The electromembrane process, which has advantages such as scalability, sustainability, and eco-friendliness, is used in renewable energy fields such as fuel cells and reverse electrodialysis power generation. Most of the research to visualize the internal flow in the electromembrane process has mainly been conducted on heterogeneous ion exchange membranes, because of the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane. In this study, we successfully visualize the electroconvective vortices near the Nafion homogeneous membrane in PDMS-based microfluidic devices. To reinforce the mechanical rigidity and minimize the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane, a newly developed swelling supporter was additionally adapted to the Nafion membrane. Thus, a clear image of electroconvective vortices near the Nafion membrane could be obtained and visualized. As a result, we observed that the heterogeneous membrane has relatively stronger electroconvective vortices compared to the Nafion homogeneous membranes. Regarding electrical response, the Nafion membrane has a higher limiting current and less overlimiting current compared to the heterogeneous membrane. Based on our visualization, it is assumed that the heterogeneous membrane has more activated electroconvective vortices, which lower electrical resistance in the overlimiting current regime. We anticipate that this work can contribute to the fundamental understanding of the ion transport characteristics depending on the homogeneity of ion exchange membranes.

Tungsten oxide(WO3) films with uniform surface morphology are fabricated using a spin-coating method for applications of electrochromic(EC) devices. To improve the EC performances of the WO3 films, we control the heating rate of the annealing process to 10, 5, and 1 oC/min. Compared to the other samples, the WO3 films fabricated at a heating rate of 5 oC/min shows superior EC performances for transmittance modulation(49.5 %), response speeds(8.3 s in a colored state and 11.2 s in a bleached state), and coloration efficiency(37.3 cm2/C). This performance improvement is mainly related to formation of a uniform surface morphology with increased particle size without any cracks by an optimized annealing heating rate, which improves the electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity of the WO3 films. Thus, the WO3 films with a uniform surface morphology prepared by the optimized annealing heating rate can be used as a potential candidate for performance improvement of the EC devices.

Surface morphology and optical properties such as transmittance and haze effect of glass etched by physical and chemical etching processes were investigated. The physical etching process was carried out by pen type sandblasting process with 15~20 μm dia. of Al2O3 media; the chemical etching process was conducted using HF-based mixed etchant. Sandblasting was performed in terms of variables such as the distance of 8 cm between the gun nozzle and the glass substrate, the fixed air pressure of 0.5bar, and the constant speed control of the specimen stage. The chemical etching process was conducted with mixed etching solution prepared by combination of BHF (Buffered Hydrofluoric Acid), HCl, and distilled water. The morphology of the glass surface after sandblasting process displayed sharp collision vestiges with nonuniform shapes that could initiate fractures. The haze values of the sandblasted glass were quantitatively acceptable. However, based on visual observation, the desirable Anti-Glare effect was not achieved. On the other hand, irregularly shaped and sharp vestiges transformed into enlarged and smooth micro-spherical craters with the subsequent chemical etching process. The curvature of the spherical crater increased distinctly by 60 minutes and decreased gradually with increasing etching time. Further, the spherical craters with reduced curvature were uniformly distributed over the etched glass surface. The haze value increased sharply up to 55 % and the transmittance decreased by 90 % at 60 minutes of etching time. The ideal haze value range of 3~7 % and transmittance value range of above 90 % were achieved in the period of 240 to 720 minutes of etching time for the selected concentration of the chemical etchant.

In this study, highly sensitive hydrogen micro gas sensors of the multi-layer and micro-heater type were designed and fabricated using the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) process and palladium catalytic metal. The dimensions of the fabricated hydrogen gas sensor were about 5mm×4mm and the sensing layer of palladium metal was deposited in the middle of the device. The sensing palladium films were modified to be nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structures using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and nano-sized polystyrene beads, respectively. The sensitivities (Rs), which are the ratio of the relative resistance were significantly improved and reached levels of 0.783% and 1.045 % with 2,000 ppm H2 at 70˚C for nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structured Pd films, respectively, on the other hand, the sensitivity was 0.638% for the plain Pd thin film. The improvement of sensitivities for the nano-honeycomb and nano-hemisphere structured Pd films with respect to the plain Pd-thin film was thought to be due to the nanoporous surface topographies of AAO and nano-sized polystyrene beads.

