• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.404-411
• /
• 2004

The microcapsules containing triphenyl phosphate (TPP), a flame retardant, were prepared by phase-inversion emulsification technique using the epoxy resin (Novolac type) with excellent physical properties and network structure. This microencapsulation process was adopted for the protection of TPP evaporation and wetting of polymer composite during the polymer blend processing. The TPP, epoxy resin and mixed surfactants were emulsified to oil in water (O/W) by the phase inversion technology and then conducted on the crosslinking of epoxy resin by in-situ polymerization. The capsule size and size distribution of TPP capsules was controlled by mixed surfactant ratio, concentration and TPP contents, The formation and thermal property of TPP capsules were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology and size of TPP capsules were also investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopies. As the surfactant concentration increased, the TPP capsules were more spherical and mono-dispersed at the same weight ratio of mixed surfactants (F127: SDBS).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.270-276
• /
• 2008

$N_2$ doped $TiO_2$ nano-sized powder was prepared using a DC arc plasma jet and investigated with XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, and photo-catalytic decomposition. Recently the research interest about the nano-sized $TiO_2$ powder has been increased to improve its photo-catalytic activity for the removal of environmental pollutants. Nitrogen gas, reacting gas, and titanium tetrachloride ($TiCl_4$) were used as the raw materials and injected into the plasma reactor to synthesize the $N_2$ doped $TiO_2$ power. The particle size and XRD peaks of the synthesized powder were analyzed as a function of the flow rate of the nitrogen gas. Also, the characteristics of the photo-catalytic decomposition using the prepared powder were studied. For comparing the photo-catalytic decomposition performance of $TiO_2$ powder with that of $TiO_2$ coating, $TiO_2$ thin films were prepared by the spin coating and the pulsed laser deposition. For the results of the acetaldehyde decomposition, the photo-catalytic activity of $TiO_{2-x}N_x$ powder was higher than that of the pure $TiO_2$ powder in the visible light region. For the methylene blue decomposition, the decomposition efficiency of $TiO_2$ powder was also higher than that of $TiO_2$ film.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.22-28
• /
• 2012

Functionalized graphene/epoxy composites were prepared to miprove thermal conductivities of epoxy composites and to maintain electrical insulating property. Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared using Hummers method, and then GO was reacted with aluminum isopropoxide to functionalize $Al(OH)_3$ layer onto GO surface by a simple sol-gel method (Al-GO). GO and Al-GO were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The analyses confirm that GO was coated with a large and dense coverage of $Al(OH)_3$. GO and Al-GO (1 and 3 wt%) were embedded in bisphenol A (DGEBA) to investigate the effects of electrical insulating property. Electrical resistivity showed that Al-GO had better insulating property than GO. Further, the thermal conductivity of GO and Al-GO/epoxy composites was higher than that of neat epoxy resins. In particular, the thermal conductivity of Al-GO/bisphenol F (DGEBF) improved by 23.3% and Al-GO/DGEBA enhanced by 21.8% compared with pure epoxy resins.

• Biomaterials Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.328-336
• /
• 2018

