Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) has attracted significant attention as a next-generation insulating material due to its ecofriendly nature and outstanding functionalities. However, conventional kraft insulation paper suffers from limited dielectric breakdown strength and long-term reliability under high-voltage conditions, highlighting the need for alternative materials. In this study, kraft pulp was combined with five types of CNFs (A, B, C: wood-based / D, E: non-wood-based) to fabricate composite insulation papers, and their electrical and mechanical properties were systematically evaluated. The results showed that CNF incorporation generally enhanced density and tensile strength, while certain types contributed to lowering dielectric constant and improving breakdown strength. Among the wood-based CNFs, type C exhibited the most balanced performance in terms of dielectric stability and mechanical reinforcement. Among the non-wood-based CNFs, type E demonstrated notable improvements in structural compactness and tensile strength, suggesting favorable reliability. Therefore, this study identifies CNF C among wood-based types and CNF E among non-wood-based types as the most promising candidates for insulation performance enhancement, suggesting their applicability as next-generation insulating materials for power equipment and ecofriendly electronic devices.
The continuous rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions highlights the urgent need for sustainable air purification technologies. Current Direct Air Capture (DAC) filters often rely on toxic amines, which limit long-term stability and safe application. Here, we report a non-toxic PAN-based nanofiber air filter fabricated by electrospinning and urea-assisted carbonization. Structural analyses confirmed the introduction of nitrogen functionalities that enhanced CO₂ affinity, while SEM and FT-IR revealed graphitic carbon formation. In air-chamber tests, the optimized carbonized nanofiber reduced CO₂ concentration from 25,000 ppm to 2,000 ppm, a level generally regarded as acceptable for indoor environments, while simultaneously removing over 95% of PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.1 particulates. This dual functionality, combined with facile fabrication and material safety, demonstrates strong potential for PAN-derived carbon nanofiber membranes in DAC systems and eco-friendly air purification devices. These findings suggest a viable pathway toward scalable, sustainable air-filter technologies for carbon-neutral applications.
We have proposed and demonstrated a fiber optic magnetic field sensor using a FBG (fiber bragg grating) attached on a Terfenol-D bar. The volume of Terfenol-D is changed by the applied magnetic field due to the magnetostriction effect, as a result, the grating period of FBG varies with the intensity of the magnetic field and the Bragg wavelength of FBG is shifted. The temperature sensitivity of the sensor was measured with and without the magnetic field. The temperature sensitivity of the sensor was measured to be 0.02 nm/℃. We observed that the sensitivity of the fabricated device to magnetic field intensity was decreased with the environment temperature.
We have proposed and demonstrated a fiber optic RH (relative humidity) sensor based on fiber Bragg grating covered with a polyimide film. As the polyimide film absolves the moisture in the air, its volume expands. As a result, the grating period of the FBG (fiber Bragg grating) covered with a polyimide film becomes wide and the Bragg wavelength is shifted. The sensor is implemented by fixing a 30 ㎛ thickness polyimide film on the surface of an optical fiber grating using an adhesive, and the characteristics of the device according to humidity are analyzed. The fabricated FBG RH sensor showed a high sensitivity of 0.0186 nm/RH% and a wide measurement range from 30% to 90%. The influence of environmental temperature on the characteristics of the RH sensor was also measured and analyzed. The feasibility of commercialization is presented.
Flexible fiber- or yarn-based one-dimensional (1-D) energy storage devices are essential for developing wearable electronics and have thus attracted considerable attention in various fields including ubiquitous healthcare (U-healthcare) systems and textile platforms. 1-D supercapacitors (SCs), in particular, are recognized as one of the most promising candidates to power wearable electronics due to their unique energy storage and high adaptability for the human body. They can be woven into textiles or effectively designed into diverse architectures for practical use in day-to-day life. This review summarizes recent important development and advances in fiber-based supercapacitors, concerning the active materials, fiber configuration, and applications. Active materials intended to enhance energy storage capability including carbon nanomaterials, metal oxides, and conductive polymers, are first discussed. With their loading methods for fiber electrodes, a summary of the four main types of fiber SCs (e.g., coil, supercoil, buckle, and hybrid structures) is then provided, followed by demonstrations of some practical applications including wearability and power supplies. Finally, the current challenges and perspectives in this field are made for future works.
