• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.398-398
• /
• 2007

The Liquid Crystal (LC) alignment uniformity is very important in LC devices. The alignment mechanism of LC molecules on a rubbed polyimide (PI) surface is very important for both LC fundamental research and application. So, Generally a rubbing method to align LC has been widely used to mass-produce LCD panels. But because rubbing method is contact method between rubbing fabric and indium-tin-oxide glass or flexible substrate, rubbing method has some defects, such as the electrode charges and the creation of contaminating particles. Thus we strongly recommend a non-contact alignment technique for getting rid of some defects of rubbing method. Most recently, the LC aligning capabilities achieved by ion-beam exposure on the organic and nonorganic thin film surface have been reported successfully. In this research, we studied the tilt angle generation and electro-optical performances for a NLC on homeotropic polyimide surfaces with ion-beam exposure. The LC aligning capabilities of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) on a homeotropic PI surface using a new ion-beam method were studied. On the homeotropic PI surface, the tilt angle of the NLC by exposure ion-beam had a tendency to decrease as increased ion-beam energy density. And, on the homeotropic PI surface, the alignment character of the NLC with respect to ion-beam energy was good. And we achieved satisfactory result for EO character.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.325-330
• /
• 2017

Photoelectron-hole separation efficiency plays an important role in the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts towards the degradation of organic molecules. In this study, $TiO_2/TiOF_2$ heterostructured composite powders with suitable band structures, which structures are able to separate photoelectron-hole pairs, have been synthesized using a simple and versatile ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process. In addition, their phase volume fractions have been controlled by varying the pyrolysis temperature from $400^{\circ}C$ to $800^{\circ}C$. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized powders have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. The powder with a phase volume ratio close to 1, compared with single $TiOF_2$ and other composite powders with different phase volume fractions, was found to have superior photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B. This result shows that the $TiO_2/TiOF_2$ heterostructure promotes the separation of the photoinduced electrons and holes and that this powder can be applicable to environmental cleaning applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2010.02a
• /
• pp.93-93
• /
• 2010

Semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) have recently attracted considerable interest for use in photovoltaics. Band gaps of NQDs can be tuned over a considerable range by varying the particle size thereby allowing enhance absorption of solar spectrum. NQDs, synthesized using colloidal routes, are solution processable and promise for a large-area fabrication. Recent advancements in multiple-exciton generation in NQD solutions have afforded possible efficiency improvements. Various architectures have attempted to utilize the NQDs in photovoltaics, such as NQD-sensitized solar cell, NQD-bulk-heterojuction solar cell and etc. Here we have fabricated CdSe NQDs with the band gap of 1.8 eV to 2.1 eV on thin-layers of p-type organic crystallites (1.61 eV) to realize a donor-acceptor type heterojuction solar cell. Simple structure as it was, we could control the interface of electrode-p-layer, and n-p-layer and monitor the following efficiency changes. Specifically, surface molecules adsorbed on the NQDs were critical to enhance the carrier transfer among the n-layer where we could verify by measuring the photo-response from the NQD layers only. Further modifying the annealing temperature after the deposition of NQDs on p-layers allowed higher conversion efficiencies in the device.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2010.02a
• /
• pp.397-397
• /
• 2010

Bone is considered as hierarchically organized biocomposites of organic (collagen) and inorganic (hydroxyapatite) materials. The precise structural dependence between hydroxyapatite (HAp, $Ca_{10}(PO_4)_6(OH)_2)$ crystals and collagen fibril is critical to unique characteristics of bone. To meet those conditions and obtain optimal properties, it is essential to understand and control the initial growth mechanisms of hydroxyapatite at the molecular level, such as other nano-structured materials. In this study, collagen fibrils were prepared by adsorbing native type I collagen molecules onto hydrophobic surface. Hydrophobicity was introduced on the Si wafer surface by using PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) method and cyclohexane as a precursor. Biomimetic nucleation and growth of HAp on the self-assembled collagen nanofibrils were occurred through incubation of the sample in SBF (simulated body fluid). Chemical and morphological evolution of HAp nanocrystals was investigated by surface-sensitive analytical techniques such as ToF-SIMS (Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) in the early growth stages (< 24 hrs). The very initial stages (< 12 hrs) of mineralization could be clearly demonstrated by ToF-SIMS chemical mapping of surface. In addition to ToF-SIMS and AFM measurement, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were conducted to characterize the HAp layer in the late stages. This study is of great importance in the growth of real bone-like materials with a structure analogous to that of natural bones and the development of biomimetic nanomaterials.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.447-453
• /
• 2009

The quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors that antagonize TraR, a receptor protein for N-3-oxo-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactones (3-oxo-C8-HSL), a QS signal of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were developed. The structural analogues of 3-oxo-C8-HSL were designed by in silico molecular modeling using SYBYL packages, and synthesized by the solid phase organic synthesis (SPOS) method, where the carboxamide bond of 3-oxo-C8-HSL was replaced with a nicotinamide or a sulfonamide bond to make derivatives of N-nicotinyl-L-homoserine lactones or N-sulfonyl-L-homoserine lactones. The in vivo inhibitory activities of these compounds against QS signaling were assayed using reporter systems and compared with the estimated binding energies from the modeling study. This comparison showed fairly good correlation, suggesting that the in silico interpretation of ligand-receptor structures can be a valuable tool for the pre-design of better competitive inhibitors. In addition, these inhibitors also showed anti-biofilm activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.183-194
• /
• 2019

The consumption of fresh vegetables has been related to recurrent outbreaks of foodborne diseases (FBD) worldwide. Therefore, the development of effective alternative technologies is necessary to improve the safety of these products. This study aimed to isolate and identify epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from fresh fruits and leafy vegetables and characterize their antagonistic capacity due to their ability to produce bacteriocins or antibacterial compounds. For this, 92 LAB isolates from fruits and leafy vegetables were screened for antagonistic activity. Two strains with the highest and broadest antagonistic activities were selected for further characterization; one from cantaloupe melon (strain CM175) and one from cilantro leaves (strain C15). The cell-free supernatants (CFS) of CM175 and C15 were found to exhibit antagonistic activity against FBD-causing pathogens. The CM175 and C15 strains were identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus graminis, respectively. Notably, the P. pentosaceus CM175 CFS stopped the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Saintpaul, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes, and delayed Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth. Moreover, L. graminis C15 CFS delayed the growth of all indicator pathogens, but did not completely stop it. Organic acids and bacteriocin-like molecules were determined to be possibly exerting the observed antagonistic activity of the identified LAB strains. Thus, application of the antagonistic compounds produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus graminis could be a novel and ecological strategy in developing antimicrobial biopreservatives for the food industry and mitigating FBD by reducing the biological contamination in fruit and vegetable orchards, mainly via their potential in controlling both gram-negative and gram-positive pathogenic bacteria.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.247-251
• /
• 2023

Lecithin can self-assemble into reverse spherical micelles in organic solvents due to its amphiphilic properties. With additives such as D-sorbitol and water, the reverse spherical micelles are transformed into reverse cylindrical micelles by the morphology change of lecithin molecules. In this study, the rheological properties of lecithin/D-sorbitol/water mixtures were investigated. In addition, the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique was used to examine the shape and size of the formed nanostructures related to their rheological properties. Such mixtures are expected to be used in drug delivery and oleogels because of their high viscosity and viscoelastic behavior.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.313-325
• /
• 2007

In order to have better insights into adsorption of organic molecules on kaolinite surfaces, we performed quantum chemical calculations of interaction between three different model clusters of kaolinite siloxane surfaces and benzyl alcohol, with emphasis on the effect of size and lattice topology of the cluster on the variation of electron density and magnetic shielding tensor. Model cluster 1 is an ideal silicate tetrahedral surface that consists of 7 hexagonal rings, and model cluster 2 is composed of 7 ditrigonal siloxane rings with crystallographically distinct basal oxygen atoms in the cluster, and finally model cluster 3 has both tetrahedral and octahedral layers. The Mulliken charge analysis shows that siloxane surface of model cluster 3 undergoes the largest electron density transfer after the benzyl alcohol adsorption and that of model cluster 1 is apparently larger than that of model cluster 2. The difference of Mulliken charges of basal oxygen atoms before and after the adsorption is positively correlated with hydrogen bond strength. NMR chemical shielding tensor calculation of clusters without benryl alcohol shows that three different basal oxygen atoms (O3, O4, and O5) in model cluster 2 have the isotropic magnetic shielding tensor as $228.2{\pm}3.9,\;228.9{\pm}3.4,\;and\;222.3{\pm}3.0ppm$, respectively. After the adsorption, the difference of isotropic chemical shift varies from 1 to 5.5 ppm fer model cluster 1 and 2 while model cluster 2 apparently shows larger changes in isotropic chemical shift. The chemical shift of oxygen atoms is also positively correlated with electron density transfer. The current results show that the adsorption of benzyl alcohol on the kaolinite siloxane surfaces can largely be dominated by a weak hydrogen bonding and electrostatic force (charge-charge interaction) and demonstrate the importance of the cluster site and the lattice topology of surfaces on the adsorption behavior of the organic molecules on clay surfaces.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.1337-1346
• /
• 2006

