• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.401-407
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• 2018

For the treatment of heavy metals in the mine drainage from the closed mine area, various methods such as passive, active and semi-active treatments are considered. Among contaminated elements in the mine drainage, Mn is one of the difficult elements for the treatment because it needs high pH over 9.0 for its concentration to be reduced. In this study, the efficiency of various slag complex reactors (slag (S), slag+limestone (SL) and slag+Mn coated gravel (SG)) on Mn removal in the presence of Fe, which is a competitive element with Mn, was evaluated to investigate effective methods for the treatment of Mn in mine drainage. As a result of experiments on Mn removal without Fe during 358 days, using influent with $30{\sim}50Mn{\cdot}mg/L$ and pH 6.7 on the average, S reactor showed continuously high Mn removal efficiency with the average of 99.9% with pH 8.9~11.4. Using the same reactors, Mn removal experiments with Fe during 237 days were conducted with the influent with $40{\sim}60Mn{\cdot}mg/L$. The pH range of effluent reached to 6.1~10.0, which is slightly lower than that of effluent without Fe. S reactor showed the highest range of pH with 7.1~9.9, followed by S+L and S+G reactor. However, the efficiency of Mn removal showed S+L>S>S+G with the range of 94~100%, 68~100% and 68~100%, respectively in spite of relatively low pH range. S+L reactor showed the most resistance on Fe input, which means other mechanisms such as $MnCO_3$ formation by the carbonate prouced from the limestone or autocatalysis reaction of Mn contributed to Mn removal rather than pH related mechanisms. The evidence of reactions between carbonates and Mn, rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$), was found from the X-ray diffraction analysis of precipitates sample from S+L reactor. From this study, the most effective reactors on Mn removal in the presence of Fe was S+L reactor. The results are expected to be applied for the Mn containing mine water treatment in the presence of Fe within the relatively low range of pH.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.306-309
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• 2007

PXLM(Phosphor based x-ray light modulator) has a combined structure by phosphor, photoconductor, and liquid crystal and it can realize x-ray image of high resolution in clinical diagnosis area. In this study, we fabricated a photoconductor and investigated electrical and optical properties to confirm application possibility of radiator detector of PXLM structure. As photoconductor, amorphous selenium(a-Se), which is used most in DR(Digital radiography) of direct conversion method, was used and for formation of thin film, it was formed as $20{\mu}m-thick$ by using thermal vacuum evaporation system. For a produced a-Se film, through XRD(X-ray diffraction) and SEM(Scanning electron microscope), we investigated that amorphous structure was uniformly established and through optical measurement, for visible light of 40 $0\sim630nm$, it had absorption efficiency of 95 % and more. After fabricated a-Se film on the top of ITP substrate, hybrid structure was manufactured through forming $Gd_2O_3:Eu$ phosphor of $270{\mu}m-thick$ on the bottom of the substrate. As the result to confirm electrical property of the manufactured hybrid structure, in the case of appling $10V/{\mu}m$, leakage current of $2.5nA/cm^2$ and x-ray sensitivity of $7.31nC/cm^2/mR$ were investigated. Finally, we manufactured PXLM structure combined with hybrid structure and liquid crystal cell of TN(Twisted nematic) mode and then, investigated T-V(Transmission vs. voltage) curve of external light source for induced x-ray energy. PXLM structure showed a similar optical response with T-V curve that common TN mode liquid crystal cell showed according to electric field increase and in appling $50\sim100V$, it showed linear transmission efficiency of $12\sim18%$. This result suggested an application possibility of PXLM structure as radiation detector.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.250-254
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• 2011

We have synthesized bluish-green, highly-efficient $BaSi_2O_2N_2:Eu^{2+}$ and $(Ba,Sr)Si_2O_2N_2:Eu^{2+}$ phosphors through a conventional solid state reaction method using metal carbonate, $Si_3N_4$, and $Eu_2O_3$ as raw materials. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of these phosphors revealed that a $BaSi_2O_2N_2$ single phase was obtained. The excitation and emission spectra showed typical broadband excitation and emission resulting from the 5d to 4f transition of $Eu^{2+}$. These phosphors absorb blue light at around 450 nm and emit bluish-green luminescence, with a peak wavelength at around 495 nm. From the results of an experiment involving Eu concentration quenching, the relative PL intensity was reduced dramatically for Eu = 0.033. A small substitution of Sr in place of Ba increased the relative emission intensity of the phosphor. We prepared several white LEDs through a combination of $BaSi_2O_2N_2:Eu^{2+}$, YAG:$Ce^{3+}$, and silicone resin with a blue InGaN-based LED. In the case of only the YAG:$Ce^{3+}$-converted LED, the color rendering index was 73.4 and the efficiency was 127 lm/W. In contrast, in the YAG:$Ce^{3+}$ and $BaSi_2O_2N_2:Eu^{2+}$-converted LED, two distinct emission bands from InGaN (450 nm) and the two phosphors (475-750 nm) are observed, and combine to give a spectrum that appears white to the naked eye. The range of the color rendering index and the efficiency were 79.7-81.2 and 117-128 lm/W, respectively. The increased values of the color rendering index indicate that the two phosphor-converted LEDs have improved bluish-green emission compared to the YAG:Ce-converted LED. As such, the $BaSi_2O_2N_2:Eu^{2+}$ phosphor is applicable to white high-rendered LEDs for solid state lighting.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.604-610
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• 2016

