• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2071-2078
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• 2024

The precipitation of solutes is a major cause of irradiation hardening and embrittlement limiting the service life of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. Impurities play a significant role in the formation of precipitation in RPV materials. In this study, the effects of carbon on cluster formation and irradiation hardening were investigated in an RPV alloy Fe-1.35Mn-0.75Ni using C and Fe ions irradiation at 290 ℃. Nanoindentation results showed that C ion irradiation led to less hardening below 1.0 dpa, with hardening continuing to increase gradually at higher doses, while it was saturated under Fe ion irradiation. Atom probe tomography revealed a broad size distribution of Ni-Mn clusters under Fe ion irradiation, contrasting a narrower size distribution of small Ni-Mn clusters under C ion irradiation. Further analysis indicated the influence of carbon on the cluster formation, with solute-precipitated defects dominating under C ion irradiation but interstitial clusters dominating under Fe ion irradiation. Simulations suggested that carbon significantly affected solute nucleation, with defect clusters displaying smaller size and higher density as carbon concentration increased. The higher hardening at doses above 1.0 dpa was attributed to a substantial increase in the number density of defect clusters when carbon was present in the matrix.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2019

In this article, the properties of ${CO_2}^+(CO_2)_n$ clusters in a Paul ion trap have been investigated using mass-selective instability mode which conducted by chosen precursor ions, mainly $Ar^+$ and ${CO_2}^+$ produced by a mixture of Ar and $CO_2$. Exposure of ${CO_2}^+$ ions to $CO_2$ molecules, lead to the formation of ${CO_2}^+(CO_2)_n$ clusters. Here, Ar gas react as a buffer gas and lead to form ${CO_2}^+(CO_2)_n$ cluster by collisional effect.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2003

The intracluster ion-molecule reactions of $Ti^+(H_2O)_n,\;Ti^+(CH_3OCH_3)_n,\;and\;Ti^+(CH_3OD)_n$ complexes produced by the mixing of the laser-vaporized plasma and the pulsed supersonic beam were studied using a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The reactions of $Ti^+$ with water clusters were dominated by the dehydrogenation reaction, which produces $TiO^+(H_2O)_n$ clusters. The mass spectra resulting from the reactions of $Ti^+\;with\;CH_3OCH_3$ clusters exhibit a major sequence of $Ti^+(OCH_3)_m(CH_3OCH_3)_n$ cluster ions, which is attributed to the insertion of $Ti^+$ ion into C-O bond of $CH_3OCH_3$ followed by $CH_3$ elimination. The prevalence of $Ti^+(OCH_3)_m(CH_3OD)_n$ ions in the reaction of $Ti^+\;with\;CH_3OD$ clusters suggests that D elimination via O-D bond insertion is the preferred decomposition pathway. In addition, the results indicate that consecutive insertion reactions by the $Ti^+$ ion occur for up to three precursor molecules. Thus, examination of $Ti^+$ insertion into three different molecules establishes the reactivity order: O-H > C-O > C-H. The experiments additionally show that the chemical reactivity of heterocluster ions is greatly influenced by cluster size and argon stagnation pressure. The reaction energetics and formation mechanisms of the observed heterocluster ions are also discussed.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.561-566
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• 2005

Polycrystalline silicon films were deposited using hot wire CVD (HWCVD). The deposition of silicon thin films was approached by the theory of charged clusters (TCC). The TCC states that thin films grow by self-assembly of charged clusters or nanoparticles that have nucleated in the gas phase during the normal thin film process. Negatively charged clusters of a few nanometer in size were captured on a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid and observed by TEM. The negatively charged clusters are believed to have been generated by ion-induced nucleation on negative ions, which are produced by negative surface ionization on a tungsten hot wire. The electric current on the substrate carried by the negatively charged clusters during deposition was measured to be approximately $-2{\mu}A/cm^2$. Silicon thin films were deposited at different $SiH_4$ and $H_2$ gas mixtures and filament temperatures. The crystalline volume fraction, grain size and the growth rate of the films were measured by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The deposit ion behavior of the si1icon thin films was related to properties of the charged clusters, which were in turn controlled by the process conditions. In order to verify the effect of the charged clusters on the growth behavior, three different electric biases of -200 V, 0 V and +25 V were applied to the substrate during the process, The deposition rate at an applied bias of +25 V was greater than that at 0 V and -200 V, which means that the si1icon film deposition was the result of the deposit ion of charged clusters generated in the gas phase. The working pressures had a large effect on the growth rate dependency on the bias appled to the substrate, which indicates that pressure affects the charging ratio of neutral to negatively charged clusters. These results suggest that polycrystalline silicon thin films with high crystalline volume fraction and large grain size can be produced by control1ing the behavior of the charged clusters generated in the gas phase of a normal HWCVD reactor.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.939-943
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• 1996

