Over the last decade, the study of the synthesis of semiconductor colloidal quantum dots has progressed at a tremendous rate. Colloidal quantum dots, which possess unique spectral-luminescent characteristics, are of great interest in the development of novel materials and devices, which are promising for use in various fields. Several studies have been carried out on hot injection synthesis methods. However, these methods have been found to be unsuitable for large-capacity synthesis. Therefore, this review paper introduces synthesis methods other than the hot injection synthesis method, to synthesize quantum dots with excellent optical properties, through continuous synthesis and large capacity synthesis. In addition, examples of the application of synthesized colloid quantum dots in displays, solar cells, and bio industries are provided.

Much attention has been paid to thermally conductive materials for efficient heat dissipation of electronic devices to maintain their functionality and to support lifetime span. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which has a high thermal conductivity, is one of the most suitable materials for thermally conductive composites. In this study, we synthesize h-BN nanocrystals by pyrolysis of cost-effective precursors, boric acid, and melamine. Through pyrolysis at 900°C and subsequent annealing at 1500°C, h-BN nanoparticles with diameters of ~80 nm are synthesized. We demonstrate that the addition of small amounts of Eu-containing salts during the preparation of melamine borate precursors significantly enhanced the crystallinity of h-BN. In particular, addition of Eu assists the growth of h-BN nanoplatelets with diameters up to ~200 nm. Polymer composites containing both spherical Al₂O₃ (70 vol%) and Eu-doped h-BN nanoparticles (4 vol%) show an enhanced thermal conductivity (λ ~ 1.72W/mK), which is larger than the thermal conductivity of polymer composites containing spherical Al2O3 (70 vol%) as the sole fillers (λ ~ 1.48W/mK).

We report a synthesis of non-toxic InP nanocrystals using non-pyrolytic precursors instead of pyrolytic and unstable tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphine, a popular precursor for synthesis of InP nanocrystals. In this study, InP nanocrystals are successfully synthesized using hexaethyl phosphorous triamide (HPT) and the synthesized InP nanocrystals showed a broad and weak photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. As synthesized InP nanocrystals are subjected to further surface modification process to enhance their stability and photoluminescence. Surface modification of InP nanocrystals is done at 230°C using 1-dodecanethiol, zinc acetate and fatty acid as sources of ZnS shell. After surface modification, the synthesized InP/ZnS nanocrystals show intense PL spectra centered at the emission wavelength 612 nm through 633 nm. The synthesized InP/ZnS core/shell structure is confirmed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES). After surface modification, InP/ZnS nanocrystals having narrow particle size distribution are observed by Field Emission Transmission Electron Microscope (FE-TEM). In contrast to uncapped InP nanocrystals, InP/ZnS nanocrystals treated with a newly developed surface modified procedure show highly enhanced PL spectra with quantum yield of 47%.

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• Synthesis and Properties of InP/ZnS core/shell Nanoparticles with One-pot process
  So Yeong Joo, Myung Hwan Hong, Leeseung Kang, Tae Hyung Kim, Chan Gi Lee
  Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2017; 24(1): 11.     CrossRef

In this study, we synthesize silica-core gold-satellite nanoparticles (SGNPs) for the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based sensing applications. They consist of gold satellite nanoparticles (AuNPs) fixed on the silica core nanoparticles, which sizes of AuNPs can be tunned by varying the amount of reactants (growth solution and reducing agent). Their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) properties were characterized by using UV-vis spectroscopy, showing that the growth of AuNPs on silica cores leads to the light absorption in the longer wavelength region. Furthermore, the size increase of AuNPs exhibited the dramatic change in SERS activity due to the formation of hot spots. The optimized SGNPs showing enhancement factor~3.8×10⁶ exhibited a detection limit of rhodamine 6G (R6G) as low as 10⁻⁸ M. These findings suggest the importance of size control of SGNPs and their SPR properties to develop highly efficient SERS sensors.

In this study, we prepare polymer solar cells incorporating organic ligand-modified Ag nanoparticles (OAgNPs) highly dispersed in the P3HT:PCBM layer. Ag nanoparticles decorated with water-dispersible ligands (WAgNPs) were also utilized as a control sample. The existence of the ligands on the Ag surface was confirmed by FTIR spectra. Metal nanoparticles with different surface chemistries exhibited different dispersion tendencies. O-AgNPs were highly dispersed even at high concentrations, whereas W-AgNPs exhibited significant aggregation in the polymer layer. Both dispersion and blending concentration of the Ag nanoparticles in P3HT:PCBM matrix had critical effects on the device performance as well as light absorption. The significant changes in short-circuit current density (J_SC) of the solar cells seemed to be related to the change in the polymer morphology according to the concentration of AgNPs introduced. These findings suggested the importance of uniform dispersion of plasmonic metal nanoparticles and their blending concentration conditions in order to boost the solar cell performance.

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• Application of Physical and Chemical Enhanced Backwashing to Reduce Membrane Fouling in the Water Treatment Process Using Ceramic Membranes
  Seogyeong Park, Joon-Seok Kang, Jeong Lee, Thi-Kim-Quyen Vo, Han-Seung Kim
  Membranes.2018; 8(4): 110.     CrossRef
• Effects of particle size and forming pressure on pore properties of Fe-Cr-Al porous metal by pressureless sintering
  Bon-Uk Koo, Yujeong Yi, Minjeong Lee, Byoung-Kee Kim
  Metals and Materials International.2017; 23(2): 336.     CrossRef
• Characterization and Microstructure of an Extruded Flat-Tubular-Type Alumina Filter
  Byung-Seo Bae, Jang-Hoon Ha, In-Hyuck Song
  Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society.2014; 51(5): 406.     CrossRef