• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.505-516
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• 2016

With the development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials are used in various fields. Therefore, the interest regarding the safety of nanomaterial use is increasing and much effort is diverted toward establishment of exposure assessment and management methods. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are effectively used to protect the health of workers in various industrial workplaces. This study aimed to propose an OEL for domestic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based on animal inhalation toxicity test. Basic procedure for development of OELs was examined. For OEL estimation, epidemiological study and quantitative risk assessment are generally performed based on toxicity data. In addition, inhalation toxicity data-based no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) and benchmark dose (BMD) are estimated to obtain the OEL. Three different estimation processes (NEDO in Japan, NIOSH in USA, and Baytubes in Germany) of OELs for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were intensively reviewed. From the rat inhalation toxicity test for MWCNTs manufactured in Korea, a NOAEL of $0.98mg/m^3$ was derived. Using the simple equation for estimation of OEL suggested by NEDO, the OEL of $142{\mu}g/m^3$ was estimated for the MWCNT manufacturing workplace. Here, we used test rat and Korean human data and adopted 36 as an uncertainty factor. The OEL for MWCNT estimated in this work is higher than those ($2-80{\mu}g/m^3$) suggested by previous investigators. It may be greatly caused by different physicochemical properties of MWCNT and their dispersion method and test rat data. For setting of regulatory OELs in CNT workplaces, further epidemiological studies in addition to animal studies are needed. More advanced technical methods such as CNT dispersion in air and liquid should be also developed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.95-101
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• 2015

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in polymer composites as filler materials to enhance various characteristics of the composites because of their remarkable mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. In this study, we investigate the effects of MWCNTs on the electrical and wear characteristics of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) composites, and compare the results with the effects of carbon black (CB). The HIPS composites are classified as Bare-HIPS, MWCNT-HIPS composites containing 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% MWCNTs, and CB-HIPS containing 17 wt% CB. Electrical characteristics are evaluated by measuring the surface resistance using a 4-point probe. Wear characteristics are evaluated using the reciprocating wear test, and a chrome steel ball with a curvature of 6.3 mm is used as the counterpart. The results show that the addition of MWCNTs or CB can improve the electrical and wear characteristics of HIPS composites. In the case of MWCNT-HIPS composites, surface resistance, friction coefficient, and specific wear rate decrease as the concentrations of MWCNTs increase. Moreover, the addition of MWCNTs is more effective in improving the electrical and wear characteristics of HIPS composites compared to the addition of CB. To fabricate the HIPS composite with appropriate electrical and wear characteristics, more than 4 wt% MWCNTs is added to HIPS.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.472-477
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• 2011

To study the effects of the acid group of functionalized MWNT (multiwalled carbon nanotube) on the thermal and mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile(PAN) nanofibers, acid ($H_2SO_4/HNO_3$) treated MWNT (O-MWNT) were further functionalized by diazonium salt reaction with 5-aminoisophthalic acid (IPA). Compared to O-MWNT, IPA-MWNT with isophthalic acid group showed a better dispersion stability in polar solvents and IPA-MWNT/PAN composite film displayed lower heat of reaction (${\Delta}H$) than that of homo PAN when stabilized under air atmosphere. The continuous electrospun fibers were prepared using a conductive water bath. PAN fibers containing 1 wt% of IPA-MWNT showed an increase of tensile strength by 100% and tensile modulus by 240% compared to the PAN fibers without IPA-MWNT.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.37-43
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• 2019

This study investigated electrical conductivity, electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, and mechanical property to improve electromagnetic shielding performance of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC). Steel fiber, steel slag and carbon black as a conductive material were incorporated into the HPFRCC mixes. In addition, 2% CNT solution which was produced by dispersing multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) into water was used as a conductive material. In the test results, electrical conductivity of HPFRCC specimens was very low except for the specimen incorporating 1% carbon black. Micro structure of cement matrix was changed as the curing time increased, which negatively affected the conductive network of HPFRCC. In case of HC1 specimen showing a conductive network (0.083 S/cm), the electrical conductivity of the specimen after being dried at $60^{\circ}C$ for 72 hours to exclude the effect of water on electrical conductivity was significantly reduced to 0.0003 S/cm. The most important parameter of electromagnetic shielding effect was found to be a steel fiber while the effect of carbon black and steel slag was very few. The correlation between electrical conductivity and electromagnetic shielding effect does not seem to be clear.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2023

