• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.65-65
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• 2011

We report the application of conducting metal oxide electrodes for semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors. Pt interdigitated electrodes have been commonly used for metal oxide gas sensor because of the low resistivity, excellent thermal and chemical stability of Pt. However, the high cost of Pt is an obstacle for the wide use of metal oxide gas sensors compared with its counterpart electrochemical gas sensors. Meanwhile, relatively low-cost conducting metal oxides are widely being used for light-emitting diodes, flat panel displays, solar cell and etc. In this work, we have fabricated $WO_3$ and $SnO_2$ thin film gas sensors using interdigitated electrodes of conducting metal oxides. Thin film gas sensors based on conducting metal oxides exhibited superior gas sensing properties than those using Pt interdigitated electrodes. The result was attributed to the low contact resistance between the conducting metal oxide and the sensing material. Consequently, we demonstrated the feasibility of conducting metal oxide interdigitated electrodes for novel gas sensors.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2024

Metal-oxide-based semiconductor gas sensors are widely used because of their advantages, such as high response and simple sensing mechanism. Recently, with the rapid progress in sensor networks, computing power, and microsystem technology, sensor applications are expanding to various fields, such as food quality control, environmental monitoring, healthcare, and artificial olfaction. Therefore, the development of highly selective gas sensors is crucial for practical applications. This article reviews the developments in novel sensor design consisting of sensing films and physical and chemical filters for highly selective gas sensing. Unlike conventional sensors, the sensor structures with filters can separate the sensing and catalytic reactions into independent processes, enabling selective and sensitive gas sensing. The main objectives of this study are directed at introducing the role of various filters in gas-sensing reactions and promising sensor applications. The highly selective gas sensors combined with a functional filter can open new pathways toward the advancement of high-performance gas sensors and electronic noses.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.366-379
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• 2017

Nanostructured materials have attracted considerable research interest over the recent decades because of their potential applications in nanoengineering and nanotechnology. On the other hand, the developments in nanotechnology are strongly dependent on the availability of new materials with novel and engineered morphologies. Among the novel nanomaterials reported thus far, composite nanofibers (NFs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years. In particular, metal oxide NFs have great potential for the development of gas sensors. Highly sensitive and selective gas sensors can be developed by using composite NFs owing to their large surface area and abundance of grain boundaries. In composite NFs, gas sensing properties can be enhanced greatly by tailoring the conduction channel and surface properties by compositional modifications using the synergistic effects of different materials and forming heterointerfaces. This review focuses on the gas sensing properties of composite NFs synthesized by an electrospinning (ES) method. The synthesis of the composite NFs by the ES method and the sensing mechanisms involved in different types of composite NFs are presented along with the future perspectives of composite NFs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Ceranic Society Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.98.2-98.2
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.4-4
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• 2011

Extensive research efforts are directed toward the development of highly sensitive gas sensors using novel nanostructured materials. Among the different strategies for producing sensor devices based on nanosized building blocks, polymeric fiber templating approach which is combined by chemical and physical synthesis routes was attracted much attention. This unique morphology increases the surface area and reduces the interfacial area between film and substrate. Consequently, the surface activity is markedly enhanced while deleterious interfacial effects between film and substrate are significantly reduced. Both effects are highly advantageous for gas sensing applications. In this presentation, facile synthesis of hollow and porous metal oxide nanostructures and their applications in chemical sensors will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.237-242
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• 2012

We report on the NO gas sensing properties of Al-doped zinc oxide-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) wire-like layered composites fabricated by coaxially coating Al-doped ZnO thin films on randomly oriented single-walled carbon nanotubes. We were able to wrap thin ZnO layers around the CNTs using the pulsed laser deposition method, forming wire-like nanostructures of ZnO-CNT. Microstructural observations revealed an ultrathin wire-like structure with a diameter of several tens of nm. Gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites were found to exhibit a novel sensing capability that originated from the genuine characteristics of the composites. Specifically, it was observed by measured gas sensing characteristics that the gas sensors based on ZnO-CNT layered composites showed a very high sensitivity of above 1,500% for NO gas in dry air at an optimal operating temperature of $200^{\circ}C$; the sensors also showed a low NO gas detection limit at a sub-ppm level in dry air. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT wire-like layered composites are ascribed to a catalytic effect of Al elements on the surface reaction and an increase in the effective surface reaction area of the active ZnO layer due to the coating of CNT templates with a higher surface-to-volume ratio structure. These results suggest that ZnO-CNT composites made of ultrathin Al-doped ZnO layers uniformly coated around carbon nanotubes can be promising materials for use in practical high-performance NO gas sensors.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.389-396
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• 2022

