• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.540-547
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• 2024

The continuous use of polymer materials has exacerbated waste and environmental challenges, spurring a growing interest in eco-friendly polymers, especially biodegradable polymers. These polymers are gaining attention for their potential as antimicrobial agents, particularly in fields like food packaging a need further underscored by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This study focuses on the development of an antibacterial polymer by combining poly-butylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) with zinc pyrithione (ZnPt). The antibacterial properties were assessed through turbidity analysis, the shaking flask method, and the film adhesion method. The antibacterial activities of the composites with varying ZnPt% (w/w) contents (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) were evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Results revealed that even at a low concentration of 0.1% (w/w), the composites demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli). Composites with ZnPt concentrations of 0.3% (w/w) or higher achieved over 99.999% antibacterial efficacy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis of the fracture surfaces of the composites confirmed the uniform distribution of ZnPt particles, ranging from 1-4 ㎛. Further FE-SEM analysis of bacterial suspensions exposed to the composite surfaces showed clear evidence of cell wall destruction in both E. coli and S. aureus. As an antimicrobial biodegradable polymer, PBAT-ZnPt composites show great promise for applications in various sectors, including food packaging.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.887-890
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• 1999

The etch characteristics of E-ICP and ICP are compared for the improvement of SiO$_2$ etch Process. Etch rate and etch pattern profile are measured by $\alpha$ -step surface profiler and SEM, respectively. The E-ICP provides improved characteristics on etch rate and surface profile in comparison to ICP process.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.1E
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

The inner hair cell stereocilia of the guinea pig cochlea was examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) after loud tone exposure onto the ear drum of the animal. Before and after guinea pigs were exposed to intensive and continuous tone such as 106 dB SPL in intensity, the functioning of the cochlea was monitored by N1-N2 audiograms. The structural damage of the stereocilia of inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs) was examined using the SEM in x 1500 magnification. The comparison between the functional change of the cochlea and the structural damage of the IHC stereocilia is done by means of photographic observation. It can be shown that the functional change might be related to the structural damage of the IHC stereocilia after intensive acoustic trauma.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.211-217
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• 2022

Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) is a disinfectant widely used in hospitals and food industries because of its antimicrobial activity against not only bacteria but also fungi and virus. The antibacterial activity of NaClO lies in the maintenance of a stable hypochlorous acid (HClO) concentration, which is regulated by pH of the solution. HClO can easily penetrate bacterial cell membrane due to its chemical neutrality and the antibacterial activity of NaClO is thought to depend on the concentration of HClO in solution rather than hypochlorite ions (ClO^-). In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of NaClO according to pH adjustment by means of time kill test and assays of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration changes before and after NaClO treatment. We also investigated that the degree of cell wall destruction through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) exposed to 5 ppm NaClO at pH 5 exhibited 99.9% mortality. ROS production at pH 5 was 48% higher than that produced at pH 7. In addition, the ATP concentration in E. coli and S. aureus exposed to pH 5 decreased by 94% and 91%, respectively. As a result of FE-SEM, it was confirmed that the cell wall was destroyed in the bacteria by exposing to pH 5 NaClO. Taken together, our results indicate that the antibacterial activity of 5 ppm NaClO can be improved simply by adjusting the pH.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.345-345
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• 2010

Thin film of $TiO_2$ deposited on carbon paper was fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and $H_2O$ as precursors. In this work, the photocatalytic activities of $TiO_2$ films with and without e-beam treatment were compared. The samples were treated by e-beam using e-beam energy of 1MeV and exposure range between 5 and 15kGy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyleneblue (MB) under UV irradiation (365nm) at room temperature using an UV-vis spectroscopy. The surface properties were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sample treated by the low radiation dose has more catalytic activity than other ones. SEM images show that the high radiation dose caused the $TiO_2$ to aggregation on carbon paper. Due to the aggregation of $TiO_2$, the partially exposed carbon paper was oxidized.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.131-135
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• 2000

We studied adsorption isotherm, surface properties and antibacterial activity of Cu treated activated carbon fiber (ACF). The BET surface area of Cu treated ACF are distributed to $688.2-887.8m^2/g$. The adsorption results show that BET surface areas move gradually to lower value with increasing treated Cu mole concentration. Using t-method, the specific micropore volumes and average pore size were obtained. From the SEM study, it is also observed that many of micropores in activated carbon fiber are blocked surface after the treatment. And we also observed that the activity of E. coli in kind of colon bacillus increases gradually to larger range with increasing Cu mole ratio. From these results, we suggest the antibacterial mechanism for metal treated ACF.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.148-157
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• 2020