We report on the fabrication and characterization of a novel $Cu_2O/CuO$ heterojunction structure with CuO nanorods embedded in $Cu_2O$ thin film as an efficient photocathode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar water splitting. A CuO nanorod array was first prepared on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via a seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method; then, a $Cu_2O$ thin film was electrodeposited onto the CuO nanorod array to form an oxide semiconductor heterostructure. The crystalline phases and morphologies of the heterojunction materials were examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, as well as Raman scattering. The PEC properties of the fabricated $Cu_2O/CuO$ heterojunction photocathode were evaluated by photocurrent conversion efficiency measurements under white light illumination. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior, the $Cu_2O/CuO$ photocathode was found to exhibit negligible dark current and high photocurrent density, e.g. $-1.05mA/cm^2$ at -0.6 V vs. $Hg/HgCl_2$ in $1mM\;Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte, revealing the effective operation of the oxide heterostructure. The photocurrent conversion efficiency of the $Cu_2O/CuO$ photocathode was estimated to be 1.27% at -0.6 V vs. $Hg/HgCl_2$. Moreover, the PEC current density versus time (J-T) profile measured at -0.5 V vs. $Hg/HgCl_2$ on the $Cu_2O/CuO$ photocathode indicated a 3-fold increase in the photocurrent density compared to that of a simple $Cu_2O$ thin film photocathode. The improved PEC performance was attributed to a certain synergistic effect of the bilayer heterostructure on the light absorption and electron-hole recombination processes.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2008

A color filter was proposed and demonstrated by incorporating a subwavelength patterned 1-dimensional grating in poly silicon. It was produced by employing the laser interference lithography method, providing much wider effective area compared to the conventional e-beam lithography. A $SiO_2$ layer was introduced on top of the silicon grating layer as a mask for the etching of the silicon, facilitating the etching of the silicon layer. It was theoretically found that the selectivity of the filter was also improved thanks to the oxide layer. The parameters for the designed device include the grating pitch of 450 nm, the grating height of 100 nm and the oxide-layer height of 200 nm. As for the fabricated filter, the spectral pass band corresponded to the blue color centered at 470 nm and the peak transmission was about 40%. Within the effective area of $3{\times}3mm^2$, the variation in the relative transmission efficiency and in the center wavelength was less than 10% and 2 nm respectively. Finally, the influence of the angle of the incident beam upon the transfer characteristics of the device was investigated in terms of the rate of the relative transmission efficiency, which was found to be equivalent to 1.5%/degree.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2013

$Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ is a candidate material for the top cell of $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$ tandem cells. This phase is often found at the surface of the $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$ film during $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$ cell fabrication, and plays a positive role in $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$ cell performance. However, the exact properties of the $Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ film have not been extensively studied yet. In this work, $Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ films were fabricated on Mo-coated soda-lime glass substrates by a three-stage co-evaporation process. The Cu content in the film was controlled by varying the deposition time of each stage. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analyses showed that, even though the stoichiometric Cu/(In+Ga) ratio is 0.25, $Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ is easily formed in a wide range of Cu content as long as the Cu/(In+Ga) ratio is held below 0.5. The optical band gap of $Cu_{0.3}(In_{0.65}Ga_{0.35})_3Se_5$ composition was found to be 1.35eV. As the Cu/(In+Ga) ratio was decreased further below 0.5, the grain size became smaller and the band gap increased. Unlike the $Cu(In,Ga)Se_2$ solar cell, an external supply of Na with $Na_2S$ deposition further increased the cell efficiency of the $Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ solar cell, indicating that more Na is necessary, in addition to the Na supply from the soda lime glass, to suppress deep level defects in the $Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ film. The cell efficiency of $CdS/Cu(In,Ga)_3Se_5$ was improved from 8.8 to 11.2% by incorporating Na with $Na_2S$ deposition on the CIGS film. The fill factor was significantly improved by the Na incorporation, due to a decrease of deep-level defects.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.695-699
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• 2021