The electrical properties and surface morphology changes of a silicon wafer as a function of the HF concentration as the wafer is etched were studied. The HF concentrations were 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 wt%. The surface morphology changes of the silicon wafer were measured by an SEM (80˚ tilted at ×200) and the resistivity was measured by assessing the surface resistance using a four-point probe method. The etching rate increased as the HF concentration increased. The maximum etching rate 27.31 μm/min was achieved at an HF concentration of 36 wt%. A concave wave formed on the wafer after the wet etching process. The size of the wave was largest and the resistivity reached 7.54 ohm·cm at an 30 wt% of HF concentration. At an HF concentration of 30 wt%, therefore, a silicon wafer should have good joining strength with a metal backing as well as good electrical properties.

For fabricating silicon solar cells with high conversion efficiency, texturing is one of the most effective techniques to increase short circuit current by enhancing light trapping. In this study, four different types of textures, large V-groove, large U-groove, small V-groove, and small U-groove, were prepared by a wet etching process. Silicon substrates with V-grooves were fabricated by an anisotropic etching process using a KOH solution mixed with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and the size of the V-grooves was controlled by varying the concentration of IPA. The isotropic etching process following anisotropic etching resulted in U-grooves and the isotropic etching time was determined to obtain U-grooves with an opening angle of approximately 60˚. The results indicated that U-grooves had a larger diffuse reflectance than V-grooves and the reflectances of small grooves was slightly higher than those of large grooves depending on the size of the grooves. Then amorphous Si:H thin film solar cells were fabricated on textured substrates to investigate the light trapping effect of textures with different shapes and sizes. Among the textures fabricated in this work, the solar cells on the substrate with small U-grooves had the largest short circuit current, 19.20 mA/cm2. External quantum efficiency data also demonstrated that the small, U-shape textures are more effective for light trapping than large, V-shape textures.

표면조도에 의해 발생하는 난류유동은 공학적, 물리적 분야에서 매우 중요하게 다루어지고 있다. 표면조도는 선박에서도 설계, 용접, 도장 등 각각의 단계에서 다양한 측면으로 고려되어야 할 중요한 요소이다. 본 연구는 표면조도 형상을 일반화하여 PIV기법을 적용하여 수조실험을 수행하였다. 표면조도 조건은 거칠기 형상의 간격에 대해 변화를 주었으며, 실험유속은 Re = 1.1×104, Re = 2.0×104, Re = 2.9×104 에서 시간평균에 대한 난류강도를 알아보았다. 거칠기 계수 증가에 따라 표면 거칠기 형상 근처에서 발생한 난류성분에 의해 난류강도는 강하게 나타났으며, 자유흐름 영역으로 갈수록 유동 방향의 변동이 전혀 없는 흐름이 나타났다. 실험유속 조건 변화에 대한 난류강도의 편차는 크게 영향을 받지 않았다.

This study examined the effect of current density on the surface morphology and physical properties of copper plated on a polyimide (PI) film. The morphology, crystal structure, and electric characteristics of the electrodeposited copper foil were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and a four-point probe, respectively. The surface roughness, crystal growth orientation and resistivity was controlled using current density. Large particles were observed on the surface of the copper layer electroplated onto a current density of 25 mA/cm2. However, a uniform surface and lower resistivity were obtained with a current density of 10 mA/cm2. One of the important properties of FCCL is the flexibility of the copper foil. High flexibility of FCCL was obtained at a low current density rather than a high current density. Moreover, a reasonable current density is 20 mA/cm2 considering the productivity and mechanical properties of copper foil.

Changes in surface morphology and roughness of dc sputtered ZnO:Al/Ag back reflectors by varying the deposition temperature and their influence on the performance of flexible silicon thin film solar cells were systematically investigated. By increasing the deposition temperature from 25˚C to 500˚C, the grain size of Ag thin films increased from 100 nm to 1000 nm and the grain size distribution became irregular, which resulted in an increment of surface roughness from 6.6 nm to 46.6 nm. Even after the 100 nm thick ZnO:Al film deposition, the surface morphology and roughness of the ZnO:Al/Ag double structured back reflectors were the same as those of the Ag layers, meaning that the ZnO:Al films were deposited conformally on the Ag films without unnecessary changes in the surfacefeatures. The diffused reflectance of the back reflectors improved significantly with the increasing grain size and surface roughness of the Ag films, and in particular, an enhanced diffused reflectance in the long wavelength over 800 nm was observed in the Ag back reflectors deposited at 500˚C, which had an irregular grain size distribution of 200-1000 nm and large surface roughness. The improved light scattering properties on the rough ZnO:Al/Ag back reflector surfaces led to an increase of light trapping in the solar cells, and this resulted in a noticeable improvement in the Jsc values from 9.94 mA/cm2 for the flat Ag back reflector at 25˚C to 13.36 mA/cm2 for the rough one at 500˚C. A conversion efficiency of 7.60% (Voc = 0.93, Jsc = 13.36 mA/cm2, FF = 61%) was achieved in the flexible silicon thin film solar cells at this moment.

