In this study, we investigated the microstructure and piezoelectric properties of 0.96(K0.456Na0.536)Nb0.95Sb0.05-0.04 Bi0.5(Na0.82K0.18)0.5ZrO3 (KNNS-BNKZ) ceramics based on one-step and two-step sintering processes. One-step sintering led to significant abnormal grain (AG) growth at temperatures above 1,085 °C. With increasing sintering temperature, piezoelectric and dielectric properties were enhanced, resulting in a high d33 = 506 pC/N for one-step specimen sintered at 1,100 °C (one-step 1,100 °C specimen). However, for one-step 1,115 °C specimen, a slight decrease in d33 was observed, emphasizing the importance of a high tetragonal (T) phase fraction for superior piezoelectric properties. Achieving a relative density above 84 % for samples sintered by the one-step sintering process was challenging. Conversely, two-step sintering significantly improved the relative density of KNNS-BNKZ ceramics up to 96 %, attributed to the control of AG nucleation in the first step and grain growth rate control in the second step. The quantity of AG nucleation was affected by the duration of the first step, determining the final microstructure. Despite having a lower T phase fraction than that of the one-step 1,100 °C specimen, the two-step specimen exhibited higher piezoelectric coefficients (d33 = 574 pC/N and kp = 0.5) than those of the one-step 1,100 °C specimen due to its higher relative density. Performance evaluation of magnetoelectric composite devices composed of one-step and twostep specimens showed that despite having a higher g33, the magnetoelectric composite with the one-step 1,100 °C specimen exhibited the lowest magnetoelectric voltage coefficient, due to its lowest kp. This study highlights the essential role of phase fraction and relative density in enhancing the performance of piezoelectric materials and devices, showcasing the effectiveness of the two-step sintering process for controlling the microstructure of ceramic materials containing volatile elements.

We report the effect of plastic deformation on the thermoelectric properties of n-type Bi2Te2.5Se0.5 compounds. N-type Bi2Te2.5Se0.5 powders are synthesized by an oxide-reduction process and consolidated via sparkplasma sintering. To explore the effect of plastic deformation on the thermoelectric properties, the sintered bodies are subjected to uniaxial pressure to induce a controlled amount of compressive strains (-0.2, -0.3, and -0.4). The shaping temperature is set using a thermochemical analyzer, and the plastic deformation effect is assessed without altering the material composition through differential scanning calorimetry. This strategy is crucial because the conventional hotforging process can often lead to alterations in material composition due to the high volatility of chalcogen elements. With increasing compressive strain, the (00l) planes become aligned in the direction perpendicular to the pressure axis. Furthermore, an increase in the carrier concentration is observed upon compressive plastic deformation, i.e., the donorlike effect of the plastic deformation in n-type Bi2Te2.5Se0.5 compounds. Owing to the increased electrical conductivity through the preferred orientation and the donor-like effect, an improved ZT is achieved in n-type Bi2Te2.5Se0.5 through the compressive-forming process.

Pharmaceutical products occurring in freshwater bodies create numerous problems for the water bodies owing to their bio-toxic nature. In order to remove such pharmaceutical pollutants, a novel Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite was prepared by one-pot synthesis and applied for the photocatalytic removal process. The Er ions doped on the surface of Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite exhibited 97% degradation of tetracycline in 60 min under visible light irradiation, which is higher than pure g-C3N5 and Bi4O5Br2 photocatalysts. The improved photocatalytic properties are attributed to the outstanding visible light harvesting capacity and quick charge carrier separation efficiency which greatly reduced the recombination rate in the heterojunctions. Based on radical trapping experiments, the •O2 −, h+ and •OH radicals played a prominent role in the photodegradation reactions under visible light. Finally, the ternary Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite is effectively recyclable with quite a stable photocatalytic removal rate. This work enables a new perspective on the rational design of rare-earth-based nanocomposites for various pharmaceutical pollutants treatment processes.

Lead-free perovskite ceramics, which have excellent energy storage capabilities, are attracting attention owing to their high power density and rapid charge-discharge speed. Given that the energy-storage properties of perovskite ceramic capacitors are significantly improved by doping with various elements, modifying their chemical compositions is a fundamental strategy. This study investigated the effect of Zn doping on the microstructure and energy storage performance of potassium sodium niobate (KNN)-based ceramics. Two types of powders and their corresponding ceramics with compositions of (1-x)(K,Na)NbO3-xBi(Ni2/3Ta1/3)O3 (KNN-BNT) and (1-x)(K,Na)NbO3-xBi(Ni1/3Zn1/3Ta1/3) O3 (KNN-BNZT) were prepared via solid-state reactions. The results indicate that Zn doping retards grain growth, resulting in smaller grain sizes in Zn-doped KNN-BNZT than in KNN-BNT ceramics. Moreover, the Zn-doped KNNBNZT ceramics exhibited superior energy storage density and efficiency across all x values. Notably, 0.9KNN-0.1BNZT ceramics demonstrate an energy storage density and efficiency of 0.24 J/cm3 and 96%, respectively. These ceramics also exhibited excellent temperature and frequency stability. This study provides valuable insights into the design of KNNbased ceramic capacitors with enhanced energy storage capabilities through doping strategies.

