Piezoelectric technology, which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, has recently attracted drawn considerable attention in the industry. Among the many kinds of piezoelectric materials, BaTiO₃ nanotube arrays, which have outstanding uniformity and anisotropic orientation compared to nanowire-based arrays, can be fabricated using a simple synthesis process. In this study, we developed a flexible piezoelectric energy harvester (f-PEH) based on a composite film with PVDF-coated BaTiO₃ nanotube arrays through sequential anodization and hydrothermal synthesis processes. The f-PEH fabricated using the piezoelectric composite film exhibited excellent piezoelectric performance and high flexibility compared to the previously reported BaTiO₃ nanotube array-based energy harvester. These results demonstrate the possibility for widely application with high performance by our advanced f-PEH technique based on BaTiO₃ nanotube arrays.

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• Flexible Thermoelectric Energy Harvester with Stacked Structure of Thermoelectric Composite Films Made of PVDF and Bi2Te3-Based Particles
  Da Eun Shin, Nagamalleswara Rao Alluri, Kwi-Il Park
  ACS Applied Energy Materials.2024; 7(19): 8288.     CrossRef
• CoFe2O4-BaTiO3 core-shell-embedded flexible polymer composite as an efficient magnetoelectric energy harvester
  Bitna Bae, Nagamalleswara Rao Alluri, Cheol Min Kim, Jungho Ryu, Gwang Hyeon Kim, Hyeon Jun Park, Changyeon Baek, Min-Ku Lee, Gyoung-Ja Lee, Geon-Tae Hwang, Kwi-Il Park
  Materials Today Physics.2024; 48: 101567.     CrossRef

Small-film-type ion sensors are garnering considerable interest in the fields of wearable healthcare and home-based monitoring systems. The performance of these sensors primarily relies on electrode capacitance, often employing nanocomposite materials composed of nano- and sub-micrometer particles. Traditional techniques for enhancing capacitance involve the creation of nanoparticles on film electrodes, which require cost-intensive and complex chemical synthesis processes, followed by additional coating optimization. In this study, we introduce a simple one-step electrochemical method for fabricating gold nanoparticles on a carbon nanotube (Au NP–CNT) electrode surface through cyclic voltammetry deposition. Furthermore, we assess the improvement in capacitance by distinguishing between the electrical double-layer capacitance and diffusion-controlled capacitance, thereby clarifying the principles underpinning the material design. The Au NP–CNT electrode maintains its stability and sensitivity for up to 50 d, signifying its potential for advanced ion sensing. Additionally, integration with a mobile wireless data system highlights the versatility of the sensor for health applications.

One-dimensional (1D) piezoelectric nanostructures are attractive candidates for energy generation because of their excellent piezoelectric properties attributed to their high aspect ratios and large surface areas. Vertically grown BaTiO₃ nanotube (NT) arrays on conducting substrates are intensively studied because they can be easily synthesized with excellent uniformity and anisotropic orientation. In this study, we demonstrate the synthesis of 1D BaTiO₃ NT arrays on a conductive Ti substrate by electrochemical anodization and sequential hydrothermal reactions. Subsequently, we explore the effect of hydrothermal reaction conditions on the piezoelectric energy conversion efficiency of the BaTiO₃ NT arrays. Vertically aligned TiO2 NT arrays, which act as the initial template, are converted into BaTiO₃ NT arrays using hydrothermal reaction with various concentrations of the Ba source and reaction times. To validate the electrical output performance of the BaTiO₃ NT arrays, we measure the electricity generated from each NT array packaged with a conductive metal foil and epoxy under mechanical pushings. The generated output voltage signals from the BaTiO₃ NT arrays increase with increasing concentration of the Ba source and reaction time. These results provide a new strategy for fabricating advanced 1D piezoelectric nanostructures by demonstrating the correlation between hydrothermal reaction conditions and piezoelectric output performance.

