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.

Transition-metal oxide semiconductors have various band gaps. Therefore, many studies have been conducted in various application fields. Among these, methods for the adsorption of organic dyes and utilization of photocatalytic properties have been developed using various metal oxides. In this study, the adsorption and photocatalytic effects of WO3 nanomaterials prepared by hydrothermal synthesis are investigated, with citric acid added in the hydrothermal process as a structure-directing agent. The nanostructures of WO3 are studied using transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images. The crystal structure is investigated using X-ray diffraction patterns, and the changes in the dye concentrations adsorbed on WO3 nanorods are measured with a UV-visible absorption spectrophotometer based on Beer-Lambert’s law. The methylene blue (MB) dye solution is subjected to acid or base conditions to monitor the change in the maximum adsorption amount in relation to the pH. The maximum adsorption capacity is observed at pH 3. In addition to the dye adsorption, UV irradiation is carried out to investigate the decomposition of the MB dye as a result of photocatalytic effects. Significant photocatalytic properties are observed and compared with the adsorption effects for dye removal.

SiC-based composite materials with light weight, high durability, and high-temperature stability have been actively studied for use in aerospace and defense applications. Moreover, environmental barrier coating (EBC) technologies using oxide-based ceramic materials have been studied to prevent chemical deterioration at a high temperature of 1300℃ or higher. In this study, an ytterbium silicate material, which has recently been actively studied as an environmental barrier coating because of its high-temperature chemical stability, is fabricated on a sintered SiC substrate. Yb2O3 and SiO2 are used as the raw starting materials to form ytterbium disilicate (Yb2Si2O7). Suspension plasma spraying is applied as the coating method. The effect of the mixing method on the particle size and distribution, which affect the coating formation behavior, is investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It is found that the originally designed compounds are not effectively formed because of the refinement and vaporization of the raw material particles, i.e., SiO2, and the formation of a porous coating structure. By changing the coating parameters such as the deposition distance, it is found that a denser coating structure can be formed at a closer deposition distance.

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.

In order to improve the seismic performance of structures, friction pendulum system (FPS) is the most commonly used seismic isolation device in addition to lead rubber bearing (LRB) in high seismicity area. In a nuclear power plant (NPP) with a large self weight, it is necessary to install a large number of seismic isolation devices, and the position of the center of rigidity varies depending on the arrangement of the seismic isolation devices. Due to the increase in the eccentricity, which is the difference between the center of gravity of the nuclear structure and the center of stiffness of the seismic isolators, an excessive seismic response may occur which could not be considered at the design stage. Three different types of eccentricity models (CASE 1, CASE 2, and CASE 3) were used for seismic response evaluation of seismically isolated NPP due to the increase of eccentricity (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%). The analytical model of the seismic isolation system was compared using the equivalent linear model and the bilinear model. From the results of the seismic response of the seismically isolated NPP with increasing eccentricity, it can be observed that the effect of eccentricity on the seismic response for the equivalent linear model is larger than that for the bilinear model.

본 논문은 최고경영자(Chief Executive Officer, CEO)의 특성이 기업의 위험관리 의사결정에 어떤 영 향을 미치는지를 분석하고자 하였다. 최고경영자의 특성을 나타내는 변수로 나이와 취득전공을 선정하여 2008년 금융위기 전후로 파생상품을 이용한 제조기업들을 대상으로 구조화파생상품을 이용한 기업들만의 차별화된 특성을 분석하였다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 일반적으로 CEO의 나이가 많아질수록 보수적 이고 안정적인 의사결정을 한다는 첫 번째 가설을 검증한 결과, CEO의 나이는 복잡한 구조화파생상품을 이용하는데 별다른 영향을 미치지 못하는 것으로 나타났다. 상경관련 전공자가 파생상품을 더 잘 이해하고 복잡한 구조화파생상품이 위험관리용으로 적절하지 않기에 더 적게 사용할 것이라는 두 번째 가설을 검증한 결과, 비상경계 CEO의 파생상품 이용정도가 상경계 CEO보다 더 높은 것으로 나타나서 가설을 지지하는 것으로 나타났다.