• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 2020

In this study, iron nanoparticles impregnated hydrochar (FeNPs@HC) was synthesized using lignocellulosic waste and simple one-pot synthetic method. During hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process, the mixture of lignocellulosic waste and ferric nitrate (0.1~0.5 M) as a precursor of iron nanoparticles was added and heated to 220℃ for 3 h in a teflon sealed autoclave, followed by calcination at 600℃ in N₂ atmosphere for 1 h. For the characterization of the as-prepared materials, X-ray diffraction (XRD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) were used. The change of Fe(III) concentration in the feedstock influenced characteristics of produced FeNPs@HC and removal efficiency towards As(V) and Pb(II). According to the Langmuir isotherm test, maximum As(V) and Pb(II) adsorption capacity of Fe_0.25NPs@HC were found to be 11.81 and 116.28 mg/g respectively. The results of this study suggest that FeNPs@HC can be potentially used as an adsorbent or soil amendment for remediation of groundwater or soil contaminated with arsenic and cation heavy metals.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2018

Copper pollution around the world has caused serious public health problems recently. The heavy metal adsorption on traditional membranes from wastewater is limited by material properties. Different adsorptive materials are embedded in the membrane matrix and act as the adsorbent for the heavy metal. The carbonized leaf powder has been proven as an effective adsorbent material in removing aqueous Cu(II) because of its relative high specific surface area and inherent beneficial groups such as amine, carboxyl and phosphate after carbonization process. Factors affecting the adsorption of Cu(II) include: adsorbent dosage, initial Cu(II) concentration, solution pH, temperature and duration. The kinetics data fit well with the pseudo-first order kinetics and the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The thermodynamic behavior reveals the endothermic and spontaneous nature of the adsorption. The adsorption isotherm curve fits Sips model well, and the adsorption capacity was determined at 61.77 mg/g. Based on D-R model, the adsorption was predominated by the form of physical adsorption under lower temperatures, while the increased temperature motivated the form of chemical adsorption such as ion-exchange reaction. According to the analysis towards the mechanism, the chemical adsorption process occurs mainly among amine, carbonate, phosphate and copper ions or other surface adsorption. This hypothesis is confirmed by FT-IR test and XRD spectra as well as the predicted parameters calculated based on D-R model.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2023

In this paper, a powerful photocatalyst based on carbon nanocomposite is developed in order to obtain a new material applicable in water treatment and especially for the discoloration of effluents used in the textile industry. For that, TiO₂-graphene nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by a mixture of Functionalized Graphene Sheet (FGS) and tetrachlorotitanium complexes to form FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. In the presence of an anionic surfactant, we used a new chemical process to functionalize graphene sheets in order to make them an excellent medium for blocking and preventing the aggregation of TiO₂ nanoparticles. The components of these nanocomposites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which confirms the successful formation of the FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. It was found that the TiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly on the graphene plane which possesses better charge separation capability than pure TiO₂. The FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure TiO₂ for the removal of three dyes: such as Methylene Blue (MB), Bromophenol Blue (BB) and Alizarin Red-S (AR) in water. The removal process was fast and more efficient with FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite in daylight (in the absence of UV irradiation) compared to pure TiO₂ nanoparticles without and under UV in all pH range.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1776-1782
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• 2005

ZnSe/ZnS, UV-blue luminescent core shell quantum dots, were synthesized via a thermal decomposition reaction of organometallic zinc and solvent coordinated Selenium (TOPSe) in a hot solvent mixture. The synthetic conditions of the core (ZnSe) and the shell (ZnS) were independently studied at various reaction temperature conditions. The obtained colloidal nanocrystals at corresponding temperatures were characterized for their optical properties by UV-vis, room temperature solution photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and further obtained powders were characterized by XRD, TEM, and EDXS analyses. The synthetic temperature condition to obtain the best PL emission intensity for the ZnSe core was 300 ${^{\circ}C}$, and for the optimum shell capping, the temperature was 135 ${^{\circ}C}$. At this temperature, solution PL spectrum showed a narrow emission peak at 427 nm with a PL efficiency of 15%. In addition, the measured particle sizes for the ZnSe/ZnS nanocomposite via TEM were in the range of 5 to 12 nm. Furthermore, we have synthesized water-soluble ZnSe/ZnS nanoparticles by capping the ZnSe/ZnS hydrophobic surface with mercaptoacetate (MAA) molecules. For the obtained aqueous colloidal solution, the UV-vis spectrum showed an absorption peak at 250 nm, and the solution PL emission spectrum showed a peak at 425 nm, which is similar to that for hydrophobic quantum dot ZnSe/ZnS. However, the calculated PL efficiency was relatively low (0.1%) due to the luminescence quenching by water and MAA molecules. The capping ligand was also characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, with the carbonyl stretching peak in the mercaptoacetate molecule appearing at 1575 $cm ^{-1}$. Finally, the particle sizes of the MAA capped ZnSe/ZnS were measured by TEM, showing a range of 12 to 17 nm.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.294-300
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• 2017

