• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.471-475
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• 2006

$VO_x$ thin films with the thickness of 450 nm were prepared on a $Pt/Ti/SiO_{2}/Si$ substrate at room temperature by a reactive radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering method. The deposition rates of $VO_x$ thin films were investigated as a function of $O_{2}$ concentration and rf power. As the $O_{2}$ concentration in a $O_{2}/Ar$ mixture increased, the deposition rate decreased. However, the deposition rate increased with increasing rf power. The deposited $VO_x$ thin films were annealed at $450^{\circ}C$ for 2, 4, and 6 h in $O_{2}$ and $N_{2}$ ambient. After annealing, the phase changes of $VO_x$ thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis. The plane and cross-sectional views of $VO_x$ thin films before and after annealing were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The metal-insulator transition (MIT) properties of $VO_x$ thin films were measured using current-voltage measurement. The excellent MIT properties were observed in $VO_x$ thin films annealed in $O_{2}$ ambient.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.557-565
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• 2014

We report the effect of basal-plane stacking faults (BSFs) on X-ray diffraction (XRD) of non-polar (11$\underline{2}$0) a-plane GaN films with different $SiN_x$ interlayers. Complete $SiN_x$ coverage and increased three-dimensional (3D) to two-dimensional (2D) transition stages substantially reduce BSF density. It was revealed that the Si-doping profile in the Si-doped GaN layer was unaffected by the introduction of a $SiN_x$ interlayer. The smallest in-plane anisotropy of the (11$\underline{2}$0) XRD ${\omega}$-scan widths was found in the sample with multiple $SiN_x$ layers, and this finding can be attributed to the relatively isotropic GaN mosaic resulting from the increase in the 3D-2D growth step. Williamson-Hall (WH) analysis of the (h0$\underline{h}$0) series of diffractions was employed to determine the c-axis lateral coherence length (LCL) and to estimate the mosaic tilt. The c-axis LCLs obtained from WH analyses of the present study's representative a-plane GaN samples were well correlated with the BSF-related results from both the off-axis XRD ${\omega}$-scan and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Based on WH and TEM analyses, the trends in BSF densities were very similar, even though the BSF densities extracted from LCLs indicated that the values were reduced by a factor of about twenty.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.435-439
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• 2010

Pt-$MoO_3$ electrodes were fabricated on ITO-coated glass by electrodeposition method using 20 mM hydrogen hexachloroplatinate ($H_2PtCl_6$) and 10 mM Mo-peroxo electrolyte. Deposition order was varied, and catalytic activities of synthesized electrodes were compared with that of pure Pt electrode. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was utilized to examine surface morphology. The crystallinity of synthesized films was analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and the oxidation state of both the platinum and molybdenum were determined by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation were measured using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) in a mixture of 0.5 M $H_2SO_4$ and 0.5 M $CH_3OH$ aqueous solution. $MoO_3$ electrodeposited on the surface of Pt showed much higher catalytic acitivity and stability than pure Pt electrode due to the good contact between Pt and $MoO_3$.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2015

To compare the microstructure and electrochemical properties between two binary alloys (Cr-Si, Ni-Si), two composition of binary alloys with the same capacity were selected using phase-diagram and prepared by matrix-stabilization method to suppress the volume expansion of Si by inactive-matrix. Master alloys were made by Arc-melting followed by fine structured ribbon sample preparation by Rapid Solidification Process (RSP, Melt-spinning method) under the same conditions. Also powder samples were produced by wet grinding for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical measurements. As predicted from the phase diagram, only active-Si and inactive-matrix ($CrSi_2$, $NiSi_2$) were detected. The results of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (TEM-EDS) show that Cr-Si alloy has finer microstructure than Ni-Si alloy, which was also predictable through phase diagram. The electrochemical properties related to microstructure were evaluated by coin type full- and half-cells. Separately, self-designed test-cells were used to measure the volume expansion of Si during reaction. Volume expansion of Cr-Si alloy electrode with finer microstructure was suppressed significantly and improved in cycle capability, in comparison Ni-Si alloy with coarse microstructure. From these, we could infer the correlation of microstructure, volume expansion and electrochemical degradation and these properties might be predicted by phase diagram.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.590-592
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• 2010

Li-Mn spinel ($LiMn_2O_4$) is prepared by a hydrothermal process with K-Birnessite ($KMnO_4{\cdot}yH_2O$) as a precursor. The K-Birnessite obtained via a hydrothermal process with potassium permanganate [$KMnO_4$] and urea [$CO(NH_2)_2$] as starting materials are converted to Li-Mn spinel nanoparticles reacting with LiOH. The molar ratio of LiOH/K-Birnessite is adjusted in order to find the effect of the ratio on the structural, morphological and electrochemical performances of the Li-Mn spinel. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and thermogravimetry (TG) are used to investigate the crystal structure and morphology of the samples. Galvanostatic charge and discharge are carried out to measure the capacity and rate capability of the Li-Mn spinel. The capacity shows a maximum value of $117\;mAhg^{-1}$ when the molar ratio of LiOH/K-Birnessite is 0.8 and decreases with the increase of the ratio. However the rate capability is improved with the increase of the ratio due to the reduction of the particle size.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.583-588
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• 2011

$Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films were grown on quartz substrates by using the sol-gel spin-coating method. The mole fraction, x, of the $Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films was controlled from 0 to 1 by changes in the content ratio of the cadmium acetate dehydrate [$Cd{(CH_3COO)}_2{\cdot}2H_2O$] and zinc acetate dehydrate [$Zn{(CH_3COO)}_2{\cdot}2H_2O$]. The effects of the mole fraction on the morphological, structural, and optical properties of the $Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The $Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films exhibited the polygonal surface morphology and their grain size was increased ranging from 42.1 to 63.9 nm with the increase in the mole fraction. It was observed that the absorption bandgap of the $Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films decreased from 3.25 to 2.16 eV as the mole fraction increased and the Urbach energy ($E_U$) values changed inversely to the optical bandgap of the $Cd_xZn_{1-x}O$ thin films.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.318-325
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• 2022

In this study, composites containing undoped and barium-doped Bi₂WO₆:Ba²⁺were investigated for their shielding against diagnostic X-ray. At first, Bi₂WO₆ and barium-doped Bi₂WO₆ were synthesized with different weight percentages of barium oxide through a hydrothermal process. The as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). After that, some shields were generated with undoped and barium-doped Bi₂WO₆:Ba²⁺ nanostructure particles incorporated into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer with different thicknesses and 15% weight of the nanostructure. Finally, the prepared samples were exposed to an X-ray tube at 40, 80, and 120 kV voltages, 10 mAs and, 44.5 cm SID (i.e. the distance from the X-ray beam source to the specimen). Linear and mass attenuation coefficients were also calculated for different samples. The results indicated that, among the samples, the one with 7.5 mmol barium-doped Bi₂WO₆ had the most attenuation at the voltage of 40kV, and the attenuation coefficients would increase with an increase in the amount of barium. The samples with 15 and 17.5 mmol barium-doped Bi₂WO₆ had higher attenuation than the others at 80 and 120 kV. Moreover, the half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL) and 0.25 mm lead equivalent thickness were calculated for all the samples. The lowest HVL value was for the sample with 7.5 mmol barium-doped Bi₂WO₆. As the result clearly show, an increment in the barium-doping content leads to a decrease in both HVL and TVL. In every three voltages, 0.25 mm lead equivalent thickness of the barium-doped composites (7.5 mmol and 15 mmol) had less than the other composites. The lowest value of 0.25 mm lead equivalent thickness was 7.5 barium-doped in 40 kV voltage and 15 mmol barium-doped in 80 kV and 120 kV voltages. These results were obtained only for 15% weight of the nanostructure.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.469-475
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• 2013

Al-doped ZnO(AZO) thin films were synthesized using atomid layer deposition(ALD), which acurately controlled the uniform film thickness of the AZO thin films. To investigate the electrical and optical properites of the AZO thin films, AZO films using ALD was controlled to be three different thicknesses (50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm). The structural, chemical, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emssion scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Hall measurement system, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. As the thickness of the AZO thin films increased, the crystallinity of the AZO thin films gradually increased, and the surface morphology of the AZO thin films were transformed from a porous structure to a dense structure. The average surface roughnesses of the samples using atomic force microscopy were ~3.01 nm, ~2.89 nm, and ~2.44 nm, respectively. As the thickness of the AZO filmsincreased, the surface roughness decreased gradually. These results affect the electrical and optical properties of AZO thin films. Therefore, the thickest AZO thin films with 150 nm exhibited excellent resistivity (${\sim}7.00{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$), high transmittance (~83.2 %), and the best FOM ($5.71{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}^{-1}$). AZO thin films fabricated using ALD may be used as a promising cadidate of TCO materials for optoelectronic applications.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.51-71
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• 2017

Antimicrobial polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes containing zerovalent iron ($Fe^0$) and magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) nanoparticles were synthesized via phase inversion method using polyethersulfone (PES) as membrane material and nano-iron as nanoparticle materials. Zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) were prepared by the reduction of iron ions with borohydride applying an inert atmosphere by using $N_2$ gases. The magnetite nanoparticles (nMag) were prepared via co-precipitation method by adding a base to an aqueous mixture of $Fe^{3+}$ and $Fe^{2+}$ salts. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and dynamic light scattering analysis. Moreover, the properties of the synthesized membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The PES membranes containing the nZVI or nMag were examined for antimicrobial characteristics. Moreover, amount of iron run away from the PES composite membranes during the dead-end filtration were tested. The results showed that the permeation flux of the composite membranes was higher than the pristine PES membrane. The membranes containing nano-iron showed good antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). The composite membranes can be successfully used for the domestic wastewater filtration to reduce membrane biofouling.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2002

Microstructural investigations of $(Li_{1/2}Pr_{1/2})TiO_3$ (LPT) complex perovskite compounds were carried out using X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. LPT has not only the ordering of A-site cation deficiencies but also has the antiphase and inphase tilting of oxygen octahedron and the antiparallel shift of cations. Both the antiphase boundaries and the ferroelastic domains are present in the microstructure. Spinodal decomposition is found in the microstructure. The measured dielectric properties were ${\varepsilon}_r=84.6,\;Q\;{\Large f}_o=776\;GHz,\;{\tau}_{f}=-233.66ppm/^{\circ}C$.