• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.208-213
• /
• 2019

In this study, lanthanum oxide ($La_2O_3$) dispersed molybdenum ($Mo-La_2O_3$) alloys are fabricated using lanthanum nitrate solution and nanosized Mo particles produced by hydrogen reduction of molybdenum oxide. The effect of $La_2O_3$ dispersion in a Mo matrix on the fracture toughness at room temperature is demonstrated through the formation behavior of $La_2O_3$ from the precursor and three-point bending test using a single-edge notched bend specimen. The relative density of the $Mo-0.3La_2O_3$ specimen sintered by pressureless sintering is approximately 99%, and $La_2O_3$ with a size of hundreds of nanometers is uniformly distributed in the Mo matrix. It is also confirmed that the fracture toughness is $19.46MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, an improvement of approximately 40% over the fracture toughness of $13.50MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ on a pure-Mo specimen without $La_2O_3$, and this difference in the fracture toughness occurs because of the changes in fracture mode of the Mo matrix caused by the dispersion of $La_2O_3$.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.247-251
• /
• 2022

This study demonstrates the effect of the compaction pressure on the microstructure and properties of pressureless-sintered W bodies. W powders are synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and hydrogen reduction using ammonium metatungstate hydrate as a precursor. Microstructural investigation reveals that a spherical powder in the form of agglomerated nanosized W particles is successfully synthesized. The W powder synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis exhibits a relative density of approximately 94% regardless of the compaction pressure, whereas the commercial powder exhibits a relative density of 64% under the same sintering conditions. This change in the relative density of the sintered compact can be explained by the difference in the sizes of the raw powder and the densities of the compacted green body. The grain size increases as the compaction pressure increases, and the sintered compact uniaxially pressed to 50 MPa and then isostatically pressed to 300 MPa exhibits a size of 0.71 m. The Vickers hardness of the sintered W exhibits a high value of 4.7 GPa, mainly due to grain refinement.

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

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.247-253
• /
• 2009

Porous silicon films are electrochemically etched from crystalline silicon wafers in an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid(HF). Careful control of etching conditions (current density, etch time, HF concentration) provides films with precise, reproducible physical parameters (morphology, porosity and thickness). The etched pattern could be varied due to (1) current density controls pore size (2) etching time determines depth and (3) complex layered structures can be made using different current profiles (square wave, triangle, sinusoidal etc.). The optical interference spectrum from Fabry-Perot layer has been used for forensic applications, where changes in the optical reflectivity spectrum confirm the identity. We will explore a method of identifying the specific pattern code and can be used for identities of individual code with porous silicon based encoded nanosized smart particles.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.85-94
• /
• 2010

Color stable hydrogenated bisphenol-A (HBA) epoxy adhesives containing organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites were prepared and investigated the properties. Isophorone-diamine (IPDA) was used as a hardener and polyhedral organomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS; EP0408 and EP0409) having epoxy function groups were used to tailor adhesives in the nanoscale range. The dependence of the concentration of different nano materials were studied since the large surface area of the nanosized particles can cause significant changes in properties of adhesives. HBA-IPDA adhesives containing different amount of nanomaterials have been applied to the fresh Namsan granite and compared with those of commercial adhesives, which have problems of color change as well as a high viscosity. The mechanical properties of HBA-IPDA containing POSSs are consistent with those of commercial adhesives in addition to the low viscosity.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.301-310
• /
• 2014

In this study, the silica nanoparticles were considerably chosen to improve a dimensional stability, proton transport and electrochemical performance of the resulting inorganic-organic nanocomposite membranes. For this purpose, hydrophobic silica (Aerosil$^{(R)}$ 812, Degussa) and hydrophilic silica (Aerosil$^{(R)}$ 380, Degussa) nanoparticles were, respectively, introduced into a Sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPAES) polymer matrix. The $SiO_2$ particles are evenly dispersed in a SPAES matrix by the aid of a non-ionic surfactant (Pluronics$^{(R)}$ L64). A $SiO_2$ content plays an important role in membrane microstructures and membrane properties such as proton conductivity and water uptake. Therefore, to study nanocomposite membranes with excessive amount of silica, the content of silica nanoparticles were increased up to 5 wt%. Interestingly, a hydrophobic $SiO_2$ containing nanocomposite membrane showed better electrochemical performance (29% higher than pristine SPAES) despite of low proton conductivity due to its adhesive properties with a catalyst layer in a single cell test. All the silica-SPAES membranes exhibited better performance than a pristine SPAES membrane.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.39 no.7
• /
• pp.704-709
• /
• 2002

To improve the mechanical properties of $Al_2$O$_3$/ZrO$_2$composites, the homogeneous dispersion of ultra low size ZrO$_2$ particles in $Al_2$O$_3$ceramics have been controlled by coprecipitation method. In case of mechanical mixing of ZrO$_2$ powders with $Al_2$O$_3$, homogeneous dispersion and controlling the ZrO$_2$ size were relatively difficult due to high sintering temperature. So nanosized Zr hydroxide was coprecipitated from ZrOCl$_2$/Y(NO$_3$)$_3$ solution with commercial sub-micron sized $\alpha$-alumina (Sumitomo : AES-11(0.4 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$)) and high purity ultra low sized $\alpha$-alumina (Taimei Chemical (0.22 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$)) for low temperature sintering. By this partial coprecipitation method, relatively low sized ZrO$_2$ dispersion in $Al_2$O$_3$/ZrO$_2$ composites was achieved at 150$0^{\circ}C$-1$600^{\circ}C$ of sintering temperature range and their mechanical properties were measured.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.111-126
• /
• 2024

During the clinkering stages of cement production, the chemical composition of fine raw materials such as limestone and clay, which include iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), significantly influences the quality of the final product. Specifically, the chemical interaction of Fe₂O₃ with CaO, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ during clinkerisation plays a key role in determining the chemical reactivity and overall quality of the final cement, shaping the properties of the concrete produced. As an extension, this study aims to investigate the physical effects of incorporating nanosized Fe₂O₃ particles as fillers in concrete matrices, and their impact on concrete structures, namely slabs. To accurately model the reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, a refined trigonometric shear deformation theory (RTSDT) is used. Additionally, the stochastic Eshelby's homogenization approach is employed to determine the thermoelastic properties of nano-Fe₂O₃ infused concrete slabs. To ensure comprehensive coverage in the study, the RC slabs undergo various mechanical loads and are exposed to temperature fields to assess their thermo-mechanical performance. Furthermore, the slabs are assumed to rest on a three-parameter viscoelastic foundation, comprising the Winkler elastic springs, Pasternak shear layer and a damping parameter. The equilibrium governing equations of the system are derived using the principle of virtual work and subsequently solved using Navier's technique. The findings indicate that while ferric oxide nanoparticles enhance the mechanical properties of concrete against mechanical loading, they have less favorable effects on its performance against thermal exposure. However, the viscoelastic foundation contributes to mitigating these effects, improving the concrete's overall performance in both scenarios. These results highlight the trade-offs between mechanical and thermal performance when using Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in concrete and underscore the importance of optimizing nanoparticle content and loading conditions to improve the structural performance of concrete structures.