• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2015

Silver nanowire (AgNW) is a material that is increasingly being used for transparent electrodes, as a substitute for indium tin oxide (ITO), owing to its flexibility, high transmittance to sheet resistance ratio, and simple production process. This study involves manufacturing large-area organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) deposited on AgNW electrodes. We compared the efficiency of OPVs with ITO and AgNW electrodes. The results verified that an OPV with an AgNW electrode performed better than that with an ITO electrode. Furthermore, by using the knife coating method, we successfully fabricated large-area OPVs without the loss of efficiency. Use of AgNW instead of ITO demonstrated that an OPV could be produced on various substrates by the solution process method, dropping the productions costs significantly. Additionally, by using the knife coating method, the process time and amount of wasted solution are reduced. This leads to an increase in the efficient fabrication of the OPV.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.208-212
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• 2013

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have taken much attention due to their low cost and easy fabrication method compare to silicon solar cells. But research on cost effective DSC is prerequisite for commercialization. Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) which have been commonly used for electrode substrate as electron collector occupied most percentage of manufacturing cost. Therefore we studied FTO-less DSC using sputtered Ti deposited glass as photoelectrode instead of FTO to reduce manufacturing cost. Ti films sputtered on the glass for different time, 5 to 20 minutes with decreasing sheet resistance as deposition time increases. A light source illuminated to counter electrode in order to overcome opaque Ti films. The efficiency of DSC (Ti20) made Ti sputtered glass for 20 min as photoelectrode was 5.87%. There are no significant difference with conventional cell despite lower manufacturing cost.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.55-62
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• 2018

There is growing interest in solar power generation due to global warming. As a result, demand for polysilicon, which is the core material for solar cells, is increasing day by day. As the market grows, large and small accidents occurred in the production process. In 2013, hydrochloric acid leaked from the polysilicon manufacturing plant in SangJu. In 2014, a fire occurred at a polysilicon manufacturing plant in Yeosu, and in 2015, STC(Silicon Tetrachloride) leaked at a polysilicon manufacturing plant in Gunsan City. Leakage of chemicals in the polysilicon manufacturing process can affect not only the workplace but also the surrounding area. Therefore, in this study, we identified the hazardous materials used in the polysilicon manufacturing process and quantitatively estimate the amount of leakage and extent of damage when the worst case scenario is applied. As a result, the damage distance by explosion was estimated to be 726 m, and the damage distance to toxicity was estimated to be 4,500 m. And, if TCS(Trichlorosilane), STC(Silicon Tetrachloride), DCS(Dichlorosilane) leaks into the air and reacts with water to generate HCl, the damage distance is predicted to 5.7 km.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.50-53
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• 2009

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were synthesized on different substrates (bare Si and $SiO_2$/Si substrate) to investigate dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications as counter electrode materials. The synthesis of MWNTs samples used identical conditions of a Fe catalyst created by thermal chemical vapor deposition at $900^{\circ}C$. It was found that the diameter of the MWNTs on the Si substrate sample is approximately $5{\sim}10nm$ larger than that of a $SiO_2$/Si substrate sample. Moreover, MWNTs on a Si substrate sample were well-crystallized in terms of their Raman spectrum. In addition, the MWNTs on Si substrate sample show an enhanced redox reaction, as observed through a smaller interface resistance and faster reaction rates in the EIS spectrum. The results show that DSSCs with a MWNT counter electrode on a bare Si substrate sample demonstrate energy conversion efficiency in excess of 1.4 %.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2022

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are environmentally friendly, large-capacity power generation devices operated at approximately 650℃. If MCFCs are to be commercialized by improving their competitiveness, their cell life should be increased by operating them at lower temperatures. However, a decrease in the operating temperature causes a reduction in the cell performance because of the reduction in the electrochemical reaction rate. The cell performance can be improved by introducing a coating on the cathode of the cell. A coating with a high surface area expands the triple phase boundaries (TPBs) where the gas and electrolyte meet on the electrode surface. And the expansion of TPBs enhances the oxygen reduction reaction of the cathode. Therefore, the cell performance can be improved by increasing the reaction area, which can be achieved by coating nanosized LiCoO₂ particles on the cathode. However, although a coating improves the cell performance, a thick coating makes gas difficult to diffuse into the pore of the coating and thus reduces the cell performance. In addition, LiCoO₂-coated cathode cell exhibits stable cell performance because the coating layer maintains a uniform thickness under MCFC operating conditions. Therefore, the performance and stability of MCFCs can be improved by applying a LiCoO₂ coating with an appropriate thickness on the cathode.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.61.1-61.1
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• 2010

$CuIn_{1-x}-GaxSe_2$ based materials with direct bandgap and high absorption coefficient are promising materials for high efficiency hetero-junction solar cells. CIGS champion cell efficiency(19.9%, AM1.5G) is very close to polycrystalline silicon(20.3%, AM1.5G). A reduction in the price of CIGS module is required for competing with well matured silicon technology. Price reduction can be achieved by decreasing the manufacturing cost and by increasing module efficiency. Manufacturing cost is mostly dominated by capital cost. Device properties of CIGS are strongly dependent on doping, defect chemistry and structure which in turn are dependent on growth conditions. The complex chemistry of CIGS is not fully understood to optimize and scale processes. Control of the absorber grain size, structural quality, texture, composition profile in the growth direction is important to achieving reliable device performance. In the present work, CIS nanoparticles were prepared by a simple wet chemical synthesis method and their structural and optical properties were investigated. XRD patterns of as-grown nanopowders indicate CIS(Cubic), $CuSe_2$(orthorhombic) and excess selenium. Further, as-grown and annealed nanopowders were characterized by HRTEM and ICP-OES. Grain growth of the nanopowders was followed as a function of temperature using HT-XRD with overpressure of selenium. It was found that significant grain growth occurred between $300-400^{\circ}C$ accompanied by formation of ${\beta}-Cu_{2-x}Se$ at high temperature($500^{\circ}C$) consistent with Cu-Se phase diagram. The result suggests that grain growth follows VLS mechanism which would be very useful for low temperature, high quality and economic processing of CIGS based solar cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.130-140
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• 2017

