• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.547-553
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• 2024

If congenital fever left untreated, it can cause atopic dermatitis. It is very important to manage the surface temperature of the neonatal's head during sleep. Baby pillows were mostly developed with cotton materials due to their delicate skin, or they were used for head correction due to their flexible skeletons. This paper measured the surface temperature of baby head in a sleep and analyzed the trends to figure out the PCM effect which to prevent the congenital fever. In addition it was performed a usability evaluation from baby's parents to investigate their satisfaction. According to the results, PCM is effective in regulating skin temperature of neonatal's head to prevent the congenital fever.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.555-566
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• 2023

In this study, a composite phase change material (CPCM) produced using the SOL-GEL technique was developed as a thermal energy storage medium for low-temperature applications. Tetradecane and activated carbon (AC) were used as the core and supporting materials, respectively. The tetradecane phase change material (PCM) was impregnated into the porous structure of AC using the vacuum impregnation method, and a thin layer of silica gel was coated on the prepared composite using the SOL-GEL process, where tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the silica source. The thermal performance of the CPCM was analysed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC results showed that the pure tetradecane PCM had melting and freezing temperatures of 6.4℃ and 1.3℃ and corresponding enthalpies 226 J/g and 223.8 J/g, respectively. The CPCM exhibited enthalpy of 32.98 J/g and 27.7 J/g during the melting and freezing processes at 7.1℃ and 2.4℃, respectively. TGA test results revealed that the AC is thermally stable up to 500℃, which is much higher than the decomposition temperature of the pure tetradecane, which is around 120℃. Moreover, in the case of AC-PCM and CPCM thermal degradation started at 80℃ and 100℃, respectively. The chemical stability of the CPCM was studied using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and the results confirmed that the developed composite is chemically stable. Finally, the surface morphology of the AC and CPCM was analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which confirmed the presence of a thin layer of silica gel on the AC surface after the SOL-GEL process.