• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2021

Flow field is an important parameter for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance to have an effect on the reactant supply, heat and water diffusion, and contact resistance. In this study, PEMFC performance was investigated using Cu foam flow field at the cathode of 25 cm² unit cell. Polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed at different pressure and relative humidity conditions. The Cu foam showed lower cell performance than that of serpentine type due to its high ohmic resistance, but lower activation and concentration loss due to the even reactant distribution of porous structure. Cu foam has the advantage of effective water transport because of its hydrophobicity. However, it showed low membrane hydration at low humidity condition. The metal foam flow field could improve fuel cell performance with a uniform pressure distribution and effective water management, so future research on the properties of metal foam should be conducted to reduce electrical resistance of bipolar plate.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.931-935
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• 2012

In this study, we fabricate and investigate low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells with a ceramic substrate/porous metal/ceramic/porous metal structure. To realize low-temperature operation in solid oxide fuel cells, the membrane should be fabricated to have a thickness of the order of a few hundreds nanometers to minimize IR loss. Yttrium-doped barium zirconate (BYZ), a proton conductor, was used as the electrolyte. We deposited a 350-nm-thick Pt (anode) layer on a porous substrate by sputter deposition. We also deposited a 1-${\mu}m$-thick BYZ layer on the Pt anode using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Finally, we deposited a 200-nm-thick Pt (cathode) layer on the BYZ electrolyte by sputter deposition. The open circuit voltage (OCV) is 0.806 V, and the maximum power density is 11.9 mW/$cm^2$ at $350^{\circ}C$. Even though a fully dense electrolyte is deposited via PLD, a cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image reveals many voids and defects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1995.05a
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• pp.220-223
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• 1995

Stable polyion-complexed polymeric monolayrers were prepared by spreading perfluoroalkyl monomaleatd copolymers. C$_2$F$\_$8/MA-VE$_2$ and C$_2$F$\_$8/Mv-VE$_3$ on aqueous poly(allylamine) subphase. The monolayer properties have been studied by the surface pressure-area($\pi$-A) isotherms. The C$_2$F$\_$8/MA-VE$_3$containing longer oligoethyleneglycol pendant showed more expaned monolayer phase than the C$_2$F$\_$8/MA-VE$_2$ The polyion-complexed monolayers were transferable on various substrates, and the resulting Langmuir-Blodgett(LB) films were characterized b ET-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) Two-dimensional crosslinking to from a polymer network was achieved by amide formation through heat treatment under vacuum with concurrent removel of perfluoroalkyl tails. SEM observation of this film ona porous membrane filter showed that the four layer film was sufficiently stable to cover the filter pore size of 0.1$\mu\textrm{m}$. The C$_2$F$\_$8/MA-VE$_3$revealed better covering capability than the C$_2$F$\_$8/MA-VE$_2$Immersion of this film in water or in benzend did not cause any change in its appearance and in FT-IR spectra.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1616-1622
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• 2002

If the surfaces of vesicles are chemically modified so that they can be dispersed in organic solvents, the application of vesicular colloids may be expanded. A polymerizable surfactant (BDAC) and nonpolymerizable bipolar surfactant (BPAS) were synthesized in multi-steps. Large vesicles composed of BDAC and BPAS with embedded a cross-linking agent (divinylbenzene) underwent a radical polymerization. BPAS was extracted out using methanol (skeletonization). The headgroup of BDAC was cleaved off via hydrolysis in an acidic condition to yield vesicles where surfaces were covered with -COOH groups. There was no significant change in the overall shape. The skeletonized vesicles appear to have many holes with diameters up to about 25 nm. The holes retained even after hydrolysis. The hydrolyzed vesicles were not dispersed in water and most organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and chloroform, but dispersed in methanol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.836-844
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• 2009

A denitrification bacterium was isolated from riverbed soil and identified as Ochrobactrum sp., whose specific enzymes for denitrification metabolism were biochemically assayed or confirmed with specific coding genes. The denitrification activity of strain G3-1 was proportional to glucose/nitrate balance, which was consistent with the theoretical balance (0.5). The modified graphite felt cathode with neutral red, which functions as a solid electron mediator, enhanced the electron transfer from electrode to bacterial cell. The porous carbon anode was coated with a ceramic membrane and cellulose acetate film in order to permit the penetration of water molecules from the catholyte to the outside through anode, which functions as an air anode. A non-compartmented electrochemical bioreactor (NCEB) comprised of a solid electron mediator and an air anode was employed for cultivation of G3-1 cells. The intact G3-1 cells were immobilized in the solid electron mediator, by which denitrification activity was greatly increased at the lower glucose/nitrate balance than the theoretical balance (0.5). Metabolic stability of the intact G3-1 cells immobilized in the solid electron mediator was extended to 20 days, even at a glucose/nitrate balance of 0.1.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2014

