Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) is used for the various piezoelectric devices owing to its high piezoelectric properties. However, lead (Pb), which is contained in PZT, causes various environment contaminations. (K,Na)NbO3 (NKN) is the most well-known candidate for a lead-free composition to replace PZT. A single crystal has excellent piezoelectric-properties and its properties can be changed by changing the orientation direction. It is hard to fabricate a NKN single crystal due to the sodium and potassium. Thus, (Na,K)NbO3-Ba(Cu,Nb)O3 (NKN-BCuN) is chosen to fabricate the single crystal with relative ease. NKNBCuN pellets consist of two parts, yellow single crystals and gray poly-crystals that contain copper. The area that has a large amount of copper particles may melt at low temperature but not the other areas. The liquid phase may be responsible for the abnormal grain growth in NKN-BCuN ceramics. The dielectric constant and tan δ are measured to be 684 and 0.036 at 1 kHz in NKN-BCuN, respectively. The coercive field and remnant polarization are 14 kV/cm and 20 μC/cm2.

본 연구에서는 “이온젤” 이라고 불리는 고분자 기반의 PVA(polyvinyl alcohol)-H₃PO₄의 고체 전해질에 이온성 액체 BMIMBF4 (1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate)를 첨가하여 제조한 전고체 전해질과 환원된 그래핀 옥사이드/전도성 고분자 복합재료 기반의 전극 재료를 이용하여 유연성을 갖는 슈퍼커패시터를 제작 하였으며, 유연성에 따른 전기화학적 특성을 분석하여 보았다. 환원된 그래 핀 옥사이드/전도성 고분자 복합재료와 전고체 전해질 기반의 유연성 슈퍼커패시터의 전기화학적 특성을 유연성에 따라서 측정하기 위해서 프레스로 0.01 kg/cm²의 일정한 압력으로 최대 100회 까지 굽힘 시험 (bending test)을 진행 하였으며, 0~100 회의 굽힘 시험 이후에 순환 전압전류법(CV), 전기화학적 임피던스 분광법(EIS) 및 전정류 충·방전법(GCD)을 통하여 비교 및 분석하여 보았다. 그 결과로, 유연성 슈퍼커 패시터의 초기 전기용량은 43.9 F/g으로 확인 할 수 있었고, 이 값은 50회, 100회의 굽힘 시험 후에 각각 42.0F/g, 40.1F/g로 감소하는 현상을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 결과로 미루어 보아 물리적인 응력이 슈퍼 커패시터의 전기화학적 특성 감소에 영향을 주는 것으로 사료되며 또한, 굽힘 횟수에 따른 슈퍼커패시터의 전기화학적 특성 감소 원인을 확인하기 위해서 굽힘 시험 전과 후의 전극표면을 전자주사 현미경으로 관찰 하여 보았다.

백두산에서는 밀레니엄 대분화 이후로도 수차례의 화산활동이 계속되어 마그마 거동 감시 연구의 필요성이 지속적으로 제기되고 있다. 마그마방의 깊이 및 규모를 파악하기 위해서는 다양한 지구물리학적 접근이 필요하며, 본 연구에서는 전기비저항 탐사의 적용성을 검토하고자 한다. 국경으로 인해 공간적 제한이 있는 백두산에서 심부에 위치한 마그마를 탐사하기 위해서는 측선의 길이가 수십 킬로미터 이상이 되는 대규모 전기탐사가 이루어져야 하며, 이를 위해 서는 분산계측 시스템의 도입과 이에 최적화된 탐사 설계가 필수적으로 요구된다. 따라서 자체 개발된 분산계측 시스템을 활용하는 탐사설계안을 제시하고 전산실험을 통해 적용 가능성을 분석하였다. 단일 측선과 비동일선상 송신원 배열을 사용한 탐사설계안을 이용하여 다수의 측선 설치가 필요한 일반적인 3차원 탐사에 준하는 역산 해석 결과를 얻을 수 있음을 확인하였으며, 이 탐사설계안이 백두산 심부 물리탐사에 유용하게 적용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

We report on the fabrication and characterization of an oxide photoanode with a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod array embedded in cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin film, namely a ZnO/Cu2O oxide p-n heterostructure photoanode, for enhanced efficiency of visible light driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. A vertically oriented n-type ZnO nanorod array is first prepared on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via a seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method and then a p-type Cu2O thin film is directly electrodeposited onto the vertically oriented ZnO nanorod array to form an oxide p-n heterostructure. The introduction of Cu2O layer produces a noticeable enhancement in the visible light absorption. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior under visible light illumination, the photoconversion efficiency of this ZnO/Cu2O p-n heterostructure photoanode is found to reach 0.39 %, which is seven times that of a pristine ZnO nanorod photoanode. In particular, a significant PEC performance is observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs Hg/Hg2Cl2, which makes the device self-powered. The observed improvement in the PEC performance is attributed to some synergistic effect of the pn bilayer heterostructure on the formation of a built-in potential including the light absorption and separation processes of photoinduced charge carriers, which provides a new avenue for preparing efficient photoanodes for PEC water splitting.

To improve the performance of carbon nanofibers as electrode material in electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), we prepare three types of samples with different pore control by electrospinning. The speciments display different surface structures, melting behavior, and electrochemical performance according to the process. Carbon nanofibers with two complex treatment processes show improved performance over the other samples. The mesoporous carbon nanofibers (sample C), which have the optimal conditions, have a high sepecific surface area of 696 m2 g−1, a high average pore diameter of 6.28 nm, and a high mesopore volume ratio of 87.1%. In addition, the electrochemical properties have a high specific capacitance of 110.1 F g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and an excellent cycling stability of 84.8% after 3,000 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. Thus, we explain the improved electrochemical performance by the higher reaction area due to an increased surface area and a faster diffusion path due to the increased volume fraction of the mesopores. Consequently, the mesoporous carbon nanofibers are demonstrated to be a very promising material for use as electrode materials of high-performance EDLCs.