표면 플라즈몬 공명을 이용한 센서는 굴절계 기기의 일종으로서 높은 감도를 가질 뿐만 아니라 비표지 방식이라는 장점을 가지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 재래식 SPR 칩을 이용하여 시판 술 4종의 알코올 함량을 측정하였다. 또한, 재래식 SPR 칩의 감도를 개선하기 위하여 금 박막 위에 금으로 나노형상을 구축하여 나노형상 SPR 칩을 제조하여 모형 술에 대한 감도 개선 효과를 분석하였다. 재래식 SPR 칩을 이용하여 시판 술의 알코올 함량을 측정하기 위한 검량선을 개발하였을 때 시료를 전처리 하지 않고 그대로 측정하였을 때 가장 좋은 검량선을 얻을 수 있었다. 소주, 청주, 이과두주, 탁주 등 시판 술 4종에 대한 1차 회귀식의 검량식에서 결정계수는 각각 0.992, 0.933, 0.918, 그리고 0.984로 나타났다. 한편, 재래식 SPR 칩의 감도를 개선하기 위해 나노형상 SPR 칩을 제조하기 위하여 Langmuir-Blodgett(LB) 방법을 활용하였다. 본 연구에서는 수십 nm 두께의 금 박막을 바닥층으로 하여 그 위에 나노 크기의 실리카 입자를 단분자 층으로 덮어 형틀을 제조하고 다시 그 위에 금을 증착한 후 실리카 입자를 제거하는 방법으로 나노형상을 갖는 SPR 칩을 제조하였다. 나노형상 SPR 칩의 성능을 평가하였을 때 20% 알코올 함량을 가지는 모형 술에 대해서 바닥층의 두께가 50 nm, 나노형상에서 골의 깊이가 20 nm, 나노형상의 배열주기가 300 nm일 때 SPR의 감도가 가장 좋아서 95%의 감도 향상을 얻을 수 있었다. SPR의 감도는 칩과 관련된 인자, 시료의 종류 및 상태에 따라 다르게 나타날 수 있으므로 측정 목적에 알맞은 칩의 설계와 선택이 요구된다.

Reflection properties, such as specular reflection and diffuse reflection, are very important optical properties for the reflector, which has high reflectance in the display and architecture industry. Calcite is lowcost, nontoxic, and stable over a wide temperature range. Therefore, it is one of the most widely using fillers in many industries and has some advantages over titania as a filler to improve reflectance. However, optical properties, especially those of ceramic-filled composites, have not been analyzed. We studied the reflectance of calcite composites with their surface roughness. The reflectance of the composites was determined using a UV-visible spectrometer. The surface morphology and the micro-structure of the composites were investigated by atomic force microscope. The reflectance of the composites was improved by increasing the content of calcite in the calcite-frit composite. The reflectance is related with the surface roughness in the composites. However, the reflectance depends on the calcite contents in materials with similar surface roughness.

Changes in the surface morphology and light scattering of textured Al doped ZnO thin films on glasssubstrates prepared by rf magnetron sputtering were investigated. As-deposited ZnO:Al films show a hightransmittance of above 80% in the visible range and a low electrical resistivity of 4.5×10-4Ω·cm. The surfacemorphology of textured ZnO:Al films are closely dependent on the deposition parameters of heater temperature,working pressure, and etching time in the etching process. The optimized surface morphology with a cratershape is obtained at a heater temperature of 350oC, working pressure of 0.5 mtorr, and etching time of 45seconds. The optical properties of light transmittance, haze, and angular distribution function (ADF) aresignificantly affected by the resulting surface morphologies of textured films. The film surfaces, havinguniformly size-distributed craters, represent good light scattering properties of high haze and ADF values.Compared with commercial Asahi U (SnO2:F) substrates, the suitability of textured ZnO:Al films as frontelectrode material for amorphous silicon thin film solar cells is also estimated with respect to electrical andoptical properties.

The effects of the field emission property in relation to the surface morphology and adhesion force were investigated. The single-wall-nanotube-based cathode was obtained by use of an in-situ arc discharge synthesis method, a screen-printing method and a spray method. The morphologies of the formed emitter layers were very different. The emission stability and uniformity were dramatically improved by employing an in-situ arc discharge synthesis method. In this study, it was confirmed that the current stability and uniformity of the field emission of the cathode depend on the surface morphology and adhesion force of the emitters. The current stability of the field emission device was also studied through an electrical aging process by varying the current and electric field.