• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2017

When the ambient air pressure was $0.1kg/cm^2$, there were few spherically formed droplets, which showed very badly fragmented state. The average particle size of the particles constituting the droplet was about 40 nm. When the air pressure increased to $0.5kg/cm^2$, the ratio of the spherical droplet forms increased, but still showed a state of severe disruption. The average particle size of the particles was reduced to about 35 nm. As the air pressure increased to $3kg/cm^2$, the ratio of spherical droplet form significantly increased, the degree of fragmentation even further decreased and the average particle size decreased to 30 nm. When the air pressure increased from 0.1 to $1kg/cm^2$, the XRD peak intensity showed little change, but the specific surface area was decreased. As the air pressure increased to $3kg/cm^2$, the intensity of XRD peaks showed a little decrease, while the specific surface area increased.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.547-552
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• 2019

Electrochemical properties of $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cathode were investigated with gel polymer electrolyte (GPE). To access fast and efficient transport of ions and electrons during the charge/discharge process, a pure and well-crystallized $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cathode material was directly synthesized via spray-pyrolysis method. For high operation voltage, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based gel polymer electrolyte was then prepared by electrospinning process. The gel polymer electrolyte showed high ionic conductivity of $2.9{\times}10^{-3}S\;cm^{-1}$ at $25^{\circ}C$ and good electrochemical stability. $Li/GEP/LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4$ cell delivered a discharge capacity of $159mAh\;g^{-1}$ at 0.1 C rate that was close to the theoretical value ($170mAh\;g^{-1}$). The cell allows stable cycle performance (99.3% capacity retention) with discharge capacity of $133.5mAh\;g^{-1}$ for over 300 cycles at 1 C rate and exhibits high rate-capability. PAN-based gel polymer is a suitable electrolyte for application in $LiMn_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}PO_4/Li$ batteries with perspective in high energy density and safety.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.791-794
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• 2003

To synthesize $Gd_{2}O_{3}:Eu$ phosphor powder of nano size and high luminescence efficiency under UV (ultraviolet) and VUV (vacuum ultraviolet) light, organic additives such as citric acid and ethylene glycol and $Na_{2}CO_{3}$ flux were introduced in large-scale spray pyrolysis and critical conditions for forming nano-sized particles were investigated. The $Gd_{2}O_{3}:Eu$ phosphor particles prepared from solutions with organic additives such as citric acid and ethylene glycol had micron size and spherical shape. However, the particles prepared from polymeric precursor solution with $Na_{2}CO_{3}$ flux had nano size and non-aggregation characteristics. The as-prepared spherical particles with micron size turned into nano-sized particles during post-treatment by recrystallization process. The nano-sized $Gd_{2}O_{3}:Eu$ phosphor particles showed higher brightness than the commercial $Y_2O_3:Eu$ phosphor product under both UV light of 254nm and VUV light of 147 nm.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.502-507
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• 2014

Recently, improvement in the conversion efficiency of silicon-based solar cells has been achieved by decreasing emitter doping concentration, because the lightly doped emitter can effectively prevent the recombination of electrons and holes generated by solar light irradiation. This type of emitter is very thin due to the low doping concentration, thus conductive materials (i.e., silver) used for front electrodes can easily penetrate the emitter during a firing process because of their large diffusivity in silicon. This results in junction leakage currents which might reduce cell efficiencies. In this study, $Al_2O_3$-coated Ag powders were synthesized by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method and applied to the conductive materials of the front electrode to control the junction leakage current. The $Al_2O_3$ shell obstructs the Ag diffusion into the emitter during the firing process. The powder is spherical with a core-shell structure and the thickness of the $Al_2O_3$ shell is tens of nanometers. Solar cells were fabricated using pure Ag powders or the $Al_2O_3$-coated Ag powder as front electrode materials, and the conversion efficiency and junction leakage current were compared to investigate the role of the $Al_2O_3$ shell during the firing processes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.382-382
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• 2012