Piezoelectric generators use direct piezoelectric effects that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Many studies were attempted to fabricate piezoelectric generators using piezoelectrics such as ZnO, PZT, PVDF. However, these various inorganic/organic piezoelectric materials are not suitable for bio-implantable devices due to problems such as brittleness, toxicity, bio-incompatibility, bio-degradation. Thus, in this paper, piezoelectric generators were prepared using a silk fibroin film which is bio-compatible by dip-coating method. The silk fibroin films are a mixed state of silk I and silk II having stable β- sheet type structures and shows the d33 value of 8~10 pC/N. There was a difference in output voltages according to the thickness. The silk fibroin generators, coated 10 times and 20 times, revealed the power density of 16.07 μW/㎠ and 35.31 μW/㎠ using pushing tester, respectively. The silk fibroin generators are sensitive to various pressure levels, which may arise from body motions such as finger tapping, foot pressing, wrist shaking, etc. The silk fibroin piezoelectric generators with bio-compatibility shows the applicability as a low-power implantable piezoelectric generator, healthcare monitoring service, and biotherapy devices.
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.
Piezoelectric ceramic fiber composite (PCFC) was fabricated using a planar electrode printed piezoelectric ceramic fiber driven in transverse mode for small-scale wind energy harvester applications. The PCFC consisted of an epoxy matrix material and piezoelectric ceramic fibers sandwiched by interdigitated electrode (IDE) patterned polyimide films. The PCFC showed an excellent mechanical performance under a continuous stress. For the fabrication of PCB cantilever harvester, five -PCFCs were vertically attached onto a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, and then PCFCs were serially connected through a printed Cu circuit. The energy harvesting performance was evaluated applying an inverted structure, which imples its free leading edge located at an open end but the trailing edge at a clamped end, to enhance strain energy in a wind tunnel. The output voltage of the PCB cantilever harvester was increased as the wind speed increased. The maximum output power was 17.2 μW at a resistance load of 200 kΩ and wind speed of 9 m/s. It is considered that the PCB cantilever energy harvester reveals a potential use for wind energy harvester applications.
This study investigated the influence of the viscoelastic property of slag when producing glass fiber, MFS631 with 60% of manganese slag, 30% of steel slag, and 10% of silica stone. To fabricate the MFS631 glass bulk, slag materials were placed in an alumina crucible, melted at 1,550℃ for 2 h, and then annealed at 600℃ for 2 h. It was found that glass is non-crystalline through X-ray diffraction analysis. MFS631 fiber was produced at speed in the range of 100~300 rpm at 1,150℃. The loss modulus (G″) and storage modulus (G′) of the produced glass fiber were evaluated at high temperatures. G′ and G″ of MFS631 were greater than 893℃, and the modulus value was 136,860 pa. This is similar to the results of a general E-glass fiber graph. Therefore, it was concluded that its spinnability is similar to that of E-glass fiber; therefore, it can be commercialized.
We prepared yarned carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers from a CNT forest synthesized on a Si wafer by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The yarned CNT fibers were thermally annealed to reduce their resistance by removing the amorphous carbonaceous impurities present in the fibers. The resistance of the yarned CNT fiber gradually decreased with an increase in the annealing temperature from 200℃ to 400℃ but increased again above 450℃. We carried out thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to confirm the burning properties of the amorphous carbonaceous impurities and the crystalline CNTs present in the fibers. The pattern of the mass change of the sample CNT fibers was very similar to that of the resistance change. We conclude that CNT fibers should be thermally annealed at temperatures below 400℃ for reducing and stabilizing their resistance.
A piezoelectric ceramic fiber composite (PCFC) was successfully fabricated using 0.69Pb(Zr0.47Ti0.53)O3-0.31[Pb(Zn0.4Ni0.6)1/3Nb2/3]O3 (PZT-PZNN) for use in small-scale wind energy harvesters. The PCFC was formed using an epoxy matrix material and an array of Ag/Pd-coated PZT-PZNN piezo-ceramic fibers sandwiched by Cu interdigitated electrode patterned polyethylene terephthalate film. The energy harvesting performance was evaluated in a custom-made wind tunnel while varying the wind speed and resistive load with two types of flutter wind energy harvesters. One had a five-PCFC array vertically clamped with a supporting acrylic rod while the other used the same structure but with a five-PCFC cantilever array. Stainless steel (thickness: 50 ㎛) was attached onto one side of the PCFC to form the PZT-PZNN cantilever. The output power, in general, increased with an increase in the wind speed from 2 m/s to 10 m/s for both energy harvesters. The highest output power of 15.1 ㎼ at 14 kΩ was obtained at a wind speed of 10 m/s for the flutter wind energy harvester with the PZT-PZNN cantilever array. The results presented here reveal the strong potential for wind energy harvester applications to supply sustainable power to various IoT micro-devices.
