• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.222-225
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• 1998

The objective of this study was to observe the effects of potassium-carboxymethyl cellulose (K-CMC), which is a natural polymer derivative, and polyacrylamide (PAM), which is a commercial synthetic polymer, on soil physicochemical properties and yields of the cabbage. To increase water absorbing capacity (WAC), hydrophilic carboxymethyl group was introduced to cellulose chain and it was confirmed by FT-IR. WAC was tested by tea-bag method in distilled water and 3% NaCl solution. PAM is slightly more absorptive than K-CMC in distilled water, but in NaCl solution, K-CMC is more absorptive than PAM. Soil particle sizes above $1_{mm}$ were immediately increased from 9.6 to approximately 16.6% by the application of K-CMC and PAM, respectively. Infiltration rates of soil were approximately twice as great as those of the control when conditioned with the K-CMC and PAM treatment. K content of soil treated with K-CMC was significantly higher than those of PAM and control, but the other components of soil chemical properties were not different. The early growth and vegetative production of cabbage in the K-CMC and PAM treatments were significantly higher than the control. The contents of vitamin C were increased with the treatment of K-CMC. It was proposed that K-CMC treatment influence K component of the soil and vitamin C content of the cabbage, therefore, it improved the yields as well as crop quality.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.373-379
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• 2019

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a self-polymerizing resin for removable orthodontic devices, has been used as a dental orthodontic device for many years because of its advantages such as color stability, volume stability, and tissue compatibility. However, such a removable orthodontic device has a disadvantage that the longer the use in the oral cavity due to the low strength of the PMMA fracture of the orthodontic device resin in use. In this study, zinc nanoparticles (ZNP) were mixed with orthodontic PMMA to introduce strength effect. Rectangular samples ($1.4{\times}3.0{\times}19.0mm$) of orthodontic PMMA (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0%) containing ZNP were prepared. The finished specimen was tested for three-point bending strength at a speed of 1 mm / min, and the Vickers hardness was measured three times using a hardness tester. The surface roughness was measured with a surface roughness. As a result, the 3-point bending strength did not change significantly (p>0.05). Surface energy increased significantly. As a result, we successfully synthesized ZNP in this study and prepared the dispersed resin specimen for calibration. It will be possible to develop high-density dental orthodontic resins.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.861-867
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• 2019

$Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ is a promising next-generation anode material for lithium-ion batteries due to excellent cycle life, low irreversible capacity, and little volume expansion during charge-discharge process. However, it has poor charge capacity at high current density due to its low electrical conductivity. To improve this weakness, porous $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ was synthesized by sol-gel method with P123 as chelating agent. The physical characteristics of as-prepared sample was investigated by XRD, SEM, and BET analysis, and electrochemical properties were characterized by cycle performance test, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). $Li_4Ti_5O_{12}$ synthesized by 0.01mol ratio of P123/Ti showed most unified particle size, high specific surface area, and relatively high porosity. EIS analysis showed that depressed semicircle size was remarkably reduced, which suggested resistance value in electrode was decreased. Capacity in rate performance showed 178 mAh/g at 0.2C, 170 mAh/g at 0.5C, 110 mA/h at 5C, and 90 mAh/g at 10C. Capacity retention also showed 99% after rate performance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2021

With a striking increase in the level of contamination and subsequent degradations in the environment, detection and monitoring of contaminants in various sites has become a crucial mission in current society. In this review, we have summarized the current research areas in membrane-based colorimetric sensors for trace detection of various molecules. The researches covered in this summary utilize membranes composed of cellulose fibers as sensing platforms and metal nanoparticles or fluorophores as optical reagents. Displaying decent or excellent sensitivity, most of the developed sensors achieve a significant selectivity in the presence of interfering ions. The physical and chemical properties of cellulose membrane platforms can be customized by changing the synthesis method or type of optical reagent used, allowing a wide range of applications possible. Membrane-based sensors are also portable and have great mechanical properties, which enable on-site detection of contaminants. With such superior qualities, membrane-based sensors examined in the researches were used for versatile purposes including quantification of heavy metals in drinking water, trace detection of toxic antibiotics and heavy metals in environmental water samples. Some of the sensors exhibited additional features like antimicrobial ability and recyclability. Lastly, while most of the sensors aimed for a detection enabled by naked eyes through rapid colour change, many of them investigated further detection methods like fluorescence, UV-vis spectroscopy, and RGB colour intensity.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

The importance of high capacity energy storage devices has recently emerged for stable power supply through renewable energy generation. From this point of view, the Na-air battery (NAB), which is a next-generation secondary battery, is receiving huge attention because it can realize a high capacity through abundant and inexpensive raw materials. In this study, activated carbon-based catalysts for hybrid type Na-air batteries were prepared and their characteristics were compared and analysed. In particular, from the viewpoint of resource recycling, activated carbon (Orange-C) was prepared using discarded orange peel, and performance was compared with Vulcan carbon, which is widely used. In addition, a Pt/C catalyst (homemade-Pt/C, HM-Pt/C) was synthesized using a modified polyol method to check whether the prepared activated carbon can be used as a supported catalyst, and a commercial Pt/C catalyst (Commercial Pt/C) and electrochemical performance were compared. The prepared Orange-C exhibited a typical H3 type BET isotherm, which is evidence that micropore and mesopore exist. In addition, in the case of HM-Pt/C, it was confirmed through TEM analysis that Pt particles were evenly distributed on the activated carbon supported catalyst. In particular, the HM-Pt/C-based NAB showed the smallest voltage gap (0.224V) and good voltage efficiency (92.34%) in the 1st galvanostatic charge-discharge test. In addition, the cycle performance test conducted for 20 cycles showed the most stable performance.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2021

Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (PELNs) are known to include various biological activities and possess high biocompatibility. Because PELNs can influence immune responses, cell differentiation, and proliferation regulation, they can be applied in multiple industries. However, the studies on the skin physiological of exosome-like nanovesicles derived from plant callus are insignificant compared to nanovesicles derived from mammalian cells. In this study, callus was induced from apple fruit (Malus domestica), and exosome-like nanovesicles (ACELNs) were isolated for improving skin barrier and anti-aging. The yield of ACELNs was 6.42 × 10⁹ particles/mL, and the particle size was ranged from 100 to 200 nm. HDF cells and HaCaT cells were concentration-dependent, increased in cell, and decreased in cytotoxicity. The cornified envelope formation was significantly increased compared to the control group. The COL1A1 expression and the FBN1 expression in HDF cells were increased. In addition, the ACELNs promoted collagen biosynthesis in UVA-irradiated HDF cells. These results might be considered as potential materials that could improve skin barrier and prevent skin aging.

• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.12
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• pp.1302-1307
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• 2018

The crystallographic, electrical and magnetic behaviors of magnetite powder in the vicinity of its Verwey transition were investigated in this study. Magnetite was prepared by synthesizing a nanoparticle precursor and then annealing it at $800^{\circ}C$ for 1 h under a dynamic vacuum. Crystallographic and morphology analyses were done by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrical and the magnetic properties were examined by using $M{\ddot{o}}ssbauer$ spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and resistivity measurement. Both the magnetic moment and the resistivity showed discontinuous changes at the Verwey transition temperature ($T_V$). The temperature dependence of magnetic anisotropy constant showed a monotonic decrease with increasing temperature, with slight dip near $T_V$. $M{\ddot{o}}ssbauer$ spectra showed the superposition of two sextets, one from the tetrahedral (A) and the other from the octahedral (B) sites. The results revealed that identical charge states existed in the B site at temperatures both above and below $T_V$. A coordination crossover resulted in a transition from an inverse to a normal spinel at or close to $T_V$.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2021

In this study, (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x solid solution nanoparticles with a high zinc content are prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and subsequent nitridation. The structure and morphology of the samples are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The characterization results show a phase transition from the Zn and Ga-based oxides (ZnO or ZnGa₂O₄) to a (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x solid solution under an NH3 atmosphere. The effect of the precursor solution concentration and nitridation temperature on the final products are systematically investigated to obtain (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x nanoparticles with a high Zn concentration. It is confirmed that the powder synthesized from the solution in which the ratio of Zn and Ga was set to 0.8:0.2, as the initial precursor composition was composed of about 0.8-mole fraction of Zn, similar to the initially set one, through nitriding treatment at 700℃. Besides, the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited the typical XRD pattern of (GaN)_1-x(ZnO)_x, and a strong absorption of visible light with a bandgap energy of approximately 2.78 eV, confirming their potential use as a hydrogen production photocatalyst.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.417-425
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• 2021

As the demand for high-capacity batteries increases, there has been growing researches on the lithium metal anode with a capacity (3,860 mAh/g) of higher than that of conventional one and a low electrochemical potential (-3.040 V). In this study, using the anatase phased TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis, a PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ organic/inorganic composite material was designed and used as an interfacial protective layer for a Li metal anode. As-formed organic/inorganic-lithium composite thin film was confirmed through the crystalline structure and morphological analyses. In addition, the electrochemical test (cycle stability and voltage profile) confirmed that the protective layer of PVdF-HFP/TiO₂ composite (10 wt% TiO₂ and 1.1 ㎛ film thickness) contributed to the enhanced electrochemical performance of the lithium metal anode (Colombic efficiency retention: 90% for 77 cycles). Based on comparative test with the untreated lithium electrode, it was confirmed that our protective layer plays an important role to stabilize/improve the EC performance of the lithium metal negative electrode.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.309-314
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• 2022

Carbon dots (CDs) are few nanometer-sized carbon-based nanoparticles and emerging candidate materials in various fields such as biosensors and bioimaging due to their excellent optical properties and high biocompatibility. However, most CDs, emitting blue light, have limited their application in biomedical fields due to the low penetration of short-wavelength lights into the biological system. Therefore, there has been enormous need to develop long-wavelength emitting CDs. In this study, red-emitting CDs were successfully synthesized through the hydrothermal reaction of p-phenylenediamine with hydrochloric acid. In addition, the effect of the amount of hydrochloric acid on the formation of carbon dots, resulting in the variation of the chemical structures of CDs, were investigated, which was confirmed with the intensive structural analyses using infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the chemical structure of CDs governed their optical properties and quantum yield. Therefore, this study provides an insight into the role of acid in forming red-emitting CDs as the optimal probe for biomedical application.