• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.565-571
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• 2014

Nitrogen-doped ZnO nanoparticle-carbon nanofiber composites were prepared using electrospinning. As the relative amounts of N-doped ZnO nanoparticles in the composites were controlled to levels of 3.4, 9.6, and 13.8 wt%, the morphological, structural, and chemical properties of the composites were characterized by means of field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In particular, the carbon nanofiber composites containing 13.8 wt% N-doped ZnO nanoparticles exhibited superior catalytic properties, making them suitable for use as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This result can be attributed to the enhanced surface roughness of the composites, which offers sites for $I_3{^-}$ ion reductions and the formation of Zn3N2 phases that facilitate electron transfer. Therefore, DSSCs fabricated with 13.8 wt% N-doped ZnO nanoparticle-carbon nanofiber composites showed high current density ($16.3mA/cm^2$), high fill factor (57.8%), and excellent power-conversion efficiency (6.69%); at the same time, these DSSCs displayed power-conversion efficiency almost identical to that of DSSCs fabricated with a pure Pt counter electrode (6.57%).

• 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.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2008

We have demonstrated the feasibility of using electrospinning method to fabricate long and continuous composite nanofiber sheets of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO). Such PAN/ZnO composite nanofiber sheets represent an important step toward utilizing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as materials to achieve remarkably enhanced physico-chemical properties. In an attempt to derive these advantages, we have used a variety of techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) to obtain quantitative data on the materials. The CNFs produced are in the diameter range of 100 to 350 nm after carbonization at $1000^{\circ}C$. Electrical conductivity of the random CNFs was increased by increasing the concentration of ZnO. A dramatic improvement in porosity and specific surface area of the CNFs was a clear evidence of the novelty of the method used. This study indicated that the optimal ZnO concentration of 3 wt% is enough to produce CNFs having enhanced electrical and physico-chemical properties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1297-1308
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• 2011

This research investigates the application of ZnO (zinc oxide) nanoparticles and $TiO_2$ (titanium dioxide) nanoparticles to polypropylene nonwoven fabrics via an electrospinning technique for the development of textile materials that can decompose harmful gases. To fabricate uniform ZnO nanocomposite fibers, two types of ZnO nanoparticles were applied. Colloidal $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were chosen to fabricate $TiO_2$ nano- composite fibers. ZnO/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and $TiO_2$/PVA nanocomposite fibers were electrospun under a variety of conditions that include various feed rates, electric voltages, and capillary diameters. The morphology of electrospun nanocomposite fibers was examined with a field-emission scanning electron micro- scope and a transmission electron microscope. Decomposition efficiency of gaseous materials (formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, benzene, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide) by nanocomposite fiber webs with 3wt% nano-particles (ZnO or $TiO_2$) and 7$g/m^2$ web area density was assessed. This study shows that ZnO nanoparticles in colloid were more suitable for fabricating nanocomposite fibers in which nanoparticles are evenly dispersed than in powder. A heat treatment was applied to water-soluble PVA nanofiber webs in order to stabilize the electrospun nanocomposite fibrous structure against dissolution in water. ZnO/PVA and $TiO_2$/PVA nanofiber webs exhibited a range of degradation efficiency for different types of gases. For nitrogen dioxide, the degradation efficiency was 92.2% for ZnO nanocomposite fiber web and 87% for $TiO_2$ nanocomposite fiber web after 20 hours of UV light irradiation. The results indicate that ZnO/PVA and $TiO_2$/PVA nano- composite fiber webs have possible uses in functional textiles that can decompose harmful gases.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.655-658
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• 2015

The development of glucose biosensors has been attracting much attention because of their importance in monitoring glucose in the human body; such sensors are used to diagnose diabetes and related human diseases. Thanks to the high selectivity, sensitivity to glucose detection, and relatively low-cost fabrication of enzyme-immobilized electrochemical glucose sensors, these devices are recognized as one of the most intensively investigated glucose sensor types. In this work, ZnO nanofibers were synthesized using an electrospinning method with polyvinyl alcohol zinc acetate as precursor material. Using the synthesized ZnO nanofibers, we fabricated glucose biosensors in which glucose oxidase was immobilized on the ZnO nanofibers. The sensors were used to detect a wide range of glucose from 10 to 700 M with a sensitivity of $10.01nA/cm^2-{\mu}M$, indicating that the ZnO nanofiber-based glucose sensor can be used for the detection of glucose in the human body. The control of nanograins in terms of the size and crystalline quality of the individual nanofibers is required for improving the glucose-sensing abilities of the nanofibers.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.281-285
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• 2013

