• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.601-606
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• 2019

Arginine methylation plays crucial roles in many cellular functions including signal transduction, RNA transcription, and regulation of gene expression. Protein arginine methyltransferase 8 (PRMT8), a unique brain-specific protein, is localized to the plasma membrane. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying PRMT8 plasma membrane targeting remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the N-terminal 20 amino acids of PRMT8 are sufficient for plasma membrane localization and that oligomerization enhances membrane localization. The basic amino acids, combined with myristoylation within the N-terminal 20 amino acids of PRMT8, are critical for plasma membrane targeting. We also found that substituting Gly-2 with Ala [PRMT8(G2A)] or Cys-9 with Ser [PRMT8(C9S)] induces the formation of punctate structures in the cytosol or patch-like plasma membrane localization, respectively. Impairment of PRMT8 oligomerization/dimerization by C-terminal deletion induces PRMT8 mis-localization to the mitochondria, prevents the formation of punctate structures by PRMT8(G2A), and inhibits PRMT8(C9S) patch-like plasma membrane localization. Overall, these results suggest that oligomerization/dimerization plays several roles in inducing the efficient and specific plasma membrane localization of PRMT8.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2012

Although silver is used for T-OLED (Top emitting organic Light-Emitting Diode) as reflective anode, it is not an ideal material due to its low work function. Thus, we study the effect of annealing and atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on Ag film that increases its work function by forming the thin silver oxide layer on its surface. In this study, we deposited silver on glass substrate using RF sputtering. Then we treated the Ag samples annealing at $300^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes in atmosphere or treating the atmospheric plasma treatment for 30, 60, 90, 120s, respectively. We measured the change of the mechanical properties and the potential value of surface with each one at a different treatment type and time. We used nano-indenter system and KPFM (Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy). KPFM method can be measured the change of surface potential. The nanoindenter results showed that the plasma treatment samples for 30s, 120s had very low elastic modulus, hardness and Weibull modulus. However, annealed sample and plasma treated samples for 60s and 90s had better mechanical properties. Therefore, plasma treatment increases the uniformity thin film and the surface potential that is very effective for the performace of T-OLED.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.13 no.2 s.55
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• pp.144-149
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• 2006

In this research we tried to make nano-sized TiNx by using planetary milling, and we made the composites double layered of titanium and nano-sized TiNx by using spark plasma sintering apparatus after mixing with the different ratio of pure titanium powder, and they were heat treated at $850^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes. The crystal structures of nano-sized TiNx powders and the composites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructures of the powders were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and the 40-50 nm size of nano-sized TiNx particle on the surface of agglomerated particles was investigated. With increasing the ratio of nano-sized TiNx of the composites, the microvickers hardness of the composites was increased.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.642-647
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• 2007

We investigated dry etching of acrylic (PMMA) in $O_2/N_2$ plasmas using a multi-layers electrode reactive ion etching (RIE) system. The multi-layers electrode RIE system had an electrode (or a chuck) consisted of 4 individual layers in a series. The diameter of the electrodes was 150 mm. The etch process parameters we studied were both applied RIE chuck power on the electrodes and % $O_2$ composition in the $N_2/O_2$ plasma mixtures. In details, the RIE chuck power was changed from 75 to 200 W.% $O_2$ in the plasmas was varied from 0 to 100% at the fixed total gas flow rates of 20 sccm. The etch results of acrylic in the multilayers electrode RIE system were characterized in terms of negatively induced dc bias on the electrode, etch rates and RMS surface roughness. Etch rate of acrylic was increased more than twice from about $0.2{\mu}m/min$ to over $0.4{\mu}m/min$ when RIE chuck power was changed from 75 to 200 W. 1 sigma uniformity of etch rate variation of acrylic on the 4 layers electrode was slightly increased from 2.3 to 3.2% when RIE chuck power was changed from 75 to 200 W at the fixed etch condition of 16 sccm $O_2/4\;sccm\;N_2$ gas flow and 100 mTorr chamber pressure. Surface morphology was also investigated using both a surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The RMS roughness of etched acrylic surface was strongly affected by % $O_2$ composition in the $O_2/N_2$ plasmas. However, RIE chuck power changes hardly affected the roughness results in the range of 75-200 W. During etching experiment, Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) data was taken and we found both $N_2$ peak (354.27 nm) and $O_2$ peak (777.54 nm). The preliminarily overall results showed that the multi-layers electrode concept could be successfully utilized for high volume reactive ion etching of acrylic in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2008

