We report on the efficient detection of NO gas by an all-oxide semiconductor p-n heterojunction diode structure comprised of n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods embedded in p-type copper oxide (CuO) thin film. The CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure was fabricated by directly sputtering CuO thin film onto a vertically aligned ZnO nanorod array synthesized via a hydrothemal method. The transport behavior and NO gas sensing properties of the fabricated CuO thin film/ ZnO nanorod heterostructure were charcterized and revealed that the oxide semiconductor heterojunction exhibited a definite rectifying diode-like behavior at various temperatures ranging from room temperature to 250 oC. The NO gas sensing experiment indicated that the CuO thin film/ZnO nanorod heterostructure had a good sensing performance for the efficient detection of NO gas in the range of 2-14 ppm under the conditions of an applied bias of 2 V and a comparatively low operating temperature of 150 oC. The NO gas sensing process in the CuO/ZnO p-n heterostructure is discussed in terms of the electronic band structure.

Urchin-structured zinc oxide(ZnO) nanorod(NR) gas sensors were successfully demonstrated on a polyimide(PI) substrate, using single wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) as the electrode. The ZnO NRs were grown with ZnO shells arranged at regular intervals to form a network structure with maximized surface area. The high surface area and numerous junctions of the NR network structure was the key to excellent gas sensing performance. Moreover, the SWCNTs formed a junction barrier with the ZnO which further improved sensor characteristics. The fabricated urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors exhibited superior performance upon NO2 exposure with a stable response of 110, fast rise and decay times of 38 and 24 sec, respectively. Comparative analyses revealed that the high performance of the sensors was due to a combination of high surface area, numerous active junction points, and the use of the SWCNTs electrode. Furthermore, the urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors showed sustainable mechanical stability. Although degradation of the devices progressed during repeated flexibility tests, the sensors were still operational even after 10000 cycles of a bending test with a radius of curvature of 5 mm.

ZnMgBeGaO/Ag/ZnMgBeGaO multilayer structures were sputter grown and characterized in detail. Results indicated that the electrical properties of the ZnMgBeGaO films were significantly improved by inserting an Ag layer with proper thickness (~ 10 nm). Structures with thicker Ag films showed much lower optical transmission, although the electrical conductivity was further improved. It was also observed that the electrical properties of the multilayer structure were sizably improved by annealing in vacuum (~35% at 300 oC). The optimum ZnMgBeGaO(20nm)/Ag(10nm)/ZnMgBeGaO(20nm) structure exhibited an electrical resistivity of ~2.6 × 10−5 Ωcm (after annealing), energy bandgap of ~3.75 eV, and optical transmittance of 65%~ 95 % over the visible wavelength range, representing a significant improvement in characteristics versus previously reported transparent conductive materials.

We investigated a Leidenfrost effect in the growth of ZnO nanostructures on silicon substrates by ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis deposition(SPD). Structural and optical properties of the ZnO nanostructures grown by varying the growth parameters, such as substrate temperature, source concentration, and suction rate of the mist in the chambers, were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum analysis. Structural investigations of the ZnO nanostructures showed abnormal evolution of the morphologies with variation of the substrate temperatures. The shape of the ZnO nanostructures transformed from nanoplate, nanorod, nanopencil, and nanoprism shapes with increasing of the substrate temperature from 250 to 450 °C; these shapes were significantly different from those seen for the conventional growth mechanisms in SPD. The observed growth behavior showed that a Leidenfrost effect dominantly affected the growth mechanism of the ZnO nanostructures.

As ZIF materials have their unique properties such as high surface area, tunable pore structure, thermal and chemical stability, they can be used in various applications including gas separation and catalysis. For synthesis of ZIF membranes, fixing sub-micron ZIF seed particles on the support is challenging and important. In this work, ZIF-8 seed layer was synthesized by conversion synthesis of ZnO layer on support in H-mIm solution, followed by the secondary growth synthesis of ZIF-8 membranes. The parameters of conversion seeding had been investigated to control the reaction rate combining the dissolution rate of ZnO and the crystallization rate of ZIF-8. This ZIF-8 membranes showed the better coverage of seeding layer and improved gas separation properties compared with the membranes prepared by traditional dip-coating seeding method.

