• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2016

The objectives of this study were to recover silica and iron oxides and $CO_2$ sequestration using serpentine via various acid dissolution and pH swing processes. Serpentine collected from Guhang-myeon in S. Korea were mainly composed of antigorite and magnetite consisting of $SiO_2$ (45.3 wt.%), MgO (41.3 wt.%), $Fe_2O_3$ (12.2 wt.%). Serpentine pulverized ($${\leq_-}75{\mu}m$$) and then dissolved in 3 different acids, HCl, $H_2SO_4$, $HNO_3$. Residues treated with acidic solution were recovered from the solution (step 1). And then the residual solution containing dissolved serpentine was titrated using $NH_4OH$. And pH of the solution increased up to pH=8.6 to obtain reddish precipitates (step 2). After recovery of the precipitates, the residual solution reacted with $CO_2$ and then pH increased up to pH=9.5 to precipitate white materials (step 3). The mineralogical characteristics of the original sample and harvested precipitates were examined by XRD, and TEM-EDS analyses. ICP-AES analysis was also used to investigate solution chemistry. The dissolved ions were Mg, Si, and Fe. The antigorite became noncrystralline silica after acid treatment (step 1). The precipitate at pH=8.6 was mainly amorphous iron oxide, of which size ranged from 2 to 10 nm and mainly consisting of Fe, O, and Si (step 2). At pH=9.5, nesquehonite [$Mg(HCO_3)(OH){\cdot}2(H_2O)$] and lasfordite [$MgCO_3{\cdot}H_2O$] were formed after reaction with $CO_2$ (step 3). The size of carbonated minerals was ranged from 1 to $6{\mu}m$. These results indicated that the acid treatment of serpentine and pH swing processes for the serpentine can be used for synthesis of other materials such as silica, iron oxides and magnesium carbonate. Also, This process may be useful for the precursor synthesis and $CO_2$ sequestration via mineral carbonation.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.307-318
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• 2020

Conventional perfluorinated sulfonic acid membrane, Nafion is widely used for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). It is desired to prevent vanadium ion permeation through a membrane to retain the capacity, and to keep the cell efficiency of a VRFB. Highly proton conductive and chemically stable Nafion membranes, however, suffer from high vanadium permeation, which induce the reduction in charge and discharge capacity by side reactions of vanadium ions. In this study, to resolve the issue, silica nanoparticles, which are functionalized with 3-aminopropyl group (fS) are introduced to enhance the long-term performance of a VRFB by lowering vanadium permeation. It is expected that amine groups on silica nanoparticles are converted to positive ammonium ion, which could deteriorate positively charged vanadium ions' crossover by Gibbs-Donnan effect. There is reduction in proton conductivity may due to acid-base complexation between fS and Nafion side chains, but ion selectivity of proton to vanadium ion is enhanced by introducing fS to Nafion membranes. With the composite membranes of Nafion and fS, VRFBs maintain their discharge capacity up to 80% at a high current density of 150 mA/㎠ during 200 cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.594-602
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• 2010

Since the requirement of the high density integration and thin package technique of semiconductor have been increasing, the main package type of semiconductor will be a chip scale package (CSP). The changes of diffusion coefficient and moisture content ratio of epoxy resin systems according to the change of liquid type epoxy resin and fillers for CSP applications were investigated. The epoxy resins used in this study are RE-304S, RE310S, and HP-4032D, and Kayahard MCD as hardener and 2-methylimidazole as catalyst were used in these epoxy resin systems. The micro-sized and nano-sized spherical type fused silica as filler were used in order to study the moisture absorption properties of these epoxy molding compound (EMC) according to the change of filler size. The temperature of glass transition (Tg) of these EMC was measured using Dynamic Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), and the moisture absorption properties of these EMC according to the change of time were observed at $85^{\circ}C$ and 85% relative humidity condition using a thermo-hygrostat. The diffusion coefficients in these EMC were calculated in terms of modified Crank equation based on Ficks' law. An increase of diffusion coefficient and maximum moisture absorption ratio with Tg in these systems without filler can be observed, which are attributed to the increase of free volume with Tg. In the EMC with filler, the changes of Tg and maximum moisture absorption ratio with the filler content can be hardly observed, however, the diffusion coefficients of these systems with filler content show the outstanding changes according to the filler size. The diffusion via free volume is dominant in the EMC with micro-sized filler; however, the diffusion with the interaction of absorption according the increase of the filler surface area is dominant in the EMC with nano-sized filler.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.530-537
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• 2015

