• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2024

An environmentally-friendly nanocoating method that effectively adds flame retardant(FR) and gas shielding properties to combustible polymeric construction materials such as flexible polyurethane (PU) foam was studied. Naturally-driven two-dimensional(2D) nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO) can exhibit liquid crystalline (LC) properties in aqueous solutions, enabling uniform coatings on the various substrates including 3D-porous foams. LC phase-assisted coating serves as 3D-scaffold, facilitating the introduction of small molecules having antioxidant capabilities such as dopamine which is to form uniformly stacked FR coating. Additionally, the structural characteristics of the 2D-materials can effectively hinder the migration of toxic gases and flammable substances in the gas phase generated during combustion. This LC phase flame retardant coating technology could be a new approach to provide environmentally friendly and effective flame retardant and gas barrier properties to various types of polymeric materials.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.680-685
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• 2009

Using a polyurethane foam replica method, porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds (PHS) were fabricated using conventional and microwave sintering techniques. The microstructure and material properties of the PHS, such as pore size, grain size, relative density and compressive strength, were investigated at different sintering temperatures and holding times to determine the optimal sintering conditions. There were interconnected pores whose sizes ranged between about 300 ${\mu}m$ and 700 ${\mu}m$. At a conventional sintering temperature of 1100$^{\circ}C$, the scaffold had a porous microstructure, which became denser and saw the occurrence of grain growth when the temperature was increased up to 1300$^{\circ}C$. In the case of microwave sintering, even at low sintering temperature and short holding time the microstructure was much denser and had smaller grains. As the holding time of the microwave sintering was increased, higher densification was observed and also the relative density and compressive strength increased. The compressive strength values of PHS were 2.3MPa and 1.8MPa when conventional and microwave sintering was applied at 1300$^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2022

Numerous fabrication techniques have been used to mimic cylindrical natural tissues, such as blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and skeletal muscles. However, most processes have limitations in achieving the biomimetic properties of multilayered and porous architectures. In this study, to embrace both features, a novel self-assembly method was proposed using electrospun microfibrous sheets. A bilayer microfibrous structure, comprising two sheets with different internal stresses, was fabricated by electrospinning a polycaprolactone (PCL) sheet on a uniaxially stretched thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sheet. Then, by removing the stretching tension, the sheet was rolled into a hollow cylindrical structure with a specific internal diameter. The internal diameter could be quantitatively controlled by adjusting the thickness of the PCL sheet against that of the TPU sheet. Through this self-assembly method, biomimetic cylindrical structures with multilayer and porous features can be manufactured in a stable and controllable manner. Therefore, the resulting structures may be applied to various tissue engineering scaffolds, especially vascular and connective tissues.