• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.61 no.1
• /
• pp.52-57
• /
• 2023

This study is a basic research for the development of high performance flexible electrode material. To enhance its electrochemical property, CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were introduced and dispersed on surface of CNT fiber through electrochemical deposition method. The CNT fiber/CuO NPs electrode was fabricated and applied to electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose sensor. Surface morphology and elemental composition of the CNT fiber/CuO NPs electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). And its electrochemical characteristics were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry. The CNT fiber/CuO NPs electrode exhibited the good sensing performance for glucose detection such as high sensitivity, wide linear range, low detection limit and good selectivity due to synergetic effect of CNT fiber and CuO NPs. Based on the unique property of CNT fiber, CuO NPs were provide large surface area, enhanced electrocatalytic activity, efficient electron transport property. Therefore, it is expected to develop high performance flexible electrode materials using various nanomaterials.

• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.58 no.1
• /
• pp.44-56
• /
• 2023

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals has been drawing significant attention due to its reliability, usefulness, and low cost with rapid prototyping. Among the various AM technologies, fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication is receiving much interest because of its simple manufacturing processing, low material waste, and cost-effective equipment. FDM technology uses metal-filled polymer filaments for 3D printing, followed by debinding and sintering to fabricate complex metal parts. An efficient binder is essential for producing polymer filaments and the thermal post-processing of printed objects. This study involved an in-depth investigation of and a fabrication route for a novel multi-component binder system with steel alloy powder (45 vol.%) ranging from filament fabrication and 3D printing to debinding and sintering. The binder system consisted of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a binder and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polylactic acid (PLA) as a carrier. The PVP binder held the metal components tightly by maintaining their stoichiometry, and the TPU and PLA in the ratio of 9:1 provided flexibility, stiffness, and strength to the filament for 3D printing. The efficacy of the binder system was examined by fabricating 3D-printed cubic structures. The results revealed that the thermal debinding and sintering processes effectively removed the binder/carrier from the cubic structures, resulting in isotropic shrinkage of approximately 15.8% in all directions. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) patterns displayed the microstructure behavior, phase transition, and elemental composition of the 3D cubic structure.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.10.1-10.11
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the color stability, solubility, and surface characteristics of 3 calcium silicate-based cements (CSCs) after immersion in different solutions. Materials and Methods: ProRoot white mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), Biodentine, and Endosequence Root Repair Material (ERRM) were placed in cylindrical molds and stored at 37℃ for 24 hours. Each specimen was immersed in distilled water, 5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 2% chlorhexidine, or 0.1% octenidine hydrochloride (OCT) for 24 hours. Color changes were measured with a spectrophotometer. Solubility was determined using an analytical balance with 10^-5 g accuracy. The surface characteristics were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance, the Tukey test, and the paired t-test. Results: MTA exhibited significant discoloration in contact with NaOCl (p < 0.05). White precipitation occurred on the surfaces of Biodentine and ERRM after contact with the solutions, and none of the materials presented dark brown discoloration. All materials showed significant solubility after immersion in the solutions (p < 0.05), irrespective of the solution type (p > 0.05). The surface topography and elemental composition of the samples showed different patterns of crystal formation and precipitation depending on the solution type. Conclusions: All materials presented some amount of solubility and showed crystal precipitation after contact with the solutions. Biodentine and ERRM are suitable alternatives to ProRoot MTA as they do not exhibit discoloration. The use of OCT can be considered safe for CSCs.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2023

