• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.655-660
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• 2013

Photoelectrochemical cells have been used in photolysis of water to generate hydrogen as a clean energy source. A high efficiency electrode for photoelectrochemical cell systems was realized using a ZnO hierarchical nanostructure. A ZnO nanofiber mat structure was fabricated by electrospinning of Zn solution on the substrate, followed by oxidation; on this substrate, hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods on the ZnO nanofibers was carried out to form a ZnO hierarchical structure. The thickness of the nanofiber mat and the thermal annealing temperature were determined as the parameters for optimization. The morphology of the structures was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The performance of the ZnO nanofiber mat and the potential of the ZnO hierarchical structures as photoelectrochemical cell electrodes were evaluated by measurement of the photoelectron conversion efficiencies under UV light. The highest photoconversion efficiency observed was 63 % with a ZnO hierarchical structure annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ in air. The morphology and the crystalline quality of the electrode materials greatly influenced the electrode performance. Therefore, the combination of the two fabrication methods, electrospinning and hydrothermal synthesis, was successfully applied to fabricate a high performance photoelectrochemical cell electrode.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.381-385
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• 2017

In order to replace 14K white gold alloys, the properties of 5K white gold alloys (Au20-Ag80) were investigated by changing the contents of In (0.0-10.0 wt%). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to determine the precise content of alloys. Properties of the alloys such as hardness, melting point, color difference, and corrosion resistance were determined using Vickers Hardness test, TGA-DTA, UV-VIS-NIR-colorimetry, and salt-spray tests, respectively. Wetting angle analysis was performed to determine the wettability of the alloys on plaster. The results of the EDS analysis confirmed that the Au-Ag-In alloys had been fabricated with the intended composition. The results of the Vickers hardness test revealed that each Au-Ag-In alloy had higher mechanical hardness than that of 14K white gold. TGA-DTA analysis showed that the melting point decreased with an increase in the In content. In particular, the alloy containing 10.0 wt% In showed a lower melting temperature (> $70^{\circ}C$) than the other alloys, which implied that alloys containing 10.0 wt% In can be used as soldering materials for Au-Ag-In alloys. Color difference analysis also revealed that all the Au-Ag-In alloys showed a color difference of less than 6.51 with respect to 14K white gold, which implied a white metallic color. A 72-h salt-spray test confirmed that the Au-AgIn alloys showed better corrosion resistance than 14K white gold alloys. All Au-Ag-In alloys showed wetting angle similar to that of 14K white gold alloys. It was observed that the 10.0 wt% In alloy had a very small wetting angle, further confirming it as a good soldering material for white metals. Our results show that white 5K Au-Ag-In alloys with appropriate properties might be successful substitutes for 14K white gold alloys.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2018

The properties of 18 K red gold solder alloys were investigated by changing the content of In up to 10.0 wt% in order to replace the hazardous Cd element. Cupellation and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to check the composition of each alloy, and FE-SEM and UV-VIS-NIR-Colormeter were employed for microstructure and color characterization. The melting temperature, hardness, and wetting angle of the samples were determined by TGA-DTA, the Vickers hardness tester, and the Wetting angle tester. The cupellation result confirmed that all the samples had 18K above 75.0wt%-Au. EDS results showed that Cu and In elements were alloyed with the intended composition without segregation. The microstructure results showed that the amount of In increased, and the grain size became smaller. The color analysis revealed that the proposed solders up to 10.0 wt% In showed a color similar to the reference 18 K substrate like the 10.0 wt% Cd solder with a color difference of less than 7.50. TGA-DTA results confirmed that when more than 5.0 wt% of In was added, the melting temperature decreased enough for the soldering process. The Vickers hardness result revealed that more than 5.0 wt% In solder alloys had greater hardness than 10.0 wt% Cd solder, which suggested that it was more favorable in making a wire type solder. Moreover, all the In solders showed a lower wetting angle than the 10.0 wt% Cd solder. Our results suggested that the In alloyed 18 K red gold solders might replace the conventional 10.0 wt% Cd solder with appropriate properties for red gold jewelry soldering.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.112-115
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• 2010

Transparent conducting undoped and Al impurity doped ZnO films were deposited on glass substrate by spin coat technique using 24 days aged ZnO precursor solution with solution of ethanol and diethanolamine. The films were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrical resistivity ($\rho$), carrier concentration (n), and hall mobility ($\mu$) measurements. XRD data show that the deposited film shows polycrystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along (002) crystal plane. The SEM images show that surface morphology, porosity and grain sizes are affected by doping concentration. The Al doped samples show high transmittance and better resistivity. With increasing Al concentration only mild change in optical band gap is observed. Optical properties are not affected by aging of parent solution. A lowest resistivity ($8.5 \times 10^{-2}$ ohm cm) is observed at 2 atomic percent (at.%) Al. With further increase in Al concentration, the resistivity started to increase significantly. The decrease resistivity with increasing Al concentration can be attributed to increase in both carrier concentration and hall mobility.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.2371-2376
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• 2009