CIGS thin films have received great attention as a promising material for solar cells due to their high absorption coefficient, appropriate bandgap, long-term stability, and low cost production. CIGS thin films are deposited by various methods such as co-evaporation, sputtering, spray pyrolysis and electro-deposition. The deposition technique is one of the most important processes in preparing CIGS thin film solar cells. Among these methods, co-evaporation is one of the best technique for obtaining high quality and stoichiometric CIGS films. However, co-evaporation method is known to be unsuitable for commercialization. The sputtering is known to be very effective and feasible process for mass production. In this study, CIGS thin films have prepared by rf magnetron sputtering using a $Cu(In_{1-x}Ga_x)Se_2$ single quaternary target without post deposition selenization. This process has been examined by the effects of deposition parameters on the structural and compositional properties of the films. In addition, we will explore the influences of substrate temperature and additional annealing treatment after deposition on the characteristics of CIGS thin films. The thickness of CIGS films will be measured by Tencor-P1 profiler. The crystalline properties and surface morphology of the films will be analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The optical properties of the films will be determined by UV-Visible spectroscopy. Electrical properties of the films will be measured using van der Pauw geometry and Hall effect measurement at room temperature using indium ohmic contacts.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.387-393
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• 2023

Transition metal chalcogenides are promising cathode materials for next-generation battery systems, particularly sodium-ion batteries. Ni₃Co₆S₈-pitch-derived carbon composite microspheres with a yolk-shell structure (Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS) were synthesized through a three-step process: spray pyrolysis, pitch coating, and post-heat treatment process. Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS exhibited an impressive reversible capacity of 525.2 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1 over 50 cycles when employed as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, Ni₃Co₆S₈ yolk shell nanopowder (Ni₃Co₆S₈-YS) without pitch-derived carbon demonstrated a continuous decrease in capacity during charging and discharging. The superior sodium-ion storage properties of Ni₃Co₆S₈@C-YS were attributed to the pitch-derived carbon, which effectively adjusted the size and distribution of nanocrystals. The carbon-coated yolk-shell microspheres proposed here hold potential for various metal chalcogenide compounds and can be applied to various fields, including the energy storage field.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.113-116
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• 2006

자발착화 연소반응법 (Glycine Nitrate Process)을 응용한 초음파분무열분해장치를 이용하여 이차전지의 양극재료인 Ni치환형 $LiMn_2O-4$ 분말을 합성하였고, 각각의 하소온도에 따른 분말의 특성을 평가하였다. 전구용액은 산화제로 $Mn(NO_3)_2{\cdot}6H_20$EX>, $LiNO_3$, $Ni(NO_3)_2{\cdot}6H_20$를 사용하였고, 자발착화 에너지를 공급하기 위한 연료로는 glycine를 사용하였다. 분말의 결정상을 확인하기 위해 X-선 회절 시험을 시행하였으며, 각각의 조성별로 ICP측정결과 여러 조성들($LiNi_xNm_{2-x}O_4\;0{\leq}x{\leq]0.5$) 중 $LiNi_{0.3}Nm_{1.7}O_4$의 분말이 비교적 우수한 특성을 나타내었지만, 전기화학적 특성 평가 결과 이론용량값에 미치지 못하는 용량값을 나타내었다. 이것은 분말 합성 시 미량의 미 반응된 유기물들이 분말 표면에 피복되어 전기적 성질을 변화시키고 있기 때문임을 확인하였다. 이러한 특성을 개선하고자 추가적으로 하소 공정을 실시하여 전지의 성능를 평가 하였다. 분말의 미세구조와 형태, 크기, 전기 화학적 특성을 관찰하여 하소 전 후의 분말을 비교하였다.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.35.1-35.1
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• 2011

New photovoltaic (PV) materials and manufacturing approaches are needed for meeting the demand for lower-cost solar cells. The prototypal thin-film photovoltaic absorbers (CdTe and $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$) can achieve solar conversion efficiencies of up to 20% and are now commercially available, but the presence of toxic (Cd,Se) and expensive elemental components (In, Te) is a real issue as the demand for photovoltaics rapidly increases. To overcome these limitations, there has been substantial interest in developing viable alternative materials, such as $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ (CZTS) is an emerging solar absorber that is structurally similar to CIGS, but contains only earth abundant, non-toxic elements and has a near optimal direct band gap energy of 1.4~1.6 ev and a large absorption coefficient of ${\sim}10^4\;cm^{-1}$. The CZTS absorber layers are grown and investigated by various fabrication methods, such as thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation with a post sulfurization, sputtering, non-vacuum sol-gel, pulsed laser, spray-pyrolysis method and electrodeposition technique. In the present work, we report an alternative method for large area deposition of CZTS thin films that is potentially high throughput and inexpensive when used to produce monolithically integrated solar panel modules. Specifically, we have developed an aqueous chemical approach based on chemical bath deposition (CBD) with a subsequent sulfurization heat treatment. Samples produced by our method were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, absorbance and photoluminescence. The results show that this inexpensive and relatively benign process produces thin films of CZTS exhibiting uniform composition, kesterite crystal structure, and good optical properties. A preliminary solar cell device was fabricated to demonstrate rectifying and photovoltaic behavior.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.99.1-99.1
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• 2012

