Membrane-based CO2 capture is an energy-saving way to separate CO2 from N2 in post-combustion. Chabazite (Si-CHA) zeolites with a pore size of 0.37 nm × 0.42 nm are expected to separate CO2 from larger N2 (0.364 nm) by recognizing minute size differences. The pore mouth size on the Si-CHA zeolites outer surface was reduced via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to increase the molecular sieving effect by disfavoring the penetration of N2. The CVD process was conducted on CHA membranes to improve their CO2/N2 separation performance. Compared to the intact CHA membranes, the CO2/N2 max separation factor for CVD-treated CHA membranes increased by ~2.5 fold under dry conditions and by ~6.4 fold under wet conditions. It is noteworthy that the membrane kept its separation performance without degradation in the presence of H2O.

Insect chitinases (CHTs), an extracellular enzyme, belong to family 18 glycosyl hydrolases that hydrolyze chitin by an endo-type manner. In insect genomes, there are a large number of genes encoding CHT-like proteins, and they have been classified into eleven groups based on phylogenetic analysis. In this study, we have investigated functions of a group III chitinase (TcCHT7) in Tribolium castaneum. Although, unlike most insect CHTs, TcCHT7 contains a predicted transmembrane segment in N-terminal, immunohistochemical analysis reveals that it is localized in the newly forming procuticle, suggesting that TcCHT7 is released from the plasma membrane of underlying epidermal cells. RNAi for TcCHT7 does not affect on any types of molting. However the resulting pupae and adults fail to undergo wing-expansion and abdominal contraction. In addition, TcCHT7-deficient insects exhibit ultrastructural defects in both rigid (e.g. elytron) and soft (e.g. hindwing) cuticles. These results demonstrate that functional importance of TcCHT7 in the formation of the rigid and soft cuticles of the beetle.

The global small and mid-sized display market is changing from thin film transistor-liquid crystal display to organic light emitting diode (OLED). Reflecting these market conditions, the domestic and overseas display panel industry is making great effort to innovate OLED technology and incease productivity. However, current OLED production technology has not been able to satisfy the quality requirement levels by customers, as the market demand for OLED is becoming more and more diversified. In addition, as OLED panel production technology levels to satisfy customers’ requirement become higher, product quality problems are persistently generated in OLED deposition process. These problems not only decrease the production yield but also cause a second problem of deteriorating productivity. Based on these observations, in this study, we suggest TRIZ-based improvement of defects caused by glass pixel position deformation, which is one of quality deterioration problems in small and medium OLED deposition process. Specifically, we derive various factors affecting the glass pixel position shift by using cause and effect diagram and identify radical reasons by using XY-matrix. As a result, it is confirmed that glass heat distortion due to the high temperature of the OLED deposition process is the most influential factor in the glass pixel position shift. In order to solve the identified factors, we analyzed the cause and mechanism of glass thermal deformation. We suggest an efficient method to minimize glass thermal deformation by applying the improvement plan of facilities using contradiction matrix in TRIZ. We show that the suggested method can decrease the glass temperature change by about 23% through an experiment.

To establish low-temperature process conditions, process-property correlation has been investigated for Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. Thickness of GZO films and deposition temperature were varied from 50 to 500 nm and from room temperature to 250 oC, respectively. Electrical properties of the GZO films initially improved with increase of temperature to 150 oC, but deteriorated subsequently with further increase of the temperature. At lower temperatures, the electrical properties improved with increasing thickness; however, at higher temperatures, increasing thickness resulted in deteriorated electrical properties. Such changes in electrical properties were correlated to the microstructural evolution, which is dependent on the deposition temperature and the film thickness. While the GZO films had c-axis preferred orientation due to preferred nucleation, structural disordering with increasing deposition temperature and film thickness promoted grain growth with a-axis orientation. Consequently, it was possible to obtain a good electrical property at relatively low deposition temperature with small thickness.

