• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.156-161
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• 2021

Cr-Si based alloys are not only excellent in corrosion resistance at high temperatures, but also have good wear resistance due to the formation of Cr3Si phase, therefore they are promising as metallic coating materials. Aluminum is often added to Cr-Si alloys to improve the oxidation resistance through which stable alumina surface film is formed. On the other hand, due to the addition of aluminum, various Al-containing phases may be formed and may negatively affect the heat resistance of the Cr-Si-Al alloys, so detailed investigation is required. In this study, two Cr-Si-Al alloys (high-Si & high-Al) were prepared in the form of cast ingots through a vacuum arc melting process and the microstructural changes after high temperature heating process were investigated. In the case of the cast high-Si alloy, a considerable amount of Cr3Si phase was formed, and its hardness was significantly higher than that of the cast high-Al alloy. Also, Al-rich phases (with the high Al/Cr ratio) were not found much compared to the high-Al alloy. Meanwhile, it was observed that the amount of the Al-rich phases reduced by the annealing heat treatment for both alloys. In the case of the high temperature heating at 1,400 ℃, no significant microstructural change was observed in the high Si alloy, but a little more coarse and segregated AlCr phases were found in the high Al alloy compared to the cast state.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.114-119
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• 2020

In this study, Mitigation of Potential-induced degradation (PID) for PERC solar cells using SiO2 Structure of ARC layer. The conventional PID test was conducted with a cell-level test based on the IEC-62804 test standard, but a copper PID test device was manufactured to increase the PID detection rate. The accelerated aging test was conducted by maintaining 96 hours with a potential difference of 1000 V at a temperature of 60℃. As a result, the PERC solar cell of SiO2-Free ARC structure decreased 22.11% compared to the initial efficiency, and the PERC solar cell of the Upper-SiO2 ARC structure decreased 30.78% of the initial efficiency and the PID reliability was not good. However, the PERC solar cell with the lower-SiO2 ARC structure reduced only 2.44%, effectively mitigating the degradation of PID. Na+ ions in the cover glass generate PID on the surface of the PERC solar cell. In order to prevent PID, the structure of SiNx and SiO2 thin films of the ARC layer is important. SiO2 thin film must be deposited on bottom of ARC layer and the surface of the PERC solar cell N-type emitter to prevent surface recombination and stacking fault defects of the PERC solar cell and mitigated PID degradation.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.463-468
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• 2021

In this paper, when a refractive index grating and a gain grating were simultaneously present in a DFB laser having a wavelength of 1.55 ㎛, a dielectric film coating was applied so that reflection did not occur on the right mirror surface, so that 𝜌_r=0. In case of 𝛿L>0, the characteristics of the oscillation frequency and oscillation gain were analyzed. When the grating phase of the left mirror surface continues to decrease from 𝜋, the graph lines of each mode gradually shift to the left. In case of 𝜅L=10, the threshold gain of the oscillation mode is the lowest. In this case, the mode selectivity is relatively low. From 𝜅L=0.5 to 𝜅L=6, the mode selectivity and the frequency stability are excellent. In the case of DFB lasers with an anti-reflection coated mirror, the threshold gain of the oscillation mode increases but the mode selectivity is about twice as excellent, compared with DFB lasers of having two cleaved facets.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.497-503
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• 2022

