• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.502-522
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• 2022

Clay minerals are natural materials that show widespread applications in various branches of science, including environmental sciences, in particular the remediation of water contaminated with various water pollutants. Modified clays and minerals have attracted the attention of researchers in the recent past since the modified materials are seemingly more useful and efficient for removing emerging water contaminants. Therefore, modified engineered materials having multi-functionalities have received greater interest from researchers. The advanced clay-based materials are highly effective in the remediation of water contaminated with organic and inorganic contaminants, and these materials show enhanced selectivity towards the specific pollutants. The review inherently discusses various methods employed in the modification of clays and addresses the challenges in synthesizing the advanced engineered materials precursor to natural clay minerals. The changes in physical and chemical properties, as investigated by various characterization techniques before and after the modifications, are broadly explained. Further, the implications of these materials for the decontamination of waterbodies as contaminated with potential water pollutants are extensively discussed. Additionally, the insights involved in the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants are discussed in the review. Furthermore, the future perspectives and specific challenges in the scaling up of the treatment methods in technology development are included in this communication.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.297-301
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• 2007

In this work, polymer/(layered silicate) nanocomposites (PLSN) based on poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), ethylene carbonate (EC) as a plasticizer, lithium salt ($LiClO_4$), and sodium montmorillonite ($Na^+-MMT$) or organic montmorillonite (organic MMT) clay were fabricated. And the effects of organic MMT on the polymer matrix were investigated as a function of ionic conductivity. For the application to electrolytes an Li batteries, polymer electrolytes containing the organic nanoclays were used in this work. As a result, the spacing between layers and hydrophobicity of the organic nanoclays were increased, affecting on the exfoliation behaviors of the MMT layers in clay/PEO nanocomposites. From ion-conductivity results, the organic-MMT showed higher values than those of $Na^+-MMT$, and the MMT-20A sample that was treated by methyl dihydrogenated tallow ammonium, showed the highest conductivity in this system.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.95-96
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• 2006

Surface modification of clay minerals has become increasingly important for improving the practical applications of clays such as polymeric nanocomposites. We used the copolymer as modifiers having phenyl components, and successfully developed a route for the preparation of amine functionalized polymer based on oligostyrene and its block copolymers. The oligo(St-co-VBC)s with controlled molecular weight were synthesized via nitroxide mediated polymerization method. We also successfully prepared organophilic layered silicates whose surface is covered with styrenic copolymers. Through the analysis of chemical structure and morphology, we concluded that copolymers were very effective organic modifiers to change the surface characteristics of layered silicates.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2007

Fully biodegradable high strength composites or 'advanced green composites' were fabricated using yearly renewable soy protein based resins and high strength liquid crystalline cellulose fibers. For comparison, E-glass and aramid ($Kevlar^{(R)}$) fiber reinforced composites were also prepared using the same modified soy protein resins. The modification of soy protein included forming an interpenetrating network-like (IPN-like) resin with mechanical properties comparable to commonly used epoxy resins. The IPN-like soy protein based resin was further reinforced using nano-clay and microfibrillated cellulose. Fiber/resin interfacial shear strength was characterized using microbond method. Tensile and flexural properties of the composites were characterized as per ASTM standards. A comparison of the tensile and flexural properties of the high strength composites made using the three fibers is presented. The results suggest that these green composites have excellent mechanical properties and can be considered for use in primary structural applications. Although significant additional research is needed in this area, it is clear that advanced green composites will some day replace today's advanced composites made using petroleum based fibers and resins. At the end of their life, the fully sustainable 'advanced green composites' can be easily disposed of or composted without harming the environment, in fact, helping it.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.413-422
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• 2020

The choice of eco-friendly materials for ground improvement is a necessary way forward for sustainable development. Adapting naturally available biopolymers will render the process of soil stabilization carbon neutral. An attempt has been made to use β-glucan, a natural biopolymer for the stabilization of lean clay as a sustainable alternative with specific emphasis on comprehending the effect of confining stresses on lean clay through triaxial compression tests. A sequence of laboratory experiments was performed to examine the various physical and mechanical characteristics of β-glucan treated soil (BGTS). Micro-analysis through micrographs were used to understand the strengthening mechanism. Results of the study show that the deviatoric stress of 2% BGTS is 12 times higher than untreated soil (UTS). The micrographs from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the results of the Nitrogen-based Brunauer Emmett Teller (N₂-BET) analysis confirm the formation of new cementitious fibres and hydrogels within the soil matrix that tends to weld soil particles and reduce the pore spaces leading to an increase in strength. Hydraulic conductivity (HC) and compressibility reduced significantly with the biopolymer content and curing period. Results emphases that β-glucan is an efficient and sustainable alternative to the traditional stabilizers like cement, lime or bitumen.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.13-17
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• 2007

