• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.124-124
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• 2011

This study investigated the interaction of varied plasma power with ultralow-k toluene-tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) hybrid plasma polymer thin films, as well as changing electrical and mechanical properties. The hybrid thin films were deposited on silicon(100) substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. Toluene and tetraethoxysilane were utilized as organic and inorganic precursors. In order to compare the electrical and the mechanical properties, we grew the hybrid thin films under various conditions such as rf power of plasma, bubbling ratio of TEOS to toluene, and post annealing temperature. The hybrid plasma polymer thin films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), nanoindenter, I-V curves, and capacitance. Also, the hybrid thin films were analyzed by using ellipsometry. The refractive indices varied with the RF power, the bubbling ratio of TEOS to toluene, and the annealing temperature. To analyze their trends of electrical and mechanical properties, the thin films were grown under conditions of various rf powers. The IR spectra showed them to have completely different chemical functionalities from the liquid toluene and TEOS precursors. Also, The SiO peak intensity increased with increasing TEOS bubbling ratio, and the -OH and the CO peak intensities decreased with increasing annealing temperature. The AFM images showed changing of surface roughness that depended on different deposition rf powers. An nanoindenter was used to measure the hardness and Young' modulus and showed that both these values increased as the deposition RF power increased; these values also changed with the bubbling ratio of TEOS to toluene and with the annealing temperature. From the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results, the thickness of the thin films was determined before and after the annealing, with the thickness shrinkage (%) being measured by using SEM cross-sectional images.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.223-232
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• 2010

NiTi alloy has been used for orthodontic wire due to good mechanical properties, such as elastic strength, friction resistance, and high corrosion resistance. Recently, these wire were coated by polymer and ceramic materials for aesthetics. The purpose of this study was to investigate electrochemical characteristics of tooth colored NiTi wire using various instruments. Wires (round type and rectangular type) were used, respectively, for experiment. Polymer coating was carried out for wire. Specimen was investigated with optical microscopy (OM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The corrosion properties of the specimens were examined using potentiodynamic tests (potential range of -1500 ~ 2000 mV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (frequency range of 100 kHz ~ 10 mHz) in a 0.9 % NaCl solution by potentiostat. From the results of polarization behavior, the passive region of non-coated NiTi wire showed largely, whereas, the passive region of curved NiTi wire showed shortly in anodic polarization curve. In the case of coated NiTi wire, pitting and crevice corrosion occurred severely at interface between non-coated and coated region. From the results of EIS, polarization resistance(Rp) value of non-coated round and rectangular NiTi wire at curved part showed $5.10{\times}10^5{\Omega}cm^2$ and $4.43{\times}10^5{\Omega}cm^2$. lower than that of coated NiTi wire. $R_p$ of coated round and rectangular NiTi wire at curved part showed $1.31{\times}10^6{\Omega}cm^2$ and $1.19{\times}10^6{\Omega}cm^2$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.145-151
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• 2014

Solution-based Sb-doped $SnO_2$ (ATO) transparent conductive oxides using a low-temperature process were fabricated by an electrospray technique followed by spin coating. We demonstrated their structural, chemical, morphological, electrical, and optical properties by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Hall effect measurement system, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. In order to investigate optimum electrical and optical properties at low-temperature annealing, we systemically coated two layer, four layer, and six layers of ATO sol-solution using spin-coating on the electrosprayed ATO thin films. The resistivity and optical transmittance of the ATO thin films decreased as the thickness of ATO sol-layer increased. Then, the ATO thin films with two sol-layers exhibited superb figure of merit compared to the other samples. The performance improvement in a low temperature process ($300^{\circ}C$) can be explained by the effect of enhanced carrier concentration due to the improved densification of the ATO thin films causing the optimum sol-layer coating. Therefore, the solution-based ATO thin films prepared at $300^{\circ}C$C exhibited the superb electrical (${\sim}7.25{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$) and optical transmittance (~83.1 %) performances.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.24.1-24.1
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• 2009