In this study, Fe-Ni bimetallic catalyst supported on kaolin is prepared by a wet impregnation method. The effects of mass of kaolin support, pre-calcination time, pre-calcination temperature and stirring speed on catalyst yields are examined. Then, the optimal supported Fe-Ni catalyst is utilised to produce multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using catalytic chemical vapour deposition (CCVD) method. The catalysts and MWCNTs prepared using the optimal conditions are characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM), electron diffraction spectrometer (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD/EDS patterns of the prepared catalyst confirm the formation of a purely crystalline ternary oxide (NiFe2O4). The statistical analysis of the variance demonstrates that the combined effects of the reaction temperature and acetylene flow rate predominantly influenced the MWCNT yield. The N2 adsorption (BET) and TGA analyses reveal high surface areas and thermally stable MWCNTs. The HRTEM/HRSEM micrographs confirm the formation of tangled MWCNTs with a particle size of less than 62 nm. The XRD patterns of the MWCNTs reveal the formation of a typical graphitized carbon. This study establishes the production of MWCNTs from a bi-metallic catalyst supported on kaolin.

Cobalt was electrodeposited onto chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene/Si/SiO2 substrates, during different time intervals, using an electrolyte solution containing a low concentration of cobalt sulfate. The intention was to investigate the details of the deposition process (and the dissolution process) and the resulting magnetic properties of the Co deposits on graphene. During and after electrodeposition, in-situ magnetic measurements were performed using an (AGFM). These were followed by ex situ morphological analysis of the samples with ΔtDEP 30 and 100 s by atomic force microscopy in the non-contact mode on pristine CVD graphene/SiO2/Si. We demonstrate that it is possible to electrodeposit Co onto graphene, and that in-situ magnetic measurements can also help in understanding details of the deposition process itself. The results show that the Co deposits are ferromagnetic with decreasing coercivity (HC) and demonstrate increasing magnetization on saturation (MSAT) and electric signal proportional to remanence (Mr), as a function of the amount of the electrodeposited Co. It was also found that, after the end of the dissolution process, a certain amount of cobalt remains on the graphene in oxide form (this was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), as suggested by the magnetic measurements. This oxide tends to exhibit a limited asymptotic amount when cycling through the deposition/dissolution process for increasing deposition times, possibly indicating that the oxidation process is similar to the graphene surface chemistry.

Tri-isotropic (TRISO) coatings on zirconia surrogate beads are deposited using a fluidized-bed vapor deposition (FB-CVD) method. The silicon carbide layer is particularly important among the coated layers because it acts as a miniature pressure vessel and a diffusion barrier to gaseous and metallic fission products in the TRISO-coated particles. In this study, we obtain a nearly stoichiometric composition in the SiC layer coated at 1400oC, 1500oC, and 1400oC with 20 vol.% methyltrichlorosilane (MTS), However, the composition of the SiC layer coated at 1300-1350oC shows a difference from the stoichiometric ratio (1:1). The density decreases remarkably with decreasing SiC deposition temperature because of the nanosized pores. The high density of the SiC layer (≥ 3.19 g/cm2) easily obtained at 1500oC and 1400oC with 20 vol.% MTS did not change at an annealing temperature of 1900°C, simulating the reactor operating temperature. The evaluation of the mechanical properties is limited because of the inaccurate values of hardness and Young’s modulus measured by the nano-indentation method.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute-phase response protein in the liver, and SAA1 is the major precursor protein involved in amyloid A amyloidosis. This amyloidosis has been reported as a complication in chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, lupus, and Crohn's disease. Obesity is also associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation and sustained, elevated levels of SAA1. However, the contribution of elevated circulating SAA1 to metabolic disturbances and their complications is unclear. Furthermore, in several recent studies of transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing SAA1 that were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for a relatively short period, no relationship was found between SAA1 up-regulation and metabolic disturbances. Therefore, we generated TG mice overexpressing SAA1 in the liver, challenged these mice with an HFD, and investigated the influence of elevated SAA1 levels. Sustained, elevated levels of SAA1 were correlated with metabolic parameters and local cytokine expression in the liver following 16 weeks on the HFD. Moreover, prolonged consumption (52 weeks) of the HFD was associated with impaired glucose tolerance and elevated SAA1 levels and resulted in systemic SAA1-derived amyloid deposition in the kidney, liver, and spleen of TG mice. Thus, we concluded that elevated SAA1 levels under long-term HFD exposure result in extensive SAA1-derived amyloid deposits, which may contribute to the complications associated with HFD-induced obesity and metabolic disorders.

Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin films were grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using a new Al metalorganic precursor, dimethyl aluminum sec-butoxide (C12H30Al2O2), and water vapor (H2O) as the reactant at deposition temperatures ranging from 150 to 300 oC. The ALD process showed typical self-limited film growth with precursor and reactant pulsing time at 250 oC; the growth rate was 0.095 nm/cycle, with no incubation cycle. This is relatively lower and more controllable than the growth rate in the typical ALD-Al2O3 process, which uses trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and shows a growth rate of 0.11 nm/ cycle. The as-deposited ALD-Al2O3 film was amorphous; X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that its amorphous state was maintained even after annealing at 1000 oC. The refractive index of the ALD-Al2O3 films ranged from 1.45 to 1.67; these values were dependent on the deposition temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the ALD-Al2O3 films deposited at 250oC were stoichiometric, with no carbon impurity. The step coverage of the ALD-Al2O3 film was perfect, at approximately 100%, at the dual trench structure, with an aspect ratio of approximately 6.3 (top opening size of 40 nm). With capacitance-voltage measurements of the Al/ALD-Al2O3/p-Si structure, the dielectric constant of the ALDAl2O3 films deposited at 250 oC was determined to be ~8.1, with a leakage current density on the order of 10−8 A/cm2 at 1 V.

Graphene was grown on molybdenum (Mo) foil by a chemical vapor deposition method at different growth temperatures (1000°C, 1100°C, and 1200°C). The properties of graphene were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the quality of the deposited graphene layer was affected by the growth temperature. XRD results showed the presence of a carbide phase on the Mo surface; the presence of carbide was more intense at 1200°C. Additionally, a higher I2D/IG ratio (0.418) was observed at 1200°C, which implies that there are fewer graphene layers at this temperature. The lowest ID/IG ratio (0.908) for the graphene layers was obtained at 1200°C, suggesting that graphene had fewer defects at this temperature. The size of the graphene domains was also calculated. We found that by increasing the growth temperature, the graphene domain size also increased.

Ni-C composite films were prepared by co-deposition using a combined technique of plasma CVD and ion beam sputtering deposition. Depending on the deposition conditions, Ni-C thin films manifested three kinds of microstructure: (1) nanocrystallites of non-equilibrium carbide of nickel, (2) amorphous Ni-C film, and (3) granular Ni-C film. The electrical resistivity was also found to vary from about 102 μΩcm for the carbide films to about 104 μΩcm for the amorphous Ni-C films. The Ni-C films deposited at ambient temperatures showed very low TCR values compared with that of metallic nickel film, and all the films showed ohmic characterization, even those in the amorphous state with very high resistivity. The TCR value decreased slightly with increasing of the flow rate of CH4. For the films deposited at 200 oC, TCR decreased with increasing CH4 flow rate; especially, it changed sign from positive to negative at a CH4 flow rate of 0.35 sccm. By increasing the CH4 flow rate, the amorphous component in the film increased; thus, the portion of Ni3C grains separated from each other became larger, and the contribution to electrical conductivity due to thermally activated tunneling became dominant. This also accounts for the sign change of TCR when the filme was deposited at higher flow rate of CH4. The microstructures of the Ni-C films deposited in these ways range from amorphous Ni-C alloy to granular structures with Ni3C nanocrystallites. These films are characterized by high resistivity and low TCR values; the electrical properties can be adjusted over a wide range by controlling the microstructures and compositions of the films.

The aim of experimental evaluation is to investigate the effect of wear resistance on 3D printing FDM(Fused Deposition Modeling). For this purpose, ABS(Acrylonitrile Buadiene Styrene) material was applied to test of wear-resistance. Ball-on-disk wear test has been performed using steel balls to determine the variation of tribological characteristics. Friction coefficient, wear loss and friction force showed a difference in the respective test conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are rapidly improving in capacity and life cycle characteristics to meet the requirements of a wide range of applications, such as portable electronics, electric vehicles, and micro- or nanoelectromechanical systems. Recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD), one of the vapor deposition methods, has been explored to expand the capability of LIBs by producing near-atomically flat and uniform coatings on the shell of nanostructured electrodes and membranes for conventional LIBs. In this paper, we introduce various ALD coatings on the anode, cathode, and separator materials to protect them and improve their electrochemical and thermomechanical stability. In addition, we discuss the effects of ALD coatings on the three-dimensional structuring and conduction layer through activation of electrochemical reactions and facilitation of fluent charge collection.

