• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2020

There appears lateral capillary force in a hydrophilic flat needle employed for the fabrication of fine organic thin-film stripes, bringing in an increase of the stripe width. It also causes the stripe thickness to increase with increasing coating speed, which is hardly observed in a normal coating process. Through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, we demonstrate that the lateral capillary flow can be substantially suppressed by increasing the contact angle of the needle end. Based on the simulation results, we have coated the outer surface of the flat needle with a hydrophobic material (polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with the water contact angle of 104°). Using such a hydrophobic needle, we can suppress the lateral capillary flow of an aqueous poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to a great extent, rendering the stripe narrow (63 ㎛ at 30 mm/s). Consequently, the stripe thickness is decreased as the coating speed increases. To demonstrate its applicability to solution-processable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), we have also fabricated OLED with the fine PEDOT: PSS stripe and observed the strong light-emitting stripe with the width of about 68 ㎛.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.561-564
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• 2009

Filter media finely interspersed with activated carbons were prepared by a needle punching process without using chemical binders. Their characteristics were investigated efficiently to abate environmentally harmful gas such as acetaldehyde, and were compared with those of cabin air filter coated with activated carbons by using chemical binders. These combination filters were installed on a vehicle fan placed in a test chamber of capacity similar to the interior volume of a commercially available passenger car, and the efficiency of acetaldehyde abatement was measured as a function of time. The filter utilizing chemical binders showed somewhat better performance for the elimination of acetaldehyde despite the adverse effect of the chemical binder that would clog the micropores of the activated carbons. It turned out that the needle punching process had the activated carbons agglomerated due to hydrophobic interactions, resulting in a relatively larger void area than that of the filter utilizing chemical binders.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.351-359
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• 2019

In this study, the calcium hydroxide, an inherent product of cement hydration, was treated using biomimetic carbonation method of incorporating stearic acid to generate the hydrophobic calcium carbonate on concrete surface. Carbonation reaction was carried out at various $CO_2$ pressure and temperatures and utilizing the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), chloride-ion penetration test apparatus, and compression test machine to investigate the hydrophobicity, durability, and mechanical properties of the synthesized products. Experimental results indicate that the calcium stearate may change the surface property of concrete from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. Increasing reaction temperature can change the particles from irregular shapes to needle-rod structures with increased shear stress and thus favorable to hydrophobicity and microhardness. The contact angle against water for the concrete surface was found to increase with increasing $CO_2$ pressure and temperature, and reached to an optimum value at around $90^{\circ}C$. The maximum static water contact angle of 128.7 degree was obtained at the $CO_2$ pressure of 2 atm and temperature of $90^{\circ}C$. It was also found that biomimetic carbonation increased the permeability, acid resistance and chloride-ion permeability of the concrete material. These unique results demonstrate that the needle-rod structures of $CaCO_3$ synthetized on concrete surface could enhance hydrophobicity, durability, and mechanical properties of concrete.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.25-31
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• 2022

By an aid of needle coating, we have fabricated a spherical microlens array using poly(methyl methacrylate) for potential applications in light extraction of organic light-emitting diodes. With an attempt to achieve high-density and high-aspect-ratio microlens arrays, we have investigated the coating behaviors by varying the material parameters such as the solute concentration and wettability of the poly(methyl methacrylate) solution and process parameters such as the dwell time of needle near the substrate, retract distance of needle from the substrate, and coating gap between the needle and substrate. Under the optimized coating conditions, it is demonstrated that high-aspect-ratio microlens arrays can be obtained using a coating solution with high solute concentration and a small amount of a hydrophobic solvent. It is found that the diameter and height of microlens array are decreased with increasing poly(methyl methacrylate) concentration, yet the overall aspect ratio is rather enhanced. By the addition of 5 wt% hexylamine in 35 wt% poly(methyl methacrylate) solution, we have achieved a spherical microlens with the height of 7.7 ㎛ and the width of 94.24 ㎛ (the aspect ratio of 0.082). To estimate the capability of light extraction by the microlens array, we have performed ray tracing simulations and demonstrated that the light extraction efficiency of organic light-emitting diode is expected to be enhanced up to 24%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2013

The exterior structures of natural organisms have continuously evolved by controlling wettability, such as the Namib Desert beetle, whose back has hydrophilic/hydrophobic contrast for water harvesting by mist condensation in dry desert environments, and some plant leaves that have hierarchical micro/nanostructures to collect or repel liquid water. In this work, we have provided a method for wettability contrast on metals by both nano-flake or needle patterns and tuning of the surface energy. Metals including steel alloys and aluminum were provided with hierarchical micro/nanostructures of metaloxides induced by fluorination and a subsequent catalytic reaction of fluorine ions on metal surfaces in water with various ranges from room to boiling temperature of water. Then, a hydrophobic material was deposited on the structured surfaces, rendering superhydrophobicity. Plasma oxidization induces the formation of superhydrophilic surfaces on selective regions surrounded by superhydrophobic surfaces. We show that wettability contrast surfaces align liquid water within patterned hydrophilic regions during the condensation process. Furthermore, this method could have a greater potential to align other liquids or living cells.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2010

