• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.529-533
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• 2023

The fundamental electrochemical properties and adsorption capabilities of the carbonized product derived from coffee grounds, a prevalent form of lignocellulose abundantly generated in our daily lives, have been extensively investigated. The structure and morphology of the resultant carbonized product, obtained through a carbonization process conducted at a relatively low temperature of 600 ℃, were meticulously examined using a scanning electron microscope. Raman spectroscopy measurements yielded a relative crystallinity (D/G ratio) of the carbon product of 0.64. Electrical measurements revealed a linear ohmic relationship within the carbonized product. Furthermore, the viability of utilizing this carbonized material as an anode in lithium-ion batteries was evaluated through half-cell charge/discharge experiments, demonstrating an initial specific capacity of 520 mAh/g. Additionally, the adsorption performance of the carbon material towards a representative dye molecule was assessed via UV spectroscopy analyses. Supplementary experiments corroborated the material's ability to adsorb a distinct model molecule characterized by differing surface polarity, achieved through surface modification. This article presents pivotal findings that hold substantial implications for forthcoming research endeavors centered around the recycling of lignocellulose waste.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.145-156
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• 2024

Carbon has a large specific area and excellent chemical stability, so research on its use as a catalyst support is actively conducted. When using carbon as a support, the pretreatment process is essential. Through pretreatment of carbon, the growth of metal nanoparticles can be controlled and the bonding strength between the support and metal particles can be improved. In this study, carbon was pretreated for surface modification and 5 wt% Pd/C catalysts were synthesized using it as a support. Catalytic activity was evaluated through phenol hydrogenation. To compare with nitric acid, which is commonly used in carbon pretreatment, carbon pretreatment was performed using organic acid. Pd/C treated with gluconic acid showed the highest activity, with 94.93% phenol conversion and 92.76% cyclohexanone selectivity. Therefore, it is expected that pretreatment of the carbon support using organic acid will not only overcome the disadvantages of inorganic acid treatment but also improve catalyst performance.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.489-501
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• 2024

Geopolymers are part of a class of materials characterized by properties combining polymers, ceramics, and cement. These include exceptionally high thermal and chemical stability, excellent mechanical strength and durability in aggressive environments. This work deals with the synthesis, characterization, and sustainability evaluation of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers by alkaline activation of a granulated blast furnace slag-metakaolin mixture. In the first step, elemental and oxide analyses by XRF and EDS showed that the main constituents of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers are silicon, sodium, and aluminium oxides. The structural analyses by XRD and FTIR confirmed that the geopolymerization for GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers did occur, accompanied by the formation of disordered networks from the blends and a modification to the microstructure by the geopolymerization process. Similarly, the microstructural study made by SEM showed that the GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers are constituted by aluminosilicates in the form of dense clusters on which are adsorbed particles of unreacted GBFS in the form of spheroids and white residues of the alkaline activating solution. In addition, the study of the sustainability evaluation of GP_GBFS-MK geopolymers showed that the water absorption of geopolymeric materials is lower than that of OPC cement. As for the elevated temperature resistance, the analyses indicated an excellent elevated temperature resistance of GP_GBFS-MK. In the same way, the study of the resistance to chemical aggressions showed that the GP_GBFS-MK geopolymeric materials are unattackable, contrary to the OPC cement-based materials which are strongly altered.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.330-337
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• 2011

In this research, the preparation processes for making a series of $\omega$-mercapto alkylamine 1 and $\omega$-mercapto alkanoic acid 2 useful for studying of the self-assembled monolayer(SAM) are described. The preparation methods of the first goal materials, $\omega$-mercapto alkylamines 1 were carried out as follows: First, $\omega$-phthalimide alkanol 3 was synthesized from commercially available potassium phthalimide derivatives and $\omega$-bromoalkanol in DMF at $80{^{\circ}C}$ via substitution reaction. After refluxing $\omega$-phthalimide alkanol 3 with hydrazine hydrate in ethanol followed by treating with c-HCl, $\omega$-aminoalkanol 4 was obtained in 76-98% yield, accompanied with side-product 5. Bromination of hydroxyl moiety of $\omega$-aminoalkanol 4 using aqueous hydrobromic acid furnished $\omega$-bromoamine 6 in 34-97% yields. Substitution reaction 6 with thiourea in 95% ethanol gave $\omega$-aminoalkanthiuronium 7, which was treated with aqueous strong base and aqueous strong sulfuric acid gave desired products, $\omega$-mercapto alkylamines 1 through overall 5 steps. The second target material, $\omega$-mercapto alkanoic acid 2 was prepared via 2 steps. $\omega$-bromo alkanoic acid was reacted with thiourea to give $\omega$-thiourea alkanoic acid 7 in 69-85%, which was treated with aqueous strong base and strong acid to furnish $\omega$-mercapto alkanoic acid 2 in 50-98%. The fabricated long-chain alkylthiol(LCAT) can be used as linkers to immobilize protein, enzyme and various kinds of biomolecules on the surface of metallic materials(Au, Pt, Ti) by SAM, and can be useful chemical tools for the application study on the surface modification of metallic materials.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.316-322
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• 2010