To improve photocatalytic performance, a PbS/ZnO/TiO2 nanotube catalyst was synthesized, and its surface characteristics and photocatalytic efficiency were investigated. The hybrid photocatalysts were produced by anodic oxidation and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction(SILAR). The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated using the dye degradation rate. The PbS/ZnO/TiO2 photocatalyst significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity for dye degradation, which was ascribed to the synergistic effect of their better absorption of solar light and a decrease in the rate of excited electron-hole recombination.

ZnO micro/nanocrystals with different morphologies were synthesized by thermal evaporation of various zinc source materials in an air atmosphere. Zinc acetate, zinc carbonate and zinc iodide were used as the source materials. No catalysts or substrates were used in the synthesis of the ZnO crystals. The scanning electron microscope(SEM) image showed that the morphology of ZnO crystals was strongly dependent on the source materials, which suggests that source material is one of the key factors in controlling the morphology of the obtained ZnO crystals. Tetrapods, nanogranular shaped crystals, spherical particles and crayon-shaped crystals were obtained using different source materials. The X-ray diffraction(XRD) pattern revealed that the all the ZnO crystals had hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structures. An ultraviolet emission was observed in the cathodoluminescence spectrum of the ZnO crystals prepared via thermal evaporation of Zn powder. However, a strong green emission centered at around 500 nm was observed in the cathodoluminescence spectra of the ZnO crystals prepared using zinc salts as the source materials.

We investigated the effect of ZnO buffer layer on the formation of ZnO thin film by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis deposition. ZnO buffer layer was formed by wet solution method, which was repeated several times. Structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films deposited on the ZnO buffer layers with various cycles and at various temperatures were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum analysis. The structural investigations showed that three-dimensional island shaped ZnO was formed on the bare Si substrate without buffer layers, while two-dimensional ZnO thin film was deposited on the ZnO buffer layers. In addition, structural and optical investigations showed that the crystalline quality of ZnO thin film was improved by introducing the buffer layers. This improvement was attributed to the modulation of the surface energy of the Si surface by the ZnO buffer layer, which finally resulted in a modification of the growth mode from three to two-dimensional.

ZnO film was prepared on a p-type Si wafer and then annealed at various temperatures in air and vacuum conditions to research the electrical properties and bonding structures during the annealing processes. ZnO film annealed in atmosphere formed a crystal structure owing to the suppression of oxygen vacancies: however, ZnO annealed in vacuum had an amorphous structure after annealing because of the increment of the content of oxygen vacancies. Schottky contact was observed for the ZnO annealed in an air. O 1s spectra with amorphous structure was found to have a value of 529 eV; that with a crystal structure was found to have a value of 531.5 eV. However, it was observed in these results that the correlation between the electronic characteristics and the bonding structures was weak.

As ZIF materials have their unique properties such as high surface area, tunable pore structure, thermal and chemical stability, they can be used in various applications including gas separation and catalysis. For synthesis of ZIF membranes, fixing sub-micron ZIF seed particles on the support is challenging and important. In this work, ZIF-8 seed layer was synthesized by conversion synthesis of ZnO layer on support in H-mIm solution, followed by the secondary growth synthesis of ZIF-8 membranes. The parameters of conversion seeding had been investigated to control the reaction rate combining the dissolution rate of ZnO and the crystallization rate of ZIF-8. This ZIF-8 membranes showed the better coverage of seeding layer and gas separation properties compared with the membranes prepared by traditional dip-coating seeding.

금속산화물 반도체 중 하나인 산화아연은 인체에 무해하고 친환경적이며, 우수한 화학적, 열 적 안정성의 특성을 지니며 3.37 eV의 넓은 밴드갭 에너지와 60 meV의 높은 엑시톤 바인딩 에너지로 인해 태양전지, 염료페기물의 분해, 가스센서 등 다양한 분야에 응용이 가능한 물질이다. 산화아연은 입 자 형상 및 결정성의 변화에 따라 광촉매 활성이 변하게 된다. 따라서, 다양한 실험변수와 첨가제를 사 용하여 입자를 합성하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 본 논문에서는 마이크로파 수열합성법을 사용하여 산화아연을 합성하였다. 전구체로는 질산아연을 사 용하였고, 수산화나트륨을 사용하여 용액의 pH를 11로 조정하였다. 첨가제로는 계면활성제인 에탄올아 민, 세틸트리메틸암모늄브로마이드, 소듐도데실설페이트, 솔비탄모노올레이트를 첨가하였다. 합성된 입자 는 별모양, 원추형, 씨드형태, 박막형태의 구형의 형상을 보였다. 합성된 산화아연의 물리・화학적 특성 은 XRD, SEM, TGA을 통하여 확인하였고, 광학적 특성은 UV-vis spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy으로 확인하였다.

