• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.532-537
• /
• 2006

In order to successfully meet the environmental and recycling problems, natural polymer and their derivatives are recognized as a promising biodegradable material. In this study, the biodegradable composites of cellulose diacetate and starch were prepared, and their physical and thermal properties were investigated. For the melting processing, triacetine was added as a plasticizer into the composites. The processability of cellulose diacetate was further enhanced by increasing the amount of starch in the composites. The tensile stress and Young's modulus were decreased and elongation was increased with increasing the amount of starch in them. A $T_g$ value was decreased with increasing the amount of starch in the composites. Also, the morphology of the composites were observed with the SEM.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.443-452
• /
• 2011

In this study, inorganic flocculant with biodegradable polymer flocculant was usedfor microalgae harvest. The aim of this study was to optimize the concentration of inorganic flocculant, the concentration of biodegradable polymer flocculant and reaction volume for decreasing the amounts of flocculant and obtaining the suitable pH range for seawater by response surface methodology. The flocculation of three marine microalgae, Chlorella ellipsoidea, Dunaliella bardawil, and Dunaliella tertiolecta, using inorganic flocculants and biodegradable polymer flocculants was investigated. The results indicated that the optimal flocculant quantity showed 0.1 g/L of ferric chloride, 7.5 g/L of chitosan on Chlorella ellipsoidea. In the case of Dunaliella bardawil, the optimal flocculant quantity showed amount of ferric sulfate more than 0.12 g/L and chitosan more than 0.75 g/L. In the case of Dunaliella tertiolecta, the optimal flocculant quantity showed 1.0 g/L of sodium aluminate, 0.75 g/L of chitosan.

• Polymer Science and Technology
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.436-443
• /
• 2007

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.34-41
• /
• 2000

Recently many scientists have tried to synthesize biodegradable polymers due to durable and non-biodegradable products of conventional synthetic plastics when these were wasted in nature. So to reuse the wastepapers for biodegradable polymer resources, ONP (old newsprint), OCC (old corrugated containerbpard) were carried out by the pretreatment of chlorinite, hypochlorite and oxygen-alkali treatment conditions. For manufacturing of biodegradable polymer with wastepaper, this study performed to investigate change of chemical components and optimal pretreatment condition. The summarized results in this study were as follows: Lignin content in ONP and OCC was was higher than in MOW and ash content was the highest in MOW. More amount of ash components were reduced by wet defiberation than by dry defiberation. Wet defiberation fiber are better than dry defiberated fiber in chemical pretreatment condition for wastepapers, and the best result was obtained in the condition of sodium chlorite at $70^{\circ}C$, because it has high delignification ratio, ${\alpha}$-cellulose contents and degree of polymerization in this treatment condition. Oxygen-alkali treatment condition is the worst method because of low yield, low degree of polymerization in this pretreatments.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.446-456
• /
• 2008

A recent theoretical approach based on the coupling of both the Flory-Huggins (FH) and the Association Equilibria thermodynamic (AET) theories was modified and adapted to study the miscibility properties of a multi-component system formed by two polymers (a proton-donor and a proton-acceptor) and a proton-acceptor solvent, named copolymer(A)/solvent(B)/polymer(C). Compatibility between polymers was mainly attained by hydrogen-bonding between the hydroxyl group on the phenol unit of the poly(styrene-co-vinyl phenol) (PSVPh) and the carbonyl group of the biodegradable and environmentally friendly poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). However, the self-association of PSVPh and specific interactions between the PSVPh and the H-acceptor group (an ether oxygen atom) of the epichlorohydrin (ECH) solvent were also established in a lower extension, which competed with the polymer-polymer association. All the binary specific interactions and their dependence with the system composition as well as with the copolymer content were evaluated and quantified by means of two excess functions of the Gibbs tree energy, ${\Delta}g_{AB}$ and ${\Delta}g_{AC}$. Experimental results from fluorescence spectroscopy were consistent with the theoretical simulations derived with the model, which could also be applied and extended to predict the miscibility in solution of any polymer blend with specific interactions.

