• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2019

Monodisperse microparticles has been particularly enabling for various applications in the encapsulation and delivery of pharmaceutical agents. The microfluidic devices are attractive candidates to produce highly uniform droplets that serve as templates to form monodisperse microparticles. The microfluidic devices that have micro-scale channel allow precise control of the balance between surface tension and viscous forces in two-phase flows. One of its essential abilities is to generate highly monodisperse droplets. In this paper, a microfluidic approach for preparing monodisperse polycaprolactone (PCL) microparticles is presented. The microfluidic devices that have a flow-focusing generator are manufactured by soft-lithography using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The crucial factors in the droplet generation are the controllability of size and monodispersity of the microdroplets. For this, the volumetric flow rates of the dispersed phase of oil solution and the continuous phase of water to generate monodisperse droplets are optimized. As a result, the optimal flow condition for droplet dripping region that is able to generate uniform droplet is found. Furthermore, the droplets containing PCL polymer by solvent evaporation after collection of droplet from device is solidified to generate the microparticle. The particle size can be controlled by tuning the flow rate and the size of the microchannel. The monodispersity of the PCL particles is measured by a coefficient of variation (CV) below 5%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.341-342
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• 2008

The dynamics of nano particles in LC medium under an external electric field is of theoretical and technological interest. In this work, the dynamical characteristics of fullerene $(C_{60})$ particles in liquid crystal (LC) medium under dc electric field have been investigated. This effect was studied for homogeneously aligned nematic LC cells driven by in-plane field. The $C_{60}$ was found to be aggregated in a form of cluster inside the LC medium. Hence polystytene was used to protect the aggregation of $C_{60}$ in LC medium. When the electric field was applied, the fullerenes start to move in direction of applied electric field. The density of $C_{60}$'s particles at the electrodes increase with increase in the value of applied electric field. The dynamical motions of fullerene $(C_{60})$ particles in liquid crystal (LC) suggest that fullerene can be designed for electrophoretic displays (i.e., electronic ink).

• Clean Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 2006

A PGSS (Particles from Gas Saturated Solutions) process designed to generate nano-particles using supercritical fluids has been conducted for the fabrication of Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles that encapsulate a protein drug. It is demonstrated that the polymer and the dry powder of a protein can be mixed under supercritical carbon dioxide conditions and that the protein component retains its biological activity. In this experiment, the mixture of polymer which is plasticized and dry powder protein was sprayed to form solid polymer that encapsulate the protein. It is found that supercritical fluid process give fine tuning of particle size and particle size distribution by simple manipulations of the process parameters. Porous particles were formed with irregular shape. Protein encapsulated in the polymer was found to have enzymatic activity without significant loss of its initial value.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2011

In this study, we are crystallized to the low density polyethylene (LDPE) micro-particles in $n$-dodecanol solution by thermally induced phase separation(TIPS) method. The Low density polyethylene micro-particles is used in a wide variety of polymer coatings and industrial application. The utility of that for a particular application depends on a number of factors such as the particle size and distribution, and chemical composition of the materials. However, there are still needs for new methods of preparation which will provide the structure with unique sizes. The widely used processes for micro-size particles are crystallization method and thermally induced phase separation. TIPS process based on the phase separation mechanism was performed for the LDPE system which undergoes liquid-solid phase separation. Effects of various operating parameters were examined on the structure variation of the particles. Professionality, take-up speed and crystallization rate depended on temperature and concentration of polymer in solution.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2007

The compound refractive X-ray lens (CRL) for focusing hard X-rays is investigated to determine the parameters such as the focal length, the focal spot size, and spatial distribution at the focal spot using a simple theoretical calculations and CRLs fabricated by the self-assembly method. The number of individual compound lenses are defined for the given focal length of 1 m. The X-ray energy of 1 to 40 keV is used in the calculations. The CRL for focusing hard X-rays which generated from the X-ray tube is fabricated by nanoparticle-polymer composite in the form of circular concaves. The self-assembly method is applied to form the nanoaluminum-poly (methly meth-acrylate) composite and carbon-polymer composite CRL lenses. Aluminum nanoparticles of 100 nm and carbon microparticles are diffused in the polymer solution then the high gravity up to 6000G is applied in it to form the concave lens shape. X-ray energy at 8 keV is used for characterization of the composite CRLs. The FWHM of intensity for the fabricated nanoaluminium composite CRL system, N=10 is measured as 1.8 mm, which would give about $70{\mu}m$ in FWHM at 1 m of the focal length.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.85-104
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• 2005

