• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.146-151
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• 2011

1-Nitropyrene (1-NP), 2-NP and 2-nitrofluoranthene (2-NFR) are useful markers for studying the atmospheric behaviors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs). However, present methods for measuring trace levels of these compounds are lesssensitive and laborious. Here we describe several improvements to a previously reported high-performance liquid chromatography-chemiluminescence detection system that allows it to determine trace levels of 1-, 2-NPs and 2-NFR. The proposed system was equipped with a reducer column packed with Pt/Rh instead of zinc whose life-time was limited. The combination of Cosmosil MS-II (monomeric ODS) and AR-II (polymeric ODS) columns was used instead of polymeric ODS columns as the separator column to improve the separation. An ethanol mixture with acetate buffer (pH 5.5) was used in place of an acetonitrile mixture with the same buffer to activate the reducer column. The same ethanol mixture was used as the mobile phase for the clean-up column. The switching time of the column switching valve was optimized to concentrate the amino-derivatives of above NPAHs quantitatively on the concentrator column. The concentrations of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenly) oxalate and hydrogen peroxide in the chemiluminescence reagent solution were optimized to 0.4 mM and 30 mM, respectively, to increase the sensitivity. Under the above conditions, the detection limits (S/N=3) of 1-, 2-NPs and 2-NFR were 1 fmol (0.25 pg), 10 fmol (2.5 pg) and 4 fmol (1 pg), respectively. The proposed system was effectively used to determine trace levels of 1-, 2-NPs and 2-NFR in airborne particulates collected at Noto Peninsula. The atmospheric concentrations of 1-, 2-NPs and 2-NFR were not more than sub pg $m^{-3}$ levels. They were higher in winter (January) than in summer (July). In both seasons, the concentrations were in decreasing order, [2-NFR]>[1-NP]>[2-NP].

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.186-198
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• 2001

pH/Thermal sensitive copolymers with the various acidic comonomer compositions composed of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with acrylic acid (AAc), 2-acrylamido glycolic acid (AAmGAc), and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) were synthesized by free radial polymerization. In this study, to characterize the effect of different acidic comonomer composition and pH on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behaviors of their copolymers. phase transition experiments were performed with a thermo-optical analyzer (TOA). The phase transition temperature (T$^{p}$ ) of aqueous poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) solution was lowered with increasing the ionization of the acid group in AAc, that is, the ionized state induced the electrostatic repulsion of ionized groups. In contrast, when AAmGAc was introduced into PNIPAAm, T$^{p}$ was little changed at pH 1-3, whereas climbed up significantly from pH 1 to pH 3. In the range of pH 6-10, Tp was lower than that of pH 3-5. This result was considered to be \"Ionic Screen Effect\" and this effect had been also observed in the case of poly(NIPAAm-co-AMPS).-co-AMPS).

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-11
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• 2004

In this work, the cure behaviors of the DGEBA/PMR-15 blends initiated by N-benzylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BPH) as a cationic latent catalyst were performed in DSC and DMA analyses. And, the thermal stabilities were carried out by TGA analysis and their mechanical interfacial properties of blends were measured in the context of critical stress intensity factor ($K_{IC}$). As a result, the curing activation energy ($E_a$) determined from Ozawa's equation in DSC and the relaxation activation energy ($E_r$) from DMA were increased with increasing PMA-15 content. Also, the thermal stabilities obtained from the integral procedural decomposition temperature (IPDT) and the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) were highly improved with increasing the PMR-15 content, which were probably due to the high heat resistance. And, the $K_{IC}$ showed a similar behavior with $E_a$, which was attributed to the improving of the interfacial adhesion or hydrogen bondings between intermolecular chains.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.13-19
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• 2013

The effect of pH on the citrate leaching behavior of heavy metal ion was investigated to develop an eco-friendly process for removing heavy metals from soil contaminated with copper, zinc, and lead. The leaching tests were performed using citrate solution with pH adjusted by mixing citric acid and sodium citrate under the following leaching conditions: particle size, under $75{\mu}m$; temperature, $50^{\circ}C$; citrate concentration, $1kmol/m^3$; pulp density, 5%; shaking speed, 100 rpm; leaching time, 1 hour. The difference of pH before and after the leaching test was not observed, and this result indicates the direct effect of hydrogen ion concentration on the leaching of metals was insignificant. The removal ratios of copper, zinc, and lead from the contaminated soil decreased with increasing pH. The thermodynamic calculation suggests that the leaching behaviors of metal ions were determined by two reactions; one is the reaction to form complex ions between heavy metal ions and citrate ion species, and the other is the reaction to form metal hydroxide between heavy metal ions and hydroxide ion.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.353-357
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• 2011

