• Carbon letters
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.207-217
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• 2011

We discuss the influence of few-walled carbon nanotubes (FWCNTs) treated with nitric acid and/or sulfuric acid on field emission characteristics. FWCNTs/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) thin film field emitters were fabricated by a spray method using FWCNTs/TEOS sol one-component solution onto indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. After thermal curing, they were found tightly adhered to the ITO glass, and after an activation process by a taping method, numerous FWCNTs were aligned preferentially in the vertical direction. Pristine FWCNT/TEOS-based field emitters revealed higher current density, lower turn-on field, and a higher field enhancement factor than the oxidized FWCNTs-based field emitters. However, the unstable dispersion of pristine FWCNT in TEOS/N,N-dimethylformamide solution was not applicable to the field emitter fabrication using a spray method. Although the field emitter of nitric acid-treated FWCNT showed slightly lower field emission characteristics, this could be improved by the introduction of metal nanoparticles or resistive layer coating. Thus, we can conclude that our spray method using nitric acid-treated FWCNT could be useful for fabricating a field emitter and offers several advantages compared to previously reported techniques such as chemical vapor deposition and screen printing.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.686-690
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• 2010

$TiO_2$ nanowires were self-catalytically synthesized on bare Si(100) substrates using metallorganic chemical vapor deposition. The nanowire formation was critically affected by growth temperature. The $TiO_2$ nanowires were grown at a high density on Si(100) at $510^{\circ}C$, which is near the complete decomposition temperature ($527^{\circ}C$) of the Ti precursor $(Ti(O-iPr)_2(dpm)_2)$. At $470^{\circ}C$, only very thin (< $0.1{\mu}m$) $TiO_2$ film was formed because the Ti precursor was not completely decomposed. When growth temperature was increased to $550^{\circ}C$ and $670^{\circ}C$, the nanowire formation was also significantly suppressed. A vaporsolid (V-S) growth mechanism excluding a liquid phase appeared to control the nanowire formation. The $TiO_2$ nanowire growth seemed to be activated by carbon, which was supplied by decomposition of the Ti precursor. The $TiO_2$ nanowire density was increased with increased growth pressure in the range of 1.2 to 10 torr. In addition, the nanowire formation was enhanced by using Au and Pt catalysts, which seem to act as catalysts for oxidation. The nanowires consisted of well-aligned ~20-30 nm size rutile and anatase nanocrystallines. This MOCVD synthesis technique is unique and efficient to self-catalytically grow $TiO_2$ nanowires, which hold significant promise for various photocatalysis and solar cell applications.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2006

Anodic alumina with self-organized and ordered nano hole arrays can be a good candidate of an irradiation mask to modify the properties of nano-scale region. In order to try using porous anodic alumina as a mask for ion-beam patterning, ion beam transmittance of anodic alumina was tested. 4 Um thick self-standing AAO templates anodized from Al bulk foil with two different aspect ratio, 200:1 and 100:1, were aligned about incident ion beam with finely controllable goniometer. At the best alignment, the transmittance of the AAO with aspect ratio of 200:1 and 100:1 were $10^{-8}\;and\;10^{-4}$, respectively. However transmittance of the thin film AAO with low aspect ratio, 5:1, were remarkably improved to 0.67. The ion beam transmittance of self-standing porous alumina with a thickness larger than $4{\mu}m$ is extremely low owing to high aspect ratio of nano hole and charging effect, even at a precise beam alignment to the direction of nano hole. $SiO_2$ nano dot array was formed by ion irradiation into thin film AAO on $SiO_2$ film. This was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy that the $SiO_2$ nano dot array is similar to AAO hole array.

• Clean Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.306-313
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• 2014

Nanoporous $TiO_2$ films are commonly used as working electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). So far, there have been attempts to synthesize films with various $TiO_2$ nanostructures to increase the power-conversion efficiency. In this work, vertically aligned rutile $TiO_2$ nanorods were grown on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) glass by hydrothermal synthesis, followed by deposition of an anatase $TiO_2$ film. This new method of anatase $TiO_2$ growth avoided the use of a seed layer that is usually required in hydrothermal synthesis of $TiO_2$ electrodes. The dense anatase $TiO_2$ layer was designed to behave as the electron-generating layer, while the less dense rutile nanorods acted as electron-transfer pathwaysto the FTO glass. In order to facilitate the electron transfer, the rutile phase nanorods were treated with a $TiCl_4$ solution so that the nanorods were coated with the anatase $TiO_2$ film after heat treatment. Compared to the electrode consisting of only rutile $TiO_2$, the power-conversion efficiency of the rutile-anatase hybrid $TiO_2$ electrode was found to be much higher. The total thickness of the rutile-anatase hybrid $TiO_2$ structures were around $4.5-5.0{\mu}m$, and the highest power efficiency of the cell assembled with the structured $TiO_2$ electrode was around 3.94%.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2024

The creation of vertically aligned one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures through the decoration of n-type tin oxide (SnO₂) on p-type chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) constitutes an effective strategy for enhancing gas sensing performance. These heterostructures are deposited in multiple stages using a glancing angle deposition technique with an electron beam evaporator, resulting in a reduction in the surface porosity of the nanorods as SnO₂ is incorporated. In comparison to Cr₂O₃ films, the bare Cr₂O₃ nanorods exhibits a response 3.3 times greater to 50 ppm H₂S at 300℃, while the SnO₂-decorated Cr₂O₃ nanorods demonstrate an eleven-fold increase in response. Furthermore, when subjected to various gases (CH₄, H₂S, CO₂, H₂), a notable selectivity toward H₂S is observed. This study paves the way for the development of p-type semiconductor sensors with heightened selectivity and sensitivity towards H₂S, thus advancing the prospects of gas sensor technology.