• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.423-423
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• 2011

Zinc oxide is metal oxide semiconductor with the 3.37 eV bandgap energy. Zinc oxide is very attractive materials for many application fields. Zinc Oxide has many advantages such as high conductivity and good transmittance in visible region. Also it is cheaper than other semiconductor materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO). Therefore, ZnO is alternative material for ITO. ZnO is attracting attention for its application to transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films, surface acoustic wave (SAW), films bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR), piezoelectric materials, gas-sensing, solar cells and photocatalyst. In this study, we synthesized ZnO nanoparticles and defined their physical and chemical properties. Also we studied about the application of ZnO nanoparticles as a photocatalyst and try to find a enhancement photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorticles.. We synthesized ZnO nanoparticles using spray-pyrolysis method and defined the physical and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles in experiment I. When the ZnO are exposed to UV light, reduction and oxidation (REDOX) reaction will occur on the ZnO surface and generate O2- and OH radicals. These powerful oxidizing agents are proven to be effective in decomposition of the harmful organic materials and convert them into CO2 and H2O. Therefore, we investigated that the photocatalytic activity was increased through the surface modification of synthesized ZnO nanoparticles. In experiment II, we studied on the stability of ZnO nanoparticles in water. It is well known that ZnO is unstable in water in comparison with TiO2. Zn(OH)2 was formed at the ZnO surface and ZnO become inactive as a photocatalyst when ZnO is present in the solution. Therefore, we prepared synthesized ZnO nanoparticles that were immersed in the water and dried in the oven. After that, we measured photocatalytic activities of prepared samples and find the cause of their photocatalytic activity changes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.270.1-270.1
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• 2013

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most powerful materials for purifying organic pollutants using photocatalytic activity. In this study, we have introduced a novel method to design highly photoreactive flexible 3 dimensional (3D) ZnO nanocomposite [F-ZnO-m (m: reaction time, min)] by electrospinning and simple-step ZnO growth processing (one-step ZnO seed coating/growth processing). Significantly, the F-ZnO-m could be a new platform (or candidate) as a photocatalytic technology for both morphology control and largearea production. The highest photocatalytic degradation rate ([k]) was observed for F-ZnO-m at 2.552 h-1, which was 8.1 times higher than that of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs; [k] = 0.316 h-1). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of F-ZnO-m may be attributed to factors such as large surface area. The F-ZnO-m is highly recyclable and retained 98.6% of the initial decolorization rate after fifteen cycles. Interestingly, the F-ZnO-m samples show very strong antibacterial properties against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) after exposure to UV-light for 30 min. The antibacterial properties of F-ZnO-m samples are more effective than those of ZnO NPs. More than 96.6% of the E. coli is sterilized after ten cycles. These results indicate that F-ZnO-m samples might have utility in several promising applications such as highly efficient water/air treatment and inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.244-253
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• 2007

This research investigated the effect of a photocatalytic reaction on nanofiltration(NF) membrane fouling by natural organic matter(NOM). The photocatalytic degradation was very effective for destruction and transformation of NOM and was carried out by titanium dioxide($TiO_2$) and $TiO_2$-immobilized bead as a photocatalyst. In order to compare their phtocatalytic properties, the photocatalytic degradation of humic acid in the presence of calcium ion was used as a model reaction. After the photocatalytic degradation the membrane fouling was dramatically decreased.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.11 no.6 s.47
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• pp.503-509
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• 2004

Dispersion stabilities and photocatalytic activities of rutile $TiO_{2}$ powders with unique nano-structure synthesized by homogeneous precipitation process at low temperature(HPPLT) have been investigated in the acrylic resin containing fluorostyrene in the range of 0~0.16 mole. Isoelectric point of $TiO_{2}$ in the acrylic resin placed in the neutral region whereas that of $TiO_{2}$ in the water placed in the acidic region, indicating that zeta potential and agglomeration of $TiO_{2}$ powder is strongly dependent on the pH and the type of solvent. To prepare an adhesion, an acrylic resin containing fluorostyrene was synthesized by a radical polymerization. The adhesion of coating layer was increased with increasing fluorostyrene's contents without changing the dispersion stabilities and degrading photocatalytic properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.345-345
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• 2010