Background: Biogenic fabrication of silver nanoparticles from naturally occurring biomaterials provides an alternative, eco-friendly and cost-effective means of obtaining nanoparticles. It is a favourite pursuit of all scientists and has gained popularity because it prevents the environment from pollution. Our main objective to take up this project is to fabricate silver nanoparticles from lichen, Usnea longissima and explore their properties. In the present study, we report a benign method of biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from aqueous-ethanolic extract of Usnea longissima and their characterization by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Silver nanoparticles thus obtained were tested for antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria. Results: Formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by the appearance of an absorption band at 400 nm in the UV-vis spectrum of the colloidal solution containing both the nanoparticles and U. longissima extract. Poly(ethylene glycol) coated silver nanoparticles showed additional absorption peaks at 424 and 450 nm. FTIR spectrum showed the involvement of amines, usnic acids, phenols, aldehydes and ketones in the reduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles. Morphological studies showed three types of nanoparticles with an abundance of spherical shaped silver nanoparticles of 9.40-11.23 nm. Their average hydrodynamic diameter is 437.1 nm. Results of in vitro antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Streptococcus viridans, Corynebacterium xerosis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae (gram positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneuomoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram negative bacteria) showed that it was effective against tested bacterial strains. However, S. mutans, C. diphtheriae and P. aeruginosa were resistant to silver nanoparticles. Conclusion: Lichens are rarely exploited for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles. In the present work the lichen acts as reducing as well as capping agent. They can therefore, be used to synthesize metal nanoparticles and their size may be controlled by monitoring the concentration of extract and metal ions. Since they are antibacterial they may be used for the treatment of bacterial infections in man and animal. They can also be used in purification of water, in soaps and medicine. Their sustained release may be achieved by coating them with a suitable polymer. Silver nanoparticles fabricated from edible U. longissima are free from toxic chemicals and therefore they can be safely used in medicine and medical devices. These silver nanoparticles were stable for weeks therefore they can be stored for longer duration of time without decomposition.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.12
• /
• pp.2860-2866
• /
• 2020

Oxide dispersion-strengthened materials W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ and W-1wt%La₂O₃ were synthesized by wet chemical method and spark plasma sintering. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis, XRD and Vickers microhardness measurements were conducted to characterize the samples. The irradiations were carried out with a 5 keV helium ion beam to fluences up to 5.0 × 10²¹ ions/m² under 600 ℃ using the low-energy ion irradiation system. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study was performed to investigate the microstructural evolution in W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ and W-1wt%La₂O₃. At 1.0 × 10²⁰ He⁺/m², the average loops size of the W-1wt%Pr₂O₃ was 4.3 nm, much lower than W-1wt% La₂O₃ of 8.5 nm. However, helium bubbles were not observed throughout in both doped W materials. The effects of pre-irradiation with 1.0 × 10²¹ He⁺/m² on trapping of injected deuterium in doped W was studied by thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS) technique using quadrupole mass spectrometer. Compared with the samples without He⁺ pre-irradiation, deuterium (D) retention of doped W materials increased after He⁺ irradiation, whose retention was unsaturated at the damage level of 1.0 × 10²²D₂⁺/m². The present results implied that irradiation effect of He⁺ ions must be taken into account to evaluate the deuterium retention in fusion material applications.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.143-148
• /
• 2021

A thermally conductive 200 ㎛ thick polyimide-based film was made from a polyamic acid (PAA) precursor containing graphene prepared from graphite rod using an electrostatic discharge method in order to improve the thermal conductivity and expand the applicability of polyimide (PI) film. Properties of graphene produced by electrostatic discharge were measured by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). As a result of Raman spectrum and XPS analyses of as-prepared graphene, the ID/IG ratio was 0.138 and C/O value was 24.91 which are excellent structural and surface chemical properties. Moreover, thermal conductivities of polyimide films increased exponentially according to graphene contents but when the graphene content exceeded 40%, the polyimide film could not maintain its shape. The thermal conductivity of carbonized PI film made from PAA containing 40 wt% of graphene was 51 W/mK which is greatly enhanced from the pristine carbonized PI film (1.9 W/mK). This result could be originated from superior properties of graphene prepared from the electrostatic discharge method.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.559-569
• /
• 2018

Catalytic supports made of carbon have many advantages, such as high coking resistance, tailorable pore and surface structures, and ease of recycling of waste catalysts. Moreover, they do not require pre-reduction. In this study, ash-free coal (AFC) was obtained by the thermal extraction of carbonaceous components from raw coal and its performance as a carbon catalytic support was compared with that of well-known activated carbon (AC). Nickel was dispersed on the carbon supports and the resulting catalysts were applied to the steam reforming of toluene (SRT), a model compound of biomass tar. Interestingly, nickel catalysts dispersed on AFC, which has a very small surface area (${\sim}0.13m^2/g$), showed higher activity than those dispersed on AC, which has a large surface area ($1,173A/cm^2$). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the particle size of nickel deposited on AFC was smaller than that deposited on AC, with the average values on AFC ${\approx}11nm$ and on AC ${\approx}23nm$. This proved that heteroatomic functional groups in AFC, such as carboxyls, can provide ion-exchange or adsorption sites for the nano-scale dispersion of nickel. In addition, the pore structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, and chemical state of the prepared catalysts were analyzed using Brunauer-Emmett-Taylor (BET) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.167-172
• /
• 2011

