• Advances in nano research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.203-214
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• 2017

In this study we present the reaction mechanism of $Cu_2ZnSnSe_4$ (CZTSe) nanoparticles synthesized by microwave-assisted chemical synthesis. We performed reactions every 10 minutes in order to identify different phases during quaternary CZTSe formation. The powder samples were analyzed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that in the first minutes copper phases are predominant, then copper and tin secondary phases react to form ternary phase. The quaternary phase is formed at 50 minutes while ternary and secondary phases are consumed. At 60 minutes pure quaternary CZTSe phase is present. After 60 minutes the quaternary phase decomposes in the previous ternary and secondary phases, which indicates that 60 minutes is ideal reaction time. The EDS analysis of pure quaternary nanocrystals (CZTSe) showed stoichiometric relations similar to the reported research in the literature, which falls in the range of Cu/(Zn+Sn): 0.8-1.0, Zn/Sn: 1.0-1.20. In conclusion, the evolution pathway of CZTSe synthesized by this novel method is similar to other synthesis methods reported before. Nanoparticles synthesized in this study present desirable properties in order to use them in solar cell and photoelectrochemical cell applications.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.60.1-60.1
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• 2010

Chemically functionalized plant oils such as acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) and maleinized acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (MAESO) were used as new bio-based binders for $TiO_2$ electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). More porous networks and larger porosities were fabricated on the $TiO_2$ films using plant oil binders due to the larger number of functionalities, in comparison with the film using polyethylene glycol (PEG). The charge-transfer resistance in the $TiO_2$ films was considerably shrunk due to the reduced impurity states. The short circuit photocurrent (Isc) and the open circuit photovoltage (Voc) of the cell using plant oil binders increased and the conversion efficiency improved significantly.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.7.2-7.2
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• 2011

Photoelectrochemical solar cells such as dye-sensitized cells (DSSCs), which exhibit high performance and are cost-effective, provide an alternative to conventional p-n junction photovoltaic devices. However, the efficiency of such cells plateaus at 11~12%, in contrast to their theoretical value of 33%. The majority of research has focused on improving energy conversion efficiency of DSSC by controlling nanostructure and exploiting new materials in photoelectrode consisting of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles and a transparent conducting oxide electrode (TCO). In this presentation, we introduce monodisperesed TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by forced hydrolysis method and their superiority as photoelectrode materials was characterized with aids of optical and electrochemical analysis. Inverse opal-based scattering layers containing highly crystalline anatase nanoparticles are also introduced and their feasibility for use as bi-functional light scattering layer is discussed in terms of optical reflectance and charge generation properties as a function of optical wavelength.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.360-361
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• 2008

A new kind of SBM co-polymer binder as styrene, n-butyl acrylate, and methacrylic acid (SBM) monodisperse co-polymer binder materials basted on $TiO_2$ pastes was synthesized and this $TiO_2$ pastes were applied of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The SBM co-polymer binder was prepared by soap-free emulsion copolymerization using a PEG-EEM macromonomer. The photoanodes were characterized by morphology investigated from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The photoelectrochemical properties of the thin films and the performance of DSSCs were measured by photovoltaic-current density. DSSC based on the emulsion co-polymer binder was obtained conversion efficiency of 7.1% under irradiation of AM 1.5($100mWcm^{-2}$).

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.120.2-120.2
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• 2011

The improvement of solar energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency has continued to be an important research area of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The mechanism of DSSCs is based on the injection of electrons from the photoexcited dye into the conduction band of nanocrystalline TiO2 or ZnO. Thus, the electronic structures, such as HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO-LUMO band gaps of dye moleculed in DSSC are deeply related to the electron transfer by photoexcitation and redox potential. Organic dyes, because of their many advantages, such as high molar extinction coefficients, convenience of customized molecular design for desired photophysical and photochemical properties, inexpensiveness with no transition metals contained, and environment-friendliness, are suitable as photosensitizers for DSSC. We believe that practically useful organic dye photosensitizers can be produced by exploiting electron donor/acceptor system with proper length of ${\pi}$-conjugation in a chromophore to control the absorption wavelength and enhance the photovoltaic performance. In this research, We designed and synthesized organic dyes also investigated the photoelectrochemical properties of a series of ionic dyes in DSSCs.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2007

