• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.74-81
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• 2021

Silicon (Si) is recognized as a promising anode material for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, under a condition of electrode comparable to commercial graphite anodes with low binder content and a high electrode density, the practical use of Si is limited due to the huge volume change associated with Si-Li alloying/de-alloying. Here, we report a novel core-shell composite, having a reversible capacity of ~ 500 mAh g-1, by forming a shell composed of a mixture of nano-Si, graphite nanosheets and a pitch carbon on a spherical natural graphite particle. The electrochemical measurements are performed using electrodes with 2 wt % styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and 2 wt.% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder in an electrode density of ~ 1.6 g cm-3. The core-shell composites having the reversible capacity of 478 mAh g-1 shows the outstanding capacity retention of 99% after 100 cycles with the initial coulombic efficiency of 90%. The heterostructure of core-shell composites appears to be very effective in buffering the volume change of Si during cycling.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.257-262
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• 2020

Two-dimensional (2D) metal organic framework (MOF) nanosheets (NSs) have recently gained considerable interest owing to their structural advantages, such as large surface area and exposed active sites. Two different types of 2D MOF NSs have been reported, including inherently layered MOFs and non-layered ones. Although several studies on inherently layered 2D MOFs have been reported, non-layered 2D MOFs have been rarely studied. This may be because the non-layered MOFs have a strong preference to form three-dimensionality intrinsically. Furthermore, the non-layered MOFs are typically synthesized in the presence of the surfactant or modulator, and thus developing facile and clean synthetic routes is highly pursued. In this study, a facile and clean synthetic methodology to grow non-layered 2D cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) NSs is suggested, without using any surfactant and modulator at room temperature. This is achieved by directly converting ultrathin α-Co(OH)2 layered hydroxide salt (LHS) NSs into non-layered 2D ZIF-67 NSs. The comprehensive characterizations were conducted to elucidate the conversion mechanism, structural information, thermal stability, and chemical composition of the non-layered 2D ZIF-67. This facile and clean approach could produce a variety of non-layered 2D MOF NS families to extend potential applications of MOF materials.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.376-380
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• 2021

The accurate detection of hydrogen gas molecules is considered to be important for industrial safety. However, the selective detection of the gas using semiconductive metal oxides (SMOs)-based sensors is challenging. Here, we describe the fabrication of H₂ sensors in which a nanocellulose/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid membrane is attached to SnO₂ nanosheets (NSs). One-dimensional (1D) nanocellulose fibrils are attached to the surface of GO NSs (GONC membrane) by mixing GO and nanocellulose in a solution. The as-prepared GONC membrane is employed as a sacrificial template for SnO₂ NSs as well as a molecular sieving membrane for selective H₂ filtration. The combination of GONC membrane and SnO₂ NSs showed substantial selectivity to hydrogen gas (R_air / R_gas > 10 @ 0.8 % H₂, 100 ℃) with noise level responses to interfering gases (H₂S, CO, CH₃COCH₃, C₂H₅OH, and NO₂). These remarkable sensing results are attributed mainly to the molecular sieving effect of the GONC membrane. These results can facilitate the development of a highly selective H₂ detector using SMO sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.51-54
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• 2022

The physical properties of the noble metal current-collector used for fuel cells are greatly influenced by the material porosity. Therefore, increasing the porosity of the material studies has attracted much attention. One of the most representative strategies is to use porosity additives in sintering materials. The conventional porosity additive had a threedimensional structure of a spherical powder. In this study, porosity additive with 2-dimensional (2D) nanosheet was used to decrease the sintering density of Ag current-collector and its effect was confirmed. As a 2D layered structure material, 1 nm-thick RuO₂ nanosheets were used as porosity additives.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2013

We have successfully synthesized $Bi_{4-x}La_xTi_3O_{12}$ (x~2) having Aurivillius-type layered perovskite structure from exfoliated layered perovskite oxide of $K_2La_2Ti_3O_{10}$ with Ruddlesden-Popper structure. The reaction between the exfoliated lanthanum titanate nanosheets and BiOCl nanocrystal resulted in the formation of polycrystalline $Bi_{4-x}La_xTi_3O_{12}$ (x~2) after heating above $700^{\circ}C$. Colloidal suspension of the nanosheets could be obtained by intercalating ethylamine (EA) into the protonated lanthanum titanate, $H_2La_2Ti_3O_{10}$, derived from $K_2La_2Ti_3O_{10}$. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis show that the exfoliated lanthanium titanate nanosheets have a thickness of a few nano meters. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, the exfoliated lanthanium titanate was found to be transformed into $Bi_{4-x}La_xTi_3O_{12}$ (x~2) after restacking with BiOCl and subsequent thermal treatment at > $700^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2017