Eucalyptus oil is a rich source of bioactive compounds with a variety of biological activities and is widely used in traditional medicine. Eucalyptus citriodora is cultivated for the production of essential oils. However, the mode of antibacterial action of essential oils from E. citriodora is not well-known. This study aimed to determine the chemical components, microbial inhibitory effect, and mechanism of action of the essential oil from E. citriodora. The oil was extracted from E. citriodora leaves by hydro-distillation and the chemical components were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antibacterial activities of eucalyptus oil against gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus intermedius) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were screened by disc diffusion method and quantitative analysis was conducted by the microdilution method. The mechanism of action of the extracted essential oil was observed using SEM and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The major components of E. citriodora oil were citronellal (60.55 ± 0.07%), followed by dl-isopulegol (10.57 ± 0.02%) and citronellol (9.04 ± 0.03%). The antibacterial screening indicated that E. citriodora oil exhibited prominent activity against all tested strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against B. subtilis were 0.5% and 1.0%, respectively. The MIC and MBC concentrations against S. aureus, S. intermedius, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa were 1% and 2%, respectively. As observed by SEM, the antibacterial mechanism of E. citriodora oil involved cell wall damage; SDS-PAGE revealed decrease in protein bands compared to untreated bacteria. Thus, E. citriodora oil showed significant antimicrobial properties and caused cellular damage.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.10
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the corrosion resistance of heat-treated (Reciproc and WaveOne) and non-heat-treated (ProTaper and Mtwo) superelastic nickel-titanium endodontic files when immersed in a 5.25% sodium hypochlorite solution. Materials and Methods: Anodic polarization curves were obtained with potential sweeps that began at the open circuit potential or corrosion potential (E_corr). The pitting potential (E_pit) was identified on the anodic polarization curve as the potential at which a sudden increase in current was observed. The micromorphology of the 28 tested files was analyzed before and after the electrochemical assay using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance with the post hoc Bonferroni test (for E_corr) and the Student t-test for independent samples (for E_pit). Results: The mean E_corr values were 0.506 V for ProTaper, 0.348 V for Mtwo, 0.542 V for Reciproc, and 0.321 V for WaveOne files. Only WaveOne and Protaper files exhibited pitting corrosion, with E_pit values of 0.879 V and 0.904 V, respectively. On the SEM images of the ProTaper and WaveOne files, cavities suggestive of pitting corrosion were detected. Conclusions: Signs of corrosion were observed in both heat-treated and non-heat-treated files. Of the evaluated files, WaveOne (a heat-treated file) and ProTaper (a non-heat-treated file) exhibited the lowest corrosion resistance.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.7 no.11
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• pp.981-985
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• 1997

열증착법에 의해서 온도 85$^{\circ}C$인 glass기판 위에 CdS 박막을 제작하였다. 두께가 200nm정도로 측정된 CdS박막은 공기 중에서 온도 25$0^{\circ}C$-55$0^{\circ}C$범위에서 각각 30분간 열처리 되었으며 이들 시료에 대하여 4-point probe, XRD, SEM, UV-Spectrophotometer 및 광발광 측정으로 전기적 광학적 특성을 조사하였다. 이들의 일련의 실험값은 열처리 온도 37$0^{\circ}C$ 근처에서 구조의 변화를 보여주었는데, 열처리 온도에 대한 비저항아니 XRD, SEM 의 측정은 cubic로부터 hexagonal구조로의 변환을 나타내었다. 특히 상온에서 측정한 광발광에서 green edge emission(GEE)피이크가 2.42eV를 나타내었는데 이 때의 발광 중심은 열처리할 때 생긴 S-vacancy에 보상된 산소로 이루어진 'CdO'의 악셉터준위에 기인하는 것으로 해석되며 그 이온화 에너지는 약 0.16eV이었다.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.113-120
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• 1998

Fatigue crack growth rates(i.e. crack initiation and crack growth of short and long crack) are investigated using commercial plates of high strength Al alloy 7075-T651 for the transverse-longitudinal(T-L) direction in air, water and sea water. Also, the evaluation direct current potential drop(D.C.P.D) method and the fractographical analysis by SEM are carried out. Near threshold region, short crack growth rates were much faster than those of comparable long cracks, and these short crack growth rates actually decrease with increasing crack growth and eventually merge with long crack data. Fatigue crack propagation rates in aggressive media(i.e. sea water) increase noticeably over three times those in air. One of the most significant characters in this phenomenon as a corrosion-fatigue causes an acceleration in crack growth rates. Sea water environment, particularly Cl$^{[-10]}$ solution brings the most detrimental effects to aluminum alloy. The result of fractographical morphology in air, water and sea water by SEM shows obvious dimpled rupture and typical striation in air, but transgranular fracture surface in water and sea water.