• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.58-58
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• 2011

Nickel-ceramics nanocomposite coatings can be applied as the wear resistance coating, corrosion protection of underlying materials, and decorative coatings. Hence, Nickel based nanocomposite coatings, especially Ni-SiC, have been extensively studied in recent years. However, more often agglomeration problem of the nanoparticles in the nickel matrix can cause deterioration of the mechanical properties rather than improvement. The homogeneous distribution of the nanoparticles in the matrix coating is still being challenging. In this experiment, electrochemical deposition of Ni-SiC composite coating was done in presence of ultrasound. The effects of different ultrasonic powers and frequencies on the nanoparticle dispersion were studied. The electrodeposition was carried out in nickel sulfamate bath by applying pulse current technique. Compared to the conventional mechanical stirring technique to prevent nanoparticles agglomeration and sedimentation during composite electrodeposition, the aid of ultrasonic dispersion along with mechanical stirring has been found to be more effective not only for the nanoparticles dispersion, but also for the mechanical properties of the electrodeposited coatings. Nanoparticles were found to be distributed homogeneously with reduced agglomeration. The microstructure of the composite coating has also been changed, allowing some random orientations of the nickel crystallite grain growths, smooth surface, and finer grains. As a consequence, better mechanical properties of the composites were observed.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.193-201
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• 2019

PURPOSE. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the color changes of an autopolymerizing PMMA resin used for interim fixed restorations, reinforced with $SiO_2$ nanoparticles. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Silica nanoparticles were blended with the PMMA resin powder through high-energy ball milling. Four shades of PMMA resin were used (A3, B3, C3, D3) and total color differences were calculated through the equations ${\Delta}E_{ab}=[({\Delta}L*)^2+({\Delta}a*)^2+({\Delta}b*)^2]^{1/2}$ and ${\Delta}E_{00}=[(\frac{{\Delta}L^{\prime}}{K_LS_L})^2+(\frac{{\Delta}C^{\prime}}{K_CS_C})^2+(\frac{{\Delta}H^{\prime}}{K_HS_H})^2+R_T(\frac{{\Delta}C^{\prime}}{K_CS_C})(\frac{{\Delta}H^{\prime}}{K_HS_H})]^{1/2}$. Statistically significant differences between ${\Delta}E_{ab}$ and the clinically acceptable values of 3.3 and 2.7 and those between ${\Delta}E_{00}$ and the clinically acceptable value of 1.8 were evaluated with one sample t-test (P<.05). Differences among the different shades were assessed through One-Way ANOVA and Bonferroni multiple comparison tests. RESULTS. Significantly lower values were detected for all groups concerning ${\Delta}E_{ab}$ compared to the intraorally clinical acceptable values of 3.3 and 2.7. Significantly lower mean values were detected for groups B3, C3, and D3, concerning ${\Delta}E_{00}$ compared to the intraorally clinical acceptant value of 1.8. Color pigments in red-brown (A3) and red-grey (D3) shades affect the total color change to a greater extent after the reinforcement with $SiO_2$ nanoparticles compared to the red-yellow (B3) shade. CONCLUSION. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, it can be suggested that reinforcing PMMA with $SiO_2$ nanoparticles at 0.25 wt% slightly affects the optical properties of the PMMA resin without being clinically perceivable.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2014

Herein, we report on the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles stabilized with styrene. Nano-sized Si particles emit fluorescence under UV excitation, which could be used to open up new applications in the fields of optics and semi-conductor research. Unfortunately, conventional methods for the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles suffer from the lack of a fully-established standard synthesis protocol. A common initial approach during the preparation of semi-conductors is the etching of crystalline Si wafers in a HF/ethanol/$H_2O$ bath, which provides a uniformly-etched surface of nanopores amenable for further nano-sized modifications via tuning of various parameters. Subsequent sonication of the etched surface crumbles the pores on the wafer, resulting in the dispersion of particles into the solution. In this study, we use styrene to occupy these platforms to stabilize the surface. We determine that the liberated silicon particles in ethanol solution interact with styrene, resulting in the substitution of Si-H bonds with those of Si-C as determined via UV photo-catalysis. The synthesized styrene-coated Si nanoparticles exhibit a stable, bright, red fluorescence under excitation with a 365 nm UV light, and yield approximately 100 mg per wafer with a synthesis time of 2 h. We believe this protocol could be further expanded as a cost-effective and high-throughput standard method in the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.159-169
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• 2013