일반적으로 전기변색소자들은 전기변색물질, 전해질 그리고 상대전극물질로 구성되어 있다. 그 중에서, 상대전극물질은 소자의 장기전환 안정성 및 낮은 작동 전압 등과 같은 전기변색소자들의 성능을 향상하는데 매우 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 다이메틸 프탈레이트 기반 전기변색소자에 페로센과 카본 전극을 적용하고 그 성능을 테스트 하였다. 특히 카본 전극에서 우수한 장기전환 안정성이 구현되었다.

This study investigates the optimization of sectional shape with two dimensions on the rubber gasket of electric vehicle battery in order to maintain the airtightness and watertightness. For the section optimization, the shape of protruding section was analyzed as design variables and the design point was composed by the design of experiment(DOE) for the selected protruding shape. The uniaxial tensile test was carried out for the analysis of rubber gasket and five parameters of Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model were derived from the test data in order to construct the strain energy function for nonlinear behavior. The rubber gasket compression analysis was performed by using ANSYS of a commercial software and the performance of optimal shape was verified by performing the tests of watertightness and airtightness on the 3D rubber gasket with the derived section.

For the automotive application, graphene-glass composites were fabricated using E-glass fiber(GF) coated with various types of graphene nanosheets deposited by electrophoretic deposition. Graphene oxide(GO) was first synthesized using a modified Hummer’s method and its subsequent ultrasonic treatment in deionized water produced a stable stop of the GO. Glass fiber was immersed in water and GO suspension near the copper anode. The potential applied between the electrodes caused the GO to move toward the anode. In addition, the GO coated yarn was exposed to hydrazine hydrate at 100℃ to obtain a reduced graphene oxide(rGO) coating yarn. Both GO and rGO coated glass fiber yarns were used to fabricate unidirectional epoxy-based multi-scale composites by passive lay-up. The presence of a conductive rGO coating on glass fiber improves both the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the composite. In addition, rGO-based epoxy-glass composites have been used to improve the dielectric constant, providing the option of using this structure for electromagnetic interference shielding.

Transition metal oxide is widely used as a water electrolysis catalyst to substitute for a noble metal catalyst such as IrO2 and RuO2. In this study, the sol-gel method is used to synthesize the CuxCo3-xO4 catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER),. The CuxCo3-xO4 is synthesized at various calcination temperatures from 250 ℃ to 400 ℃ for 4 h. The CuxCo3- xO4 synthesized at 300 ℃ has a perfect spinel structure without residues of the precursor and secondary phases, such as CuO. The particle size of CuxCo3-xO4 increases with an increase in calcination temperature. Amongst all the samples studied, CuxCo3- xO4, which is synthesized at 300?, has the highest activity for the OER. Its onset potential for the OER is 370 mV and the overpotential at 10 mA/cm2 is 438 mV. The tafel slope of CuxCo3-xO4 synthesized at 300 ℃ has a low value of 58 mV/dec. These results are mainly explained by the increase in the available active surface area of the CuxCo3-xO4 catalyst.

We report on stretchable electrochromic films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) fabricated on silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes. AgNWs electrodes are prepared on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using a spray coater for stretchable electrochromic applications. On top of the AgNW electrode, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is introduced to ensure a stable resistance over the electrode under broad strain range by effectively suppressing the protrusion of AgNWs from PDMS. This bilayer electrode exhibits a high performance as a stretchable substrate in terms of sheet resistance increment by a factor of 1.6, tensile strain change to 40%, and stretching cycles to 100 cycles. Furthermore, P3HT film spin-coated on the bilayer electrode shows a stable electrochromic coloration within an applied voltage, with a color contrast of 28.6%, response time of 4-5 sec, and a coloration efficiency of 91.0 cm2/C. These findings indicate that AgNWs/PEDOT:PSS bilayer on PDMS substrate electrode is highly suitable for transparent and stretchable electrochromic devices.

A heterogeneous photocatalytic system is attracting much interest for water and air purification because of its reusability and economical advantage. Electrospun nanofibers are also receiving immense attention for efficient photocatalysts due to their ultra-high specific surface areas and aspect ratios. In this study, ZnO nanofibers with average diameters of 71, 151 and 168 nm are successfully synthesized by facile electrospinning and a subsequent calcination process at 500 ℃ for 3 h. Their crystal structures, morphology features and optical properties are systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The photocatalytic activities of the ZnO nanofibers are evaluated by the photodegradation of a rhodamine B aqueous solution. The results reveal that the diameter of the nanofiber, controlled by changing the polymer content in the precursor solution, plays an important role in the photocatalytic activities of the synthesized ZnO nanofibers.

Dual porous structures are observed for the first time on a metallic Cu surface underneath anodic Cu oxide by the application of an anodizing voltage to Cu in oxalic acid. The as-prepared porous Cu surface contains macropores of less than 1 μm diameter and mesopores of about tens of nanometers diameter with circular shapes. The size and density (number of pores/area) of the macropores are dependent on the applied voltage. It is likely that the localized dissolution (corrosion) of Cu in oxalic acid under the anodizing voltages is responsible for the formation of the mesopores, and the combination of a number of the mesopores might create the macropores, especially under a relatively high anodizing voltages or a prolonged anodizing time. The variations of pore structure (especailly macropores) with applied voltage and time are reasonably explained on the basis of the proposed mechanism of pore formation.