• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.854-862
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• 2016

As the demand for a clean energy to replace fossil fuel being depleted increases, hydrogen energy is considered as a promising candidate for future energy source. Water electrolysis which produces hydrogen has high energy efficiency and stability but still has a large overpotential for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this study, $Co_3O_4$ catalysts with different morphology were prepared by spray pyrolysis from solutions which contain Co precursor and various organic additives (urea, sucrose, and citric acid), followed by post heat treatment. For the catalysts synthesized, X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed to identify their crystal structure. Morphology and surface shape of the catalysts were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Surface area and pore volume were examined by nitrogen adsortpion & desorption tests and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was conducted to confirm nitrogen doping. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) was carried out to investigate OER activity of $Co_3O_4$ catalysts. As a result, bare-$Co_3O_4$ which has high surface area and small particle size determined by spray pyrolysis showed high activity toward OER.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.108-109
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• 2013

Mitochondria play key roles in the production of cell's energy. Their dominant function is the synthesis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and phosphate (Pi) through the oxidative phosphorylation. Evaluation of drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity has become increasingly important since mitochondrial dysfunction has recently been implicated in numerous diseases including cancer and diabetes mellitus. Mitochondrial functions have been monitored via oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, and more importantly via ATP synthesis since ATP synthesis is the most essential function of mitochondria. Various analytical methods have been employed to investigate ATP synthesis in mitochondria, including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), bioluminescence technique, and pH measurement. However, most of these methods are based on destructive analysis or indirect monitoring through the enzymatic reaction. Infrared absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) is one of the useful techniques for real-time, label-free, and direct monitoring of biological reactions [1,2]. However, the strong water absorption requires very short path length in the order of several micrometers. Transmission measurements with thin path length are not suitable for mitochondrial assays because solution handlings necessary for evaluating mitochondrial toxicity, such as rapid mixing of drugs and oxygen supply, are difficult in such a narrow space. On the other hand, IRAS in the multiple internal reflection (MIR) geometry provides an ideal optical configuration to combine solution handling and aqueous-phase measurement. We have recently reportedon a real-time monitoring of drug-induced necrotic and apoptotic cell death using MIR-IRAS [3,4]. Clear discrimination between viable and damaged cells has been demonstrated, showing a promise as a label-free and real-time detection for cell-based assays. In the present study, we have applied our MIR-IRAS system to mitochondria-based assays by monitoring ATP synthesis in isolated mitochondria from rat livers. Mitochondrial ATP synthesis and hydrolysis were in situ monitored with MIR-IRAS, while dissolved oxygen level and solution pH were simultaneously monitored with O2 and pH electrodes, respectively. It is demonstrated that ATP synthesis and hydrolysis can be monitored by the IR spectral changes in phosphate groups in adenine nucleotides and MIR-IRAS is useful for evaluating time-dependent drug effects of mitochondrial toxicants.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.34-40
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• 2012

$Pt_{10}$/C, $Pt_9Mn_1$/C, $Pt_7Mn_3$/C electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells(PEMFCs) were synthesized by reduction with HCHO and their activity as a oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) was examined at half cell. The electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) was studied by using a glaasy carbon electrode through cyclic voltammetric curves(CV) in a 1 M $H_2SO_4$ solution. The ORR activities of $Pt_9Mn_1$/C were higher than $Pt_{10}$/C, $Pt_7Mn_3$/C. Also potential-current curves of $Pt_9Mn_1$/C at 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6V for 5minutes respectively were higher than $Pt_{10}$/C, $Pt_7Mn_3$/C. Physical characterization was made by using x-ray diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscope(TEM). The TEM images of $Pt_9Mn_1$/C, $Pt_{10}$/C catalysts showed homogenous particle distribution with particle size of about 2.7 nm, 3 nm respectively and then the XRD results showed that the crystalline structure of the synthesized catalysts are seen FCC structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.374-374
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• 2012

Nowadays, Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (AM-OLEDs) are the superior display device due to their vivid full color, perfect video capability, light weight, low driving power, and potential flexibility. One of the advantages of AM-OLED over Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) lies in its flexibility. The potential flexibility of AM-OLED is not fully explored due to its sensitivity to moisture and oxygen which are readily present in atmosphere, and there are no flexible encapsulation layers available to protect these. Therefore, we come up with a new concept of Inorganic-Organic hybrid thin film as the encapsulation layer. Our Inorganic layer is Al2O3 and Organic layer is F-Alucone. We deposited these layers in vacuum state using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD) techniques. We found the results are comparable to commercial requirement of 10-6 g/m2 day for Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR). Using ALD and MLD, we can control the exact thin film thickness and fabricate more dense films than chemical or physical vapor deposition methods. Moreover, this hybrid encapsulation layer potentially has both the flexibility of organic layers and superior protection properties of inorganic layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.162-162
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• 2016

