• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.292-303
• /
• 2022

An eco-friendly energy conversion device without the emission of pollutants has gained much attention due to the rapid use of fossil fuels inducing carbon dioxide emissions ever since the first industrial revolution in the 18th century. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) that can produce water during the reaction without the emission of carbon dioxide are promising devices for automotive and residential applications. As a key component of PEMFCs, polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) need to have high proton conductivity and physicochemical stability during the operation. Currently, perfluorinated sulfonic acid-based PEMs (PFSA-PEMs) have been commercialized and utilized in PEMFC systems. Although the PFSA-PEMs are found to meet these criteria, there is an ongoing need to improve these further, to be useful in practical PEMFC operation. In addition, the well-known drawbacks of PFSA-PEMs including low glass transition temperature and high gas crossover need to be improved. Therefore, this review focused on recent trends in the development of high-performance PFSA-PEMs in three different ways. First, control of the side chain of PFSA copolymers can effectively improve the proton conductivity and thermal stability by increasing the ion exchange capacity and polymer crystallinity. Second, the development of composite-type PFSA-PEMs is an effective way to improve proton conductivity and physical stability by incorporating organic/inorganic additives. Finally, the incorporation of porous substrates is also a promising way to develop a thin pore-filling membrane showing low membrane resistance and outstanding durability.

• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.80-86
• /
• 2010

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties as well as nanometer scale diameter and high aspect ratio, which make them an ideal reinforcing agent for high strength polymer composites. The functionalized CNTs are believed to be very promising in the fields such as preparation of functional and composite materials. CNT-Polymer composites are expected to have good processability characteristics of the polymer and excellent functional properties of the CNTs. However, since CNTs usually form stabilized bundles due to Van der Waals interactions, are extremely difficult to disperse and align in a polymer matrix. The biggest issues in the preparation of CNT-reinforced composites reside in efficient dispersion of CNTs into a polymer matrix, and the alignment and control of the CNTs in the matrix. There are several methods for the dispersion of nanotubes in the polymer matrix such as solution mixing, bulk mixing, melt mixing, in-situ polymerization and chemical functionalization of the carbon nanotubes, etc. These methods and preparation of high performance CNT-polymer composites are described in this review.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.483-486
• /
• 2005

The polymer concrete is drawing a strong interest as high-performance materials in the construction industry. Resins using recycled PET offer the possibility of a lower source cost of materials for making useful polymer concrete products. Also the recycling of PET in polymer concrete would help solve some of the solid waste problems posed by plastics and save energy. Polymer concrete beams using unsaturated polyester resins based on recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste were used in our study for grasping its structural behavior of static and fatigue. As a result of static test, Compression stress distribution of Polymer concrete indicates linear behavior such as triangles. Although polymer concrete is high strength materials, its ductility capacity is excellent. From the fatigue test results, There was almost no difference on flexural characteristics between before and after fatigue loading. Therefore, recycled PET polymer concrete remains excellent structural ability after fatigue loading.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.15-19
• /
• 2024

An ideal post material should have physical properties similar to those of dentin. Post materials with high elastic moduli may cause root fractures. This clinical report describes the treatment of a severely damaged tooth using a recently introduced material. Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) is a semicrystalline high-performance thermoplastic polymer. PEKK is a promising material for custom post-and-core fabrication because of its elasticity close to that of dentin, good shock absorbance, machinability, and low cost. A laboratory scanner was used to digitize the conventional impression of a severely damaged maxillary right first molar. A custom PEKK post-and-core was designed and milled using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing technology. Using the proposed technique, a custom PEKK post-and-core was fabricated accurately and human error was reduced. Restoration was luted with resin cement. Custom PEKK post-and-core restorations are a viable alternative for treating severely damaged teeth.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.30-38
• /
• 2013

In this study, a catalyst slurry was prepared with a Pt/C catalyst, Nafion ionomer solution as a binder, an ionic liquid (IL) (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate), deionized water and ethanol as a solvent for the application to polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) at high-temperatures. The effect of the IL in the electrode of each design was investigated by performing a cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement. Electrodes with different IL distributions inside and on the surface of the catalyst electrode were examined. During the CV test, the electrochemical surface area (ESA) obtained for the Pt/C electrode without ILs gradually decreased owing to three mechanisms: Pt dissolution/redeposition, carbon corrosion, and place exchange. As the IL content increased in the electrode, an ESA decrement was observed because ILs leaked from the Nafion polymer in the electrode. In addition, the CVs under conditions simulating leakage of ILs from the electrode and electrolyte were evaluated. When the ILs leaked from the electrode, minor significant changes in the CV were observed. On the other hand, when the leakage of ILs originated from the electrolyte, the CVs showed different features. It was also observed that the ESA decreased significantly. Thus, leakage of ILs from the polymer electrolyte caused a performance loss for the PEFCs by reducing the ESA. As a result, greater entrapment stability of ILs in the polymer matrix is needed to improve electrode performance.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.22 no.12
• /
• pp.1647-1656
• /
• 1998