The thin-film photovoltaic absorbers (CdTe and $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$) can achieve solar conversion efficiencies of up to 20% and are now commercially available, but the presence of toxic (Cd,Se) and expensive elemental components (In, Te) is a real issue as the demand for photovoltaics rapidly increases. To overcome these limitations, there has been substantial interest in developing viable alternative materials, such as $Cu_2ZnSnS_4$ (CZTS) is an emerging solar absorber that is structurally similar to CIGS, but contains only earth abundant, non-toxic elements and has a near optimal direct band gap energy of 1.4 - 1.6 eV and a large absorption coefficient of ~104 $cm^{-1}$. The CZTS absorber layers are grown and investigated by various fabrication methods, such as thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation with a post sulfurization, sputtering, non-vacuum sol-gel, pulsed laser, spray-pyrolysis method and electrodeposition technique. In the present work, we report an alternative aqueous chemical approach based on chemical bath deposition (CBD) method for large area deposition of CZTS thin films. Samples produced by our method were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, absorbance and photoluminescence. The results show that this inexpensive and relatively benign process produces thin films of CZTS exhibiting uniform composition, kesterite crystal structure, and some factors like triethanolamine, ammonia, temperature which strongly affect on the morphology of CZTS film.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.375-375
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• 2010

CdTe as an absorber material is widely used in thin film solar cells with the heterostructure due to its almost ideal band gap energy of 1.45 eV, high photovoltaic conversion efficiency, low cost and stable performance. The deposition methods and preparation conditions for the fabrication of CdTe are very important for the achievement of high solar cell conversion efficiency. There are some rearranged reports about the deposition methods available for the preparation of CdTe thin films such as close spaced sublimation (CSS), physical vapor deposition (PVD), vacuum evaporation, vapor transport deposition (VTD), closed space vapor transport, electrodeposition, screen printing, spray pyrolysis, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and RF sputtering. The RF sputtering method for the preparation of CdTe thin films has important advantages in that the thin films can be prepared at low growth temperatures with large-area deposition suitable for mass-production. The authors reported that the optical and electrical properties of CdTe thin film were closely connected by the thickness-uniformity of the film in the previous study [1], which means that the better optical absorbance and the higher carrier concentration could be obtained in the better condition of thickness-uniformity for CdTe thin film. The thickness-uniformity could be controlled and improved by the some process parameters such as vacuum level and RF power in the sputtering process of CdTe thin films. However, there is a limitation to improve the thickness-uniformity only in the preparation process [1]. So it is necessary to introduce the external or additional method for improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film because the cell size of thin film solar cell will be enlarged. Therefore, the authors firstly applied the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to improving the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin films with a G&P POLI-450 CMP polisher [2]. CMP process is the most important process in semiconductor manufacturing processes in order to planarize the surface of the wafer even over 300 mm and to form the copper interconnects with damascene process. Some important CMP characteristics for CdTe were obtained including removal rate (RR), WIWNU%, RMS roughness, and peak-to-valley roughness [2]. With these important results, the CMP process for CdTe thin films was performed to improve the thickness-uniformity of the sputtering-deposited CdTe thin film which had the worst two thickness-uniformities of them. Some optical properties including optical transmittance and absorbance of the CdTe thin films were measured by using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer (Varian Techtron, Cary500scan) in the range of 400 - 800 nm. After CMP process, the thickness-uniformities became better than that of the best condition in the previous sputtering process of CdTe thin films. Consequently, the optical properties were directly affected by the thickness-uniformity of CdTe thin film. The absorbance of CdTe thin films was improved although the thickness of CdTe thin film was not changed.