• New Physics: Sae Mulli
• /
• v.68 no.11
• /
• pp.1208-1214
• /
• 2018

The one-step spin coating method is reported as an excellent thin film process because it can be easily used to fabricate high-quality methyl-ammonium lead tri-iodide ($MAPbI_3$) perovskite layers. One of the important things in the one-step spin coating method towards obtaining high-quality $MAPbI_3$ layers is the anti-solvent (AS) engineering, which consists of an one-step deposition of the $MAPbI_3$ film and dripping of the AS. The properties of the $MAPbI_3$ layer were found to be strongly influenced by the amount, dispensing speed, and spraying time of the AS solution. The $MAPbI_3$ solution was prepared by dissolving lead iodide and methyl-ammonium iodide in N,N-dimethylformamide and adding N,N-dimethyl sulfoxide. Diethyl ether (DE) was used for the AS solution. The results indicate that a $MAPbI_3$ layer appropriately sprayed with DE is beneficial for improving film quality and device efficiency because nucleation of $MAPbI_3$ layer is affected by the characteristics of DE, which affect the film's crystallinity, density, and surface morphology. The $MAPbI_3$ layer, which was optimized by using 0.7 mL of DE, a 3.03 mL/sec dispensing speed, and a 7 second time to spray after spinning showed the best efficiency of 13.74%, which was reproducible.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.554-562
• /
• 2020

Tremex fuscicornis (Siricidae), known as the xylophagous horntail, and Leucospis japonica (Leucospidae), known as the parasitoid wasp, are wood-boring wasps belonging to the order Hymenoptera. These insects are interesting sources of biological inspiration for the development of drilling mechanisms. To study the biomimicry aspects, the morphological characters of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis and L. japonica were analyzed using a stereoscopic microscope, a field emission scanning electron microscope, and an optical microscope. There were many differences in the ovipositors between the two species, such as shape, length, surface structure, and arrangement of the teeth. Evenly arranged teeth were developed at the tip of both the dorsal valve and the ventral valve of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis and looked like a rotating drill bit. In contrast, in L. japonica, the teeth, which looked like a saw, were found only on the ventral valve. Moreover, the tip of the ovipositor of T. fuscicornis was symmetrically divided into four parts, while that of L. japonica was divided into three parts having a 2:1:1 ratio. However, in the case of T. fuscicornis, after the 14th tooth, four parts melded into three parts maintaining a 2:1:1 ratio, and a dovetail joint was found on the horizontal cross-section of the ovipositor that allowed vertical movement for making a hole. These morphological differences of the ovipositor may be due to the insects' lifestyles and phylogenetic distance. Finally, zinc was commonly found at the tip of the ovipositors of both species, a probable result of ecological adaptation created by drilling wood.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.305-311
• /
• 2021

Effects of chitosan as a mesopore directing agent of SAPO-34 catalysts were investigated to improve the catalytic lifetime in DTO reaction. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm and NH₃-temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The modified SAPO-34 catalysts prepared by varying the added amount of chitosan showed the same cubic morphology and chabazite structure as the conventional SAPO-34 catalyst. As the added amount of chitosan increased to 3 wt%, the surface area, mesopore volume and concentration of weak acid sites of modified SAPO-34 catalysts increased. The modified SAPO-34 catalysts showed enhanced catalytic lifetime and high selectivity for light olefins in the DTO reaction. In particular, the SAPO-CHI 3 catalyst (3 wt%) exhibited the longest catalytic lifetime than that of the conventional SAPO-34. Therefore, it was confirmed that chitosan was a suitable material as a mesopore directing agent to delay deactivation of the SAPO-34 catalyst.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.115-119
• /
• 2020

