• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.377-384
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• 2003

High impact polystyrene/organically modified layered silicate (HIPS/OLS) nanocomposites by in situ polymerization were synthesized to investigate the effect of clay on the particle size and properties of rubber. In the OLS, the montmorillonite having benzyl group showed best dispersion in polystyrene phase. With the addition of clay, the intercalated peak from XRB was confirmed, but the peak gradually shifted to lower angle as rubber concentration increased. Thus, it is speculated that the organoclay disperses better in rubber phase than in polystyrene phase. The average rubber particle size increased and the particle size distribution widened as the amount of clay increased, which may be caused by the increase of the viscosity ratio of rubber to polystyrene phases and the unstable dispersion. The materials having clay showed improved thermal properties from thermogravimetric analysis. Rheological properties such as complex viscosity and storage modulus increased as the amount of clay increased.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.143-150
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• 2014

Recently, supercritical fluid process has been widely used in material synthesis and processing due to their remarkable properties such as high diffusivity, low viscosity, and low surface tension. Supercritical carbon dioxide is the most attractive solvent owing to their characteristics including non-toxic, non-flammable, chemically inert, and also it has moderate critical temperature and critical pressure. In addition, supercritical carbon dioxide would dissolve many small organic molecules and most polymers. In this study, we have prepared the poly (ethylene oxide)/clay nanocomposites using supercritical fluid as a carbon dioxide. Commercialized Cloisites-15A and Cloisites-30B used in this study, which are modified with quaternary ammonium salts. The nanocomposites of polymer/clay were characterized by XRD, TGA and DSC. Poly (ethylene oxide)/clay nanocomposites by supercritical fluid show higher thermal stability than nanocomposites prepared by melt process. In addition, supercritical fluid process would be increased dispersibility of the nanoclay in the matrix.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.332-336
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• 2011

Hydrogels have been investigated due to their potential in a myriad of applications. The introduction of functional moiety such as sulfide has expanded their applicability. In this study, an investigation was carried out on the introduction of fucoidan into the hydrogels of clay/acrylamide. In the resulting semi-IPN nanocomposite hydrogels, the linear polysaccharide, fucoidan, has strong ionic interactions with clay. It was also confirmed from simple mixing tests that fucoidan can physically crosslink with clay without chemical crosslinks. In the semi-IPN hydrogels, equilibrium swelling ratio increased with the content of fucoidan. Elastic modulus increased with an initial increase in the content of fucoidan, and decreased with a further increase. The work of fracture results of these hydrogels showed their tough properties. These hydrogels could provide functional properties such as mucoadhesiveness with tunable hydrogel characteristics.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2006

The dispersion of organoclay in ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) matrix was correlated with the rheological and swelling properties of nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis exhibited the disordered-intercalated structure of EPDM/organoclay nanocomposite. The extent of the disordered phase increased with increasing organoclay content up to a limiting value of 3 wt% after which equilibrium tended towards intercalation. The dispersion effect of organoclay in EPDM matrix was clarified by the physicochemical properties like rheological response and swelling thermodynamics in toluene. The increase in viscoelastic properties of EPDM nanocomposite with increasing organoclay content up to 3 wt%, followed by a subsequent decrease up to 4 wt%, was correlated in terms of the disordered and ordered states of the dispersed nano-clay sheets. Swelling measurements revealed that the change in entropy of the swelling increased with the increase in disorder level but decreased with the increase in intercalation level of organoclay in the disordered-intercalated nanocomposite. The increase in solvent uptake was comparable with the free volume in EPDM matrix upon inclusion of silicate particles, whereas the inhibition in solvent uptake for higher organoclay loading was described by bridging flocculation.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.842-849
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• 2009