The sintering shrinkage behaviors of low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) and resistors were compared using commercial LTCC and thick-film resistor pastes, and factors influencing the camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers were also investigated. The onset of sintering shrinkage of the resistor occurred earlier than that of LTCC in all resistors, but the end of sintering shrinkage of the resistor occurred earlier or later than that of LTCC depending on the composition of the resistor. The sintering shrinkage end temperature and the sintering shrinkage temperature interval of the resistor increased as the RuO2/glass volume ratio of the resistor increased. The camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers was obtained using three different methods, all of which showed nearly identical trends. The camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers was not affected by either the difference in linear shrinkage strain after sintering between LTCC and resistors or the similarity of sintering shrinkage temperature ranges of LTCC and resistors. However, it was strongly affected by the RuO2/glass volume ratio of the resistor. The content of Ag and Pd had no effect on the sintering shrinkage end temperature or sintering shrinkage temperature interval of the resistor, or on the camber of cofired resistor/LTCC bi-layers.

BNKT Ceramics, one of the representative Pb free based piezoelectric ceramics, constitutes a perovskite(ABO3) structure. At this time, the perovskite structure (ABO3) is in the form where the corners of the octahedrons are connected, and in the unit cell, two ions, A and B, are cations, A ion is located at the body center, B ion is located at each corner, and an anion O is located at the center of each side. Since Bi, Na, and K sources constituting the A site are highly volatile at a sintering temperature of 1100℃ or higher, it is difficult to maintain uniformity of the composition. In order to solve this problem, there should be suppression of volatilization of the A site material or additional compensation of the volatilized. In this study, the basic composition of BNKT Ceramics was set to Bi0.5(Na0.78K0.22)0.5TiO3 (= BNKT), and volatile site (Bi, Na, and K sources) were coated in the form of a shell to compensate additionally for the A site ions. In addition, the physical and electrical properties of BNKT and its coated with shell additives(= @BNK) were compared and analyzed, respectively. As a result of analyzing the crystal structure through XRD, both BNKT(Core) and @BNK(Shell) had perovskite phases, and the crystallinity was almost similar. Although the Curie temperature of the two sintered bodies was almost the same (TC = 290 ~ 300 ℃), it was confirmed that the d33 (piezoelectric coefficient) and Pr (residual polarization) values were different. The experimental results indicated that the additional compensation for a shell additive causes the coarsening, resulting in a decrease in sintering density and Pr(remanent polarization). However, coating shell additives to compensate for A site ion is an effective way to suppress volatilization. Based on these experimental results, it would be the biggest advantage to develop an eco-friendly material (Lead-free) that replaced lead (Pb), which is harmful to the human body. This lead-free piezoelectric material can be applied to a biomedical device or products(ex. earphones (hearing aids), heart rate monitors, ultrasonic vibrators, etc.) and skin beauty improvement products (mask packs for whitening and wrinkle improvement).

Thermoelectric materials and devices are energy-harvesting devices that can effectively recycle waste heat into electricity. Thermoelectric power generation is widely used in factories, engines, and even in human bodies as they continuously generate heat. However, thermoelectric elements exhibit poor performance and low energy efficiency; research is being conducted to find new materials or improve the thermoelectric performance of existing materials, that is, by ensuring a high figure-of-merit (zT) value. For increasing zT, higher σ (electrical conductivity) and S (Seebeck coefficient) and a lower к (thermal conductivity) are required. Here, interface engineering by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to increase zT of n-type BiTeSe (BTS) thermoelectric powders. ALD of the BTS powders is performed in a rotary-type ALD reactor, and 40 to 100 ALD cycles of ZnO thin films are conducted at 100oC. The physical and chemical properties and thermoelectric performance of the ALD-coated BTS powders and pellets are characterized. It is revealed that electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity are decoupled, and thus, zT of ALD-coated BTS pellets is increased by more than 60% compared to that of the uncoated BTS pellets. This result can be utilized in a novel method for improving the thermoelectric efficiency in materials processing.

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 Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3.0 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 100oC. 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.

