The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of adhesive types on dimensional stability of bamboo-oriented particleboard. The materials used in this research are bamboo tali(Gigantochloa apus J.A & J.H. Schult. Kurz), UF/MDI(8, 10, 12 % level), and MF, MDI, and PF at 7 % level. Particle and adhesive are mixed using a blending machine; then, mat forming and hot pressing processes are performed using adhesive-suitable temperature and time references. MDI resin is set at 160 ºC temperature for 5 minutes. PF resin and MF resin are pressed at 170 ºC for 10 minutes, and 140 ºC for 10 minutes, respectively, while UF/MDI sets at temperature of 140 ºC for 10 minutes. The results show that particleboard using PF resin produces the lowest thickness swelling value. The particleboard using UF/MDI resin also produces good response for thickness swelling value. Interesting things happen in that UF/MDI adhesive produces a thickness swelling value better than that of MDI resin. FTIR analysis on particleboard bonded by UF/MDI resin combination shows the presence of carbonyl group C=O vibration on multi substitution of urea at wave number of around 1,700 cm-1.
The photovoltaic properties of TiO2 used for the electron transport layer in perovskite solar cells(PSCs) are compared according to the particle size. The PSCs are fabricated and prepared by employing 20 nm and 30 nm TiO2 as well as a 1:1 mixture of these particles. To analyze the microstructure and pores of each TiO2 layer, a field emission scanning electron microscope and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET) method are used. The absorbance and photovoltaic characteristic of the PSC device are examined over time using ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopy and a solar simulator. The microstructural analysis shows that the TiO2 shape and layer thicknesses are all similar, and the BET analysis results demonstrate that the size of TiO2 and in surface pore size is very small. The results of the photovoltaic characterization show that the mean absorbance is similar, in a range of about 400-800 nm. However, the device employing 30 nm TiO2 demonstrates the highest energy conversion efficiency(ECE) of 15.07 %. Furthermore, it is determined that all the ECEs decrease over time for the devices employing the respective types of TiO2. Such differences in ECE based on particle size are due to differences in fill factor, which changes because of changes in interfacial resistance during electron movement owing to differences in the TiO2 particle size, which is explained by a one-dimensional model of the electron path through various TiO2 particles.
The passivation of AZ91D Mg alloys through plasma anodization depends on several process parameters, such as power mode and electrolyte composition. In this work, we study the dependence of the thickness, composition, pore formation, surface roughness, and corrosion resistance of formed films on the electrolyte temperature at which anodization is performed. The higher the electrolyte temperature, the lower is the surface roughness, the smaller is the oxide thickness, and the better is the corrosion resistance. More specifically, as the electrolyte temperature increases from 10 to 50 oC, the surface roughness (Ra) decreases from 0.7 to 0.15 μm and the corrosion resistance increases from 3.5 to 9 in terms of rating number in a salt spray test. The temperature increase from 10 to 50 oC also causes an increase in magnesium content in the film from 25 to 63 wt% and a decrease in oxygen from 66 to 21 wt%, indicating dehydration of the film.
A triple-layered PMMA/Ni64Zr36/PDMS hydrogen gas sensor using hydrogen permeable alloy and flexible polymer layers is fabricated through spin coating and DC-magnetron sputtering. PDMS(polydimethylsiloxane) is used as a flexible substrate and PMMA(polymethylmethacrylate) thin film is deposited onto the Ni64Zr36 alloy layer to give a high hydrogenselectivity to the sensor. The measured hydrogen sensing ability and response time of the fabricated sensor at high hydrogen concentration of 99.9 % show a 20 % change in electrical resistance, which is superior to conventional Pd-based hydrogen sensors, which are difficult to use in high hydrogen concentration environments. At a hydrogen concentration of 5 %, the resistance of electricity is about 1.4 %, which is an electrical resistance similar to that of the Pd77Ag23 sensor. Despite using low cost Ni64Zr36 alloy as the main sensing element, performance similar to that of existing Pd sensors is obtained in a highly concentrated hydrogen atmosphere. By improving the sensitivity of the hydrogen detection through optimization including of the thickness of each layer and the composition of Ni-Zr alloy thin film, the proposed Ni-Zr-based hydrogen sensor can replace Pd-based hydrogen sensors.
Chemical vapor deposition method using CH4 gaseous hydrocarbons is generally used to synthesize large-area graphene. Studies using non-gaseous materials such as ethanol, hexane and camphor have occasionally been conducted. In this study, large-area graphene is synthesized via chemical vapor deposition using polyethylene as a carbon precursor. In particular, we used a poly glove, which is made of low-density polyethylene. The characteristics of the synthesized graphene as functions of the growth time of graphene and the temperature for vaporizing polyethylene are evaluated by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. When the polyethylene vaporizing temperature is over 150 oC, large-area graphene with excellent quality is synthesized. Raman spectroscopy shows that the D peak intensity increased and the 2D peak intensity decreased with increasing growth time. The reason for this is that sp3 bonds in the graphene can form when the correct amount of carbon source is supplied. The quality of the graphene synthesized using polyethylene is similar to that of graphene synthesized using methane gas.
