• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.381-385
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• 2019

Surface modification is very efficient and scalable approach to achieve improved membrane performance. We treated Reverse Osmosis Thin Film Composite (TFC RO) membrane with various concentrations of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), a hydrophilic polymer after activation with sodium hypochlorite. This treatment resulted in an increment of the water flux by 43% and the salt rejection by 2.36% for the 3000 mg/l PEG-treated membrane. Further, these PEG-treated membranes were exposed to a mixture of 3000 mg/l PEG and 1000 mg/l sodium hypochlorite for 1 hour. Further modification of this membrane by PEG and sodium hypochlorite mixture increased the water permeance up to 133% when compared with the virgin TFC RO membrane. We characterized the treated membranes to understand the changes in wettability by contact angle analysis, changes in surface morphology and roughness by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2012

The effects of the alkali surface modification process on the adhesion strength between electroless-plated Cu and polyimide films were investigated. The polyimide surfaces were effectively modified by alkali surface treatments from the hydrophobic to the hydrophilic states, and it was confirmed by the results of the contact angle measurement. The surface roughness increased by alkali surface treatments and the adhesion strength was proportional to the surface roughness. The adhesion strength of Cu/polyimide interface treated by KOH + EDA (Ethylenediamine) was 874 gf/cm which is better than that treated by KOH and KOH + $KMnO_4$. The results of XPS spectra revealed that the alkali treatment formed oxygen functional groups such as carboxyl and amide groups on the polyimide films which is closely related to the interfacial bonding mechanism between electroless-plated Cu and polyimide films. It could be suggested that the species and contents of functional group on polyimide films, surface roughness and contact angle were related with the adhesion strength of Cu/polyimide in combination.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2004

The enhancement of adhesion for Cu film on polycarbonate (PC) surface with the $Ar/O_2$ gas plasma treatment and dc-bias sputtering was studied. The plasma treatment with this reactive mixture changes the chemical property of PC surface into hydrophllic one, which is shown by the variation of contact angle with surface modification. The micro surface roughness that also gives the high adhesive environment is increased by the $Ar/O_2$ gas plasma treatment. These results were observed distinctly from the atomic force microscopy (AFM). The negative substrate dc-bias effect for the Cu adhesion on PC was also investifated. Accelerated $Ar^{+}$ lons in sheath area of anode bombard the bare surface of PC during initial stage of dc bias sputtering. PC substrate. therefore, has severe roughen and hydrophilic surface due to the physical etching process with more activated functional group. As dc-bias sputtering process proceeds, morphology of Cu film shows better step coverage and dense layer. The results of peel test show the evidence of superiority of bias sputtering for the adhesion between metal Cu and PC.C.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.164-173
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• 2017

Across the most industry, the demand for nanoparticles is increasing. Therefore, many studies have been carried out to synthesize nanoparticles using various methods. The aim of this paper is to introduce an industry-applicable as well as financially and environmentally effective solution plasma process. The solution plasma process involves fewer chemicals than the traditional kit, and can be used to replace many of the chemical agents employed in previous synthesis of nanoparticles into plasma. In this study, this process is compared to the wet-reaction process that has thus far been widely used in the most industry. Furthermore, the solution plasma process has been classified into four different types (in-solution, out of solution, direct type, and remote type), according to its plasma occurrence position and plasma types. Thus, the source of radicals, nanoparticle synthesis, and modification methods are explained for each design. Lastly, unlike nanoparticles with hydrophilic functional groups that are made inside the solution, a nanoparticle synthesis and modification method to create a hydrophobic functional group is also proposed.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of surface modification on the fibrovascular ingrowth into porous polyethylene (PE) spheres ($Medpor^{(R)}$), which are used as an anophthalmic socket implant material. To make the inert, hydrophobic PE surface hydrophilic, nonporous PE film and porous PE spheres were subjected to plasma treatment and in situ acrylic acid (AA) grafting followed by the immobilization of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide. The surface-modified PE was evaluated by performing surface analyses and tested for fibroblast adhesion and proliferation in vitro. In addition, the porous PE implants were inserted for up to 3 weeks in the abdominal area of rabbits and, after their retrieval, the level of fibrovascular ingrowth within the implants was assessed in vivo. As compared to the unmodified PE control, a significant increase in the hydrophilicity of both the AA-grafted (PE-g-PAA) and RGD-immobilized PE (PE-g-RGD) was observed by the measurement of the water contact angle. The cell adhesion at 72 h was most notable in the PE-g-RGD, followed by the PE-g-PAA and PE control. There was no significant difference between the two modified surfaces. When the cross-sectional area of tissue ingrowth in vivo was evaluated, the area of fibrovascularization was the largest with PE-g-RGD. The results of immunostaining of CD31, which is indicative of the degree of vascularization, showed that the RGD-immobilized surface could elicit more widespread fibrovascularization within the porous PE implants. This work demonstrates that the present surface modifications, viz. hydrophilic AA grafting and RGD peptide immobilization, can be very effective in inducing fibrovascular ingrowth into porous PE implants.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2000