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• Fabrication of Flexible Energy Harvester Based on BaTiO₃ Piezoelectric Nanotube Arrays
  Seo Young Yoon, Cheol Min Kim, Bitna Bae, Yujin Na, Haksu Jang, Kwi-Il Park
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2023; 30(6): 521.     CrossRef

Quantum dots (QDs) are an attractive material for application in solar energy conversion devices because of their unique properties including facile band-gap tuning, a high-absorption coefficient, low-cost processing, and the potential multiple exciton generation effect. Recently, highly efficient quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) have been developed based on CdSe, PbS, CdS, and Cu-In-Se QDs. However, for the commercialization and wide application of these QDSCs, replacing the conventional rigid glass substrates with flexible substrates is required. Here, we demonstrate flexible CISe QDSCs based on vertically aligned TiO₂ nanotube (NT) electrodes. The highly uniform TiO₂ NT electrodes are prepared by two-step anodic oxidation. Using these flexible photoanodes and semi-transparent Pt counter electrodes, we fabricate the QDSCs and examine their photovoltaic properties. In particular, photovoltaic performances are optimized by controlling the nanostructure of TiO₂ NT electrodes.

A conductive additive is prepared by dispersing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on Cu powder by mechanical milling and is distributed in epoxy to enhance its electrical conductivity. During milling, the MWCNTs are dispersed and partially embedded on the surface of the Cu powder to provide electrically conductive pathways within the epoxy-based composite. The degree of dispersion of the MWCNTs is controlled by varying the milling medium and the milling time. The MWCNTs are found to be more homogeneously dispersed when solvents (particularly, non-polar solvent, i.e., NMP) are used. MWCNTs gradually disperse on the surface of Cu powder because of the plastic deformation of the ductile Cu powder. However, long-time milling is found to destroy the molecular structure of MWCNTs, instead of effectively dispersing the MWCNTs more uniformly. Thus, the epoxy composite film fabricated in this study exhibits a higher electrical conductivity than 1.1 S/cm.

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• Effects of Morphologies of Carbon Nanomaterials on Conductivity of Composites Containing Copper/Carbon Nanomaterial Hybrid Fillers
  Yeonjoo Lee, Sung-uk Hong, Hyunjoo Choi
  Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2018; 25(5): 435.     CrossRef

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–copper (Cu) composites are successfully fabricated by a combination of a binder-free wet mixing and spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. The SPS is performed under various conditions to investigate optimized processing conditions for minimizing the structural defects of CNTs and densifying the MWCNT–Cu composites. The electrical conductivities of MWCNT–Cu composites are slightly increased for compositions containing up to 1 vol.% CNT and remain above the value for sintered Cu up to 2 vol.% CNT. Uniformly dispersed CNTs in the Cu matrix with clean interfaces between the treated MWCNT and Cu leading to effective electrical transfer from the treated MWCNT to the Cu is believed to be the origin of the improved electrical conductivity of the treated MWCNT–Cu composites. The results indicate the possibility of exploiting CNTs as a contributing reinforcement phase for improving the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties in the Cu matrix composites.

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• Proposing Machine Learning Models Suitable for Predicting Open Data Utilization
  Junyoung Jeong, Keuntae Cho
  Sustainability.2024; 16(14): 5880.     CrossRef

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are receiving great attention because of their unusual material properties, such as high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and electrical resistance. However, high-throughput and highefficiency synthesis of BNNTs has been hindered due to the high boiling point of boron (~ 4000°C) and weak interaction between boron and nitrogen. Although, hydrogen-catalyzed plasma synthesis has shown potential for scalable synthesis of BNNTs, the direct use of H₂ gas as a precursor material is not strongly recommended, as it is extremely flammable. In the present study, BNNTs have been synthesized using radio-frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma (RF-ITP) catalyzed by solid-state ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl), a safe catalyst materials for BNNT synthesis. Similar to BNNTs synthesized from h-BN (hexagonal boron nitride) + H₂, successful fabrication of BNNTs synthesized from h-BN+NH₄Cl is confirmed by their sheet-like properties, FE-SEM images, and XRD analysis. In addition, improved dispersion properties in aqueous solution are found in BNNTs synthesized from h-BN +NH₄Cl.