Methylene blue(MB) was photocatalytically degraded with one-body photoanode and solar simulator to investigate the possible application to both environmental purification and photoelectrochemical cell for hydrogen production. Photoactive titanium dioxide was formed on both sides of Ti plate following steps such as rinsing-annealing-calcination or anodizing(20 V, 30 V)-annealing($350^{\circ}C$, $450^{\circ}C)$ after etching. The prepared titania plate($2cm{\times}2\;cm$, ca 1.6 mg $TiO_2$ on the basis of $1\;{\mu}m$ thickness) was used to degrade MB(10 ppm in 200 mL solution). The reaction tended to follow the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics with zero order. Comparative experiments with Degussa P25 showed the same zero order kinetics when 2 mg of P25 had been used, while the first order kinetics when 200 mg used. This concludes the feasibility of the prepared titania plate as a material for the purification of low-level harmful organics and an electrode or a membrane for photoelectrochemical system for hydrogen production.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.417-417
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• 2016

Global environmental deterioration has become more serious year by year and thus scientific interests in the renewable energy as environmental technology and replacement of fossil fuels have grown exponentially. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell consisting of semiconductor photoelectrodes that can harvest light and use this energy directly to split water, also known as photoelectrolysis or solar water splitting, is a promising renewable energy technology to produce hydrogen for uses in the future hydrogen economy. A major advantage of PEC systems is that they involve relatively simple processes steps as compared to many other H2 production systems. Until now, a number of materials including TiO2, WO3, Fe2O3, and BiVO4 were exploited as the photoelectrode. However, the PEC performance of these single absorber materials is limited due to their large charge recombinations in bulk, interface and surface, leading low charge separation/transport efficiencies. Recently, coupling of two materials, e.g., BiVO4/WO3, Fe2O3/WO3 and CuWO4/WO3, to form a type II heterojunction has been demonstrated to be a viable means to improve the PEC performance by enhancing the charge separation and transport efficiencies. In this study, we have prepared a triple-layer heterojunction BiVO4/WO3/SnO2 photoelectrode that shows a comparable PEC performance with previously reported best-performing nanostructured BiVO4/WO3 heterojunction photoelectrode via a facile solution method. Interestingly, we found that the incorporation of SnO2 nanoparticles layer in between WO3 and FTO largely promotes electron transport and thus minimizes interfacial recombination. The impact of the SnO2 interfacial layer was investigated in detail by TEM, hall measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. In addition, our planar-structured triple-layer photoelectrode shows a relatively high transmittance due to its low thickness (~300 nm), which benefits to couple with a solar cell to form a tandem PEC device. The overall PEC performance, especially the photocurrent onset potential (Vonset), were further improved by a reactive-ion etching (RIE) surface etching and electrocatalyst (CoOx) deposition.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.12
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• pp.2425-2430
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• 2009

Dye-sensitized solar cell(DSC) is composed of a dye-adsorbed nanoporous $TiO_2$ layer on fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO) glass substrate, electrolyte, and platinium doped counter electrode. Among these, a dye-absorbed nanoporous $TiO_2$ layer plays an important role in the performance of the DSC because the injected electrons from excited dye molecules move through this layer. And the condition of $TiO_2$ layer such as the morphology and thickness affects on the electron movement. Therefore, the performances and the efficiency of DSC change as the thickness of $TiO_2$ layer is different. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy(EIS) is the powerful analysis method to study the kinetics of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical processes occurring in the DSC especially the injected electron movements. So we analyzed the DSCs with different $TiO_2$ thicknesses by using EIS to understand the influence of the $TiO_2$ thickness to the performance of the DSC clearly. Finally, we got the EIS analysis on the DSC with different $TiO_2$ thickness from the internal resistance of the DSC, the electron life time and the amount of dye molecules.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 1996

The enhancement of the solar energy conversion efficiency into the electrical energy by the dye sensitization with a photoelectrochemical cell was studied. The magnitude of the rose bengal sensitized photocurrent containing the supersensitizer, thiourea was five times greater than that in the absence of thiourea. It was observed, however, that the long time span of irradiation causes the decrease in the photocurrent. Spectroscopic analysis of the dye solution showed that the dye molecule was photobleached and the insoluble aggregate which settles down in the solution, was formed as a result of the possible photocatalytic reaction and the disappearance of dye from the solution was the cause of the decreased photocurrent in the sensitization run.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-28
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• 1998

Fluorimetric and absorption spectroscopic studies were performed to elucidate the photocurrent decay with time in the conversion process of solar energy into electrical energy using a photoelectrochemical cell containing rose bengal as a sensitizer, and allylthiourea as a supersensitizer. Spectra of dye solution before and after irradiation revealed a new photocatalytic dimerization reaction between sensitizer and supersensitizer. It was also found that the geometrical arrangement of the transition dipoles is oblique in the dimer of dye molecules.