• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.660-665
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• 2020

Silicon heterojunction solar cells can achieve high conversion efficiency with a simple structure. In this study, we investigate the passivation characteristics of VOx thin films as a hole-selective contact layer using ALD (atomic layer deposition). Passivation characteristics improve with iVoc (implied open-circuit voltage) of 662 mV and minority carrier lifetime of 73.9 µs after post-deposition annealing (PDA) at 100 ℃. The improved values are mainly attributed to a decrease in carbon during the VOx thin film process after PDA. However, once it is annealed at temperatures above 250 ℃ the properties are rapidly degraded. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to analyze the chemical states of the VOx thin film. As the annealing temperature increases, it shows more formation of SiOx at the interface increases. The ratio of V5+ to V4+, which is the oxidation states of vanadium oxide thin films, are 6:4 for both as-deposition and annealing at 100 ℃, and 5:5 for annealing at 300 ℃. The lower the carbon content of the ALD VOx film and the higher the V5+ ratio, the better the passivation characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.719-726
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• 2021

Through the process of chemical vapor deposition, Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF₆) is widely used by the semiconductor industry to form tungsten films. Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF₆) is produced through manufacturing processes such as pulverization, wet smelting, calcination and reduction of tungsten ores. The manufacturing process of Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF₆) is required thorough quality control to improve productivity. In this paper, a real-time detection system for oxidation defects that occur in the manufacturing process of Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF₆) is proposed. The proposed system is implemented by applying YOLOv5 based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN); it is expected to enable more stable management than existing management, which relies on skilled workers. The implementation method of the proposed system and the results of performance comparison are presented to prove the feasibility of the method for improving the efficiency of the WF₆ manufacturing process in this paper. The proposed system applying YOLOv5s, which is the most suitable material in the actual production environment, demonstrates high accuracy (mAP@0.5 99.4 %) and real-time detection speed (FPS 46).

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 2022

Preparing various types of thin films of oxide semiconductors is a promising approach to fabricate efficient photoanodes and photocathodes for hydrogen production via photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of an efficient photocathode for PEC water reduction of a p-type oxide semiconductor cupric oxide (CuO) thin film prepared via a facile method combined with sputtering Cu metallic film on fluorine-doped thin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate and subsequent thermal oxidation of the sputtered Cu metallic film in dry air. Characterization of the structural, optical, and PEC properties of the CuO thin film prepared at various Cu sputtering powers reveals that we can obtain an optimum CuO thin film as an efficient PEC photocathode at a Cu sputtering power of 60 W. The photocurrent density and the optimal photocurrent conversion efficiency for the optimum CuO thin film photocathode are found to be -0.3 mA/cm² and 0.09% at 0.35 V vs. RHE, respectively. These results provide a promising route to fabricating earth-abundant copper-oxide-based photoelectrode for sunlight-driven hydrogen generation using a facile method.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.171-176
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• 2022

Recently, an autotrophic single-stage nitrogen removal (ASSNR) process based on the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) reaction has been proven as an economical ammonia treatment. It is highly evident that double-layered gel beads are a promising alternative to the natural biofilm for ASSNR because of the high mechanical strength of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/alginate structure and efficient protection of ANAMMOX bacteria from dissolved oxygen (DO) due to the thick outer layer. However, the thick outer layer results in severe mass transport limitation and consequent lowered bacterial activity. Therefore, the effects of the thickness of the outer layer on the overall reaction rate were tested in the biofilm model using AQUASIM for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and ANAMMOX bacteria. A thickness of 0.5~1.0 mm is preferred for the maximum total nitrogen (TN) removal. In addition, a DO of 0.5 mg/L resulted in the best total nitrogen removal. A higher DO induces NOB activity and consequent lower TN removal efficiency. The optimal density of AO B and NO B density was 1~10% for a 10% ANAMMOX bacterial in the double-layered PVA/alginate gel beads. The real effects of operating parameters of the thickness of the outer layer, DO and concentrations of biomass balance should be intensively investigated in the controlled experiments in batch and continuous modes.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.4 no.S2
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• pp.131-138
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• 1995

