• Nano
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.1850122.1-1850122.6
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• 2018

Vertically aligned $WO_3$-CuO core-shell nanorod arrays for $NH_3$ sensing are prepared. The sensor is fabricated by preparing $WO_3$-CuO nanorod arrays directly on silicon wafer with interdigital Pt electrodes. The $WO_3$-CuO nanorod arrays are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensor based on the vertically aligned $WO_3$-CuO nanorod arrays exhibits ultrasensitive $NH_3$ detection, indicating p-type behavior. The optimum sensing temperature is found to be about $150^{\circ}C$. Both response and recovery time to $NH_3$ ranging from 50 ppm to 500 ppm are around 10-15 s. A possible $NH_3$ sensing mechanism of the vertically aligned hybrid nanorod arrays is proposed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2014

We report the nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas sensing properties of p-type CuO-nanorod-based gas sensors. We synthesized the p-type CuO nanorods with breadth of about 30 nm and length of about 330 nm by a hydrothermal method using an as-deposited CuO seed layer prepared on a $Si/SiO_2$ substrate by the sputtering method. We fabricated polycrystalline CuO nanorod arrays at $80^{\circ}C$ under the hydrothermal condition of 1:1 morality ratio between copper nitrate trihydrate [$Cu(NO_2)_2{\cdot}3H_2O$] and hexamethylenetetramine ($C_6H_{12}N_4$). Structural characterizations revealed that we prepared the pure CuO nanorod array of a monoclinic crystalline structure without any obvious formation of secondary phase. It was found from the gas sensing measurements that the p-type CuO nanorod gas sensors exhibited a maximum sensitivity to NO gas in dry air at an operating temperature as low as $200^{\circ}C$. We also found that these CuO nanorod gas sensors showed reversible and reliable electrical response to NO gas at a range of operating temperatures. These results would indicate some potential applications of the p-type semiconductor CuO nanorods as promising sensing materials for gas sensors, including various types of p-n junction gas sensors.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2018

We report on the efficient detection of NO gas by an all-oxide semiconductor p-n heterojunction diode structure comprised of n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods embedded in p-type copper oxide (CuO) thin film. The CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure was fabricated by directly sputtering CuO thin film onto a vertically aligned ZnO nanorod array synthesized via a hydrothemal method. The transport behavior and NO gas sensing properties of the fabricated CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure were charcterized and revealed that the oxide semiconductor heterojunction exhibited a definite rectifying diode-like behavior at various temperatures ranging from room temperature to $250^{\circ}C$. The NO gas sensing experiment indicated that the CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure had a good sensing performance for the efficient detection of NO gas in the range of 2-14 ppm under the conditions of an applied bias of 2 V and a comparatively low operating temperature of $150^{\circ}C$. The NO gas sensing process in the CuO/ZnO p-n heterostructure is discussed in terms of the electronic band structure.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2019

We report on the fabrication and characterization of an oxide photoanode with a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod array embedded in cuprous oxide ($Cu_2O$) thin film, namely a $ZnO/Cu_2O$ oxide p-n heterostructure photoanode, for enhanced efficiency of visible light driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. A vertically oriented n-type ZnO nanorod array is first prepared on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via a seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method and then a p-type $Cu_2O$ thin film is directly electrodeposited onto the vertically oriented ZnO nanorod array to form an oxide p-n heterostructure. The introduction of $Cu_2O$ layer produces a noticeable enhancement in the visible light absorption. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior under visible light illumination, the photoconversion efficiency of this $ZnO/Cu_2O$ p-n heterostructure photoanode is found to reach 0.39 %, which is seven times that of a pristine ZnO nanorod photoanode. In particular, a significant PEC performance is observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs $Hg/Hg_2Cl_2$, which makes the device self-powered. The observed improvement in the PEC performance is attributed to some synergistic effect of the p-n bilayer heterostructure on the formation of a built-in potential including the light absorption and separation processes of photoinduced charge carriers, which provides a new avenue for preparing efficient photoanodes for PEC water splitting.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.392-397
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• 2014

CuO nanotubes are synthesized using $TeO_2$ nanorod templates for application to $H_2S$ gas sensors. $TeO_2$ nanorod templates were synthesized by using the VS method through thermal evaporation. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction showed that the synthesized nanotubes were monoclinic-structured polycrystalline CuO with diameter and wall thickness of approximately 100~300 nm and 5~10 nm, respectively. The CuO nanotube sensor showed responses of 136~325% for the $H_2S$ concentration of 0.1~5 ppm at room temperature. These response values are approximately twice as high as that of the CuO nanowire sensor for the same concentrations of $H_2S$ gas. Along with the investigation of the performance of the sensors, the mechanisms of $H_2S$ gas sensing of the CuO nanotubes are also discussed in this study.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1410-1412
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• 2009

