Dye adsorption is one of the most time-consuming processes in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), typically requiring approximately 24 h at room temperature. In this study, the effect of adsorption temperature and time on photovoltaic performance of DSSCs was investigated in order to reduce processing time and improve device productivity. Nanoporous TiO2 photoelectrodes were immersed in N719 dye solution at 60°C for 3 h, 10 h, 17 h, and 24 h, and their performance was compared with that of cells sensitized at room temperature for 24 h. Photovoltaic characterization under AM 1.5 illumination showed that DSSCs sensitized at 60°C exhibited improved performance compared to those sensitized at room temperature. The device sensitized at 60°C for 3 h showed comparable or higher conversion efficiency than the reference cell sensitized for 24 h at room temperature. The improvement in device performance is attributed to enhanced dye adsorption kinetics resulting from increased reaction rate between the carboxyl groups of N719 dye molecules and hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 surface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed reduced recombination resistance at the TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface for cells sensitized at elevated temperature. UV–Vis absorption analysis confirmed increased dye loading on the TiO2 surface for the 60°C condition. These results demonstrate that elevated temperature dye adsorption significantly reduces processing time while maintaining photovoltaic performance, providing an effective strategy for improving manufacturing efficiency of DSSCs.
In this study, we investigated the electrical stability and performance enhancement of In₂O₃ thin-film transistors (TFTs) through hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and ultraviolet (UV) treatment under controlled temperature conditions. The In₂O₃ TFTs were fabricated using a sol-gel process, followed by H₂O₂ treatment at 40, 50, and 60℃ in combination with UV irradiation. The impact of these processing conditions on the device characteristics, including mobility (μ), threshold voltage (Vth), subthreshold swing (S/S), and on/off current ratio, was systematically analyzed. The results indicate that the 50℃ TFTs exhibited the most stable electrical performance, with minimal Vth shift under negative bias stress (NBS) conditions and optimized switching behavior. Furthermore, static inverter measurements confirmed the reliable voltage transfer characteristics (VTCs) and gain performance of the optimized In₂O₃ TFTs. These findings suggest that the proposed H₂O₂ and UV treatment technique can effectively improve the reliability and long-term stability of In₂O₃-based electronic devices, making them promising candidates for future electronic applications.
Nano Pt particles were dispersed on carbon-based supports by a polyol process for a catalyst application in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. We tried to optimize the effect of pH on the electrostatic forces between the support and the Pt colloids. We investigated the relationship among the surface charges on the carbon support, the solution pH, and the concentration of a glycolate, and the Pt particle size. The produced catalyst with nano Pt particles on the support was evaluated by the long-term cyclic voltammetry (CV) performance test and compared with the results from a commercial catalyst. Our experimental results reveal that the pH-control can modify the particle size distribution and the dispersion of the nano Pt particles. This resulted in a cost-effective method for the synthesis of highly Pt loaded Pt/C catalysts for fuel cells better than a commercial catalyst system.
Global warming is accelerating due to the use of fossil fuels that have been used continuously for centuries. Now, humankind recognizes its seriousness, and is conducting research on searching for eco-friendly and sustainable energy. In the field of solar energy, which is a kind of eco-friendly and sustainable, many studies are being conducted to enhance the output performance of the module. In this study, the output improvement for the shingled module structure was studied. In order to improve the output performance of the module, the thickness of the encapsulant was increased, and the lamination process conditions have been improved accordingly. After that, the crosslinking rate was analyzed, and the suitability of the lamination process conditions was judged using this. In addition, a peeling test was conducted to analyze the correlation between the adhesion of the encapsulant and the output performance of the module. Finally, the optimization for the encapsulant material and the lamination process conditions for high-power shingled modules was established, and accordingly, the market share of high-power shingled modules in the solar module market can be expected to rise.