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.

Polyethersulfone (PES) 고분자 상변환막의 성능을 향상시키기 위해 PES 고분자에 나노 크기의 ZnO 무기입자를 함침시킨 혼합기질막(mixed matrix membrane)을 제조하고 특성을 평가하였다. PES-ZnO 혼합기질막은 ZnO 나노입자를 PES 대비 최대 0.375 wt%의 낮은 비율로 첨가시킨 PES-ZnO-NMP(N-methyl-1-pyrrolidone)로 이루어진 캐스팅 용액을 사용하여 상변환법을 통해 제조하였다. 제조된 혼합기질 막의 물성과 특성은 막의 단면구조 관찰, 접촉각 측정, 인장강도 측정, 순수 투과량 측정 및 BSA 단백질 용액의 한외여과 실험을 통해 평가하였다. 이 결과 혼합기질 막은 PES 고분자 matrix에 함유된 ZnO 나노입자로 인해 막의 친수성이 증가하여 막오염 발생이 억제되어 투과량이 증가하였다. ZnO 나노입자는 혼합기질막의 제조에 있어 막오염의 발생 억제와 투과량 증가에 유용하게 사용될 수 있는 무기물 첨가제임을 알 수 있다.

We have investigated a glass-forming region of V2O5- P2O5-ZnO glass and the effects of the addition of modifier oxides (B2O3) to the glass systems as a sealing material to improve the adhesion between the glass frits and a soda lime substrate. Thermal properties and coefficient of thermal expansion were measured using a differential scanning calorimetry, a dilatometer and a hot stage microscopy. Structural changes and interfacial reactions between the glass substrate and the glass frit after sintering (at 400 oC for 1 h) were measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the adhesion strength increases as the content of B2O3 at 5 mol% increases because of changes in the structural properties. It seems that the glass structures change with B2O3, and the Si4+ ions from the substrate are diffused to the sealing glass. From these results, we could understand the mechanism of strengthening of the adhesion of soda lime silica substrate by ion-diffusion from the substrate to the glass.

We report on an all-solution-processed hydrothermal method to control the morphology of ZnO nanostructures on Si substrates from three-dimensional hemispherical structures to two-dimensional thin film layers, by controlling the seed layer and the molar contents of surfactants during their primary growth. The size and the density of the seed layer, which is composed of ZnO nanodots, change with variation in the solute concentration. The ZnO nanodots act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the main ZnO nanostructures. When the seed layer concentration is increased, the ZnO nanostructures change from a hemispherical shape to a thin film structure, formed by densely packed ZnO hemispheres. In addition, the morphology of the ZnO layer is systematically controlled by using trisodium citrate, which acts as a surfactant to enhance the lateral growth of ZnO crystals rather than a preferential one-dimensional growth along the c-direction. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results reveal that the ZnO structure is wurtzite and did not incorporate any impurities from the surfactants used in this study.

ZnO with wurtzite structure has a wide band gap of 3.37 eV. Because ZnO has a direct band gap and a large exciton binding energy, it has higher optical efficiency and thermal stability than the GaN material of blue light emitting devices. To fabricate ZnO devices with optical and thermal advantages, n-type and p-type doping are needed. Many research groups have devoted themselves to fabricating stable p-type ZnO. In this study, As+ ion was implanted using an ion implanter to fabricate p-type ZnO. After the ion implant, rapid thermal annealing (RTA) was conducted to activate the arsenic dopants. First, the structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films were investigated for as-grown, as-implanted, and annealed ZnO using FE-SEM, XRD, and PL, respectively. Then, the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the ZnO thin films, depending on the As ion dose variation and the RTA temperatures, were analyzed using the same methods. In our experiment, p-type ZnO thin films with a hole concentration of 1.263 × 1018 cm−3 were obtained when the dose of 5 × 1014 As ions/cm2 was implanted and the RTA was conducted at 850 oC for 1 min.

