• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2012

Recently, the need of developing eco-friendly materials has been required with restriction strengthening on environment and energy saving by the resource depletion worldwide. These trends are not an exception in transport industry including automobile. In addition, these materials have to fulfill not only the high quality and cheap price but also the high-performance which meet the needs of costumer and society. Among the various materials, carbon fiber-reinforced composite which is actively studying for lightweight of the automobile is one of the most suitable candidates. Indeed, the carbon fiber-reinforced composites are used as the essential materials to substitute body and other parts in automobile and the demand is increasing largely. Carbon fiber-applied automobile has improved brake, steering, durability and high fuel efficiency, leading to the energy conservation and minimizing carbon dioxide emissions. This paper focuses on the necessity of carbon fiber-reinforced composites for lightweight of automobile and its technical trends.

• Composites Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.18-24
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• 2011

The effect of surface treatments with the atmospheric pressure flame plasma (APFP) and epoxy silane (ES) is experimentally investigated to yield the best mechanical properties of silica ($V_f=40%$) reinforced elastomeric composites. The tensile strength of the composites is increased significantly with decrease the mean diameter. When the diameter is $2.2{\mu}m$, that of the composite is increased about 1.4 times compared to the matrix (2.52 MPa). Also, the tensile strength of silica reinforced composites with APFP and ES treated is increased 8.8~13.3%, 9.9~12.5%, respectively. When the diameter is $26.6{\mu}m$, the tensile modulus of the composite is increased about 2 times compared to the matrix (0.88MPa), and the tensile modulus of silica reinforced composites with APFP and ES treated is increased 15.6~22.8%, 21.1~5.8%, respectively. Conventional silane coupling agent treatment have a few disadvantages because of using organic solvents. However APFP treatment is a fast, economic and eco-friendly method to improve the mechanical properties.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2024

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic that can be produced from renewable material to create various components for industrial purposes. In 3D printing technology, PLA is used due to its good mechanical, electrical, printing properties, environmentally friendly and non-toxic properties. However, the physical properties and excellent electrical insulation properties of PLA have limited its application. In this study, with the carbon black (CB) as filler added into PLA, the lattice spacing and morphology were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The physical properties of PLA-carbon composite were evaluated by using tensile test, shore D hardness test and density and voids measurement. Impedance test was conducted to investigate the electrical properties of PLA-Carbon composites. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of carbon black as filler enhances the physical properties of the PLA-carbon composites, including tensile properties, hardness, and density. The addition of carbon black also leads to improved electrical conductivity of the composites. Better enhancement toward the electrical properties of PLA-carbon composites is observed with 1wt% of carbon black in N774 grade. The N550 grade with 2wt% of carbon black shows better improvement in the physical properties of PLA-carbon composites, achieving 10.686 MPa in tensile testing, 43.330 in shore D hardness test, and a density of 1.200 g/cm3 in density measurement. The findings suggest that PLA-carbon composites have the potential for enhanced performance in various industrial applications, particularly in sectors requiring improved physical and electrical properties.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 2018

In this study, the 3D printer filaments were manufactured by using the representative eco-friendly material, bio-composite. Bio-composites were made by incorporating biodegradable polymer of poly lactic acid (PLA) as the matrix and bamboo flour as the filler. The bamboos which were used in this experiment are Phyllostachys bambusoides, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, and Phyllostachys pubescen grown in Damyang district in Korea, and the mixture ratio between bamboo flour and PLA were set 10/90, 20/80, 30/70 by weight standard. Also, tensile strength of bamboo/PLA bio-composites manufactured with three kinds of bamboo were estimated and compared. In this result, the highest estimated bio-composites was Phyllostachys bambusoides flour/PLA which mixture ratio was 10/90, that is, it was the most suitable bamboo/PLA bio-composites for manufacturing 3D printer filament.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.310-319
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• 2009

The representative eco-friendly materials, or bio-composites, were made by incorporating biodegradable polymer of polybutylene succinate (PBS) as the matrix and bamboo flour (BF) as the natural filler. In present study, the effects of content and particle size of natural filler on the bio-composites were carried out around their mechanical, visco-elastic, and thermal properties. By the incorporation of BF, the tensile properties decreased but the viscoelastic and thermal properties revealed positive effect through interaction between the polymer and natural filler. Also, the vulnerability of interfacial adhesion between hydrophobic PBS and hydrophilic BF appeared to adversely affect the properties of bio-composites.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.106-110
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• 2021