The research attempted to develop a wood adhesive based on waste cooking oil, using ozonification technology for the chemical structure modification. The waste cooking oil (WCO) was reacted with $O_3$ for different times; 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h. The chemical structure modifications of the ozonized WCOs were examined by Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrum. The FT-IR spectrum of WCO had an absorbance peak at 3,010 $cm^{-1}$ that was the characteristic peak of the unsaturated double bonds. As ozone treatment time increased, the peak of the double bond was disappeared and carboxyl peak appeared at 1,700 $cm^{-1}$. Especially, the double bond of 3 hrs-ozonized WCO was vanished almost. In results of the dry bonding strengths of the 3 hrs-ozonized WCO mixed with polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) were the strengths of weight ratio of 3hrs-ozonized WCO : pMDI, 1 : 0.5, 8.08 kgf/$cm^2$, 1 : 0.75, 9.53 kgf/$cm^2$ 1 : 1, 44.16 kgf/$cm^2$, 1 : 2, 58.08 kgf/$cm^2$, 1 : 3, 61.41 kgf/$cm^2$, and 1 : 4, 46.95 kgf/$cm^2$. Therefore, it was found that the optimum equivalent ratio was formed at the ratio of 1 : 2 or 1 : 3. Under wetting the bonding strength of 1 : 3 ratio was appeared higher than that of 1 : 2 ratio, while the results obtained from hot-water and cyclic boiling shear test were similar.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.81-87
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• 2012

Purpose: The characteristics of oxidized titanium (Ti) surfaces varied according to treatment conditions such as duration time and temperature. Thermal oxidation can change Ti surface characteristics, which affect many cellular responses such as cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the surface characteristics and cell response of thermally treated Ti surfaces. Methods: The samples were divided into 4 groups. Control: machined smooth titanium (Ti-S) was untreated. Group I: Ti-S was treated in a furnace at $300^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. Group II: Ti-S was treated at $500^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. Group III: Ti-S was treated at $750^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. A scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and X-ray diffraction were used to assess surface characteristics and chemical composition. The water contact angle and surface energy were measured to assess physical properties. Results: The titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) thickness increased as the treatment temperature increased. Additional peaks belonging to rutile $TiO_2$ were only found in group III. The contact angle in group III was significantly lower than any of the other groups. The surface energy significantly increased as the treatment temperature increased, especially in group III. In the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, after 24 hours of incubation, the assessment of cell viability showed that the optical density of the control had a higher tendency than any other group, but there was no significant difference. However, the alkaline phosphatase activity increased as the temperature increased, especially in group III. Conclusions: Consequently, the surface characteristics and biocompatibility increased as the temperature increased. This indicates that surface modification by thermal treatment could be another useful method for medical and dental implants.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.336-340
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• 2015

Three different types of polycarbonate (PC)/graphene oxide (GO) composites using diphenyl carbonate as a monomer were fabricated by melt polymerization. Those were the PC/GO composite (PC/GO) using a twin extruder, in-situ PC/GO composite (PC/GO-cat.) using a catalyst, and in-situ PC/GO composite (PC/GO-COCl) using a GO-COCl treated by -COCl, Chemical structures of the composites were confirmed by C-H and C=O stretching peak at $3000cm^{-1}$ and $1750cm^{-1}$, respectively. The slope for the storage (G') versus loss (G") modulus plot decreased with an increase in the heterogeneous property of polymer melts. So we can check the GO dispersion of the PC/GO composites using by the slop for G'-G" plot. According to the G'- G" slopes for three different types of PC/GO composites, GO was well dispersed within PC matrix in case of PC/GO and PC/GO-cat.. It was also confirmed by atomic force microscope (AFM) photos. One of the reasons for the poor GO dispersion of PC/GO-COCl is branching and crosslinking processes occurred during polymerization, which was further confirmed by a plot for the complex modulus versus phase difference.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.114-121
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• 2015

