• Carbon letters
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• v.24
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• pp.47-54
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• 2017

Different phytochemicals obtained from various natural plant sources are used as reduction agents for preparing gold, copper, silver and platinum nanoparticles. In this work a green method of reducing graphene oxide (rGO) by an inexpensive, effective and scalable method using olive leaf aqueous extract as the reducing agent, was used to produce rGO. Both GO and rGO were prepared and investigated by ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectra, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction.

• Electronic Materials Letters
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.739-748
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• 2018

ZnS nanowalls, microspheres and rice-shaped nanoparticles have been successfully grown on graphene oxide (GO) sheets by the hydrothermal method. The morphologies, structures, chemical compositions and optical properties of the as-synthesized GO/ZnS have been characterized by X-ray power diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, Raman spectra, photoluminescence spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the concentration of CTAB and the reaction temperature were important in the formation of GO/ZnS microstructures. The photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized GO/ZnS was investigated through the photocatalytic degradation of textile dyeing waste. Results showed that the catalytic activity of the GO/ZnS porous spheres to methyl orange and methylene blue is higher than those of other samples. The degradation rates of methyl orange and methylene blue by porous spheres in 50 min were 97.6 and 97.1%, respectively. This is mainly attributed to the large specific surface area of GO/ZnS porous spheres and high separation efficiency between photogenerated electron and hole pairs.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2017

Cobalt-iron oxides have emerged as alternative electrode materials for supercapacitors because they have advantages of low cost, natural abundance, and environmental friendliness. Graphene loaded with cobalt ferrite ($CoFe_2O_4$) nanoparticles can exhibit enhanced specific capacitance. In this study, we present three-dimensional (3D) crumpled graphene (CGR) decorated with $CoFe_2O_4$ nanoparticles. The $CoFe_2O_4$-graphene composites were synthesized from a colloidal mixture of GO, iron (III) chloride hexahydrate ($FeCl_3{\cdot}6H_2O$) and cobalt chloride hexahydrate ($CoCl_2{\cdot}6H_2O$) respectively, via one step aerosol spray pyrolysis. Size of $CoFe_2O_4$ nanoparticles was ranged from 5 nm to 10 nm when loaded onto 500 nm CGR. The electrochemical performance of the $CoFe_2O_4$-graphene composites was examined. The $CoFe_2O_4$-graphene composite electrode showed the specific capacitance of $253F\;g^{-1}$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.175.2-175.2
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• 2014

Graphene (G) has been modified with palladium, copper, and manganese oxide nanoparticles (NPs), and their catalytic applications have been studied in C-C coupling reactions and methylmercaptan (CH3SH) decomposition reactions. In this research, graphite oxide (GO) sheets were exfoliated and oxidized from graphite powder and impregnated with metal precursors including Pd2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+. The thermal treatments of the metal impregnated GO in preferred gas environments produced Pd NPs on graphene (Pd/G), PdO NPs on GO (PdO/GO), and CuOx and MnOx NPs on graphene (CuOx/MnOx/G). In case of Pd/G and PdO/GO, the TEM images show that, although the mean size of the Pd NPs changed significantly before and after the C-C coupling reaction, that of the PdO NPs didn't, implying that the PdO/GO was superior to Pd/G in terms of the recyclability. Also, we demonstrate that the CuOx/MnOx/G exerts the excellent catalytic efficiency in CH3SH decomposition reaction comparing with conventional catalysts. The chemical and electronic structural changes were investigated using XRD and XPS.

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

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.656-661
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• 2012

The palladium nanoparticles were self-assembled to make Pd-POSS using POSS-$NH_3{^+}$ (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) as a crosslinker. Graphene oxide (GO) was produced by the reaction of graphite under a strong acid and oxidizer and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was covalently grafted on the surface of graphene to make PAA-grafted graphene through the radical polymerization of acrylic acid and GO along with a reduction process under $NaBH_4$. The nanocomposites of Pd-POSS and PAA-grafted graphene were fabricated via ionic interactions between positively charged Pd-POSS and negatively charged PAA-grafted graphene. Pd-POSS nanoparticles were attached to the surface of PAA-grafted graphene through ionic interactions. The thermal stability of Pd-POSS/PAA-grafted graphene was higher than that of PAA and PAA-grafted graphene. The composition, structure, surface morphology, and thermal stability of the Pd-POSS/PAA-grafted graphene were studied by FE-SEM, AFM, TEM, FTIR, and TGA.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.1979-1984
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• 2014

