• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.282-291
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• 2022

Background: The Arctic permafrost stores enormous amount of carbon (C), about one third of global C stocks. However, drastically increasing temperature in the Arctic makes the stable frozen C stock vulnerable to microbial decomposition. The released carbon dioxide from permafrost can cause accelerating C feedback to the atmosphere. Soil organic matter (SOM) composition would be the basic information to project the trajectory of C under rapidly changing climate. However, not many studies on SOM characterization have been done compared to quantification of SOM stocks. Thus, the purpose of our study is to determine soil properties and molecular compositions of SOM in four different Arctic regions. We collected soils in different soil layers from 1) Cambridge Bay, Canada, 2) Council, Alaska, USA, 3) Svalbard, Norway, and 4) Zackenberg, Greenland. The basic soil properties were measured, and the molecular composition of SOM was analyzed through pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS). Results: The Oi layer of soil in Council, Alaska showed the lowest soil pH and the highest electrical conductivity (EC) and SOM content. All soils in each site showed increasing pH and decreasing SOC and EC values with soil depth. Since the Council site was moist acidic tundra compared to other three dry tundra sites, soil properties were distinct from the others: high SOM and EC, and low pH. Through the py-GC/MS analysis, a total of 117 pyrolysis products were detected from 32 soil samples of four different Arctic soils. The first two-axis of the PCA explained 38% of sample variation. While short- and mid-hydrocarbons were associated with mineral layers, lignins and polysaccharides were linked to organic layers of Alaska and Cambridge Bay soil. Conclusions: We conclude that the py-GC/MS results separated soil samples mainly based on the origin of SOM (plants- or microbially-derived). This molecular characteristics of SOM can play a role of controlling SOM degradation to warming. Thus, it should be further investigated how the SOM molecular characteristics have impacts on SOM dynamics through additional laboratory incubation studies and microbial decomposition measurements in the field.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.629-641
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• 2022

This research was conducted to secure fundamental data for development of a recirculating hydroponic system. To achieve this, Lycopersicum esculentum var. 'Dafnis' and 'TY Tiny' were grown with Yamazaki hydroponic solution and the inorganic element concentrations of plant leaves and nutrient solution of supplied and drained were analyzed periodically. The T-N and P contents in both varieties of tomato leaves showed gradual decreasing tendencies with the passage of time. The 'TY Tiny' tomato had higher contents of those two nutrients than 'Dafnis' tomato in the late stage. The K content of 'Dafnis' tomato was high in the early growth stage, but low in the late stage. However, that of 'TY Tiny' tomatoes rose in the late stage. The Ca content gradually increased in both varieties of tomato in the latter stages. The EC of the drained nutrient solution in both varieties of tomato showed increasing tendencies as time had passed, but the pH was get lowered in the drained solution. The concentrations of NO₃-N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, and B, except PO₄-P in the drained nutrient solution were generally higher than those in the supplied solution, especially in the period of October through December. The above results can be used for controlling of nutrient concentrations in the recirculated hydroponic cultivation of tomato.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.407-415
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• 2022

Surface coating of cathodes is an essential process for all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) based on sulfide electrolytes as it efficiently suppresses interfacial reactions between oxide cathodes and sulfide electrolytes. Based on computational calculations, Li₃PO₄ has been suggested as a promising coating material because of its higher stability with sulfides and its optimal ionic conductivity. However, it has hardly been applied to the coating of ASSBs due to the absence of a suitable coating process, including the selection of source material that is compatible with ASSBs. In this study, polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and (NH₄)₂HPO₄ were used as source materials for preparing a Li₃PO₄ coating for ASSBs, and the properties of the coating layer and coated cathodes were compared. The Li₃PO₄ layer fabricated using the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source was rough and inhomogeneous, which is not suitable for the protection of the cathodes. Moreover, the water-based coating solution with the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source can deteriorate the electrochemical performance of high-Ni cathodes that are vulnerable to water. In contrast, when an alcohol-based solvent was used, the PPA source enabled the formation of a thin and homogeneous coating layer on the cathode surface. As a consequence, the ASSBs containing the Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the PPA source exhibited significantly enhanced discharge and rate capabilities compared to ASSBs containing a pristine cathode or Li₃PO₄-coated cathode prepared by the (NH₄)₂HPO₄ source.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.406-411
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• 2021

PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cells generate only water as a by-product, and thus are in the spotlight as an eco-friendly energy source. Among the various components composing the stack of the fuel cell, research on the bipolar plate that determines the efficiency of the fuel cell is being actively conducted. The composite bipolar plate has high strength, rigidity and corrosion resistance, but has the disadvantage of having a relatively low electrical conductivity. In this study, to overcome these shortcomings, a gas diffusion layer (GDL)-composite bipolar plate assembly was developed and its performance was experimentally verified. The graphite foil coating method developed in the previous study was applied to reduce the contact resistance between the bipolar plate and the GDL. In addition, in order to improve electron path in the stack and minimize the contact resistance between the GDL and the bipolar plate, a GDL-bipolar plate assembly was fabricated using a thin metal foil. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the developed GDL-bipolar plate assembly had 98% lower electrical resistance compared to the conventional composite bipolar plate.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2022

