• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.458-462
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• 2016

Saline water electrolysis, known as chlor-alkali (CA) membrane process, is an electrochemical process to generate valued chemicals such as chlorine, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide with high purities higher than 99%, using an electrolytic cell composed of cation exchange membrane, anode and cathode. It is necessary to reduce energy consumption per a unit chemical production. This issue can be solved by decreasing intrinsic resistance of the membrane and the electrodes and/or by reducing their interfacial resistance. In this study, the electron radiation grafting of a $Na^+$ ion-selective polymer was conducted onto a hydrocarbon sulfonated ionomer membrane with high chemical resistance. This approach was effective in improving electrochemical efficiency via the synergistic effect of relatively fast $Na^+$ ion conduction and reduced interfacial resistance.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.250-253
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• 2013

In this paper, we fabricated 3D pillar type silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) devices for high density flash applications. To solve the limitation between erase speed and data retention of the conventional SONOS devices, bandgap-engineered (BE) tunneling oxide of oxide-nitride-oxide configuration is integrated with the 3D structure. In addition, the tunneling oxide is modulated by another method of $N_2$ ion implantation ($N_2$ I/I). The measured data shows that the BE-SONOS device has better electrical characteristics, such as a lower threshold voltage ($V_{\tau}$) of 0.13 V, and a higher $g_{m.max}$ of 18.6 ${\mu}A/V$ and mobility of 27.02 $cm^2/Vs$ than the conventional and $N_2$ I/I SONOS devices. Memory characteristics show that the modulated tunneling oxide devices have fast erase speed. Among the devices, the BE-SONOS device has faster program/erase (P/E) speed, and more stable endurance characteristics, than conventional and $N_2$ I/I devices. From the flicker noise analysis, however, the BE-SONOS device seems to have more interface traps between the tunneling oxide and silicon substrate, which should be considered in designing the process conditions. Finally, 3D structures, such as the pillar type BE-SONOS device, are more suitable for next generation memory devices than other modulated tunneling oxide devices.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2001

A PVC membrane electrodes based on Fe(II)-dipyridyl-mefenamic acid ternary complex as ion exchanger were prepared using o-nitrophenyl octyl ether as a plasticizer. The 2,2'-dipyridyl, 4,4'-dipyridyl and 4,4'-dipyridyl-2,2'-dipyridyl were used as dipyridyl derivative ligand. The electrode dxhibits a fast stable and linear response for $10^{-5}-10^{-3}mol/L$ mefenamate with an anionic slope of -55.98, -49.47, -59.35mV/decade in pH 8.9 borate buffer solution respectively. Potentiometric selectivity measurements revealed negligible interferences from aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acid salts.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2018

In patients with epilepsy, depression is a common comorbidity but difficult to be treated because many antidepressants cause pro-convulsive effects. Thus, it is important to identify the risk of seizures associated with antidepressants. To determine whether paroxetine, a very potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), interacts with ion channels that modulate neuronal excitability, we examined the effects of paroxetine on Kv3.1 potassium channels, which contribute to high-frequency firing of interneurons, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Kv3.1 channels were cloned from rat neurons and expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Paroxetine reversibly reduced the amplitude of Kv3.1 current, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $9.43{\mu}M$ and a Hill coefficient of 1.43, and also accelerated the decay of Kv3.1 current. The paroxetine-induced inhibition of Kv3.1 channels was voltage-dependent even when the channels were fully open. The binding ($k_{+1}$) and unbinding ($k_{-1}$) rate constants for the paroxetine effect were $4.5{\mu}M^{-1}s^{-1}$ and $35.8s^{-1}$, respectively, yielding a calculated $K_D$ value of $7.9{\mu}M$. The analyses of Kv3.1 tail current indicated that paroxetine did not affect ion selectivity and slowed its deactivation time course, resulting in a tail crossover phenomenon. Paroxetine inhibited Kv3.1 channels in a use-dependent manner. Taken together, these results suggest that paroxetine blocks the open state of Kv3.1 channels. Given the role of Kv3.1 in fast spiking of interneurons, our data imply that the blockade of Kv3.1 by paroxetine might elevate epileptic activity of neural networks by interfering with repetitive firing of inhibitory neurons.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2010

Intensive works have been carried out to develop more efficient solid catalysts for biodiesel production from various feedstocks including refined oils and waste fats. Among many catalysts, metal oxides and ion exchange resins are the most intensively studied ones. With regard to metal oxide catalysts, major research activities have focused on the identification of the active compounds and their immobilizing methods on the supports. As metal oxide catalysts have strong thermal stability, they may be used in simultaneous transesterification and esterification of waste fats. However, ion exchange resin catalysts were mainly applied in the esterification of the free fatty acids in waste fats because of their lower thermal stability. For both solid catalysts, further works are needed to make them to be used in commercial process. Especially fast deactivation of the solid catalyst would be the most challenging problem.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.167-167
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• 2011

