• Advances in nano research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-56
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• 2014

The significant growth of the Si photovoltaic industry has been so far limited due to the high cost of the Si photovoltaic system. In this regard, the most expensive factors are the intrinsic cost of silicon material and the Si solar cell fabrication processes. Conventional Si solar cells have p-n junctions inside for an efficient extraction of light-generated charge carriers. However, the p-n junction is normally formed through very expensive processes requiring very high temperature (${\sim}1000^{\circ}C$). Therefore, several systems are currently under study to form heterojunctions at low temperatures. Among them, carbon nanotube (CNT)/Si hybrid solar cells are very promising, with power conversion efficiency up to 15%. In these cells, the p-type Si layer is replaced by a semitransparent CNT film deposited at room temperature on the n-doped Si wafer, thus giving rise to an overall reduction of the total Si thickness and to the fabrication of a device with cheaper methods at low temperatures. In particular, the CNT film coating the Si wafer acts as a conductive electrode for charge carrier collection and establishes a built-in voltage for separating photocarriers. Moreover, due to the CNT film optical semitransparency, most of the incoming light is absorbed in Si; thus the efficiency of the CNT/Si device is in principle comparable to that of a conventional Si one. In this paper an overview of several factors at the basis of this device operation and of the suggested improvements to its architecture is given. In addition, still open physical/technological issues are also addressed.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.378-385
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• 2016

In this study, we synthesized a biocatalyst consisting of glucose oxidase (GOx), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) with addition of glutaraldehyde (GA)(GA/[GOx/PEI/CNT])for fabrication of glucose sensor. Main bonding of the GA/[GOx/PEI/CNT] catalyst was formed by crosslinking of functional end groups between GOx/PEI and GA. Catalytic activity of GA/[GOx/PEI/CNT] was quantified by UV-Vis and electrochemical measurements. As a result of that, high immobilization ratio of 199% than other catalyst (with only physical adsorption) and large sensitivity value of $13.4{\mu}A/cm^2/mM$ was gained. With estimation of the biosensor stability, it was found that the GA/[GOx/PEI/CNT] kept about 88% of its initial activity even after three weeks. It shows GA minimized the loss of GOx and improved sensing ability and stability compared with that using other biocatalysts.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1065-1069
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• 2013

A highly sensitive electrochemical detection method for bisphenol A (BPA) has been developed by using multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped titania-Nafion composite modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The CNT-titania-Nafion/GC electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards BPA. Therefore, the CNT-titania-Nafion/GC electrode showed improved voltammetric responses for BPA compared to that obtained with bare GC electrode. In addition, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, was added into the BPA sample solution in order to accumulate BPA through hydrophobic interaction between CTAB and BPA. The CNT-titania-Nafion/GC electrode gave a linear response ($r^2$ = 0.999) for BPA from $1.0{\times}10^{-8}$ M to $5.0{\times}10^{-6}$ M with a detection limit of $9.0{\times}10^{-10}$ M (S/N = 3). The modified electrode showed good selectivity against interfering species and also exhibited good reproducibility. The present electrochemical sensor based on the CNT-titania-Nafion/GC electrode was applied to the determination of BPA in food package samples.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.390-397
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• 2023

Conventional extraction methods for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, cause a decrease in molecular weight and a change in properties. In this work, we developed a method to extract PHB accumulated in microorganisms by physical disruption through filtration using a spiked carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane with functionalized CNT. In addition, filtration of the PHB-containing microbial solution was performed to confirm PHB extraction, which was found to be 4% more efficient than chloroform, the most used extraction method. These results indicate that the spiked CNT membrane has potential in the bioplastics recovery process.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2023

This study analyzed the effect of mixing order on the flowability, compressive strength, and flexural strength of cement composites reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) fibers and multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs). The experimental results showed that the addition of CNTs significantly reduced the flowability, and the flowability was considerably affected by the mixing order when CNTs were added. The compressive strength was most effectively improved when water and CNTs solution were mixed first before adding PVA fibers, and the flexural strength was highest when water and CNTs solution were mixed with PVA fibers after dry mixing. However, there was no clear correlation between the flexural toughness and the mixing order. In addition, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) image analysis was conducted to analyze the microstructure. The SEM images showed that CNTs were randomly dispersed through the specimens and contributed to the strength improvement, but the effect of the mixing order was not clearly observed. The main results of this study are expected to be useful for evaluations of workability and material performance of PVA fiber-reinforced cement composites with CNTs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.551-557
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• 2013