The drag reduction is the phenomenon that occurs only when the shear stress from the wall of pipe is beyond the critical point. The drag reduction increase as the molecular weight, concentration of the polymer and Reynolds number increase, but it is limited by Virk's maximum drag reduction asymptote. Because of the strong shear force for the polymer on the turbulent flow, the molecular weight and the drag reduction do not decrease. Such mechanical degradation of the polymer occurs in all polymer solvent systems. This paper is to identify and develop high performance polymer additives for fluid transportations with the benefits of turbulent drag reduction. In addition, drag reduction in vertical flow by measuring the pressure drop and local void fraction on vertical-up flow of close system is evaluated.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.15-29
• /
• 2016

A low cost environmentally benign surface coating binder is highly desirable in the field of material science. In this report, castor oil based hyperbranched polyester/bitumen modified fly ash nanocomposites were fabricated to achieve the desired performance. The hyperbranched polyester resin was synthesized by a three-step one pot condensation reaction using monoglyceride of castor oil based carboxyl terminated pre-polymer and 2,2-bis (hydroxymethyl) propionic acid. Also, the bulk fly ash of paper industry waste was converted to hydrophilic nano fly ash by ultrasonication followed by transforming it to an organonano fly ash by the modification with bitumen. The synthesized polyester resin and its nanocomposites were characterized by different analytical and spectroscopic tools. The nanocomposite obtained in presence of 20 wt% styrene (with respect to polyester) was found to be more homogeneous and stable compared to nanocomposite without styrene. The performance in terms of tensile strength, impact resistance, scratch hardness, chemical resistance and thermal stability was found to be improved significantly after formation of nanocomposite compared to the pristine system after curing with bisphenol-A based epoxy and poly(amido amine). The overall results of transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis and performance showed good exfoliation of the nano fly ash in the polyester matrix. Thus the studied nanocomposites would open up a new avenue on development of low cost high performing surface coating materials.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.431-438
• /
• 2022

Efficient heat dissipation in current electronics is crucial to ensure the best performance and lifespan of the devices along with the users' safety. Materials with high thermal conductivity are often used to dissipate the generated heat from the electronics to the surroundings. For this purpose, polymer composites have been attracted much attention as they possess advantages rooted from both polymer matrix and thermally conductive filler. In order to meet the thermal conductivity required by relevant industries, composites with high filler loadings (i.e., >60 vol%) have been fabricated. At such high filler loadings, however, composites lose benefits originated from the polymer matrix. To achieve high thermal conductivity at a relatively low filler loading, therefore, constructing the heat conduction pathway by controlling filler structure within the composites may represent a judicious strategy. To this end, this review introduces several recent approaches to manufacturing heat dissipating materials with high thermal conductivity by manipulating thermally conductive filler structures in polymer composites.

• KIEAE Journal
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.131-137
• /
• 2010

The building industry must aim at high-durability and sustainability. A holistic life cycle based approach is recommended to reduce the environmental load. In recent years, technical innovations in the construction industry have advanced to a great extent, and caused the active research and development of high-performance and multifunctional construction materials. Nowadays, various polymer powders have been commercialized to manufacture construction materials in the form of prepackaged-type products, which have rapidly been developed for lack of skilled workmen in construction sites. Recently, terpolymer powders of improved quality have been developed and commercialized as cement modifiers. And, hydrocalumite is a material that can adsorb the chloride ions (Cl-) causing the corrosion of reinforcing bars and liberate the nitrite ions (NO2-) inhibiting the corrosion in reinforced concrete, and can provide a self-corrosion inhibition function to the reinforced concrete. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the self-corrosion inhibition function of polymer-modified mortars using redispersible powders with hydrocalumite. Polymer-modified mortars using VA/E/MMA and VAE redispersible powders are prepared with various calumite contents and polymer-binder ratios, and tested for chloride ion penetration depth, corrosion inhibition. As a result, regardless of the polymer-binder ratio, the replacement of ordinary portland cement with hydrocalumite has a marked effect on the corrosion-inhibiting property of the polymer-modified mortars. Anti-corrosion effect of polymer-modified mortars using VA/E/MMA terpolymer powder with hydrocalumite is higher than that of VAE copolymer powder.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.23-34
• /
• 2024

This research aims to assess the flexural bonding efficacy of polymer-cement composites(PCCs) in mending cracks within reinforced concrete(RC) structures. The study involved infilling PCCs into cement mortar cracks of varying dimensions, followed by evaluations of enhancements in flexural adhesion and strength. The findings indicate that the flexural bond performance of PCCs in crack repair is influenced by the cement type, polymer dispersion, and the polymer-to-binder ratio. Specifically, the use of ultra-high early strength cement combined with silica fume resulted in an up to 19.0% improvement in flexural bond strength compared to the application of ordinary Portland cement with silica fume. It was observed that the augmentation in flexural strength of cement mortar filled with PCCs was significantly more dependent on the depth of the crack rather than the width. Furthermore, PCCs not only acted as repair agents but also as reinforcement materials, enhancing the flexural strength to a certain extent. Consequently, this study concludes that PCCs formulated with ultra-high early strength cement, various polymer dispersions, silica fume, and a high polymer-to-binder ratio ranging from 60% to 80% are highly effective as maintenance materials for crack filling in practical settings.