Soil humin is the insoluble fraction of humic materials and play an important roles in the irreversible sorption of hydrophobic organic contaminants onto soil particles. However, there have been limited knowledge about the sorption and chemical properties of humin due to the difficulties in its separation from the inorganic matrix(mainly clays and oxides). In this study, de-ashed soil humins($Hu_1-Hu_6$) were isolated from a soil residues(Crude Hu) after removing alkali-soluble organic fractions followed by consecutive dissolution of the mineral matrix with 2%-HF for 2 hr. The humin samples were characterized by elemental analysis and $^{13}C$ NMR spectroscopic method and their sorption-desorption behavior for 1-naphthol were investigated from aqueous solution. The results were compared one another and that with peat humin. $^{13}C$ NMR spectra features indicate that the soil humin molecules are mainly made up of aliphatic carbons(>80% in total carbon) including carbohydrate, methylene chain. Freundlich sorption parameter, n was increased from 0.538 to 0.697 and organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficient(log $K_{OC}$) values also increased from 2.43 to 2.74 as inorganic matrix of the soil humin removed by HF de-ashing. The results suggest that inorganic phase in humin plays an important, indirect role in 1-naphthol sorption and the effects on the sorption non-linearity and intensity are analyzed by comparison between the results of soil humin and peat humin. Sorption-desorption hysteresis were also observed in all the humin samples and hysteresis index(HI) at low solute concentration($C_e$=0.1 mg/L) are in order of Peat humin(2.67)>De-ashed humin(0.74)>Crude Hu(0.59).

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.42-51
• /
• 2004

Peat humin(p-Humin), humic acid(p-HA) and fulvic acid(p-FA) were isolated from Canadian Sphagnum peat moss by dissolution in 0.1M NaOH followed by acid precipitation. After purification cycles, they are characterized for their elemental compositions and, acid/base properties. Functionalities and carbon structures of the humic fractions were also characterized using FT-IR and solid state $^{13}C$-NMR spectroscopy. Those results are compared with one another and with soil humic substances from literatures. Main purpose of this study was to present a chemical and spectroscopic characterization data of humic substance from peat moss needed to evaluate its environmental applicability. The relative proportions of the p-Humin, p-HA and p-FA in the peat moss was $76\%,\;18\%,\;and\;3\%$, respectively, based on the total organic matter content ($957{\pm}32\;g/kg$). Elemental composition of p-Humin were found to be $C_{1.00}H_{1.52}O_{0.79}N_{0.01}$ and had higher H/C and (N+O)/C ratio compared to those of p-HA($C_{1.00}H_{1.09}O_{0.51}N_{0.02}$) and p-FA($C_{1.00}H_{1.08}O_{0.65}N_{0.01}$). Based on the analysis of pH titration data, there are two different types of acidic functional groups in the peat moss and its humic fractions and their proton exchange capacities(PEC, meq/g) were in the order p-FA(4.91) >p-HA(4.09) >p-Humin(2.38). IR spectroscopic results showed that the functionalities of the peat moss humic molecules are similar to those of soil humic substances, and carboxylic acid(-COOH) is main function group providing metal binding sites for Cd(II) sorption. Spectral features obtained from $^{13}C$-NMR indicated that peat moss humic molecules have rather lower degree of humification, and that important structural differences exist between p-Humin and soluble humic fractions(p-HA and p-FA).