• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.196-208
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• 2009

Sophisticated polymeric materials with 'responsive' properties are beginning to reach the market. The use of reversible, noncovalent interactions is a recurring design principle for responsive materials. Recently developed hydrogen-bonding units allow this design principle to be taken to its extreme. Supramolecular polymers, where hydrogen bonds are the only force keeping the monomers together, form materials whose (mechanical) properties respond strongly to a change in temperature or solvent. In this review, we describe some examples of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers that can be utilized for self-healing materials. Synthesis of a rubber-like material that can be recycled might not seem exciting. But one that can also repeatedly repair itself at room temperature, without adhesives, really stretches the imagination. Autonomic healing materials respond without external intervention to environmental stimuli in a nonlinear and productive fashion, and have great potential for advanced engineering systems.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2015

The Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer, which is No. 193 National Treasure, was seriously damaged by a unique form of green glass pieces when excavated among a number of burial accessories of Hwangnamdaechong known to have been formed in the 5th century. While it has long been exhibited at the National Museum of Korea since its treatment for conservation treatment at conservation science laboratory in 1984, the existing adhesive materials seriously deteriorated for the 30 years, and the condition was quite unstable. The epoxy resin used as a restorative materials turned yellowing due to the light and heat so much that it was no longer able to exhibit it in a stable and effective manner. As a result, a re-treatment for conservation was conducted lately. This study focuses on the three pieces of Gold wires used to carefully wrap up the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer broken into three pieces, which has not been studied so far. As for the analysis method for Gold wires, SEM-EDS and Stereo Microscope were used for nondestructive analysis. First of all, the result of the SEM-EDS analysis shows that the composition was Au 91.9 wt.%-Au 92.8 w.t% and Ag 5.9 wt.%-Ag 6.5 wt.%, which indicates that it was an alloy made of Au and Ag. The production technique of Gold wires was also observed by means of optical microscopes. In general, Gold wires were manufactured by a drawing process in which a lump of gold was beaten or pulled out of a hole or by a process of twisting a gold plate. However, Gold wires separated from the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer did not involve any trace of twisting on the surface. Rather, fine vertical stripes were observed with the sections filled up. Hence, it is thought that this Ewer went through a drawing process and then was mended. As a result, no certain relation with the golden mending material used for the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer was verified. The findings above indicate that most of the existing researches on Gold wires recognized them, not as separate remains, but merely as a component of other golden remains. Thus, there has been little systematic study on the manufacturing techniques of Gold wires. The future study on Gold wires may verify the correlation between the Gold wires used to fix the handle of the Phoenix-shaped Glass Ewer, which is examined in this study, with that of golden remains in the Silla era.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.134-151
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• 2014

This paper deals with a review of the structure and production techniques of the Dried-lacquer Amitabha Buddha statue enshrined in Geungnakjeon Hall of Simhyangsa Temple, located in Daeho-dong, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do, Korea. To achieve this goal, X-ray date and two rounds of field research were performed. The data collected were reviewed, and a sample peeled off from the damaged part was analyzed to investigate the structure and material of the background layer. The results revealed that the Simhyangsa Temple Buddha statue was an almost empty Dried-lacquer(Hyeopjeo) Buddha statue where wood core had not been framed and inserted in the statue. It was thus observed that considering that the clothes wrinkles clearly remained, the same one as the irregularity of the outer clothes wrinkles, the Dried-lacquer layer was lifted made in an almost complete shape in the process of forming the clay figure as the origin form. The statue was found to be diagonally incised from the top of the head to the back of the neck to remove the clay and wood core. But in other sites, no incision was confirmed. It was observed that on the site of the head where the incision was made, an adhesives(lacquer or paste) was used. In addition, the black eyes were impacted with beads and the ears, hands, bands, and knots were made of wood. These features are identically shown in the Dried-lacquer Amitabha Buddha statue from Seonguksa Temple, known as a work of the late Goryeo dynasty; the Seated Dried-lacquer Buddha statue in Okura Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan; the Seated Dried-lacquer Amitabha Buddha statue from Jungnimsa Temple, know as a work of the early Joseon dynasty; and the Seated Vairocana Buddha statue in Bulhoesa Temple, the Seated Dried-lacquer Amitabha Buddha and the Seated Dried-lacquer Buddha statue from Silsangsa Temple. The analysis of the back layer demonstrated that the ground layer and the red lacquer were the production of the time. In particular, the bone ash used for the ground layer was also coated for the ground layer of Buddha statues as well as for the production of the lacquerware during the Goryeo dynasty. It was also found that gold mending was conducted more than twice even in modern times and that the layer of the production time was well preserved despite gold mending several times.