• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.399-405
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• 2001

Poly[3-octylthiophene-co-3-(4-fluorophenyl)thiophene]s were synthesized in 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 mole ratios, and organic electroluminescent devices were fabricated using the copolymers. The opto-electrical properties of the copolymers were studied by PL, EL spectra, I-V, and V-L curves of the organic electroluminescent devices in conjunction with the energy band diagrams which were obtained from the cyclic voltammogram and the electronic absorption spectra. The LUMO energy level of P(OT/FPT)(1:1) is the lowest as -3.35 eV. In the copolymers P(OT/FPT)(2:1) and P(OT/FPT)(1:1) the ${\lambada}_{max}$ in the PL and EL spectra red-shifted as the mole ratio of fluorophenyl group increased while in P(OT/FPT)(1:2) it showed a blue-shift. This indicates that the backbone chain is twisted due to the steric hinderance of the fluorophenyl group leading to shorter ${\pi}$-conjugation length. P(OT/FPT)(1:1) showed the highest EL intensity and the highest power efficiency among the three copolymers. In P(OT/FPT)(1:2) the roughness of the film surface causes unusually high local leakage current leading to the low efficiency of electroluminescence.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2009

In this study, biodegradable superporous hydrogels(SPHs) with fast swelling and superabsorbent properties were prepared using biodegradable crosslinkers and their physicochemical properties were characterized. A biodegradable crosslinker (PLA-PEG-PLA DA) was synthesized by a ring opening polymerization of D,L-lactide (LA) using hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) as a macroinitiator, followed by diacrylation of the end groups for the introduction of polymerizable vinyl groups. Various kinds of hydrogels with different chemical compositions were prepared and characterized in terms of swelling ratio, swelling kinetics, and biodegradation properties. The synthetic results were confirmed by $^1H$-NMR, FT-IR and GPC measurements, and the porous structures of the prepared SPHs and their porosities were identified by a scanning electron microscope and mercury porosimetry, respectively. The physicochemical properties of SPHs could be controlled by varying their chemical compositions and their cytotoxicity were found to be very low by MTT assay.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.1D
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• pp.91-98
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• 2011

Recently, the usage of elastic paving using EPDM Chip instead of pedestrian sidewalk blocks or permeable concrete used mostly for pedestrian walk, trails and in parks has been increassed as it can absorb impact during walking and produce wide range of colors and designs. However, the properties of EPDM Chip including elasticity and durability are decreased when exposed to ultraviolet ray and scenic paving functions through various colors are lowered due to the yellowing phenomenon. In this study, ultraviolet ray accelerated weathering test has been conducted to analyze the color changes in EPDM Chip and polyurethane resin, which are the main ingredients of elastic paving, when exposed to ultraviolet ray. The color differences are quantitatively analyzed through the color value coordination of the colored space by using the color difference scheme. The experimental results show that the color changes in BL polyurethane resin which is used most frequently at present was larger than that of EPDM Chip. Moreover, the total color difference, ${\Delta}E$, of BC polyurethane resin are 3.162 on the $14^{th}$ day of commencement of acceleration, which is 6 times greater color change resistance against ultraviolet ray than that of BL polyurethane resin with total color difference of 20.639. Therefore, the usage of BC polyurethane resin, which is manufactured to have chain-type molecular structure by using the isocyanate as the HMDI at the time of producing polymer, as binder in elastic paving with EPDM Chip is found to be a highly efficient method of restraining the color changes due to the ultraviolet ray.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2001

Dielectric properties and shape memory characteristics of SBS composites filled with carbon black as conductive filler and (Ba,Ca)$(Sn,Ti)O_3$ or $SrTiO_3$ as dielectrics were investigated for the development of phantom model. SBS/carbon black composite showed an increment of complex dielectric constant with increasing the content of carbon black and the frequency dependence that the dielectric constant decreases with the frequency. The complex dielectric constant and the conductivity of SBS/carbon black/dielectrics composites increased with the increase of dielectrics and the characteristics of the frequency dependence also occurred by the effect of carbon black. Phantom materials with the dielectric properties and the conductivity corresponding to human tissues for the measurement of specific absorption rate(SAR) within the frequency range of current mobile phones(775MHz~2GHz) could be developed by adjusting the composition ratios of carbon black, dielectrics and SBS and by controlling the characteristic of frequency dependence of composite. From thermomechanical cycling test good shape recoverability could be obtained in SBS composite even though the residual strain was increased by the effect of filler.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.23-31
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• 2004

Normally, coating is used for protecting reinforced concrete. For this purpose, both organic and inorganic coatings are used. The advantages of inorganic coatings are lower absorption of UV, non-burning etc. On the other hand, organic coatings have the advantage of low permeability of $CO_2, SO_2$ and water. Organic coatings provide better protection for reinforced concrete. However, organic coatings such as epoxy, urethane and acryl reduce long-term adhesive strength by the difference of their thermal expansion coefficients and elastic modules from those of concrete, and the formed coating cover of these is blistered by poor breathing. Also, when organic coatings are applied to the wet surface of concrete, they have a problem with adhesion. In this study, a new coating material for protecting concrete was hybridized with polymer and ceramics. And tests were carried out on its physical and durable characteristics, and safety characteristic on elution. All results were compared with organic coating materials and epoxies and showed that the performance of the developed coating material was not inferior to that of other organic coatings in protecting concrete. On the other hand, safety characteristic on elution was superior to epoxies which were used in this study. So, the developed coating material was considered as a suitable protecting coating material which have advantages of inorganic and organic coatings for protecting underground concrete structures, especially in contact with water.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.378-384
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• 2011