In the present study, pristine carbon nanotube (p-CNT) and thiolated carbon naotube (t-CNT) electrodes were investigated to improve their detectabilities for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). In addition, we evaluate which reaction mechanism is used when the electrolyte contains both Cd and Pb metals. Square wave stripping was employed for analyzing the sensitivity for the metals. A frequency of 30 Hz, a deposition potential of -1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a deposition time of 300 s were used as optimal SWSV parameters. t-CNT electrodes show the better sensitivity for both Cd and Pb metals than that of p-CNT electrodes. In case of Cd, sensitivities of p-CNT and t-CNT electrodes were $3.1{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ and $4.6{\mu}A/{\mu}M$, respectively, while the sensitivities for Pb were $6.5{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ (p-CNT) and $9.9{\mu}A/{\mu}M$ (t-CNT), respectively. The better sensitivity of p-CNT electrodes is due to the enhancement in the reaction rate of metal ions that are facilitated by thiol groups attached on the surface of CNT. When sensitivity was measured for the detection of Cd and Pb metals present simultaneously in the electrolyte, Pb indicates better sensitivity than Cd irrespective of electrode types. It is ascribed to the low standard electrode potential of Pb, which then promotes the possibility of oxidation reaction of the Pb metal ions. In turn, the Pb metal ions are deposited on the electrode surface faster than that of Cd metal ions and cover the electrode surface during deposition step, and thus Pb metals that cover the large portion of the surface are more easily stripped than that of Cd metals during stripping step.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.802-807
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• 2015

In this study, we synthesized a new biocatalyst consisting of glucose oxidase (GOx), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) with addition of terephthalaldehyde (TPA) (TPA/GOx/PEI/CNT) for fabrication of glucose sensor that shows improved sensing ability and stability compared with that using other biocatalysts. Main bonding of the new TPA/GOx/PEI/CNT catalyst is formed by Aldol condensation reaction of functional end groups between GOx/PEI and TPA. Such formed bonding structure promotes oxidation reaction of glucose. Catalytic activity of TPA/GOx/PEI/CNT is evaluated quantitatively by electrochemical measurements. As a result of that, large sensitivity value of $41{\mu}Acm^{-2}mM^{-1}$ is gained. Regarding biosensor stability of TPA/GOx/PEI/CNT catalyst, covalent bonding formed between GOx/PEI and TPA prevents GOx molecules from becoming leaching-out and contributes improvement in biosensor stability. With estimation of the biosensor stability, it is found that the TPA/GOx/PEI/CNT catalyst keeps 94.6% of its initial activity even after three weeks.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.610-617
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• 2008

Multi-walled carbon nanotube(CNT) reinforced hydroxyapatite composite coating with a thickness of $5{\mu}m$ has been successfully deposited on Ti substrate using aerosol deposition(AD). The coating had a dense microstructure with no cracks or pores, showing good adhesion with the Ti substrate. Microstructural observation using field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) showed that CNTs with original tubular morphology were found in the hydroxyapatite-CNT(HA-CNT) composite coating. Measurements of hardness and elastic modulus for the coating were performed by nanoindentation tests, indicating that the mechanical properties of the coating were remarkably improved by the addition of CNT to HA coating. Therefore, HA-CNT composite coating produced by AD is expected to be potentially applied to the coating for high load bearing implants.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2021

Silicon is a promising next-generation anode material for lithium-ion battery, and it has been studied for commercialization due to the high theoretical capacity. However, it has problems of the volume change during charge-discharge and the poor electrical conductivity. To solve these problems, formation of SiO2 and carbon coating on the surface of silicon crystal were performed to protect the side reaction and enhance the electrical conductivity of silicon. CNT and CNF were also added to mitigate the volume change and increase the conductivity. Physical properties of asprepared samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and EDS. Electrochemical characteristics were investigated by electrical conductivity measurement, EIS, CV and cycle performance test. (Si/SiO2/C)+CNT&CNF showed high electrical conductivity and low charge-transfer resistance, and the capacity was 1528 mAh/g at 1st cycle and 1055 mAh/g at 50th cycle with 83% capacity retention.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.459-466
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• 2019

When a laser pulse is irradiated on a CNT (Carbon Nanotube) and PDMS (Poly dimethylsiloxane) composite coated on a transparent PMMA (Poly methyl methacrylate) substrate, a strong ultrasonic wave is generated due to the thermoelastic effect. In this paper, the thermoacoustic theory related to the wave generation by the CNT/PDMS composite was established. The waveforms of ultrasonic waves when a laser pulse having a Gaussian waveform is irradiated on the composite with a thickness of $20{\mu}m$ were numerically simulated. From the results, it was confirmed that ultrasonic shock waves can be generated from the CNT/PDMS composite and the waveforms are changed little even if the physical properties of the composite are changed by ${\pm}20%$. It was found that the peak positive and negative pressures increase as the thermal expansion coefficient increases, or as density, heat capacity and sound speed decreased. However, those changes were not so sensitive with thermal conductivity. In addition, the physical properties of the CNT/PDMS composite fabricated in this study were estimated from the comparison of the measurement and simulation results.