• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 2018

Recently, the importance of flame retardation treatment technology has been emphasized due to the increase in urban fire accidents and fire damage incidents caused by building exterior materials. Particularly, in the utilization of wood-based building materials, the flame retarding treatment technology is more importantly evaluated. An Intumescent system is one of the non-halogen flame retardant treatment technologies and is a system that realizes flame retardancy through foaming and carbonization layer formation. To apply the Intumescent system, composite material was prepared by using Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as a matrix. To enhance the flame retardant properties of the Intumescent system, a nano-clay was applied together. Composite materials with Intumescent system and nano - clay technology were processed into sheet - like test specimens, and then a new structure of cross laminated timber with improved flame retardant properties was fabricated. In the evaluation of combustion characteristics of composite materials using Intumescent system, it was confirmed that the maximum heat emission was reduced efficiently. Depending on the structure attached to the surface, the CLT had two stages of combustion. Also, it was confirmed that the maximum calorific value decreased significantly during the deep burning process. These characteristics are expected to have a delayed combustion diffusion effect in the combustion process of CLT. In order to improve the performance, the flame retardation treatment technique for the surface veneer and the optimization technique of the application of the composite material are required. It is expected that it will be possible to develop a CLT structure with improved fire characteristics.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

Recently, sericin has attracted increasing attention in biomedical and cosmetic research because of its useful properties including acceleration of wound healing, improvement of cell attachment, and inhibition of ultraviolet-B induced apoptosis. However, sericin films have poor mechanical properties, which restricts the application to those fields. In this study, cellulose nanofibril (CNF)/sericin composite films were fabricated by solvent casting, and the effects of ultrasonication time and CNF content on the solution turbidity, molecular conformation, and film mechanical properties of sericin film were examined. As the ultrasonication time increased, the turbidity of the CNF/sericin suspension decreased. Conversely, as the CNF content increased, the turbidity increased. However, ${\beta}$-sheet crystallization and mechanical properties remained almost unchanged by varying the ultrasonication time and CNF content, indicating that CNF is not effective to improve the mechanical properties of sericin films.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.264-269
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• 2023

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a ubiquitous byproduct of coffee consumption, representing a significant waste management challenge, as well as an untapped resource for economic development and sustainability. Improper disposal of SCG can result in environmental problems such as methane emissions and leachate production. This study aims to investigate the physicochemical properties of SCG and their potential as a reinforcement material in polypropylene (PP) to fabricate an eco-friendly composite via extrusion and injection molding, with SCG filler ratios ranging from 5-20%. To evaluate the effect of SCG on the morphological and mechanical properties of the bio- composite, thermogravimetric analysis, SEM, tensile, flexural, and impact tests were conducted. The results demonstrated that the addition of SCG lead to a slight increase in brittleness of the composite but did not significantly affect its mechanical properties. Impressively, the presence of a significant organic component in SCG contributed to the enhanced thermal performance of PP/SCG composites. This improvement was evident in terms of increased thermal stability, delayed onset of degradation, and higher maximum degradation temperature as compared to pure PP. These findings suggest that SCG has potential as a filler material for PP composites, with the ability to enhance the material's properties without compromising overall performance.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.59-67
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• 2017

Recently, integration of parts is accelerating according to the growth of the smart mobile industry. The integration of these parts causes problems of interference phenomena between the parts, and the importance of electromagnetic wave shielding technology to solve this problem is highlighted. Electromagnetic wave shielding technology is implemented so as to reflect or absorb electromagnetic waves, and generally conductive materials are utilized for electromagnetic wave shielding. Transparent shielding technology is required according to recent industrial changes. In this research, we propose transparent the shielding film using imprint technology with conductive composite binder. Utilizing UV polymerized acrylic binder to produce a conductive composite binder. Spherical, plate and stacked silver particles were used for conductivity. The changes of the curing characteristics, conductivity and adhesion were observed according to the structural characteristics of the silver particles. The use of spherical particles was the most efficient in the curing process, and an additional curing system was required to complement the UV-shadowing structure. In the conductivity evaluation, the stacked structure showed excellent characteristics. The adhesion of spherical system was the best. It is evaluated as a result of irregularities on the surface. Ultimately, the patterned film using this showed excellent transparency characteristics.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

The activated carbon is a very good choice for using as supercapacitor electrode materials. Herein, the flower of Shorea robusta, a bio-waste material was successfully used to synthesize the activated carbons for application as supercapacitor electrode materials. The activated carbon was synthesized through chemical activation process followed by thermal treatment at 700℃ in presence of N₂ atmosphere using KOH, ZnCl₂ and H₃PO₄ as the activating agents. The physicochemical analyses demonstrate that the obtained activated carbons are graphitic in nature and the degree of disorder of the graphitic carbons is changed with the activating agents. The activated carbon obtained from Shorea robusta flower (ACSF-K) electrode shows the specific capacitance of ~610 F g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 current density, which is higher than ACSF-Z (560 F g^-1) and ACSF-H (470 F g^-1) electrode material under the identical current density. The synthesized graphitic carbons also demonstrated good rate capability and high electrochemical stability as supercapacitor electrode.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.24-37
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• 2007