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology is state-of-the-art additive manufacturing process technology that produces a three-dimensional structure by irradiating a laser on a fine metal powder to perform the fusion of a specific area and repeat this process. Owing to the characteristics of the additive manufacturing process, the melting phenomenon of the metal material by the laser has directionality depending on the process conditions, such as the irradiation direction of the laser and the build-up direction. For this reason, the composition of the metal material in the structure exhibits non-uniform characteristics. In this study, aluminum (AlSi10Mg) specimens were manufactured by applying SLM technology, and the material composition characteristics of the specimen were analyzed. The specimens were manufactured as cylinders by the build-up orientation of 0°, 45°, and 90°. The surface morphology of the specimen plane was analyzed optically. TEM analysis was performed on the core and the interface of the melting-pool inside the specimen generated by laser irradiation. The analysis results confirmed that there was a difference between the nano cell structure of the core and the interface of the melting-pool, and that the composition ratio of Si appeared higher at the interface than at the core of the cell.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.179-184
• /
• 2022

In this study, edible films made of fish and mammalian gelatins were produced using heat pressing, and their physical properties were investigated. Transparent and smooth films were formed continuously and uniformly using a mixture of fish skin gelatin (FG) or mammalian gelatin (MG), glycerol, and water under the process of heat pressing at 90℃ and 20 MPa for 5 min. Heat-pressed FG films possessed lower light transmittance and tensile strength than heat-pressed MG films; however, their appearance, surface morphology, water vapor permeability, lightness, and redness were not different from those of heat-pressed MG films. Although heat-pressed FG films had lower tensile strength, they had a flatter and more uniform surfaces and demonstrated higher transparency and moisture barrier properties compared to the casted FG films. These results demonstrate the potential utility of heat pressing for the large-scale production of edible films using both FG and MG.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2022

The corrosion of reinforcement is the main reason for the performance degradation of concrete structures. The pre-rusted parts of rebar in concrete structures are vulnerable to the corrosion, especially if the structure is exposed to wet or chlorinated environments. In this study, effects of different curing solution on corrosion behavior of the pre-rusted rebars in the cement composites were investigated. HCl(3%) and CaCl₂(10%) solution were utilized to accelerate the pre-rust of the rebar, and each pre-rust condition rebar including reference (RE) were placed in mortar cylinder. Three kinds of samples then were cured in CaCl₂ (3%) solution and tap water respectively for 120 days. Electrochemical polarization and half-cell potential measurement were used to monitor the influence of curing water on the corrosion behavior of pre-rusted steel bar in cement composite. The surface morphology and composition of corroded steel bar were analyzed by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction. The results show that the corrosion rates of pre-rusted samples in both curing water are higher than that of non-pre-rusted samples. The corrosion rates of RE, CaCl₂ and HCl pre-rusted samples in salt water were 8.14, 4.48, 13.81 times higher than those in tap water respectively, on the 120th day.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.55 no.2
• /
• pp.81-86
• /
• 2022

Macrophages are a major cellular component of innate immunity and are mainly known to have phagocytic activity. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), they can be differentiated into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). As the most abundant immune cells in the TME, TAMs promote tumor progression by enhancing angiogenesis, suppressing T cells and increasing immunosuppressive cytokine production. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a tumor suppressor gene, whose expression is down-regulated in various cancers. However, the effect of NDRG2 on the differentiation of macrophages into TAMs in breast cancer remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the effect of NDRG2 expression in breast cancer cells on the differentiation of macrophages into TAMs. Compared to tumor cell-conditioned medium (TCCM) from 4T1-mock cells, TCCM from NDRG2-over-expressing 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells did not significantly change the morphology of RAW 264.7 cells. However, TCCM from 4T1-NDRG2 cells reduced the mRNA levels of TAM-related genes, including MR1, IL-10, ARG1 and iNOS, in RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, TCCM from 4T1-NDRG2 cells reduced the expression of TAM-related surface markers, such as CD206, in peritoneal macrophages (PEM). The mRNA expression of TAM-related genes, including IL-10, YM1, FIZZ1, MR1, ARG1 and iNOS, was also downregulated by TCCM from 4T1-NDRG2 cells. Remarkably, TCCM from 4T1-NDRG2 cells reduced the expression of PD-L1 and Fra-1 as well as the production of GM-CSF, IL-10 and ROS, leading to the attenuation of T cell-inhibitory activity of PEM. These data showed that compared with TCCM from 4T1-mock cells, TCCM from 4T1-NDRG2 cells suppressed the TAM differentiation and activation. Collectively, these results suggest that NDRG2 expression in breast cancer may reduce the differentiation of macrophages into TAMs in the TME.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.687-695
• /
• 2022