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.331-336
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• 2015

We report on the succesful fabrication of ZnO nanorod (NR)-based robust piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) by using Cu foil substrate. The ZnO NRs are successfully grown on the Cu foil substrate by using all solution based method, a two step hydrothermal synthesis. The ZnO NRs are grown along c-axis well with an average diameter of 75~80 nm and length of $1{\sim}1.5{\mu}m$. The ZnO NRs showed abnormal photoluminescence specrta which is attributed from surface plasmon resonance assistant enhancement at specific wavelength. The PNGs on the SUS substrates show typical piezoelectric output performance which showing a frequency dependent voltage enhancement and polarity dependent charging and discharging characteristics. The output voltage range is 0.79~2.28 V with variation of input strain frequency of 1.8~3.9 Hz. The PNG on Cu foil shows reliable output performance even at the operation over 200 times without showing degradation of output voltage. The current output from the PNG is $0.7{\mu}A/cm^2$ which is a typical out-put range from the ZnO NR-based PNGs. These performance enhancement is attributed from the high flexibility, high electrical conductivity and excellent heat dissipation properties of the Cu foil as a substrate.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

A simple thermal oxidation of Cu thin films deposited on planar substrates established a growth of vertically aligned copper oxide (CuO) nanorods. DC sputter-deposited Cu thin films with various thicknesses were oxidized in environments of various oxygen partial pressures to control the kinetics of oxidation. This is a method to synthesize vertically aligned CuO nanorods in a relatively shorter time and at a lower cost than those of other methods such as the popular hydrothermal synthesis. Also, this is a method that does not require a catalyst to synthesize CuO nanorods. The grown CuO nanorods had diameters of ~100 nm and lengths of $1{\sim}25{\mu}m$. We examined the morphology of the synthesized CuO nanorods as a function of the thickness of the Cu films, the gas environment, the oxidation time, the oxidation temperature, the oxygen gas flow rate, etc. The parameters all influence the kinetics of the oxidation, and consequently, the volume expansion in the films. Patterned growth was also carried out to confirm the hypothesis of the CuO nanorod protrusion and growth mechanism. It was found that the compressive stress built up in the Cu film while oxygen molecules incorporated into the film drove CuO nanorods out of the film.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.219-226
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• 2023

Utilizing low-dimensional structures of oxide semiconductors is a promising approach to fabricate relevant gas sensors by means of potential enhancement in surface-to-volume ratios of their sensing materials. In this work, vertically aligned cupric oxide (CuO) nanorods are successfully synthesized on a transparent glass substrate via seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method with the use of a CuO nanoparticle seed layer, which is formed by thermally oxidizing a sputtered Cu metal film. Structural and optical characterization by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy reveals the successful preparation of the CuO nanorods array of the single monoclinic tenorite crystalline phase. From gas sensing measurements for the nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas, the vertically aligned CuO nanorod array is observed to have a highly responsive sensitivity to NO gas at relatively low concentrations and operating temperatures, especially showing a high maximum sensitivity to NO at 200 ℃ and a low NO detection limit of 2 ppm in dry air. These results along with a facile fabrication process demonstrate that the CuO nanorods synthesized on a transparent glass substrate are very promising for low-cost and high-performance NO gas sensors.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.214-220
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• 2018

We report on the fabrication and photoelectrochemical(PEC) properties of a $Cu_2O$ thin film/ZnO nanorod array oxide p-n heterojunction structure with ZnO nanorods embedded in $Cu_2O$ thin film as an efficient photoelectrode for solar-driven water splitting. A vertically oriented n-type ZnO nanorod array was first prepared on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via a seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method and then a p-type $Cu_2O$ thin film was directly electrodeposited onto the vertically oriented ZnO nanorods array to form an oxide semiconductor heterostructure. The crystalline phases and morphologies of the heterojunction materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy as well as Raman scattering. The PEC properties of the fabricated $Cu_2O/ZnO$ p-n heterojunction photoelectrode were evaluated by photocurrent conversion efficiency measurements under white light illumination. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior, the $Cu_2O/ZnO$ photoelectrode was found to exhibit a negligible dark current and high photocurrent density, e.g., $0.77mA/cm^2$ at 0.5 V vs $Hg/HgCl_2$ in a $1mM\;Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte, revealing an effective operation of the oxide heterostructure. In particular, a significant PEC performance was observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs $Hg/HgCl_2$, which made the device self-powered. The observed PEC performance was attributed to some synergistic effect of the p-n bilayer heterostructure on the formation of a built-in potential, including the light absorption and separation processes of photoinduced charge carriers.