In this study, Selective Catalytic Reduction on Diesel Particulate Filter (SDPF) after-treatment system was introduced to simultaneously remove NO_x and Particulate Matters (PM) emitted from trucks and special cargo vehicles using old engine. First, in order to select an Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst for SDPF, the de-NO_x performance of V/TiO₂ and Cu-Zeolite catalysts were compared, and the SCR catalyst characteristics were analyzed through Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and NH3-TPD (Temperature Programmed Desorption). From the activity test results, the Cu-zeolite catalyst showed the best thermal stability. For optimal coating of SDPF, slurry was prepared according to the target particle size. From the coating stability and back pressure test results of SDPF according to the amount of SCR coating, As a result of comparing coating stability, back pressure, and de-NOx performance by producing A, B, and C samples for each loading amount of the SDPF catalyst, the best results were found in the B sample. The engine dynamometer test was conducted for the optimal SDPF after-treatment system, and the test results satisfied Eu-5 regulations.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.263-269
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• 2020

Zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally using the water-treatment sludge, and the effects of various synthesis parameters like reaction temperature, reaction time, and Na2O/SiO2 molar ratio on the crystallization of zeolite were investigated. Crystal structure, physical property, and thermal stability of zeolite crystals were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, BET nitrogen adsorption, and TGA measurements. The removal efficiencies of nitrogen in ammonia, heavy metal ions, and TOC were calculated to evaluate zeolite's adsorption capacity. The primary chemical composition of water-treatment sludge was 28.79% Al2O3 and 27.06% SiO2. The zeolites were synthesized by merely employing the water-treatment sludge as silica and alumina sources without additional chemicals. Zeolite crystals synthesized through the water-treatment sludge were confirmed as an A-type zeolite structure. Zeolite A had the highest crystallinity obtained from a gel with the molar composition 2.1Na2O-Al2O3-1.6SiO2-65H2O after 5 h at a temperature of 90 ℃. The specific surface area of zeolite obtained was 55 ㎡ g-1, which was higher than commercial zeolite A. The removal efficiency of nitrogen in ammonia was 68% after 3 h of reaction time, while the removal efficiencies of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions were 99.1% and 99.3%, respectively. These results indicate active ion exchange between Pb2+ or Cd2+ ion and Na+ ion in the zeolite framework. The adsorption experiments on the different zeolite addition conditions were performed for 3 h with 300 ppm humic acid. Based on the results, TOC's highest efficiency was 83% when 5 g of zeolite was added.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.646-652
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• 2020

In this study, an NH3-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) experiment was performed to control NOx in the temperature range of 200~500 ℃. The reaction activity experiment was conducted by varying the firing temperature of Sb/TiO2 when using V/Sb/TiO2 composite as a catalyst. As a result, when the sintering temperature of Sb/TiO2 was 600 ℃, the efficiency was the best, and it was confirmed that the NOx conversion rate was close to 80% at the reaction temperature of 250 ℃. H2-temperature programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were employed to derive the cause of the activity enhancement when prepared at different firing temperatures as described above. As a result, when the sintering temperature of Sb/TiO2, which showed an excellent activity, was prepared at 600 ℃, it was confirmed that VSbO4 was generated. This indicates that the non-stoichiometric species of V increased, resulting in the excellent NOx conversion rate of V/Sb/TiO2.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.481-488
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• 2022

The Cu₂ZnSn(S_xSe_1-x)₄ (CZTSSe) absorbers are promising thin film solar cells (TFSCs) materials, to replace existing Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) and CdTe photovoltaic technology. However, the best reported efficiency for a CZTSSe device, of 13.6 %, is still too low for commercial use. Recently, partially replacing the Zn²⁺ element with a Cd²⁺element has attracting attention as one of the promising strategies for improving the photovoltaic characteristics of the CZTSSe TFSCs. Cd²⁺ elements are known to improve the grain size of the CZTSSe absorber thin films and improve optoelectronic properties by suppressing potential defects, causing short-circuit current (J_sc) loss. In this study, the structural, compositional, and morphological characteristics of CZTSSe and CZCTSSe thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. The FE-SEM images revealed that the grain size improved with increasing Cd²⁺ alloying in the CZTSSe thin films. Moreover, there was a slight decrease in small grain distribution as well as voids near the CZTSSe/Mo interface after Cd²⁺ alloying. The solar cells prepared using the most promising CZTSSe absorber thin films with Cd²⁺ alloying (8 min. 30 sec.) exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.33 %, J_sc of 34.0 mA/cm², and fill factor (FF) of 62.7 %, respectively.