In the present work, we use multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as the starting material for the fabrication of sintered carbon steel. A comparison is made with conventionally sintered carbon steel, where graphite is used as the starting material. Milling is performed using a horizontal mill sintered in a vacuum furnace. We analyze the grain size, number of pores, X-ray diffraction patterns, and microstructure. Changes in the physical properties are determined by using the Archimedes method and Vickers hardness measurements. The result shows that the use of MWCNTs instead of graphite significantly reduces the size and volume of the pores as well as the grain size after sintering. The addition of Y₂O₃.to the Fe-MWCNT samples further inhibits the growth of grains.

The formation mechanism and photocatalytic properties of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/TiO₂- based nanotube (TNTs) composite are investigated. The CNT/TNT composite is synthesized via a solution chemical route. It is confirmed that this 1-D nanotube composite has a core-shell nanotubular structure, where the TNT surrounds the CNT core. The photocatalytic activity investigated based on the methylene blue degradation test is superior to that of with pure TNT. The CNTs play two important roles in enhancing the photocatalytic activity. One is to act as a template to form the core-shell structure while titanate nanosheets are converted into nanotubes. The other is to act as an electron reservoir that facilitates charge separation and electron transfer from the TNT, thus decreasing the electronhole recombination efficiency.

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• Low-Dimensional Carbon and Titania Nanotube Composites via a Solution Chemical Process and Their Nanostructural and Electrical Properties for Electrochemical Devices
  Sunghun Eom, Sung Hun Cho, Tomoyo Goto, Myoung Pyo Chun, Tohru Sekino
  ACS Applied Nano Materials.2019; 2(10): 6230.     CrossRef

In the present work, we apply a technique that has been used for the expansion of graphite to multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The nanotubes are rapidly heated for a short duration, followed by immersion in acid solution, so that they undergo expansion. The diameter of the expanded CNTs is 5-10 times larger than that of the asreceived nanotubes. This results in considerable swelling of the CNTs and opening of the tube tips, which may facilitate the accessibility of lithium ions into the inner holes and the interstices between the nanotube walls. The Li-ion storage capacity of the expanded nanotubes is measured by using the material as an anode in Li-ion cells. The result show that the discharge capacity of the expanded nanotubes in the first cycle is as high as 2,160 mAh/g, which is about 28% higher than that of the un-treated MWCNT anode. However, the charge/discharge capacity quickly drops in subsequent cycles and finally reaches equilibrium values of ~370 mAh/g. This is possibly due to the destruction of the lattice structures by repeated intercalation of Li ions.

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.

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• A Study on Residual Powder Removing Technique of Multi-Layered Graphene Based on Graphene One-Step Transfer Process
  Chae-young Woo, Yeongsu Jo, Soon-kyu Hong, Hyung Woo Lee
  Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2019; 26(1): 11.     CrossRef
• Fabrication of robust, ultrathin and light weight, hydrophilic, PVDF-CNT membrane composite for salt rejection
  Vivek Dhand, Soon Kyu Hong, Luhe Li, Jong-Man Kim, Soo Hyung Kim, Kyong Yop Rhee, Hyung Woo Lee
  Composites Part B: Engineering.2019; 160: 632.     CrossRef

This study is performed to fabricate a Ti porous body by freeze drying process using titanium hydride (TiH2) powder and camphene. Then, the Ti porous body is employed to synthesize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using thermal catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) with Fe catalyst and methane (CH4) gas to increase the specific surface area. The synthesized Ti porous body has 100 μm-sized macropores and 10-30 μm-sized micropores. The synthesized CNTs have random directions and are entangled with adjacent CNTs. The CNTs have a bamboo-like structure, and their average diameter is about 50 nm. The Fe nano-particles observed at the tip of the CNTs indicate that the tip growth model is applicable. The specific surface area of the CNT-coated Ti porous body is about 20 times larger than that of the raw Ti porous body. These CNT-coated Ti porous bodies are expected to be used as filters or catalyst supports.