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene, a 2D material, is known to exhibit unique characteristics that are strongly dependent on surface termination groups. Here, we developed a novel annealing approach with Ca as a reducing agent to simultaneously remove F and O groups from the surface of multilayered MXene powder. Unlike H₂ annealing that removes F effectively but has difficulty in removing O, annealing with Ca effectively removed both O and F. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that the proposed approach effectively removed F and O from the MXene powder. The results of O/N analyses showed that the O concentration decreased by 57.5% (from 2.66 to 1.13 wt%). In addition, XPS fitting showed that the volume fraction of metal oxides (TiO₂ and Al₂O₃) decreased, while surface termination groups (-O and -OH) were enhanced, which could increase the hydrophilic and adsorption properties of the MXene. These findings suggest that when F and O are removed from the MXene powder, the interlayer spacing of its lattice structure increases. The proposed treatment also resulted in an increase in the specific surface area (from 5.17 to 10.98 m²/g), with an increase in oxidation resistance temperature in air from ~436 to ~667 ℃. The benefits of this novel technology were verified by demonstrating the significantly improved cyclic charge-discharge characteristics of a lithium-ion battery with a Ca-treated MXene electrode.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.36.1-36.17
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aging on the marginal quality of glass hybrid (GH) material used to elevate dentin gingival margins, and to analyze the consistency of the results obtained by 3 in vitro methods. Materials and Methods: Ten teeth received compound class II cavities with subgingival margins. The dentin gingival margins were elevated with GH, followed by resin composite. The GH/gingival dentin interfaces were examined through digital microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using resin replicas, and according to the World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria. After initial evaluations, all teeth were subjected to 10,000 thermal cycles, followed by repeating the same marginal evaluations and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis for the interfacial zone of 2 specimens. Marginal quality was expressed as the percentage of continuous margin at ×200 for microscopic techniques and as the frequency of each score for FDI ranking. Data were analyzed using the paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Pearson and Spearmen correlation coefficients. Results: None of the testing techniques proved the significance of the aging factor. Moderate and strong significant correlations were found between the testing techniques. The EDS results suggested the presence of an ion-exchange layer along the GH/gingival dentin interface of aged specimens. Conclusions: The marginal quality of the GH/dentin gingival interface defied aging by thermocycling. The replica SEM and FDI ranking results had stronger correlations with each other than either showed with the digital microscopy results.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.107-112
• /
• 2010

The Cu$(In_{1-x}Ga_x)Se_2$ is the absorber material for thin film solar cell with high absorption coefficient of $1{\times}10^5cm^{-1}$. In the case of CIGS, the movable energy band gap from $CuInSe_2$ (1.00 eV) to $CuGaSe_2$ (1.68 eV) can be acquired while controlling Ga contain ratio. Generally, the co-evaporator method have used for development and fabrication of the CIGS absorption layer. However, this method should need many steps and lengthy deposition time with high temperature. For these reasons, in this paper, a new growth method of CIGS layer was attempted to hydride vapor transport (HVT) method. The CIGS mixed-source material reacted for HCl gas in the source zone was deposited on the substrate after transporting to growth zone. c-plane $Al_2O_3$ and undoped GaN were used as substrates for growth. The characteristics of grown samples were measured from SEM and EDS.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.55-61
• /
• 2009

Passive fitting of meso-structure and super-structures is a predominant requirement for the longevity and clinical success of osseointegrated dental implants. However, precision and passive fitting has been unpredictable with conventional methods of casting as well as for corrective techniques. Alternative to conventional techniques, electro discharge machining(EDM) is an advanced method introduced to dental technology to improve the passive fitting of implant prosthesis. In this technique material is removed by melting and vaporization in electric sparks. Regarding the efficacy of EDM, the application of this technique induces severe surface morphological and elemental alterations due to the high temperatures developed during machining, which vary between $10,000{\sim}20,000^{\circ}C$. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological and elemental alterations induced by EDM process of casting dental gold alloy and non-precious alloy used for the production of implant-supported prosthesis. A conventional clinical dental casting alloys were used for experimental specimens patterns, which were divided in three groups, high fineness gold alloy(Au 75%, HG group), low fineness gold alloy(Au 55%, LG group) and nonprecious metal alloy(Ni-Cr, NP group). The UCLA type plastic abutment patterns were invested with conventional investment material and were cast in a centrifugal casting machine. Castings were sandblasted with $50{\mu}m\;Al_2O_3$. One casting specimen of each group was polished by conventional finishing(HGCON, LGCON, NPCON) and one specimen of each group was subjected to EDM in a system using Cu electrodes, kerosene as dielectric fluid in 10 min for gold alloy and 20 min for Ni-Cr alloy(HGEDM. LGEDM, NOEDM). The surface morphology of all specimens was studied under an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The quantitative results from EDS analysis are presented on the HGEDM and LGEDM specimens a significant increase in C and Cu concentrations was found after EDM finishing. The different result was documented for C on the NPEDM with a significant uptake of O after EDM finishing, whereas Al, Si showed a significant decrease in their concentrations. EDS analysis showed a serious uptake of C and Cu after the EDM procedure in the alloys studied. The C uptake after the EDM process is a common finding and it is attributed to the decomposition of the dielectric fluid in the plasma column, probably due to the development of extremely high temperatures. The Cu uptake is readily explained from the decomposition of Cu electrodes, something which is also a common finding after the EDM procedure. However, all the aforementioned mechanisms require further research. The clinical implication of these findings is related with the biological and corrosion resistance of surfaces prepared by the EDM process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.145-145
• /
• 2008