Mutli-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were surface-modified by a hydrofluoric acid solution to remove impurities and improve interfacial bonding and dispersion of nanotubes in an epoxy matrix. The crystallinity on the surface of treated MWCNTs was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanical properties were characterized by tensile test, and the enhancement of mechanical properties of the modified MWCNTs/epoxy composites was indicated by a 33% increase in tensile strength. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) of modified MWCNTs/epoxy composites was improved with an increase in concentration of hydrofluoric solution, and EMI-SE showed the maximum increase with 25% HF. However, mechanical and EMI-SE properties didn't show further increase with over 50% HF concentration because the properties of MWCNTs were influenced by degradation of crystallinity and intrinsic properties of MWCNTs. The mechanical and electrical property enhancements of the polymer composites are attributed to the modification of MWCNTs which improve crystallinity of MWCNTs and dispersion in the epoxy resin.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.424-432
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• 2019

Planar BiVO₄ and 3 wt% Mo-doped BiVO₄ (abbreviated as Mo:BiVO₄) film were prepared by the facile spin-coating method on fluorine doped SnO₂(FTO) substrate in the same precursor solution including the Mo precursor in Mo:BiVO₄ film. After annealing at a high temperature of 450℃ for 30 min to improve crystallinity, the films exhibited the monoclinic crystalline phase and nanoporous architecture. Both films showed no remarkably discrepancy in crystalline or morphological properties. To investigate the effect of surface passivation exploring the Al₂O₃ layer, the ultra-thin Al₂O₃ layer with a thickness of approximately 2 nm was deposited on BiVO₄ film using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. No distinct morphological modification was observed for all prepared BiVO₄ and Mo:BiVO₄ films. Only slightly reduced nanopores were observed. Although both samples showed some reduction of light absorption in the visible wavelength after coating of Al₂O₃ layer, the Al₂O₃ coated BiVO₄ (Al₂O₃/BiVO₄) film exhibited enhanced photoelectrochemical performance in 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ solution (pH 6.5), having higher photocurrent density (0.91 mA/㎠ at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), briefly abbreviated as V_RHE) than BiVO₄ film (0.12 mA/㎠ at 1.23 V_RHE). Moreover, Al₂O₃ coating on the Mo:BiVO₄ film exhibited more enhanced photocurrent density (1.5 mA/㎠ at 1.23 V_RHE) than the Mo:BiVO₄ film (0.86 mA/㎠ at 1.23 V_RHE). To examine the reasons, capacitance measurement and Mott-Schottky analysis were conducted, revealing that the significant degradation of capacitance value was observed in both BiVO₄ film and Al₂O₃/Mo:BiVO₄ film, probably due to degraded capacitance by surface passivation. Furthermore, the flat-band potential (V_FB) was negatively shifted to about 200 mV while the electronic conductivities were enhanced by Al₂O₃ coating in both samples, contributing to the advancement of PEC performance by ultra-thin Al₂O₃ layer.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.404-409
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• 2017

Natural polymer chitosan has been widely applied to medical fields due to its biochemical activities such as anticancer, antibacterial and lowering cholesterol in addition to biocompatibility and biodegradability. Currently, researches are being actively conducted to develop various drug-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles for curing different diseases by applying chitosan to a drug delivery system. The free amine ($-NH_2$) group present in chitosan can bind to various hydrophobic groups by physical and chemical modification and the chitosan with hydrophobic groups can form shell-core nanoparticles by self-assembly when dispersed in water. In addition, an insoluble drug can increase the solubility against water when it was encapsulated in the core of chitosan nanoparticles. Also, the therapy effect can be maximized by minimizing side effects of drugs such as proteins, anticancer drugs and vaccines when they were encapsulated in the core of chitosan nanoparticles. Moreover, it is possible to control the particle size and release rate according to the hydrophobic group introduced to chitosan, so that it can be applied to a wide range of medical fields. The purpose of this review is to discuss the preparation and property of chitosan nanoparticles modified with various hydrophobic groups, and the application to drug delivery systems according to their property.