Boron nitride (BN) nanofibers were fabricated using BN nanoparticles (70 nm) by electrospinning. Morphologies such as the diameter and density of the BN nanofibers are strongly influenced by the viscosity and dispersion state of the precursor solution. In this study, the precursor solution was prepared by ball milling BN nanoparticles and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, Mw~1,300,000) in ethanol, which was electrospun and then calcined to produce BN fibers. High-quality BN nanofibers were well fabricated at a BN concentration of 15 wt% with their diameters in the range of 500 nm to 800 nm; the viscosity of the precursor solution was 400 mPa·S. The calcination of the as-electrospun BN fibers seemed to be completed by holding them at 350℃ for 2 h considering the TGA data. The morphologies and phases of the BN fibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) was also used for structure analysis.
TiO2 has excellent photocatalytic properties and several studies have reported the increase in its specific surface area. The structure of TiO2 nanofibers indicates promising improved photocatalytic properties and these nanofibers can thus potentially be applied in air pollution sensors and pollutant removal filters. In this study, a TiO2 nanofiber was fabricated by the electrospinning method. The fabrication processing factors such as the applied voltage, the distance between nozzle and collector, and the inflow rate of solution were controlled. The precursor was titanium (Ⅳ) isopropoxide and as-spun TiO2 nanofibers were heated at 450℃ for 2 h to obtain an anatase crystalline structure. The microstructure was analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The anatase phase was observed in the TiO2 nanofibers after heat treatment. The diameter of TiO2 nanofibers increased with the flow rate, but decreased with decreasing applied voltage and nozzle to collector distance. The diameter of TiO2 nanofibers was controlled in the range of 364 nm to 660 nm. These nanofibers are expected to be very useful in photocatalytic applications.
We have proposed a hydrogen detection sensor based on a Pd (palladium)-coated, single-mode, optical fiber. The experimental results demonstrated that the sensor could detect hydrogen in air as well as in insulation oil. The influence of Pd film thickness and environmental temperature on response time and sensitivity was analyzed. The reflected optical power at the optical-fiber/Pd interface decreased as the concentration of hydrogen increased, in both air and the insulation oil. The sensor showed 0.75 dB of optical power variation when the concentration of dissolved hydrogen was saturated in the insulation oil.
Aluminum nitride fibers were synthesized by carbothermal reduction and nitridation of precursor fibers obtained by electrospinning. The starting materials used to synthesize the AlN fibers were Al(NO3)3·9H2O and urea. Polyvinylpyrrolidone with increasing viscidity was used as the carbon source to obtain a composite solution. The mixed solution was drawn into a plastic syringe with a stainless steel needle, which was used as the spinneret and connected to a 20 kV power supply. A high voltage was supplied to the solution to facilitate the formation of a dense net of fibers on the collector. The precursor fibers were dried at 100℃ and then heated to 1,400℃ for 1 h in a microwave furnace under N2 gas flow for the carbothermal reduction and nitridation. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that the synthesized fibers consisted of the AlN phase. Field emission scanning electron microscopy studies indicated that the diameter of the calcined fibers was approximately 100 nm.
CNT (carbon nanotube) resistors with low resistance and negative TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) were fabricated with yarned CNT (carbon nanotube) fibers. The CNT fibers were prepared by yarning CNTs grown on the silicone substrate by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method. The CNT resistors were fabricated by winding CNT fibers on the surface of ceramic rod. Both metal terminals were connected with the CNT fiber wound on the ceramic rod. We measured electrical resistance and thermal stability with the number of CNT fibers wound. The CNT resistor system shows linearly decreased resistance with the number of CNTs wound on the ceramic rod and saturated at 20 strands. The CNT resistor system has negative TCR between -1,000 ~ -2,000 ppm/℃ and stable frequency properties under 100 kHz.
In this work, one dimension In2O3 nanostructures as detecting materials for indoor toxic gases were synthesized by an electrospinning process. The morphology of electrospun In2O3 nanofibers was controlled by electrolyte composition, applied voltage and working distance between a nozzle and a substrate. The synthesized In2O3 nanofibers-based paste with/without carbon black additives was prepared for the integration on a sensor device. The integration of In2O3 sensing materials was conducted by a hand-printing of the paste into the interdigit Au electrodes patterned on Si wafer. Gas sensing properties on CO and HCHO gases were characterized at 300℃. The evaluated sensing properties such as sensitivity, response time and recovery time were improved in In2O3 nanofiber pastes with carbon black, compared to the paste without carbon black.