The implant prototypes with various porosities were fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering of atomized spherical titanium balls. The interface was observed by optical microscope. Sintering temperature and holding time were selected at the point of big change of Z-axis ratio during sintering. These experiments show that Spark Plasma Sintering of spherical titanium balls can be efficiently used to produce implants surfaced with titanium balls with various porosities in a short time less than 120 seconds by manipulating the current condition such as z-axis, temperature and balls size.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.150-156
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• 2009

The removal of tiny particles adhered to surfaces is one of the crucial prerequisite for a further increase in IC fabrication, large area displays and for the process in nanotechnology. Various cleaning techniques (wet chemical cleaning, scrubbing, pressurized jets and ultrasonic processes) currently used to clean critical surfaces are limited to removal of micrometer-sized particles. Therefore the removal of sub-micron sized particles from silicon wafers is of great interest. For this purpose various cleaning methods are currently under investigation. In this paper, we report on experiments on the cleaning effect of 100nm sized fluorescence particles on silicon wafer using the plasma shockwave occurred by femtosecond laser. The plasma shockwave is main effect of femtosecond laser cleaning to remove particles. The removal efficiency was dependent on the gap distance between laser focus and surface but in some case surface was damaged by excessive laser intensity. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of femtosecond laser cleaning using 100nm size fluorescence particles on wafer.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.640-644
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• 2008

Lubricating oil on aluminium surfaces was cleaned by a low temperature plasma process. Oxygen plasma mixed with argon was used, and process parameters were the mixing ratio of argon in oxygen, discharge power, and negative DC potential. The aluminium surfaces were analyzed with FTIR and EDX after the cleaning. It was found that almost all of the oil was eliminated in 20 min. if the oil was pure. Elimination efficiency was highly dependent on operational conditions of the process. The highest efficiency was obtained when treated at 300 W with oxygen plasma mixed with 30% argon applying negative potential more than -500 V on the aluminium surfaces. However, efficiency higher that 60% cannot be obtained at any condition if the oil contained inorganic materials.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

Nano-pulse plasma technology has great potential as the process simplicity, high efficiency and low energy consumption for SO₂ removal. The research on the gas-to-particle conversion is required to achieve higher efficiency of SO₂ gas removal. Thus, we studied the effect of the relative humidity, NH₃ concentration and applied voltage of the nano-pulse plasma system in the gas to particle conversion of SO₂. The particles from the conversions were increased from 10 to 100 nm in diameter as relative humidity, NH₃ concentration, applied voltage increases. With these results, nano-pulse plasma system can be used to more efficient removal of SO₂ gas by controlling above parameters.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.365-365
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• 2010

Similar to the superhydrophobic surfaces of lotus leaf, water strider leg is attributed to hierarchical structure of micro pillar and nano-hair coated with low surface energy materials, by which water strider can run and even jump on the water surface. In order to mimick its leg, many effort, especially, on the fabrication of nanohairs has been made using several methods such as a capillarity-driven molding and lithography using poly(urethane acrylate)(PUA). However most of those effort was not so effective to create the similar structure due to its difficulty in the fabrication of nanoscale hairy structures with hydrophobic surface. In this study, we have selected a low surface energy polymeric material of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, or Teflon) assisted with surface modification of CF4 plasma treatment followed by hydrophobic surface coating with pre-cursor of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) using a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD). It was found that the plasma energy and duration of CF4 treatment on PTFE polymer could control the aspect ratio of nano-hairy structure, which varying with high aspect ratio of more than 20 to 1, or height of over 1000nm but width of 50nm in average. The water contact angle on pristine PTFE surface was measured as approximately $115^{\circ}$. With nanostructures by CF4 plasma treatment and hydrophobic coating of HMDSO film, we made a superhydrophobic nano-hair structure with the wetting angle of over $160^{\circ}C$. This novel fabrication method of nanohairy structures has been applied not only on 2-D flat substrate but also on 3-D substrates like wire and cylinder, which is similarly mimicked the water strider's leg.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.511-515
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• 2004

Fe nano powders were synthesized by plasma arc discharge (PAD) process and studied by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Pure Fe rod($99.9\%$) was used as a source of metallic vapor under argon and hydrogen mixed atmosphere. The synthesized Fe nano powders had nearly spherical shapes and core-shell type structures. The influence of process parameters on the structure and size was investigated. The powder size increased with increasing of the chamber pressure and input current. High hydrogen gas ratio in chamber atmosphere affected the particle size and amount of Fe nanopowder.