Thin film of $TiO_2$ deposited on carbon paper was fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and $H_2O$ as precursors. In this work, the photocatalytic activities of $TiO_2$ films with and without e-beam treatment were compared. The samples were treated by e-beam using e-beam energy of 1MeV and exposure range between 5 and 15kGy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyleneblue (MB) under UV irradiation (365nm) at room temperature using an UV-vis spectroscopy. The surface properties were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sample treated by the low radiation dose has more catalytic activity than other ones. SEM images show that the high radiation dose caused the $TiO_2$ to aggregation on carbon paper. Due to the aggregation of $TiO_2$, the partially exposed carbon paper was oxidized.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2003

$TiO_2$ nanopowder was synthesized by chemical vapor condensation (CVC) process and its photocatalytic property depending on microstructure was considered in terns of decomposition rate of organic compound. In order to control microstructure of $TiO_2$ nanopowder such as particle size and degree of agglomeration, precursor flow rate representing number concentration was changed as a process variable. In TEM observation, spherical $TiO_2$ nanoparticles with average size of 20 nm showed gradual increases in particle size and degree of agglomeration with increase of precursor flow rate. Also decomposition rate of organic compound increased with decreasing precursor flow rate. Thus, it was concluded that photocatalytic property was enhanced by targe surface area of disperse $TiO_2$ nanoparticles synthesized at lower precursor flow rate condition in CVC process.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.19-21
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• 2015

Zeolite is an ideal host material for encapsulating nano-size metal catalyst species because of its defined microporous structure, prominent adsorption/condensation properties, high surface area, chemical/thermal stability, and transparency to light. In this study, $TiO_2$ photocatalyst was incorporated in highly hydrophobic Y zeolite and its photocatalytic activity was examined in the photocatalytic oxidation of olefins under UV-light irradiation using molecular oxygen as an oxygen source. $TiO_2$ nanoparticles incorporated in hydrophobic Y zeolite exhibited a markedly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with bare $TiO_2$ owing to its excellent affinity toward organic moieties, which facilitates the mass transfer of organic substrates and allows them to efficiently access to the neighboring active $TiO_2$ surface.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2017

The formation mechanism and photocatalytic properties of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/$TiO_2$-based nanotube (TNTs) composite are investigated. The CNT/TNT composite is synthesized via a solution chemical route. It is confirmed that this 1-D nanotube composite has a core-shell nanotubular structure, where the TNT surrounds the CNT core. The photocatalytic activity investigated based on the methylene blue degradation test is superior to that of with pure TNT. The CNTs play two important roles in enhancing the photocatalytic activity. One is to act as a template to form the core-shell structure while titanate nanosheets are converted into nanotubes. The other is to act as an electron reservoir that facilitates charge separation and electron transfer from the TNT, thus decreasing the electron-hole recombination efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.189.1-189.1
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• 2013

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a wide bandgap semiconductor possessing photochemical stability and thus widely used for photocatalysis. However, enhancing photocatalytic efficiency is still a challenging issue. In general, the efficiency is affected by physio-chemical properties such as crystalline phase, crystallinity, exposed crystal facets, crystallite size, porosity, and surface/bulk defects. Here we propose an alternative approach to enhance the efficiency by studying interfaces between thin TiO2 layers to be stacked; that is, the interfacial phenomena influencing on the formation of porous structures, controlling crystallite sizes and crystallinity. To do so, multi-layered TiO2 thin films were fabricated by using a sol-gel method. Specifically, a single TiO2 thin layer with a thickness range of 20~40 nm was deposited on a silicon wafer and annealed at $600^{\circ}C$. The processing step was repeated up to 6 times. The resulting structures were characterized by conventional electron microscopes, and followed by carrying out photocatalytic performances. The multi-layered TiO2 thin films with enhancing photocatalytic efficiency can be readily applied for bio- and gas sensing devices.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.2480-2486
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• 2018

Mesoporous $TiO_2$ microspheres were prepared by spray pyrolysis for photocatalysis. Post modification of $TiO_2$ by heat treatment was performed to optimize its photocatalytic performance. First, spherical $TiO_2$ particles with mesoporous structure were synthesized at pyrolysis temperatures of 500, 600, and $700^{\circ}C$. After characterization by XRD, SEM, and $N_2$ adsorption, a sample prepared at $500^{\circ}C$ was found to possess desirable properties for photocatalytic performance through post-modification. In methylene blue degradation, mesoporous $TiO_2$ microspheres synthesized at $500^{\circ}C$ outperformed other microspheres. Furthermore, samples obtained by spray pyrolysis at $500^{\circ}C$ were calcined at various temperatures as a post-modification process. The sample calcined at $350^{\circ}C$ showed improved photocatalytic activity due to optimal anatase crystallinity and surface area.