Reactions that proceed within mixed acetylene-methanol and ethylene-methanol cluster ions were studied using an electron-impact time-of-flight mass spectrometer. When acetylene and methanol seeded in helium are expanded and ionized by electron impact, the ion abundance ratio, [CH3OH+]/[CH2OH+] shows a propensity to increase as the acetylene/methanol mixing ratio increases, indicating that the initially ionized acetylene ion transfers its charge to adjacent methanol molecules within the clusters. Investigations on the relative cluster ion intensity distributions of [CH3OH2+]/[CH3OH+] and [(CH3OH)2H+]/[CH3OH·CH2OH+] under various experimental conditions suggest that hydrogen-atom abstraction reaction of acetylene molecule with CH3OH ion is responsible for the effective formation of CH2OH ion. In ethylene/methanol clusters, the intensity ratio of [CH3OH2]/[CH3OH] increases linearly as the relative concentration of methanol decreases. The prominent ion intensities of (CH3OH)mH over (CH3OH)m-1CH2OH ions (m=1, 2, and 3) at all mixing ratios are also interpreted as a consequence of hydrogen atom transfer reaction between C2H4 and CH3OH to produce the protonated methanol cluster ions.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.468-473
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• 1993

Damages on Si substrate induced by Ar ion implantation and it annealing behavior during rapid thermal annealing were investigated by the cross-sectional TEM (transmissin electron microscopy), RB(Rutherfordbackscattering) spectra an dthermal wave (TW) modulation reflectance methods. Continuous amorphous layer extending to the surface were generated by Ar ion implantation for higher doses than 1 $\times$1015cm-2. The recrystallization of the amorphous layer prodeeded as the annealing temperature increased . However the amorphous /crystal interfacial undulations caused the micro twins and damage clusters. Damage clusters generated by lower doses than 1 $\times$1015 cm-2 disappeared slowly as the annealing temperature increased, but even at 110$0^{\circ}C$ a few damage clusters still remained.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.482-486
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• 1992

Ion-molecule reactions of acetylene and mixed acetylene-ammonia cluster ions are studied using an electron impact time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The present results clearly demonstrate that $(C_2H_2)_n^+$ cluster ion distribution represents a distinct magic number of n=3. The mass spectroscopic evidence for the enhanced structural stabilities of $[C_6H_4{\cdot}(NH_3)_m]^+$ (m=0-8) ions is also found along with the detection of mixed cluster $[(C_2H_2)_n{\cdot}(NH_3)_m]^+$ ions, which gives insight into the feasible structure of solvated ions. This is rationalized on the basis of the structural stability for acetylene clusters and the dissociation dynamics of the complex ion under the presence of solvent molecules.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.309-314
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• 2002

The ablation dynamics and cluster formation of $C_n^+$ ions ejected from 355 nm laser ablation of a graphite target in vacuum are investigated using a reflectron time-of-flight (RTOF) mass spectrometer. At low laser fluence, odd-numbered cluster ions with $3{\leq}n{\leq}15$ are predominantly produced. Increasing the laser fluence shifts the maximum size distribution towards small cluster ions, implying the fragmentation of larger clusters within the hot plume. The temporal evolution of $C_n^+$ ions was measured by varying the delay time of the ion extraction pulse with respect to the laser irradiation, providing significant information on the characteristics of the ablated plume. Above a laser fluence of $0.2J/cm^2$ , large cluster ions ($n{\geq}30$) are produced at relatively long delay times, indicating that atoms or small carbon clusters aggregate during plume propagation. The dependence of the intensity of ablated $C_n^+$ ions on delay time after laser irradiation shows that the most probable velocity of each cluster ion decreases with cluster size.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.306-311
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• 1992

The stable structures of pure ethylene and mixed ethylene-ammonia cluster ions are studied using an electron impact ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Investigations on the relative cluster ion distributions of $(C_2H_4)_n(NH_3)_m^+$ under various experimental conditions suggest that $(C_2H_4)_2(NH_3)_3^+$ and $(C_2H_4)_3(NH_3)_2^+$ ions have the enhanced structural stabilities, which give insight into the feasible structure of solvated ions. For the stable configurations of these ionic species, we report an experimental evidence that both $(C_2H4)_2^+(C_2H_4)_3^+$ clusters as the central cations provide three and two hydrogen-bonding sites, respectively, for the surrounding $NH_3$ molecules. This interpretation is based on the structural stability for ethylene clusters and the intracluster ion-molecular rearrangement of the complex ion under the presence of ammonia solvent molecules.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.228.2-228.2
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• 2015

We have developed a TOF-MEIS system using 70~100 keV He+. A TOF-MEIS system was designed and constructed to minimize the ion beam damage effect by utilizing a pulsed ion beam with a pulse width < 1 ns and a TOF delay-line-detector with an 120 mm diameter and a time resolution of 180 ps. The TOF-MEIS is an useful tool for interfacial analysis of the composition and structure of nano and bio systems. Our recent applications are reported. We investigated the effect with Polyaspartic Acid (pAsp) and Osteocalcin on the initial bone growth of calcium hydroxyl appatite on a carboxyl terminated surface. When pAsp is not added to the self-assembled monolayers of Ca 2mM with Phosphate 1.2 mM, the growth procedure of calcium hydroxyl appatite cannot be monitored due to its rapid growth. When pAsp is added to the SAMs, the initial grow stage of the Ca-P can be monitored so that the chemical composition and their nucleus size can be analyzed. Firstly discovered the existence of 1-nm-sized abnormal calcium-rich clusters (Ca/P ~ 3) comprised of three calcium ions and one phosphate ion. First-principles studies demonstrated that the clusters can be stabilized through the passivation of the non-collagenous-protein mimicking carboxyl-ligands, and it progressively changes their compositional ratio toward that of a bulk phase (Ca/P~1.67) with a concurrent increase in their size to ~2 nm. Moreover, we found that the stoichiometry of the clusters and their growth behavior can be directed by the surrounding proteins, such as osteocalcin.