• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Thermoelectric (TE) technology is becoming increasingly important in applications of solid-state cooling and renewable energy sources. $Bi_2Te_3$-based TE materials are widely used in small-scale cooling and temperature control applications; however, higher levels of TE performance are required for new applications such as large-scale cooling (e.g., domestic refrigerators or air conditioners) and for highly efficient power generation system. Recently, the TE performance of $Bi_2Te_3$-based materials has been remarkably enhanced by the introduction of nanostructuring technologies which can be used to prepare TE raw materials. Because it takes into account the theoretical and experimental characteristics, nanostructuring has been shown to be one of the most promising ways to realize the simultaneous control of the electronic and thermal transport properties. In this review, emphasis is placed on bulk-type nanostructured $Bi_2Te_3$-based TE materials. Nanostructuring technologies for enhanced TE performance are summarized, and a few important strategies are presented.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.597-607
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• 2018

In this study, a wet chemical method was used to synthesize nanostructured hydroxyapatite for biomedical applications. Diammonium hydrogen phosphate and calcium nitrate 4-hydrate were used as starting materials with a sodium hydroxide solution as an agent for pH adjustment. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) titration analysis were used to characterize the synthesized powders. Having been uniaxially pressed, the powders formed a disk-like shape. The sinterability and electrical properties of the samples were examined, and the three-point bending test allowed for the measurement of their mechanical properties. Sedimentation analysis was used to analyze the slurry ability of hydroxyapatite. As in-vitro biological properties of the samples, biocompatibility and cytotoxicity were assessed using osteoblast-like cells and the L929 cell line, respectively. Solubility was assessed by employing a simulated body fluid.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.331-348
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• 2018

With the expectation to overcome the problem of increasing energy consumption, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are getting more attention as a promising environmentally friendly and sustainable next-generation energy conversion system. In spite of the rapid improvement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs), there are several critical issues still need to be resolved for practical commercialization. Out of the many issues, the main hurdle comes from oxygen reduction reaction(ORR), thus development of efficient ORR electrocatalysts is the main key for enhancing PEMFC performance. Among various catalysts, 1D nanostructured catalyst is a promising candidate because it holds many advantages that come from nanostructuring while supplementing the disadvantages of other nanostructures such as nanoparticles(0D) or gyroids(3D). This review focused on diverse 1D nanostructures and talks about their advantages as catalyst for ORR. Different 1D nanostructures will be introduced while applying the structures to different materials system showing the prospects of 1D nanostructures for improving PEMFC.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.205-209
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• 2010

In the last (fourth) section, the discussion will entail a silicon-nitride/silicon-carbide nanocomposite, produced by pyrolysis of liquid polymer precursors, demonstrating one of the lowest creep rates reported so far in ceramics at the comparable temperature of $1400^{\circ}C$. This was first achieved by avoiding the oxynitride glass phase at the intergrain boundaries. One important factor in the processing of these nanocomposites was the use of the electrical field assisted sintering method.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.366-379
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• 2017

Nanostructured materials have attracted considerable research interest over the recent decades because of their potential applications in nanoengineering and nanotechnology. On the other hand, the developments in nanotechnology are strongly dependent on the availability of new materials with novel and engineered morphologies. Among the novel nanomaterials reported thus far, composite nanofibers (NFs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years. In particular, metal oxide NFs have great potential for the development of gas sensors. Highly sensitive and selective gas sensors can be developed by using composite NFs owing to their large surface area and abundance of grain boundaries. In composite NFs, gas sensing properties can be enhanced greatly by tailoring the conduction channel and surface properties by compositional modifications using the synergistic effects of different materials and forming heterointerfaces. This review focuses on the gas sensing properties of composite NFs synthesized by an electrospinning (ES) method. The synthesis of the composite NFs by the ES method and the sensing mechanisms involved in different types of composite NFs are presented along with the future perspectives of composite NFs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.646-650
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• 2012

Multifunctional structures with two kinds of materials have been intensively investigated in order to improve their electrical characteristic with two functions simultaneously. However, the research regarding of multifunctional ceramic sensor is still in a preliminary stage and how to integrate them with low-cost and high-yield mass production process remains a challenge issue. In this study, we fabricated the multifunctional ceramic sensor composed of temperature and gas sensors. Moreover, we investigated the CO sensing properties of three dimensional nanostuctured $Nb_2O_5$ thin film gas sensors fabricated with silica ($SiO_2$ nanosphere (${\O}$= 750 nm). Compared to plain films, the nanostructured films show enhanced gas sensing of greater sensitivity and a faster response. This result reveals that significantly increased sensitivity is an increase in the effective surface area for the adsorption of gas molecules.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2017