Polycarbonate (PC)/sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) ionomer/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by a solution intercalation process using the SPS ionomer as a compatibilizer. The effect of an organoclay on the melt crystallization behavior of the ionomer compatibilized PC were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The melt crystallization behavior of PC was dependent on the extent of organoclay dispersion. The effect of the ionomer loading and cation size on intercalation/exfoliation efficiency of the organoclay in PC/SPS ionomer matrix was also studied using wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Dispersion of the organically modified clay in the polymer matrix improved with increasing ionomer compatibilizer loadings and cation size. The SPS ionomer compatibilized PC/organoclay nanocomposite showed enhanced melt crystallization compared to the SPS ionomer/PC blend. Well dispersed organoclay nanocomposites showed better crystallization than the poorly dispersed clay nanocomposites. These nanocomposites also showed better thermal stability than the SPS ionomer/PC blend.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.87-90
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• 2005

In this study, we have examined the exfoliation behavior of layered clay during in-situ polymeriztion with styrene by using real-time XRD analysis. The 4C1 beam line at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) was used for this study. Different exfoliation behaviors have been shown to depend on the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of clay and the chemical structure of organic modifiers. For 10A-MMT and 15A-MMT having high CEC, no peak shifts were observed on real-time XRD analysis during polymerization. However, 2$\theta$ for 25A-MMT and VDAC-MMT, each having low CEC’s as well as aromatic benzene moieties and vinyl groups, respectively, decreased as polymerization time increased.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2005

Chitosan film has potential applications in agriculture, food, and pharmacy. However, films made only from chitosan lack gas barrier and have poor mechanical properties. For enhanced gas barrier and mechanical properties, chitosan/clay nanocomposites have been prepared with montmorillonite (MMT) which is a layered structure of clays and chitosan. The cationic biopolymer, chitosan is intercalated into $Na^+-montmorillonite$ through cationic exchange and hydrogen bonding process. Diluted acetic acid is used as solvent f3r dissolving and dispersing chitosan. Chitosan was intercalated or exfoliated in MMT and it was confirmed by X-ray diffraction method. D-spacing of the characteristic peak from MMT plate in chitosan/clay nanocomposites was moved and diminished. The thermal stability and the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites are measured by TGA and Universal Testing Machine. Gas permeability through the chitosan/clay nanocomposites films decreased due to increased tortuosity made by intercalation of clay in chitosan.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.85-105
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• 2006

Poly(lactic acid) is a linear aliphatic thermoplastic polyester, produced by the ring-opening polymerization of lactides and the lactic acid monomers, which are obtained from the fermentation of sugar feed stocks, corn, etc. PLA has high mechanical, thermal plasticity, fabric-ability, and biocompatibility, So PLA is a promising polymer far various end-use applications. In recent time, the intercalation of polymers from either solution or the melt in the silicate galleries of clay is the best technique to prepare nanocompoiste material which often exhibit remarkable improvement of mechanical, thermal, optical and physicochemical properties when compared with the pure polymer or conventional composites. Layered silicate is naturally abundant, economic, and more importantly benign to the environment.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.399-406
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• 2000

A thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP) containing a flexible spacer was synthesized from hydroquinone, p-hydrofybenzoic acid, and 1,6-dibromohexane. Intercalation of TLCP in layered clays is accomplished by heating the polymer with dodecyl ammonium-montmorillonite (C$_{12}$-MMT) above melt transition temperature (T$_{m}$). Liquid crystallinity of the TLCP/C$_{12}$-MMT hybrid was not observed when $C_{12}$-MMT content was above 1 wt%. Some of the $C_{12}$-MMTs in TLCP were highly dispersed in a nanometer scale, but some of them were agglomerated. Thermal and morphological properties of the nanocomposites were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), polarized optical microscope, and electron microscopes (SEM and TEM). TEM).

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2010

A new electric application method was developed to prepare epoxy/organoclay nanocomposite for the electrical insulation in the AC electric fields and it could be also used in the field of various viscous polymer/organoclay systems. The applied AC electric field condition was as follows; (1) inter-electrode distance: 40 mm, (2) application voltage: 3-11 kV, (3) frequency: 60~1,000 Hz, and (4) application time: 0~60 min. To characterize the epoxy/clay nanocomposite, WAXS and TEM analyses were confirmed. In order to explain how the organic modifier affects the exfoliation phenomena, a mechanism of the oscillating collision of the quaternary ammonium head was proposed and the effects of the AC voltage and frequency and the organoclay content were studied.