• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.3362-3366
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• 2013

A simple and quick separation technique for selenite in natural water was developed using $TiO_2$@$SiO_2/Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles. For the synthesis of nanoparticles, a polymer-assisted sol-gel method using hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) was developed to control particle dispersion in the synthetic procedure. In addition, titanium butoxide (TBT) precursor, instead of the typical titanium tetra isopropoxide, was used for the formation of the $TiO_2$ shell. The synthesized nanoparticles were used to separate selenite ($Se^{4+}$) in the presence of $Se^{6+}$ or selenium anions for the photocatalytic reduction to $Se^0$ atom on the $TiO_2$ shell, followed by magnetic separation using $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles. The reduction efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction was 81.4% at a UV power of 6W for 3 h with a dark adsorption of 17.5% to the nanoparticles, as determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The developed separation method can be used for the speciation and preconcentration of selenium cations in environmental and biological analysis.

• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.160-164
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• 2013

In this study, the effect of phosphoric acid (PA) as a fiber spinning aid on the strength increase of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nano-fibers by using modified mechano-electrospinning technologies has been analyzed. The medium carbonization temperature of $800^{\circ}C$ has been selected for the future economic production of these new materials. The concentration of PAN in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was fixed as 5 wt%. The weight fraction of PA was selected as being 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% in comparison to PAN. These solutions have been used to make the nanofibers. The mechano-electrospinning apparatus installed in KRICT was made by our own design. By using this apparatus the continous and highly aligned precursor nano-fibers have been obtained. The bundle of 50 well aligned nano diameter continuous fibers with the diametr of 10 microns with 6 wt% phosphoric acid for addition showed maximum mechanical properties of 1.6 GPa as tensile strength and 300 GPa as Young's modulus. The weight of final product can be increased 19%, which can improve the economical benefits for the application of these new materials.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.460-465
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• 2013

Plate-shaped inorganic particles are coated onto a stainless steel substrate by the electrophoretic deposition of a precursor slurry which includes the inorganic particles of $Al_2O_3$ and polymer resin in mixed solvents to mimic the abalone shell structure, which is a composite of plate-shaped inorganic particles and organic interlayer binding materials with a layered orientation. The process parameters of the electrophoretic deposition include the voltage, coating time, and conductivity of the substrate. In addition, the suspension parameters are the particle size, concentration, viscosity, conductivity, and stability. We prepared an organic-inorganic composite coating with a high inorganic solid content by arraying the plate-shaped $Al_2O_3$ particles and electrophoretic resin via an electrophoretic deposition method. We analyzed the effect of the slurry composition and the electrophoretic deposition process parameters on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the coating layer, i.e., the thickness, density, particle orientation, Young's modulus and thermogravimetric analysis results.

• Carbon letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.290-294
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• 2014

New precursors, poly(acrylonitrile-co-crotonic acid) (poly(AN-CA)) and poly(acrylonitrile-co-itaconic acid-co-crotonic acid) (poly(AN-IA-CA)) copolymers, for the preparation of carbon fibers, were explored in this study. The effects of comonomers with acidic groups, such as crotonic acid (CA) and/or itaconic acid (IA), on the stabilization of nanofibrous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymers were studied. The extent of stabilization, evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, revealed that the CA comonomer could retard/control the stabilization rate of PAN, in contrast to the IA comonomer, which accelerated the stabilization process. Moreover, the synthesized PAN copolymers containing CA possessed higher Mv than those of the IA copolymers and also showed outstanding dimension stability of nanofibers during the stabilization, which may be a useful property for improving the dimensional stability of polymer composites during manufacturing.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2009

AZO transparent conductive thin films were grown on $SiO_2$/Si and glass substrates using diethylzinc (DEZ) and trimethylaluminium (TMA) as the precursor and $H_2O$ as oxidant by atomic layer deposition. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films were characterized as a function of film thickness at a deposition temperature of $150^{\circ}C$. The AZO films with various thicknesses show well-crystallized phases and smooth surface morphologies. The 190-nm-thick AZO films grown on Coming 1737 glass substrates exhibit rms(root mean square) roughness of 8.8 nm, electrical resistivity of $1.5{\times}10^{-3}\;{\Omega}-cm$, and an optical transmittance of 84% at 600nm wavelength. Atomic layer deposition technique for the transparent conductive oxide films is possible to apply for the deposition on flexible polymer substrates.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 2010