Spinel ferrites (Ni_xFe_3-xO₄; x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0) have been prepared at 550℃ by egg white auto-combustion route using egg white at 550℃ and characterized by physicochemical (TGA, IR, XRD, and SEM) and electrochemical (CV and Tafel polarization) techniques. The presence of characteristic vibration peaks in FT-IR and reflection planes in XRD spectra confirmed the formation of spinel ferrites. The prepared oxides were transformed into oxide film on glassy carbon electrodes by coating oxide powder ink using the nafion solution and investigated their electrocatalytic performance for OER in an alkaline solution. The cyclic voltammograms of the oxide electrode did not show any redox peaks in oxygen overpotential regions. The iR-free Tafel polarization curves exhibited two Tafel slopes (b₁ = 59-90 mV decade^-1 and b₂ = 92-124 mV decade^-1) in lower and higher over potential regions, respectively. Ni-substitution in oxide matrix significantly improved the electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction. Based on the current density for OER, the 0.75 mol Ni-substituted oxide electrode was found to be the most active electrode among the prepared oxides and showed the highest value of apparent current density (~9 mA cm^-2 at 0.85 V) and lowest Tafel slope (59 mV decade^-1). The OER on oxide electrodes occurred via the formation of chemisorbed intermediate on the active sites of the oxide electrode and follow the second-order mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.384-390
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• 2022

A spin coating process for RRAM, which is a TiN/TiO₂/FTO structure based on a PTC sol solution, was developed in this laboratory, a method which enables low-temperature and eco-friendly manufacturing. The RRAM corresponds to an OxRAM that operates through the formation and extinction of conductive filaments. Heat treatment was selected as a method of controlling oxygen vacancy (V_O), a major factor of the conductive filament. It was carried out at 100 ℃ under moisture removal conditions and at 300 ℃ and 500 ℃ for excellent phase stability. XRD analysis confirmed the anatase phase in the thin film increased as the heat treatment increased, and the Ti³⁺ and OH- groups were observed to decrease in the XPS analysis. In the I-V analysis, the device at 100 ℃ showed a low primary SET voltage of 5.1 V and a high ON/OFF ratio of 10⁴. The double-logarithmic plot of the I-V curve confirmed the device at 100 ℃ required a low operating voltage. As a result, the 100 ℃ heat treatment conditions were suitable for the low voltage driving and high ON/OFF ratio of TiN/TiO₂/FTO RRAM devices and these results suggest that the operating voltage and ON/OFF ratio required for OxRAM devices used in various fields under specific heat treatment conditions can be compromised.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.235-240
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• 2022

Atomically-thin 2D nanomaterials can be easily deformed and have surface corrugations which can influence the frictional characteristics of the 2D nanomaterials. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene can be grown in a wafer scale, which is suitable as a large-area surface coating film. The CVD growth involves cooling process to room temperature, and the thermal expansion coefficients mismatch between graphene and the metallic substrate induces a compressive strain in graphene, resulting in the surface corrugations such as wrinkles and atomic ripples. Such corrugations can induce the friction anisotropy of graphene, and therefore, accurate imaging of the surface corrugation is significant for better understanding about the friction anisotropy of CVD graphene. In this work, the combinatorial analysis using friction force microscopy (FFM) and transverse shear microscopy (TSM) was implemented to unveil the friction anisotropy of CVD bi-layer graphene. The periodic friction anisotropy of the wrinkles was measured following a sinusoidal curve depending on the angles between the wrinkles and the scanning tip, and the two domains were observed to have the different friction signals due to the different directions of the atomic ripples, which was confirmed by the high-resolution FFM and TSM imaging. In addition, we revealed that the atomic ripples can be easily suppressed by ironing the surface during AFM scans with an appropriate normal force. This work demonstrates that the friction anisotropy of CVD bilayer graphene is well-correlated with the corrugated structures and the local friction anisotropy induced by the atomic ripples can be controllably removed by simple AFM scans.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.337-342
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• 2022

Hydrogen (H₂) gas is widely preferred for use as a renewable energy source owing to its characteristics such as environmental friendliness and a high energy density. However, H₂ can easily reverse or explode due to minor external factors. Therefore, H₂ gas monitoring is crucial, especially when the H₂ concentration is close to the lower explosive limit. In this study, metal oxide materials and their p-n heterojunctions were synthesized by a hydrothermal-assisted dip-coating method. The synthesized thin films were used as sensing materials for H₂ gas. When the H₂ concentration was varied, all metal oxide materials exhibited different gas sensitivities. The performance of the metal oxide gas sensor was analyzed to identify parameters that could improve the performance, such as the choice of the metal oxide material, effect of the p-n heterojunctions, and operating temperature conditions of the gas sensor. The experimental results demonstrated that a CuO/ZnO gas sensor with a p-n heterojunction exhibited a high sensitivity and fast response time (134.9% and 8 s, respectively) to 5% H₂ gas at an operating temperature of 300℃.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2022

