We examined the characteristics of indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) on polyimide (PI) substrates for next-generation flexible display application. In this study, the ITZO TFT was fabricated and analyzed with a SiOx/ SiNx gate insulator deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) below 350℃. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) results revealed that the oxygen vacancies and impurities such as H, OH and H2O increased at ITZO/gate insulator interface. Our study suggests that the hydrogen related impurities existing in the PI and gate insulator were diffused into the channel during the fabrication process. We demonstrate that these impurities and oxygen vacancies in the ITZO channel/gate insulator may cause degradation of the electrical characteristics and bias stability. Therefore, in order to realize high performance oxide TFTs for flexible displays, it is necessary to develop a buffer layer (e.g., Al2O3) that can sufficiently prevent the diffusion of impurities into the channel.

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.

HiPIMS(High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering)를 이용하여 탄소 박막을 증착하였다. 파워, 압력, 바이어스 전압, duty cycle에 따른 탄소 박막의 특성과 미세조직을 조사하였다. HiPIMS 파워가 증가할수록 증착 두께는 증가하였으며 표면이 거칠어지는 경향을 보였다. 압력의 증가 또한 표면이 거칠어지는 경향을 보였으나 증착 두께는 압력에 비례하지 않았다. 바이어스 전압이 증가함에 따라 조도가 나빠졌고 증착 두께는 증가하다가 임계 바이어스 전압부터는 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 듀티 사이클의 변화는 아크 발생과 같은 문제를 유발했으며 이는 챔버 구조나 타겟의 크기 등에 영향을 받는다. XPS로 sp²/sp³ 분율을 확인하였으며 sp²/sp³ 분율이 DC 스퍼터링의 경우보다 HiPIMS의 경우가 더 큰 것을 확인하였다.

본 연구에서는 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 wt%의 TiO2를 함유하는 인듐-티타늄 수산화물을 졸 및 염기 첨가에 의해 얻었고, 200oC와 500oC에서 겔화 과정을 통해 ITiO(Indium Titanate Oxide)를 얻었다. 200oC에서 겔화 과정 후 얻어지는 ITiO 입자가 작아서 조밀성이 있는 ITiO 타겟을 제조하였다. 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 wt%의 TiO2를 함유하는 ITiO 타겟을 스퍼터링하여 ITiO 박막을 유리판위에 제작하여 비저항, 전하 이동도, 캐리어 농도를 조사하였다. 이들 박막 중에서 산소 조성이 0.4 %인 조건에서 0.5 wt% 중량% TiO2를 함유하는 ITiO 타겟으로부터 제작된 ITiO 박막이 가장 낮은 비저항, 가장 큰 전하이동도 및 가장 낮은 캐리어 농도를 보임을 알 수 있었고, 얻어진 ITiO 박막의 광투과율을 측정하여 적외선 영역에서 광투과율이 ITO(Indium Tin Oxide) 박막에 비해 현저히 증가함을 발견하였다.

계면중합법은 혼합되지 않은 두 용액에 용해되어 있는 반응성 단량체들이 계면에서 중합되는 기술로 다양한 분야 에 응용되고 있다. 이 중, 수처리 분리막의 경우 m-phenylene diamine과 Trimesoyl chloride를 반응물로 사용하고 있다. 분리 막의 성능은 다양한 중합 성능에 의해 영향을 받고 있으며, 본 연구에서는 유기 용액의 퍼짐 속도가 어떻게 분리막 표면 및 구조에 영향을 주는지를 주사전자현미경을 통해 고찰하였다. 퍼짐 속도는 7.6과 25 mm/sec로 조절하였으며, 유기상 용액은 1~3방울까지 조절하였다. 관찰된 결과는 퍼짐 속도가 7.6 mm/sec에서는 한 방울 떨어트릴 경우, 25 mm/sec에서는 두 방울 떨어트릴 경우 폴리아마이드 막에 균열을 발견할 수 없었다. 반면 나머지 경우에 모두 균열이 발생하였다. 따라서, 초기 유기 용액의 퍼짐 속도는 폴리아마이드 분리막의 성능에 영향을 줄 것으로 관찰되었다.

20 μm의 얇은 폴리에스터(polyester) 부직포 상에 폴리술(polysulfone) 고분자 지지체를 제조하였다. 폴리술폰 표면에 3-aminopropyldimethyl silane을 sol-gel 중합함으로써 폴리실록산 지지체를 제조한 후 MPD 수용액과 TMC 유 기용액의 계면 중합을 실시를 통하여 정삼투 복합박막을 얻었다. FE-SEM/EDX 분석을 통하여 폴리실록산이 표면에 한하여 분포됨을 확인하였다. 1 M NaCl 유도용액/순수 인입용액 하에서의 FO-mode 유량이 146 - 209 LMH로 향상되 었으며 RSF값은 0.42 - 16.3 GMH로 유지함을 확인할 수 있었다.