For the purpose of introducing hydrophilic function to pristine PVDF, pristine PVDF was modified under atmosphere and aqueous vapor by irradiating electron beam (EB). EB dose was varied from 0 to 125 K Gray, respectively. Their changes of chemical composition /structure were observed and evaluated by FT-IR, EDS and DSC. Also, their surface behaviors were evaluated by contact angle. In FT-IR study, it was confirmed that hydroxyl functions were introduced to pristine PVDF. In EDS analysis, mole ratio of F (fluoride) was almost constant (about 33%) in spite of increasing EB dose, meaning that hydroxyl function was introduced via dehydrozenation, not via deflurodination. In DSC study, $T_g$ increased with increasing EB dose, which was reconfirmed that hydroxyl function was introduced via dehydrozenation. $T_m$ increased with increasing EB dose, inferring that the increase in EB dose led to more outbreak of hydroxyl function which led to more enhanced hydrogen bond. In the result of contact angle, pristine PVDF film was $62^{\circ}$ and 125 K Gray-irradiated PVDF film was even $13^{\circ}$. All results showed that pristine PVDF was successfully changed to hydrophilic PVDF.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1126-1133
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• 2010

A two-stage biofilter was constructed and utilized to determine the removal efficiency when treating dynamic loading of a mixture of odorous compounds including benzene, toluene, p-xylene, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. A yeast strain, Candida tropicalis, and a sulfur oxidizing bacterial (SOB) strain, Acidithiobacillus caldus sp., were immobilized in polyurethane media and packed in the two-stage biofilter. The experiment of dynamic loading variation was composed of (1) stepwise loading variation of all the odorous compounds (total EC test), (2) stepwise loading variation of each odorous compound, and (3) intermittent loading variation with 2-day-off and 3-day-on. The total EC test showed that the maximum elimination capacity was $61\;g/m^3/hr$ for total VOCs, and 5.2 and $9.1\;g/m^3/hr$ for ammonia and hydrogen, respectively. In addition, the inhibition between VOCs was observed when the loading of each individual VOC was varied. Especially the stepwise increase in toluene loading resulted in decreases of benzene and p-xylene removal efficiencies about 30% and 25%, respectively. However, the inhibition between organic and inorganic compounds was not observed. The intermittent loading variation with 2-day-off and 3-day-on showed that greater than 95% of the overall removal efficiency was restored in two days after the loading resumed. Consequently, the two-stage biofilter packed with immobilized microorganisms showed advantages over conventional biofilters for the simultaneous treatment of the mixture of organic and inorganic odorous compounds.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2023

Hydrogels that are made of natural polymer-based double networks have excellent biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and high water content, assuring that the material has the properties required for a variety of biomedical applications. However, hydrogels also have limitations due to their relatively weak mechanical properties. In this study, hydrogels based on an alginate di-aldehyde (ADA) and gelatin (Gel) double network that is reinforced with additional hydrogen bonds formed between the hydroxyl (-OH) groups of the hyperbranched polymer (HPG) and the functional groups present inside of the hydrogels were successfully synthesized. The enhanced mechanical properties of these synthesized hydrogels were evaluated by varying the amount of HPG added during the hydrogel synthesis from 0 to 25%. In addition, magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) were synthesized within the hydrogels and the structures and the magnetic properties of the hydrogels were also characterized. The hydrogels that contained 15% HPG and Fe₃O₄ NPs exhibited superparamagnetic behaviors with a saturation magnetization value of 3.8 emu g^-1. These particular hydrogels also had strengthened mechanical properties with a maximum compressive stress of 1.1 MPa at a strain of 67.4%. Magnetic hydrogels made with natural polymer-based double networks provide improved mechanical properties and have a significant potential for drug delivery and biomaterial application.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.432-438
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• 2009

