• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1221-1228
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• 2005

Carbon electrode was applied to a wastewater treatment system as biofilm media. The spatial distribution of heterotrophic bacteria in aerobic wastewater biofilm grown on carbon electrode was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and biomass measurement. Five volts of electric oxidation and reduction potential were charged to the carbon anode and cathode of the bioelectrochemical system, respectively, but were not charged to electrodes of a conventional system. To correlate the biofilm architecture of bacterial populations with their activity, the bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons was measured in the bioelectrochemical system and compared with that in the conventional system. In the SEM image, the biofilm on the anodic medium of the bioelectrochemical system looked intact and active; however, that on the carbon medium of the conventional system appeared to be shrinking or damaging. In the AFM image, the thickness of biofilm formed on the carbon medium was about two times of those on the anodic medium. The bacterial treatment efficiency of organic carbons in the bioelectrochemical system was about 1.5 times higher than that in the conventional system. Some denitrifying bacteria can metabolically oxidize $H_{2}$, coupled to reduction of $NO_{3}^{-}\;to\;N_{2}$. $H_{2}$ was produced from the cathode in the bioelectrochemical system by electrolysis of water but was not so in the conventional system. The denitrification efficiency was less than $22\%$ in the conventional system and more than $77\%$ in the bioelectrochemical system. From these results, we found that the electrochemical coupling reactions between aerobic and anaerobic reactors may be a useful tool for improvement of wastewater treatment and denitrification efficiency, without special manipulations such as bacterial growth condition control, C/N ratio (the ratio of carbon to nitrogen) control, MLSS returning, or biofilm refreshing.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2010

The cylindrical magnetron sputtering has not been widely used, although this system is useful for only certain types of applications such as fiber coatings. This paper presents electrode configurations which improved the complicacy of the target assembly by using the positive voltage power supply. It is a modified type which has a target constructed with a large cylindrical part, a conical part and a small cylindrical part. When positive voltage was applied to an anode, a stable glow discharge was established and a high deposition rate was obtained. The substrate bias current was monitored to estimate the effect of ion bombardment. As a result, it was found that the substrate current was large. With cylindrical and conical cathode magnetron sputter deposition on the surface of the substrate to prevent re-sputtering, ion impact because it can increase the effectiveness with excellent ductility and adhesion of Ti film deposition can be obtained. We board at the front end of the ground resistance of $5\;k{\Omega}$ attached to the substrate potential can be controlled easily, and Ti film deposition with excellent adhesion can be obtained. Microstructure and morphology of Ti films deposited on pure Cu wires were investigated by scanning electron microscopy in relation to preparation conditions. High level ion bombardment was found to be effective in obtaining a good adhesion for Cu wire coatings.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.07a
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• pp.1092-1095
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• 2001

Steady state thermal analysis has been done by a finite element method in a diode of 12kV blocking voltage. The diode was fabricated by soldering ten pieces of 1200V diodes in series, capping a dummy wafer at the far end of diode series, and finally wire bonded for building anode and cathode terminal. In order to achieve high voltage and reliability, the edge of each diode was beveled and passivated by resin with a thickness of 25${\mu}$m. It was assumed that the generated heat which is mainly by the on-state voltage drop, 9V for 12kV diode, is dissipated by way of the conduction through diodes layers to bonding wire and of the convection at the surface of passivating resin. It was predicted by the thermal analysis that the temperature rise of a pn junction of the 12kV diode can reach at the range of 16∼34$^{\circ}C$ under the given boundary conditions. The thickness and thermal conductivity(0.3∼3W/m-K) of the passivating resin did little effect to lower thermal resistance of the diode. As the length of the bonding wire increased, which means the distance of heat conduction path became longer, the thermal resistance increased considerably. The thermal analysis results imply that the generated heat of the diode is dissipated mainly by the conduction through the route of diode-dummy wafer-bonding wire, which suggests to minimize the length of the wire for the lowest thermal resistance.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1998.07d
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• pp.1303-1305
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• 1998