The SiO2/TiO2 multilayer thin films used for narrow band pass filter were fabricated using E-beam evaporation method. The narrow band pass filter was used to enhance the resolution of spectroscopy and sensor applications with near infrared (NIR) light source. The narrow band pass filter with multilayer thin films were designed with Essential Macleod program. The multilayers of SiO2/TiO2 with 32 layers were deposited on the silicon encapsulation of IR with peak wavelength (λp) of 660 nm and NIR LEDs with λp of 830 nm, 880 nm, and 955 nm. After NIR light passed through the narrow band pass filter, the full width of half maximum of 33.4~48.6 nm became narrow to 20~24 nm owing to the absorption of photons with short or long wavelength of designed band of 20 nm. The SiO2/TiO2 band pass filter fabricated in this study can be used for sensor, optoelectronics, and NIR spectroscopy applications.
CNT fiber has been in the spotlight as a conductor, but the conductivity of CNT fibers do not match that of CNT. This study reveals that the conductivity of CNT fiber can be improved by depositing Al/Cu through vacuum evaporation. Cu is commonly used for deposition on CNT fibers. But low bonding strength of the interface between CNT and Cu could be a disadvantage. To overcome this, Al was deposited on the CNT fiber for forming aluminum carbide islands to increase the interfacial bonding strength. The conductivity characteristics were improved as the deposition time increased. The resistance was measured as a function of temperature, demonstrating that the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is improved to be 241 ppm/℃ in comparison with that of as-received CNT fibers at -1,251 ppm/℃, when the CNT fibers are deposited with Al and Cu, respectively, for 90s and for 540s.
Using both EVA and POE encapsulants, we fabricated polycrystalline Si PV modules and performed a set of reliability tests of PID, DH, TC, and Complex prior to outdoor installation. The power output with temperatures and insolation as well as I-V characteristics had been monitored under outdoor environments for 18 months. In the entire period, the total power of 3,576 kWh from POE PV modules was observed larger than 3,449 kWh from EVA PV modules by 3.5%. All the PV modules showed a 5.6~9.2% drop in the conversion efficiency. As for the solar power generation, the PV modules performed through PID, TC test revealed distinct difference in between EVA and POE for which the POE PV module produced more power by +11.4% and +6.6%, respectively, as measured in the 18th month. In addition, POE was proved to protect better the solar cells under PID influence.
In this paper, EPR (ethylene propylene rubber) insulation material was accelerated degradation test at 121℃, 136℃, 151℃, and experiment the typical EAB (elongation at break) at mechanical characteristics analysis. It is shown that the failure-time at the point of 50% of the initial value of Elongation rate to obtain the activation energy. The failure-time was shown each 5,219 hr, 3,165 hr, and 668 hr at three temperatures. In order to derive the activation energy, Arrhenius methodology was applied. Also, we got the Arrhenius plot from three accelerated temperatures. The activation energy values got 0.98 eV from EAB test. The experimental data were evaluated for estimating the probability density, and the suitable distribution by using statistical program MINITAB. It is shown that EAB data by the acceleration thermal degradation is most suitable for the Weibull distribution.
Molded insulation materials are widely used from large electric power transformer apparatus to small electrical machinery and apparatus. In this study, by adding MgO with the average particle of several tens nm and the excellent thermal conductivity into molding material, we improved the problem of insulation breakdown strength decrease according to rising temperature in overload or in bad environmental condition. We confirmed the life evaluation by using the insulation breakdown and inverse involution to investigate the electrical characteristics of nano-composites materials. By using a scanning electron microscope, it is confirmed that MgO power with the average particle size of several tens nm is distributed and the filler particles is uniformly distributed in the cross section of specimens. And it is confirmed that the insulation breakdown strength of Virgin specimens is rapidly decreased at the high temperature area. But it is confirmed that the insulation breakdown strength of specimens added MgO slow decreased by thermal properties in the high temperature area improved by the contribution of the heat radiation of MgO and the suppression of tree. The results of life prediction using inverse involution, it is confirmed that the life of nano-composites is improved by contribution of MgO according to the predicted insulation breakdown strength after 10 years of specimens added 5.0 wt% of MgO is increased about 2.9 times at RT, and 4.9 times at 100 than Virgin specimen, respectively.