In order to develop the analytical method for the pharmaceutical tablets containing ranitidine HCl by square wave voltammetry (SWV), $5.00{\times}10^{-5}M$ ranitidine HCl solutions prepared with phosphate buffers of various pH values were investigated by SWV. The well defined main peak due to the electrochemical reduction of $-NO_2$ in the structure of ranitidine moved towards the cathodic direction by -70 mV/pH as the pH values were increased indicating the involvement of hydrogen in its reduction. The calibration curve, the plot of peak currents (Ip) vs. concentrations of ranitidine HCl in the range between $1.00{\times}10^{-7}M$ and $1.00{\times}10^{-5}M$ showed linearity with slopes of $232,530{\mu}A/M$ (pH 6.14), $289,015{\mu}A/M$ (pH 7.07) and $232,843{\mu}A/M$ (pH 8.01). When one pharmaceutical tablet was simply dissolved in the phosphate buffer with a pH value of 6.14 and determined by standard addition method using SWV, the within-day precision study (n=4) resulted in the contents of ranitidine HCl as $171{\pm}2.1mg$ ($102{\pm}1.3%$ of the specified contents, RSD of 1.2%) in a tablet of Curan$^{(R)}$. The inter-day precision for 5 days was 1.1% of RSD. For Zantac$^{(R)}$ the within-day precision study (n=4) showed the contents of ranitidine HCl as $167{\pm}0.8mg$ ($99{\pm}0.5%$ of the specified contents, RSD of 0.5%) in a tablet and the inter-day precision for 5 days was 0.3% of RSD.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.195-207
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• 2000

Organic and inorganic characteristics including bacterial cell number, enzyme activity, nutrients, and heavy metals have been monitored in twelve acrylic experimental tanks for two weeks to estimate and compare self-purification capacities in two Korean wet-land environments, tidal flat and rice field, which are possibly different with the environments in other countries because of their own climatic conditions. FW tanks, filled with rice field soils and fresh water, consist of FW1&2 (with paddy), FW3&4 (without paddy), and FW5&6 (newly reclaimed, without paddy). SW tanks, filled with tidal flat sediments and salt water, are SW1&2 (with anoxic silty mud), SW3&4 (anoxic mud), and SW5&6 (suboxic mud). Contaminated solution, which is formulated with the salts of Cu, Cd, As, Cr, Pb, Hg, and glucose+glutamic acid, was spiked into the supernatent waters in the tanks. Nitrate concentrations in supernatent waters as well as bacterial cell numbers and enzyme activities of soils in the FW tanks (except FW5&6) are clearly higher than those in the SW tanks. Phosphate concentrations in the SW1 tank increase highly with time compared to those in the other SW tanks. Removal rates of Cu, Cd, and As in supematent waters of the FW5&6 tanks are most slow in the FW tanks, while the rates in SW1&2 are most fast in the SW tanks. The rate for Pb in the SW1&2 tanks is most fast in the SW tanks, and the rate for Hg in the FW5&6 tanks is most slow in the FW tanks. Cr concentrations decrease generally with time in the FW tanks. In the SW tanks, however, the Cr concentrations decrease rapidly at first, then increase, and then remain nearly constant. These results imply that labile organic materials are depleted in the FW5&6 tanks compared to the FW1&2 and FW3&4 tanks. Removal of Cu, Cd, As from the supernatent waters as well as slow removal rates of the elements (including Hg) are likely due to the combining of the elements with organic ligands on the suspended particles and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Fast removal rates of the metal ions (Cu, Cd, As) and rapid increase of phosphate concentrations in the SW1&2 tanks are possibly due to the relatively porous anoxic sediments in the SW1&2 tanks compared to those in the SW3&4 tanks, efficient supply of phosphate and hydrogen sulfide ions in pore wates to the upper water body, complexing of the metal ions with the sulfide ions, and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Organic materials on the particles and sulfide ions from the pore waters are the major factors constraining the behaviors of organic/inorganic elements in the supernatent waters of the experimental tanks. This study needs more consideration on more diverse organic and inorganic elements and experimental conditions such as tidal action, temperature variation, activities of benthic animals, etc.