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NEW Professor Seo Hyungtak’s Team Develops Oxide Nanotube with Improved Visible Ray Absorption

  • 2013-11-11
  • 29732

Professor Seo Hyungtak’s Team Develops Oxide Nanotube with Improved Visible Ray Absorption

Professor Seo Hyungtak (left), who teaches material science and engineering at Ajou University, in collaboration with Professor Jeon Hyeong-tak’s (right) research team at Hanyang University, has successfully developed a new oxide nanotube. The new tube boasts up to three times greater visible ray absorption.

Professor Seo’s research findings were published in the online edition of the Journal of Physical Chemistry on August 13. The research was made possible with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the National Research Foundation as part of initiatives to support new and experienced researchers.

The new nanotube is expected to have wide applications in diverse fields of solar energy and optics, as its ability to absorb and discharge a greater range of visible rays makes it a natural candidate for catalyzing solar energy in solar cells and optical sensors. Optic-functional devices like this tube are commonly used to convert light into electric or chemical energy, or vice-versa.

Though research on developing nano-oxides into optic-functional devices has increased significantly in recent years, the outcomes showed a failure to absorb adequate ranges of visible rays. Such research sought to improve the electron structures (and hence the visible ray absorptions) of the nano-oxides by injecting into them small concentrations of foreign substances. It was, however, nearly impossible to inject consistent amounts of such concentrations into the right spots along each given device.

Professor Seo’s team succeeded in injecting consistent amounts of carbon concentrations into the lattices immediately underneath the nanotubes during short-span thermo-processing of the tubes. The result is the titanium dioxide nanotube that boasts 350 percent greater visible ray absorption than its predecessors.

Professor Seo’s research team expects that the new nanotube will be used in various energy systems and devices that run based on absorption and conversion of solar energy.