We present multifunctional indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films formed at room temperature by a normal sputtering system equipped with a plasma limiter which effectively blocks the bombardment of energetic negative oxygen ions (NOIs). The ITO thin film possesses not only low resistivity but also high gas diffusion barrier properties even though it is deposited on a plastic substrate at room temperature without post annealing. Argon neutrals incident to substrates in the sputtering have an optimal energy window from 20 to 30 eV under the condition of blocking energetic NOIs to form ITO nano-crystalline structure. The effect of blocking energetic NOIs and argon neutrals with optimal energy make the resistivity decrease to $3.61{\times}10-4{\Omega}cm$ and the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 100 nm thick ITO film drop to $3.9{\times}10-3g/(m2day)$ under environmental conditions of 90% relative humidity and 50oC, which corresponds to a value of ~ 10-5 g/(m2day) at room temperature and air conditions. The multifunctional ITO thin films with low resistivity and low gas permeability will be highly valuable for plastic electronics applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.198.1-198.1
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• 2016

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays have promising potential to replace liquid crystal displays (LCDs) due to their advantages of low power consumption, fast response time, broad viewing angle and flexibility. Organic light emitting materials are vulnerable to moisture and oxygen, so inorganic thin films are required for barrier substrates and encapsulations.[1-2]. In this work, the silicon-based inorganic thin films are deposited on plastic substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at low temperature. It is necessary to deposit thin film at low temperature. Because the heat gives damage to flexible plastic substrates. As one of the transparent diffusion barrier materials, silicon oxides have been investigated. $SiO_x$ have less toxic, so it is one of the more widely examined materials as a diffusion barrier in addition to the dielectric materials in solid-state electronics [3-4]. The $SiO_x$ thin films are deposited by a PECVD process in low temperature below $100^{\circ}C$. Water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was determined by a calcium resistance test, and the rate less than $10.^{-2}g/m^2{\cdot}day$ was achieved. And then, flexibility of the film was also evaluated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.259-259
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• 2015

Single crystalline indium-tin-oxide (ITO) nanowires (NWs) were grown by sputtering method. A thin Ni film of 5 nm was deposited before ITO sputtering. Thermal treatment forms Ni nanoparticles, which act as templates to diffuse Ni into the sputtered ITO layer to grow single crystalline ITO NWs. This Ni diffusion through an ITO NW was investigated by transmission electron microscope to observe the Ni-tip sitting on a single crystalline ITO NW. Meanwhile, a single crystalline ITO structure was found at bottom and body part of a single ITO NW without remaining of Ni atoms. This indicates the Ni atoms diffuse through the oxygen vacancies of ITO structure. Rapid thermal process (RTP) applied to generate an initial stage of a formation of Ni nanoparticles with variation in time periods to demonstrate the existence of an optimum condition to initiate ITO NW growth. Modulation in ITO sputtering condition was applied to verify the ITO NW growth or the ITO film growth. The Ni-assisted grown ITO layer has an improved electrical conductivity while maintaining a similar transmittance value to that of a single ITO layer. Electrically conductive and optically transparent nanowire-coated surface morphology would provide a great opportunity for various photoelectric devices.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.2 s.245
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• pp.170-176
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• 2006

A spark discharge aerosol generator using air as a carrier gas has successfully been applied to silver nanoparticle production. The spark discharge between two silver electrodes, which was periodically obtained by discharging the capacitor, produced sufficient high temperatures to evaporate a small fraction of the silver electrodes. The silver vapor was subsequently supersaturated by rapid cooling and condensed to silver nanoparticles by nucleation and condensation. The morphology of the generated particles observed by transmission electron microscope was spherical. The element composition of the nanoparticles was silver, which was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The crystal phase of the particles spark-generated under air atmosphere was composed of silver and silver oxides phase, which was determined by Xray diffraction analysis. While the nanoparticles generated under nitrogen atmosphere had only silver phase. This XRD data indicates that some fraction of the evaporated silver vapor could be oxidized in air atmosphere by the reaction with oxygen. A stable operation of the spark discharge generator has been achieved. The size and concentration of the particles can be easily controlled by altering the repetition frequency, capacitance, gap distance and flow rate of the spark discharge system.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.983-985
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• 2004

PMMA-coated CdS nanorod was prepared by encapsulation of CdS nanorod through the polymerization process of PMMA on the surface of CdS nanorod. PMMA organic nanotube was then obtained from the elimination of the CdS nanorod by the photocorrosion. For the photocorrosion reaction of the CdS nanorod, monochromatic light was irradiated to the oxygen-saturated aqueous methyl viologen solution with PMMAcoated CdS nanorod. Photocorrosion reactions of PMMA-coated CdS nanorod were investigated and characterized by utilizing UV-Vis absorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.455-461
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• 2015

SnS-$TiO_2$ nanocomposites are synthesized using simple, cheap, and less toxic $SnCl_2$ as the tin (II) precursor. The prepared nanoparticles are characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The XRD and TEM results indicate that the prepared product has SnS nanoparticles and a grain diameter of 30 nm. The DRS demonstrate that SnS-$TiO_2$ possesses the absorption profile across the entire visible light region. The generation of reactive oxygen species is detected through the oxidation reaction from 1,5-diphenyl carbazide (DPCI) to 1,5-diphenyl carbazone (DPCO). It is found that the photocurrent density and photocatalytic effect increase with the modified SnS. Excellent catalytic degradation of Texbrite BA-L (TBA) solution is observed using the SnS-$TiO_2$ composites under visible light irradiation. It is proposed that both the strong visible light absorption and the multiple exciton excitations contribute to the high visible light photocatalytic activity.