Recently, membrane can be prepared by two methods, phase inversion and electrospinning techniques. Phase inversion technique is a conventional but commercially preparation membrane. The most versatile of preparation in this technique is immersion of the cast film into nonsolvent bath, causing dense top layer with a finger-like pattern in the sub layer membrane. The membrane pore size getting from phase inversion is in the range of micro or submicrometer. As a result, it can be used as microfiltration and ultrafiltration applications. A new technique, electrospinning, is introduced for membrane preparation. Nonwoven nanofibrous mat or nanofibrous membrane is obtained. In this technique, electrostatic charge is introduced to the solution jet, causing a thin fiber with high surface area; hence it can be used in the applications where high surface area-to-volume or length-to-diameter ratios are required. Moreover, the pore size can be controlled by controlling the time of electrospinning. Hence, it can be used as a filter for filtering microparticles as well as nanoparticles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.126-133
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• 2015

Recently, there has been demand for polymeric porous membranes in various fields, such as environmental engineering, pharmaceutics, tissue engineering, drug delivery, biology, and fuel cells. In this study, it is proposed that a polymer particle-based porous membrane can be fabricated using electrospraying and sintering processes. Electrospraying can fabricate polymeric particles with diameters ranging from several micrometers to tens of nanometers without the cumbersome particle aggregation problem. Additionally, the particles can be sintered through thermo-compression under the glass transition temperature. In this study, a polymethyl methacrylate particle-based porous membrane with an average pore size of less than 500 nm is fabricated using the proposed method.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.461-465
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• 2006

Two types of injectable system using thermosensitive chitosan (chitosan-g-NIPAAm), hydrogel and microparticles (MPs)-embedded hydrogel were developed as drug carriers for controlled release and their pharmaceutical potentials were investigated. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded, biodegradable PLGA MPs were prepared by a double emulsion method and then simply mixed with an aqueous solution of thermosensitive chitosan at room temperature. All 5-FU release rates from the hydrogel matrix were faster than bovine serum albumin (BSA), possibly due to the difference in the molecular weight of the drugs. The 5-FU release profile from MPs-embedded hydrogel was shown to reduce the burst effect and exhibit nearly zero-order release behavior from the beginning of each initial stage. Thus, these MPs-embedded hydrogels, as well as thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel, have promising potential as an injectable drug carrier for pharmaceutical applications.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2004

Initial burst is one of the major challenges in protein-encapsulated microparticle systems. Since protein release during the initial stage depends mostly on the diffusional escape of the protein, major approaches to prevent the initial burst have focused on efficient encapsulation of the protein within the microparticles. For this reason, control of encapsulation efficiency and the extent of initial burst are based on common formulation parameters. The present article provides a literature review of the formulation parameters that are known to influence the two properties in the emulsion-solvent evaporation/extraction method. Physical and chemical properties of encapsulating polymers, solvent systems, polymer-drug interactions, and properties of the continuous phase are some of the influential variables. Most parameters affect encapsulation efficiency and initial burst by modifying solidification rate of the dispersed phase. In order to prevent many unfavorable events such as pore formation, drug loss, and drug migration that occur while the dispersed phase is in the semi-solid state, it is important to understand and optimize these variables.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.1-18
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• 2006

A novel transmission electron microscopy technique for the visualization of polymers adsorbed on secondary fines has been developed. This technique has been utilized in observing the adsorption behavior of various wet-end additives. The technique is sensitive enough not only to allow differentiation between linear and branched polymers, but also to observe differences in the adsorption behavior and conformational characteristics of particular polymeric derivatives. Conformational changes of a cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) were examined in response to variations in wet-end conditions, such as mixing time and system conductivity. The molecular conformations of cationic starch and cationic guar gum were also examined by this technique. The technique has been employed to observe the effects of silica microparticles on the conformational characteristics of CPAM (drainage/retention aid) pre-adsorbed on secondary fines. The transmission electron microscopy method is a viable tool for investigating the macromolecular events that make up a large part of wet end chemistry in papermaking.