Improvement of soft clay layers is highly significant for the efficient utilization of the national land. Thus, the development of advanced methods and materials is currently necessary. Quicklime, as a injection material for the soil improvement, is possibly applied as the useful method for the improvement of soft clay layers. Based upon the experimental study, the following conclusions were obtained. When quicklime was employed, a substantial strength increase was observed from the initial stage of injection. In overall, the present experiments showed that the improvement effects of soft clay layers using the quicklime are appeared to be substantially better than those of lime or sand. Therefore, the possibility of quicklime usage is significantly high in domestic country with abundant lime reserves.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.488-493
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• 2010

Geopolymer is a term covering a class of synthetic aluminosilicate materials with potential use in a number of areas, but mainly as a replacement for Portland cement. In this study, geopolymers with fly ash and meta kaolin were prepared using KOH as an alkali activator and water glass. The effect of water glass on the microstructures and the compressive strength of the geopolymer was investigated. As the amount of water glass increased, the dissolved inorganic binder particles in the geopolymers increased due to polymerization, resulting in a dense microstructure. The meta kaolin-based geopolymer showed a better extent of polymerization and densification than that of the fly ash-based geopolymer. XRD data also suggested that polymerization in meta kaolin-based geopolymers should be active resulting in the formation of an amorphous phase with an increasing amount of water glass. The compressive strength of the geopolymer was also dependent on the amount of water glass. The compressive strength of the geopolymers from both fly ash and meta kaolin increased with an increasing amount of water glass because water glass improved the extent of polymerization of the inorganic binder and resulted in a dense microstructure. However, the addition of water glass to the geopolymer did not seem to be effective for the improvement of compressive strength because the meta kaolin-based geopolymer mainly consisted of a clay component. For this reason, the fly ash-based geopolymer showed a higher value of compressive strength than the meta-kaolin geopolymer.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.45-58
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• 1992

An elasto-plastic constitutive model for geological materials, which satisfies the flezibility and stability at the same time, can be used in a number of geotechnical problems. Using the spacing ratio of critical state, a flexible model is proposed based on the stability of modified Camflay model. The spacing ratio of critical state can be simply evaluated, and practically used in describing the undrained shearing behavior of clay. The proposed model has precisely predicted the stress paths and stress -strain relationships, compared with the modified Camflay model, with respect to undrained triaxial test results. Besides, the effects of strain rate, creep, and relaxation can also be considered. Using the quasi-state boundary surface, the constitutive relations are well predicted. Therefore, it is found that the assumption of associative flow rule is well posed for undrained behavior of normally consolidated clay.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.367-374
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• 2021

This paper presents the characteristics of gentamicin-loaded into cetyl trimethyl ammonium intercalated montmorillonite (GtM/CTMA/Mt) as a hybrid composite for a slow-released antibacterial delivery systems. The work describes the successful immobilization of gentamicin into the interlayers of surfactant-modified montmorillonite. Physicochemical characterization of the material is carried out by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The kinetics of the gentamicin release is investigated by in vitro study and analyzed based on UV-Vis spectrometry. In addition, antibacterial study is performed towards Klebsiella pneumoniae Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus pyogenes. The results show that the gentamicin loading into CTMA/Mt increases the effectiveness of the antibacterial activity, as shown by the higher inhibition zone for all tested bacteria, compared to gentamicin as a positive control. The kinetics study suggests that the gentamicin release obeys the modified Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The physicochemical study and activity test demonstrate the feasibility of the GtM/CTMA/Mt for practical applications.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-62
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• 2020

In this study, Barcelona Basic Model (BBM) was implemented into TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D for the numerical analysis of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior of unsaturated soils and the prediction of long-term behaviors. Similar to the methodology described in a previous study for the implementation of BBM into TOUGH-FLAC, the User Defined Model (UDM) of FLAC based on the Modified Cam Clay Model (MCCM) and the FISH function of FLAC3D were used to extend the existing MCCM module in FLAC3D for the implementation of BBM into TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D. In the developed BBM module in TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D, the plastic strains due to change in suction increase (SI) in addition to mean effective stress are calculated. In addition to loading-collapse (LC) yield surface, suction increase (SI) yield surface is changed by hardening rules in the developed BBM module. Several numerical simulations were conducted to verify and validate the implementation of BBM: using an example presented in the FLAC3D manual for the standard MCCM, simulation results using COMSOL, and experimental data presented in SKB Reports. In addition, the developed BBM analysis module was validated by simultaneously performing a series of modeling tests that were performed for the validation of the Quick tools developed for the purpose of effectively deriving BBM parameters, and by comparing the Quick tools and Code_Bright results reported in a previous study.