In this work, the effect of surface treatment on mesoporous carbons (MCs) supports was investigated by analyzing surface functional groups. MCs were prepared by a conventional templating method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for using catalyst supports in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The MCs were treated with different phosphoric acid ($H_3PO_4$) concentrations i.e., 0, 1, 3, 4, and 5 M at 343 K for 6 h. And then Pt-Ru was deposited onto surface treated MCs (H-MCs) by chemical reduction method. The characteristics of Pt-Ru catalysts deposited onto H-MCs were determined by specific surface area and pore size analyzer, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron, transmission electron microscopy, and inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. The electrochemical properties of Pt-Ru/H-MCs catalysts were also analyzed by cyclic voltammetry experiments. From the results of surface analysis, an oxygen functional group was introduced to the surface of carbon supports. From the results, the H4M-MCs carbon supports surface treated with 4 M $H_3PO_4$ led to uniform dispersion of Pt-Ru onto H4M-MCs, resulting in enhancing the electro-catalytic activity of Pt-Ru catalysts.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.58-63
• /
• 2008

Nano-sized ZnO crystals were successfully incorporated using ion exchange method in TMA-A zeolite synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The optimal composition for the synthesis of TMA-A zeolite was resulted in a solution of $Al(i-pro)_3$ : 2.2 TEOS : 2.4 TMAOH : 0.3 NaOH : 200 $H_2O$. 0.3 g of TMA-A zeolite and 5 mol of $ZnCl_2$ solution were employed for the preparation of ZnO incorporated TMA-A zeolite. The crystallization process of ZnO incorporated TMA-A zeolite was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The incorporated nano-sized ZnO crystals and the crystallinity of TMA-A zeolite were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The size of the incorporated nano-sized ZnO crystals was 3~5 nm, while the TMA-A zeolite was 60~100 nm. The bonding structure and absorption of the ZnO incorporated TMA-A zeolite were compared with the ZnO and TMA-A zeolite by the FT-IR analysis. Subsequentlly, the ZnO incorporated TMA-A zeolite showed the photoluminescent characteristics on the wavelengths of 330~260 nm and 260~230 nm by measurement of UV spectrophotometer.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.98 no.4
• /
• pp.399-408
• /
• 2009

We investigated the improvement of immuno-modulatory activities of sap of Acer mono and A. okamotoanum encapsulated with edible polymers. Anticancer activities and immune activities such as human B and T cell growth, secretion of cytokines and natural killer cell growth were observed. Both human immune B and T cells were increased up to 30~50% by the addition of nano particle sap of Acer mono and A. okamotoanum. The secretion of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) from human immune B and T cells were also significantly increased compare to the control. Natural Killer (NK) cell growth was enhanced to $19.4{\times}10^5$ cells/mL in adding nano encapsulated sap of A.okamotoanum. The cytotoxicity of the sample on normal human lung cell (HEL299) was below 19.8% in adding 1.0 mg/mL of the nano particle sap of A. okamotoanum. Generally, the growth of all three human lung adenocarcinoma, human stomach adenocarcinoma and human liver adenocarcinama was inhibited up to 85% in adding 1.0 mg/mL of the encapsulated sap. Interestingly enough, the encapsulated sap was completely penetrated into human cancer cells within 30 min after addition. It showed that the encapsulation of the sap definitely increased its biological activities, which can expand its use to wide range of food industries.