• Journal of Radiation Industry
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.97-104
• /
• 2014

Postharvest diseases cause considerable losses to harvested fruits and vegetables worldwide. Fresh produce suspected of harboring postharvest disease must be treated to control any pathogens present. Although there are various treatments to control postharvest losses by pathogens, the current community is eager to take safer and more eco-friendly alternatives to help with human health and reduce environmental risks. Ionizing irradiation is a promising phytosanitary treatment that has a significant potential to control postharvest diseases in use worldwide. Although almost 19000 metric tons of sweet potatoes and various fruits are irradiated each year in six countries to control postharvest disease, irradiation continues to be a debate, with slow acceptance by industries. Irradiation alone is not effective as a fungicide, and an over dose affects the physical properties of irradiated products. A combination of irradiation with other treatments such as heating, biocontrol agents, chlorination, and nano Ag particles is to enhance their effectiveness. Challenges to the use of phytosanitary irradiation are an avoidance of irradiated postharvest and cost of the irradiation facilities, and thus consumers still need to be educated on the principles and benefits of irradiation and prepare an optimum economy of scale for commercial use. In this review, we evaluated the current phytosanitary irradiation, and combination with various other treatments to minimize the postharvest losses.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.273-279
• /
• 2012

Silica hybrid silver nanoparticles showing the strong antimicrobial activity, in which nano-silver is bound to silica molecules, has been synthesized using ${\gamma}-irradiation$ at room temperature. The present study relates to an antimicrobial composition for coating fiber products comprising silica hybrid silver nanoparticles. In this study, we describe antimicrobial fiber products coated with the silica hybrid silver nanoparticles and a method of antimicrobially treating fiber products by coating the fiber products with the silica hybrid silver nanoparticles. The antimicrobial fiber products exhibited excellent antimicrobial effects. In detailed practice, when the present composition comprising nanosized silica-silver was applied to a cloth (fabric) in a concentration of $6.4mg\;yard^{-1}$, the viable cell number decreased to less than 10 cells before and after laundering, resulting in a reduction of 99.9% or greater in the viable cell number. The present composition displays long-lasting potent disinfecting effects on bacteria. Also, we investigated the toxicity of silica hybrid silver nanoparticles in rats. The skin of rats was treated with a 30 ppm nanoparticles solution ($2ml\;Kg^{-1}$) for 8 days. No toxicity was detected in the treatment. These results suggest that the fiber products coated with the silica hybrid silver nanoparticles can be used to inhibit the growth of various microorganisms.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.113-128
• /
• 2016

Luminescent metallic clusters have attracted great interest due to their unique optical, electronic and chemical features. Comparing with intensively studied Au and Ag Clusters, Cu clusters are superior in the aspects of cost and wide industrial demanding. However, tiny copper clusters are extremely prone to aggregate and undergo susceptibility of oxidation, thereby the synthesis of fluorescent zero valent copper clusters is rather challenging. In this review, synthetic strategies towards luminescent copper clusters, including macromolecule-protection and micro molecule-capping, have been systematically surveyed. Both "bottom-up" and "top-down" synthetic routes are found to be effective in fabricating luminescent copper clusters, some of which are quite stable and possess decent luminescence quantum yields. In general, the synthesis of fluorescent copper clusters remains at its infant stage. A great deal of effort on developing novel and economic synthetic routes to produce bright and stable copper clusters is highly expected in future.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.324-330
• /
• 2019

Petal-like nickel cobaltite ($NiCo_2O_4$)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites with different $rGO-to-NiCo_2O_4$ weight ratios were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent thermal treatment. In the $NiCo_2O_4/rGO$ composite, the $NiCo_2O_4$ 3-dimensional nanomaterials contributed to the improvement of electrochemical properties of the final composite material by preventing the restacking of the rGO sheet and securing ion movement passages. The composite structure was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The FE-SEM and TEM images showed that petal-like $NiCo_2O_4$ was supported on the rGO surface. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used for the electrochemical analysis of composites. Among the prepared composites, $0.075g\;rGO/NiCo_2O_4$ composite showed the highest specific capacitance of $1,755Fg^{-1}$ at a current density of $2Ag^{-1}$. The cycle performance and rate capability of the composite material were higher than those of using the single $NiCo_2O_4$ material. These nano-structured composites could be regarded as valuable electrode materials for supercapacitors that require superior performance.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.348-352
• /
• 2022