The zinc oxide (ZnO) material as the II-VI compound semiconductor is useful in various fields of device applications such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells and gas sensors due to its wide direct band gap of 3.37eV and high exciton binding energy of 60meV at room temperature. In this study, the ZnO nanorods were deposited onto homogenous buffer layer/Si(100) substrates by a hydrothermal synthesis. The Effects of the buffer layer annealing and post annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods grown by a hydrothermal synthesis were investigated. For the buffer layer annealing case, the annealed buffer layer surface became rougher with increasing of annealing temperature up to $750^{\circ}C$, while it was smoothed with more increasing of annealing temperature due to the evaporation of buffer layer. It was found that the roughest surface of buffer layer improved the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods. For the post annealing case, the hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods were annealed with various temperatures ranging from 450 to $900^{\circ}C$. Similarly in the buffer layer annealing case, the post annealing enhanced the properties of ZnO nanorods with increasing of annealing temperature up to $750^{\circ}C$. However, it was degraded with further increasing of annealing temperature due to the violent movement of atoms and evaporation. Finally, the buffer layer annealing and post annealing treatment could efficiently improve the properties of hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods. The morphology and structural properties of ZnO nanorods grown by the hydrothermal synthesis were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical properties were also analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) measurement.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.608-613
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• 2012

We investigated the property changes of MgO powders sintered at temperatures ranging from $700^{\circ}C$ to $1900^{\circ}C$ for 5minutes at a pressure of 2.7 GPa for a high-pressure high-temperature(HPHT) diamond synthesis process. The physical properties of the sintered MgO powders were characterized by optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Vickers hardness tests, and by the apparent density, and X-ray diffractometry. An optical micro-analysis showed that white MgO powders became black after sintering due to carbon contamination from the graphite heat source. FE-SEM revealed the growth in the grain size of the MgO powders from $0.3{\mu}m$ to $50{\mu}m$ after sintering at $1700^{\circ}C$. The hardness and apparent density increased to $1800^{\circ}C$ while the samples were dedensified at $1900^{\circ}C$ due to the growth of isolated pores. According to the XRD analysis, no phase transformation occurred in the MgO powders. These results suggest that HPHT-sintered MgO powders can show an accelerated sintering process characterized by grain neck growth, pore connections, isolated pore growth and dedensification in 5 minutes, while these processes with the conventional sintering process take at least 5 hours.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.132-141
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• 2010

NiTi alloy has been used for orthodontic wire due to good mechanical properties, such as elastic strength and frictional resistance, combined with a high resistance to corrosion. Recently, these wire were coated by polymer and ceramic materials for aesthetics. The purpose of this study was to investigate surface characteristics of polymer coated NiTi alloy wire for orthodontics using various instruments. Wires (round type and rectangular type) were used, respectively, for experiment. Polymer coating was carried out for wire. Specimen was investigated with field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy(EDS) and atomic force microscopy(AFM). The phase transformation of non-coated NiTi wire from martensite to austenite occurred at the range of $14{\sim}15^{\circ}C$, in the case of coated wire, it occurred at the range of $16{\sim}18^{\circ}C$. Polymer coating on NiTi wire surface decreased the surface defects such as scratch which was formed at severe machined surface. From the AFM results, the average surface roughness of non-coated and coated NiTi wire was 13.1 nm, and 224.5 nm, respectively. From convetional surface roughness test, the average surface roughness of non-coated and coated NiTi wire was $0.046{\mu}m$, and $0.718{\mu}m$, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.230-230
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• 2010

유기물 반도체 화합물인 Cu-Pc(copper(II)-phthalocyanine)는 우수한 전기적 광학적 특성을 가지며, OLED, MISFET등 소자로서의 활용도가 높다. Cu-Pc 화합물은 $\alpha$-phase, $\beta$-phase, $\gamma$-phase를 포함하는 여러 가지 다결정 polymer로 존재할 수 있다. 가장 잘 알려진 구조로는 열적으로 준안정적인 $\alpha$-phase와 열적으로 안정적인 $\beta$-phase가 있다. Cu-Pc 박막의 구조 및 흡수 특성과 전기적 특성에 대한 기술이 확실히 규명되지 않아 본 연구에서는 두께와 열처리 조건에 따른 결정성 및 방향성을 조사하기 위하여 $\alpha$-phase와 $\beta$-phase의 phase transition 현상 및 전기적 광학적 특성을 규명 하고자 한다. 진공증착 방법 중 하나인 PVD 방법의 thermal evaporation deposition을 이용하여 glass, ITO 기판위에 두께와 열처리에 따른 전기적?광학적 특성을 연구하였다. Cu-Pc 박막의 성장두께는 5nm~50nm 이내로 fluxmeter 및 thickness monitor를 이용하여 제어하였다. 5nm~50nm의 두께에 따른 기판온도를 $200^{\circ}C$로 고정하여 전열 처리 및 후열 처리하여 온도에 따른 박막을 성장한 후, 결정 구조 및 특성 변화와 phase transition 분석하였다. 제작된 Cu-Pc의 박막은 $\alpha$-phase와 $\beta$-phase로 구분할 수 있으며, 열처리에 따른 phase transition 현상이 뚜렷함을 알 수 있다. XRD(X-ray diffraction)를 통하여 박막에 대한 결정 구조 분석 및 FE-SEM(field emission scanning electron microscopy)와 AFM(atomic force microscopy)을 이용하여 Cu-Pc 박막의 구조적 결정성과 방향성 등, 표면 상태와 형상구조에 대해 표면의 특성을 측정하며, 광 흡수도(UV-visible absorption spectra)을 이용하여 phase transition 현상에 따른 I-V 특성을 비교분석 하였다.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.244-254
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• 2018