The seismic responses of traffic light poles are investigated using a finite element analysis. Among the traffic light poles, single- and bi-directional traffic light poles are considered since such poles are frequently installed on vehicle roads. For a more detailed investigation, three different lengths of the mast arm are considered for each directional pole. For a time-history analysis, six actual and two artificial earthquakes are considered and applied to each direction of the poles (x and y) to investigate which direction input provides more significant responses due to the unsymmetrical structural shape. Herein, the x and y directions are respectively parallel and perpendicular based on the single mast pole case. From the analysis results, the average maximum displacement response is developed with the x-direction input case for both types of light poles. Also, the bi-directional traffic light poles show a 13% larger response than the single-directional traffic light poles. Even though the y-direction input case produces a smaller response, the response difference between the single- and bi-directional light poles considerably increases by about 60%. The average maximum acceleration responses are almost similar for both types of light poles.

During the treatment of spent nuclear fuel, radioactive iodine is generated in a liquefied or gaseous form in a specific process. In the case of iodine 129, it is a long-lived nuclide with a very long halflife and has high groundwater mobility under repository conditions. Despite showing a low radioactivity value, research on the management of radioactive iodine from a long-term perspective is continuously being performed. Although research has been conducted using borosilicate glass as a medium for solidifying iodine, compatibility of I in borosilicate glass is very small and the volatility is high in the solidification process. So it is not suitable as a solidified substance of iodine. Therefore, studies on other solidification media to replace them are continuously being conducted. Our research team tried to develop a new medium that can contain iodine in a solidified body stably through a simple heat treatment process and can improve problems such as volatility and waste loading. Iodine is captured as AgI in the Ag ion-exchanged zeolite. So, TeO2, Ag2O, and Bi2O3 having a high AgI loading rate were used as main components. It was named TAB after taking the first letter of each element. In previous studies, the physical properties, structure, and chemical stability of TAB materials were confirmed. PCT (Product Consistent test) was performed to confirm chemical stability. It is mainly used to compare the chemical stability of glass materials with other glass materials, but there are limitations in evaluating the long-term chemical stability of materials. In this experiment, we tried to evaluate the long-term stability of TAB and compare it with borosilicate, which is conventionally used to treat radioactive waste. In addition, we tried to understand the leaching behavior inside the TAB medium. For this purpose, ASTM C1308 test was performed for 365 days, and distilled water and KURT groundwater were used as leachates to examine the effect of ions in the groundwater on the solidified body. To analyze the leaching behavior, ICP-MS and ICP-OES analyses were performed, and the cross-section of the sample after leaching was observed through SEM.

When disposing of spent nuclear fuel, there is a risk of exposure that could exceed the annual allowable dose due to human intrusion after the institutional control period. Therefore, it can be treated with the pyroprocess, but the decontamination factor is not sufficient, and an additional actinide recovery is required because molten waste salt-containing actinide is generated. In the case of reducing the element in the spent molten salt through an electrochemical method using a liquid Bi electrode, it is difficult to separate only the actinide element because the two-element groups are reduced together due to the large concentration difference between the actinide and the rare earth element. Therefore, a process of forming a Bi intermetallic compound using a liquid Bi electrode, which has higher element separation efficiency than a liquid Cd electrode, and physically separating the Bi intermetallic compound using the difference in density of the produced compound has been proposed. For this, it is necessary to understand the properties and density separation of the intermetallic compound to be produced, and experiments were planned and conducted for this purpose. Various metals were added to the molten Bi to form an intermetallic compound, and an analysis device such as SEM was used to determine the intermetallics distribution, composition, and internal structure. As the added metal, Ce is a representative element for lanthanide, and Hf with the most similar intermetallic density, decomposition temperature, and standard reduction potential to U, and U as a substitute element for actinide was adopted. As a result of SEM and EDS analysis, it was confirmed that the separation was made in Bi due to the density difference between the produced intermetallic compounds. A Ce-Bi intermetallic compound was observed in the upper part, Hf at a concentration smaller than the error range was detected, and a Hf-Bi intermetallic compound which containing high concentration of Ce was observed in the lower part. Separation of high-purity Ce seems to be possible in the upper part, and it seems difficult to separate high-purity Hf in the lower part. Therefore, to separate highpurity Hf, an additional process suitable for it seems to be necessary.

Liquid Bi pool is a candidate electrode for an electrometallurgical process in the molten LiCl-KCl eutectic to treat the spent nuclear fuels from nuclear power plants. The electrochemical behavior of Bi3+ ions and the electrode reaction on liquid Bi pool were investigated with the cyclic voltammetry in an environment with or without BiCl3 in the molten LiCl-KCl eutectic. Experimental results showed that two redox reactions of Bi3+ on inert W electrode and the shift of cathodic peak potentials of Li+ and Bi3+ on liquid Bi pool electrode in molten LiCl-KCl eutectic. It is confirmed that the redox reaction of lithium with respect to the liquid Bi pool electrode would occur in a wide range of potentials in molten LiCl-KCl eutectic. The obtained data will be used to design the electrometallurgical process for treating actinide and lanthanide from the spent nuclear fuels and to understand the electrochemical reactions of actinide and lanthanide at liquid Bi pool electrode in the molten LiCl-KCl eutectic.

