Nanostructured ZnO photoelectrodes were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates that were spin-coated with a sol-gel based ZnO seed layer via a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at varying times of 1, 2, 4, and 8 h. Then, TiO2 nanoparticulate electrodes were prepared on ZnO nanorods using the doctor blade technique. The uniformly grown ZnO nanorod layer had a length of approximately 710 nm on the FTO glass substrate with wurtzite structures which was confirmed through X-ray diffraction patterns. The length and diameter of the ZnO nanorods increased with an increase in the deposition time. The DSSCs fabricated with TiO2 nanoparticulate/grown ZnO nanorods and grown for 8 h showed the maximum efficiency (5.51%) with a short circuit current density (J(sc)) of 12.21 mA/cm2 and an open circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.70 at 100 mW/cm2 light intensity.

This study was conducted to quantify the carbon storage in each pool (including trees, forest floor, and soil) and to analyze the carbon cycle in a Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. forest according to different thinning intensities. The study site was located in Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, and the treatments consisted of a control (Con), a light thinning (LT), and a heavy thinning (HT), based on 3000 trees originally planted per hectare. As stand density decreased, total C storage decreased, and the annual C storage of trees and C released through soil respiration significantly increased. Net ecosystem production (NEP; Mg·C·ha−1·year−1), as the difference between net primary production and microbial respiration, was 1.95, 2.49, and 2.11 in the Con, LT, and HT treatments, respectively; i.e., the LT stimulated greater NEP than the Con and HT treatments. While these results show that thinning decreases total C storage of forests, proper thinning enhances carbon uptake capacity. In addition, this study can be a basic reference for the effects of thinning on forest carbon cycles. Repeated measurements of each C pool should be performed over multiple years to see the exact movement patterns of forest carbon in the future.