• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.30 no.10
• /
• pp.566-572
• /
• 2020

In the recent years, thin film solar cells (TFSCs) have emerged as a viable replacement for crystalline silicon solar cells and offer a variety of choices, particularly in terms of synthesis processes and substrates (rigid or flexible, metal or insulator). Among the thin-film absorber materials, SnS has great potential for the manufacturing of low-cost TFSCs due to its suitable optical and electrical properties, non-toxic nature, and earth abundancy. However, the efficiency of SnS-based solar cells is found to be in the range of 1 ~ 4 % and remains far below those of CdTe-, CIGS-, and CZTSSe-based TFSCs. Aside from the improvement in the physical properties of absorber layer, enormous efforts have been focused on the development of suitable buffer layer for SnS-based solar cells. Herein, we investigate the device performance of SnS-based TFSCs by introducing double buffer layers, in which CdS is applied as first buffer layer and ZnMgO films is employed as second buffer layer. The effect of the composition ratio (Mg/(Mg+Zn)) of RF sputtered ZnMgO films on the device performance is studied. The structural and optical properties of ZnMgO films with various Mg/(Mg+Zn) ratios are also analyzed systemically. The fabricated SnS-based TFSCs with device structure of SLG/Mo/SnS/CdS/ZnMgO/AZO/Al exhibit a highest cell efficiency of 1.84 % along with open-circuit voltage of 0.302 V, short-circuit current density of 13.55 mA cm^-2, and fill factor of 0.45 with an optimum Mg/(Mg + Zn) ratio of 0.02.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.86-91
• /
• 2022

Pleurotus eryngii, a white rot fungus, produces two extracellular lignin-degrading enzymes, laccase and manganese peroxidase (MnP). Owing to these enzymes, P. eryngii efficiently degrades synthetic chemicals such as azo, phthalocyanine, and triphenyl methane dyes. In this study, we investigated the degradation processes of four aromatic dyes, congo red (CR), methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and malachite green (MG), by P. eryngii under solid and liquid culture conditions. CR and MG were the most quickly degraded under solid and liquid culture conditions, respectively. However, compared to CR, CV, and MG, MB was not degraded well under both culture conditions. The activities of ligninolytic enzymes (laccase and MnP) were also investigated. Laccase was identified to be the major enzyme for dye degradation. A positive relationship between decolorization and enzyme activity was observed for CR, MB, and CV degradation. In contrast, decolorization of MG ensued after high enzyme activity. These results indicate that the degradation process differs between MG and the other aromatic dyes. Therefore, P. eryngii could be a potential tool for the bioremediation of synthetic aromatic dye effluent.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.123-128
• /
• 2005

Among various metal oxides semiconductors, $TiO_2$ is the most studied semiconductor for environmental clean-up applications due to its unique ability in photocatalyzing various organic contaminants, its chemical inertness, and nontoxicity. $TiO_2$, however, has a few drawbacks to be solved such as reactivity mainly working under ultraviolet irradiation (${\lambda}$ < 387 nm) and electron - hole recombination on $TiO_2$. In this study, to extend the absorption range of $TiO_2$ into the visible range and enhance electron - hole separation, we synthesized platinum (Pt) deposited $C-TiO_2$. The presence of Pt as an electron sink has been known to snhance the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and induce the thermal decomposition. The characterization of as-synthesized $Pt-C-TiO_2$ was performed by Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM), the Brunuer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), UV-vis spectrometer (UV-DRS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). In order to estimate the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized materials, the photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). In order to estimate the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized materials, the photodegradation experiment of an azo dye (Acid Red 44; $C_{10}H_7N=NC_{10}H_3(SO_3Na)_2OH$)was carried out by using an Xe arc lamp (300 W, Oriel). A 420 nm cut-off filter was used for visible light irradiation. From the results, Pt-deposited $C-TiO_2$ showed a far superior phothdegradation activity to Degussa P25, the commercial product under the irradiation of visible light and enhanced photocatalytic activity of visible-working $C-TiO_2$. This is a useful result into the application for the purification system of dye wastewater using visible energy of sun light.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.837-845
• /
• 2017

A recirculating integrated system composed of a fluidized biofilter filled with waste-tire crumb media fixed with return sludge from wastewater treatment facility of D dyeing industrial center, and a UV/photocatalytic reactor packed with calcined $TiO_2$ coated-glass beads as photocatalyst-support, was constructed and was run to treat authentic textile-dyeing wastewater from D-dyeing industrial center, which was mixed with an alkaline polyester-weight-reducing wastewater and a wastewater from sizing process. As a result, its total removal efficiency(RE(tot)) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors were ca. 81% and 55%, respectively. The synergy effect of the recirculating integrated system to enhance total removal efficiency(RE(tot)) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors were evaluated at most ca. 7% and 3%, respectively. The fluidized biofilter and the UV/photocatalytic reactor were responsible for ca. 94% and 6% of the total $COD_{cr}$ removal efficiency, respectively, and were also responsible for ca. 86% and 14% of the total color-removal efficiency, respectively. Thus, the degree of the UV/photocatalytic reactor-unit process's contribution to RE(tot) of color, was about 2.4 times of that to RE(tot) of $COD_{cr}$. Therefore, the UV/photocatalytic reactor facilitated the more effective elimination of colors by breaking down the chemical bonds oriented from colors of dyes such as azo-bond, than $COD_{cr}$. In addition, the effect of the removal efficiency of each unit process(i.e., the fluidized biofilter or the UV/photocatalytic reactor) of the recirculating integrated system on RE(tot) of $COD_{cr}$ and colors, was analysed by establishing its model equation with an analytic correlation.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.498-504
• /
• 2006

A suspension polymerization of styrene In aqueous phase was employed to study if polystyrene particles ranging from 1 to $20{\mu}m$ can be produced. Hydrophobic silica was selected as a stabilizer and azo-bisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. Polymerization reaction was carried out at a selected temperature in the range of $65{\sim}95^{\circ}C$. Stabilizer concentration was varied from 0.17 to 3.33 wt% compared to the water while the concentration of the initiator was raised from 0.13 to 6.0 wt% compared to the monomer. Dispersion of hydrophobic silica into the water phase was achieved by precise control of pH. Optimum dispersion of silica was obtained at pH 10. Average particle diameter decreased with increasing amounts of stabilizer concentration initially, exhibiting the minimum average diameter at 1.67 wt% of stabilizer concentration, after which it started to Increase. It is speculated that an excessive presence of stabilizer encouraged a secondary reaction in the reaction medium, which led to particle agglomeration, and as a result an increase in average particle diameter. Molecular weight was found to be independent of stabilizer concentration between 0.13 and 1.00 wt% whereas, it increased when stabilizer concentration exceeded 1.67 wt%. Variation of molecular weight was probably caused by the reduced activity and efficiency of initiator due to the high concentration of silica, and the secondary reaction in the reaction medium, as well. An increase in the Initiator concentration and/or reaction temperature resulted in an increase in both reaction rate and particle diameter. Consequently, we have confirmed that spherical polystyrene particles with $1{\sim}20{\mu}m$ in diameter can be prepared by careful selection of the concentration of stabilizer, initiator, pH and reaction temperature.