To find a 3D printer material that can replace lead used as a shield for high-energy electron beam treatment, the shielding composites were simulated by using MCNP6 programs. The Percent Depth Dose (PDD), Flatness, and Symmetry of linear accelerators emitting high-energy electron beams were measured, and the linear accelerator was compared with MCNP6 after simulation, confirming that the source term between the actual measurement and simulation was consistent. By simulating the lead shield, the appropriate thickness of the lead shield capable of shielding 95% or more of the absorbed dose was selected. Based on the absorption dose data for lead shield with a thickness of 3 mm, the shielding performance was analyzed by simulating 1, 5, 10, and 15 mm thicknesses of ABS+W (10%), ABS+Bi (10%), and PLA+Fe (10%). Each prototype was manufactured with a 3D printer, measured and analyzed under the same conditions as in the simulation, and found that when ABS+W (10%) material was formed to have a thickness of at least 10mm, it had a shielding performance that could replace lead with a thickness of 3mm. The surface morphology and atomic composition of the ABS+W (10%) material were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). From these results, it was confirmed that replacing the commercialized lead shield with ABS+W (10%) material not only produces a shielding effect such as lead, but also can be customized to patients using a 3D printer, which can be very useful for high-energy electron beam treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.34-41
• /
• 2022

As the use of chemical products increases in daily life, the removal of dye waste has also emerged as an important environmental issue. This dye waste can be decomposed using a photocatalyst, and the photocatalyst can be synthesized very cost-effectively by using the sol-gel technology. The sol-gel technology is not only very useful for nanoscale film formation, but also can simply form multilayer structures. Using a multiple spin coating method, in this study, a ZnO film with a multilayered structure (3 layers, 5 layers) was formed by using zinc oxide (ZnO), which is effective in decomposing various dyes. For performance comparison, a ZnO film having a single layer structure by a single spin coating method was prepared as a control. Structural and elemental analysis of ZnO film was performed using an X-ray diffraction analyzer and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. A nanowire-like surface morphology could be observed through a scanning electron microscope. Additionally, UV-Vis spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance of UV light. The ZnO film with a five-layer structure degraded the simulated methylene blue by 49% more than the ZnO film with a single-layer structure. In conclusion, it was found that ZnO having a multilayered structure is useful as a photocatalyst that decomposes methylene blue dye more effectively.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.154-162
• /
• 2022

Microstructured Al@Al₂O₃ and Al@Ni-Al LDH (LDH = layered double hydroxide) core-shell metal-ceramic composites are prepared by hydrothermal reactions of aluminum (Al) metal substrates. Controlled hydrothermal reactions of Al metal substrates induce the hydrothermal dissolution of Al ions at the Al-substrate/solution interface and reconstruction as porous metal-hydroxides on the Al substrate, thereby constructing unique metal-ceramic core-shell composite structures. The morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the core-shell composites are affected largely by the ions in the hydrothermal solution; therefore, the critical physicochemical and surface properties of these unique metal-ceramic core-shell microstructures can be modulated effectively by varying the solution composition. A Ni/Al@Al₂O₃ catalyst with highly dispersed catalytic Ni nanoparticles on an Al@Al₂O₃ core-shell substrate was prepared by a controlled reduction of an Al@Ni-Al LDH core-shell prepared by hydrothermal reactions of Al in nickel nitrate solution. The reduction of Al@Ni-Al LDH leads to the exolution of Ni ions from the LDH shell, thereby constructing the Ni nanoparticles dispersed on the Al@Al₂O₃. The catalytic properties of the Ni/Al@Al₂O₃ catalyst were investigated for CO₂ methanation reactions. The Ni/Al@Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited 2 times greater CO₂ conversion than a Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst prepared by conventional incipient wetness impregnation and showed high structural stability. These results demonstrate the high effectiveness of the design and synthesis methods for the metal-ceramic composite catalysts derived by hydrothermal reactions of Al metal substrates.