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) based sensors are used for various applications owing to advantages such as excellent accuracy and precision, rapid response, and tiny footprint. Traditional applications of QCM-based sensors include biological sensing and thin-film thickness monitoring. Recently, QCMs have been used as functional material for novel physical and chemical detections, and with improved device design. QCM-based sensors are garnering considerable attention in particulate matter sensing and electric nose application. This review covers the challenges and solutions in physical, chemical, and biological sensing applications. First, various physical sensing applications are introduced. Secondly, the toxic gas and chemical detection studies are outlined, focusing on introducing a coating method for uniform sensing film and sensing materials for a minimal damping effect. Lastly, the biological and medical sensing applications, which use the monomolecularly decorating method for biomolecule recognition and a brief description of the overall measuring system, are also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.128-135
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• 2012

In this paper, we proposed a system and a scenario to raise efficiency of gas safety management by developing wireless ZigBee communication modules, smart-home gas safety appliances and the system suitable for gas safety. Our designed system consists of a micom gas meter, an automatic extinguisher, sensors, and a wall-pad. A micom-gas-meter monitors gas flow, gas pressure, and earthquake. An automatic fire extinguisher checks combustible gas leaks and temperature of $100^{\circ}C$(cut off) and $130^{\circ}C$(fire). Sensors measure smoke and CO gas. In our novel system, a micom-gas meter cut off inner valve with warnings, an automatic fire extinguisher cut off middle valve and spray extinguishing materials, and sensors generate signals when detecting smoke and CO and then take a next action. Gas safety appliances and sensors automatically takes measures, and transmit those information to a wall-pad. The wall-pad again transmits real time information to server. Users can check and manage gas safety situations by connecting BcN server through web or mobile application. We hereby devised scenarios for gas safety and risk management based on the smart, and demonstrated their efficiency through test applied to filed.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.13-20
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• 2011

In this paper, we proposed a system to raise gas safety management by using the wireless communication module and intelligent gas safety appliances. Our designed systems configure a micom-gas meter, an automatic extinguisher, sensors, and a wallpad. A micom-gas-meter monitors gas flow, gas pressure, and earthquake. An automatic fire extinguisher checks gas(combustible) leaks and temperature of $100^{\circ}C$ and $130^{\circ}C$. Sensors measure smoke and CO gas. In our novel system, a micom-gas meter cut off inner valve with warnings, an automatic fire extinguisher cut off middle valve and spray extinguishing materials, and sensors generate signals for smoke and CO when occurring gas risk. Gas safety appliances and sensors takes safety measures, and transmit those signal to a wallpad. The wallpad again transmit signal like events to a control server. Users can connect web pages for gas safety through B-ISDN and control and manage them. We hereby devised scenarios for gas safety and risk management, and demonstrated their effectiveness through experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.222-222
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• 2012

Metal oxide gas sensors based on semiconductor type have attracted a great deal of attention due to their low cost, flexible production and simple usability. However, most works have been focused on n-type oxides, while the characteristics of p-type oxide gas sensors have been barely studied. An investigation on p-type oxides is very important in that the use of them makes possible the novel sensors such as p-n diode and tandem devices. Monoclinic cupric oxide (CuO) is p-type semiconductor with narrow band gap (~1.2 eV). This is composed of abundant, nontoxic elements on earth, and thus low-cost, environment-friendly devices can be realized. However, gas sensing properties of neat CuO were rarely explored and the mechanism still remains unclear. In this work, the neat CuO layers with highly ordered mesoporous structures were prepared by a template-free, one-pot solution-based method using novel ink solutions, formulated with copper formate tetrahydrate, hexylamine and ethyl cellulose. The shear viscosity of the formulated solutions was 5.79 Pa s at a shear rate of 1 s-1. The solutions were coated on SiO2/Si substrates by spin-coating (ink) and calcined for 1 h at the temperature of $200{\sim}600^{\circ}C$ in air. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the formed CuO layers were observed by a focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and porosity was determined by image analysis using simple computer-programming. XRD analysis showed phase evolutions of the layers, depending on the calcination temperature, and thermal decompositions of the neat precursor and the formulated ink were investigated by TGA and DSC. As a result, the formation of the porous structures was attributed to the vaporization of ethyl cellulose contained in the solutions. Mesoporous CuO, formed with the ink solution, consisted of grains and pores with nano-meter size. All of them were strongly dependent on calcination temperature. Sensing properties toward H2 and C2H5OH gases were examined as a function of operating temperature. High and fast responses toward H2 and C2H5OH gases were discussed in terms of crystallinity, nonstoichiometry and morphological factors such as porosity, grain size and surface-to-volume ratio. To our knowledge, the responses toward H2 and C2H5OH gases of these CuO gas sensors are comparable to previously reported values.