• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.71-79
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• 2023

In this study, we employed anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants for the hydrophilization of porous substrates used in the fabrication of pore-filling membranes. We investigated the extent of hydrophilization based on the type of surfactant, its concentration, and immersion time. Furthermore, we used the hydrophilized substrates to produce pore-filling anion exchange membranes and compared their ion conductivity to determine the optimal hydrophilization conditions. For the ionic surfactants used in this study, we observed that hydrophilization progressed rapidly from the beginning of immersion when the applied concentration was 3.0 wt%, compared to lower concentrations (0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 wt%). In contrast, for the relatively larger molecular weight non-ionic surfactants, smooth hydrophilization was not observed. There was no apparent correlation between the degree of hydrophilization and the ion conductivity of the anion exchange membrane. This discrepancy suggests that an excessive hydrophilization process during the treatment of porous substrates leads to excessive adsorption of the surfactant on the sparse surfaces of the porous substrate, resulting in a significant reduction in porosity and subsequently decreasing the content of polymer electrolyte capable of ion exchange, thereby greatly increasing the electrical resistance of the membrane.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.427-438
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• 2023

In this study, in order to improve the performance of the reverse osmosis membrane with high water flux and high salt rejection, a study was conducted on the evaluation of characteristics according to the curing temperature and time during various additives and interfacial polymerization. The morphology of the membrane with no additives and the membrane with additives both showed a "rigid-and-valley" structure, confirming that the polyamide layer was successfully polymerized on the surface of the porous support layer. In addition, the additive of 2-Ethyl-1,3-hexanediol (EHD) had improved hydrophilicity and water flux, which was confirmed by measuring the contact angle. Finally, a highly permeable TFC membrane with NaCl and MgSO₄ salt rejection of 97.78% and 98.7% and a high water flux of 3.31 L/(m²⋅h⋅bar) was prepared.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.196-205
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• 2023

Water-dispersed pigment is on-going study for without air pollution in the textile and print industry. Primer treatment is essential for the substrate to improve the printing quality of eco-friendly water-dispersed pigment ink. Otherwise in the case of untreated primer, the water-dispersed pigment ink will dry onto the surface and cause defective images. This study was conducted on film substrate coating (primer) to fix eco-friendly water-dispersed pigment ink on film substrate. The drying, bleeding, and color strength of the pigment ink were examined depending on the composition and mixing ratio of the coating solution. The mixing ratio of silica gel in the coating film is increased to 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 and results that DK-1-3 of silica gel ratio of 1 showed the lowest bleeding such as 52%, the letter thickness of 0.76mm and DK-1-5 of SG ratio of 3 showed the highest bleeding such as 304%, the letter thickness of 2.02mm. The mixing ratio of SPA in the coating film is increased to 2.5, 5, 7.5, SPA ratio of 7.5 has a bleeding ratio of 9% and letter thickness of 0.544mm. It showed the closest value to 0.5mm. According to the result, the optimal mixing ratio of binder, polymer coagulant, silica gel is 100:7.5:1.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.334-343
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• 2023

Background: South Korea's Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (known as K-REACH) was established to protect public health and the environment from hazardous chemicals. 4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA), which is used as a major intermediate in industrial polymer production and as a vulcanizing agent in South Korea, is classified as a toxic substance under the K-REACH act. Although MDA poses potential ecological risks due to industrial emissions and hazards to aquatic ecosystems, no ecological risk assessment has been conducted. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the ecological risk of MDA by identifying the actual exposure status based on the K-REACH act. Methods: Various toxicity data were collected to establish predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) for water, sediment, and soil. Using the SimpleBox Korea v2.0 model with domestic release statistical data and EU emission factors, predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were derived for ten sites, each referring to an MDA-using company. Hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated by ratio of the PECs and PNECs to characterize the ecological risk posed by MDA. To validate the results of modeling-based assessment, concentration of MDA was measured using in-site freshwater samples (two to three samples per site). Results: PNECs for water, sediment, and soil were 0.000525 mg/L, 4.36 mg/kg dw, and 0.1 mg/kg dw, respectively. HQ for surface water and sediment at several company sites exceeded 1 due to modeling data showing markedly high PEC in each environmental compartment. However, in the results of validation using in-site surface water samples, MDA was not detected. Conclusions: Through an ecological risk assessment conducted in accordance with the K-REACH act, the risk level of MDA emitted into the environmental compartments in South Korea was found to be low.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.9-14
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• 2022

Silica aerogel is a porous material with a very low density and high specific surface area. Still, its application is limited due to its weak mechanical properties due to structural features. To solve this problem, a method of complexing it with various polymers has been proposed. We synthesized polyimide cross-linked silica aerogel by the sol-gel process to obtain high mechanical properties. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as a precursor to make silica aerogel, and 3- aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was used as a coupling agent for cross-linking polyimide. Polyimide was synthesized using pyromellitic dianhydride and 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid, and mechanical properties were improved by crosslinking polyimide with 10 repeating units in the polyimide chain using the reaction formula ${\frac{n_1}{n_2}}={\frac{n}{n+1}}$ To realize silica aerogel, polyimide having various weight ratios was added before gelation, resulting in a 19-fold or greater increase in maximum compressive strength compared to pure silica aerogel. From this study, an enhancement of silica aerogel could be enhanced through polymer cross-linking bonds.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.404-413
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• 2023

