Jung Jae Park

Antibacterial and Water Purification Activities of Self-Assembled Honeycomb Structure of Aerosol Deposited Titania Film

A simple and rapid room-temperature aerosol deposition method was used to fabricate TiO(2) films for photokilling/photdegradation applications. TiO(2) particles were accelerated to supersonic speeds and fractured upon impacting a glass substrate to form a functional thin film, a process known as aerosol deposition. After deposition, the films were annealed at various temperatures, and their photokilling/photodegradation performances following ultraviolet (UV) exposure were evaluated by counting the number of surviving bacterial colonies, and by a methylene blue decolorization test. The photocatalytic performances of all TiO(2) films were obtained under weak UV exposure (0.6 mW/cm(2)). The film density, crystalline phase, and surface roughness (morphology) were measured by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The unique, self-assembled honeycomb structure of the aerosol deposited films contributed to the increase in surface area because of extreme roughness, which enhances the photokilling and photodegradation performance. Nonannealed films yielded the best photocatalytic performance due to their small crystalline sizes and large surface areas due to increased surface roughness.

Thermally Induced Superhydrophilicity in TiO2 Films Prepared by Supersonic Aerosol Deposition

Superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces enable self-cleaning phenomena, either forming a continuous water film or forming droplets that roll off the surface, respectively. TiO2 films are well-known for their extreme hydrophilicity and photocatalytic characteristics. Here, we describe nanostructured TiO2 thin films prepared by supersonic aerosol deposition, including a thorough study of the effects of the annealing temperature on the crystal structure, surface morphology, surface roughness, and wetting properties. Powder X-ray diffraction showed that supersonic deposition resulted in fragmentation and amorphization of the micrometer-size anatase (60%)-rutile (40%) precursor powder and that, upon annealing, a substantial fraction of the film (~30%) crystallized in the highly hydrophilic but metastable brookite phase. The film morphology was also somewhat modified after annealing. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed rough granular films with high surface roughness. The as-deposited TiO2 films were moderately hydrophilic with a water contact angle (θ) of ~45°, whereas TiO2 films annealed at 500 °C became superhydrophilic (θ ~ 0°) without UV illumination. This thermally induced superhydrophilicity of the TiO2 films can be explained on the basis of the combined effects of the change in the crystal structure, surface microstructure, and surface roughness. Supersonic aerosol deposition followed by annealing is uniquely able to produce these nanostructured films containing a mixture of all three TiO2 phases (anatase, rutile, and brookite) and exhibiting superhydrophilicity without UV illumination.

Supersonic aerosol-deposited TiO2 photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical solar water splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting is a promising approach for economical and environmentally friendly hydrogen production. We report here the preparation of nanocrystalline TiO2 films by aerosol deposition (AD) and their performance as photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting. The AD deposited films, 0.5 to 4 μm in thickness, were analyzed to establish the dependence of water splitting performance on film thickness, morphology, and crystallinity. Film thickness and annealing were found to strongly influence the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance. As-deposited TiO2 films exhibited much higher photoelectrochemical activity than annealed TiO2 films. The as-deposited, 3 μm thick TiO2 films exhibited the highest photocurrent density, 93 μA cm−2 at −0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, under UV illumination (100 mW cm−2). The same films annealed at 500 °C showed a much lower photocurrent density of 2.9 μA cm−2 at 0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl.

Supersonically blown ultrathin thorny devil nanofibers for efficient air cooling

The effect of the supersonically blown below-74 nm nanofibers on cooling of high-temperature surfaces is studied experimentally and theoretically. The ultrathin supersonically blown nanofibers were deposited and then copper-plated, while their surfaces resembled those of the thorny-devil nanofibers. Here, we study for the first time the enhancement of surface cooling in gas in the cases of the forced and natural convection with the help of ultrathin thorny-devil nanofibers. These polymer core-metal shell nanofibers in nanometric scale possess a relatively high thickness of the metal shell and a high effective thermal conductivity, which facilitates heat transfer. The additional surface temperature reduction close to 5 °C in the case of the forced convection in the impinging air jet and close to 17 °C in the case of the natural convection was achieved. Correspondingly, an increase in the value of the heat transfer coefficient of about 41% in the forced convection, and about 20% in the natural convection was achieved due to the presence of the thorny devil electrospun and/or supersonically blown nanofibers.