• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.288-296
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• 2009

In this study, the silica-based hybrid material with high barrier property was prepared by incorporating ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer, which has been utilized as packaging materials due to its superior gas permeation resistance, during sol-gel process. In preparation of this EVOH/$SiO_2$ hybrid coating materials, the (3-glycidoxy-propyl)-trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) as a silane coupling agent was employed to promote interfacial adhesion between organic and inorganic phases. As confirmed from FT-IR analysis, the physical interaction between two phases was improved due to the increased hydrogen bonding, resulting in homogeneous microstructure with dispersion of nano-sized silica particles. However, depending on the range of content of added silane coupling agent (GPTMS), micro-phase separated microstructure in the hybrid could be observed due to insufficient interfacial attraction or possibility of polymerization reaction of epoxide ring in GPTMS. The oxygen barrier property of the mono-layer coated BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) film was examined for the hybrids containing various GPTMS contents. Consequently, it is revealed that GPTMS should be used in an optimum level of content to produce the high barrier EVOH/$SiO_2$ hybrid material with an improved optical transparency and homogeneous phase morphology.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.118-122
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• 2009

Organic thin film transistors with a pentacene active layer and various polymer gate insulators were fabricated and their performances were investigated. Characteristics of pentacene thin film transistors on different polymer substrates were investigated using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The pentacene thin films were deposited by thermal evaporation on the gate insulators of various polymers. Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were fabricated as the gate insulator where a pentacene layer was deposited at 40, 55, 70, 85, 100 oC. Pentacene thin films on PMMA showed the largest grain size and least trap concentration. In addition, pentacene TFTs of top-contact geometry are compared with PMMA and $SiO_2$ as gate insulators, respectively. We also fabricated pentacene TFT with Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Polysturene Sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) electrode by inkjet printing method. The physical and electrical characteristics of each gate insulator were tested and analyzed by AFM and I-V measurement. It was found that the performance of TFT was mainly determined by morphology of pentacene rather than the physical or chemical structure of the polymer gate insulator

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2005

Application of a new photocatalyst has been attempted to improve the efficiency and rates of photocatalytic degradation of azo dyes by using a model dye such as Methyl Orange. As a new photocatalyst, $TiO_2$ encapsulated EFAL-removed zeolite Y ($TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite Y) has been synthesized by ion-exchange in the mixture of EFAL-removed zeolite Y with 0.05 M aqueous [$(NH_4)_2 TiO(C_2O_4)_2.H_2O$] [$TiO(C_2O_4)_2.H_2O$]. This new photocatalyst has been characterized by measuring XRD, IR and reflectance absorption spectra as well as ICP analysis, and it was found that the framework structure of $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite Y is not changed by removing the extra-framework aluminum (EFAL) from the normal zeolite Y and the $TiO_2$ inside the photocatalyst exists in the form of $(TiO^{2+})_n$ nanoclusters. Based on the ICP analysis, the Si/Al ratio of the $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite Y and the weight of $TiO_2$ were determined to be 23 and 0.061g in 1.0g photocatalyst, respectively. It was also found that adsorption of the azo dye in the $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite is very effective (about 80 % of the substrate used). This efficient adsorption contributes to the synergistic photocatalytic activities of the $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite by minimizing the required flux diffusion of the substrate. Thus, the photocatalytic reduction of methyl orange (MO) was found to be 8 times more effective in the presence of $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite Y than in the presence of $TiO_2$ /normal zeolite Y. Furthermore, the photocatalytic reduction of MO by using 1.0 g of the $TiO_2$ /EFAL-removed zeolite Y containing 0.061g of $TiO_2$ is much faster than that carried out by using 1.0 g of Degussa P-25.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.33.2-33.2
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• 2009

