Characteristics of ZnO thin film deposited on various metal bottom electrodes

ZnO films for electronic applications were deposited by radio-frequency (rf) sputtering onto various metal bottom electrodes (Pt/Ti, W, Ni) to investigate such structural properties as crystallinity and surface morphology. The crystallinity, surface morphology and composition of the as-deposited films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry (RBS), respectively. The preferred orientation and surface morphologies were strongly influenced by the type of bottom electrodes. The ZnO films with (200) texturing deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si showed a smoother and smaller grain size than those deposited on W and Ni. The ZnO films on Pt and W electrodes exhibited compressive residual stress. This article is based on a presentation made in the 2002 Korea-US symposium on the “Phase Transformations of Nano-Materials”, organized as a special program of the 2002 Annual Meeting of the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials, held at Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea on October 25–26, 2002.     

A study on the thermal characteristics of hydrogen storage vessel related to condition of charging

Recently, study on renewable energy has been carried out due to environmental pollution and depletion of fossil fuels. In particular, hydrogen, a clean energy, is environmentally friendly because it produces only pure water as a by-product of the reaction process. In the case of liquified hydrogen, the energy density is about 848 times higher than that of gas hydrogen, but it is not currently widely used due to technical constraints and other problems because it has to maintain a cryogenic state. Therefore, in this work, numerical method was verified by comparing results of precedent study and this study. And relationship between Reynolds number and Nusselt number was confirmed. Based on this results, code was made by using programming language (Fortran 77) with relationship between Reynolds number and Nusselt number to analyze the state of charge (SOC). Variables were set as mass flow rate, temperature of hydrogen gas, and initial tank temperature. As a result, the effect of hydrogen gas temperature is dominant as a factor that affects the temperature of the fully charged state. Therefore, it is determined that the temperature control of the hydrogen storage will be possible through the hydrogen gas temperature setting.

     

Investigation of open-type 1 kW-scale thermochemical heat storage system with zeolite 13X for power-to-heat applications

This study investigated thermochemical heat storage with zeolite 13X to provide an insight into the design and operation of a heat storage system for power-to-heat (P2H) applications. The heat storage system consists of a storage chamber with 21.2 liters of its capacity stacked by zeolite 13X. Experiments were conducted based on the variation of operating parameters, such as charging temperature, absolute humidity, and flow rate. The results show that the amount of available heat linearly increases with charging temperature; that is, its value at 220 °C is twice that at 100 °C. The maximum energy storage density is calculated as 0.56 GJ/m³. The average heat power varies in the range of 0.4–0.7 kW depending on the amount of supplied water. In addition, a linear correlation between the reacted water and discharged heat is provided. It was confirmed that the thermal storage efficiency was 60–70 %.

     

Site-selective substitution and resulting magnetism in arc-melted perovskite ATiO3-δ (A = Ca,Sr, Ba)

Magnetic properties in perovskite titanates ATiO_3-δ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) were investigated before and after arc melting. Crystal structure analysis was conducted by powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinements. Quantitative chemical element analysis was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Magnetic measurements were conducted by vibrating sample magnetometer and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The magnetic properties are found to be affected by impurities of 3d elements such as Fe, Co, and Ni. Depending on the composition and crystal structure, the occupation of the magnetic ions in perovskite titanates is selectively varied, which is interpreted to be the origin of the different magnetic behaviors in arc-melted perovskite titanates ATiO_3-δ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba). In addition, both formation of oxygen vacancies and the reduction of Ti⁴⁺ to Ti³⁺ during arc-melting also play a role as proven by XMCD. Nevertheless, preferential site occupation of magnetic impurities is dominant in the magnetic properties of arc-melted perovskite ATiO_3-δ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba).     

Preparation of γ-linolenic acid rich triacylglycerol from borage oil via a two-step lipase-catalyzed reaction

γ-Linolenic acid (GLA) rich triacylglycerol (TAG) was successfully synthesized from glyceride, instead of glycerol, and fatty acid (FA) via Lipozyme TL IM-catalyzed esterification as a novel strategy. In the first step, GLA was enriched into glyceride fraction from borage oil by Candida rugosa lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis. The glyceride was separated from the reaction mixture by molecular distillation. GLA was enriched from 20.64% in borage oil to 45.94% in the glyceride fraction under optimum conditions. In the second step, the Lipozyme TL IM-catalyzed synthesis of TAG was carried out with the glyceride, and the FA obtained by saponification of a portion of the glyceride. The optimum conditions were the temperature of 50°C, the enzyme loading of 10%, and the vacuum level of 20 mmHg, respectively. The maximum TAG content of approximately 92% was achieved after 12 h under the optimum conditions.     

Predictively encoded graph convolutional network for noise-robust skeleton-based action recognition

Applied Intelligence - In skeleton-based action recognition, graph convolutional networks (GCNs), which model human body skeletons using graphical components such as nodes and connections, have...     

