Hu Young Jeong

Graphene Oxide Thin Films for Flexible Nonvolatile Memory Applications

There has been strong demand for novel nonvolatile memory technology for low-cost, large-area, and low-power flexible electronics applications. Resistive memories based on metal oxide thin films have been extensively studied for application as next-generation nonvolatile memory devices. However, although the metal oxide based resistive memories have several advantages, such as good scalability, low-power consumption, and fast switching speed, their application to large-area flexible substrates has been limited due to their material characteristics and necessity of a high-temperature fabrication process. As a promising nonvolatile memory technology for large-area flexible applications, we present a graphene oxide based memory that can be easily fabricated using a room temperature spin-casting method on flexible substrates and has reliable memory performance in terms of retention and endurance. The microscopic origin of the bipolar resistive switching behavior was elucidated and is attributed to rupture and formation of conducting filaments at the top amorphous interface layer formed between the graphene oxide film and the top Al metal electrode, via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and in situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. This work provides an important step for developing understanding of the fundamental physics of bipolar resistive switching in graphene oxide films, for the application to future flexible electronics.

High yield exfoliation of two-dimensional chalcogenides using sodium naphthalenide

Transition-metal dichalcogenides like molybdenum disulphide have attracted great interest as two-dimensional materials beyond graphene due to their unique electronic and optical properties. Solution-phase processes can be a viable method for producing printable single-layer chalcogenides. Molybdenum disulphide can be exfoliated into monolayer flakes using organolithium reduction chemistry; unfortunately, the method is hampered by low yield, submicron flake size and long lithiation time. Here we report a high-yield exfoliation process using lithium, potassium and sodium naphthalenide where an intermediate ternary Li(x)MX(n) crystalline phase (X=selenium, sulphur, and so on) is produced. Using a two-step expansion and intercalation method, we produce high-quality single-layer molybdenum disulphide sheets with unprecedentedly large flake size, that is up to 400 μm(2). Single-layer dichalcogenide inks prepared by this method may be directly inkjet-printed on a wide range of substrates.

Layered oxygen-deficient double perovskite as an efficient and stable anode for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells

Different layered perovskite-related oxides are known to exhibit important electronic, magnetic and electrochemical properties. Owing to their excellent mixed-ionic and electronic conductivity and fast oxygen kinetics, cation layered double perovskite oxides such as PrBaCo2O5 in particular have exhibited excellent properties as solid oxide fuel cell oxygen electrodes. Here, we show for the first time that related layered materials can be used as high-performance fuel electrodes. Good redox stability with tolerance to coking and sulphur contamination from hydrocarbon fuels is demonstrated for the layered perovskite anode PrBaMn2O5+δ (PBMO). The PBMO anode is fabricated by in situ annealing of Pr0.5Ba0.5MnO3-δ in fuel conditions and actual fuel cell operation is demonstrated. At 800 °C, layered PBMO shows high electrical conductivity of 8.16 S cm(-1) in 5% H2 and demonstrates peak power densities of 1.7 and 1.3 W cm(-2) at 850 °C using humidified hydrogen and propane fuels, respectively.

Ordered mesoporous porphyrinic carbons with very high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction

The high cost of the platinum-based cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has impeded the widespread application of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. We report on a new family of non-precious metal catalysts based on ordered mesoporous porphyrinic carbons (M-OMPC; M = Fe, Co, or FeCo) with high surface areas and tunable pore structures, which were prepared by nanocasting mesoporous silica templates with metalloporphyrin precursors. The FeCo-OMPC catalyst exhibited an excellent ORR activity in an acidic medium, higher than other non-precious metal catalysts. It showed higher kinetic current at 0.9 V than Pt/C catalysts, as well as superior long-term durability and MeOH-tolerance. Density functional theory calculations in combination with extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis revealed a weakening of the interaction between oxygen atom and FeCo-OMPC compared to Pt/C. This effect and high surface area of FeCo-OMPC appear responsible for its significantly high ORR activity.

Shape- and size-controlled synthesis in hard templates: sophisticated chemical reduction for mesoporous monocrystalline platinum nanoparticles.