The phase change memory material is an active element in phase change memory and exhibits reversible phase transition behavior by thermal energy input. The doping of the phase change memory material with Ga leads to the increase of its crystallization temperature and the improvement of its amorphous stability. In this study, we investigated the effect of GaGe sputtering power on the formation of the phase change memory material including Ga. The deposition rate linearly increased to a maximum of 127 nm and the surface roughness remained uniform as the GaGe sputtering power increased in the range from 0 to 75 W. The Ga concentration in the thin film material abruptly increased at the critical sputtering power of 60 W. This influence of GaGe sputtering power was confirmed to result from a combined sputtering-evaporation process of Ga occurring due to the low melting point of Ga (29.77℃).
Electrode pattern effects on the capacitive humidity sensor were investigated. The fabrication of the capacitive humidity sensor was formed with three steps. The bottom electrode was formed on the silicon substrate with Pt/Ti thin layer by using shadow mask and e-beam evaporator. The photosensitive polyimide was formed on the bottom electrode by using photolithography process as a humidity sensitive thin film. The upper electrode was formed on the polyimide thin film with Pt/Ti thin layer by using e-beam evaporator and lift-off method. Three electrode patterns, such as circle, square, and triangle pattern, were used and changed the sizes to investigate the effects. The capacitances of the sensors were decreased 622 to 584 pF with the area decreament of patterns 250,000 to 196,250 μm2. From these results, a capacitive humidity sensor with photo sensitive polyimide is expected to be applied to a high sensitive humidity sensor.
ZnO crystals with different morphologies were synthesized through a thermal evaporation of Zn-Mn mixtures in air. The morphology was dependant on the Mn content in Zn-Mn mixture. The morphology was changed from rod to tetrapod shape with decreasing Mn content in Zn-Mn mixture. There sult indicates that the concentration of Mn might be responsible for the different morphologies of ZnOcrystals. XRD spectra showed that the ZnO crystals had a hexagonal wurtzite crystal strutures. For all the samples, room temperature cathodoluminescence spectra showed a ultra-violet emission at 380 nm and a green emission at around 500 nm. However, the intensity ratio of ultra-violet emission to green emission was significantly different with the Mn content in the source material.
Tubular-shaped ZnO crystals were synthesized by thermal evaporation technique under air atmosphere. Mixture of Zn and Mg powder was used as the source material. The thermal evaporation and oxidation of Zn/Mg mixture were carried out for 1 hr at 1,000℃ and 1,200℃ under in air under atmospheric pressure. When only Zn powder was used as a source material, tetrapod-shaped ZnO crystals were synthesized. This provides that Mg played a key role in the formation of the tubular-shaped crystals. SEM images showed that the tubular-shaped ZnO crystals grew along [0001] direction. XRD spectrum revealed that the ZnO tubes had hexagonal wurtzite structure. Two emission peaks at 380 nm and 510 nm were observed in the room temperature cathodoluminescence spectrum.
In this paper, we prepared Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films by using co-evaporation method, and analyzed the properties of the thin films. During the thin film preparation process, we confirmed InGaSe2 phase was formed at 400℃ in first stage, and also confirmed the thin films showed the vacancy decrease. In second and third stage,we confirmed the density increase of crystalline structure at over 480℃ and the formation of Cu(In0.7Ga0.3)Se2phase. As the result of SEM and XRD analysis of the films which were before and after heat-treated, we confirmed the disappearance of Cu2Se2 and the formation of Cu(In0.7Ga0.3)Se2 single phase after the heat-treatment,We, therefore, confirmed the heat-treatment did not affect the absorbency spectra of the thin films.
In order to prevent heat loss that occurs through the glass, low-emissivity (Low-E) coating methods with good insulating properties and high transmittance were used. lnGaZnO/Ag/InGaZnO (IGZO/Ag/IGZO) multilaver thin films have been deposited on XG glass substrate by HF magnetron sputtering. Depending on the different thickness of Ag in multilayer films, the structural and optical properties of Low-E multilayer films were analyzed. By XRI) analysis results, the multilayer thin films were observed to be amorphous structure regardless of Ag thickness. According to the AFM results, surface morphology of the multilayer films was observed and compared. Using UV-VIS spectroscopy, low emissivity propertty has been observed clearly with the transmittance of higher than 85% at visible range and lower than 30 at ll range.