A preparation method for gadolinium compound (GdC) nanoparticles coated with silica ($GdC/SiO_2$) is proposed. GdC nanoparticles were prepared with a homogeneous precipitation method at $80^{\circ}C$ using $1.0{\times}10^{-3}$ M $Gd(NO_3)_3$, 0.5 M urea and $0-3.0{\times}10^{-4}$ M ethylenediarinnetetraacetic acid disodium salt dihydrate (ETDA) in water. As a result of preparation at various EDTA concentrations, GdC nanoparticles with a size as small as $40.5{\pm}6.2$ nm, which were colloidally stable, were prepared at an EDTA concentration of $2.0{\times}10^{-4}$ M. Silica-coating of the GdC nanoparticles was performed by a St$\ddot{o}$ber method at $35^{\circ}C$ using $1.0-10.0{\times}10^{-3}$ M tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), 11 M $H_2O$ and $1.5{\times}10^{-3}$ M NaOH in ethanol in the presence of $1.0{\times}10^{-3}$ M GdC nanoparticles. Performance of preparation at various TEOS concentrations resulted in production of $GdC/SiO_2$ particles with an average size of $106.1{\pm}11.2$ nm at a TEOS concentration of $5.0{\times}10^{-3}$ M. The gadolinium (Gd) concentration of $1.0{\times}10^{-3}$ M in the as-prepared $GdC/SiO_2$ particle colloid solution was increased up to a Gd concentration of 0.2 M by concentrating with centrifugation. The core-shell structure of $GdC/SiO_2$ particles was undamaged, and the colloid solution was still colloidally stable, even after the concentrating process. The concentrated $GdC/SiO_2$ colloid solution showed images of X-ray and magnetic resonance with contrast as high as commercial Gd complex contrast agents.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.379-384
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• 2013

In order to produce size-controllable Ag nanoparticles and a nanomesh-patterned Si substrate, we introduce a rapid thermal annealing(RTA) method and a metal assisted chemical etching(MCE) process. Ag nanoparticles were self-organized from a thin Ag film on a Si substrate through the RTA process. The mean diameter of the nanoparticles was modulated by changing the thickness of the Ag film. Furthermore, we controlled the surface energy of the Si substrate by changing the Ar or $H_2$ ambient gas during the RTA process, and the modified surface energy was evaluated through water contact angle test. A smaller mean diameter of Ag nanoparticles was obtained under $H_2$ gas at RTA, compared to that under Ar, from the same thickness of Ag thin film. This result was observed by SEM and summarized by statistical analysis. The mechanism of this result was determined by the surface energy change caused by the chemical reaction between the Si substrate and $H_2$. The change of the surface energy affected on uniformity in the MCE process using Ag nanoparticles as catalyst. The nanoparticles formed under ambient Ar, having high surface energy, randomly moved in the lateral direction on the substrate even though the etching solution consisting of 10 % HF and 0.12 % $H_2O_2$ was cooled down to $-20^{\circ}C$ to minimize thermal energy, which could act as the driving force of movement. On the other hand, the nanoparticles thermally treated under ambient $H_2$ had low surface energy as the surface of the Si substrate reacted with $H_2$. That's why the Ag nanoparticles could keep their pattern and vertically etch the Si substrate during MCE.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.639-647
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• 2014

Laccases have a broad range of industrial applications. In this study, we immobilized laccase on $SiO_2$ nanoparticles to overcome problems associated with stability and reusability of the free enzyme. Among different reagents used to functionally activate the nanoparticles, glutaraldehyde was found to be the most effective for immobilization. Optimization of the immobilization pH, temperature, enzyme loading, and incubation period led to a maximum immobilization yield of 75.8% and an immobilization efficiency of 92.9%. The optimum pH and temperature for immobilized laccase were 3.5 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively, which differed from the values of pH 3.0 and $40^{\circ}C$ obtained for the free enzyme. Immobilized laccase retained high residual activities over a broad range of pH and temperature. The kinetic parameter $V_{max}$ was slightly reduced from 1,890 to 1,630 ${\mu}mol/min/mg$ protein, and $K_m$ was increased from 29.3 to 45.6. The thermal stability of immobilized laccase was significantly higher than that of the free enzyme, with a half-life 11- and 18-fold higher at temperatures of $50^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. In addition, residual activity was 82.6% after 10 cycles of use. Thus, laccase immobilized on $SiO_2$ nanoparticles functionally activated with glutaraldehyde has broad pH and temperature ranges, thermostability, and high reusability compared with the free enzyme. It constitutes a notably efficient system for biotechnological applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.135.1-135.1
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• 2014