Here we report a novel hard-templating strategy for the synthesis of mesoporous monocrystalline Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform shapes and sizes. Mesoporous Pt NPs were successfully prepared through controlled chemical reduction using ascorbic acid by employing 3D bicontinuous mesoporous silica (KIT-6) and 2D mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as a hard template. The particle size could be controlled by changing the reduction time. Interestingly, the Pt replicas prepared from KIT-6 showed polyhedral morphology. The single crystallinity of the Pt fcc structure coherently extended over the whole particle.

Flexible room-temperature NO2 gas sensors based on carbon nanotubes/reduced graphene hybrid films

We present a flexible room temperature NO2 gas sensor consisting of vertical carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/reduced graphene hybrid film supported by a polyimide substrate. The reduced graphene film alone showed a negligible sensor response, exhibiting abnormal N–P transitions during the initial NO2 injection. A hybrid film, formed by the growth of a vertically aligned CNT array (with CNTs 20 μm in length) on the reduced graphene film surface, exhibited remarkably enhanced sensitivities with weak N–P transitions. The increase in sensitivity was mainly attributed to the high sensitivity of the CNT arrays. The outstanding flexibility of the reduced graphene films ensured stable sensing performances in devices submitted to extreme bending stress.

Growth of High-Crystalline, Single-Layer Hexagonal Boron Nitride on Recyclable Platinum Foil

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is gaining significant attention as a two-dimensional dielectric material, along with graphene and other such materials. Herein, we demonstrate the growth of highly crystalline, single-layer h-BN on Pt foil through a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition method that allowed h-BN to be grown over a wide area (8 × 25 mm(2)). An electrochemical bubbling-based method was used to transfer the grown h-BN layer from the Pt foil onto an arbitrary substrate. This allowed the Pt foil, which was not consumed during the process, to be recycled repeatedly. The UV-visible absorption spectrum of the single-layer h-BN suggested an optical band gap of 6.06 eV, while a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of the same showed the presence of distinct hexagonal arrays of B and N atoms, which were indicative of the highly crystalline nature and single-atom thickness of the h-BN layer. This method of growing single-layer h-BN over large areas was also compatible with use of a sapphire substrate.

Flexible Memristive Memory Array on Plastic Substrates

The demand for flexible electronic systems such as wearable computers, E-paper, and flexible displays has recently increased due to their advantages over present rigid electronic systems. Flexible memory is an essential part of electronic systems for data processing, storage, and communication and thus a key element to realize such flexible electronic systems. Although several emerging memory technologies, including resistive switching memory, have been proposed, the cell-to-cell interference issue has to be overcome for flexible and high performance nonvolatile memory applications. This paper describes the development of NOR type flexible resistive random access memory (RRAM) with a one transistor-one memristor structure (1T-1M). By integration of a high-performance single crystal silicon transistor with a titanium oxide based memristor, random access to memory cells on flexible substrates was achieved without any electrical interference from adjacent cells. The work presented here can provide a new approach to high-performance nonvolatile memory for flexible electronic applications.

High-quality graphene via microwave reduction of solution-exfoliated graphene oxide

Efficient exfoliation of graphite in solutions to obtain high-quality graphene flakes is desirable for printable electronics, catalysis, energy storage, and composites. Graphite oxide with large lateral dimensions has an exfoliation yield of ~100%, but it has not been possible to completely remove the oxygen functional groups so that the reduced form of graphene oxide (GO; reduced form: rGO) remains a highly disordered material. Here we report a simple, rapid method to reduce GO into pristine graphene using 1- to 2-second pulses of microwaves. The desirable structural properties are translated into mobility values of >1000 square centimeters per volt per second in field-effect transistors with microwave-reduced GO (MW-rGO) as the channel material and into particularly high activity for MW-rGO catalyst support toward oxygen evolution reactions.

A Bifunctional Perovskite Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution

La0.3(Ba0.5Sr0.5)0.7Co0.8Fe0.2O3d is a promising bifunctional perovskite catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction. This catalyst has circa 10 nm-scale rhombohedral LaCoO3 cobaltite particles distributed on the surface. The dynamic microstructure phenomena are attributed to the charge imbalance from the replacement of A-site cations with La3+ and local stress on Cosite sub-lattice with the cubic perovskite structure.