• Fibers and Polymers
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.263-268
• /
• 2005

Alpaca fibers have some distinct properties such as softness and warmth, which have not been fully understood in combination with the fiber internal structures. In the present investigation, the internal structures of alpaca fibers have been closely examined under the scanning electron microscope (SEM), especially in the longitudinal direction. The results showed that numerous pigment granules reside loosely inside pockets in brown and dark-brown alpaca fibers. These pigment granules were mainly distributed inside the cortical cells, the medullation regions as well as underneath the cuticles. Their size in the brown alpaca fibers was smaller and more uniformly round than in the dark-brown fibers. These granules in colored alpaca fibers loosen the bundle of cortical cells, providing many crannies in the fibers which may contribute to the superior flexibility, warmth and softness of the fibers. Moreover, there are no heavy metal elements found in the granules. The mordant hydrogen peroxide bleaching employed could eliminate the pigment granules and create many nano-volumes for further dyeing of fibers into more attractive colors.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2011.10a
• /
• pp.3.1-3.1
• /
• 2011

Nanoengineered materials with advanced architectures are critical building blocks to modulate conventional material properties or amplify interface behavior for enhanced device performance. While several techniques exist for creating one dimensional heterostructures, electrospinning has emerged as a versatile, scalable, and cost-effective method to synthesize ultra-long nanofibers with controlled diameter (a few nanometres to several micrometres) and composition. In addition, different morphologies (e.g., nano-webs, beaded or smooth cylindrical fibers, and nanoribbons) and structures (e.g., core-.shell, hollow, branched, helical and porous structures) can be readily obtained by controlling different processing parameters. Although various nanofibers including polymers, carbon, ceramics and metals have been synthesized using direct electrospinning or through post-spinning processes, limited works were reported on the compound semiconducting nanofibers because of incompatibility of precursors. In this work, we combined electrospinning and galvanic displacement reaction to demonstrate cost-effective high throughput fabrication of ultra-long hollow semiconducting chalcogen and chalcogenide nanofibers. This procedure exploits electrospinning to fabricate ultra-long sacrificial nanofibers with controlled dimensions, morphology, and crystal structures, providing a large material database to tune electrode potentials, thereby imparting control over the composition and shape of the nanostructures that evolved during galvanic displacement reaction.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2007.05a
• /
• pp.148-153
• /
• 2007

The effect of silicon carbide (SiC) and graphite fillers incorporation on the abrasive wear behaviour of glass-vinyl ester (G-V) composites have been investigated. The three-body abrasive wear behaviour was assessed by rubber wheel abrasion tests (RWAT). The worn surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of SiC and graphite fillers in G-V composite improves the abrasion resistance under different loads/abrading distances. The SEM studies indicate the reasons for failure of composites and influencing parameters.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
• /
• v.38 no.1 s.113
• /
• pp.34-44
• /
• 2006

A new composition of paper coating adhesives was prepared by using a nano-filler of an organically-modified montmorillonite (O-MMT). The new O-MMT coating adhesives were applied to the paper, and the properties of coated papers including surface morphology, optical and physical properties, and printing properties were investigated. The use of O-MMT improved the mechanical properties, such as folding endurance, tearing strength, and tensile strength, while the surface smoothness decreased. It decreased especially when the dosage was high enough, approximately above 6 parts. The printing properties such as wet- and dry-pick were enhanced with addition of O-MMT.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.4 no.5
• /
• pp.531-548
• /
• 2008

Recently, dense sensor instrumentation for structural health monitoring has motivated the need for novel passive wireless sensors that do not require a portable power source, such as batteries. Using a layer-by-layer self-assembly process, nano-structured multifunctional carbon nanotube-based thin film sensors of controlled morphology are fabricated. Through judicious selection of polyelectrolytic constituents, specific sensing transduction mechanisms can be encoded within these homogenous thin films. In this study, the thin films are specifically designed to change electrical properties to strain and pH stimulus. Validation of wireless communications is performed using traditional magnetic coil antennas of various turns for passive RFID (radio frequency identification) applications. Preliminary experimental results shown in this study have identified characteristic frequency and bandwidth changes in tandem with varying strain and pH, respectively. Finally, ongoing research is presented on the use of gold nanocolloids and carbon nanotubes during layer-by-layer assembly to fabricate highly conductive coil antennas for wireless communications.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.891-894
• /
• 2014