In this study, we report the microstructure and characteristics of Ag-SnO2-Bi2O3 contact materials using a controlled milling process with a subsequent compaction process. Using magnetic pulsed compaction (MPC), the milled Ag-SnO2-Bi2O3 powders have been consolidated into bulk samples. The effects of the compaction conditions on the microstructure and characteristics have been investigated in detail. The nanoscale SnO2 phase and microscale Bi2O3 phase are well-distributed homogeneously in the Ag matrix after the consolidation process. The successful consolidation of Ag-SnO2-Bi2O3 contact materials was achieved by an MPC process with subsequent atmospheric sintering, after which the hardness and electrical conductivity of the Ag-SnO2-Bi2O3 contact materials were found to be 62–75 HV and 52–63% IACS, respectively, which is related to the interfacial stability between the Ag matrix, the SnO2 phase, and the Bi2O3 phase.

In this investigation, Bi2MoO6 deposited graphene nanocomposite (BMG) was synthesized using a simple microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. The synthesized BMG nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and photocurrent analysis. The study revealed that the catalysts prepared have high crystalline nature, enhanced light responsive property, high catalytic activity, and good stability. XRD results of BMG composite exhibit a koechlinite phase of Bi2MoO6. The surface property is shown by SEM and TEM, which confirmed a homogenous composition in the bulk particles of Bi2MoO6 and nanosheets of graphene. The catalytic behavior was investigated by the decomposition of Rhodamine B as a standard dye. The results exhibit excellent yields of product derivatives at mild conditions under ultrasonic/visible light-medium. Approximately 1.6-times-enhanced sono-photocatalytic activity was observed by introduction of Bi2MoO6 on graphene nanosheet compared with control sample P25 during 50 min test.

K0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (KBT) thin films were prepared by sol-gel processing for future use in piezoelectric generators. It is believed that the annealing temperature of films plays an important role in the output performance of piezoelectric generators. KBT films prepared on Ni substrates were annealed at 500 ~ 700 oC. Tetragonal KBT films were formed after annealing process. As the annealing temperature increased, the grain size of KBT films increased. KBT thin films show piezoelectric constant (d33) from 23 to 41 pC/N. The increase of grain size in KBT films brought about output voltage and current in the KBT generators. Also, the increase in the displacement of specimens during bending test resulted in increases in output voltage and current. Although KBT generators showed lower output power than those of generators prepared using NBT films, as reported previously, the KBT films prepared by sol-gel method show applicability as piezoelectric thin films for lead-free nanogenerators, along with NBT films.

Herein, a series of g-C3N4 modified Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites using Bi2MoO6 and melamine as original materials are fabricated via sintering process. For presynthesis of Bi2MoO6 an ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal technique is researched. The structure and composition of the nanocomposites are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The improved photoelectrochemical properties are studied by photocurrent density, EIS, and amperometric i-t curve analysis. It is found that the structure of Bi2MoO6 nanoparticles remains intact, with good dispersion status. The as-prepared g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites (BMC 5-9) are selected and investigated by SEM analysis, which inhibits special morphology consisting of Bi2MoO6 nanoparticles and some g-C3N4 nanosheets. The introduction of small sized g-C3N4 nanosheets in sample BMC 9 is effective to improve the charge separation and transfer efficiency, resulting in enhancing of the photoelectric behavior of Bi2MoO6. The improved photoelectronic behavior of g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6 may be attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency, photocurrent stability, and fast electron transport pathways for some energy applications.

(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 (BNT)-based ceramics are considered promising candidates for actuator application owing to their excellent electromechanical strain properties However, to obtain large strain properties, there remain several issues such as thermal stability and high operating fields. Therefore, this study investigates a reduction of operating field in (0.98-x)Bi1/2Na1/ 2TiO3-0.02 BiAlO3-xSrTiO3 (BNT-2BA-100xST, x = 0.20, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, and 0.24) via analyses of the microstructure, crystal structure, dielectric, polarization, ferroelectric and electromechanical strain properties. The average grain size of BNT-2BA- 100xST ceramics decreases with increasing ST content. Results of polarization and electromechanical strain properties indicate that a ferroelectric to relaxor state transition is induced by ST modification. As a consequence, a large electromechanical strain of 592 pm/V is obtained at a relatively low electric field of 4 kV/mm in 22 mol% ST-modified BNT-2BA ceramics. We believe that the materials synthesized in this study are promising candidates for actuator applications.