Among semi-quantitative or fully quantitative lateral flow assay readers, an image sensor-based instrument has been widely used because of its simple setup, cheap sensor price, and compact equipment size. For all previous approaches, monochrome CCD or CMOS cameras were used for lateral flow assay imaging in which the overall intensities of all colors were taken into consideration to estimate the analyte content, although the analyte related color information is only limited to a narrow wavelength range. In the present work, we introduced a color CCD camera as a sensor and a color decomposition method to improve the sensitivity of the quantitative biosensor system which utilizes the lateral flow assay successfully. The proposed setup and image processing method were applied to achieve the quantification of imitatively dispensed particles on the surface of a porous membrane first, and the measurement result was then compared with that using a monochrome CCD. The compensation method was proposed in different illumination conditions. Eventually, the color decomposition method was introduced to the commercially available lateral flow immunochromatographic assay for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. The measurement sensitivity utilizing the color image sensor is significantly improved since the slopes of the linear curve fit are enhanced from 0.0026 to 0.0040 and from 0.0802 to 0.1141 for myoglobin and creatine kinase (CK)-MB detection, respectively.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 2020

ACF preparation from different materials has been attached with great attention during these years. This study was conducted to prepare activated carbon fiber (ACF) from luffa through the processes i.e pre-treatment, pre-oxidation and carbonization activation. Besides, this study also characterizes the ACF and its effect, i.e effect of pre-oxidation time and temperature also activation time and temperature on the compressive strength of ACF were investigated. The results from SEM, BET, FTIR and XRD show that the ACF is very efficient. The products under the optimum conditions had a specific surface area of 478.441 m2 /g with an average pore diameter of 3.783nm, and a pore volume of 0.193 cm3 /g. The surface of the luffa fiber is degummed and exposed, which is beneficial to the subsequent process and the increase of product properties. The compressive strength of HP-ACF was prepared under the optimum conditions, which can reach 0.2461 MPa. ACF is rich in micro-pores and has a good application prospect in the field of environmental protection.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.343-347
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• 2007

Novel composite membranes, which delivered high separation performance for propylene/propane mixtures, were developed by coating inert poly(ethylene-co-propylene) rubber (EPR) onto a porous polyester substrate, followed by the physical distribution of $AgBF_4$. Scanning electron microscopy-wavelength dispersive spectrometer (SEM-WDS) revealed that silver salts were uniformly distributed in the EPR layer. The physical dispersion of the silver salts in the inert polymer matrix, without specific interaction, was characterized by FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The high separation performance was presumed to stem from the in-situ dissolution of crystalline silver ionic aggregates into free silver ions, which acted as an active propylene carrier within a propylene environment, leading to facilitated propylene transport through the membranes. The membranes were functional at all silver loading levels, exhibiting an unusually low threshold carrier concentration (less than 0.06 of silver weight fraction). The separation properties of these membranes, i.e. the mixed gas selectivity of propylene/propane ${\sim}55$ and mixed gas permeance ${\sim}7$ GPU, were stable for several days.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.565-574
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• 2007

In this study, five representative, commercially available polymers, Ultem 1000 polyetherimide, Kapton polyimide, phenolic resin, polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate, were used to prepare pyrolyzed polymer membranes coated on a porous {\alpha}-alumina$ tube via inert pyrolysis for gas separation. Pyrolysis conditions (i.e., final temperature and thermal dwell time) of each polymer were determined using a thermogravimetric method coupled with real-time mass spectroscopy. The surface area and pore size distribution of the pyrolyzed materials derived from the polymers were estimated from the nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. Pyrolyzed membranes from polymer precursors exhibited type I sorption behavior except cellulose acetate (type IV). The gas permeation of the carbon/{\alpha}-alumina$ tubular membranes was characterized using four gases: helium, carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. The polyetherimide, polyimide, and phenolic resin pyrolyzed polymer membranes showed typical molecular sieving gas permeation behavior, while membranes from polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate exhibited intermediate behavior between Knudsen diffusion and molecular sieving. Pyrolyzed membranes with molecular sieving behavior (e.g., polyetherimide, polyimide, and phenolic resin) had a $CO_2/N_2$ selectivity of greater than 15; however, the membranes from polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate with intermediate gas transport behavior had a selectivity slightly greater than unity due to their large pore size.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 2011

A simple process of fabricating micropillar structure and its influence upon enhancing electrochemical biosensor response were studied in this work. Conducting polymer PEDOT was used as a base material in formulating a composite with PVA. Micro porous PC membrane filter was used as a template for the micropillar of the composite on ITO electrode. This structure could provide plenty of encapsulating space for enzyme species. After dosing enzyme solution into this space, Nafion film tent was cast over the pillar structure to complete the micropillar cavity structure. In this way, the encapsulation of enzyme could be accomplished without any chemical modification. The amount of enzyme species was easily controllable by varying the concentration of the dosing solution. The more amount of enzyme is stored in the sensor, the higher the electrochemical response is produced. One more reason for the sensitivity improvement comes from the large surface area of the micropillar structure. Application of 0.7 V produced the best current response under the condition of pH 7.4. This biosensor showed linear response to the glucose in 0.1~1 mM range with the average sensitivity of $14.06{\mu}A/mMcm^2$. Detection limit was 0.01 mM based on S/N = 3.