Silicon nanoparticles can be synthesized in a standard radio-frequency glow discharge system at low temperature (${\sim}200^{\circ}C$). Plasma synthesis of silicon nanoparticles, initially a side effect of powder formation, has become over the years an exciting field of research which has opened the way to new opportunities in the field of materials deposition and their application to optoelectronic devices. Hydrogenated polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) has a peculiar microstructure, namely a small volume fraction of plasma synthesized silicon nanoparticles embedded in an amorphous matrix, which originates from the unique deposition mechanism. Detailed discussion on plasma synthesis of silicon nanoparticles, growth mechanism and photovoltaic application of pm-Si:H will be presented.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.3707-3711
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• 2011

Silver nanoparticles coated with silica can be obtained by the reduction of $AgNO_3$ with hydrazine in the presence of NaOH-stabilized, active silicic acid (polysilicic acid). The size of the silver nanoparticles and the silica shell thicknesses were affected by varying the hydrazine content, the active silicic acid content and the experimental method (e.g. hydrothermal method). Typically, silver nanoparticles sized around 40 nm were aggregated, connected by silica. The presence of peaks centered around 400 nm in UV-vis spectra corresponds to the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. The size of the aggregated silver nanoparticles increased with increasing hydrazine concentration. Under hydrothermal conditions at $150^{\circ}C$ the formation of individual silica particles was observed and the sizes of the silver nanoparticles were reduced. The hydrothermal treatment of silver nanoparticles at $180^{\circ}C$ gives a well-defined Ag@$SiO_2$ core-shell in aggregated silica sol particles. The absorption band observed at around 412 nm were red-shifted with respect to the uncoated silver nanoparticles (${\lambda}_{max}$ = 399 nm) due to the larger refractive index of silica compared to that of water. The formation of silver nanoparticles coated with silica is confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) data.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.2162-2166
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• 2013

The tailored surface modification of electrode materials is crucial to realize the wanted electronic and electrochemical properties. In this regard, a dexterous carbon encapsulation technique can be one of the most essential preparation methods for the electrode materials for lithium rechargeable batteries. For this purpose, DL-malic acid ($C_4H_6O_5$) was here used as the carbon source enabling an amorphous carbon layer to be formed on the surface of Si nanoparticles at enough low temperature to maintain their own physical or chemical properties. Various structural characterizations proved that the bulk structure of Si doesn't undergo any discernible change except for the evolution of C-C bond attributed to the formed carbon layer on the surface of Si. The improved electrochemical performance of the carbon-encapsulated Si compared to Si can be attributed to the enhanced electrical conductivity by the surface carbon layer as well as its role as a buffering agent to absorb the volume expansion of Si during lithiation and delithiation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.217-217
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• 2011

Recently, demand for thermally stable metal nanoparticles suitable for chemical reactions at high temperatures has increased to the point to require a solution to nanoparticle coalescence. Thermal stability of metal nanoparticles can be achieved by adopting core-shell models and encapsulating supported metal nanoparticles with mesoporous oxides [1,2]. However, to understand the role of metal-support interactions on catalytic activity and for surface analysis of complex structures, we developed a novel catalyst design by coating an ultra-thin layer of titania on Pt supported silica ($SiO_2/Pt@TiO_2$). This structure provides higher metal dispersion (~52% Pt/silica), high thermal stability (~600$^{\circ}C$) and maximization of the interaction between Pt and titania. The high thermal stability of $SiO_2/Pt@TiO_2$ enabled the investigation of CO oxidation studies at high temperatures, including ignition behavior, which is otherwise not possible on bare Pt nanoparticles due to sintering [3]. It was found that this hybrid catalyst exhibited a lower activation energy for CO oxidation because of the metal-support interaction. The concept of an ultra-thin active metal oxide coating on supported nanoparticles opens-up new avenues for synthesis of various hybrid nanocatalysts with combinations of different metals and oxides to investigate important model reactions at high-temperatures and in industrial reactions.