Insect chitinases (CHTs) belong to family 18 glycosylhydrolases and hydrolyze chitin by an endo-type manner. One of the functions of CHTs is in the turnover of chitin-containing extracellular matrices such as the cuticle and peritrophic matrix of the midgut. There are a large number of genes encoding CHT-like proteins in insects, and they have been classified into eleven groups based on phylogenetic analysis. We have investigated functions of a group III chitinase in Tribolium castaneum (TcCHT7) containing a predicted transmembrane segment in N-terminal region. Recombinant TcCHT7 exhibits chitinolytic activity against CM-Chitin-RBV. Immunohistochemical analysis shows that TcCHT7 is localized in newly formed procuticle in elytral cuticles, suggesting that TcCHT7 is released from the plasma membrane of underlying epidermal cells. TcCHT7-deficient pupae and adults fail to undergo wing-expansion and abdominal contraction. In addition, cuticular chitin accumulates in the inner region of the procuticle where disorganized horizontal laminae and pore canals are evident. These results demonstrate that TcCHT7 plays a critical role in the formation of the rigid and soft cuticles of the beetle. This work was supported by NRFs (NRF-2015 R1A2A2A01006614).

Nanosized zeolites were prepared in an autoclave using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH), and H2O, at various hydrothermal synthesis temperatures. Using transmission electron microscopy and particle size analysis, the nanopowder particulate sizes were revealed to be 10-300 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the synthesized nanopowder was silicalite-1 zeolite. Using atomic layer deposition, the fabricated zeolite nanopowder particles were coated with nanoscale TiO2 films. The TiO2 films were prepared at 300 oC by using Ti[N(CH3)2]4 and H2O as precursor and reactant gas, respectively. In the TEM analysis, the growth rate was ~0.7 Å/cycle. Zeta potential and sedimentation test results indicated that, owing to the electrostatic repulsion between TiO2-coated layers on the surface of the zeolite nanoparticles, the dispersibility of the coated nanoparticles was higher than that of the uncoated nanoparticles. In addition, the effect of the coated nanoparticles on the photodecomposition was studied for the irradiation time of 240 min; the concentration of methylene blue was found to decrease to 48%.

Graphene could be damaged and contain impurities on its surface while several fabrications such as deposition, etching, and patterning because one needs photoresist masking operation to divide the section for deposition or not. In this paper, we investigated the effectiveness of selective atomic layer deposition for clean graphene surface. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has strong point at very uniform conformity of 1 rms roughness. In this process, H2O is generally used by one of precursors. This H2O precursor make deposition of ALD on hydrophilic surface not hydrophobic. Therefore, we used this property at graphene which has hydrophobic surface. And then, we analyzed selective deposition of ALD on graphene which are grown on Cu foil and transferred by wet process not cleaved from HOPG.

The feasibility of obtaining graphitic carbon films on targeted substrates without a catalyst and transfer step was explored through the pyrolysis of the botanical derivative camphor. In a horizontal quartz tube, camphor was subjected to a sequential process of evaporation and thermal decomposition; then, the decomposed product was deposited on a glass substrate. Analysis of the Raman spectra suggest that the deposited film is related to unintentionally doped graphitic carbon containing some sp-sp 2 linear carbon chains. The films were transparent in the visible range and electrically conductive, with a sheet resistance comparable to that of graphene. It was also demonstrated that graphitic films with similar properties can be reproduciblyobtained, while property control was readily achieved by varying the process temperature.

In this study, titanium(Ti) meshes and porous bodies are employed to synthesize carbon nanotubes(CNTs) using methane(CH4) gas and camphene solution, respectively, by chemical vapor deposition. Camphene is impregnated into Ti porous bodies prior to heating in a furnace. Various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques are utilized to analyze CNTs. It is found that CNTs are more densely and homogeneously populated on the camphene impregnated Ti-porous bodies as compared to CNTs synthesized with methane on Ti-porous bodies. It is elucidated that, when synthesized with methane, few CNTs are formed inside of Ti porous bodies due to methane supply limited by internal structures of Ti porous bodies. Ti-meshes and porous bodies are found to be multi-walled with high degree of structural disorders. These CNTs are expected to be utilized as catalyst supports in catalytic filters and purification systems.