Block copolymer lithography has attracted great attention for emerging nanolithography since nanoscaleperiodic patterns can be easily obtained through self-assembly process without conventional top-down patterning process. Since the morphologies of self-assembled block copolymer patterns are strongly dependent on surface energy of a substrate, suitable surface modification is required. Until now, the surface modification has been studied by using random copolymer or self-assembled mono layers (SAMs). However, the research on surface modifications has been limited within several substrates such as Si-based materials. In present study, we investigated the formation of block copolymer on Au substrate by $O_2$ plasma treatment with the SAM of 3-(p-methoxy-phenyl)propyltrichloro-silane [MPTS, $CH_3OPh(CH_2)_3SiCl_3$]. After $O_2$ plasma treatment, the chemical bonding states of the surface were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The static contact angle measurement was performed to study the effects of $O_2$ plasma treatment on the formation of MPTS monolayer. The block copolymer nanotemplates formed on Au surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the ordering of self-assembled block copolymer pattern and the formation of cylindrical nano hole arrays were enhanced dramatically by oxygen plasma treatment. Thus, the oxidation of gold surface by $O_2$ plasma treatment enables the MPTS to form the monolayer assembly leading to surface neutralization of gold substrates.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.39-43
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• 2023

Carrier-selective contacts (CSCs) solar cells are considerably attractive on highly efficient crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells due to their advantages of high thermal tolerance and the simple fabrication process. CSCs solar cells require a hole selective contact (HSC) layer that selectively collects only holes. In order to selectively collect holes, it must have a work function characteristic of 5.0 eV or more when contacted with n-type Si. The VO_x, NiO_x, and CuI_x thin films were fabricated and analyzed respectively to confirm their potential usage as a hole-selective contact (HSC) layer. All thin films showed characteristics of band-gap engergy > 3.0 eV, work function > 5.0 eV and minority carrier lifetime > 1.5 ms.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.322-329
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• 2009

60 nm- and 20 nm-thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layers were deposited on 200 nm $SiO_2/Si$ substrates using ICP-CVD (inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition). A 10 nm-Ni layer was then deposited by e-beam evaporation. Finally, 10 nm-Ni/60 nm a-Si:H/200 nm-$SiO_2/Si$ and 10 nm-Ni/20 nm a-Si:H/200 nm-$SiO_2/Si$ structures were prepared. The samples were annealed by rapid thermal annealing for 40 seconds at $200{\sim}500^{\circ}C$ to produce $NiSi_x$. The resulting changes in sheet resistance, microstructure, phase, chemical composition and surface roughness were examined. The nickel silicide on a 60 nm a-Si:H substrate showed a low sheet resistance at T (temperatures) >$450^{\circ}C$. The nickel silicide on the 20 nm a-Si:H substrate showed a low sheet resistance at T > $300^{\circ}C$. HRXRD analysis revealed a phase transformation of the nickel silicide on a 60 nm a-Si:H substrate (${\delta}-Ni_2Si{\rightarrow}{\zeta}-Ni_2Si{\rightarrow}(NiSi+{\zeta}-Ni_2Si)$) at annealing temperatures of $300^{\circ}C{\rightarrow}400^{\circ}C{\rightarrow}500^{\circ}C$. The nickel silicide on the 20 nm a-Si:H substrate had a composition of ${\delta}-Ni_2Si$ with no secondary phases. Through FE-SEM and TEM analysis, the nickel silicide layer on the 60 nm a-Si:H substrate showed a 60 nm-thick silicide layer with a columnar shape, which contained both residual a-Si:H and $Ni_2Si$ layers, regardless of annealing temperatures. The nickel silicide on the 20 nm a-Si:H substrate had a uniform thickness of 40 nm with a columnar shape and no residual silicon. SPM analysis shows that the surface roughness was < 1.8 nm regardless of the a-Si:H-thickness. It was confirmed that the low temperature silicide process using a 20 nm a-Si:H substrate is more suitable for thin film transistor (TFT) active layer applications.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.204-209
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• 2004

SiC materials have been extensively studied for high temperature components in advanced energy system and advanced gas turbine. However, the brittle characteristics of SiC such as low fracture toughness and low strain-to fracture still impose a severe limitation on practical applications of SiC materials. For these reasons, $SiC_f/SiC$ composites can be considered as a promising for various structural materials, because of their good fracture toughness compared with monolithic SiC ceramics. But, high temperature and pressure lead to the degradation of the reinforcing fiber during the hot pressing. Therefore, reduction of sintering temperature and pressure is key requirements for the fabrication of $SiC_f/SiC$ composites by hot pressing method. In the present work, Monolithic LPS-SiC was fabricated by hot pressing method in Ar atmosphere at 1760 $^{\circ}C$, 1780 $^{\circ}C$, 1800 $^{\circ}C$ and 1820 $^{\circ}C$ under 20 MPa using $Al_2O_3-Y_2O_3$ system as sintering additives in order to low sintering temperature. The starting powder was high purity ${\beta}-SiC$ nano-powder with an average particle size of 30 nm. Monolithic LPS-SiC was evaluated in terms of sintering density, micro-structure, flexural strength, elastic modulus and so on. Sintered density, flexural strength and elastic modulus of fabricated LPS-SiC increased with increasing the sintering temperature. In the micro-structure of this specimen, it was found that grain of sintered body was grown from 30 nm to 200 nm.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.1042-1046
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• 2001