ZnO crystals with octahedral shape were synthesized by thermal evaporation technique. ZnF2 powder was used as the source material. The thermal evaporation and oxidation of ZnF2 powder was carried out for 1 hr at 1,000℃ in air under atmospheric pressure. SEM images showed that the ZnO crystals produced by oxidizing ZnF2 vapor possessed a characteristic octahedral shape. XRD spectrum revealed that the ZnO octahedron had hexagonal wurtzite structure. In the room temperature photoluminescence spectrum, a strong green emission peak at around 510 nm was observed.
The effect of oxygen pressure in the synthesis of ZnO nanostructures through thermal evaporation of Zn powder was investigated. The thermal evaporation process was carried out in oxygen ambient for 1 hr at 1,000℃ under different pressures. The oxygen pressure was changed in range of 0.5 ? 900 Torr. Any nanostructure was not formed on the specimens prepared at oxygen pressures lower than 10 Torr. When oxygen pressure was 100 Torr, ZnO nanowires were observed. With increasing the oxygen pressure to 500 Torr, the morphology of ZnO nanostructures changed from wire to tetrapod. For all the samples, room temperature photoluminescence spectra show a strong green emission peak at around 550 nm.
The prepartion of various metal oxide nanostructures via hydrothermal method, hydrolysis, thermal evaporation and electrospinning and their applications to chemoresistive sensors have been investigated. Hierarchical and hollow nanostructures prepared by hydrothermal method and hydrolysis showed the high response and fast responding kinetics on account of their high gas accessibility. Thermal evaporation and electrospinning provide the facile routes to prepare catalyst-loaded oxide nanowires and nanofibers, respectively. The loading of noble metal and metal oxide catalyst were effective to achieve rapid response/recovery and selective gas detection.
In this study, the characteristics and error ranges of the mechanical bonding strength were analyzed according to before and after thermal shock test for various chips of automotive application component using Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder. In the after thermal shock test, the mechanical bonding strengths tend to decrease, meanwhile decreasing rates of mechanical strengths were less then 12% at specimen`s bonding area below 3.5mm2, and were from 17 to 21% at specimen`s bonding area above 12 mm2. On the other hand, Specimen`s mean deviation rates were about 5% at specimen`s bonding area more than 12 mm2. Inversely, at specimen`s bonding area is less then 3.5 mm2, mean deviation rates were increased to about 8%. It means that the smaller device size is, the larger mean deviation rate. In addition, error ranges and deviation rates of the mechanical bonding strengths may differ slightly depending on their bonding area. Furthermore, process conditions as well as method of mechanical reliability evaluation should be established to reduce the error ranges of bonding strength.
Nowadays, with improvement of economical income and life qualities, life pattern changes have been brought such as increasing of avocational activities. Consequently, following those life trends, utilization of car is getting increased. Thus, the perceptions of car have been changed from the only means of transport in the past to a 2nd residental space. that is why the car`s endo environmental factors are getting so important. Air conditioner regulating air ventilization in vehicle`s indoor automatically sets the right temperature based on the differences of indoor and outdoor`s temperature with development of advanced functions to provide better environmental qualities in vehicle. However, even those advanced techniques for functional development are got so diverse though, the essential technique for preventing the growth of bateria and mold inside of the air conditioner are not even severals. Especially, evaporator one of the vehicle air conditioning equipments generates cooled air by vaporizing refrigerant in liquid state with the water as the adduct for this reactions. It has structural difficulties for water vaporation then cause the growth of germs. That`s why this reseach was focused on the way of eliminating germs in the vehicle air conditioner efficiently. Direct air sterilizer by using UVC(Ultraviolet C) is manufactured and that performances are evaluated.