Surface properties of polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) films fabricated by rf-magnetron sputtering system with UV surface treatment were investigated to increase water contact angle for their hydrophobic property. We found that the surface morphology and water contact angles of PTFE film modified as a function of the UV treatment times using UV-irradiation were influenced. The water contact angle of PTFE film with optimized UV treatment time for 15 minute showed a high hydrophobicity compared with the film without any surface treatment. We thought that it was due to the energy change of PTFE surface with an adhesion improvement to the glass surface as a smoothing a rough surface with needle-shape and/or the enhancement of an interface property as a removing some defects on the surface like a cleaning effect.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.122-122
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• 2012

The exterior structures of natural organisms have continuously evolved by controlling wettability, such as the Namib Desert beetle, whose back has hydrophilic/hydrophobic contrast for water harvesting by mist condensation in dry desert environments, and some plant leaves that have hierarchical micro/nanostructures to collect or repel liquid water. In this work, we have provided a method for wettability contrast on metals by both nano-flake or needle patterns and tuning of the surface energy. Metals including steel alloys and aluminum were provided with hierarchical micro/nanostructures of metaloxides induced by fluorination and a subsequent catalytic reaction of fluorine ions on metal surfaces in water with various ranges from room to boiling temperature of water. Then, a hydrophobic material was deposited on the structured surfaces, rendering superhydrophobicity. Plasma oxidization induces the formation of superhydrophilic surfaces on selective regions surrounded by superhydrophobic surfaces. We show that wettability contrast surfaces align liquid water within patterned hydrophilic regions during the condensation process. Furthermore, this method could have a greater potential to align other liquids or living cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.509-509
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• 2011

Superhydrophobic surfaces on alloyed steels were fabricated with a non-conventional method of plasma etching and subsequent water immersion procedure. High aspect ratio nanopatterns of nanoflake or nano-needle were created on the steels with various Cr content in its composition. With CF4 plasma treatment in radio-frequence chemical vapor deposition (r.-f. CVD) method, steel surfaces were etched and fluorinated by CF4 plasma, which induced the nanopattern evolution through the water immersion process. It was found that fluorine ion played a role as a catalyst to form nanopatterns in water elucidated with XPS and TEM analysis. The hierarchical patterns in micro- and nano scale leads to superhydrophobic properties on the surfaces by deposition of a hydrophobic coating with a-C:H:Si:O film deposited with a gas precursor of hexamethlydisiloxane (HMDSO) with its lower surface energy of 24.2 mN/m, similar to that of curticular wax covering lotus surfaces. Since this method is based on plasma dry etching & coating, precise patterning of surface texturing would be potential on steel or metal surfaces. Patterned hydrophobic steel surfaces were demonstrated by mimicking the Robinia pseudoacacia or acacia leaf, on which water was collected from the humid air using a patterned hydrophobicity on the steels. It is expected that this facile, non-toxic and fast technique would accelerate the large-scale production of superhydrophobic engineering materials with industrial applications.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.45-52
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• 2022

Recently, interest in and demand for sensors that recognize physical activity and their products are increasing. In particular, the development of wearable materials that are flexible, stretchable, and able to detect the user's biological signals is drawing attention. In this study, an experiment was conducted to improve the dip-coating efficiency of a single-walled carbon nanotube dispersion solution after fine holes were made in a hydrophobic material with a micro needle. In this study, dip-coating was performed with a material that was not penetrated, and comparative analysis was performed. The electrical conductivity of the sensor was measured when the sensor was stretched using a strain universal testing machine (Dacell Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea) and a multimeter (Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) was used to measure resistance. It was found that the electrical conductivity of a sensor that was subjected to needling was at least 16 times better than that of a sensor that was not. In addition, the gauge factor was excellent, relative to the initial resistance of the sensor, so good performance as a sensor could be confirmed. Here, the dip-coating efficiency of hydrophobic materials, which have superior physical properties to hydrophilic materials but are not suitable due to their high surface tension, can be adopted to more effectively detect body movements and manufacture sensors with excellent durability and usability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.123-128
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• 2021

Liquid dispensing systems are extensively used in various industries such as display, semiconductor, and battery manufacturing. Of the many types of dispensers, drop-on-demand piezoelectric jetting systems are widely used in semiconductor industries because of their ability to dispense minute volumes with high precision. However, due to the problems of nozzle clogging and undesirable dispensing behavior in these dispensers, which often result in device failure, the use of highly viscous fluids is limited. Accordingly, we studied the behaviors of droplet formation based on changes in viscosity. The effects of surface energy and the inner diameters of needle-type nozzles were also studied. Results showed that nozzles with lower surface energies reduced the ejection volume of droplets when a smaller nozzle diameter (0.21 mm in this study) was applied. These results indicate that the hydrophobic treatment of nozzle surfaces and the use of smaller nozzle diameters are critical factors enabling the use of highly viscous fluids in precision dispensing applications.