High-k materials have been paid much more attention for their characteristics with high permittivity to reduce the leakage current through the scaled gate oxide. Among the high-k materials, $ZrO_2$ is one of the most attractive ones combing such favorable properties as a high dielectric constant (k= 20 ~ 25), wide band gap (5 ~ 7 eV) as well as a close thermal expansion coefficient with Si that results in good thermal stability of the $ZrO_2$/Si structure. During the etching process, plasma etching has been widely used to define fine-line patterns, selectively remove materials over topography, planarize surfaces, and trip photoresist. About the high-k materials etching, the relation between the etch characteristics of high-k dielectric materials and plasma properties is required to be studied more to match standard processing procedure with low damaged removal process. Among several etching techniques, we chose the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) for high-density plasma, easy control of ion energy and flux, low ownership and simple structure. And the $BCl_3$ was included in the gas due to the effective extraction of oxygen in the form of $BCl_xO_y$ compounds. During the etching process, the wafer surface temperature is an important parameter, until now, there is less study on temperature parameter. In this study, the etch mechanism of $ZrO_2$ thin film was investigated in function of $Cl_2$ addition to $BCl_3$/Ar gas mixture ratio, RF power and DC-bias power based on substrate temperature increased from $10^{\circ}C$ to $80^{\circ}C$. The variations of relative volume densities for the particles were measured with optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The surface imagination was measured by scanning emission spectroscope (SEM). The chemical state of film was investigated using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX).

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.363-363
• /
• 2008

The development of dry etching process for sapphire wafer with plasma has been key issues for the opto-electric devices. The challenges are increasing control and obtaining low plasma induced-damage because an unwanted scattering of radiation is caused by the spatial disorder of pattern and variation of surface roughness. The plasma-induced damages during plasma etching process can be classified as impurity contamination of residual etch products or bonding disruption in lattice due to charged particle bombardment. Therefor, fine pattern technology with low damaged etching process and high etch rate are urgently needed. Until now, there are a lot of reports on the etching of sapphire wafer with using $Cl_2$/Ar, $BCl_3$/Ar, HBr/Ar and so on [1]. However, the etch behavior of sapphire wafer have investigated with variation of only one parameter while other parameters are fixed. In this study, we investigated the effect of pressure and other parameters on the etch rate and the selectivity. We selected $BCl_3$ as an etch ant because $BCl_3$ plasmas are widely used in etching process of oxide materials. In plasma, the $BCl_3$ molecule can be dissociated into B radical, $B^+$ ion, Cl radical and $Cl^+$ ion. However, the $BCl_3$ molecule can be dissociated into B radical or $B^+$ ion easier than Cl radical or $Cl^+$ ion. First, we evaluated the etch behaviors of sapphire wafer in $BCl_3$/additive gases (Ar, $N_2,Cl_2$) gases. The behavior of etch rate of sapphire substrate was monitored as a function of additive gas ratio to $BCl_3$ based plasma, total flow rate, r.f. power, d.c. bias under different pressures of 5 mTorr, 10 mTorr, 20 mTorr and 30 mTorr. The etch rates of sapphire wafer, $SiO_2$ and PR were measured with using alpha step surface profiler. In order to understand the changes of radicals, volume density of Cl, B radical and BCl molecule were investigated with optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The chemical states of $Al_2O_3$ thin films were studied with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and depth profile anlysis of auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The enhancement of sapphire substrate can be explained by the reactive ion etching mechanism with the competition of the formation of volatile $AlCl_3$, $Al_2Cl_6$ or $BOCl_3$ and the sputter effect by energetic ions.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.705-713
• /
• 2017

A novel material, $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite, was successfully synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. During the hydrothermal reaction, the loading of $Bi_2WO_6$ and $TiO_2$ nanoparticles onto graphene sheets was achieved. The obtained $Bi_2WO_{6-GO-TiO2}$ composite photo-catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The $Bi_2WO_6$ nanoparticle showed an irregular dark-square block nanoplate shape, while $TiO_2$ nanoparticles covered the surface of the graphene sheets with a quantum dot size. The degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue trihydrate (MB), and reactive black B (RBB) dyes in an aqueous solution with different initial amount of catalysts was observed by UV spectrophotometry after measuring the decrease in the concentration. As a result, the $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite showed good decolorization activity with MB solution under visible light. The $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite is expected to become a new potential material for decolorization activity. Photocatalytic reactions with different photocatalysts were explained by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and a band theory.