Surface modification of hydrophobic polymeric materials to be hydrophilic or to have specific functional groups is of great importance for a diversity of applications of the materials. In this study, polyethylene (PE) film surfaces were modified by vapor phase photografting of hydrophilic vinyl monomers with different functional groups. The functional monomers were introduced on PE films by introducing the monomers in vapor phase using a vapor phase photografting apparatus designed by our laboratory. Functional monomers used were acrylic acid (negatively chargeable), acrylamide and allylalcohol (neutral), and allylamine and N,N-dimethyl aminopropyl acryamide (positively charged). The functional monomer-grafted PE film surfaces were characterized by the measurement of water contact angles and the attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The vapor phase photografting seems to be effective means for introduction of various functional groups onto polymeric substrates.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.543-549
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• 2006

Polyimides (PI) are treated with $He/O_2$ and $He/O_2/NF_3$ atmospheric pressure rf dielectric barrier discharge in order to investigate the roles of $NF_3$ that is one of the PI etching gases. Surface changes are analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurement. The surface roughness of PI and the ratio of C=O, which is hydrophilic functional group, is more increased by $He/O_2/NF_3$ discharge than by $He/O_2$ discharge. The C=O species on the PI surface is increased up to 30 percent with rf power. The surface roughness of PI is increased from 0.4 to 11 nm with rf power. The water drop contact angles on PI, however, are reduced from $65^{\circ}\;to\;9^{\circ}$ by plasma treatment independently of $NF_3$.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.461-469
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• 2019

In the present work, we present a new effective hydrophilicity modifier for polysulfone (PSf) membrane. Firstly, amphiphilic nanocellulose (ANC) with different substitution degrees (SD) was synthesized by esterification reaction with nanocellulose (NC) and dodecyl succinic anhydride (DDSA). The SD and morphology of ANC were characterized by titration method and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, the polysulfone (PSf)/ANC blend membranes were prepared via an immersion phase inversion method. The influence of SD on the morphology, structure and performances of PSf/ANC blend membrane were carefully investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), mechanical property test, contact angle measuring instrument and filtration experiment. The results showed that the mechanical property, hydrophilicity and anti-fouling property of all the PSf/ANC blend membranes were higher than those of pure PSf membrane and PSf/NC membrane, and the membrane properties were increased with the increasing of SD values. As ANC-4 has the highest SD value, PSf/ANC-4 membrane exhibited the optimal membrane properties. In conclusion, the prepared ANC can be used as an additive to improve the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling properties of polysulfone (PSf) membrane.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.954-959
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• 1999

Radiation-induced grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate(HEMA), acrylic acid(AAc) and methacrylic acid(MAAc) onto polypropylene microfiltration membrane has been studied. The effect of grafting conditions such as solvent composition(MeOH and $H_2O$) and monomer concentration on the grafting yield in investigated. The highest degree of grafting is obtained at a solvent composition of 25% $H_2O$:75% MeOH for HEMA, pure water for AAc and 50% $H_2O$:50% MeOH for MAAc. Modification of the PP membranes with hydrophilic monomers is shown to cause an increase in the water permeation flux of the membranes. It is found that HEMA is the best monomer to increase the water permeation flux and the highest water permeation flux is obtained at 99% degree of grafting. The water permeation flux of AAc-grafted PP membrane and MAAc-grafted PP membrane is very sensitive to environmental pH and $Cu^{2+}$ ion, but the water permeation flux of HEMA-grafted PP membrane scarcely depends on pH and $Cu^{2+}$ ion.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.316-322
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• 2013

In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was treated with fluorination and ultrasonic washing treatment for hydrophilic modification of PET film. We measured the change of surface modified PET film surface characteristics using contact angle, surface free energy, FE-SEM, AFM and XPS. After direct fluorination and ultrasonic washing treatment, the water contact angle was measured to be $10.81^{\circ}$, 85% reduction compared to the untreated PET film. Total surface free energy has been measured to be $42.25mNm^{-1}$, 650% increase compared to the untreated PET film. Also RMS roughness has been measured to be 1.965 nm, 348% increase compared to the untreated PET film. Hydrophilic functional group C-OH bond concentration has increased approximately 3 times. These results are attributed to the hydrophilic functional group and cavitation due to chemical etching. From this result, it was suggested that the fluorination-ultrasonic washing treatment method could be useful to make PET film surface hydrophilic.