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are environmentally energy conversion devices to generate electricity via photovoltaic effect of semiconductors from solar energy. One of key elements in PV modules is "Backsheet," a multilayered barrier film, which determines their lifetime and energy conversion efficiency. The representative Backsheet is composed of chemically resistant poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF) and cheap poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films used as core and skin materials, respectively. PVF film is too expensive to satisfy the market requirements to Backsheet materials with production cost as low as possible. The promising alternatives to PVF-based Backsheet are hydrocarbon Backsheets employing semi-crystalline PET films instead of PVF film. It is, however, necessary to provide improved barrier property to water vapor to the PET films, since PET films are suffering from hydrolytic decomposition. In this study, a polyurethane adhesive with reduced water vapor permeation behavior is developed via a homogeneous distribution of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles. The modified adhesive is expected to retard the hydrolysis of PET films located in the core and inner skin. To clarify the efficacy of the proposed concept, the mechanical properties and electrochemical PV performances of the Backsheet are compared with those of a Backsheet employing the polyurethane adhesive without the silica nanoparticles, after the exposure under standard temperature and humidity conditions.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2021

In order to address many issues associated with large volume changes of silicon, which has very low electrical conductivity but offers about 10 times higher theoretical capacity than graphite (Gr), a silicon nanoparticles/hollow carbon (SiNP/HC) composite having bimodal-mesopores was prepared using silica nanoparticles as a template. A control SiNP/C composite without a hollow structure was also prepared for comparison. The physico-chemical and electrochemical properties of SiNP/HC were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements for surface area and pore size distribution, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, galvanostatic cycling, and cyclic voltammetry tests to compare them with those of the SiNP/C composite. The SiNP/HC composite showed significantly better cycle life and efficiency than the SiNP/C, with minimal increase in electrode thickness after long cycles. A hybrid composite, SiNP/HC@Gr, prepared by physical mixing of the SiNP/HC and Gr at a 50:50 weight ratio, exhibited even better cycle life and efficiency than the SiNP/HC at low capacity. Thus, silicon/carbon composites designed to have hollow spaces capable of accommodating volume expansion were found to be highly effective for long cycle life of silicon-based composites. However, further study is required to improve the low initial coulombic efficiency of SiNP/HC and SiNP/HC@Gr, which is possibly because of their high surface area causing excessive electrolyte decomposition for the formation of solid-electrolyte-interface layers.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2013

Due to the large specific surface area and great reactivity toward environmental contaminants, nanocrystalline mackinawite (FeS) has been widely applied for the remediation of contaminated groundwater and soil. Furthermore, nanocrystalline FeS is rather thermodynamically stable against anoxic corrosion, and its reactivity can be regenerated continuously by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, nanocrystalline mackinawite is prone to either spread out along the groundwater flow or cause pore clogging in aquifers by particle aggregation. Accordingly, this mineral should be modified for the application of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). In this study, coating methods were investigated by which mackinawite nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of alumina or activated alumina. The amount of FeS coating was found to significantly vary with pH, with the highest amount occurring at pH ~6.9 for both minerals. At this pH, the surfaces of mackinawite and alumina (or activated alumina) were oppositely charged, with the resultant electrostatic attraction making the coating highly effective. At this pH, the coating amounts by alumina and activated alumina were 0.038 and 0.114 $mmol{\cdot}FeS/g$, respectively. Under anoxic conditions, arsenite sorption experiments were conducted with uncoated alumina, uncoated activated alumina, and both minerals coated with FeS at the optimal pH for comparison of their reactivity. Uncoated activated alumina showed the higher arsenite removal compared to uncoated alumina. Notably, the arsenite sorption capacity of activated alumina was little changed by the coating with FeS. This might be attributed to the abundance of highly reactive hydroxyl functional groups (${\equiv}$AlOH) on the surface of activated alumina, making the arsenite sorption by the coated FeS unnoticeable. In contrast, the arsenite sorption capacity of alumina was found to increase substantially by the FeS coating. This was due to the consumption of the surface hydroxyl functional groups on the alumina surface and the subsequent occurrence of As(III) sorption by the coated FeS. Alumina, on the surface area basis, has about 8 times higher FeS coating amount and higher As(III) sorption capacity than silica. This study indicates that alumina is a better candidate than silica for the coating of nanocrystalline mackinawite.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.240-246
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• 2002