Surface modified poly ${\text\tiny{L}}$-lactic acid (PLLA) samples with hydroxyapatite (HA), heparin and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) mediated by polydopamine (pDA) coating (PLLA/pDA/HA/Hep/BMP-2) were prepared, and their effects on the enhancements of bone formation and osseointegration were evaluated in vitro and in vivo as compared to PLLA, PLLA/pDA/HA, and PLLA/pDA/Hep/BMP-2. The changes in surface chemical compositions, morphologies and wettabilities were observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle measurements. Pre-coating of HA particles with pDA provided uniform and homogeneous anchoring of particles to PLLA surface. In addition, the strong ionic interaction between heparin and pDA led PLLA surface readily heparinized for loading of BMP-2. In vitro experiments revealed that the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium deposition, and osteocalcin (OCN) gene expression were higher in MG-63 human osteosarcoma cell lines grown on PLLA/pDA/HA/Hep/BMP-2 than on control PLLA, PLLA/pDA/HA, and PLLA/pDA/Hep/BMP-2. In vivo studies using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) also showed that PLLA/pDA/HA/Hep/BMP-2 screw exhibited greatest value of bone volume (BV) and bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) among samples. Histological evaluations with H&E and Von Kossa staining demonstrated that a combination of HA and BMP-2 contributed to the strong osseointegration.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.26-32
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• 2021

The photovoltaic properties and microstructure changes were observed while perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a fabricated carbon electrode were formed using the following annealing processes: hot-plate, oven, and rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Perovskite solar cells with a glass/FTO/compact TiO2/meso TiO2/meso ZrO2/carbon structure were prepared. The photovoltaic properties and microstructure changes in the PSCs were analyzed using a solar simulator, optical microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. An analysis of the photovoltaic properties revealed outstanding properties when RTA was applied to the cells. Microstructure analysis showed that perovskite was formed locally on the carbon electrode surface when hot-plate and oven annealing were applied. On the other hand, PSC with RTA showed a flat surface without extra perovskite agglomeration. Denser perovskite formed on the porous carbon electrode layer with RTA showed superior photovoltaic properties. These results suggest that the RTA process might be appropriate for the massive production of carbon electrode PSCs considering the processing time.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.335-345
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• 2022

PURPOSE. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the surface characteristics of a full veneer crown fabricated chairside (CS) from a (Y, Nb)-TZP zirconia block in response to conventional zirconia grinding and polishing. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Zirconia crowns (n = 40) were first prepared and divided into two groups of materials: Labside (LS) and CS, after which each specimen went through a five-step grinding and polishing procedure. Following each surface treatment, surface characteristics were analyzed using confocal laser microscopy (CLSM), average surface roughness (Ra) values were processed from the profile data through Gaussian filtering, and X-ray diffraction pattern analysis was performed to evaluate the monoclinic (M) phase content. Then, a representative specimen was selected for field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), followed by a final analysis of the roughness and X-ray diffraction of the specimens using the independent t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). RESULTS. In every group, polishing significantly reduced the Ra values (P < .001). There was no significant difference in Ra between the polished state CS and LS. Furthermore, CLSM and FE-SEM investigations revealed that even though grain exposure was visible in CS specimens throughout the as-delivered and ground states, the exposure was reduced after polishing. Moreover, while no phase transformation was visible in the LS, phase transformation was visible in CS after every surface treatment, with the M phase content of the CS group showing a significant reduction after polishing (P < .001). CONCLUSION. Within the limits of this study, clinically acceptable level of surface finishing of (Y, Nb)-TZP can be achieved after conventional zirconia polishing sequence.