Transparent conducting electrodes are essential components in various optoelectrical devices. Although indium tin oxide thin films have been widely used for transparent conducting electrodes, silver nanowire network is a promising alternative to indium tin oxide thin films owing to its lower processing cost and greater suitability for flexible device application. In order to widen the application of silver nanowire network, the electrical conductance has to be improved while maintaining high optical transparency. In this study, we report the enhancement of the electrical conductance of silver nanowire network transparent electrodes by copper electrodeposition on the silver nanowire networks. The electrodeposited copper lowered the sheet resistance of the silver nanowire networks from 21.9 Ω/□ to 12.6 Ω/□. We perform detailed X-ray diffraction analysis revealing the effect of the amount of electrodeposited copper-shell on the sheet resistance of the core-shell(silver/copper) nanowire network transparent electrodes. From the relationship between the cross-sectional area of the copper-shell and the sheet resistance of the transparent electrodes, we deduce the electrical resistivity of electrodeposited copper to be approximately 4.5 times that of copper bulk.
We investigated the characteristics of nano crystalline silicon(nc-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite substrates. Amorphous silicon(a-Si) thin-film solar cells on graphite plates show low conversion efficiency due to high surface roughness, and many recombination by dangling bonds. In previous studies, we deposited barrier films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) on graphite plate to reduce surface roughness and achieved ~7.8 % cell efficiency. In this study, we fabricated nc-Si thin film solar cell on graphite in order to increase the efficiency of solar cells. We achieved 8.45 % efficiency on graphite plate and applied this to nc-Si on graphite sheet for flexible solar cell applications. The characterization of the cell is performed with external quantum efficiency(EQE) and current density-voltage measurements(J-V). As a result, we obtain ~8.42 % cell efficiency in a flexible solar cell fabricated on a graphite sheet, which performance is similar to that of cells fabricated on graphite plates.
Hole carrier selective MoOx film is obtained by atomic layer deposition(ALD) using molybdenum hexacarbonyl[Mo(CO)6] as precursor and ozone(O3) oxidant. The growth rate is about 0.036 nm/cycle at 200 g/Nm of ozone concentration and the thickness of interfacial oxide is about 2 nm. The measured band gap and work function of the MoOx film grown by ALD are 3.25 eV and 8 eV, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) result shows that the Mo6+ state is dominant in the MoOx thin film. In the case of ALD-MoOx grown on Si wafer, the ozone concentration does not affect the passivation performance in the as-deposited state. But, the implied open-circuit voltage increases from 576 oC to 620 oC at 250 g/Nm after post-deposition annealing at 350 oC in a forming gas ambient. Instead of using a p-type amorphous silicon layer, high work function MoOx films as hole selective contact are applied for heterojunction silicon solar cells and the best efficiency yet recorded (21 %) is obtained.
Nb-doped TiO2(NTO) coated NiCrAl alloy foam for hydrogen production is prepared using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposition(USPD) method. To optimize the size and distribution of NTO particles based on good physical and chemical stability, we synthesize particles by adjusting the weight ratio of the Nb precursor solution(5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%). The morphological, chemical bonding, and structural properties of the NTO coated NiCrAl alloy foam are investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy(XPS), and Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy(FESEM). As a result, the samples of controlled Nb weight ratio exhibit a common diffraction pattern at ~25.3o , corresponding to the(101) plane, and have chemical bonding(O-Nb=O) at 534 eV. The NTO particles with the optimum weight ratio of N (10 wt%) show a uniform distribution with a size of ~18.2-21.0 nm. In addition, they exhibit the highest corrosion resistance even in the electrochemical stability estimation. As a result, the introduction of NTO coated NiCrAl alloy foam by USPD improves the chemical stability of the NiCrAl alloy foam by protecting the direct electrochemical reaction between the foam and the electrolyte. Thus, the optimized NTO coating can be proposed for excellent protection of NiCrAl alloy foam for hydrocarbon-based steam methane reforming(SMR).
The gas adsorption isotherm requires accurate measurement for the analysis of porous materials and is used as an index of surface area, pore distribution, and adsorption amount of gas. Basically, adsorption isotherms of porous materials are measured conventionally at 77K and 87K using liquid nitrogen and liquid argon. The cold volume calibration in this conventional method is done simply by splitting a sample cell into two zones (cold and warm volumes) by controlling the level sensor in a Dewar filled with liquid nitrogen or argon. As a result, BET measurement for textural properties is mainly limited to liquefied gases (i.e. N2 or Ar) at atmospheric pressure. In order to independently investigate other gases (e.g. hydrogen isotopes) at cryogenic temperature, a novel temperature control system in the sample cell is required, and consequently cold volume calibration at various temperatures becomes more important. In this study, a cryocooler system is installed in a commercially available BET device to control the sample cell temperature, and the automated cold volume calibration method of temperature variation is introduced. This developed calibration method presents a reliable and reproducible method of cryogenic measurement for hydrogen isotope separation in porous materials, and also provides large flexibility for evaluating various other gases at various temperature.