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is one of the prospective semiconductor memories for next generation. It has the excellent features including nonvolatility, fast access time, unlimited read/write endurance, low operating voltage, and high storage density. MRAM consists of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The MTJ stack is composed of various magnetic materials, metals, and a tunneling barrier layer. For the successful realization of high density MRAM, the etching process of magnetic materials should be developed. Among various magnetic materials, FePt has been used for pinned layer of MTJ stack. The previous etch study of FePt magnetic thin films was carried out using $CH_4/O_2/NH_3$. It reported only the etch characteristics with respect to the variation of RF bias powers. In this study, the etch characteristics of FePt thin films have been investigated using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etcher in various etch chemistries containing $CH_4$/Ar and $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ gas mixes. TiN thin film was employed as a hard mask. FePt thin films are etched by varying the gas concentration. The etch characteristics have been investigated in terms of etch rate, etch selectivity and etch profile. Furthermore, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is applied to elucidate the etch mechanism of FePt thin films in $CH_4$/Ar and $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ chemistries.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.72-75
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• 2012

In our experiments, strain-free nanowires(NWs) were dispersed on to the substrate, followed by e-beam lithography(EBL) to fabricate single nanowire ultraviolet(UV) sensor devices. Focused-ion beam(FIB), micro-Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence were employed to characterize the structural and optical properties of AlGaN/GaN NWs. Also, I-V characteristics were obtained under both dark condition and UV lamp to demonstrate AlGaN/GaN NW-based UV sensors. The conductance of a single AlGaN/GaN UV sensor was 9.0 ${\mu}S$(under dark condition) and 9.5 ${\mu}S$ (under UV lamp), respectively. The currents were enhanced by excess carriers under UV lamp. Fast saturation and decay time were demonstrated by the cycled processes between UV lamp and dark condition. Therefore, we believe that AlGaN/GaN NWs have a great potential for UV sensor applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.387-387
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• 2013

Currently, the flash memory and the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) have been used in a variety of applications. However, the downsizing of devices and the increasing density of recording medias are now in progress. So there are many demands for development of new semiconductor memory for next generation. Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is one of the prospective semiconductor memories with excellent features including non-volatility, fast access time, unlimited read/write endurance, low operating voltage, and high storage density. MRAM is composed of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The MTJ stack consists of various magnetic materials, metals, and a tunneling barrier layer. Recently, MgO thin films have attracted a great attention as the prominent candidates for a tunneling barrier layer in the MTJ stack instead of the conventional Al2O3 films, because it has low Gibbs energy, low dielectric constant and high tunneling magnetoresistance value. For the successful etching of high density MRAM, the etching characteristics of MgO thin films as a tunneling barrier layer should be developed. In this study, the etch characteristics of MgO thin films have been investigated in various gas mixes using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICPRIE). The Cl2/Ar, CH3OH/Ar, and CH4/Ar gas mix were employed to find an optimized etching gas for MgO thin film etching. TiN thin films were employed as a hard mask to increase the etch selectivity. The etch rates were obtained using surface profilometer and etch profiles were observed by using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2004

Up to now, methods for the detection of genetic alterations as single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) or denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) have been used. It is too labor-intensive and expensive to serve for routine analysis. Moreover, lower in its sensitivity and specificity being also strongly dependent on the experience of the investigater. To improve these problems, we analysed mutation of ${\beta}_2$-adrenergic receptor gene that controls bronchial asthma by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) according to ion-pair reversed phase chromatography (IP-RPC). We extracted genomic DNA from 80 asthma patients and then amplified DNA using PCR and analysed PCR product by SSCP and DHPLC. As a result, we analysed mutation frequency is 19 (23.75%) on SSCP and 25 (31.25%) on DHPLC in ${\beta}_2$-adrenergic receptor gene. We conclude that DHPLC is a fast and simple screening method rather than SSCP analysis.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-55
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• 2016

PURPOSES : This study aims to develop a repair material that can enhance pavement performance, inducing rapid traffic opening through early strength development and fast setting time by utilizing MgO-based patching materials for repairing road pavements. METHODS : To consider the applicability of MgO-based patching materials for repairing domestic road pavements, first, strength development and setting time of the materials were evaluated, based on MgO to $KH_2PO_4$ ratio, water to binder ratio, and addition ratio of retarder (Borax), by which the optimal mixture ratio of the developed material was obtained. To validate the performance of the developed material as a repair material, the strength(compressive strength and bonding strength) and durability (freezing, thawing, and chloride ion penetration resistance) was checked through testing, and its applicability was evaluated. RESULTS : The results showed that when an MgO-based patching material was used, the condensation time was reduced by 80%, and the compressive strength was enhanced by approximately 300%, as compared to existing cement-based repair materials. In addition, it was observed that the strength (compressive strength and bonding strength) and durability (freezing and thawing, and chloride ion penetration resistance) showed an excellent performance that satisfied the regulations. CONCLUSIONS : The results imply that an emergent repair/restoration could be covered by a rapid-hardening cement to meet the traffic limitation (i.e. the traffic restriction is only several hours for repair treatment). Furthermore, MgO-based patching materials can improve bonding strength and durability compared to existing repair materials.