In this study ensuring a filming technology is attempted through dispersion technologies and mixing polymer scaffolds in order to produce films based on the nanowaires obtained from chitin. In addition this study proposes technologies in measuring and improving characteristics of films produced using nanowires and for applying electric conductivity to the films as a chemical and physical manner. Also, a possibility in applications of mass productive films or substrates to producing flexible and transparent films is proposed. In the experiment implemented in this study, it is verified that developments of high strength, high transparency, and high flexibility films can be developed through combining it with producing flexible and transparent films.
We investigated the characterizations of carbon films fabricated by dual magnetron sputtering under various RF powers for the improvement of physical properties in carbon fiber (CF). All sputtered carbon films exhibited amorphous structure, regardless of RF powers, resulting in uniform and smooth surfaces. The hardness and elastic modulus are increased with the increase of RF power, and the adhesion and friction properties of carbon films were improved with the increase of RF power. In the results, The increase of RF power in the sputtering method improved tribological properties of the carbon films, and these attributes can be expected to improve the physical properties of the carbon fiber reinforcement plastics.
We proposed and demonstrated a simultaneous measurement method to detect the refractive index and temperature of a medium using a side-polished fiber involving FBG (fiber Bragg grating). The temperature of a medium was obtained by using the Bragg wavelength shift of FBG, while the refractive index of medium were calculated by using the transmission loss. The Bragg wavelength is independent on the refractive index of the covering medium placed on surface of side-polished fiber, while the transmission loss at off-Bragg wavelength highly depends on the environmental temperature because of thermo-optic effect of the medium.
In this study, we propose a novel fabrication of an oxide-based lateral thermoelectric pn couple and investigate the characteristics of the thermoelectric couple. Electrospun ZnO and LaSrCoO3 nanofibers are used as n- and p-legs of the couple, respectively. The Seebeck coefficients of the n- and p-type nanofibers and the pn couple are -98.1 μV/K, 42.4 μV/K, and 118.8 μV/K, respectively. The thermoelectric couple generates an output voltage of 484.7 μV at a temperature difference of 4.1 K.
In this study, we fabricated a thermoelectric module made of nanoparticles (NPs) and glass fibers investigated its thermoelectric characteristics. P-type HgTe and n-type HgSe NPs synthesized by colloidal method were used as thermoelectric materials and glass fibers were used as spacers between the hot and cold electrodes of the thermoelectric module. In the module, the average Seebeck coefficients of the HgTe and HgSe NPs were 1260 and -628 μV/K, respectively. The p-n module generated about a voltage of 11.9 mV and showed a power density of 1.6×10-5 μW/cm2 at a temperature difference of 7.5 K.
Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro provides utilizing renewable power and reduce the using fossil fuels. On the other hand, it is too critical to apply power system due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, the continuous fluctuations of the power load, and the storage with high energy density. Energy storage system, including pumped-hydroelectric energy storage, compressed-air energy storage, superconducting magnetic energy storage, and electrochemical devices like batteries, super capacitors and others have shown that solve some of the challenges. In this paper, were view the current state of applications of energy storage systems, and atomic layer deposition technology, graphene materials on the energy storage systems and processes.
In this paper, a measurement method to obtain the optical properties of a liquid base on a side-polished single mode fiber was proposed and demonstrated. The device showed periodic resonance coupling against wavelengths. The refractive index and dispersion characteristics of a liquid were calculated by use of the spacings of periodic resonance wavelengths of the device. The thermo-optic coefficient of the liquid was obtained by monitering the shift of resonance wavelengths of the devices with change of environmental temperature.
For mass information transfer, the optical communication using optic fiber has been widely used. Especially, in the field of medical image, the large data is digitalized based on the standard image and it is used for telemedicine with this method. Therefore, to transfer the large amount of data fast and effectively POF (Plastic Optical Fiber) can be used and the development of optic connector for connection between POFs is very important. In this study, for stable optical coupling of POF optic fiber Ferrule and Sleeve were designed and produced by considering the bond stability and the insertion loss according to the physical contact and roughness profile was evaluated. As a result of examining the insertion loss by physical contact method of two optic fibers, it showed the loss was about 1.895dB. According to the results from studying the condition of grinding section for POF mass production, the mass production condition was established as POF profile roughness of 6nm and the loss of 0.2dB or lower by controlling the film size and time step by step.