• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.22
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• pp.87-98
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• 2008

Microstructures and chemical compositions of 24 bronze mirrors recovered from the Korean peninsula were examined using the scanning electron microscope equipped with the energy dispersive spectrometer in an effort to characterize the treatments applied on their surface. Their provenance and chronology are mostly unspecified except for two objects from a Koryo burial site. In antiquity the surface of bronze mirrors was frequently finished by mere polishing when their tin content was high enough to guarantee the required reflectivity. In many cases, however, their surface was given a special treatment. The most typical treatment was to coat the surface with tin in two different processes referred to as wipe-tinning and amalgam-tinning. In wipe-tinning only tin was used, but in amalgam-tinning tin and mercury were used together. The surface was often coated with mercury in a process known as mercury-polishing. The present mirrors showed that all these techniques were in fact practiced, not only on the reflective surface but, in some cases, on the decorative surface. The detection of mercury played a crucial role in the assessment of a specific technique applied in each mirror. Mercury often remained in the substrate in the form of sulfide and thereby allowed the method of surface treatment to be estimated even when the coated layer was completely lost. The future study is expected to uncover the regional and temporal variation of the surface treatments to the better understanding of bronze mirrors with respect to provenance and chronology.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.439-442
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• 2007

A solid state Hg(Au)/HgO reference electrode was prepared utilizing gold amalgam solid particles. Solid fine powder of the gold amalgam was prepared by chemical reduction of Au(III) with NaBH4 followed by reduction of Hg(II) in the presence of gold fine particles. The solid content in the suspension of the gold amalgam particles and fine mercury oxide particles in DMF containing PVC was precipitated by the addition of a large amount of water to give solid Hg(Au)/HgO/PVC mixture. After drying, the mixture was pressure-molded to a physically stable Hg(Au)/HgO composite reference electrode material. The electrochemical characteristics of the electrode as a reference electrode were very similar to an ordinary Hg/HgO reference electrode. The electrode material can be molded and fabricated in any desired shape and size. The surface can be renewed by a simple polishing process whenever contaminated or deactivated. The applicability of the electrode in the electrochemical detection of carbohydrates after anion exchange separation was evaluated.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.16-24
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• 2012

To characterize the coating structure, diverse methods such as mercury intrusion, nitrogen adsorption and oil absorption methods have been developed and widely employed. These indirect techniques, however, have some limitation to explain the actual coating structure. Recently microscopic observation methods have been tried for analyzing structural characteristics of coating layers. Preparation of the undamaged cross section of a coating layer is essential for obtaining high quality image for analysis. In this study, distortion-free cross-section of the coating layer was prepared using a grinding and polishing technique. The coated paper was embedded in epoxy resin and cured. After curing the resin block it was ground with abrasive papers and then polished with diamond particle suspension and nylon cloth. Polished coating layer was sufficient enough to obtain undamaged cross sectional images with scanning electron microscope under backscattered electron image mode. In addition, the SEM images allowed distinction of the coating layer components. Also S/B latex film formed between pigment particles was visualized by osmium tetroxide staining. Pore size distribution and pore orientation were evaluated by image analysis from SEM cross-sectional images.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.4237-4244
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• 2015

This study examined the efflorescence characteristics of a concrete sidewalk block manufactured using recycled stone powder sludge and photocatalytic generated by surface polishing during the sidewalk block manufacturing process. The study evaluated the characteristics of the sidewalk block in terms of its quality, based on the amount of stone powder sludge used, efflorescence, and further based on the mixing ratio and number of applications of the photocatalytic. The experimental results indicated that heavy metals such as lead, hexavalent chrome, cadmium, and mercury were not present in the concrete sidewalk block, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the recycled stone powder sludge. The optimum mixing ratio of used in the concrete sidewalk block (for satisfying KS standard values such as water absorption ratio and flexural strength) was found to be 20%. The concrete sidewalk block incorporating the stone powder sludge and photocatalytic exhibited a water absorption ratio of 5.4% and flexural strength of 5.2 MPa, thereby satisfying the quality standards. Additionally, when the photocatalytic was used, efflorescence did not occur even at the low temperature of $-5^{\circ}C$, and the by the sidewalk block was found to be 70% under normal conditions and 68% when subjected to an accelerated weathering test.