• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2022

In this work, the effect of nonwoven support during fabrication of flat sheet membranes via nonsolvent-induced phase separation, was investigated in detail. It was found that dope solutions with low viscosity tend to penetrate through the nonwoven support during phase inversion, resulting in nonhomogeneous membranes. A simple soaking treatment of nonwoven support prevented such unwanted dope penetration, and resulted in membranes with higher water and solvent permeance performance. The dope penetration through nonwoven was more prominent in solutions with low viscosity, and the nonwoven soaking treatment not effective in solutions with high viscosity.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2011

We develop a new nonwoven composite separator for a safer lithium-ion battery, which is based on coating of silica ($SiO_2$) colloidal particles/styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) binder to a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nonwoven support. The $SiO_2$ particles are interconnected by the SBR binder and closely packed in the nonwoven composite separator, which thus allows for the development of unusual porous structure, i.e. highly-connected interstitial voids formed between the $SiO_2$ particles. The PET nonwoven serves as a mechanical support that contributes to suppressing thermal shrinkage of the nonwoven composite separator. The $SiO_2$/SBR content in the nonwoven composite separators plays an important role in determining their separator properties. Porous structure, air permeability, and electrolyte wettability of the nonwoven composite separators, in comparison to a commercialized polyethylene (PE) separator, are elucidated as a function of the $SiO_2$/SBR content. Based on this understanding of the nonwoven composite separators, the effect of $SiO_2$/SBR content on the electrochemical performances such as self-discharge, discharge capacity, and discharge C-rate capability of cells assembled with the nonwoven composite separators is investigated.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.453-462
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• 2014

Thin film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membranes were prepared on polyester (PET) nonwoven reinforced polysulfone supports for forward osmosis (FO) processes. PSF (polysulfone) supports were prepared via the phase inversion process from PSF casting solutions in dimethyl formamide (DMF) solvents (19 wt%) by using a PET nonwoven (thickness of $100{\mu}m$) as a mechanical reinforcing material for reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. The PSF support from 19 wt% of DMF/PSF casting solution showed sponge-like morphology and asymmetric internal structure. To reduce the internal concentration polarization in FO operation, thin ($20{\mu}m$ of thickness) nonwoven-supported PSF supports were prepared by using PSF/DMF casting solution (9~19 wt%). A desirable support structure with a highly porous sponge-like morphology were achieved from the thin nonwoven-supported PSF layer prepared with 9~12 wt% casting solution. A crosslinked aromatic polyamide layer was fabricated on top of each support to form a TFC PA membrane. The tested sample from 12 wt% of DMF/PSF casting solution presented outstanding FO performance, almost 5.5 times higher water flux (24.3 LMH) with low reverse salt flux (RDF, 1.5 GMH) compared to a thick nonwoven rainforced membrane (4.5 LMH of flux and 3.47 GMH of RSF). By reducing the thickness of the nonwoven and optimizing PSF concentration of casting solution, the morphology of the prepared membranes were changed from a dense structure to a porous sponge structure in the boundary area between nonwoven and PET support layer.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.75-81
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• 2008

This paper dealt with the synthesis and characterization of the polymeric product by the reaction of the water-soluble poly(vinyl alcohol)[PVA] nonwoven fabrics and the phosphoryl chloride ($POCl_3$), which has been applied to prepare water-proofing materials or intermediates for increasing water-proofing or fire-proofing ability of commercially available water-soluble PVA support layer. $POCl_3$ was reacted with PVA nonwoven fabrics under non-aqueous condition, and their reactivity, and chemical structure were checked and discussed. PVA was reacted with $POCl_3$ under the reaction condition of 1:1, or 1:2 mole ratios at 70, 80 and $90^{\circ}C$, and the reaction products were further hydrolyzed. The structure of the resulting products from water soluble PVA nonwoven fabrics reacted with $POCl_3$ were identified by FT-IR or X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer, and they indicated the PVA polymer chains to have phosphorous and chlorine moieties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.598-611
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the necessary functions and areas of improvement in bras worn by patients during the initial three-month recovery period after a breast augmentation procedure, and a functional bra that fits properly was designed. In order to analyze the necessary functions, a bra was designed after relevant discussions with medical staff and patients who underwent breast augmentation surgeries and considering the advice from bra designers and clothing and textile experts. This bra was designed to protect the surgical scars and minimize the compression by inserting a nonwoven fabric into the shoulder and front parts. In addition, it was designed in a way that could fit the individual breast volume by using a mesh material partially on the upper side of the molded cups. Underwires that could support the breasts were inserted, and a detachable wire was used to suit the patient's needs and the diagnosis by the medical staff. As the bra designed in this study received excellent scores during the evaluation by research subjects and experts, it can be used for designing the prototype of a functional bra.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.49-54
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• 2017

We develop a ceramic composite separator prepared by coating $ZrO_2$ nanoparticles with a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) copolymer on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mechanical support prepared by electrospinning technique to improve thermal properties. The gurley number of the ceramic composite separator shows much lower value than that of a PE separator even though it possesses the polymeric coating layer with ceramic nanoparticles. In addition, the proposed sample shows higher electrolyte uptake than PE separator, leading to enhancing the ionic conductivity of the proposed sample and, by extension, the rate discharge properties of lithium ion batteries. Thermal stability of the ceramic composite separator is dramatically improved without any degradation in electrochemical performance compared to the performance of conventional PE separators.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2019

With the increase in number of the athletic population and elderly demographic, the demand for orthopedic splints, which are used to support a damaged body, has rapidly increased. Current splints mainly consist of inner and outer parts, which are multiple fabrics covered with polyurethane and nonwoven fabrics, respectively. However, the laminated materials with directly applied pre-polymer coating lead to a high defect rate because of the uneven thickness on the surface. Thus, this study proposes an indirect coating method using a precise clearance controller, which enables the even application of the coating material on multiple inner parts while maintaining a constant thickness. In addition, a roll-to-roll (R2R) technique is applied instead of the sewing mechanism to bond the inner and outer materials together and enhance the productivity in the final stage. In the advanced methods, there is a storage tank that contains polyurethane, a clearance controller, and pairs of rollers in the upper and lower rows. To improve the quality of the products and optimize the equipment, three controllable factors are determined: the viscosity of polyurethane, angle of the gap controller and number of pairs of rollers in the R2R system.