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

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.207-217
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the stress distribution and displacement in mandible according to treatment modalities of mandibular angle fractures, using a three dimensional finite element analysis. A mechanical model of an edentulous mandible was generated from 3D scan. A 100-N axial load and four masticatory muscular supporting system were applied to this model. According to the number, location and materials of titanium and biodegradable polymer plates, the experimental groups were divided into five types. Type I had a single titanium plate in the superior border of mandibular angle, type II had two titanium plates in the superior tension border and in the inferior compression border of mandibular angle, type III had a single titanium plate in the ventral area of mandibular angle, type IV had a single biodegradable polymer plate in the superior border of mandibular angle, type V had a single biodegradable polymer plate in the ventral area of mandibular angle. The results obtained from this study were follows: 1. Stress was concentrated on the condylar neck of the fractured side except Type III. 2. The values of von-Mises stress of the screws were the highest in the just-posterior screw of the fracture line, and in the just-anterior screw of Type III. 3. The displacement of mandible in Type III was 0.04 mm, and in Type I, II, IV, and V were 0.10 mm. 4. The plates were the most stable in the ventral area of mandibular angle (Type III, V). In conclusion, the ventral area of mandibular angle is the most stable location in the fixation of mandibular angle fractures, and the just- posterior and/or the just-anterior screws of the fracture line must be longer than the other, and surgeons have to fix accurately these screws, and the biodegradable polymer plate also was suitable for the treatment of mandible angle fracture.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.476-480
• /
• 2003

The rate of hydrolysis of Langmuir monolayer films of biodegradable polylactide (PLA) derivates was investigated at the air/water interface. The present study investigated such parameters as surface pressure, pH, and time. The hydrolysis of polyester monolayers depended strongly on the subphase pH, the concentration of active ions. Under the conditions studied here, polymer monolayers showed faster rates of hydrolysis when they were exposed to a basic subphase rather than they did when exposed to acidic or neutral subphases. By increasing the concentration of the degradation medium, the hydrolytic rate of dl-PLA monolayers was accelerated (accelerating effect). In addition, the basic hydrolysis of modified PLA with small amounts of hydrophilic (benzyloxycarbonyl) methyl morpholine-2,5-dione or glycolide was much faster than that of the PLA homopolymer.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.42-46
• /
• 2003

Cell attachment and proliferation on the polymer films of triblock copolymer(ester-ether)s comprising po1y (L-1actide) (PLLA) and poly (oxyethylene-co-oxypropylene)(PN) were investigated using 3T3 fibroblasts. It was found that on the tissue culture polystyrene(TCPS) and the PLLA control film the cells could spread well while on the copolymer films the cells showed a rounded morphology without spreading and proliferated weakly. Especially, little cells proliferated on the films of copolymer having a LN composition of 20 wt%. While the water absorption of the copolymer films increased with increasing PN content, the contact angle against water of copolymer films immersed in aqueous medium was almost identical, being slightly lower than that of the PLLA film. These properties were compatible with the results of cell attachment. The in vitro hydrolysis of the films of triblock and multiblock type copolymers was faster with increasing PN content. The increased hydrolyzability, the flexibility and the decreased cell attachment suggested that these copolymers may have high potential as biodegradable materials for medical use.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.172-177
• /
• 2010

Although many researchers have studied the efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) on many cells during the last two decades, little work has been reported on the importance of release kinetics inhibiting cell proliferation. The aim of this study is to examine the release behavior of the PTX on various biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA), poly-L-lactide (PLLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) for drug-eluting stents (DES). The PTX from the fabricated films was released for 8 weeks and the degree of degradation of the films was observed by FE-SEM. Although the degradation time of PCL was the slowest, the PTX release rate was the fastest among them and followed by PLGA and PLLA with the equivalent PTX concentration. It suggests that hydrophobic drug such as PTX from polymer with low $T_g$ like PCL could be moved easily and released rapidly in body temperature.