Resistive switching behaviors of a co-sputtered zinc silicate thin film (ZnO and SiO₂ targets) have been investigated. We fabricated an Ag/ZnSiO_x/highly doped n-type Si substrate device by using an RF magnetron sputter system. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) indicated that the Zn₂SiO₄ was formed by a post annealing process. A unique morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). As a result of annealing process, 50 nm sized nano clusters were formed spontaneously in 200~300 nm sized grains. The device showed a unipolar resistive switching process. The average value of the ratio of the resistance change between the high resistance state (HRS) and the low resistance state (LRS) was about 106 when the readout voltage (0.5 V) was achieved. Resistance ratio is not degraded during 50 switching cycles. The conduction mechanisms were explained by using Ohmic conduction for the LRS and Schottky emission for the HRS.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
• /
• v.21
• /
• pp.23-27
• /
• 2020

The enhanced optical output power of AlGaN/GaN deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) were demonstrated by using the breakdown-induced conductive channels (BICCs). The BICCs could be made by electrical reverse biasing between two adjacent contact pads formed on top p-type layers with a certain distance, causing an electrical breakdown of pn junction and hence a generation of conductive channels. Accordingly, the reflective Ni/Ag/Pt electrodes could be formed simultaneously on the top p-type layer and the other p-type layer with the BICCs, acting as the p- and n-contacts, respectively. The deep UV LEDs fabricated with the BICCs produced the enhanced optical output power by 15 % as compared to the reference LEDs, which were fabricated with the conventional Ti/Al/Ti/Au layers formed on mesa-etched n-type layer. This could be due to the reduced light absorption at the n-contact pads, indicating that the use of BICCs will be very suitable for obtaining better output performance of deep UV emitters.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2018.04a
• /
• pp.3-3
• /
• 2018

For centuries, Panax ginseng Meyer (Korean ginseng) has been widely used as a medicinal herb in Korea, China, and Japan. Ginsenosides are a class of triterpene saponins and recognized as the bioactive components in Korean ginseng. Ginsenosides, which can be classified broadly as protopanaxadiols (PPD), protopanaxatriols (PPT), and oleanolic acids, have been shown to flaunt a vast array of pharmacological activities such as immune-modulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant effects. In recent years, a number of ginseng and ginsenoside researches have increasingly gained wide attention owing to its unique pharmacological properties. Although good efficacies of ginsenosides have been reported, lack of target specific delivery into tumor sites, low solubility, and low bioavailability due to modifications in gastro-intestinal environments limit their biomedical application in clinical trials. As a result to this major challenge, nanotechnology and drug delivery techniques play a significant role to solve this problematic issue. Thus, we reported the preparation of poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) and glycol chitosan (GC) functionalized to ginsenoside (Compound K and PPD) conjugates via hydrolysable ester bonds with improved aqueous solubility and pH-dependent drug release. In vitro cytotoxicity assays revealed that PEG-CK, and PPD-CK conjugates exhibited lower cytotoxicity compared to bare CK and PPD in HT29 cells. However, GC-CK conjugates exhibited higher and similar cytotoxicity in HT29 and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, GC-CK-treated RAW264.7 cells did not exhibit significant cell death at higher concentration of treatment which supports the biocompatibility of the polymer conjugates. They also inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW64.7 cells. In addition to polymer-ginsenoside conjugates, silver (AgNps) and gold nanoparticles (AuNps) have been successfully synthesized by green chemistry using different m. The biosynthesized nanoparticles demonstrated antimicrobial efficacy, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activity, biofilm inhibition, and anticoagulant effect. Special interest on the effective delivery methods of ginsenoside to treatment sites is the focus of metal nanoparticle research.In short, nano-sizing of ginsenoside results in an increased water solubility and bioavailability. The use of nano-sized ginsenoside and P. ginseng mediated metallic nanoparticles is expected to be effective on medical platform against various diseases in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2015.08a
• /
• pp.76.1-76.1
• /
• 2015