We fabricate a polarization-independent dielectric multilayer thin-film diffraction grating for a spectral-beam-combining (SBC) system with a simple grating structure and low aspect ratio. Due to the refractive index and thickness error of the manufactured thin films, the diffraction efficiency of the fabricated diffraction grating was lower than that of the design. The causes of the errors were analyzed, and it was confirmed through simulation that diffraction efficiency could be compensated through an additional coating on the manufactured diffraction grating. As a result of sputtering an additional Ta₂O₅ layer on a fabricated diffraction grating, the diffraction efficiency was corrected and a maximum 91.7% of polarization-independent diffraction efficiency was obtained.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.233-242
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• 2023

In recent years, energy-management studies in buildings have proven useful for energy savings. Typically, during heating and cooling, the energy from a given building is lost through its windows. Generally, to block the entry of ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) rays, thin films of deposited metals or metal oxides are used, and the blocking of UV and IR rays by these thin films depends on the materials deposited on them. Therefore, by controlling the thicknesses and densities of the thin films, improving the transmittance of visible light and the blocking of heat rays such as UV and IR may be possible. Such improvements can be realized not only by changing the two-dimensional thin films but also by altering the zero-dimensional (0-D) nanostructures deposited on the films. In this study, 0-D nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol -gel procedure. The synthesized nanoparticles were deposited as deep coatings on polymer and glass substrates. Through spectral analysis in the UV-visible (vis) region, thin-film layers of deposited zinc oxide nanoparticles blocked >95 % of UV rays. For high transmittance in the visible-light region and low transmittance in the IR and UV regions, hybrid multiple layers of silica nanoparticles, zinc oxide particles, and fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticles were formed on glass and polymer substrates. Spectrophotometry in the UV-vis-near-IR regions revealed that the substrates prevented heat loss well. The glass and polymer substrates achieved transmittance values of 80 % in the visible-light region, 50 % to 60 % in the IR region, and 90 % in the UV region.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.119-138
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• 2023

Concrete carbonation is a prevalent phenomenon that leads to steel reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, thereby decreasing their service life as well as durability. The process of carbonation results in a lower pH level of concrete, resulting in an acidic environment with a pH value below 12. This acidic environment initiates and accelerates the corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete, rendering it more susceptible to damage and ultimately weakening the overall structural integrity of the RC system. Lower pH values might cause damage to the protective coating of steel, also known as the passive film, thus speeding up the process of corrosion. It is essential to estimate the carbonation factor to reduce the deterioration in concrete structures. A lot of work has gone into developing a carbonation model that is precise and efficient that takes both internal and external factors into account. This study presents an ML-based adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach to predict the carbonation depth of fly ash (FA)-based concrete structures. Cement content, FA, water-cement ratio, relative humidity, duration, and CO2 level have been used as input parameters to develop the ANFIS model. Six performance indices have been used for finding the accuracy of the developed model and two analytical models. The outcome of the ANFIS model has also been compared with the other models used in this study. The prediction results show that the ANFIS model outperforms analytical models with R-value, MAE, RMSE, and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index values of 0.9951, 0.7255 mm, 1.2346 mm, and 0.9957, respectively. Surface plots and sensitivity analysis have also been performed to identify the repercussion of individual features on the carbonation depth of FA-based concrete structures. The developed ANFIS-based model is simple, easy to use, and cost-effective with good accuracy as compared to existing models.