• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1983-1987
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• 2008

This study demonstrates the electrochemical conversion of the synthetic procedure of monolayer-protected clusters using a thin toluene layer over an edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode. A thin toluene layer with a thickness of 0.31 mm was coated over the electrode and an immiscible liquid/liquid water/toluene interface was introduced. The transfer of the tetrachloroaurate ($AuCl_4^-$) ions into the toluene layer interposed between the aqueous solution and the electrode surface was electrochemically monitored. The $AuCl_4^-$ ions initially could not move through into the toluene layer, showing no reduction wave, but, in the presence of the phase transfer reagent, tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOABr), a cathodic wave at 0.23 V vs. Ag/AgCl was observed, indicating the reduction of the transferred $AuCl_4^-$ ions in the toluene layer. In the presence of dodecanethiol together with TOABr, a self-assembled monolayer was formed over the electro-deposited metallic gold surface. The E-SEM image of the surface indicates the formation of a highly porous metallic gold surface, rather than individual nanoparticles, over the EPG electrode.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.216-220
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• 2002

The effects of electrolytes on electrochemical behavior from an oil thin layer interposed between a graphite electrode and an aqueous solution phase were examined. A hydrophobic electroactive species, tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCQ), in a benzonitrile (EN) layer was employed to study ion transfer properties across the BN-water interface. Experimental results showed that hydrophobic cations as well as anions could be successfully used as ionic charge carriers. The addition of various salts into either the oil layers or the aqueous solutions offers deeper insight for the electrochemistry of the liquid thin layer system. When aqueous perchloric acid is interfaced with the BN films, the perchlorate ion of tetrahexylammonium perchlorate (THAP) substantially suppresses the dissociated proton concentration in the layer by the common ion effect while there is only a little change in the total acid concentration. Further approach by theoretical calculation makes it possible to quantitatively understand the effect of the electrolytes to the electrochemical responses of TCQ, which were previously reported (Anal. Chem. 73, 337 (2001)).

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2008

The majority of the described experimental results deal with relatively pure aluminium. Variations were made in the pretreatment of the aluminum substrates and an investigation was performed on the resulting changes in oxide layer composition and chemistry. Subsequently, the bonding behavior of the surfaces was investigated by using model adhesion molecules. These molecules were chosen to represent the bonding functionality of an organic polymer. They were applied onto the pretreated surfaces as a monolayer and the bonding behavior was studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. A direct and clear relation was found between the hydroxyl fraction on the oxide surfaces and the amount of molecules that subsequently bonded to the surface. Moreover, it was found that most bonds between the oxide surface and organic functional groups are not stable in the presence of water. The best performance was obtained using molecules, which are capable of chemisorption with the oxide surface. Finally, it was found that freshly prepared relatively pure aluminum substrates, which are left in air, rapidly lose their bonding capacity towards organic functional groups. This can be attributed to the adsorption of contamination and water to the oxide surface. In addition the adhesion of a typical epoxy-coated aluminum system was investigated during exposure to water at different temperatures. The coating was found to quite rapidly lose its adhesion upon exposure to water. This rapid loss of adhesion corresponds well with the data where it was demonstrated that the studied epoxy coating only bonds through physisorptive hydrogen bonding, these bonds not being stable in the presence of water. After the initial loss the adhesion of the coating was however found to recover again and even exceeded the adhesion prior to exposure. The improvement could be ascribed to the growth of a thin oxyhydroxide layer on the aluminum substrate, which forms a new, water-stable and stronger bond with the epoxy coating. Two routes for improvement of adhesion are finally decribed including an interphasial polymeric thin layer and a treatment in boiling water of the substrate before coating takes place. The adhesion properties were finely also studied as a function of the Mg content of the alloys. It was shown that an enrichment of Mg in the oxide could take place when Mg containing alloys are heat-treated. It is expected that for these alloys the (hydr)oxide fraction also depends on the pre-treatment and on the distribution of magnesium as compared to the aluminium hydroxides, with a direct impact on adhesive properties.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2011

CIGS solar cells are kind of thin film solar cells, which are studied several years. CdS buffer layer that makes heterojunction between window layer and absorbing layer was one of issue in the CIGS solar cell study. New types of buffer layer consisted of indium sulfide are being studied these days owing to high price and environmental harmful of CdS. In this study, we demonstrated electrochemical synthesis of indium sulfide film as a buffer layer, which is cheaper and faster than other methods. A uniform indium sulfide film was obtained by applying two different alternating potentials. The band gap of the film was optimized by controlling temperature during the electrochemical synthesis. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction method we confirmed that ${\beta}$-indium sulfide was formed on ITO electrode surface.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 2010

Direct copper electroplating on Mg alloy AZ31B was carried out in a traditional pyrophosphate copper bath containing potassium fluoride. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization methods were used to study the effects of added potassium fluoride on electrochemical behavior. The chemical state of magnesium alloy in the electroplating bath was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Adhesion of the copper electroplated layer was also tested. Due to the added potassium fluoride, a magnesium fluoride film was formed in the pyrophosphate copper bath. This fluoride film inhibits dissolution of Mg alloy and enables to electroplate copper directly on it. A dense copper layer was formed on the Mg alloy. Moreover, this copper layer has a good adhesion with Mg alloy substrate.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.88-99
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• 1992

For the development of semiconducting photoelectrode to be more stable and efficient in the process of photoelectrolysis of the water, pure titanium rods were oxidized by anodic oxidation, furance oxidation and flame oxidation and used as electrodes. The Indium islands were formed by electrodeposition of "In" thin film on $TiO_2$ and Ti by electrodeposition. Also $A1_2O_3$ and NiO islands were coated on Ti by the electron-beam evaporation technique. The maximum photoelectrochemical conversion efficiency(${\eta}$) was 0.98% for flame oxidized electrode($1200^{\circ}C$ for 2min in air). Anodically oxidized electrodes have photoelectrochemical conversion efficiency of 0.14%. Furnace oxidized electrode($800^{\circ}C$ for 10min in air) has 0.57% of photoelectrochemical efficiency and shows a band-gap energy of about 2.9eV. The $In_2O_3$ coated $TiO_2$ exhibits 0.8% of photoelectrochemical efficiency but much higher value of ${\eta}$ was obtained with the Increase of applied blas voltage. However, $Al_2O_3$ or NiO coated $TiO_2$ shows much low value of ${\eta}$. The efficiency was dependent on the presence of the metallic interstitial compound $TiO_{0+x}$(x<0.33) at the metal-semiconductor interface and the thickness of the suboxide layer and the external rutile scale.