• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

This is an overview paper reporting our most recent work on processing and microstructure of nano-structured oxides and their photoluminescence and photo-catalysis properties. Zinc oxide and related transition metal oxides such as vanadium pentoxide and titanium dioxide were produced by a combination of magnetron sputtering, hydrothermal growth and atmosphere controlled heat treatment. Special morphology and microstructure were created including nanorods arrays, core-brushes, nano-lollipops and multilayers with very large surface area. These structures showed special properties such as much enhanced photoluminescence and chemical reactivity. The photo-catalytic properties have also been promoted significantly. It is believed that two factors contributed to the high reactivity: the large surface area and the interaction between different oxides. The transition metal oxides with different band gaps have much enhanced photoluminescence under laser stimulation. Use of these complex oxide structures as electrodes can also improve the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells. The mixed oxide complex may provide a promising way to high-efficiency photo emitting materials and photo-catalysts.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2006.04b
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• pp.52-56
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• 2006

Some of factors affecting photo-conversion efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are discussed in terms of $TiO_2$ electrodes. The first topic is on the surface modification of $TiO_2$ nano-particles, which is associated with electron traps on the surface of $TiO_2$ nano-particles. The surface is modified with dye molecules under pressurized $CO_2$ atmosphere to increase the surface coverage of $TiO_2$ nano-particles with dye molecules. This increases Jsc because of an increase in the amount of dye molecules and a decrease in the amount of trapping sites on $TiO_2$ nano-particles. In addition, the decrease in the amount of trap sites increases Voc because decreases in Voc are brought about by the recombination of $I_2$ molecules with electrons trapped on the $TiO_2$ surfaces. Selective staining for tandem cells is proposed. The second topic is on the contact between a $SnO_2$/F transparent conductive layer (TCL) and nano-particles. Polishing the TCL surfaces with silica nano-particles increases the contact, resulting in Jsc increases. The third topic is the fabrication of ion-paths in $TiO_2$ layers. Electro-spray coating of $TiO_2$ nano-particles onto TCL is shown to be effective for fabricating ion-paths in $TiO_2$ layers, which increases Jsc.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2003

We studied the water splitting into $H_2$ and $O_2$ using two different semiconductor photo catalysts and redox mediator, mimicking the Z-scheme mechanism of the photosynthesis, $H_2$ evolution took place on a Pt-$SrTiO_2$ (Cr-Ta doped) photocatalyst using $I^-$ electron donor under the visible light irradiation. The Pt-$WO_3$ photocatalyst showed an excellent activity of the $O_2$ evolution using $IO_3^-$ electron acceptor under visible light. $H_2$ and $O_2$ gases evolved in the stoichiometric ratio($H_2/O_2$=2) under visible light using a mixture of the Pt-$WO_3$ and Pt-$SrTiO_3$ (Cr-Ta doped) suspended in NaI aqueous solution. We proposed a two-step photo-excitation mechanism using redox mediator under the visible irradiation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.50-54
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• 2013

In this work, the effects of blocking layer and optimally fabricated electrolyte were investigated with respect to impedance and conversion efficiency of the cells.A layer of $TiO_2$ less than ~200nm in thickness, as a blocking layer, was deposited by rf sputtering onto the F:$SnO_2$ (FTO) glass to be isolated from the electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Also, optimum condition of electrolytes preparation for DSCs was investigated. 3-methoxyppropionitrie and redox pairs with LiI and $I_2$ were used as solvents for fabrication of electrolyte. The electrochemical impedances of DSCs using this photo-anode were $R_1$: 13.8, $R_2$: 15.1, $R_3$: 11.9 and $R_h$: $8.3{\Omega}$, respectively. The $R_2$ impedance related by electron transportation from porous $TiO_2$ to FTO showed lower than that of normal DSCs. The photo-conversion efficiency of prepared DSCs was 6.4% and approximately 1.3% higher than general one.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.88.2-88.2
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• 2010

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted considerable attention on account of their high solar energy-to-conversion efficiencies and low cost processes compared to conventional p-n junction solar cells. The mechanism of DSSC is based on the injection of electrons from the photo excited dyes into the conduction band of the semiconductor electrode. The oxidized dye is reduced by the hole injection into either the hole conductor or the electrolyte. Thus, the light harvesting effect of dye plays an important role in capturing the photons and generating the electron/hole pair, as well as transferring them to the interface of the semiconductor and the electrolyte, respectively. We used the organic fluorescence materials which can absorb short wavelength light and emit longer wavelength region where dye sensitize effectively. In this work, the DSSCs were fabricated with fluorescence materials added $TiO_2$ photo-electrode which were sensitized with metal-free organic dyes. The photovoltaic performances of fluorescence aided DSSCs were compared, and the recombination dark current curves and the incident photon-to-current (IPCE) efficiencies were measured in order to characterize the effects of the additional light harvesting effect in DSSC. Electro-optical measurements were also used to optimize the fluorescence material contents on TiO2 photo-electrode surface for higher conversion efficiency (${\eta}$), fill factor (FF), open-circuit voltage (VOC) and short-circuit current (ISC). The enhanced light harvesting effect by the judicious choice/design of the fluorescence materials and sensitizing dyes permits the enhancement of photovoltaic performance of DSSC.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.203-209
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• 2017