Recent advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) and energy harvesting technology enable realization of flexible thermoelectric energy harvester (f-TEH), with technological prowess for use in biomedical monitoring system integrated applications. To expand a flexible thermoelectric energy harvesting platform, the f-TEH must be required for optimized flexible thermoelectric materials and device structure. In response to these demands related to thermoelectric energy harvesting, many research groups have investigated various f-TEHs applied as a power source for wearable electronics. As a key member of the f-TEH, film-based f-TEHs possess significant applicability in research to realize self-powered wearable electronics, owing to their excellent flexibility, low thermal conductivity, and convenient fabrication process. Thus, based on the rapid growth of thermoelectric film technology, this review aims to overview comprehensively the f-TEH made of various inorganic/organic thermoelectric materials including developed fabrication methods, high thermoelectric performance, and wide-range applications.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2023

Silicon has been studied as an anode material for next-generation lithium ion batteries due to its high theoretical electrochemical capacity. However, the extreme volume change during the lithiation/delithiation and the inherently low electronic conductivity of silicon hamper the practical application of silicon anodes. Conductive polymer binders are effective means to solve these problems, and it has been reported that the performance of the silicon anode can be greatly improved through the proper molecular design of the conductive polymer binders. In this paper, representative recent studies on conductive polymer binders for silicon anodes will be introduced, and through this, binder design strategies to overcome the limitations of silicon anodes will be explored.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2009

Mechanical and electrical properties of silver stabilizer layer of coated conductor, which as prepared with nano silver paste as starting materials, have been investigated, Nano silver paste was coated on a YBCO film by dip coating process at a diping speed of 20m/min. Coated film was dried in air and heat treated at $400{\sim}700^{\circ}C$ in an oxygen atmosphere. Adhesion strength between YBCO and silver layer was measured by a tape est(ASTM D 3359). Hardness and electrical conductivity of the samples were measured by pencil hardness test (ASTM D 3363) and volume resistance test by LORESTA-GP (MITSHUBISHD, respectively. The sample heat-treated at $500^{\circ}C$ showed poor adhesion 1B, but samples heat treated at higher than $600^{\circ}C$ showed enhanced adhesion of 5B. The silver layer heat-treated at $700^{\circ}C$ showed the high hardness value larger than 9 H, low volume resistance, surface resistance value as well as superior current carrying capacity compared to sputtered silver. SEM observations showed that a dense silver layer was formed with a thickness of about $2{\mu}m$. Dip coated silver layer prepared by using nano silver paste showed superior electrical and mechanical characteristics.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2023

The effective detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is considerably important for the clinical diagnosis of both of early pregnancy and nonpregnancy-related diseases. In this work, a simple and sensitive electrochemical sandwich-type immunosensing platform was designed by synthesizing b-cyclodextrin (CD) functionalized graphene (CD/GN) hybrid as simultaneously sensing platform and signal transducer coupled with rhodamine b (RhB) as probe. In brief, GN offers large surface area and high conductivity, while CD exhibits superior host-guest recognition capability, thus the primary antibody (Ab1) of HCG can be bound into the cavities of CD/GN to form stable Ab1/CD/GN inclusion complex; meanwhile, the secondary antibody (Ab2) and RhB can also enter into the cavities, producing RhB/Ab2/CD/GN complex. Then, by using Ab1/CD/GN as sensing platform and RhB/Ab2/CD/GN as signal transducer (in which RhB was signal probe), a simple sandwich-type immunosensor was constructed. Under the optimum parameters, the designed immunosensor exhibited a considerable low analytical detection of 1.0 pg mL^-1 and a wide linearity of 0.002 to 10.0 ng mL^-1 for HCG, revealing the developed sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensing platform offered potential real applications for the determination of HCG.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2023

In this research, The basic physical properties and EMP shielding performance by thickness were evaluated for optimum composition of EMP shield concrete that can be applied on-site by mixing carbon-based materials with high conductivity into concrete that uses electric furnace oxidized slag (EOS). As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that the slump decreased as the amount of mixed carbon fib er (CF) increased, and increased when milled carb on (MCF) was mixed. As for the compressive strength, it was confirmed that EOS enhanced the strength compared to NA, and it was confirmed that the strength decreased when CF and MCF were mixed. As the thickness of the EMP shielding measurement increases, the shielding rate increases, and it was confirmed that the type of conductive material and the thickness of the test specimen have a greater influence on the shielding rate than the Amount of conductive material added. As a result of a comparative evaluation, EOS CF 0.2 is considered suitable for EMP shield concrete formulation.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.101-106
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• 2009

In this study we analyzed the seepage characteristics of meandering section of rivers commonly seen in domestic terrain. The seepage analysis is designed to be more realistic by considering a tangent and meandering section of levee. The levee was idealized to reflect the relevant characteristics by considering the curved angle of 90 degrees and 130 degrees in the spatial frequencies, water elevation conditions, and hydraulic conductivities. Seepage analysis becomes more detailed and precise with the seepage curve shape which is interpreted to indicate the flow of three-dimensional numerical analysis program using VisualFEA. As a result of the analysis, it is shown that the water level in the straight levee was constant, regardless of hydraulic conductivities, and the total head in the meandering section was increased by the overlapping of seepage. Consequently, it is found that the total head was increased more significantly in the case of 90 degrees curved levees than 130 degrees, and the total head showed similar characteristics In the straight levee.