ZnO nanostructures were developed on a Si (100) substrate from powder mixture of ZnO and 5 mol% Pd (ZP-5) as reactants by × sccm oxygen pressures(x= 0, 10, 20, 40). DTA (differential thermal analysis) result shows the Pd(5 mol%)+ZnO mixtured powder(PZ-5) is easily evaporated than pure ZnO powder. The PZ-5 mixtured powder was characterized by DTA to determine the thermal decomposition which was found to be at 800℃, 1,100℃. Weight loss(%) and ICP (inductively coupled plasma) analysis reveal that Zn vaporization is decreased by increased oxygen pressures from the PZ-5 at 1,100℃ for 30 mins. Needle-like ZnO nanostructures array developed from 10 sccm oxygen pressure, was well aligned vertically on the Si substrate at 1,100℃ for 30 mins. The lengths of the Needle-like ZnO nanostructures is about 2 μm with diameters of about 65 nm. The developed ZnO nanostructures exhibited growth direction along [001] with defect-free high crystallinity. It is considered that Zn vaporization is responsible for the growth of Needle-like ZnO nanostructures by controlling the oxygen pressures. The photoluminescence spectra of ZnO nanostructures exhibited stronger 376.7 nm NBE (near band-edge emission) peak and 529.3 nm DLE (deep level energy) peak.
Cu(In1-x,Gax)Se2 thin films have been considered as an effective absorber material for high efficient solar cells. In this paper, the CIGS thin films with varied Ga content were prepared using a co-evaporation process of three stage. We carry out structure and electrical optical property on the thin film in varied Ga content. CIGS thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), four-point probe measurement, and the Hall measurement. To optimize Ga contents, Ga/(In+Ga) ratio were changed from 0.13 to 0.72. At this time the carrier concentrations were varied from 1.22×10(11) cm-3 to 5.07×10(16) cm-3, and electrical resistivity were varied from 1.11×10(0) Ω-cm to 1.08×10(2) Ω-cm. A strong <220/204> orientation and a lager grain size were obtained at a Ga/(In+Ga) of 0.3. We were able to achieve conversion efficiency as high as 15.95% with a Ga/(In+Ga) of 0.3.
This paper presents the design and reliability evaluation of metallized film capacitor for power electronics application. The rated voltage of development capacitor is DC 3300[V], the capacitance is 5 μF and the ripple current capability is 130 A(rms). Film metallization and patterns are an important design factor that has been development enhance the electric and reliability properties of film capacitor for power electro nics. In term of capacitor construction and metallized pattern is one of the parameters that can be modified to further improve the rating in the terms of maximum ripple current and lifetime. This capacitor can be used as snubber capacitor application such as power train invertor system.
In this paper, CuInSe2 thin film was prepared by use of the co-evaporation method with the variation of the substrate temperature in the range of 100℃ to 400℃. The film was annealed at 300℃ for an hour in a vacuum chamber at 3×10-4 Pa. After annealing, the thin film prepared at the substrate temperatures of 100℃ and 200℃ was observed. The XRD (x-ray diffraction) pattern of sample prepared at 100℃ showed the single phase formation of CuInSe2. However, at 200℃, there was no apparent difference in the XRD pattern except a variation in the intensity of the peak. As the annealing treatment of substrate improved the crystal structure of the film, it affected to the increase of an electron mobility, resulted in an increase in conductivity and a decrease in resistance. As a results, when the substrate temperature was at 200℃ and 300℃, the sheet resistance was 1.534 n/and 1.554 n/, respectively, and the resistivity was 1.76×10-6 n·㎝ and 1.7210-6 n·㎝, respectively. From the absorption spectrum measurements, there was no variation between the before and after annealing conductions. And it means that the annealing step does not affect the thickness of the thin film.
CdSe films were deposited on glass substrates (CdSe/glass) by thermal evaporation. Substrate temperature was lowered by cooling substrate holder with liquid nitrogen. Substrate temperatures were 200℃, 0℃ and -40℃. The crystallographic properties and surface morphologies of the CdSe/glass films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated by dependence of energy gap, photosensitivity and resistivity on the substrate temperature. CdSe/glass showed energy gap of ~1.72 eV regardless of substrate temperature. The resistivity of the films decreased to 0.5 Ωcm by lowering the substrate temperature to -40℃. The CdSe/glass films prepared at 0℃ showed the highest photosensitivity among the films in this study.