In conventional liquid crystal display(LCD) manufacturing process, Indium Tin Oxide(ITO) as transparent electrode and rubbing process of polyimide as alignment layer are essential process to apply electric field and align liquid crystal molecules. However, there are some limits that deposition of ITO requires high vacuum state, and rubbing process might damage the device with tribolectric discharge. In this paper, we made nanocomposite with PEDOT:PSS and MWNT to replace ITO and constructed alignment layer by nano imprint lithography with nano wrinkle pattern, to replace rubbing process. These replacement made that only one PEDOT:PSS/MWNT film can function as two layers of ITO and polyimide alignment layer, which means simplification of process. Transferred nano wrinkle patterns functioned well as alignment layer, and we found out lowered threshold voltage and shortened response time as MWNT content increase, which is related to increment of electric conductivity of the film. Through this study, it may able to contribute to process simplification, reducing process cost, and suggesting a solution to disadvantage of rubbing process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.311-311
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• 2009

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) belong to an ideal material for field emitters because of their superior electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties together with unique geometric features. Several applications of CNTs to field emitters have been demonstrated in electron emission devices such as field emission display (FED), backlight unit (BLU), X-ray source, etc. In this study, we fabricated a CNT cathode by using filtration processes. First, an aqueous CNT solution was prepared by ultrasonically dispersing purified single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) in deionized water with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The aqueous CNT solution in a milliliter or even several tens of micro-litters was filtered by an alumina membrane through the vacuum filtration, and an ultra-thin CNT film was formed onto the alumina membrane. Thereafter, the alumina membrane was solvated by acetone, and the floating CNT film was easily transferred to indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass substrate in an area defined as 1 cm with a film mask. The CNT film was subjected to an activation process with an adhesive roller, erecting the CNTs up to serve as electron emitters. In order to measure their luminance characteristics, an ITO-coated glass substrate having phosphor was employed as an anode plate. Our field emitter array (FEA) was fairly transparent unlike conventional FEAs, which enabled light to emit not only through the anode frontside but also through the cathode backside, where luminace on the cathode backside was higher than that on the anode frontside. Futhermore, we added a reflecting metal layer to cathode or anode side to enhance the luminance of light passing through the other side. In one case, the metal layer was formed onto the bottom face of the cathode substrate and reflected the light back so that light passed only through the anode substrate. In the other case, the reflecting layer coated on the anode substrate made all light go only through the cathode substrate. Among the two cases, the latter showed higher luminance than the former. This study will discuss the morphologies and field emission characteristics of CNT emitters according to the experimental parameters in fabricating the lamps emitting light on the both sides or only on the either side.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.252-259
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• 2009

Ergosterol is the significant component of the cell wall of fungi. Its presence is regarded as evidence of fungi contamination in grain and other foods. Many studies on ergosterol detection have been carried out using chemical methods, but those methods required complicated pre-treatments and long analysis times. In this study, an amperometric biosensor was developed for fast and precise ergosterol detection. The biosensor system used the electron transfer of hydrogen peroxide produced from the reaction of ergosterol with cholesterol oxidase. The biosensor system consisted of a peristaltic pump, a syringe loading sample injector, an enzyme reactor, a fabricated flow-through cell containing a working electrode, a reference electrode and a counter electrode, and a potentiostat/recorder. The working electrode was prepared by coating modified multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) on glassy carbon electrode. The $MWNT-NH_2$ coated glassy carbon electrode linearly responded to hydrogen peroxide in the range of $1{\times}10^{-5}{\sim}8{\times}10^{-5}$ M with a detection limit of $10^{-7}$ M in the basic performance test. The currents produced from the ergosterol biosensor showed the linearity in a range from $1.0{\times}10^{-6}$ M to $1.0{\times}10^{-5}$ M ergosterol.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2009

Millimeter-scale aligned arrays of thin-multiwalled carbon nanotube (t-MWCNT) on layered Si substrates have been synthesized by oxygen-assisted microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). We have succeeded in growth of vertically aligned MWCNTs up to 2.7 mm in height for 150 min. The effect of $O_2$ and water vapour on growth rate was systematically investigated. In the case of $O_2$ gas, the growth rate was ${\sim}22{\mu}m/min$, which is outstanding growth rate comparing with those of conventional thermal CVD (TCVD). Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy were used to analyze the CNT morphology, composition and growth mechanism. The role of $O_2$ gas during the CNT growth was discussed on.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.56-56
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• 2010