In this research, we studied the development of a SUS304 microneedle array based on microfabrication technology and the applicability of Parylene-C thin film, a medical polymer material. First of all, four materials commonly used in the field of medical engineering (SUS304, Ti, PMMA, and PEEK) were selected and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C thin film was deposited. The applicability of Parylene-C coating to each material was confirmed through SEM analysis, contact angle measurement, surface roughness(Ra) measurement, and adhesion test according to ASTM standards for each specimen. Parylene-C thin film was deposited based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C deposition process was established through trial and error. Through characteristic experiments to confirm the applicability of Parylene-C, SUS304 material, which is the easiest to apply Parylene-C coating without pretreatment was selected to develop a microneedle array based on CNC micromachining technology. The CNC micromachining process was divided into a total of 5 steps, and a microneedle array consisting of 19 needles with an inner diameter of 200 ㎛, an outer diameter of 400 ㎛, and a height of 1.4 mm was designed and manufactured. Finally, a 5 ㎛ Parylene-C coated microneedle array was developed, which presented future research directions in the field of microneedle-based drug delivery systems.

• Journal of Advanced Technology Convergence
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.25-31
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• 2024

In recent industrialization and development due to information and communication technology, modern women in modern society are exposed to physical and mental health due to numerous stresses. Popular inflammations are attributable to a decrease in lactic acid bacteria, frequent antibiotic use, and a decrease in immunity. It is necessary to develop products that are helpful and reflected. The inner care gel currently introduced on the market can increase beneficial bacteria and maintain a healthy y-zone. The inner gel contains a hydrogel component. 90% is made up of water, and other components act as support for supporting water and are formed through crosslinking between polymer chains. Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is a hydroxyethyl ethylenetel of cellulose. The purpose of use is to act as a binder, an emulsion stabilizer, a viscosity enhancer (water-soluble), and a film forming agent. CA (crosslinker) is a crosslinking agent and serves to bind. Hydrogel in the beauty field acts as a film forming agent that gently wraps around the skin by forming a thin film and serves as an emulsion stabilizer that helps to prevent separation of other raw materials. It also acts as a thickener by increasing viscosity in cosmetics. In addition, it is used for glucose monitoring, nursing care, cell transplantation, and wound treatment in the bio field. Currently, it is understood that no products using functional hydrogel have been released, so in this study, a Y zone care hydrogel solution was manufactured to find out the antibacterial properties of the functional hydrogel, and a new solution was developed. As a result, it was confirmed that the appropriate Ph was applied to the Y zone, and after culturing Candida albicans in PDB medium, all three products of the Y zone care hydrogel solution showed an antibacterial effect of 0.5-1.0mm

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2024

The key components of a Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) are an electrode catalyst, an electrolyte matrix and a gas diffusion layer (GDL). In this study, we introduced a microporous layer on the GDL of PAFC to enhance liquid electrolyte management and overall electrochemical performance of PAFC. MPL is primarily used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells to serve as an intermediate buffer layer, effectively managing water within the electrode and reducing contact resistance. In this study, electrodes were fabricated using GDLs with and without MPL to examine the influence of MPL on the performance of PAFC. Internal resistance and polarization curves of the unit cell were measured and compared to each other to assess the impact of MPL on PAFC electrode performance. As the results, the application of MPL improved power density from 170.2 to 192.1 mW/cm². MPL effectively managed electrolyte and water within the matrix and electrode, enhancing stability. Furthermore, the application of MPL reduced internal resistance in the electrode, resulting in sustained and stable performance even during long-term operation.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2024

As the demand for hydrogen electric vehicles for commercial vehicles increases, the durability of PEMFCs must increase more than five times that of passenger cars, so research and development to improve durability is urgent. When the PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA) undergoes chemical degradation, the MEA thickness decreases and pinholes occur. In this study, changes in the performance and durability of the MEA were measured while increasing the clamping pressure of the unit cell after open circuit voltage (OCV) holding, an accelerated chemical degradation experiment. As the clamping pressure increased, the resistance of the polymer membrane and the membrane/electrode contact resistance decreased, improving the I-V performance and reducing the hydrogen permeability. As the hydrogen permeability decreased, the OCV increased. When the pinhole area was removed and the MEA clamping pressure was increased, the hydrogen permeability decreased sharply, confirming that the local degradation has a large effect on the performance and durability of the entire cell. When the pinhole was removed and re-clamping and OCV holding was evaluated, it was confirmed that the durability improved according to the decrease in membrane resistance and hydrogen permeability.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2024

The durability of the catalyst support has a significant effect on the durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The accelerated durability evaluation of the catalyst support is performed at a high voltage (1.0 to 1.5 V), and the catalyst and ionomer binder in the catalyst layer are also deteriorated, hindering the evaluation of the durability of the support. The existing protocol (DOE protocol) was improved to find conditions in which the support, which is a durability evaluation target, deteriorates further. A protocol (MDOE) was developed in which the relative humidity was lowered by 35% and the number of voltage changes was reduced. After repeating the 1.0 ↔ 1.5 V voltage change cycle, the catalyst mass activitiy (MA), electrochemical active area (ECSA), electrical double layer capacity (DLC), Pt dissolution and particle growth were analyzed. Reaching 40% reduction in mass activity, the MDOE protocol took only 500 cycles, reducing the number of voltage changes compared to the DOE method and increasing the degradation of the carbon support by 50% compared to the DOE protocol.