The ultrashort electron pulse, laser-emitted from the metal tip apex has been characterized and used as a probing source for a new electron microscope to visualize the morphology of the gold-mesh in the nanometric resolution. As the gap between the tungsten tip and Au-surface is approached within a few nm, the large electromagnetic field enhancement for the incident P-polarized laser pulse with respect to the tip-sample axis is strongly observed. Here, we demonstrate that the time-resolved tip-enhanced electron emission microscope (TEEM) can be implemented on the laboratory table top to give the two-dimensional image, opening lots of challenges and opportunities in the near future.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.217-222
• /
• 2006

Recently, LG chemical corporation developed new material called HYPERIER, which has an excellent barrier characteristic. It has many layers which are made of nano-composite within LDPE(Low-Density Poly Ethylene). In order to guarantee the quality of the final product from the production line, a certain test equipment is required to investigate the existence of layers inside the HYPERIER. In this work, ultrasonic sensor based test equipment for investigating the existence of inner layers is proposed. However, it is a tedious job for human operators to check the existence by just looking at the resounding waveform from ultrasonic sensor. Therefore, to enhance the performance of the ultrasonic test equipment, wavelet and PCA(Principle Componet Analysis) schemes are introduced into neural network scheme which is used for classification. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, some experiments are executed.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.324-330
• /
• 2009

Autophagy is a bulk lysosomal degradation process important in development, differentiation and cellular homeostasis in multiple organs. Interestingly, neuronal survival is highly dependent on autophagy due to its post-mitotic nature, polarized morphology and active protein trafficking. A growing body of evidence now suggests that alteration or dysfunction of autophagy causes accumulation of abnormal proteins and/or damaged organelles, thereby leading to neurodegenerative disease. Although autophagy generally prevents neuronal cell death, it plays a protective or detrimental role in neurodegenerative disease depending on the environment. In this review, the two sides of autophagy will be discussed in the context of several neurodegenerative diseases.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.11-22
• /
• 2008

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a cellular self-destruction mechanism that is essential for a variety of biological events, such as developmental sculpturing, tissue homeostasis, and the removal of unwanted cells. Mitochondria play a crucial role in regulating cell death. $Ca^{2+}$ has long been recognized as a participant in apoptotic pathways. Mitochondria are known to modulate and synchronize $Ca^{2+}$ signaling. Massive accumulation of $Ca^{2+}$ in the mitochondria leads to apoptosis. The $Ca^{2+}$ dynamics of ER and mitochondria appear to be modulated by the Bcl-2 family proteins, key factors involved in apoptosis. The number and morphology of mitochondria are precisely controlled through mitochondrial fusion and fission process by numerous mitochondria-shaping proteins. Mitochondrial fission accompanies apoptotic cell death and appears to be important for progression of the apoptotic pathway. Here, we highlight and discuss the role of mitochondrial calcium handling and mitochondrial fusion and fission machinery in apoptosis.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.218-222
• /
• 2012

FeNi alloy nanofibers have been prepared by an electrospinning process followed by air-calcination and H2 reduction to develop electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers in the giga-hertz (GHz) frequency range. The thermal behavior and phase and morphology evolution in the synthetic processes were systematically investigated. Through the heat treatments of calcination and H2 reduction, as-spun PVP/FeNi precursor nanofiber has been stepwise transformed into nickel iron oxide and FeNi phases but the fibrous shape was maintained perfectly. The FeNi alloy nanofiber had the high aspect ratio and the average diameter of approximately 190 nm and primarily composed of FeNi nanocrystals with an average diameter of ~60 nm. The FeNi alloy nanofibers could be used for excellent EM wave absorbing materials in the GHz frequency range because the power loss of the FeNi nanofibers increased up to 20 GHz without a degradation and exhibited the superior EM wave absorption properties compared to commercial FeNi nanoparticles.