• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.342-349
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• 2009

This study investigated the growth characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by changing a period of annealing time and a $C_{2}H_{2}/H_2$ flow ratio at temperature as low as $450^{\circ}C$ with inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition. The 1-nm-thick Fe-Ni-Co alloy thin film served as a catalyst layer for the growth of CNTs, which was thermally evaporated on the 15-nm-thick Al underlayer deposited on the 50-nm-thick Ti diffusion barrier. The annealing at low temperature of $450^{\circ}C$ brought about almost no granulation of the catalyst layer, and the CNT growth was not affected by a period of annealing time. A study of changing the flow rate of $C_{2}H_{2}$ and $H_2$ showed that as the ratio of the $C_{2}H_{2}$ flow rate to the $H_2$ flow rate was lowered, the CNTs were grown to be longer With further decreasing the flow ratio, the length of CNTs reached the maximum and then became shorter. Under the optimized gas flow rates, we successfully synthesized CNTs with a uniform length over a 4-inch Si wafer at $450^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2024

This study reports a direct growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of LiCoO₂ (LCO) powders to apply as highly efficient cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIB). The CNT synthesis was performed using a thermal chemical vapor deposition apparatus with temperatures from 575 to 625 ℃. Ferritin molecules as growth catalyst of CNTs were mixed in deionized (DI) water with various concentrations from 0.05 to 1.0 mg/mL. Then, the LCO powders was dissolved in the ferritin solution at a ratio of 1g/mL. To obtain catalytic iron nanoparticles on the LCO surface, the LCO-ferritin suspension was dropped in silicon dioxide substrates and calcined under air at 550℃. Subsequently, the direct growth of CNTs on LCO powders was performed using a mixture of acetylene (10 sccm) and hydrogen (100 sccm) for 10 min. The growth behavior was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The optimized condition yielding high structural quality and amount of CNTs was 600 ℃ and 0.5 mg/mL. The obtained materials will be developed as cathode materials in LIB.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.556-556
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• 2012

Transition metal-based organometallic complexes have shown great talents as a catalyst in various reactions. Designing organic molecules and coordinating them to such active centers have been a promising route to control the catalytic natures. Metallocene, which has transition metal atoms sandwiched by aromatic rings, is one of the representative systems for organometallic catalysts. Group 4-based metallocene catalysts have been most commonly used for the production of polyolefins, which have great world-wide markets in the real life. Graphenes and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were composed of extended $sp^2$ carbon networks, showing high electron mobility as well as have extremely large steric bulkiness relative to metal centers. We were inspired by these characteristics of such carbon-based nano-materials and assumed that they could intimately interact with active centers of metallocene catalysts. We examined this hypothesis and, recently, reported that CNTs dramatically changed catalytic natures of group 4-based catalysts when they formed hybrid systems with such catalysts. In conclusion, we produced hybrid materials composed of group-4 based metallocenes, $Cp_2ZrCl_2$ and $Cp_2TiCl_2$, and carbon-based nano-materials such as RGO and MWCNT. Such hybrids were generated via simple adsorption between Cp rings of metallocenes and graphitic surfaces of graphene/CNT. The hybrids showed interesting catalytic behaviors for ethylene polymerizations. Resulting PEs had significantly increased Mw relative to those produced from free metallocene-based catalytic systems, which are not adsorbed on carbon-based nano-materials. UHMWPEs with extremely high Mw were obtained at low Tp.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2012

The properties of carbon nanotube-metal hybrid nanostructures are critically dependent on the structure and chemistry of the metal-carbon nanotube interface. In this study, the interface between nickel and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been investigated using physical vapor-deposited (sputter-deposited) nickel onto the surface of freestanding carbon nanotube arrays processed by nano-imprint lithography (NIL). These interfaces have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy and 3D atom probe tomography. In the nickel nanocrystals growing on the CNT surface, a metastable hexagonal $Ni_3C$-types phase appears to be stabilized. The structural stability of the nickel-CNT interface is also discussed and related to potential implications for the properties of these nanocomposites.

• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.138-144
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• 2016

Recently, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have been extensively developed and significantly considered to protect electronic systems from harmful electromagnetic waves. Although, metal-based materials show high electrical conductivity and EMI shielding effectiveness, they have several challenging problems such as high density and corrosion. Carbon-based materials have been acclaimed as alternative EMI materials due to light weight, high mechanical properties, resistance to corrosion and excellent electrical conductivity. Here, we introduce 1-phase and 2-phase carbon materials as well as 3-phase hybrid carbon materials. The 3-phase hybrid carbon materials composed of metal nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and graphene can be used as a promising EMI shielding material.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2010

Si nanowire/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposite arrays were synthesized. Vertically aligned Si nanowire arrays were fabricated by Ag nanodendrite-assisted wet chemical etching of n-type wafers using $HF/AgNO_3$ solution. The composite structure was synthesized by formation of a sheath of carbon multilayers on a Si nanowire template surface through a thermal CVD process under various conditions. The results of Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microcopy demonstrate that the obtained nanocomposite has a Si nanowire core/carbon nanotube shell structure. The remarkable feature of the proposed method is that the vertically aligned Si nanowire was encapsulated with a multiwalled carbon nanotube without metal catalysts, which is important for nanodevice fabrication. It can be expected that the introduction of Si nanowires into multiwalled carbon nanotubes may significantly alter their electronic and mechanical properties, and may even result in some unexpected material properties. The proposed method possesses great potential for fabricating other semiconductor/CNT nanocomposites.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

This experimental study was intended to improve the compressive strength of multi-walled CNT reinforced cementitious composites with efficiency. The variables considered are the degree of sonication, the amount of surfactant, the replacement ratio of silica fume, etc. Optical microscope informed that fiber dispersion of CNT was improved with the increase of sonication time, and the compressive strength was proved to be enhanced as the degree of sonication increased. When superplasticizer as a surfactant had SP/CNT ratio of 4~6, the best improvement in strength was obtained. Silica fume was shown to produce the highest compressive strength at 10% replacement. Microstructure of CNT composites was also analyzed; XRD and SEM results indicated that CNT addition hardly changed hydration products and microstructure, and MIP analysis found the reduction of total porosity as well as the increase of nano-pores with the size of tens of nm instead of the decrease of pore distribution in the region of around 10 ${\mu}m$ and 100 nm. The results of microstructure analysis explains that the strength improvement is closely related to physical contribution rather than chemical influence by adding CNT.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.502-507
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• 2016

This study was conducted to develop novel antimicrobial nano-composites, with the aim of fully utilizing antimicrobial properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), nickel (Ni) and zinc oxide (ZnO). Ni coated-MWCNTs (Ni-CNT) were prepared and evaluated for their potential application as an antimicrobial material for inactivating bacteria. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the Ni coating and morphology of Ni-CNT. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coil (E. coil) were employed as the target bacterium on antimicrobial activities. Comparing with the nitric acid treated MWCNTs and Ni-CNT which have been previously reported to possess antimicrobial activity towards S. aureus and E. coil, Ni-CNT/ZnO exhibited a stronger antimicrobial ability. The nickel coating was confirmed to play an important role in the bactericidal action of Ni-CNTs/ZnO composites. Also, the addition of ZnO to the developed nanocomposite is suggested to improve the antimicrobial property.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2011

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) with high purity were produced by the catalytic decomposition of tetrahydrofuran (THF) using a Fe-Mo/MgO catalyst at $800^{\circ}C$. The as-synthesized DWCNTs typically have catalytic impurities and amorphous carbon, which were removed by a two-step purification process consisting of acid treatment and oxidation. In the acid treatment, metallic catalysts were removed in HCl at room temperature for 5 hr with magnetic stirring. Subsequently, the oxidation, using air at $380^{\circ}C$ for 5 hr in the a vertical-type furnace, was used to remove the amorphous carbon particles. The DWCNT suspension was prepared by dispersing the purified DWCNTs in the aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate solution with horn-type sonication. This was then air-sprayed on ITO glass to fabricate DWCNT field emitters. The field emission properties of DWCNT films related to transmittance were studied. This study provides the possibility of the application of large-area transparent CNT field emission cathodes.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.335-341
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• 2010

High-quality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were synthesized by catalytic decomposition of $C_2H_2$ using Fe-Mo/MgO catalyst at $800^{\circ}C$. The as-synthesized SWCNTs typically occurred in the form of a bundle with a diameter of 10~20 nm together with amorphous carbon and catalytic impurities, which were removed by a two-step purification process consisting of oxidation and an acid treatment. The oxidation step, using an $O_2$-Ar mixture at $380^{\circ}C$ for 5 hr in a vertical-type furnace and a $HNO_3$ treatment at $100^{\circ}C$ for one hour, was utilized to remove the amorphous carbon particles. Subsequently, metallic catalysts were removed in HCl at room temperature for 5 hr under magnetic stirring. The SWCNT suspension was prepared by dispersing the purified SWCNTs in an aqueous sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate solution with horn-type sonication. This was then air-sprayed on glass to fabricate CNT field emitters. The samples had a turn-on field value of 4 V/${\mu}m$ and a current density of 0.67 mA/$cm^2$ at 9 V/${\mu}m$. Increasing the HCl treatment time improved the field emission properties.