In this study, bulk nickel-carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites are synthesized by a novel method which includes a combination of ultrasonication, electrical explosion of wire in liquid and spark plasma sintering. The mechanical characteristics of the bulk Ni-CNT composites synthesized with CNT contents of 0.7, 1, 3 and 5 wt.% are investigated. X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques are used to observe the different phases, morphologies and structures of the composite powders as well as the sintered samples. The obtained results reveal that the as-synthesized composite exhibits substantial enhancement in the microhardness and values more than 140 HV are observed. However an empirical reinforcement limit of 3 wt.% is determined for the CNT content, beyond which, there is no significant improvement in the mechanical properties.

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• Fabrication of nanocomposites by electric explosion of stainless steel capillaries filled with carbon nanotubes
  Tao Jiang, Zhongyu Hou
  Applied Surface Science.2020; 513: 145824.     CrossRef
• Effect of a nano-sized TiC particle addition on the flow-assisted corrosion resistance of SA 106B carbon steel
  Jin-Ju Park, Eun-Kwang Park, Gyoung-Ja Lee, Chang-Kyu Rhee, Min-Ku Lee
  Applied Surface Science.2017; 415: 143.     CrossRef

We demonstrate the electrochromic properties of TiO₂ nanotubes prepared by an anodization process and investigate the effects of heat treatment and viologen incorporation on them. The morphology and crystal structure of anodized TiO₂ nanotubes are investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. As-formed TiO₂ nanotubes have straight tubular layers with an amorphous structure. As the annealing temperature increases, the anodized TiO₂ nanotubes are converted to the anatase and rutile phases with some cracks on the tube surface and irregular morphology. Electrochemical results reveal that amorphous TiO₂ nanotubes annealed at 150°C have the largest oxidation/ reduction current, which leads to the best electrochromic performance during the coloring/bleaching process. Viologenanchored TiO₂ nanotubes show superior electrochromic properties compared to pristine TiO₂ nanotubes, which indicates that the incorporation of a viologen can be an effective way to enhance the electrochromic properties of TiO₂ nanotubes.

In this study, we demonstrate the photoelectrochromic devices composed of TiO₂ and WO₃ nanostructures prepared by anodization method. The morphology and the crystal structure of anodized TiO₂ nanotubes and WO₃ nanoporous layers are investigated by SEM and XRD. To fabricate a transparent photoelectrode on FTO substrate, a TiO₂ nanotube membrane, which has been detached from Ti substrate, is transferred to FTO substrate and annealed at 450°C for 1 hr. The photoelectrode of TiO₂ nanotube and the counter electrode of WO₃ nanoporous layer are assembled and the inner space is filled with a liquid electrolyte containing 0.5 M LiI and 5 mM I₂ as a redox mediator. The properties of the photoelectrochromic devices is investigated and Pt-WO₃ electrode system shows better electrochromic performance compared toWO₃ electrode.

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• Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped TiO 2 coatings on reduced graphene oxide for enhancing the visible light photocatalytic activity
  Yifan Zhang, Hye Mee Yang, Soo-Jin Park
  Current Applied Physics.2018; 18(2): 163.     CrossRef
• Photocatalytic and Adsorption Properties of WO3 Nanorods Prepared by Hydrothermal Synthesis
  Su-Yeol Yu, Chunghee Nam
  Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2017; 24(6): 483.     CrossRef
• Synthesis and Photo Catalytic Activity of 10 wt%, 20 wt%Li-TiO2 Composite Powders
  Hyeong-Chul Kim, Jae-Kil Han
  Journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2016; 23(1): 33.     CrossRef