$TeO_x$ thin films were deposited at various $O_2$/Ar gas-flow ratios by a reactive RFmagneton sputtering technique from $TeO_2$ and Te targets. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that the $TeO_x$ thin films were amorphous. The structure and chemical composition of the $TeO_x$ thin films were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical characteristics of the $TeO_x$ thin films were investigated by an Ellipsometer and a UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. According to the $O_2$/Ar gas-flow ratios, the atomic composition ratio of $TeO_x$ thin films was divided into two regions(x=1-2, 2-3). Different optical characteristics were shown in each region. With an increasing $O_2$/Ar gas-flow ratio, the refractive index of the $TeO_x$ thin films decreased and the optical bandgap of the films increased.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1129-1135
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• 2015

The synthesis of gold nanoparticles has gained tremendous attention owing to their immense applications in the field of biomedical sciences. Although several chemical procedures are used for the synthesis of nanoparticles, the release of toxic and hazardous by-products restricts their use in biomedical applications. In the present investigation, gold nanoparticles were synthesized biologically using the culture filtrate of the filamentous fungus Alternaria sp. The culture filtrate of the fungus was exposed to three different concentrations of chloroaurate ions. In all cases, the gold ions were reduced to Au(0), leading to the formation of stable gold nanoparticles of variable sizes and shapes. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of nanoparticles by reduction of Au³⁺ to Au⁰. TEM analysis revealed the presence of spherical, rod, square, pentagonal, and hexagonal morphologies for 1 mM chloroaurate solution. However, quasi-spherical and spherical nanoparticles/heart-like morphologies with size range of about 7-13 and 15-18 nm were observed for lower molar concentrations of 0.3 and 0.5 mM gold chloride solution, respectively. The XRD spectrum revealed the face-centered cubic crystals of synthesized gold nanoparticles. FT-IR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of aromatic primary amines, and the additional SPR bands at 290 and 230 nm further suggested that the presence of amino acids such as tryptophan/tyrosine or phenylalanine acts as the capping agent on the synthesized mycogenic gold nanoparticles.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.624-634
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• 2020

The ability of natural and modified clay to adsorb phenol was studied. The clay samples were analyzed by different technical instruments, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR spectroscopy. Surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter were also determined using B.E.T method. Up to 73 and 99% of phenol was successfully adsorbed by natural and activated clay, respectively, from the aqueous solution. The experiments carried out show that the time required to reach the equilibrium of phenol adsorption on all the samples is very close to 60 min. The amount of phenol adsorbed shows a declining trend with higher pH as well as with lower pH, with most extreme elimination of phenol at pH 4. The adsorption of phenol increases proportionally with the initial phenol concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity at 25 ℃ and pH 4 was 29.661 mg/g for modified clay (NaMt). However, the effect of temperature on phenol adsorption was not significant. The simple modification causes the formation of smaller pores in the solid particles, resulting in a higher surface area of NaMt. The equilibrium results in aqueous systems were well fitted by the Freundlich isotherm equation (R² > 0.98). Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process is best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² > 0.99). The adsorption of phenol on natural and modified clay was spontaneous and exothermal.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.227-236
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• 2012