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have attracted much attention as a promising material for transparent conducting films (TCFs), due to their superior electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength, and complete flexibility as well as their one-dimensional morphological features of extremely high length-to-diameter ratios. This study investigated three kinds of SWCNTs with different purities: as-produced SWCNTs (AP-SWCNTs), thermally purified SWCNTs (TH-SWCNTs), thermally and acid purified SWCNTs (TA-SWCNTs). The purity of each SWCNT sample was assessed by considering absorption peaks in the semiconducting ($S_{22}$) and metallic ($M_{11}$) tubes with UV-Vis NIR spectroscopy and a metal content with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The purity increased as proceeding the purification stages from the AP-SWCNTs through the thermal purification to the acid purification. The samples containing different contents of SWCNTs were dispersed in water using sodium dodecyl benzensulfate (SDBS). Aqueous suspensions of different purities of SWCNTs were prepared to have similar absorbances in UV-Vis absorption measurements so that one can make the TCFs possess similar optical transmittances irrespective of the SWCNT purity. Transparent conductive SWCNT networks were formed by spraying an SWCNT suspension onto a poly(ethyleneterephthalate) (PET) substrate. As expected, the TCFs fabricated with AP-SWCNTs showed very high sheet resistances. Interestingly, the TH-SWCNTs gave lower sheet resistances to the TFCs than the TA-SWCNTs although the latter was of higher purity in the SWCNT content than the former. The TA-SWCNTs would be shortened in length and be more bundled by the acid purification, relative to the TH-SWCNTs. For both purified (TH, TA) samples, the subsequent nitric acid ($HNO_3$) treatment greatly lowered the sheet resistances of the TCFs, but almost eliminated the difference of sheet resistances between them. This seems to be because the electrical conductivity increased not only due to further removal of surfactants but also due to p-type doping upon the acid treatment. The doping effect was likely to overwhelm the effect of surfactant removal. Although the nitric acid treatment resulted in the similar. electrical properties to the two samples, the TCFs of TH-SWCNTs showed much lower sheet resistances than those of the TA-SWCNTs prior to the acid treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.264-264
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• 2010

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were grown on a Si wafer by using thermal chemical vapor deposition (t-CVD). We investigated the effect of the catalyst deposition rate on the types of CNTs grown on the substrate. In general, smaller islands of catalyst occur by agglomeration of a catalyst layer upon annealing as the catalyst layer becomes thinner, which results in the growth of CNTs with smaller diameters. For the same thickness of catalyst, a slower deposition rate will cause a more uniformly thin catalyst layer, which will be agglomerated during annealing, producing smaller catalyst islands. Thus, we can expect that the smaller-diameter CNTs will grow on the catalyst deposited with a lower rate even for the same thickness of catalyst. The 0.5-nm-thick Fe served as a catalyst, underneath which Al was coated as a catalyst support as well as a diffusion barrier on the Si substrate. The catalyst layers were. coated by using thermal evaporation. The deposition rates of the Al and Fe layers varied to be 90, 180 sec/nm and 70, 140 sec/nm, respectively. We prepared the four different combinations of the deposition rates of the AI and Fe layers. CNTs were synthesized for 10 min by flowing 60 sccm of Ar and 60 sccm of $H_2$ as a carrier gas and 20 sccm of $C_2H_2$ as a feedstock at 95 torr and $810^{\circ}C$. The substrates were subject to annealing for 20 sec for every case to form small catalyst islands prior to CNT growth. As-grown CNTs were characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis NIR spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The fast deposition of both the Al and Fe layers gave rise to the growth of thin multiwalled CNTs with the height of ${\sim}680\;{\mu}m$ for 10 min while the slow deposition caused the growth of ${\sim}800\;{\mu}m$ high SWCNTs. Several radial breathing mode (RBM) peaks in the Raman spectra were observed at the Raman shifts of $113.3{\sim}281.3\;cm^{-1}$, implying the presence of SWCNTs (or double-walled CNTs) with the tube diameters 2.07~0.83 nm. The Raman spectra of the as-grown SWCNTs showed very low G/D peak intensity ratios, indicating their low defect concentrations.