Living organisms are based on the mass flux that induces various biological reactions using nanosized asymmetric ion channels as highly selectivity. However, it is the aggressive challenge to use these channels for artificial membranes because these are fragile and susceptible to deterioration under pH, temperature, mechanical stress, etc. This study, for the first time, synthesized a virus nanochannel-embedded thin film composite membrane. This membrane shows the extremely high ion selectively as well as low resistance. This property can be used to extract various multi-energies, for example, external pressure, water dropping, temperature difference, etc. This electricity results from the entropy gradient between membrane like electric eels.

수용액과 유기용액에 방향족 단량체를 사용하여 계면중합을 통하여 폴리아미드 나노여과막을 제조하고 황산내구성, 내열성 실제 제련액 투과물성을 평가하였다. 수용액에 지방족 디아민을 사용한 나노여과막에 비해서 방향족 디아민을 사용한 경우에 내산성이 매우 우수하였다. 방향족 단량체를 사용한 경우에는 1 가 이온 제거율 낮추기 위하여 첨가제 사용하였다. 내열성은 실제 제련액의 경우는 2가 이상의 이온에 대해서는 회수가 가능하였고 1가 이온 및 황산의 경우 에는 투과수로 빠져 나오는 것을 확인하였다.

In this study, we investigate the effect of the diffusion barrier and substrate temperature on the length of carbon nanotubes. For synthesizing vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, thermal chemical vapor deposition is used and a substrate with a catalytic layer and a buffer layer is prepared using an e-beam evaporator. The length of the carbon nanotubes synthesized on the catalytic layer/diffusion barrier on the silicon substrate is longer than that without a diffusion barrier because the diffusion barrier prevents generation of silicon carbide from the diffusion of carbon atoms into the silicon substrate. The deposition temperature of the catalyst and alumina are varied from room temperature to 150°C, 200°C, and 250°C. On increasing the substrate temperature on depositing the buffer layer on the silicon substrate, shorter carbon nanotubes are obtained owing to the increased bonding force between the buffer layer and silicon substrate. The reason why different lengths of carbon nanotubes are obtained is that the higher bonding force between the buffer layer and the substrate layer prevents uniformity of catalytic islands for synthesizing carbon nanotubes.

The effects of electron beam(EB) irradiation on the electrical and optical properties of InGaZnO(IGZO) thin films fabricated using a sol-gel process were investigated. As the EB dose increased, the electrical characteristic of the IGZO TFTs changed from semiconductor to conductor, and the threshold voltage values shifted to the negative direction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the O 1s core level showed that the relative area of oxygen vacancies increased from 14.68 to 19.08 % as the EB dose increased from 0 to 1.5 × 1016 electrons/cm2. In addition, spectroscopic ellipsometer analysis showed that the optical band gap varied from 3.39 to 3.46 eV with increasing EB dose. From the result of band alignment, it was confirmed that the Fermi level(EF) of the sample irradiated with 1.5 × 1016 electrons/cm2 was located at the closest position to the conduction band minimum(CBM) due to the increase of electron carrier concentration

Porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thin films are fabricated by spin-coating using a dispersion solution containing PTFE powders, and their crystalline properties are investigated after thermal annealing at various temperatures ranging from 300 to 500°C. Before thermal annealing, the film is densely packed and consists of many granular particles 200-300 nm in diameter. However, after thermal annealing, the film contains many voids and fibrous grains on the surface. In addition, the film thickness decreases after thermal annealing owing to evaporation of the surfactant, binder, and solvent composing the PTFE dispersion solution. The film thickness is systematically controlled from 2 to 6.5 μm by decreasing the spin speed from 1,500 to 500 rpm. A triboelectric nanogenerator is fabricated by spin-coating PTFE thin films onto polished Cu foils, where they act as an active layer to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. A triboelectric nanogenerator consisting of a PTFE layer and Al metal foil pair shows typical output characteristics, exhibiting positive and negative peaks during applied strain and relief cycles due to charging and discharging of electrical charge carriers. Further, the voltage and current outputs increase with increasing strain cycle owing to accumulation of electrical charge carriers during charge-discharge.

FO is prominent membrane technology for desalination due to no hydraulic pressure requirement and low fouling propensity compared to RO. TFC membrane was widely used due to excellent perm-selectivity and chemical resistance. TFC membrane consists of dense and support layer. Academic efforts focused on advance TFC membranes characteristics and performances. This work attempts to fabricate TFC FO membrane with highly permeable ultra-thin intermediate layer on the support layer using polydopamine and graphene oxide. Role of the intermediate layer on performances was demonstrated via characterization and FO operation.

In this study, we present a unique surface modification method for a water desalination membrane to control the surface fouling via titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanopillar pattern imprinting. The patterned membranes showed significantly improved fouling resistance for both organic protein and bacterial foulants compared to the nonpatterned membranes. The hydrophilicity of TiO2 used as a pattern material affects the improvement of chemical antifouling resistance of the membrane. Fouling behavior was also interpreted in terms of the topographical effect depending on the relative size of foulants to the pattern dimension. Moreover, the computational fluid dynamics simulation intimates that the overall and local shear stress enhancement on the patterned surface could affect the foulant deposition behavior on the membrane.