Recently, research using waste among eco-friendly materials has been attracting attention. In this study, we investigated the physical properties of blends in which high density polyethylene (HDPE) was filled with waste gypsum (CaSO₄) generated during fertilizer manufacturing. Composites were prepared by adding the gypsum content 0~20 wt% using a twin screw extruder. The mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties of the composites were evaluated. It was found that the tensile strength of the composites was less than 4.1% compared to that of unfilled HDPE, so there is no significant deterioration in physical properties. The thermal stability of the composites was improved as the gypsum content increased and the gypsum content had little effect on the viscosities of the composites.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.126-131
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• 2023

Growing environmental concerns regarding pollution caused by conventional plastics have increased interest in biodegradable polymers as alternative materials. The purpose of this study is to develop a 100% biodegradable nanocomposite material by introducing organic nucleating agents into the biodegradable and thermoplastic resin, poly(lactic acid), to improve its properties. Accordingly, cellulose nanofibers, an eco-friendly material, were adopted as a substitute for inorganic nucleating agents. To achieve a uniform dispersion of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) within PLA, the aqueous solution of nanofibers was lyophilized to maintain their fibrous shape. Then, they were subjected to primary mixing using a twin-screw extruder. Test specimens with double mixing were then produced by injection molding. Differential scanning calorimetry was employed to confirm the reinforced physical properties, and it was found that the addition of 1 wt% CNFs acted as a reinforcing material and nucleating agent, reducing the cold crystallization temperature by approximately 14℃ and increasing the degree of crystallization. This study provides an environmentally friendly alternative for developing plastic materials with enhanced properties, which can contribute to a sustainable future without consuming inorganic nucleating agents. It serves as a basis for developing 100% biodegradable green nanocomposites.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.93-104
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• 2020

Basalt fiber is an eco-friendly fiber and comparatively newer to the world of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. A limited number of studies have been reported in the literature on the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP). The present experimental work explores the feasibility of using the BFRP strips for shear strengthening of the RC beams. The strengthening schemes include full wrap and U-wrap. A simple mechanical anchorage scheme has been introduced to prevent the debonding of U-wrap as well as to utilize the full capacity of the BFRP composite. The effect of varying shear span-to-effective depth (a/d) ratio on the behavior of shear deficient RC beams strengthened with BFRP strips under different schemes is examined. The RC beams were tested under a four-point loading system. The study finds that the beams strengthened with and without BFRP strips fails in shear for a/d ratio 2.5 and the enhancement of the shear capacity of strengthened beams ranges from 5% to 20%. However, the strengthened beams fail in flexure, and the control beam fails in shear for a higher a/d ratio, i.e., 3.5. The experimental results of the present study have been compared with the analytical study and found that the latter gives conservative results.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.112-120
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• 2023

Herein, we propose a facile water-processible method to develop an eggshell membrane (ESM)-embedded waterborne polyurethane (WPU)-based bio-degradable and bio-compatible coating material that exhibits attractive tactile properties. Virgin ESM is not dispersible in water. Hence, to develop the ESM-based WPU composite, soluble ESM (S-ESM) was first extracted by de-crosslinking the ESM. The extracted S-ESM at different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 wt %) was mixed with WPU. Compared to virgin WPU, the viscosity of S-ESM/WPU dispersion and the in-plane coefficient of friction (COF) of the composite film surfaces decreased with an increase in the S-ESM content. In addition, an increase in the S-ESM content improved the tribo-positive characteristics of the film. Different good touch-feeling biomaterials, such as fur, feather, and human skin exhibit tribo-positivity. Thus, the enhanced tribo-positive characteristics of the S-ESM/WPU and the decrease in their COF owing to an increase in the S-ESM content imply the enhancement of its touch-feeling performance. The S-ESM embedded WPU composites have potential applications as coating materials in various fields, including automobile interiors and artificial leather.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.249-256
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• 2017

The history of polyurethane is relatively shorter compared to that of the other polymers, though its importance has grown rapidly. Due to its unique properties, polyurethanes are widely applied in various fields. In particular, the automotive industry is one of the important application fields. To date, polyols and isocyanates used in the polyurethane industry are generally of petrochemical origin. Recently, owing to the oil crisis, legislation, and growing awareness towards environmental preservation, the demand for more sustainable and eco-friendly raw materials has increased. In this paper, the latest research and development trends in polyurethane applications were reviewed, with a focus on the automobile industry in areas such as seat comfort, noise reduction, light weight, biomass-based polyurethane, and recycling.