$TiO_2$ films on soda-lime-silica glasses were prepared by spin coating-pyrolysis process using titanium naphthenate as a starting material. As-deposited films were pyrolyzed at $500^{\circ}C$ for 10 min in air and annealed at 500, 550 and $600^{\circ}C$ for 30 min in air. Crystallinity of the film was investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis. A field emission-scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope were used for characterizing the surface morphology and the surface roughness of the film. After annealing at 550 and $600^{\circ}C$, the X-ray diffraction patterns consist of only anatase peak. Films annealed at 500 and $550^{\circ}C$ exhibited flat surfaces. While with the increase in annealing temperature to $600^{\circ}C$, the $TiO_2$ film showed abnormal growth of three-dimensional needle-shaped grains. For all samples, high transmittance, above 90 % at 500 nm, was obtained at visible range. To investigate photocatalytic properties, IR absorbance associated with the C-H stretching vibrations of a thin solution-cast film of stearic acid under 365 nm (2.4 mW/$\textrm{cm}^2$) UV irradiation was estimated.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2017

Functional coatings, such as anti-reflection and self-cleaning, are frequently applied to cover glass for photovoltaic applications. Anti-reflection coatings made of mesoporous silica film have been shown to enhance the light transmittance. $TiO_2$ photocatalyst films are often applied as a self-cleaning coating. In this study, transparent hydrophobic anti-reflective and self-cleaning coatings made of $SiO_2/TiO_2$ thin layers were fabricated on a slide glass substrate by the sol-gel and dip-coating processes. The morphology of the functional coatings was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optical properties of the functional coatings were investigated using an UV-visible spectrophotometer. Contact angle measurements were performed to confirm the hydrophobicity of the surface. The results showed that the $TiO_2$ films exhibit a high transmittance comparable to that of the bare slide glass substrate. The $TiO_2$ nanoparticles make the film more reflective and lead to a lower transmittance. However, the transmittance of the $SiO_2/TiO_2$ thin layers is 93.5% at 550 nm with a contact angle of $110^{\circ}$, which is higher than that of the bare slide glass (2.0%).

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1-11
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• 2009

Super-hydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle greater than $150^{\circ}$, has a self cleaning effect termed 'lotus effect'. We introduced super-hydrophobicity onto aramid/rayon mixture fabric with dual-scale structure by assembling silica nano-sol. Mixture fabric was treated with silica nano-sol, fluoric polymer using various parameters such as particle size, concentration. Silica nano-sol size were measured using particle size analyzer. Morphological changes by particle size were observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), contact angle measurement equipment. The contact angle of water was about $134.0^{\circ}$, $137.0^{\circ}$, $143.0^{\circ}$, $139.5^{\circ}$ and $139.0^{\circ}$ for mixture fabric coated with 100.2nm, 313.7nm, 558.2nm, 628.5nm and 965.4nm silica nano-sol, compared with about $120.0^{\circ}$ for mixture fabric coated with fluoric polymer. When we mixed particle sizes of 100.2nm and 558.2nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the contact angle of water was about $146.2^{\circ}$. And we mixed particle sizes of 313.7nm and 558.2nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the contact angle of water was about $141.8^{\circ}$. Also we mixed particle sizes of 558.2nm and 965.4nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the best super-hydrophobicity was obtained. In this paper, we fabricated the water-repellent surfaces with various surface structures by using four types of silica nano-sol, and we found that the dual-scale structure was very important for the super-hydrophobicity.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2011

In this work, mesoporous carbons (CMK-3) were prepared by a conventional templating method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for using catalyst supports in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The CMK-3 were chemically activated to obtain high surface area and small pore diameter with different potassium hydroxide (KOH) amounts, i.e., 0, 1, 3, and 4 g as an activating agent. And then Pt-Ru was deposited onto activated CMK-3 (K-CMK-3) by a chemical reduction method. The characteristics of Pt-Ru catalysts deposited onto K-CMK-3 were determined by surface area and pore size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The electrochemical properties of Pt-Ru/K-CMK-3 catalysts were also analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV). From the results, the K3g-CMK-3 carbon supports activated with 3 g KOH showed the highest specific surface areas. In addition, the K3g-CMK-3 led to uniform dispersion of Pt-Ru onto K-CMK-3, resulted in the enhancement of elelctro-catalystic activity of Pt-Ru catalysts.