The broad beam ion sources of hot filament plasma type have widely used for modifications of materials and thin films, and the new type intensive current broad beam metal ion source including reactive gaseous ion beams is needed for preparing the hard coating films such as DLC, $\beta-C_3N_4$ Carbides, Nitrides, Borides etc. Now a electorn beam evaporation(EBE) broad beam metal ion source has been developed for this purpose in our lab. CN film has been formed by the EBE ion source. Study of the CN film shows that it has high hardness(HK=5800kgf/$\textrm {mm}^2$)and good adhesion. This method can widely changes the ratio of C/N atom's concentrations from 0.14 to 0.6 and has high coating rate. The low energy pocket ion source which was specially designed for surface texturing of medical silicon rubber was also developed. It has high efficiency and large uniform working zone. Both nature texturing and mesh masked texturing of silicon rubbers were performed. The biocompatibility was tested by culture of monocytes, and the results showed improved biocompatibility for the treated silicon rubbers. In addition, the TiB2 film synthesized by IBED is being studied recently in our lab. In this paper, the results which include the hardness, thickness of the films and the AES, XRD analysis as well as the tests of the oxidation of high temperature and erosion will be presented.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Concrete is one of the most widely used structure materials. Concrete is like the motor of the construction industry. The remarkable feature of this Concrete is its cheapness and low energy consumption. Concrete alone does not show resistance against any force but only against compressive forces. Therefore, steel rebar product is used as a reinforcement and increase the strength of Concrete. It can be done by putting rebar in Concrete in different ways. Rebar rusting is one of the crucial symptoms that cause swift destruction in reinforced structures-factors such as moisture in concrete increase the steel corrosion rate. In most cases, it is difficult to compensate for the damage caused by the corrosion of base metals, so preventing corrosion will be much more cost-effective. Coatings made with nanotechnology can protect Concrete against external degradation factors to prevent water and humidity from penetrating the Concrete and prevent rusting and corrosion of the rebar inside. It prevents water penetration and contamination into the Concrete and increases the Concrete's quality and structural efficiency. In this research, silica and titanium dioxide nanoparticle coatings have been used due to their suitable electrical and thermal properties, resistance to oxidation, corrosion, and wear to prevent the corrosion of rebars in Concrete. The results of this method show that these nanoparticles significantly improve the corrosion resistance of rebars.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.414-419
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• 2005

This study was performed to compare the treatment efficiencies of two media, newly developed Bio-rock and conventional gravel, in soil clothing contact oxidation process. The composition of synthetic wastewater were $COD_{Cr}$ $150{\sim}370\;mg/L$, $BOD_5$ $150{\sim}270\;mg/L$, T-N $20{\sim}60\;mg/L$, T-P $5{\sim}25\;mg/L$, pH 7 and 2 mL/L of trace element solution. The experiment using two reactors was comparatively conducted for the flow rate of 40 L/d for 13 months, respectively. Initially Bio-rock reactor was increased to pH 12 due to $Ca(OH)_2$ with hydration of cement, but gravel reactor was dropped to pH 4 due to the degradation of organic material and nitrification. This significant pH variation deteriorated the growth and activity of microorganism. But the high pH of Bio-rock seems favorite to ammonia stripping and precipitation of phosphate. Such pH variation of Bio-rock and gravel reactors were finally stabilized to pH 8 and pH 6, respectively. The removal efficiencies of organic compounds from Bio-rock reactor were 96% of $COD_{Cr}$, 98% of $BOD_5$, 80% of T-N and 85% of T-P which stably coping against variation of influent concentration. But those of gravel reactor were 96% of $COD_{Cr}$, 96% of $BOD_5$, 42% of T-N and 40% of T-P, respectively. The Bio-rock was 2 times higher than T-N and T-P in treatment efficiency. And electron-microscopic examination showed that Bio-rock was more favorable to microbial adherence than gravel. The microbial populations were $5.2{\times}10^6\;CFU/mL$ of Bio-rock reactor compared to $2.6{\times}10^6\;CFU/mL$ in gravel reactor. In result Bio-rock was favor to microbial adherence and high treatment efficiency in spite of variation of influent concentration which had the advantages in saving running time and reducing site requirement.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1280-1286
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• 2006