Smart Skin-Adhesive Patches: From Design to Biomedical Applications

With the advancement of medical and digital technologies, smart skin adhesive patches have emerged as a key player for complex medical purposes. In particular, skin adhesive patches with integrated electronics have created an excellent platform for monitoring health conditions and intelligent medication. However, the efficient design of the adhesive patches is still challenging as it requires a strong combination of network structure, adhesion, physical properties, and biocompatibility. To design an assimilated device, one must have a deep knowledge of various skin adhesive patches. This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent advances in skin-adhesive patches, including hydrogel-based adhesive patches, transdermal patches, and electronic skin (E-skin) patches, for various biomedical applications such as wound healing, drug delivery, biosensing, and health monitoring. Furthermore, the key challenges, implementable strategies, and future designs that can potentially provide researchers in designing innovative multipurpose smart skin patches are discussed. These advanced approaches are promising for managing the health and fitness of patients who require regular medical care.     

Double S-Shaped Polarization – Voltage Curve and Negative Capacitance from Al2O3-Hf0.5Zr0.5O2-Al2O3 Triple-Layer Structure

The negative capacitance (NC) effect, recently discovered in a fluorite-based ferroelectric thin film, has attracted great attention as a rescue to overcome the scaling limitations of the conventional memory and logic devices of highly integrated circuits. The NC effect manifesting an S-shaped polarization–voltage (P–V) curve is initially interpreted by a 1-dimensional Landau Ginzburg Devonshire (LGD) model. However, a series of recent studies have found that this effect can also be explained by the inhomogeneous stray field energy (ISE) model. In this study, by extending the ISE model in the ferroelectric (FE)-dielectric (DE) layered structure, an analytical model that considers the influence of the interfacial screening charge distribution is presented. This model showed that the NC effect in the FE-DE heterostructure can be manifested in various forms other than a single S-shaped P–V curve. In particular, a double S-shaped P–V curve is expected from the fully compensated anti-parallel domain structure, confirmed experimentally in the actual Al₂O₃/(Hf_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂/Al₂O₃ triple-layer structure. Furthermore, to reveal the origin of the double S-shaped P–V curve, a multidomain LGD model is presented. It is confirmed that this phenomenon is attributed to the evolution of inhomogeneous stray field energy.     

Graphene-Encapsulated Bifunctional Catalysts with High Activity and Durability for Zn–Air Battery

Carbon-based electrocatalysts with both high activity and high stability are desirable for use in Zn–air batteries. However, the carbon corrosion reaction (CCR) is a critical obstacle in rechargeable Zn–air batteries. In this study, a cost-effective carbon-based novel material is reported with a high catalytic effect and good durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), prepared via a simple graphitization process. In situ growth of graphene is utilized in a 3D-metal-coordinated hydrogel by introducing a catalytic lattice of transition metal alloys. Due to the direct growth of few-layer graphene on the metal alloy decorated 3d-carbon network, greatly reduced CCR is observed in a repetitive OER test. As a result, an efficient bifunctional electrocatalytic performance is achieved with a low ΔE value of 0.63 V and good electrochemical durability for 83 h at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in an alkaline media. Moreover, graphene-encapsulated transition metal alloys on the nitrogen-doped carbon supporter exhibit an excellent catalytic effect and good durability in a Zn–air battery system. This study suggests a straightforward way to overcome the CCR of carbon-based materials for an electrochemical catalyst with wide application in energy conversion and energy storage devices.     

Chemical Stability and Hydrogen Reaction Behavior of SmCo 2:17-Type Permanent Magnets

Herein, the reaction behavior and chemical stability of two commercially available SmCo 2:17-type sintered magnets with nominal composition of Sm_23.75Co_48.67Fe_balCu_4.91Zr_2.37 and Sm_24.95Co_48.80Fe_balCu_4.46Zr_2.68 (wt%) are investigated. The magnets are placed in a hydrogen atmosphere with systematically varied pressure, exposure time, and temperature ranging from 1–11 bar, 2–10 d, and 25–500 °C, respectively. Hydrogen content, magnetic properties, microstructure, and lattice constants are characterized in detail. It is found that for short exposure times like 2 d an activation temperature of 120 °C is necessary to initiate the reaction and to increase the amount of hydrogen in the Sm–Co material. Hydrogen absorption starts at lower temperatures with longer exposure times. An increase in exposure time, temperature, or pressure leads to a higher hydrogen content and a decrease in remanence B_r, energy product (BH)_max, and coercivity H_cB. Lattice expansion, estimated by X-ray diffraction analysis, correlates with the increasing amount of hydrogen in the Sm–Co magnets. With respect to all varied parameters under investigation, the exposure temperature has the highest impact on the observed property changes followed by reaction time and H₂ pressure.