Graphene-based materials have been considered as a promising membrane material, due to its easy processability and atomic thickness. In this study, we studied on gas permeation behavior in few-layered GO membranes prepared by spin-coating method. The GO membrane structures were varied by using different GO flake sizes and GO solutions at various pH levels. The GO membranes prepared small flake size show more permeable and selective gas separation properties than large one due to shortening tortuosity. Also gas transport behaviors of the GO membranes are sensitive to slit width for gas diffusion because the pore size of GO membranes ranged from molecular sieving to Knudsen diffusion area. In particular, due to the narrow pore size of GO membranes and highly $CO_2$-philic properties of GO nanosheets, few-layered GO membranes exhibit ultrafast and $CO_2$ selective character in comparison with other gas molecules, which lead to outstanding $CO_2$ capture properties such as $CO_2/H_2$, $CO_2/CH_4$, and $CO_2/N_2$. This unusual gas transport through multi-layered GO nanosheets can explain a unique transport mechanism followed by an adsorption-facilitated diffusion behavior (i.e., surface diffusion mechanism). These findings provide the great insights for designing $CO_2$-selective membrane materials and the practical guidelines for gas transports through slit-like pores and lamellar structures.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.265-268
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• 2022

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.211-216
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• 2010

$(NH_4)_{0.3}V_2O_5$ nanorods and $V_2O_5$ nanosheets have been synthesized by the reaction of $V_2O_5$ gel via homogeneous precipitation process employing urea and formic acid. The electrochemical and chemical characteristics of these nanomaterials have been investigated using TGA, SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and LSV. The interlayer distance of $(NH_4)_{0.3}V_2O_5$ was about $10.7{\AA}$, and that of $V_2O_5$ synthesized by using formic acid was $14.2{\AA}$. The surface morphology of $(NH_4)_{0.3}V_2O_5$ and $V_2O_5$ showed features that looked like nanorods and nanosheets, respectively. Specific capacity of $(NH_4)_{0.3}V_2O_5$ nanorods prepared at $95^{\circ}C$ was at least 280 mAh/g at 10 mA/g discharge rate.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.565-569
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• 2015

Envisaging the role of Co in theranautics and biomedicine it is immensely important to evaluate its antimicrobial activity. Hence in this study CoO thin nanosheets (CoO-TNs) were synthesized using wet chemical solution method at a very low refluxing temperature ($90^{\circ}C$) and short time (60 min). Scanning electron microscopy of the grown structure revealed microflowers ($2{\sim}3{\mu}m$) composed of thin sheets petals (60~80 nm). The thickness of each individual grown sheet varies from 10~20 nm. Antimicrobial activities of CoO-TNs against two Gram positive bacteria (Micrococcus luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus), and two Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were determined. A 98% and 65% growth inhibition of M. luteus and S. aureus respectively, was observed with $500{\mu}g/ml$ of CoO-TNs compared to 39 and 34% growth inhibition of E. coli and P. aeruginosa, respectively with the same concentration of CoO-TNs. Hence, synthesized CoO-TNs exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram negative bacteria and an invariably higher activity against tested Gram positive bacteria. Therefore, synthesized CoO-TNs are less prone to microbial infections.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.60-60
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• 2015

Nanosheets of graphene and related 2D materials have attracted much attention due to excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Single-layer graphene (SLG) was first synthesized by Blakely et al in 1974 [1]. Following his achievements, we initiated the growth and characterization of graphene and h-BN on metal substrates using surface segregation and precipitation in 1980s [2,3]. There are three important steps for nanosheet growth; surface segregation of dopants, surface reaction for monolayer phase, and subsequent 3-D growth (surface precipitation). Surface phase transition was clearly demonstrated on C-doped Ni(111) by in situ XPS at elevated temperatures [4]. The growth mode was clarified by inelastic background analysis [5]. The surface segregation approach has been applied to C-doped Pt(111) and Pd(111), and controllable growth of SLG has been demonstrated successfully [6]. Recently we proposed a promising method for producing SLG fully covering an entire substrate using Ni films deposited on graphite substrates [7]. A universal method for layer counting has been proposed [8]. In this paper, we will focus on the effect of competitive surface-site occupation between carbon and other surface-active impurities on the graphene growth. It is known that S is a typical impurity of metals and the most surface-active element. The surface sites shall be occupied by S through surface segregation. In the case of Ni(110), it is confirmed by AES and STM that the available surface sites is nearly occupied by S with a centered $2{\times}2$ arrangement. When Ni(110) is doped with C, surface segregation of C may be interfered by surface active elements like S. In this case, nanoscopic characterization has discovered a preferred directional growth of SLG, exhibiting a square-like shape (Fig. 1). Also the detailed characterization methodologies for graphene and h-BN nanosheets, including AFM, STM, KPFM, AES, HIM and XPS shall be discussed.