Three different virgin activated carbons made of each coal(Calgon), coconut(Samchully) and wood(Picabiol) based activated carbon(AC) were tested for an adsorption performance of 1,4-dioxane in a continuous adsorption column. Breakthrough behavior was Investigated that the breakthrough points of coal, coconut and wood based AC were observed as 3600 bed volumn(BV), 1440 BV and 144 BV respectively. Adsorption capacity(X/M) of coal, coconut and wood based AC was observed. The reported results of adsorption capacity showed that coal based AC was highest(578.9 ${\mu}g/g$), coconut based AC was intermediate(142.3 ${\mu}g/g$) and wood based AC was lowest(7.4 ${\mu}g/g$) due to increasing specific surface area. Moreover, carbon usage rates(CURs) for coal, coconut and wood based AC had been shown as 0.48 g/day, 1.41 g/day and 6.9 g/day respectively. The constant characteristic of the system, k of coal based AC was found to be 91.5 and k of coconut based AC was found to be 17.9. Removal efficiencies of 1,4-dioxane with different ozonation dosages(2 and 5 mg/L) for 20 min ozonation had been shown 38% and 87% respectively. There was no observation for biological removal of 1.4-dioxane by attached micro-organisms when used(3.1 years and over 5 years) biological activated carbon(BAC) without pretreatment of oxidation were employed. When a combination of ozonation(2 mg/L and 5 mg/L) and BAC process for $10{\sim}30$ min was applied, removal efficiency for 1,4-dioxine increased only $2{\sim}6%$ compared to only applying ozonation. Therefore removal efficiency of BAC process prior to using oxidation was proven to negligible. Consequently, the results presented in this paper provide a better insight into the adsorption performance of 1,4-dioxane. This observation suggests that using virgin activated carbon made of coal is the best selection for removal of 1,4-dioxane in the water treatment for an advanced treatment. It is clear from this research that longer EBCT for ozonation or higher ozone concentration are more effective operation methods for removal of 1,4-dioxane than longer EBCT in the BAC process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.791-800
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• 2006

This study examined the effects of gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon) extracts on the storage characteristics of Kangjung. At an increase of $0{\sim}0.25%$, there was no significant difference in the moisture content of wild and cultivated gromwell extract added to Kangjung, whereas there was a significant difference when increased to 0.5%. When compared, the occurrence of lipid oxidation among the controlled gromwell extract group stored at $60^{\circ}C$, resulted in peroxide values exceeding 40 meq/kg which is a maximum value for Hankwa within 12 hours of storage. However, at an increase of 0.25%, the cultivated gromwell extract added group reached limits within 16 hours. Furthermore, at a 0.5% increase in cultivated gromwell and 0.25% in wild gromwell, extract added groups exceeded this limit within 20 hours of storage. Gromwell added Kangjung, a fried food, showed efficiency in suppressing oxidation of fat, more so in the wild gromwell than the cultivated gromwell. In addition, efficiency in suppressing oxidation of fat increased at the 0.5% level than the 0.25% level. In conclusion, it is believed that an unused pigment resource called Lithospermum erythrorhizon, normally reserved for medicinal use, can be distributed as a safe food additive. In addition, as Lithospermum erythrorhizon is a natural antioxidant in fried foods, we believe this satisfies the demand for natural food.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.1094-1099
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• 2012

This study investigated the effect of a long-term high-fat diet on energy metabolic substrate utilization in resting rats in order to revalue source fat energy efficiency during a high-fat diet and its effect on energy expenditure and body fat accumulation. Sprague-Dawley male rats at 4 weeks of age were bought from Orient Bio Con. The rats were divided into a control (CON) group and a high-fat diet (HF) group. Rats ate a high-fat diet (w/w 40%, kcal/kcal 64.9%) ad libitum for 5 weeks. Food intake and body weight were measured every day at 09:00 throughout the experimental period. Energy expenditure was measured using an animal energy metabolism chamber after 4 weeks. The final body weight did not change between the CON and HF groups, but caloric intake was significantly higher in the HF group than in the CON group (p<0.05). There was no difference between the groups in oxygen uptake, however carbon dioxide production was significantly higher in the HF group. Also, the respiratory exchange ratio was higher in the HF group. Carbohydrate oxidation was lower in the HF group than in the CON group, but fat oxidation in the HF group was greater. These results mean that energy substrate oxidation at rest is affected by diet composition, especially dietary fat content. Abdominal fat fad weights were significantly higher by 33% in the HF group than in the CON group even though the calorie intake in the HF group was higher by 6%. These results suggested that the dietary fat calorie value might have a higher Atwater value of 9 kcal/g, which mean that dietary fat calorie values could be reconsidered in body weight control scenarios such as which the obese or weight class athletes.