In this study, an environment-friendly synthetic strategy to process zinc oxide nanocrystals is reported. The biosynthesis method used in this study is simple and cost-effective, with reduced solvent waste via the use of fruit peel extract as a natural ligation agent. The formation of ZnO nanocrystals using a rambutan peel extract was observed in this study. Rambutan peels has the ability to ligate zinc ions as a natural ligation agent, resulting in ZnO nanochain formation due to the presence of an extended polyphenolic system over the whole incubation period. Via transmission electron microscopy, successful formation of zinc oxide nanochains was confirmed. TEM observation revealed that the bioinspired ZnO nanocrystals were spherical and/or hexagonal particles with sizes between 50 and 100 nm.

MOF(Metal-organic frameworks)의 일종인 ZIF-8은 큰비표면적과 높은 열적⋅ 화학적 안정성을 가지고 있어 분리막 재료로 많은 연구가 진행되고 있다. 특히, 3.4Å 크기의 기공입구와 11.6 Å 크기의 기공 크기를 가지고 있는 ZIF-8을 분리 막으로 합성시 프로필렌/프로판을 분자체 효과를 통해 분리해 낼 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 ZnO 층을 형성하고 이를 전환시켜 결함 없는 ZIF-8 막을 합성하고 이를 통해 프로필렌/프로판을 분리하고자 했다. 우선, 매크로기공을 가진 디스크 모양의 α-알루미나 지지체 위에 ZnO 층을 형성하고, 2-methylimidazole 용액에서 용매열 합성하여 ZnO를 ZIF-8 분리막으로 전환시켰다. 합성된 ZIF-8 분리막 은 XRD, SEM, 기체투과장치, GC 등을 이용하여 분석하였다.

육방정계 우르자이츠형의 산화아연은 n형 반도체로써 3.37 eV의 넓은 밴드갭 에너지와 60 meV의 큰 엑시톤 바인딩 에너지를 가진 물질이다. 가스센서, 발광 다이오드, 염료 감응 태양 전지, 염 료오염의 분해 등의 넓은 범위에서 활용이 가능하다. 합성 시 마이크로파 수열합성법을 사용하게 되면 높은 수율, 빠른 반응속도, 에너지 절약의 장점이 있다. 아민첨가제는 수산이온 생성 및 킬레이트 효과 로 인해 산화아연 입자 형상을 조정하는 역할을 한다. 본 논문에서는 전구체로는 질산아연육수화물을 사 용하였고, 형상조정제로는 에탄올아민, 에틸렌디아민, 디에틸렌트리아민, 헥사메틸렌테트라민을 사용하였 다. 수산화소듐을 사용하여 용액을 pH 11로 조정하였다. 합성된 산화아연은 별모양, 막대형, 꽃모양, 원 추형의 다양한 형상을 확인할 수 있었다. 아민첨가제에 의한 물리·화학적 특성과 광학적 특성을 분석하 기 위해 XRD, SEM, EDS, FT-IR, UV-vis 스펙트럼, PL 스펙트럼을 사용하였다.

We present the rectifying and nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas sensing properties of an oxide semiconductor heterostructure composed of n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) and p-type copper oxide thin layers. A CuO thin layer was first formed on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by sol-gel spin coating method using copper acetate monohydrate and diethanolamine as precursors; then, to form a p-n oxide heterostructure, a ZnO thin layer was spin-coated on the CuO layer using copper zinc dihydrate and diethanolamine. The crystalline structures and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current-voltage characteristics of the p-n oxide heterostructure showed a non-linear diode-like rectifying behavior at various temperatures ranging from room temperature to 200 oC. When the spin-coated ZnO/CuO heterojunction was exposed to the acceptor gas NO in dry air, a significant increase in the forward diode current of the p-n junction was observed. It was found that the NO gas response of the ZnO/CuO heterostructure exhibited a maximum value at an operating temperature as low as 100 oC and increased gradually with increasing of the NO gas concentration up to 30 ppm. The experimental results indicate that the spin-coated ZnO/CuO heterojunction structure has significant potential applications for gas sensors and other oxide electronics.