Co-22%Cr alloy films are promising for high-density perpendicular magnetic recording media with their perpendicular anisotropy and large coercivity of 3000 Oe. We observed that a self organized nano structure(SONS) of fine ferromagnetic Co-enriched phase and paramagnetic Cr-enriched phase appears inside the grain of Co-Cr magnetic alloy thin films at the elevated substrate temperature after do-sputtering. We prepared 1000 $\AA$-thick Co-22%Cr films on 2000 $\AA$- SiO$_2$/Si(100) substrates at the deposition rate of 100 $\AA$/min with substrate temperatures of 3$0^{\circ}C$, 10$0^{\circ}C$, 15$0^{\circ}C$, 20$0^{\circ}C$, 30$0^{\circ}C$, and 40$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. We employed a vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM) to measure the B-H loops showing the saturation magnetifation, coercivity, remanence in in- plane and out- of- plane modes. In- plane coercivity, perpendicular coercivity, and perpendicular remanence increased as substrate temperature increased, how-ever they decreased after 30$0^{\circ}C$ slowly. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterization revealed that the self organized nano structure (SONS) appears at the elevated substrate temperature, which forms fine Co-enriched phases inside a grain, then it eventually affect the perpendicular magnetic property. Our results imply that we may tune the perpendicular magnetic properties with SONS obtained at appropriate substrate temperature.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.271-280
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• 2016

When a single inorganic precursor is used for the synthesis of a sol-gel coating, there is a problem of cracking on the surface of coating layer. In order to solve this problem of surface cracking, we synthesized inorganic-organic coatings that have hybrid properties of inorganic and organic materials. Sols of various ratios (1:0.07, 0.2, 0.41, 0.82, 1.64, 3.26, 6.54, 13.2) of an inorganic precursor of Tetrabutylorthotitanate ($Ti(OBu)_4$, TBOT) and an organic precursor of ${\gamma}$-Methacryloxy propyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTS) were prepared and coated on stainless steels (SUS316L) by dip coating method. The binding structure and the physical properties of the synthesized coatings were analyzed by FT-IR, FE-SEM, FIB (Focused Ion Beam), and a nano-indenter. Dynamic polarization testing and EIS (electrical impedance spectroscopy) were carried out to evaluate the micro-defects and the corrosion properties of the coatings. The prepared coatings show hybrid properties of inorganic oxides and organic materials. Crack free coatings were prepared when the MAPTS ratio was above a critical value. As the MAPTS ratio increased, the thickness and the corrosion resistance increased, and the hardness decreased.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2014

Herein, we report on the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles stabilized with styrene. Nano-sized Si particles emit fluorescence under UV excitation, which could be used to open up new applications in the fields of optics and semi-conductor research. Unfortunately, conventional methods for the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles suffer from the lack of a fully-established standard synthesis protocol. A common initial approach during the preparation of semi-conductors is the etching of crystalline Si wafers in a HF/ethanol/$H_2O$ bath, which provides a uniformly-etched surface of nanopores amenable for further nano-sized modifications via tuning of various parameters. Subsequent sonication of the etched surface crumbles the pores on the wafer, resulting in the dispersion of particles into the solution. In this study, we use styrene to occupy these platforms to stabilize the surface. We determine that the liberated silicon particles in ethanol solution interact with styrene, resulting in the substitution of Si-H bonds with those of Si-C as determined via UV photo-catalysis. The synthesized styrene-coated Si nanoparticles exhibit a stable, bright, red fluorescence under excitation with a 365 nm UV light, and yield approximately 100 mg per wafer with a synthesis time of 2 h. We believe this protocol could be further expanded as a cost-effective and high-throughput standard method in the preparation of red fluorescent Si nanoparticles.