Pd-doped $SnO_2$ thick film with a pure tetragonal phase was prepared on patterned Pt electrodes by an ink dropping method. Nanostructured $SnO_2$ powder with a diameter of 10 nm was obtained by a modified hydrazine method. Then the ink solution was fabricated by mixing water, glycerol, bicine and the Pd-doped $SnO_2$ powder. When the Pd doping concentration was increased, the grain size of the Pd-doped $SnO_2$ thick film became smaller. However, an agglomerated and extruded surface morphology was observed for the films with Pd addition over 4 wt%. The orthorhombic phase disappeared even at a low Pd doping concentration and a PdO peak was obtained for a high Pd doping concentration. The crack-free Pd-doped $SnO_2$ thick films were able to successfully fill the $30{\mu}m$ gap of the patterned Pt electrodes by the optimized ink dropping method. The prepared 3 wt% Pd-doped $SnO_2$ thick films showed monoxide gas responses ($R_{air}/R_{CO}$) of 4.0 and 35.6 for 100 and 5000 ppm, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.185-202
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• 2018

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells can convert solar energy, the largest potential source of renewable energy, into hydrogen fuel which can be stored, transported, and used on demand. In terms of cost competitiveness compared with fossil fuels, however, both photocatalytic efficiency and cost-effectiveness must be achieved simultaneously. Improvement of cost-effective, scalable, versatile, and eco-friendly fabrication methods has emerged as an urgent mission for PEC cells, and solution-based fabrication methods could be capable of meeting these demands. Herein, we review recent challenges for various nanostructured oxide photoelectrodes fabricated by solution-based processes. Hematite, tungsten oxide, bismuth vanadate, titanium oxide, and copper oxides are the main oxides focused on, and various strategies have been attempted with respect to these photocatalyst materials. The effects of nanostructuring, heterojunctions, and co-catalyst loading on the surface are discussed. Our review introduces notable solution-based processes for water splitting photoelectrodes and gives an outlook on eco-friendly and cost-effective approaches to solar fuel generation and innovative artificial photosynthesis technologies.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2010

BCY($Ba(Ce_{0.9}Y_{0.1})O_{3-\delta}$) oxide, shows high protonic conductivity at high temperatures, and are referred to as hydrogen separation membrane. For high efficiency of hydrogen separation ($H_2$ flux and selectivity) and low fabrication cost, ultimate thin and dense BCY-Ni layer have to be coated on a porous substrate such as $ZrO_2$. Aerosol depostion (AD) process is a novel technique to grow ceramic film with high density and nano-crystal structure at room-temperature, and would be applied to the fabrication process of AD integration ceramic layer effectively. XRD and SEM measurements were conducted in order to analyze the characteristics of BCY-Ni membrane fabricated by AD process.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.225-228
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• 2009

The processing and characterization of ceramic nanocomposites, which produce bulk nanostructures with attractive mechanical properties, have been emphasized and introduced at Prof. Mukherjee's Lab at UC Davis. The following subjects will be introduced in detail in Part II, III, and IV. In Part II, the paper will describe a three-phase alumina-based nanoceramic composite demonstrating superplasticity at a surprisingly lower temperature and higher strain rate. The next part will show that an alumina-carbon nanotube-niobium nanocomposite produced fracture toughness values that are three times higher than that of pure nanocrystalline alumina. It was possible to take advantage of both fiber-toughening and ductile-metal toughening in this investigation. In the fourth section, discussed will be a silicon-nitride/silicon-carbide nanocomposite, produced by pyrolysis of liquid polymer precursors, demonstrating one of the lowest creep rates reported so far in ceramics at the comparable temperature of $1400^{\circ}C$. This was first achieved by avoiding the oxynitride glass phase at the intergrain boundaries. One important factor in the processing of these nanocomposites was the use of the electrical field assisted sintering method. This allowed the sintering to be completed at significantly lower temperatures and during much shorter times. These improvements in mechanical properties will be discussed in the context of the results from the microstructural investigations.