Optical resonances of metallic or dielectric nanoantennas enable to effectively convert free-propagating electromagnetic waves to localized electromagnetic fields and vice versa. Plasmonic resonances of metal nanoantennas extremely modify the local density of optical states beyond the optical diffraction limit and thus facilitate highly-efficient light-emitting, nonlinear signal conversion, photovoltaics, and optical trapping. The leaky-mode resonances, or termed Mie resonances, allow dielectric nanoantennas to have a compact size even less than the wavelength scale. The dielectric nanoantennas exhibiting low optical losses and supporting both electric and magnetic resonances provide an alternative to their metallic counterparts. To extend the utility of metal and dielectric nanoantennas in further applications, e.g. metasurfaces and metamaterials, it is required to understand and engineer their scattering characteristics. At first, we characterize resonant plasmonic antenna radiations of a single-crystalline Ag nanowire over a wide spectral range from visible to near infrared regions. Dark-field optical microscope and direct far-field scanning measurements successfully identify the FP resonances and mode matching conditions of the antenna radiation, and reveal the mutual relation between the SPP dispersion and the far-field antenna radiation. Secondly, we perform a systematical study on resonant scattering properties of high-refractive-index dielectric nanoantennas. In this research, we examined Si nanoblock and electron-beam induced deposition (EBID) carbonaceous nanorod structures. Scattering spectra of the transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) leaky-mode resonances are measured by dark-field microscope spectroscopy. The leaky-mode resonances result a large scattering cross section approaching the theoretical single-channel scattering limit, and their wide tuning ranges enable vivid structural color generation over the full visible spectrum range from blue to green, yellow, and red. In particular, the lowest-order TM01 mode overcomes the diffraction limit. The finite-difference time-domain method and modal dispersion model successfully reproduce the experimental results.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.258-265
• /
• 2016

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The morphologies, crystal structures, chemical bonding states, and electrochemical properties of the nanoparticles are investigated. The FTO nanoparticles show uniform morphology and size distribution in the range of 6-10 nm. The FTO nanoparticles exhibit excellent electrochemical performance with high discharge specific capacity and good cycling stability ($620mAhg^{-1}$ capacity retention up to 50 cycles), as well as excellent high-rate performance ($250mAhg^{-1}$ at $700mAg^{-1}$) compared to that of commercial $SnO_2$. The improved electrochemical performance can be explained by two main effects. First, the excellent cycling stability with high discharge capacity is attributed to the nano-sized FTO particles, which are related to the increased electrochemical active area between the electrode and electrolyte. Second, the superb high-rate performance and the excellent cycling stability are ascribed to the increased electrical conductivity, which results from the introduction of fluorine doping in $SnO_2$. This noble electrode structure can provide powerful potential anode materials for high-performance lithiumion batteries.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.11
• /
• pp.2585-2593
• /
• 2020

Swift heavy ion (SHI) beam irradiation can generate desirable defects in materials by transferring sufficient energy to the lattice that favours huge possibilities in tailoring of materials. The effect of Ag¹⁵⁺ ion irradiation with energy 200 MeV on spray deposited V₂O₅ thin films of thickness 253 nm is studied at various ion doses from 5 × 10¹¹ to 1 × 10¹³ ions/㎠. The XRD results of pristine film confirmed orthorhombic structure of V₂O₅ and its average crystallite size was found to be 20 nm. The peak at 394 cm^-1 in Raman spectra confirmed O-V-O bonding of V₂O₅, whereas 917 cm^-1 arise because of distortion in stoichiometry by a loss of oxygen atoms. Raman peaks vanished completely above the ion fluence of 5 × 10¹² ions/㎠. Optical studies by UV-Vis spectroscopy shows decrement in transmittance with an increase in ion fluence up to 5 × 10¹² ions/㎠. The red shift is observed both in the direct and indirect band gaps until 5 × 10¹² ions/㎠. The surface topography of the pristine film revealed sheath like structure with randomly distributed spherical nano-particles. The roughness of film decreased and the density of spherical nanoparticles increased upon irradiation. Irradiation improved the conductivity significantly for fluence 5 × 10¹¹ ions/㎠ due to band gap reduction and grain growth.