Jaeyoo Choi

Electromagnetic nanocomposite of bacterial cellulose using magnetite nanoclusters and polyaniline.

Magnetic BC was biosynthesized by culturing Gluconacetobacter xylinus in a medium containing magnetite nanoparticle (MNP) clusters. The stable dispersion of MNP clusters in an aqueous solution was achieved using amphiphilic comb-like polymer (CLP) stabilizers to disperse the MNPs. Subsequently, a conducting polymer was synthesized on the magnetic BC fibers by the chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. The BC fiber was fully coated with polyaniline, forming hydrogen bonds. The colloidal stability of the CLP-modified MNPs was characterized by optical imaging and UV-visible spectroscopy. The chemical structure and morphology of the hybrid BC layers were observed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Magnetic and conductive properties were measured to confirm the immobilization of MNPs and polyaniline.

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS/PANI–CSA polymer multilayer structures

A layer-by-layer deposition of two conducting polymers, each layer of which is a few tenths of nanometer thick, has been successfully performed to enhance the thermoelectric power factor of organic thin films, which are critical components of flexible thermoelectric energy harvesting devices. The multilayer films were deposited via multiple solution processes, which exhibit enhanced electrical conductivity without any significant degradation of the Seebeck coefficient, in contrast to a coupling behavior between the electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient in bulk materials. The electrical conductivity and power factor—proportional to the electrical conductivity—of 5(PEDOT:PSS/PANI–CSA) multilayer films are 1.3 and 2 times higher than those of a single PEDOT:PSS layer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) reveal distinct interfaces through which an enhanced electrical conductivity and power factor have been achieved in our multilayer films. From the TEM, EELS, and Raman analyses, a model for the enhancement of the electrical conductivity has been proposed. The enhancement of electrical conductivity occurs via stretching of PEDOT and PANI chains and hole diffusion from the PANI–CSA layer to the PEDOT:PSS layer. The band alignment in the multilayer structure not only enhances electrical conductivity but also maintains the Seebeck coefficient at an optimum value. Our study suggests that the layer-by-layer deposition of polymer thin films is a promising technique for manipulating the thermoelectric properties of each polymer component to enhance thermoelectric performance.

Flexible and Robust Thermoelectric Generators Based on All-Carbon Nanotube Yarn without Metal Electrodes

As practical interest in flexible/or wearable power-conversion devices increases, the demand for high-performance alternatives to thermoelectric (TE) generators based on brittle inorganic materials is growing. Herein, we propose a flexible and ultralight TE generator (TEG) based on carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) with excellent TE performance. The as-prepared CNTY shows a superior electrical conductivity of 3147 S/cm due to increased longitudinal carrier mobility derived from a highly aligned structure. Our TEG is innovative in that the CNTY acts as multifunctions in the same device. The CNTY is alternatively doped into n- and p-types using polyethylenimine and FeCl3, respectively. The highly conductive CNTY between the doped regions is used as electrodes to minimize the circuit resistance, thereby forming an all-carbon TEG without additional metal deposition. A flexible TEG based on 60 pairs of n- and p-doped CNTY shows the maximum power density of 10.85 and 697 μW/g at temperature differences of 5 and 40 K, respectively, which are the highest values among reported TEGs based on flexible materials. We believe that the strategy proposed here to improve the power density of flexible TEG by introducing highly aligned CNTY and designing a device without metal electrodes shows great potential for the flexible/or wearable power-conversion devices.

Amphiphilic comb-like polymer for harvest of conductive nano-cellulose

In this study, electrically conductive bacterial cellulose (BC) was prepared by culturing Gluconacetobacter xylinus in a carbon nanotube (CNT)-dispersed medium. The CNTs were dispersed by adopting a non-covalent approach in the presence of non-ionic amphiphilic comb-like polymer (CLP). Specifically, the hydrophobic backbone of CLP was chemophysically attached to the surface of the CNTs and the hydrophilic side chains were released freely toward the medium in an aqueous environment. CLP-modified CNTs were stable and did not show any noticeable sediment, even after centrifugation at 15,000 rpm for 30 min. Notably, the dispersion solution of CLP-modified CNTs was stable at room temperature for several months because the long-range entropic repulsion among polymer-decorated tubes acted as a barrier to aggregation. The morphology of the BC membrane was studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The presence of CLP bound to the CNT surface was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the conductivity of the CNT-incorporated BC membrane was measured by four-probe measurements.

Metal–Phenolic Carbon Nanocomposites for Robust and Flexible Energy-Storage Devices

Future electronics applications such as wearable electronics depend on the successful construction of energy-storage devices with superior flexibility and high electrochemical performance. However, these prerequisites are challenging to combine: External forces often cause performance degradation, whereas the trade-off between the required nanostructures for strength and electrochemical performance only results in diminished energy storage. Herein, a flexible supercapacitor based on tannic acid (TA) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a unique nanostructure is presented. TA was self-assembled on the surface of the CNTs by metal-phenolic coordination bonds, which provides the hybrid film with both high strength and high pseudocapacitance. Besides 17-fold increased mechanical strength of the final composite, the hybrid film simultaneously exhibits excellent flexibility and volumetric capacitance.

ENHANCEMENT OF SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE USING COLLOIDAL GOLD NANOPARTICLES EMBEDDED IN A SILICA LAYER

This paper presents a strategy for the signal enhancement of surface plasmon resonance biosensors using colloidal gold nanoparticles and a silica layer. We describe the method for the deposition of a silica-stabilized gold nanoparticle layer on a gold film, namely an enhanced surface plasmon resonance chip. This chip shows significant changes in its surface plasmon resonance signals when biomolecules are attached to its surface as compared to a normal gold surface. These characteristics are closely related to the surface plasmon resonance effect as determined using prostate-specific antigen. The detection limit of the enhanced surface plasmon resonance chip is determined to be 0.01 ng/mL for a prostate-specific antigen immunoassay. The use of an enhanced surface plasmon resonance chip makes it possible to enhance signals 1000-fold compared to the signals obtained by conventional surface plasmon resonance sensing. The enhancement of the surface plasmon resonance spectral shift results from the coupling of the surface and particle plasmons through the application of a silica-stabilized gold nanoparticle layer on the gold surface.