• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.464-468
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• 2010

In this study, a vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) monomer was successfully grafted onto the several fluoropolymer films including poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP), poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoropropylvinyl ether) (PFA), and poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) films by using a simultaneous irradiation method. The results indicated that PVBC graft polymer can be easily grafted onto the ETFE film than other fluorinated films under the same irradiation condition. The grafted films were characterized by using FTIR, TGA, and SEM-EDS instruments. The elongation at the breaking of the grafted films was found to decrease with an increase of degree of grafting (DOG). The PVBC-grafted ETFE films were found to have better mechanical properties than other PVBC-grafted fluorinated films.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.42-42
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.180-184
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• 2008

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.341-345
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• 2010

The surface functionalization of a fluoropolymer by ion beam-induced graft polymerization was described in this research. The surface of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films were irradiated by a 150 keV $H^+$ ions, and 4-vinyl pyridine (4VP) as a functional monomer was then thermally graft polymerized on the irradiated surface. The surface properties of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP)-grafted PTFE films were investigated in terms of grafting degree, wettability, chemical structure, and morphology. The results revealed that the surface of PTFE films was successfully functionalized by ion beam-induced graft polymerization of 4VP.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2023

In this review, surface modification methods of hydrophobic poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membrane are introduced and their improved hydrophilicity results are discussed. Fluoropolymer based membranes, represented by PTFE membranes have been used in various membrane separation processes, including membrane distillation, oil separation and gas separation. However, despite excellent physical properties such as chemical resistance, heat resistance and high mechanical strength, the strong hydrophobicity of PTFE membrane surface has become a challenging factor in expanding its membrane separation application. To improve the separation performance of PTFE membranes, wet chemical, hydrophilic coating, plasma, irradiation and atomic layer deposition are applied, modifying the surface property of PTFE membranes while maintaining their inherent properties.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2005

Polyurethane-polysiloxanes (PU/PDMS) was synthesized using 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) to overcome the weakness to the organic chemicals. The composite membranes were prepared onto porous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) supports. In vapor permeation experiments, the flux increased with increasing operating temperatures and feed concentrations while the separation factors showed the opposite trend, so-called 'trade-off'. In this study, the effect of the flux on the operating temperatures was not severe since the content of the soft segments is fairly higher than that of the hard segments. The composite membrane type of PU/PDMS maintained high flux and separation factor as well when comparing with the dense type membranes.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.1902-1906
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• 2011

Sulfonated poly(fluorinated arylene ether)s (SDF-F)/poly[(N-vinylimidazole)-co-(3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane)] (poly(VI-co-MPS))/poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is prepared for a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The reaction of the membrane with phosphoric acid forms silicate phosphor, as a chemically bound proton carrier, in the membrane. Thus-formed silicate phosphor, nitrogen in the imidazole ring, and physically bound phosphoric acid act as proton carriers in the membrane. The physico-chemical and electrochemical properties of the membrane are investigated by various analytical tools. The phosphoric acid uptake and proton conductivity of the SDF-F/poly(VI-co-MPS)/PTFE membrane are higher than those of SDF-F/PVI/PTFE. The power densities of cells with SDF-F/poly(VI-co-MPS)/PTFE membranes at 0.6 V are 286, 302, and 320 mW $cm^{-2}$ at 150, 170, and 190 $^{\circ}C$, respectively. Overall, the SDFF/poly(VI-co-MPS)/PTFE membrane is one of the candidates for anhydrous HT-PEMFCs with enhanced mechanical strength and improved cell performance.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2009

In order to develop a novel polymer electrolyte membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), styrene monomer was graft-polymerized into poly(tetrafluoroethylene perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA) film followed by a sulfonation reaction. The graft polymerization was prepared by the $\Upsilon$-ray radiation-grafting method. Subsequently, sulfonation of the radiation-grafted film was carried out in a chlorosulfonic acid/1,2-dichloroethane (2 v/v%) solution. The chemical, physical, electrochemical and morphological properties of the radiation-grafted membranes (PFA-g-PSSA) were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water uptake, ionic conductivity, and methanol permeability of the PFA-g-PSSA membrane were also measured. The cell performances of MEA prepared with the PFA-g-PSSA membranes were evaluated and the cell resistances were measured by an impedance analyzer. The MEA using PFA-g-PSSA membranes showed superior performance for DMFCs in comparison with the commercial Nafion 112 membrane.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2011

The wettabilities of the partially fluorinated polymers (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), ethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE), and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)) were investigated by contact angle measurements. Zisman plots for ETFE and ECTFE exhibited linear relationships, while the Zisman plot for PVDF showed a slight curvature, which was interpreted to indicate strong non-dispersive interactions between the surface and the contacting liquids. The Lifshitz-van der Waals forces of the fluoropolymers were estimated to increase in the order of ETFE < PVDF $\ll$ ECTFE. An evaluation of the polar or "acid-base" interaction energies showed that PVDF, which possesses the most acidic hydrogens among the examined fluoropolymers, has the strongest acid-base interactions.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.816-821
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• 2012

In this study, silane-crosslinked proton exchange membranes were prepared by step-wise radiation grafting of styrene and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) onto an poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) film and followed by sol-gel processing and sulfonation. The sequentially grafted films with styrene to provide the proton conductivity and TMSPM to form the crosslinked structure were prepared by different grafting order. The structural changes and thermal properties of the prepared films were investigated by FTIR and TGA, respectively. After the introduction of sulfonic acid functional groups, the distributions of sulfonic acid group and silicon atoms at the inside of the sulfonated membranes were analyzed by SEM-EDX.