The propenyl ether-type monomers which are applicable for cationic photo-polymerization were synthesized by the condensation reaction of mono and di-functional alcohol with allyl bromide. To examine photo-curable reactivity, these monomers were combined with cationic photoinitiator to prepare coating composition. As a result, the initial rate of polymerization of POMB in mono propenyl ether type was 10.2, which was relatively lower than BPOB in di-propenyl ethers type. However, POMB containing 1.5mol% photoinitiator almost quantitatively reacted within 90 seconds. In addition, Sulfonium salt type photo-initiators containing long-alkyl group showed good solubility with monomers and apperaed to have comparatively higher rate of polymerization and conversion ratio when applying DPSA and DPST which have high acidity on all monomers.

• Clean Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2018

In order to improve the photo conversion efficiency (${\eta}$) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the electrospun $TiO_2$, $SiO_2$, $ZrO_2$ and $SnO_2$ nanofibers were added into the hydrothermally prepared $TiO_2$ nanoparticles for application to a photoelectrode for DSSCs. The $TiO_2$ nanofiber added photoelectrode exhibited a higher photo current density ($J_{sc}$) compared to the bare $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, which is caused from acceleration of the transfer of excited electron from dye molecule due to the nanofiber structure. The DSSCs with $SiO_2$ nanofibers shows a higher open circuit voltage ($V_{oc}$) of 0.67 V and the highest photo conversion efficiency was found to be 6.24%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.359-359
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• 2011

This study reports the H2S gas sensing properties of CuO / ZnO nano-hetero structure bundle and the investigation of gas sensing mechanism. The 1-Dimensional ZnO nano-structure was synthesized by hydrothermal method and CuO / ZnO nano-heterostructures were prepared by photo chemical reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra confirmed a well-crystalline ZnO of hexagonal structure. In order to improve the H2S gas sensing properties, simple type of gas sensor was fabricated with ZnO nano-heterostructures, which were prepared by photo-chemical deposition of CuO on the ZnO nanorods bundle. The furnace type gas sensing system was used to characterize sensing properties with diluted H2S gas (50 ppm) balanced air at various operating temperature up to 500$^{\circ}C$. The H2S gas response of ZnO nanorods bundle sensor increased with increasing temperature, which is thought to be due to chemical reaction of nanorods with gas molecules. Through analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the sensing mechanism of ZnO nanorods bundle sensor was explained by well-known surface reaction between ZnO surface atoms and hydrogen sulfide. However at high sensing temperature, chemical conversion of ZnO nanorods becomes a dominant sensing mechanism in current system. Photo-chemically fabricated CuO/ZnO heteronanostructures show higher gas response and higher current level than ZnO nanorods bundle. The gas sensing mechanism of the heteronanostructure can be explained by the chemical conversion of sensing material through the reaction with H2S gas.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.253-258
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• 2004

Living nature of photoinduced cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) in the presence of various combinations of diphenyliodonium halide (DPIX), a photocationic initiator and zinc halide $(ZnX_2)$ in methylene chloride has been investigated. Attainment of $100\%$ conversion and a linear relationship between $\%$conversion and number average molar mass of the resulting polymer, strongly suggests the living nature of this system. Livingness of the polymerization system was observed irrespective to the type of halide anion of the initiator and zinc salts unless the reaction temperature is not higher than $-30^{\circ}C$. The rate of polymerization decreases in the order of iodide > bromide > chloride when halide salt of DPIX and $ZnX_2$ are used. It is postulated that the cationic initiation is started by the insertion of weakly basic monomer in to the activated C-X terminal of the monomer adduct which is a reaction product of monomer and HX, a photolytic product of DPIX, formed in situ during the photo-irradiation process. It was concluded that polymerization is initiated by the insertion of weakly basic monomer into activated C- X terminal of monomer adduct due to the pulling action of$ZnX_2$, which successively producing a new polarized C-X terminal for the propagation in cationic nature. This led us to a conclusion that the living nature of this cationic polymerization is ascribable to the polarized C-X growing terminal, which is stable enough to depress the processes of chain transfer or termination process.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Visible light-sensitive $TiO_2$ and ZnO nanostructure materials have attracted great attention as the promising material for solar energy conversion systems such as photocatalysts for water splitting and environmental purification as well as nano-biosensors. Success of their applications relies on how to control their surface state behaviors related to the exciton dynamics and optoelectronic properties. In this paper, we briefly review some recent works on single nanoparticle photoluminescence (PL) technique and its application to observation of their surface state behaviors which are raveled by the conventional ensemble-averaged spectroscopic techniques. This review provides an opportunity to understand the temporal and spatial heterogeneities within an individual nanostructure, allowing for the potential use of single-nanoparticle approaches in studies of their photoenergy conversion and nano-scale optical biosensing.