Ionomer is a thermoplastic that is composed of covalent bonds and ionic bonds. It is possible to use this material in processes such as injection molding or extrusion molding due to the material's high oil resistance, weatherproof characteristics, and shock resistance. In this study, a new ionomer having a multifunctional group was prepared by a stepwise neutralization system with the addition of acidic and salt additives. In step I, to increase the contents of the multifunctional group and the acid degree in ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), MGA was added to the ionomer resin (EAA). A new ionomer was prepared via the traditional preparation method of the ionic cross-linking process. In step II, metal salt was added to the mixture of EAA and MGA. The extrusion process was performed using a twin extruder (L/D = 40, size : ${\varphi}30$). Ionomer film was prepared for evaluation of gas permeability by using the compression molding process. The degree of neutralized and ionic cross-linked new ionomer was confirmed by FT-IR and XRD analysis. In order to estimate the neutralization of the new ionomer film, various properties such as gas permeation and mechanical properties were measured. The physical strength and anti-scratch property of the new ionomer were improved with increase of the neutralization degree. The gas barrier property of the new ionomer was improved through the introduction of an ionic site. Also, the ionic degree of cross-linking and gas barrier property of the ionomer membrane prepared by stepwise neutralization were increased.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2013

Water-dispersible ZnS:Mn nanocrystals were synthesized by capping the surface of the nanocrystal with O-(2-Aminoethyl)polyethylene glycol (PEG-$NH_2$, Mw = 10,000 g/mol) and O-(2-Carboxyethyl)polyethylene glycol (PEG-COOH, Mw = 10,000 g/mol) molecules. The modified PEG capped ZnS:Mn nanocrystal powders were thoroughly characterized by XRD, HR-TEM, EDXS, ICP-AES and FT-IR spectroscopy. The optical properties were also measured by UV/Vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The PL spectra showed broad emission peaks at 600 nm with similar PL efficiencies of 7.68% (ZnS:Mn-PEG-NH2) and 9.18% (ZnS:Mn-PEG-COOH) respectively. The measured average particle sizes for the modified PEG capped ZnS:Mn nanocrystals by HR-TEM images were 5.6 nm (ZnS:Mn-PEG-NH2) and 6.4 nm (ZnS:Mn-PEG-COOH), which were also supported by Debye-Scherrer calculations. In addition, biological toxicity effects of the nanocrystals over the growth of wild type E. coli were investigated. They showed no biological toxicity to E. coli until very high concentration dosage of 1 mg/mL of the both nanocrystal samples.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.348-354
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• 2009

Copper(II) complexes with tetraoxo dithia tetraaza macrocyclic ligands; [18]ane$N_4S_2$: 1,4,10,13-tetraaza-5,9,14,18-tetraoxo-7,16-dithia-cyclooctadecane, [20]ane$N_4S_2$: 1,5,11,15-tetraaza-6,10,16,20-tetraoxo-8,18-dithia-cyclocosane,Bzo2[18]ane$N_4S_2$: dibenzo-1,4,10,13-tetraaza-5,9,14,18-tetraoxo-7,16-dithia-cyclooctadecane, Bzo2[20]ane$N_4S_2$: dibenzo-1,5,11,15-tetraaza-6,10,16,20-tetraoxo-8,18-dithia-cyclocosane; were entrapped in the nanopores of zeolite-Y by a two-step process in the liquid phase: (i) adsorption of [bis(diamine)copper(II)] (diamine = 1,2-diaminoethane, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,2-diaminobenzene, 1,3-diaminobenzene); $[Cu(N-N)_2]^{2+}$-NaY; in the nanopores of the zeolite, and (ii) in situ template condensation of the copper(II) precursor complex with thiodiglycolic acid. The obtained complexes and new host-guest nanocomposite materials; $[Cu([18]aneN_4S_2)]^{2+}-NaY,\;[Cu([20]aneN_4S_2)]^{2+}-NaY,\;[Cu(Bzo_2[18]aneN_4S_2)]^{2+}-NaY,\;[Cu(Bzo_2[20]aneN_4S_2)]^{2+}$-NaY; have been characterized by elemental analysis FT-IR, DRS and UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques, molar conductance and magnetic moment data, XRD and, as well as nitrogen adsorption. Analysis of data indicates all of the complexes have been encapsulated within nanopore of zeolite Y without affecting the zeolite framework structure.