• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.611-618
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• 2007

We demonstrate the sol-gel coating technique of colloidal clusters for producing hollow micro-particles with complex morphologies. Cross-linked amidine polystyrene (PS) microspheres were synthesized by emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene. The amidine PS particles were self-organized inside toluene-in-water emulsion droplets to produce large quantities of colloidally stable clusters. These clusters were coated with thin silica shell by sol-gel reaction of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and ammonia, and the organic polystyrene cores were removed by calcination at high temperature to generate nonspherical hollow micro-particles with complex morphologies. This process can be used to prepare hollow particles with shapes such as doublets, tetrahedra, icosahedra, and others.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.198-206
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• 2024

Given the high theoretical capacity (1,675 mAh g^-1) and the inherent affordability and ubiquity of elemental sulfur, it stands out as a prominent cathode material for advanced lithium metal batteries. Traditionally, sulfur was sequestered within conductive porous carbons, rooted in the understanding that their inherent conductivity could offset sulfur's non-conductive nature. This study, however, pivots toward a transformative approach by utilizing diatom shell (DS, diatomite)-a naturally abundant and economically viable siliceous mineral-as a sulfur host. This approach enabled the development of a sulfurlayered diatomite/S composite (DS/S) for cathodic applications. Even in the face of the insulating nature of both diatomite and sulfur, the DS/S composite displayed vigorous participation in the electrochemical conversion process. Furthermore, this composite substantially curbed the loss of soluble polysulfides and minimized structural wear during cycling. As a testament to its efficacy, our Li-S battery, integrating this composite, exhibited an excellent cycling performance: a specific capacity of 732 mAh g^-1 after 100 cycles and a robust 77% capacity retention. These findings challenge the erstwhile conviction of requiring a conductive host for sulfur. Owing to diatomite's hierarchical porous architecture, eco-friendliness, and accessibility, the DS/S electrode boasts optimal sulfur utilization, elevated specific capacity, enhanced rate capabilities at intensified C rates, and steadfast cycling stability that underscore its vast commercial promise.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2006

In this study, a high sensitive giant magnetoresistance-spin valve (GMR-SV) bio-sensing device with high linearity and very low hysteresis was fabricated by photolithography and ion beam deposition sputtering system. Detection of the Fe-hemoglobin inside in a red blood and magnetic nanoparticles using the GMR-SV bio-sensing device was investigated. Here a human's red blood includes hemoglobin, and the nanoparticles are the Co-ferrite magnetic particles coated with a shell of amorphous silica which the average size of the water-soluble bare cobalt nanoparticles was about 9 nm with total size of about 50 nm. When 1 mA sensing current was applied to the current electrode in the patterned active GMR-SV devices with areas of $5x10{\mu}m^2 $ and $2x6{\mu}m^2 $, the output signals of the GMRSV sensor were about 100 mV and 14 mV, respectively. In addition, the maximum sensitivity of the fabricated GMR-SV sensor was about $0.1{\sim}0.8%/Oe$. The magnitude of output voltage signals was obtained from four-probe magnetoresistive measured system, and the picture of real-time motion images was monitored by an optical microscope. Even one drop of human blood and nanopartices in distilled water were found to be enough for detecting and analyzing their signals clearly.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.588-588
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• 2013

Nanoscale noble-metals have attracted enormous attention from researchers in various fields of study because of their unusual optical properties as well as novel chemical properties. They have possible uses in diverse applications such as devices, transistors, optoelectronics, information storages, and energy converters. It is well-known that nanoparticles of noble-metals such as silver and gold show strong absorption bands in the visible region due to their surface-plasmon oscillation modes of conductive electrons. Silver nanocubes stand out from various types of Silver nanostructures (e.g., spheres, rods, bars, belts, and wires) due to their superior performance in a range of applications involvinglocalized surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and biosensing. In addition, extensive efforts have been devoted to the investigation of Gold-based nanocomposites to achieve high catalytic performances and utilization efficiencies. Furthermore, as the catalytic reactivity of Silver nanostructures depends highly on their morphology, hollow Gold nanoparticles having void interiors may offer additional catalytic advantages due to their increased surface areas. Especially, hollow nanospheres possess structurally tunable features such as shell thickness, interior cavity size, and chemical composition, leading to relatively high surface areas, low densities, and reduced costs compared with their solid counterparts. Thus, hollow-structured noblemetal nanoparticles can be applied to nanometer-sized chemical reactors, efficient catalysts, energy-storage media, and small containers to encapsulate multi-functional active materials. Silver nanocubes dispersed in water have been transformed into Ag@Au nanoboxes, which show highly enhanced catalytic properties, by adding $HAuCl_4$. By using this concept, $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes have been synthesized via galvanic replacement of $SiO_2$-coated Ag nanocubes. They have lower catalytic ability but more stability than Ag@Au nanoboxes do. Thus, they could be recycled. $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes have been found to catalyze the degradation of 4-nitrophenol efficiently in the presence of $NaBH_4$. By changing the amount of the added noble metal salt to control the molar ratio Au to Ag, we could tune the catalytic properties of the nanostructures in the reduction of the dyes. The catalytic ability of $SiO_2$-coated Ag@Au nanoboxes has been found to be much more efficient than $SiO_2$-coated Ag nanocubes. Catalytic performances were affected noteworthily by the metals, sizes, and shapes of noble-metal nanostructures.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2024

In this study, a carbon coated hollow silicon (HSi/C) composite material was prepared for anode material of high-capacity lithiun-ion battery. Hollow silica (HSiO₂) was synthesized by the Stöber method with CTAB (N-Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide). The HSi/C anode composite was manufactured by carbon coating after magnesiothermic reduction of HSiO₂. The physical and electrochemical characteristics of the prepared anode materials were investigated based on CTAB amount. In the FE-SEM analysis, it was found that the HSiO₂ particle size increased as CTAB amount decreased, but shell thickness decreased. The HSi/C composites exhibited high initial discharge capacities of 1866.7, 2164.5 and 2188.6 mAh/g with various CTAB ratios (0.5, 1.0, 1.5), respectively. After 100 cycles of charge-discharge, 0.5-HSi/C demonstrated a high reversible capacity of 1171.3 mAh/g and a capacity retention of 70.9%. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to analyze the impedance characteristics, and it revealed that 0.5-HSi/C showed more stable resistance characteristics than HSi/C composites with other CTAB amount over 20 cycles.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-233
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• 2013

Spherulitic rhyolite occur as part of ring dyke which showing a vertical flowage of $60^{\circ}{\sim}90^{\circ}$, of the Jangsan cauldron was studied. The spherulites range in diameter from a few millimeters to 2.8 centimeters or more, and average 5~10 millimeters. It belongs to radiated simple spherulite type. They consist of a core of moderate brown dense material encased by a thin crust, a few millimeters thick at most of white grey material. The spherulites frequently have a radiating fibrous structure, which are thought to have formed as a consequence of rapid mineral growth caused by very fast cooling of the dykes in shallow depth near the surface. EPMA examination of the concentric-zoned core of spherulites show that they are mainly composed of cryptocrystalline-fibrous intergrowth of silica minerals and alkali feldspars which have $SiO_2$ 82% or more, $Al_2O_3$ 7~10%, $Na_2O+K_2O$ less than 8%. The feldspar compositions of the spherulites lie essentially within the sanidine field. XRD examination show that spherulites are mainly composed of quartz, sanidine, albite with minor mica, kaolinite and chlorite. According to X-ray mapping, the spherulites are enriched in $SiO_2$ in the core and partly enriched $Na_2O$ or $K_2O$, $Al_2O_3$ in the shell that reflect in compositional zoning with increasing spherulitic devitrification. The feathery and non-equant crystal shapes of spherulites from rhyolite dyke of Jangsan cauldron suggest that they may have formed during the rapid cooling of dyke under the static state, or faster velocity of devitrification from glassy materials than movement velocity of the magma intrusion. The spherulitic rhyolite originated from high-silica(75.4~75.7 wt.%) rhyolite magma.