We report on a unique fabrication technique, DSC for high performance PA TFC RO membranes. DSC allows the simultaneous and continuous spreading of two reactive monomer solutions to create an unsupported PA layer, which is then adhered onto a porous support to form a membrane. DSC facilitates the characterization of the PA layer structure by easily isolating it. The DSC-PA layer exhibits a thinner and smoother structure with a more wettable and less negatively charged surface than one prepared via conventional interfacial polymerization (IP). DSC enables the formation of an extremely thin (~9 nm) and dense PA layer using a very low MPD concentration, which is not feasible by conventional IP. Importantly, the DSC-assembled membrane shows the excellent water flux and NaCl rejection, exceeding both the IP control and commercial RO membranes.

A salinity gradient power (SGP) system holds a great potential to generate continuous and clean electricity for 24 hours. Recently, incorporating with seawater reverse osmosis, SGP has been recognized as a alternative to solve the brine issue as well as energy saving. For commercialization, many scientists would sympathize that one of main hurdles is the limited performance of each membrane to extract the high power. In case of pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) closer to commercialization, the membrane must have the high water permeability and salt rejection. There are two type of modules; hollow fiber membranes and spiral type. Toray Chem. (Korea) already shows that 4th generation PRO module, but there is no still large size PRO hollow fiber modules. Therefore, this study presents 2 and 3 inch size of PRO hollow fiber membrane prepared by inside interfacial polymerization techniques.

Owing to high energy efficiency and superior efficacy, membrane-based desalination processes have gained widespread implementation in a wide variety of water treatment applications. Tremendous research efforts on new membrane materials have been made to improve the separation performance of the state-of-the-art thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, particularly polyamide TFC membranes, hoping to overcome the permeability-selectivity trade-off relations. Currently, many nanomaterials such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), graphene oxide (GO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been explored to enhance the separation performance of existing polymeric membranes, but it has been argued that the positive transformation of nanomaterials-embedded TFC membranes hold promising potential to realize the sustainable development of current desalination membranes. Here we have tried to discuss some misconceptions and challenging items delaying industrial-scale implementation of nanomaterialsembedded desalination membranes.

The effect of electron beam (EB) irradiation on the electrical properties of Zn-Sn-O (ZTO) thin films fabricated using a sol-gel process was investigated. As the EB dose increased, the saturation mobility of ZTO thin film transistors (TFTs) was found to slightly decrease, and the subthreshold swing and on/off ratio degenerated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the O 1s core level showed that the relative area of oxygen vacancies (VO) increased from 10.35 to 12.56 % as the EB dose increased from 0 to 7.5 × 1016 electrons/cm2. Also, spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis showed that the optical band gap varied from 3.53 to 3.96 eV with increasing EB dose. From the results of the electrical property and XPS analyses of the ZTO TFTs, it was found that the electrical characteristic of the ZTO thin films changed from semiconductor to conductor with increasing EB dose. It is thought that the electrical property change is due to the formation of defect sites like oxygen vacancies.

We have demonstrated the production of thin films containing multilayer graphene-coated copper nanoparticles (MGCNs) by a commercial electrodeposition method. The MGCNs were produced by electrical wire explosion, an easily applied technique for creating hybrid metal nanoparticles. The nanoparticles had average diameters of 10–120 nm and quasi-spherical morphologies. We made a complex-electrodeposited copper thin film (CETF) with a thickness of 4.8 μm by adding 300 ppm MGCNs to the electrolyte solution and performing electrodeposition. We measured the electric properties and performed corrosion testing of the CETF. Raman spectroscopy was used to measure the bonding characteristics and estimate the number of layers in the graphene films. The resistivity of the bare-electrodeposited copper thin film (BETF) was 2.092 × 10–6 Ω·cm, and the resistivity of the CETF after the addition of 300 ppm MGCNs was decreased by 2% to ~2.049 × 10–6 Ω·cm. The corrosion resistance of the BETF was 9.306 Ω, while that of the CETF was increased to 20.04 Ω. Therefore, the CETF with MGCNs can be used in interconnection circuits for printed circuit boards or semiconductor devices on the basis of its low resistivity and high corrosion resistance.

Graphene oxide (GO) has received a lot of attention in membrane science for its CO2-philic nature, which can facilitate CO2 separation performance. In addition, GO has attractive properties for gas separation membrane material due to thin-film membrane formation and tunable transport channel. GO membrane can be generally prepared by coating GO nanosheets on microporous polymer supports for mechanical stability. However, the substrates for in thin GO layer should be carefully chosen for good adhesion between GO layer and support surface with maintaining good separation performance. In this study, we tried to modify the surface properties of high permeable support membranes by using gutter layer as an intermediate layer, and measured the gas transport properties of these GO thin-film composite membranes.