The Korean Ministry of Environment started controlling indoor air quality (IAQ) in 2004 through the introduction of a law regulating the use of pollutant emitting building materials. The use of materials with formaldehyde emission levels above $1.25 mg/m^2{\cdot}h$ (JIS A 1901, small chamber method) has been prohibited. This level is equivalent to the $E_2$ grade ($>5.0mg/{\ell}$) of the desiccator method (JIS A 1460). However, the $20{\ell}$ small chamber method requires a 7-day test time to obtain the formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission results from solid building interior materials. As a approach to significantly reduce the test time, the field and laboratory emission cell (FLEC) has been proposed in Europe with a total test time less than one hour. This paper assesses the reproducibility of testing formaldehyde and TVOC emissions from wood-based composites such as medium density fiberboard (MDF), laminate flooring, and engineered flooring using three methods: desiccator, perforator and FLEC. According to the desiccator and perforator standards, the formaldehyde emission level of each flooring was ${\le}E_1$ grade. The formaldehyde emission of MDF was $3.48 mg/{\ell}$ by the desiccator method and 8.57 g/100 g by the perforator method. To determine the formaldehyde emission, the peak areas of each wood-based composite were calculated from aldehyde chromatograms obtained using the FLEC method. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde and benzaldehyde were detected as aldehyde compounds. The experimental results indicated that MDF emitted chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xy-lene, styrene, and o-xylene. MDF emitted significantly greater amounts of VOCs than the floorings did.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2016

A new nano-composite carbon ink for the development of disposable dopamine (DA) biosensors based on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) is introduced. The method developed uses SPCEs coupled with a tyrosinase modified nano-composite carbon ink. The ink was prepared by an “in-house” procedure with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), Pt nanoparticles (PtNP), and carbon materials such as carbon black and graphite. The rGO-PtNP carbon composite ink was used to print the working electrodes of the SPCEs and the reference counter electrodes were printed by using a commercial Ag/AgCl ink. After the construction of nano-composite SPCEs, tyrosinase was immobilized onto the working electrodes by using a biocompatible matrix, chitosan. The composite of nano-materials was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the performance characteristics of the sensors were evaluated by using voltammetric and amperometric techniques. The cyclic voltammetry results indicated that the sensors prepared with the rGO-PtNP-carbon composite ink revealed a significant improvement in electro-catalytic activity to DA compared with the results obtained from bare or only PtNP embedded carbon inks. Optimum experimental parameters such as pH and operating potential were evaluated and calibration curves for dopamine were constructed with the results obtained from a series of amperometric detections at −0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The limit of detection was found to be 14 nM in a linear range of 10 nM to 100 µM of DA, and the sensor’s sensitivity was calculated to be 0.4 µAµM⁻¹cm⁻².

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2002

The aim of this research was to investigate the manufacturing possibility of the paper sludge-synthetic fiber-wood fiber composite. Three levels of the formulation of paper sludge, synthetic fiber and wood fiber (5:5:90, 15:15:70, 25:25:50), two types of adhesive (PMDI, urea-formaldehyde resin) and three levels of density(0.7, 0.8, 0.9) were designed. From the test result, composites with similar or better properties, when compared with commercial fiberboard, appeared to be possible by the addition of up to 30~50% paper sludge and synthetic fiber into wood fiber.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.110-115
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• 2019

Graphene oxide has been gathering interests as a way to exfoliate graphene. Since the oxidation group of graphene oxide can hydrogen bond with various functional groups, tremendous efforts have been actively conducted to apply various applications. However, graphene oxide alone cannot substantially possess the mechanical properties required for the practical application. Therefore, in this study, polydopamine, which is a bio-mimetic mussel protein-inspired material, was combined with graphene oxide to form a large-area composite membrane at the liquid-gas interface. In addition, the morphology of the polydopamine-graphene oxide composite thin film was also controlled to obtain a composite membrane having a nano-wrinkle structure. It can be expected to be used in the next generation seawater desalination membranes or carbon composites because it can form mechanically superior and sophisticated nanostructures.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.66-71
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• 2011

Biocomposites were fabricated with biodegradable polymers and natural fibers. Biocomposites have benefits of low cost, low density, and biodegradability over inorganic fiber composite, and give comparable strength properties. Hydrophobic polymer used for sizing in paper industry, AKD (Akenyl Keten Dimer), was applied to natural fibers, red algae fibers (RAF) in this study, to make fiber surfaces more compatible to hydrophobic nature of matrix polymers. Composites with RAF, kenaf, glass fibers, and carbon fibers have been fabricated by a compression molding method and their thermo-mechanical properties have been studied. Also, the thermal dimensional stability test was done from at 30 to $100^{\circ}C$. The storage moduli and the thermo-mechanical stabilities of polypropylene and poly lactic acid based biocomposites were improved by reinforcing with the RAF and much more with AKD treated fibers. Dimensional stability of biocomposite was also markedly improved by AKD pretrement on RAF.