Silk fibroin is a biocompatible and slowly biodegradable natural polymer. This natural polymer has excellent mechanical properties, non-toxicity, and non-immunogenic properties and has been demonstrated to support tissue regeneration. Also, gelatin is a natural material derived from collagen by hydrolysis and has an almost identical composition as that of collagen. Silk fibroin/gelatin scaffolds have been fabricated by using the freeze-drying method. To establish the scaffold manufacturing condition for silk fibroin and gelatin, we made scaffolds with various compositions of gelatin, glutaldehyde and silk fibroin. The silk fibroin/gelatin scaffolds were characterized using SEM, DSC, and water absorption ability tests. The cellular proliferation was evaluated by WST assay. These results suggested that a scaffold containing 8% of gelatin, 1% of glutaldehyde and 0.3 g of silk fibroin provided suitable characterstics for cell adhesion and proliferation. In conclusion, the silk fibroin/gelatin scaffold may serve as a potential cell delivery vehicle and a structural basis for tissue engineering.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.157-160
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• 2011

In this paper, poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) was modified using electron beam irradiation and its property was investigated. PDMS sheets prepared using a conventional thermal curing method were irradiated by electron beams at absorbed doses between 20 and 200 kGy and their properties were characterized using swelling degree and contact angle measurements, universal testing machine (UTM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and X -ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The results of the swelling degree measurements, UTM, and TGA revealed that the swelling degree of the irradiated PDMS sheets was reduced down to 24% in comparison to the control sheet, and their compression strength and thermal decomposition temperature increased up to maximum 2.5 MFa and $10^{\circ}C$, respectively, due to the increase in crosslinking density by irradiation. In addition, on the basis of the results of contact angle measurements and XPS, the wettability of the PDMS sheets was enhanced up to 24% owing to the generation of hydrophilic functional groups on the PDMS surface by oxidation during electron beam irradiation.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.676-681
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• 2014

Licorice, widely used as a herbal medicine, has flavonoids such as liquiritin and its aglycone, liquiritigenin that show anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Licorice flavonoid-loaded cellulose hydrogels were prepared as carriers for skin drug delivery, and their properties were investigated. The porous cellulose hydrogel was made by reacting cellulose with epichlorohydrin as a cross-linking agent in NaOH/urea(1~10%) solutions. Through studies on the rheological properties and water uptake of the hydrogel, a NaOH/urea(6%) solution was established as being optimum for the synthesis of the cellulose hydrogel containing liquiritin and liquiritigenin. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of a cross-section of the prepared hydrogel indicated its porosity. In particular, in skin permeation experiments using a Franz diffusion cell, hydrogel containing the licorice flavonoids showed remarkable transdermal permeation compared to the control group. These results indicate that porous cellulose hydrogel is a potential drug delivery system to enhance the skin permeation of licorice flavonoids.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.440-444
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• 2005

An increase in the surface area of drugs by reducing particle sizes from microns to nanometers has been known as an efficient method to improve the bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs. To prevent drug nanoparticles from aggregation during the processes of drug formulation, a limited number of pharmaceutical inactive ingredients such as hydroxypropyl cellulose has been employed as stabilizers or dispersants. In this study, copolymers of hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids were synthesized by the ring opening polymerization of their N-carboxyanhydride monomers and evaluated as novel candidates to stabilize the nanoparticles of a water insoluble drug, naproxen. Naproxen nanoparticles stabilized by synthesized amino acid copolymers were successfully prepared in the size of $200\~500nm$ in 60 min by a wet comminution process. Particle size analysis showed that the effective stabilization performance of copolymers required the hydrophobic moiety content to be higher than $10 mol\%$. However, the molecular weight and morphology of copolymers was not the critical parameters in determining the particle size reduction. Their particle size was found to be stable up to 14 days without significant aggregation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.347-351
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• 2014

We studied the green synthesis and antibacterial activity of chitosan-silver (Ag) nanocomposite films for application in food packaging. Green synthesis of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) was achieved by a chemical reaction involving a mixture of chitosan-silver nitrate ($AgNO_3$) in an autoclave at 0.1 MPa, $121^{\circ}C$, for 15-120 s. The formation of AgNPs in chitosan was confirmed by both UV-Visible spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the effects of chitosan-$AgNO_3$ concentration and reaction time on the synthesis of AgNPs in chitosan were examined. The resulting chitosan-Ag composite films were characterized by various analytical techniques and their antibacterial activity was evaluated based on the formation of halo zones around films, indicating inhibition of the growth of Escherichia coli. A fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis showed that free amino groups in chitosan acted as effective reductants and AgNP stabilizers. The composite films exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity with increasing Ag content on the surface of as-prepared composite films.