• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.76-76
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• 2012

Surface engineering of polymers has a broad array of scientific and technological applications that range from tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, microfluidics and novel lab on chip devices to building mechanical memories, stretchable electronics, and devising tunable surface adhesion for robotics. Recent advancements in the field of nanotechnology have provided robust techniques for controlled surface modification of polymers and creation of structural features on the polymeric surface at submicron scale. We have recently demonstrated techniques for controlled surfaces of soft and relatively hard polymers using ion beam irradiation and plasma treatment, which allows the fabrication of nanoscale surface features such as wrinkles, ripples, holes, and hairs with respect to its polymers. In this talk, we discuss the underlying mechanisms of formation of these structural features. This includes the change in the chemical composition of the surface layer of the polymers due to ion beam irradiation or plasma treatment and the instability and mechanics of the skin-substrate system. Using ion beam or plasma irradiation on polymers, we introduce a simple method for fabrication of one-dimensional, two-dimensional and nested hierarchical structural patterns on polymeric surfaces on various polymers such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), poly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.156.1-156.1
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• 2016

Nickel sulfide (NiS) is one of the most promising candidates as an electrode material for supercapacitors due to its good capacitive properties, high electrical conductivity and low cost. In addition to the development of the new electrode materials, nanostructuring the electrode surface is one of the main issues in enhancing the capacitive performance of the supercapacitors because the increased surface area can improve the charge transfer and energy storage processes occurring at the electrode surface. However, most nanofabrication techniques require complicated and delicate nanoprocesses, and hence are not suitable for practical use. In this work, we developed a simple method to fabricate nanostructured NiS electrodes by depositing NiS onto $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. First, $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were spin-coated on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, and then NiS layers were deposited onto the $TiO_2$ nanoparticles by consecutive dip-coatings in the solutions containing nickel and sulfur precursors. This nanostructured NiS electrode showed significantly improved capacitive properties compared to the electrode of NiS films deposited without $TiO_2$ nanoparticles. The asymmetric full-cell supercapacitor with this nanostructured NiS electrode and activated carbon electrode was also fabricated and investigated.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.185-202
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• 2018

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells can convert solar energy, the largest potential source of renewable energy, into hydrogen fuel which can be stored, transported, and used on demand. In terms of cost competitiveness compared with fossil fuels, however, both photocatalytic efficiency and cost-effectiveness must be achieved simultaneously. Improvement of cost-effective, scalable, versatile, and eco-friendly fabrication methods has emerged as an urgent mission for PEC cells, and solution-based fabrication methods could be capable of meeting these demands. Herein, we review recent challenges for various nanostructured oxide photoelectrodes fabricated by solution-based processes. Hematite, tungsten oxide, bismuth vanadate, titanium oxide, and copper oxides are the main oxides focused on, and various strategies have been attempted with respect to these photocatalyst materials. The effects of nanostructuring, heterojunctions, and co-catalyst loading on the surface are discussed. Our review introduces notable solution-based processes for water splitting photoelectrodes and gives an outlook on eco-friendly and cost-effective approaches to solar fuel generation and innovative artificial photosynthesis technologies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.196.2-196.2
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• 2014

Nanostructuring the electrode surface is an emerging technology to improve the performance of supercapacitors since it can facilitate charge transfer, ion diffusion and electron propagation during electrochemical process. Fabrication of the electrode consisting of two or more materials together has also been focused on since it can provide synergetic effect such as broader working potential range and enhanced capacitance. In this work, we have used polyaniline (PANi) and manganese oxide (MnO2) as electrode materials. PANi is one of the promising electrode materials due to its high electrochemical activity, high doping level and stability. MnO2 is also widely studied material for supercapacitors since it is relatively cheap and environmentally friendly. Firstly, we synthesized polystyrene nanospheres on MnO2 nanoparticles. MnO2-incorporated PANi hollow nanospheres were then fabricated by polymerizing aniline monomers on these PS nanospheres and dissolving the inner PS spheres. The surface morphology, electronic absorption and electrical conductivity of the electrode were analyzed using field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), UV-visible spectrometer, and sheet resistivity meter, respectively. The electrochemical properties such as capacitance of the supercapacitors were also estimated using cyclic voltammetry.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.331-348
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• 2018

With the expectation to overcome the problem of increasing energy consumption, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are getting more attention as a promising environmentally friendly and sustainable next-generation energy conversion system. In spite of the rapid improvement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs), there are several critical issues still need to be resolved for practical commercialization. Out of the many issues, the main hurdle comes from oxygen reduction reaction(ORR), thus development of efficient ORR electrocatalysts is the main key for enhancing PEMFC performance. Among various catalysts, 1D nanostructured catalyst is a promising candidate because it holds many advantages that come from nanostructuring while supplementing the disadvantages of other nanostructures such as nanoparticles(0D) or gyroids(3D). This review focused on diverse 1D nanostructures and talks about their advantages as catalyst for ORR. Different 1D nanostructures will be introduced while applying the structures to different materials system showing the prospects of 1D nanostructures for improving PEMFC.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1593-1601
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• 2021

Oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) tungsten alloys are highly desirable in irradiation applications. However, how to improve the properties of ODS-tungsten alloys efficiently has been worth studying for a long time. Here we report a nanostructuring approach that achieves W-La₂O₃ alloy with a high level of flexural strength and Vickers hardness at room temperature, which have the maximum value of 581 MPa and 703 Hv, respectively. This method named solution combustion synthesis (SCS) can generate 30 nm coating structures W-La₂O₃ composite powders by using Keggin-type structural polyoxometalates as raw materials in a fast and low-cost process. The composite powder can be fabricated to W-La₂O₃ alloy with an optimal microstructure of submicrometric W grains coexisting with nanometric oxide particles in the grain interior, and a stability interface structure of grain boundaries (GBs) by forming transition zones. The method can be used to prepare new ODS alloys with excellent properties in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.224-224
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• 2012

For decades, carbon fiber has expanded their application fields from reinforced composites to energy storage and transfer technologies such as electrodes for super-capacitors and lithium ion batteries and gas diffusion layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Especially in fuel cell, water repellency of gas diffusion layer has become very important property for preventing flooding which is induced by condensed water could damage the fuel cell performance. In this work, we fabricated superhydrophobic network of carbon fiber with high aspect ratio hair-like nanostructure by preferential oxygen plasma etching. Superhydrophobic carbon fiber surfaces were achieved by hydrophobic material coating with a siloxane-based hydrocarbon film, which increased the water contact angle from $147^{\circ}$ to $163^{\circ}$ and decreased the contact angle hysteresis from $71^{\circ}$ to below $5^{\circ}$, sufficient to cause droplet roll-off from the surface in millimeter scale water droplet deposition test. Also, we have explored that the condensation behavior (nucleation and growth) of water droplet on the superhydrophobic carbon fiber were significantly retarded due to the high-aspect-ratio nanostructures under super-saturated vapor conditions. It is implied that superhydrophobic carbon fiber can provide a passage for vapor or gas flow in wet environments such as a gas diffusion layer requiring the effective water removal in the operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Moreover, such nanostructuring of carbon-based materials can be extended to carbon fiber, carbon black or carbon films for applications as a cathode in lithium batteries or carbon fiber composites.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2018

Carbon nanofibers (CNF) are widely used as active agents for electrodes in Li-ion secondary battery cells, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Nanoscale coatings on CNF electrodes can increase the output and lifespan of battery devices. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) can control the coating thickness at the nanoscale regardless of the shape, suitable for coating CNFs. However, because the CNF surface comprises stable C-C bonds, initiating homogeneous nuclear formation is difficult because of the lack of initial nucleation sites. This study introduces uniform nucleation site formation on CNF surfaces to promote a uniform $SnO_2$ layer. We pretreat the CNF surface by introducing $H_2O$ or $Al_2O_3$ (trimethylaluminum + $H_2O$) before the $SnO_2$ ALD process to form active sites on the CNF surface. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy both identify the $SnO_2$ layer morphology on the CNF. The $Al_2O_3$-pretreated sample shows a uniform $SnO_2$ layer, while island-type $SnO_x$ layers grow sparsely on the $H_2O$-pretreated or untreated CNF.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.72-77
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• 2019

The display that provides information to us through the visual sense is a very important information transmission means by intuitively transmitting information, and the liquid crystal display (LCD) is the most widely used information transmission display. In this paper, we studied solvent assisted micromolding as an alternative for the rubbing that is essential to align the liquid crystals in LCD and successfully aligned the liquid crystal molecules by constructing the nanostructures on conventional polyimide alignment layer. When generating the nanostructures on the polyimide film, there was a competitive correlation between the dissolution effect of the polymer by the solvent and the capillary effect of the polyimide molecules into the nanostructures of the mold depending on the process temperature. It was possible to form nanostructures with high step by deriving the optimum temperature. These nanostructures were able to align the liquid crystal molecules uniformly and demonstrated that they could form a desirable pretilt angle.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2023

High-temperature and high-pressure post-processing applied to sintered thermoelectric materials can create nanoscale defects, thereby enhancing their thermoelectric performance. Here, we investigate the effect of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) as a post-processing treatment on the thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3.0 compounds sintered via spark plasma sintering. The sample post-processed via HIP maintains its electronic transport properties despite the reduced microstructural texturing. Moreover, lattice thermal conductivity is significantly reduced owing to activated phonon scattering, which can be attributed to the nanoscale defects created during HIP, resulting in an ~18% increase in peak zT value, which reaches ~1.43 at 100℃. This study validates that HIP enhances the thermoelectric performance by controlling the thermal transport without having any detrimental effects on the electronic transport properties of thermoelectric materials.