It is vital to understand the changing characteristics of interphase microbial communities and interspecies synergism during the fermentation of Chinese liquors. In this study, microbial communities in the three indispensable phases (pit mud, zaopei, and huangshui) of Luzhou-flavored liquor manufacturing pits and their shifts during cellars use were first investigated by polyphasic culture-independent approaches. The archaeal and eubacterial communities in the three phases were quantitatively assessed by combined phospholipid ether lipids/phospholipid fatty acid analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. In addition, qualitative information regarding the microbial community was analyzed by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Results suggested that the interphase microbial community profiles were quite different, and the proportions of specific microbial groups evolved gradually. Anaerobic bacteria and gram-positive bacteria were dominant and their numbers were higher in pit mud ($10^9$ cells/g) than in huangshui ($10^7$ cells/ml) and zaopei ($10^7$ cells/g). Hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea were the dominant archaea, and their proportions were virtually unchanged in pit mud (around 65%), whereas they first increased and then decreased in zaopei (59%-82%-47%) and increased with pit age in huangshui (82%-92%). Interactions between microbial communities, especially between eubacteria and methanogens, played a key role in the formation of favorable niches for liquor fermentation. Furthermore, daqu (an essential saccharifying and fermentative agent) and metabolic regulation parameters greatly affected the microbial community.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Ran is a small GTP-binding protein that binds and subsequently hydrolyzes GTP. The functions of Ran in nuclear transport and mitotic progression are well conserved in plants and animals. In animal cells, stress treatments cause Ran relocalization and slowing of nuclear transport, but the role of Ran proteins in plant cells exposed to stress is still unclear. We have therefore compared Ran genes from three EST libraries construed from different cell types of sweetpotato and the distribution pattern of Ran ESTs differed according to cell type. We further characterized two IbRan genes. IbRan1 is a specific EST to the suspension cells and leaf libraries, and IbRan2 is specific EST to the root library. IbRan1 showed 94.6 % identity with IbRan2 at the amino acid level, but the C-terminal region of IbRan1 differed from that of IbRan2. These two genes showed tissue-specific differential regulation in wounded tissues. Chilling stress induced a similar expression pattern in both IbRan genes in the leaves and petioles, but they were differently regulated in the roots. Hydrogen peroxide treatment highly stimulated IbRan2 mRNA expression in the leaves and petioles, but had no significant effect on IbRan1 gene expression. These results showed that the transcription of these two IbRan genes responds differentially to abiotic stresses and that they are subjected to tissue-specific regulation. Plant Ran-type small G-proteins are a multigenic family, and the characterization of each Ran genes under various environmental stresses will contribute toward our understanding of the distinctive function of each plant Ran isoform.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2019

Objective : Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very serious health problem, usually caused by a trauma and accompanied by elevated levels of inflammation indicators. Stem cell-based therapy is promising some valuable strategies for its functional recovery. Nestin-positive progenitor and/or stem cells (SC) isolated from pancreatic islets (PI) show mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) characteristics. For this reason, we aimed to analyze the effects of rat pancreatic islet derived stem cell (rPI-SC) delivery on functional recovery, as well as the levels of inflammation factors following SCI. Methods : rPI-SCs were isolated, cultured and their MSC characteristics were determined through flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis. The experimental rat population was divided into three groups : 1) laminectomy & trauma, 2) laminectomy & trauma & phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and 3) laminectomy+trauma+SCs. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) labelled rPI-SCs were transplanted into the injured rat spinal cord. Their motilities were evaluated with Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) Score. After 4-weeks, spinal cord sections were analyzed for GFP labeled SCs and stained for vimentin, $S100{\beta}$, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proinflammatory (interleukin [IL]-6, transforming growth factor $[TGF]-{\beta}$, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-2, myeloperoxidase [MPO]) and anti-inflammatory (IL-1 receptor antagonis) factors. Results : rPI-SCs were revealed to display MSC characteristics and express neural and glial cell markers including BDNF, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), fibronectin, microtubule associated protein-2a,b (MAP2a,b), ${\beta}3$-tubulin and nestin as well as anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 receptor, EP3. The BBB scores showed significant motor recovery in group 3. GFP-labelled cells were localized on the injury site. In addition, decreased proinflammatory factor levels and increased intensity of anti-inflammatory factors were determined. Conclusion : Transplantation of PI-SCs might be an effective strategy to improve functional recovery following spinal cord trauma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.29-36
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• 2019

In modern society in which the fourth industrial revolution has come to the fore and rapid technology innovations are taking place, a phenomenon of making and selling small quantities of various products that consumers want instead of mass producing one item has emerged. As the market is moving toward the multi-item small-sized production system, there is a need for a system in which a machine independently judges and carries out machining and post-processing. In order for a machine to judge processing on its own, it is necessary to measure the force applied to a product. This study aimed to develop a large-scale dynamometer that enables three-axis measurement using octagonal ring load cells. As for the device's configuration, four octagonal ring load cells, which were previously researched, were used to enable three-axis measurement. It was reconfigured by modifying the attachment position of the octagonal ring load cells' strain gauge and the Wheatstone bridge of each axis, and a system was set up to allow the monitoring of data measured through the monitor. The configured device calculated a strain rate by an experiment, and this rate was compared with the theoretical strain rate to find a correction value. The correction value was entered into a formula, deriving a modified formula. The modified formula was entered into the device, which completed the large-scale dynamometer.