• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2001

The use of bacteria as a novel biotechnology to facilitate the production of nanoparticles is in its infancy. Cobalt-substituted magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by a thermophilic iron(III)-reducing bacterium, TOR-39, under anaerobic conditions using amorphous Fe(III) oxyhydroxides plus cobalt ( $Co^{2+}$ and $Co^{3+}$ ) as an electron acceptor and organic carbon as an electron donor. Microbial processes produced copious amounts of nm-sized cobalt substituted magnetites. Chemical analysis and X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed that cobalt was substituted into biologically facilitated magnetites. Microbially facilitated synthesis of the cobalt-substituted magnetites may expand the possible use of the specialized ferromagnetic particles.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2012

Biomineralization has been explored for geochemical cycles and microbial tolerance mechanisms to metal toxicity. Here, we are introducing NanoFermentation which enables economic, environmentally friendly, requiring low input energy, and scalable manufacturing of nano-dimensioned magnetite. We are also focusing on controlling factors of crystallite size which can determine superparamagnetism and ferrimagnetism. Controlling factors are such as microbial species, temperature, incubation time, medium composition, substituted elements and their concentration, precursor type, reaction volume, precursor concentration density and their combinations. Crystallite size distribution of biomagnetite depends on the balance between nuclei generation and crystal growth. Biomineralization will elucidate elemental cycles on earth crust and microbial ecology as well as it will be applied to material sciences and devices via massive production of nanomaterials.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2000

미생물을 이용한 광물 합성은 현재 초기 연구단계에 있으나 신소재 개발측면에서 다야한 활용성을 보인다. 본 연구의 목적은 철환원 박테리아를 이용한 자철석 합성에 있어 미치는 환경조건들을 알아보는데 있다. 본 연구를 위해 지하 3-km 코아 시료에서 분리한 호열성 철 환원 박테리아인 TOR-39을 이용하였다. TOR-39은 $65^{\circ}C$에서 12시간이내에 비정질 철수화물을 환원시켜 자철석을 형성한다. 25일 동안 배양하여 형성된 자철석은 정육각형 모양으로 입자 크기는 50-100 나노미터이다. TOR-39을 이용한 자철석 합성시 적절한 조건은 pH는 7.9-8.5, Eh는 -200 mV 이하, 배양기간은 3-25일 그리고 온도는 $45-75^{\circ}C$이다. 미생물에 의한 자철석 합성은 나노미터 크기의 광물을 직접 합성하므로, 산업적으로 많은 이용 가치를 가질 것으로 본다.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.95-108
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• 2015

Nano-sized iron colloids are formed as acid mine drainage is exposed to surface environments and is introduced into surrounding water bodies. These iron nanomaterials invoke aesthetic contamination as well as adverse effects on aqueous ecosystems. In order to control them, the characteristics of their behaviour should be understood first, but the cumulative research outputs up to now are much less than the expected. Using zero-valent iron (ZVI) and magnetite, this study aims to investigate the behaviour of iron nanomaterials according to the change in the composition and pH of background electrolyte and the concentration of natural organic matter (NOM). The size and surface zeta potential of iron nanomaterials were measured using dynamic light scattering. Characteristic behaviour, such as aggregation and dispersion was compared each other based on the DLVO (Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek) theory. Whereas iron nanomaterials showed a strong tendency of aggregation at the pH near point of zero charge (PZC) due to electrostatic attraction between particles, their dispersions became dominant at the pH which was higher or lower than PZC. In addition, the behaviour of iron nanomaterials was likely to be more significantly influenced by cations than anions in the electrolyte solutions. Particularly, it was observed that divalent cation influenced more effectively than monovalent cation in electrostatic attraction and repulsion between particles. It was also confirmed that the NOM enhanced the dispersion nanomaterials with increasing the negative charge of nanomaterials by coating on their surface. Under identical conditions, ZVI aggregated more easily than magnetite, and which would be attributed to the lower stability and larger reactivity of ZVI.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.1 s.51
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• pp.47-60
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• 2007

While sedimentological researches on Western coastal tidal flats of Korea have been much pelformed previously, mineralogical and biogeochemical studies are beginning to be studied. The objectives of this study were to investigate mineralogical characteritics of the inter-tidal flat sediments and to explore phase transformation of iron(oxyhydr)oxides and biomineralization by metal-reducing bacteria enriched from the inter-tidal flat sediments from Muan, Jeollanam-do, Korea. Inter-tidal flat sediment samples were collected in Chungkye-myun and Haeje-myun, Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do. Particle size analyses were performed using the pipette method and sedimentation method. The separates including sand, silt and clay fractions were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffiaction (XRD). After enriching the metal-.educing bacteria from the into,-tidal flat sediments, the bacteria were used to study phase transformation of the synthesized iron (oxyhydr)oxides and iron biomineralization using lactate or glucose as the electron donors and Fe(III)-containing iron oxides as the electron accepters. Mineralogical studies showed that the sediments of tidal flats in Chung]rye-myun and Haeje-myun consist of quartz, plagioclase, microcline, biotite, kaolinite and illite. Biogeochemical researches showed that the metal-reducing bacteria enriched from the inter-tidal flat sediments reduced reddish brown akaganeite and mineralized nanometer-sized black magnetite. The bacteria also reduced the reddish brown ferrihydrite into black amorphous phases and reduced the yellowish goethite into greenish with formation of nm-sized phases. These results indicate that microbial Fe(III) reduction may play one of important roles in iron and carbon biogeochemistry as well as iron biomineralization in subsurface environments.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2023

Hydrogels that are made of natural polymer-based double networks have excellent biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and high water content, assuring that the material has the properties required for a variety of biomedical applications. However, hydrogels also have limitations due to their relatively weak mechanical properties. In this study, hydrogels based on an alginate di-aldehyde (ADA) and gelatin (Gel) double network that is reinforced with additional hydrogen bonds formed between the hydroxyl (-OH) groups of the hyperbranched polymer (HPG) and the functional groups present inside of the hydrogels were successfully synthesized. The enhanced mechanical properties of these synthesized hydrogels were evaluated by varying the amount of HPG added during the hydrogel synthesis from 0 to 25%. In addition, magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) were synthesized within the hydrogels and the structures and the magnetic properties of the hydrogels were also characterized. The hydrogels that contained 15% HPG and Fe₃O₄ NPs exhibited superparamagnetic behaviors with a saturation magnetization value of 3.8 emu g^-1. These particular hydrogels also had strengthened mechanical properties with a maximum compressive stress of 1.1 MPa at a strain of 67.4%. Magnetic hydrogels made with natural polymer-based double networks provide improved mechanical properties and have a significant potential for drug delivery and biomaterial application.