In the present work, ZnO nanofibers were applied to electrode materials for the detection of cholesterol. ZnO nanofibers were synthesized using the electrospinning technique with zinc acetate as a precursor. Electrospinning-synthesized ZnO nanofibers were uniformly distributed by properly controlling the electrospinning parameters. After the calcination treatment, nanofibers of pure ZnO phase were synthesized. Then, these fibers were successfully placed on Au-coated glass substrates by dispersion of ZnO nanofibers in ethanol, dropping, and drying, in sequence. Cholesterol oxidase was then immobilized onto the surface of the ZnO nanofibers. To enhance the immobilization, Nafion was additionally applied. The sensing performances of the fabricated ZnO nanofibers-based sensors were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry in terms of cholesterol concentration ranging from 100 to 400 mg/dl. In the I-V curves, measured by cyclic voltammetry, the ZnO nanofiber-based sensor showed a proportional current behavior with cholesterol concentrations in phosphate buffered saline solution. The sensitivity was measured and found to be $30.7nA/mM{\cdot}cm^2$, which is comparable to the values reported in the literature. After not only optimizing the shape of the ZnO nanofibers but also improving the adhesion nature between the ZnO nanofibers and the Au conducting layer, these fibers can be a good candidate for electrode materials in devices used to detect low concentrations of cholesterol in blood.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.67-67
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• 2005

• ETRI Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.636-641
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• 2009

ZnO nanofibers were electro-spun from a solution containing poly 4-vinyl phenol and Zn acetate dihydrate. The calcination process of the ZnO/PVP composite nanofibers brought forth a random network of polycrystalline wurtzite ZnO nanofibers of 30 nm to 70 nm in diameter. The electrical properties of the ZnO nanofibers were governed by the grain boundaries. To investigate possible applications of the ZnO nanofibers, their CO and $NO_2$ gas sensing responses are demonstrated. In particular, the $SnO_2$-deposited ZnO nanofibers exhibit a remarkable gas sensing response to $NO_2$ gas as low as 400 ppb. Oxide nanofibers emerge as a new proposition for oxide-based gas sensors.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.559-564
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• 2019

Hierarchical $ZnCo_2O_4$ hollow nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and subsequent heat-treatment process. The spinning solution containing polystyrene (PS) nanobeads was electrospun to nanofibers. During heat-treatment process, PS nanobeads in the composite were decomposed and therefore generated numerous pores uniformly in the structure, which facilitated the heat transfer and gas penetration into the structure. The resulting hierarchical $ZnCo_2O_4$ hollow nanofibers were applied as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The discharge capacity of the nanofibers was $815mA\;h\;g^{-1}$ ($646mA\;h\;cm^{-3}$) after the 300th cycle at a high current density of $1.0A\;g^{-1}$. However, $ZnCo_2O_4$ nanopowders showed the discharge capacity of $487mA\;h\;g^{-1}$ ($450mA\;h\;cm^{-3}$) after 300th cycle. The excellent lithium ion storage property of the hierarchical $ZnCo_2O_4$ hollow nanofibers was attributed to the synergetic effects of the hollow nanofiber structure and the $ZnCo_2O_4$ nanocrystals composing the shell. The hierarchical hollow nanofiber structure introduced in this study can be extended to various metal oxides for various applications, including energy storage.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.205-209
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• 2011

Zinc oxide has semi-conductivity and super conductivity characteristics. It can be used optically and is applied on many areas such as gas sensor, solar cell and optical waveguide. In this paper, to improve optical characteristics of ZnO, aluminum was added on zinc oxide. Zinc oxide and aluminum zinc oxide was fabricated as nano fiber form. ZnO solution was created by mixing poly vinyl pyrrolidone, ethyl alcohol, and zinc acetate. An Al doped ZnO was created by adding aluminum solution to ZnO sol. By applying these sols on electro spinning method, nano fibers were fabricated. These fibers are heat treated at 300, 500, and $700^{\circ}C$ degrees and were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the nano structures. TGA and DSC measurement was also used to measure the change of mass and calorie upon temperature change. The absorbance of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO was carried out by UV-vis measurement.