Silicon-based non-oxide ceramic carbide fiber is one of the leading candidate ceramic materials for engineering applications because of its excellent mechanical properties at high temperature and good chemical resistance. In this study, polycarbosilane(PCS) and zirconium butoxide were used as a precursor to prepare polyzirconocarbosilane (PZC) fibers. A polymer solution was prepared by dissolving PCS in zirconium butoxide (50/50 wt%). This solution was heated at $250^{\circ}C$ in a nitrogen atmosphere for 2 hour with stirring, and then dried in a vacuum oven for 48 hour. PZC fibers were fabricated using an electrospinning technique. The fibers were irradiated with an electron beam to induce structural crosslinking. Crosslinked PZC fibers were heat treated at $1,300^{\circ}C$ in a nitrogen atmosphere. The microstructures of PZC fibers were examined by SEM. Chemical structures of PZC fibers were examined by FT-IR and XRD. Thermal stability of PZC fibers was investigated by TGA.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.379-379
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• 2018

MXenes are a new family of 2D transition metal carbide nanosheets analogous to graphene (Lv et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2018). Due to the easy availability, hydrophilic behavior, and tunable chemistry of MXenes, their use in applications for environmental pollution remediation such as heavy metal adsorption has recently been explored (Li et al., 2017). In this study, three-dimensional (3D) MXene ($Ti_3C_2T_x$) films with high adsorption capacity, good mechanical strength, and high selectivity for specific radionuclide from aquose solution were successfully fabricated by a polymeric precursor method using vacuum-assisted filtration. The highest removal efficiency on the films was 99.54%, 95.61%, and 82.79% for $Sr^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$, and $Cs^+$, respectively, using a film dosage of 0.06 g/ L in the initial radionuclide solution (each radionuclide concentration = 1 mg/L and pH = 7.0). Especially, the adsorption process reached an equilibrium within 30 min. The expanded interlayer spacing of $Ti_3C_2T_x$ sheets in MXene films showed excellent radionuclide selectivity ($Cs^+$ and/or $Sr^{2+}/Co^{2+}$) (Simon, 2017). Besides, the MXene films was not only able to be easily retrieved from an aqueous solution by filtration after decontamination processes, but also to selectively separate desired target radionuclides in the solutions. Therefore, the newly developed MXene ($Ti_3C_2T_x$) films has a great potential for radionuclide removal from aqueous solution.

• Composites Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.127-133
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• 2019

Although carbon nanotubes(CNTs) have outstanding theoretical mechanical and electrical properties, CNT fibers(CNTFs) have not yet reached that level. Particularly, tensile strength is only about 10% or less, so studies for making up for it are being actively conducted. As a way for improving mechanical strength, methods such as synthesizing long CNT, orientation, chemical cross-linking, hydrogen bonding and polymer infiltration are being studied. In this review paper, we report preparation methods for highly conductive and strong CNTF/Carbon composites through coating and infiltration followed by carbonization of carbon precursor polymers such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polydopamine (PDA) on CNTFs.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.748-757
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• 2018

Inorganic semiconductor compounds, e.g., CIGS and CZTS, are promising materials for thin film solar cells because of their high light absorption coefficient and stability. Research on thin film solar cells using this compound has made remarkable progress in the last two decades. Vacuum-based processes, e.g., co-evaporation and sputtering, are well established to obtain high-efficiency CIGS and/or CZTS thin film solar cells with over 20 % of power conversion. However, because the vacuum-based processes need high cost equipment, they pose technological barriers to producing low-cost and large area photovoltaic cells. Recently, non-vacuum based processes, for example the solution/nanoparticle precursor process, the electrodeposition method, or the polymer-capped precursors process, have been intensively studied to reduce capital expenditure. Lately, over 17 % of energy conversion efficiency has been reported by solution precursors methods in CIGS solar cells. This article reviews the status of non-vacuum techniques that are used to fabricate CIGS and CZTS thin films solar cells.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2019

A heterogeneous photocatalytic system is attracting much interest for water and air purification because of its reusability and economical advantage. Electrospun nanofibers are also receiving immense attention for efficient photocatalysts due to their ultra-high specific surface areas and aspect ratios. In this study, ZnO nanofibers with average diameters of 71, 151 and 168 nm are successfully synthesized by facile electrospinning and a subsequent calcination process at $500^{\circ}C$ for 3 h. Their crystal structures, morphology features and optical properties are systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The photocatalytic activities of the ZnO nanofibers are evaluated by the photodegradation of a rhodamine B aqueous solution. The results reveal that the diameter of the nanofiber, controlled by changing the polymer content in the precursor solution, plays an important role in the photocatalytic activities of the synthesized ZnO nanofibers.