In order to reduce or avoid oxidation problem at operation the interconnects in SOFCs have so far mostly been made of ceramic material. It has high chemical stability both under cathode and anode condition, relatively thermal expansion coefficient that matchs that of electrolyte material YSZ. But this material shown rather weak in the low oxygen atmosphere and thermal shock, and it has lower mechanical strength than alloys. To avoid these problems one may consider to use metals or alloys as materials for interconnects. Metallic interconnects are advantageous because of their high thermal and electronic conductivities. But it has some problems, Those are high thermal expansion and oxidation at high temperature in air. To solve these problems in the interconnection material in this study, $LaCrO_3$-dispersed Cr alloys for metallic interconnector of SOFC have been investigated as a fuction of $LaCrO_3$ content in the range of 5 to 25 vol.%. The Cr alloy were prepared by mixing Cr and $LaCrO_3$ powders in high-energy ball mill for 48h and by sintering under Ar atmosphere with 5vol.% $H_2$ for 10h at $1500^{\circ}C$. The alloys had a relative density of 95% and above. The Cr alloys in composed of two kind of small $LaCrO_3$ and large Cr particles. As the $LaCrO_3$ content increased, the Cr particle size decreased but the $LaCrO_3$ particle size remained contant. Also the oxidation tests show that the $LaCrO_3$-dispersed Cr is very resistant to oxidation in air. These results means that $LaCrO_3$-dispersed Cr is a useful material for metallic interconnect of planar SOFC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.314-315
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• 2008

We have studied a property change of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED)s due to a surface reformation of indium-tin-oxide(ITO) substrate. An ITO is widely used as a transparent electrode in light-emitting diodes, and the OLEDs device performance is sensitive to the surface properties of the ITO. The ITO surface reformation could reduce the Schottky barrier at the ITO/organic interface and increase the adhesion of the organic layer onto the electrode. We have studied the characteristics of OLEDs with a treatment by a wet processing of the ITO substrate. The self-assembled monolayer(SAM) was used for wet processing. The characteristics of OLEDs were improved by SAM treatment of an ITO in this work. The OLEDs with a structure of ITO/TPD(50nm)/$Alq_3$(70nm)/LiF(0.5nm)/Al(100nm) were fabricated, and the surface properties of ITO were investigated by using seneral characterization techniques. Self-assembled monolayer introduced at the anode/organic interface gave an improvement in turn-on voltage, luminance and external quantum efficiency compared to the device without the SAM layer. SAM-treatment time of the ITO substrate was made to be 0/10/15/20/25min. The current efficiency of the device with 15min. treated SAM layer was increased by 3 times and the external quantum efficiency by 2.6 times.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.384-391
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• 2020

Due to its characteristics of light weight, high energy density, good safety, long service life, no memory effect, and environmental friendliness, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in various portable electronic products. The capacity and performance of LIBs largely depend on the performance of electrode materials. Therefore, the development of better positive and negative materials is the focus of current research. The application of metal organic framework materials (MOFs) derivatives in energy storage has attracted much attention and research. Using MOFs as precursors, porous metal oxides and porous carbon materials with controllable structure can be obtained. In this paper, rod-shaped Co-MOF-74 was grown on Ni Foam (NF) by hydrothermal method, and then Co-MOF-74/NF precursor was heat-treated to obtain rodshaped Co₃O₄/NF. Ni Foam was skeleton structured, which effectively relieved. The change of internal stress changes and destroys the structural volume of the electrode material and reduces the capacity attenuation. Co₃O₄/NF composite material has a specific discharge capacity of up to 1858 mA h/g for the first time, and a reversible capacity of up to 902.4 mA h/g at a current density of 200 mA/g, and has excellent rate and impedance performance. The synthesis strategy reported in this article opens the way to design high-performance electrodes for energy storage and electrochemical catalysis.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2014

A proton exchange membrane is a core component in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell because the role of proton exchange membrane(PEM)is supplying proton conductivity to fuel cell, a gas separator, and insulating between an anode and cathode. Among various role of PEM, supplying proton conductivity is the most important and the proton conductivity is strongly related the structural evolution of PEM by hydration. Thus a lot of studies have done by past few decade based on small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray scattering for understanding morphological structure of the PEM. Resulting from these studies, several morphological models of hydrated PEM are proposed. Current sensing atomic force microscopy (CSAFM) can map morphology and conductance on the membrane simultaneously. It can be the best tool for studying heterogenous structured materials such as PEM. In this study, the hydration of the membrane is examined by using CSAFM. Conductance and morphological images are simultaneously mapped under different relative humidity. The conductance images, which are mapped from different relative humidity, are analyzed by statistical methode for understanding ionic channel variation in PEM.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.191-191
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• 1999

Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS)는 일반적으로 널리 사용하는 X선 회절분광기로 분석하기 힘든 chemical 또는 biological system의 structural analyses에 매우 유용한 분석방법이다. 특히 세라믹이나 유전체 비정질 재료의 미세 원자 구조에 관한 정보를 얻는데는 가장 강력한 분석방법중의 하나로 알려져 있다. 현재까지 대부분의 EXAFS 실험은 방사광 가속기를 이용하여 수행하였다. 그런데 신제품 개발의 순환주기가 급속하게 단축되는 현실적인 문제에 부응하기 위하여 실험실에서 EXAFS 실험을 수행할 수 있는 system을 개발하게 되었다. 개발한 XIEES 장비는 rotating anode 형의 18kW X-ray source, Optical system, Detection system, Stepping motor control system, vacuum system, Utility 등으로 구성하였다. Optical system에서의 6개의 Johanson type monochromator를 사용하여 분석가능한 x-ray energy range를 480eV에서 41keV까지 구현하였다. 이는 산소에서 우라늄까지 분석이 가능함을 의미하는 것으로, 산화물 연구에 많이 활용할 것으로 기대한다. XIEES는 투과 및 형광 X-ray를 검출할 수 있는 기능과 X-ray에 의해 여기 되는 모든(광전자, Aiger 전자, 이차전자)들을 검출할 수 있는 기능을 갖추고 있는데 이를 Total Electron Yield 측정이라고 한다. Total Electron Yield 측정은 박막 시료와 같이 투과가 되지 않는 시료를 분석할 뿐만 아니라, 경원소 분석, 낮은 에너지에서 흡수 edge가 나타나는 L-edge 측정을 통한 전자 구조 분석 등에 유용한다. 실험실용 XIEES 장비는 방사광가속기에 비해 x-ray flux가 크게 뒤지는 문제와 Total Electron Yield를 측정하는 데 있어서 source에서 나오는 x-ray beam이 진공용기 안에서 산란되어 이차전자를 여기하고 이 이차전자들이 전자검출기에 유입되어 측정에 영향을 미치는 background 문제 등이 있다. 이 두 가지 문제를 해결하기 위하여 Capillary tube를 사용하였다. 본 연구에서는 실험실용 XIEES 장비를 소개하고 이를 이용하여 Cu standard 시료에서 측정한 EXAFS 결과와 Capillary tube를 사용하여 얻은 x-ray flux 증진 및 background 제거 효과에 대해서 발표한다.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.755-759
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• 2008

New cathode materials $LaNi_{1-x}{Cu_x}{O_3}$ (typically $LaNi_{0.8}Cu_{0.2}O_3$) were synthesized using a co-precipitation method. The structure and morphology of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composite material [$Ce_{0.8}Sm_{0.2}O_{2-\ddot{a}}$(SDC) and carbonate (${Na_2}{CO_3},{Li_2}{CO_3}$)], NiO and $LaNi_{1-x}{Cu_x}{O_3}$ were used as the electrolyte, anode and cathode, respectively. The electrochemical performance of La-Ni-Cu-O perovskite oxide at low temperatures ($400{\sim}550^{\circ}C$) was studied. The results showed that $LaNi_{0.8}Cu_{0.2}O_3$ precursor powder prepared through a co-precipitation method and calcined at $860^{\circ}C$ for 2 h formed uniform grains with diameters in the range of $400{\sim}500\;nm$. The maximum power density and the short circuit current density of the single cell unit at $550^{\circ}C$ were found to be $390\;mW/cm^2$ and $968\;mA/cm^2$, respectively.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.163-168
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• 2018

Biomass waste-derived carbon is an attractive alternative with environmental benignity to obtain carbon material. In this study, we prepare carbon from coffee grounds as a biomass precursor using a simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly method through physical activation using only steam. The coffee-derived carbon, having a micropore-rich structure and a low extent of graphitization of disordered carbon, is developed and directly applied to lithium-ion battery anode material. Compared with the introduction of the Ketjenblack (KB) conducting agent (i.e., coffee-derived carbon with KB), the coffee-derived carbon itself achieves a reversible capacity of ~200 mAh/g (0.54 lithium per 6 carbons) at a current density of 100 mA/g after 100 cycles, along with excellent cycle stability. The origin of highly reversible lithium storage is attributed to the consistent diffusion-controlled intercalation/de-intercalation reaction in cycle life, which suggests that the bulk diffusion of lithium is favorable in the coffee-derived carbon itself, in the absence of a conducting agent. This study presents the preparation of carbon material through physical activation without the use of chemical activation agents and demonstrates an application of coffee-derived carbon in energy storage devices.