We have developed an efficient method to generate highly active Pd and PdO nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on graphene and graphene oxide (GO) by an impregnation method combined with thermal treatments in $H_2$ and $O_2$ gas flows, respectively. The Pd NPs supported on graphene (Pd/G) and the PdO NPs supported on GO (PdO/GO) demonstrated excellent carbon-carbon cross-coupling reactions under a solvent-free, environmentally-friendly condition. The morphological and chemical structures of PdO/GO and Pd/G were fully characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We found that the remarkable reactivity of the Pd/G and PdO/GO catalysts toward the cross-coupling reaction is attributed to the high degree of dispersion of the Pd and PdO NPs while the oxidative states of Pd and the oxygen functionalities of graphene oxide are not critical for their catalytic performance.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.15-31
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• 2024

The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine sulphate (HCQ) has taken much attention during the first COVID-19 pandemic phase for the treatment of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) patients. Hence it is interest to study the electrochemical properties and photocatalytic degradation of the HCQ drug. Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles, graphene oxide (GO) and CuO/GO NC (nanocomposite) modified carbon paste electrodes (MCPE) are used for the detection of HCQ in an aqueous medium. Electrochemical behaviour of HCQ (20 μM) was observed using CuO/MCPE, GO/MCPE and CuO/GO NC/MCPE in 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 7 with a scan rate of 20 to 120 mV s^-1 by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) of HCQ was performed for 0.6 to 16 μM HCQ. The CuO/GO NC/MCPE showed a reasonably good sensitivity of 0.33 to 0.44 μA μM cm^-2 with LOD of 69 to 92 nM for HCQ. Furthermore, the CuO/GO NC was used as a catalyst for the photodegradation of HCQ by monitoring its UV-Vis absorption spectra. About 98% was degraded in about 34 min under visible light and after 4 cycles it was 87%. The improved photocatalytic activity may be attributed to decrease in bandgap energy and enhanced ability for the electrons to migrate. Thus, CuO/GO NC showed good results for both sensing and degradation applications as well as reproducibility.

• Ceramist
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.200-210
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• 2020

Supported catalysts are at the heart of manufacturing essential chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical products. While the longevity of such systems is critically hinged on the durability of metal nanoparticles, the conventional deposition/dispersion techniques are difficult to enhance the stability of the metal nanoparticles due to the lack of control over the interaction between metal-support. Regarding this matter, ex-solution has begun to be recognized as one of the most promising methodologies to develop thermally and chemically robust nanoparticles. By dissolving desired catalysts as a cation form into a parent oxide, fine and uniformly distributed metal nano-catalysts can be subsequently grown in situ under reductive heat treatment, which is referred to ex-solution. Over the several years, ex-solved analog has resulted in tremendous progress in the chemical-electrochemical applications due to the exceptional robustness coupled with ease synthesis. Herein, we describe the ex-solution process in detail which therein introducing the unique characteristics of ex-solved particles that distinguish them from conventionally dispersed nanoparticles. We then go through the history of science regarding the ex-solution phenomena and summarize several major research achievements which embrace the ex-solved nanoparticles to markedly promote the catalytic performances. In conclusion, we address the remaining challenges and the future perspectives of this rapidly growing field.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2016.11a
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• pp.134-134
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• 2016

The effect of different thermal treatments on the sub-50 nm copper nanoparticles is examined in the aspects of chemical, electrical and surface morphology. The copper nanoparticles are chemically synthesized and fabricated for paste-type solution. Simple bar coating method is practiced as a deposition process to form copper thin film on a typical slide glass. Deposited copper thin films are annealed by two different routes: general tube furnace with 99.99 % Ar atmosphere and selective laser sintering process. The thermal behavior of the different thermal-treated copper thin films is compared by SEM, XRD, FT-IR and XPS analysis. In this study, the laser sintering process ensures low annealing temperature, fast working speed and ambient-accessible route. Moreover, the laser-sintered copper thin film shows good electrical property and enhanced chemical stability than conventional thermal annealing process. Consequently, the proposed laser sintering process can be compatible with plastic substrate for flexible applications.