF : 50%, and active area : $0.31cm^2$). Further detailed analysis and discussion for effect of S/Se composition ratio on the properties CZTSSe thin films will be discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.540-548
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• 2016

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (CCP) is a long-standing but re-emerging environmental engineering process for production of self-healing concrete, bioremediation, and long-term storage of CO₂. CCP-capable bacteria, two Bacillus strains (JH3 and JH7) and one Sporosarcina strain (HYO08), were isolated from two samples of concrete and characterized phylogenetically. Calcium carbonate crystals precipitated by the three strains were morphologically distinct according to field emission scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry mapping confirmed biomineralization via extracellular calcium carbonate production. The three strains differed in their physiological characteristics: growth at alkali pH and high NaCl concentrations, and urease activity. Sporosarcina sp. HYO08 and Bacillus sp. JH7 were more alkali- and halotolerant, respectively. Analysis of the community from the same concrete samples using barcoded pyrosequencing revealed that the relative abundance of Bacillus and Sporosarcina species was low, which indicated low culturability of other dominant bacteria. This study suggests that calcium carbonate crystals with different properties can be produced by various CCP-capable strains, and other novel isolates await discovery.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1510-1517
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• 2012

To evaluate the probiotic potential of Bacillus polyfermenticus CJ6 isolated from meju, a Korean traditional soybean fermentation starter, its functionality and safety were investigated. B. polyfermenticus CJ6 was sensitive to all antibiotics listed by the European Food Safety Authority. The strain was also non-hemolytic, carried no emetic toxin or enterotoxin genes, and produced no enterotoxins. The resistance of B. polyfermenticus CJ6 vegetative cells and spores to simulated gastrointestinal conditions was high (60-100% survival rate). B. polyfermenticus CJ6 produced high amounts (0.36 g as a purified lyophilized form) of ${\gamma}$-polyglutamic acid (PGA). We speculate that the improved cell viability and the production of ${\gamma}$-PGA have a significant correlation. Adhesion of the strain to Caco-2 and HT-29 cells was weaker than that of the reference strain (Lb. rhamnosus GG), but it was comparable to or stronger than those of reported Bacillus spp. When B. polyfermenticus CJ6 spores were given orally to mice, the number of cells excreted in the feces was 4-fold higher than the original inocula. This suggests the inoculated spores propagated within the intestinal tract of the mice. This idea was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, which revealed directly that B. polyfermenticus CJ6 cells germinated and adhered within the gastrointestinal tract of mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that B. polyfermenticus CJ6 has probiotic potential for both human consumption and use in animal feeds.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.65-65
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• 2011

Single-well carbon nanotubes (SWNT) have been proposed as a promising candidate for various applications owing to their excellent properties. In particular, their fascinating electrical and mechanical properties could provide a new area for the development of advanced engineering materials. A transparent conductive thin film (TCF) has increased for applications such as liquid crystal displays, touch panels, and flexible displays. Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, which have been traditionally used as the TCFs, have a serious obstacle in TCFs applications. SWNTs are the most appropriate materials for conductive films for displays due to their excellent high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. But, a bundle of CNTs has different electrical properties than their individual counterparts. In this work, the fabrication by the spraying process of transparent SWNT films and reduction of its sheet resistance on PET substrates is researched. Arc-discharge SWNTs were dispersed in deionized water by adding sodum dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant and sonicated, followed by the centrifugation. The dispersed SWNT was spray-coated on PET substrate and dried on a hotplate at $100^{\circ}C$. When the spray process was terminated, the TCF was immersed into deionized water to remove the surfactant and then it was dried on hotplate. The TCF film was then treated with ionic doping treatment, rinsed with deionized water and dried. The surface morphology of TCF was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The sheet resistance and optical transmission properties of the TCF were measured with a four-point probe method and a UV-visible spectrometry, respectively. Results, we show that 97 ${\Omega}$/> sheet resistance can be achieved with 81% transmittance at the wavelength of 550 nm. The changes in electrical and optical conductivity of SWNT film before and after ionic doping treatments were discussed.