Three phenoxazine-based conjugated polymers, namely, the aryl substituted phenoxazine homopolymer (P1) as well as the dimeric phenoxazine-fluorene (P2) and phenoxazine-bithiophene (P3) copolymers, were synthesized via the Ni(0) mediated Yamamoto reaction and the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. The weight-averaged molecular weights ($M_w$) of P1, P2, and P3 were found to be 27,000, 22,000, and 15,000, respectively, and their polydispersity indices were 3.6, 1.8, and 2.1. All the polymers were soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, toluene, and so on. The UV-visible absorption maxima for P1, P2, and P3 in the film state were located at 421, 415 and 426 nm, respectively, and the ionization potentials of the polymers ranged between 4.90 and 5.12 eV. All the studied phenoxazine-based polymers exhibited amorphous behavior, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies. Thin film transistors were fabricated using the top-contact geometry. P1 showed much better thin-film-transistor performance than P2 or P3: A thin film of P1 gave a saturation mobility of 0.81 ${\times}\;10^{-3}\;cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ and an on/off ratio of about $10^2$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.817-821
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• 2008

We have investigated the influence of the crystal structure on the chemical bonding nature and photocatalytic activity of cubic and hexagonal perovskite A[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]O3 (A = Sr, Ba) compounds. According to neutron diffraction and field emission-scanning electron microscopy, the crystal structure and particle size of these compounds are strongly dependent on the nature of A-site cations. Also, it was found that the face-shared octahedra in the hexagonal phase are exclusively occupied by chromium ions, suggesting the presence of metallic (Cr-Cr) bonds. X-ray absorption and diffuse UV-vis spectroscopic analyses clearly demonstrated that, in comparison with cubic Sr[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]$O_3$ phase, hexagonal Ba[$Cr_{1/2}Ta_{1/2}$]$O_3$ phase shows a decrease of Cr oxidation state as well as remarkable changes in interband Cr d-d transitions, which can be interpreted as a result of metallic (Cr-Cr) interactions. According to the test of photocatalytic activity, the present semiconducting materials have a distinct activity against the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol. Also the Srbased compound was found to show a higher photocatalytic activity than the Ba-based one, which is attributable to its smaller particle size and its stronger absorption in visible light region.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.78-85
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• 2013

A high thermal conductivity material, namely graphene is treated by planetary ball milling machine to transport the heat by increasing the temperature. Experiments were performed to assess the heat transfer enhancement benefits of coating the bottom wall of copper substrate with graphene. It is well known that the graphene is unable to disperse into base fluid without any treatment, which is due to the several reasons such as attachment of hydrophobic surface, agglomeration and impurity. To further improve the dispersibility and thermal characteristics, planetary ball milling approach is used to grind the raw samples at optimized condition. The results are examined by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectrometer, UV-spectrometer, thermal conductivity and thermal imager. Thermal conductivity measurements of structures are taken to support the explanation of heat transfer properties of different samples. As a result, it is found that the planetary ball milling approach is effective for improvement of both the dispersion and heat carriers of carbon based material. Indeed, the heat transfer of the ground graphene coated substrate was higher than that of the copper substrate with raw graphene.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.608-615
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• 1994

The isolation, purification and characterization of a carotenoprotein from the carapace of Pnaeus orientalis were investigated. The carotenoprotein was purple with broad λmax between 480, 409, 318 and 280 nm. Apparent structures were estimated by using X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The molecular weight of the carotenoprotein complex had been determined by GPC and PAGE. The heavier complex, designated the $\alpha$-form (M.W = 170 KDa), was dissociated to a major subunit, $\beta$-form (M.W = 42 KDa). SDS-PAGE of $\alpha$-form showed apparently oligomeric pattern, and also $\beta$-form gave two polypeptides corresponding to 22 KDa and 19 KDa, respectively. The amino acid of the two proteins $({\alpha}-and\;{\beta})$-form, lipid and free fatty acid compositions were described. The prosthetic groups of the carotenoprotein were confirmed by TLC, IR, $^1H$-NMR, MS and various organic reactions as astaxanthin, astaxanthin monoester and astaxnathin diester.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2020

This work examined the corrosion protection performance of benzoate loaded hydrotalcite/graphene oxide (HT/GO-BZ) for carbon steel. HT/GO-BZ was fabricated by the co-precipitation method and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electronic microscopy. The corrosion inhibition action of HT/GO-BZ on carbon steel in 0.1 M NaCl solution was evaluated by electrochemical measurements. The benzoate content in HT/GO-BZ was determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Subsequently, the effect of HT/GO-BZ on the corrosion resistance of the water-based epoxy coating was investigated by the salt spray test. The obtained results demonstrated the intercalation of benzoate and GO in the hydrotalcite structure. The benzoate content in HT/GO-BZ was about 16%. The polarization curves of the carbon steel electrode revealed anodic corrosion inhibition activity of HT/GO-BZ and the inhibition efficiency was about 95.2% at a concentration of 3g/L. The GO present in HT/GO-BZ enhanced the inhibition effect of HT-BZ. The presence of HT/GO-BZ improved the corrosion resistance of the waterborne epoxy coating.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.508-513
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• 2005

[ $TiO_2-Fe_2O_3$ ] nanocomposite powders for magnetic photocatalyst were synthesized by sol-gel process, in which $TiO_2$ photocatalytic layer was formed on the surface of $\gamma-Fe_2O_3$ magnetic core. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis revealed that$\gamma-Fe_2O_3$ nanoparticles, $10\~20nm$ in diameter, were coated by $TiO_2$ shell of 5nm in thickness and $TiO_2$ was anatase phase. Also hydroxyl group (-OH) used to decompose organic compounds was detected by Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry(FT-IR) analysis. UV-Visible spectrophotometry results showed that light absorption occurred in the wavelength range of $400\~700 nm$, and the band gap energy $(E_g)$ of powder was 1.8 eV. Finally it was found that the coercivity $(H({ci})$ and saturation magnetization $(M_s)$ of the powder were 79 Oe and 14.8 emu/g, respectively as experimental vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements.