• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.431-436
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• 2000

To improve the thermal and mechanical properties of homo poly(L-lactic acid), DL-mandelic acid, one of the natural $\alpha$-hydroxy acid with aromatic ring as the side-chain residue was used as the comonomer. Copolymers with different contents of mandelic acid were prepared and characterized. The resulting copolymers were mostly amorphous. As the amount of mandelic acid in the monomer feed increased, the molecular weight of the resulting polymers tended to decrease linearly. T$_{g}$ and T$_{d}$ of the copolymer, however, were found to shift toward higher temperature, suggesting the improved thermal stability by increasing content of mandelic acid moiety. Tensile measurements of cast films showed somewhat improved values in the copolymers with mandelic acid content of 5 and 10 wt%.%.%.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2021

As modern society develops, it becomes very complex and diverse, and interests in the convenience of life and the natural environment are gradually increasing. Products used in our daily life are also changing according to the needs of consumers, and food packaging is one of them. In particular, retort packaging materials have been used for the purpose of long-term preservation of contents, but the appearance of products suitable for recent environmental issues has been somewhat delayed. Therefore, in order to develop eco-friendly and human-friendly products by replacing the metals used in the existing retort packaging materials, the possibility of substitution was examined using cellulose nanofibers, a natural material. As a result, it can be seen that all functions can be replaced according to the existing long-term storage characteristics for retort packaging films. In particular, not only oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability, which are one of the most important factors, but also heat resistance, which is heating durability, is evaluated as applicable to commercialization compared to products using metals currently in use.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2022

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of spent coffee grounds (SCG) biofiller on the morphological, thermal, mechanical and hydrolytic degradation characteristics of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) based biocomposites. The PLA-based biocomposite films were fabricated by using a high-viscosity kneading and hot-pressing machine. The PLA/SCG biocomposites were analyzed with SEM, DSC, TGA, UTM and hydrolytic degradation test. Aggregation in the PLA matrix is a result of increasing SCG concentrations. In the thermal properties, it was described that the cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) decreased as SCG was added to PLA. When SCG was incorporated to PLA, the degradation onset temperature (T_onset) revealed a diminish. The elastic modulus increased while tensile strength of PLA diminished as SCG was applied. Through hydrolysis analysis, the decomposition of PLA was accelerated with the addition of SCG. This research confirmed the possibility of devloping an eco-friendly packaging material with high degradability as SCG hasten the breakdown of PLA.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2022

Petroleum-based plastics are used for various purposes and pose a significant threat to the earth's environment and ecosystem. Many efforts have been taken globally in different areas to find alternatives. As part of these efforts, this study manufactured alginate-based polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended films by casting from an aqueous solution prepared by mixing 10 wt% petroleum-based PVA with biodegradable, marine biomass-derived alginate. Glutaraldehyde was used as a cross-linking agent, and cardanol, an alkyl phenol-based bio-oil extracted from cashew nut shell, was added in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 wt% to grant antibacterial activity to the films. FTIR and TGA were performed to characterize the manufactured blended films, and the tensile strength, degree of swelling, and antibacterial activity were measured. Results obtained from the FTIR, TGA, and tensile strength test showed that alginate, the main component, was well distributed in the PVA by forming a matrix phase. The brittleness of alginate, a known weakness as a single component, and the low thermal durability of PVA were improved by cross-linking and hydrogen bonding of the functional groups between alginate and PVA. Addition of cardanol to the alginate-based PVA blend significantly improved the antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. The antibacterial performance was excellent with a death rate of 98% or higher for S. aureus and about 70% for E. coli at a contact time of 60 minutes. The optimal antibacterial activity of the alginate-PVA blended films was found with a cardanol content range between 0.1 to 0.5 wt%. These results show that cardanol-containing alginate-PVA blended films are suitable for use as various antibacterial materials, including as food packaging.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2011

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer with acceptable mechanical strength and well-controlled degradation rate. Also, it can be easily fabricated into many shapes. Silk fibroin contains powerful bioactive molecules. We fabricated natural/synthetic hybrid films using 0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 wt% of silk fibroin. Schwann cells (SCs) were seeded on PLGA/silk fibroin hybrid films and confirmed the effects of adhesion and proliferation on SCs according to the content of silk fibroin. In this study, we confirmed PLGA/silk fibroin hybrid film containing 40% and 80% of silk fibroin interrupted adhesion and proliferation of SCs. Films containing 10% and 20% of silk, however, provided suitable environment for growth and proliferation of SCs. These results suggest that silk fibroin provides suitables surface to neural cells and its proper content provides proper culture conditions to improve cell adhesion and proliferation.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2000

Polycaprolactone (PCL) was blended with corn starch to produce biodegradable compost films and the biodegradability and mechanical properties were investigated. As the compatibilizer for the immiscible PCL/starch blend, 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA)-PCL macromer was grafted onto starch by initially grafting HEMA to starch and then grafting of PCL onto HEMA via ring opening polymerization of $\varepsilon$-caprolactone. When biodegradability of the PCL grafted starch-g-DEMA copolymers was compared with that of starch by the modified Sturm test, graft copolymers degraded at much slower rates due to the presence of the non-degradable HEMA. With the addition of the graft copolymer up to 5 wt% to the blend, the elongation-at-break of the starch/PCL blend increased substantially, while the tensile strength and modulus did not change much. SEM observation of the blend containing 2 wt% copolymer clearly indicated that the interfacial adhesion between the starch and PCL was strengthened by the copolymer.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.617-621
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• 2012

PHEAs [${\alpha}$,${\beta}$-poly(2-hydroxyethyl-DL-aspartamides)], a class of poly(amino acid), have been widely studied as biodegradable and biocompatible polymers for potential biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, we investigated a homogeneous blend of PHEA with poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PNVP) and its semi-IPN (semi-interpenetrating polymer network) gels. Blend films were prepared by a solution casting method. The resulting blends were totally transparent over the whole composition ranges and the single $T_g$, changing monotonously with composition, was observed by DSC to confirm the miscibility between these two polymers. FTIR was used to discuss the possible hydrogen-bonding interaction between polymers. In addition, semi-IPN type gels were prepared by chemical crosslinking of PHEA/PNVP blend solution using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as a crosslinking reagent. The prepared gel was characterized by their swelling property and morphology.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1076-1083
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• 2023

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biodegradable and biocompatible bioplastic. Effective PHB degradation in nutrient-poor environments is required for industrial and practical applications of PHB. To screen for PHB-degrading strains, PHB double-layer plates were prepared and three new Bacillus infantis species with PHB-degrading ability were isolated from the soil. In addition, phaZ and bdhA of all isolated B. infantis were confirmed using a Bacillus sp. universal primer set and established polymerase chain reaction conditions. To evaluate the effective PHB degradation ability under nutrient-deficient conditions, PHB film degradation was performed in mineral medium, resulting in a PHB degradation rate of 98.71% for B. infantis PD3, which was confirmed in 5 d. Physical changes in the degraded PHB films were analyzed. The decrease in molecular weight due to biodegradation was confirmed using gel permeation chromatography and surface erosion of the PHB film was observed using scanning electron microscopy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on B. infantis showing its excellent PHB degradation ability and is expected to contribute to PHB commercialization and industrial composting.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.357-363
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• 2012

Surface-modified poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) films and scaffolds were treated with plasma discharge in oxygen gas and subsequently subjected to $in$ $situ$ grafting of acrylic acid (AA) in order to increase the cell compatibility. The surface of AA-grafted PLLA was converted to hydroxyapatite (HA)-deposited PLLA in stimulated body fluid (SBF). After the samples were immersed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), fetal bovine serum (FBS), normal saline, or cell medium, the water contact angles were significantly reduced on the surface of HA-deposited PLLA. Chondrocyte and osteoblast showed a higher attachment and cell proliferation on HA-deposited surfaces and in particular, it was confirmed that chondrocyte was considerably influenced by HA. However, osteoblast showed better cell proliferation on the surfaces immersed in FBS, cell medium or HA-deposited surface. In addition, the cell proliferation in 3D scaffolds was much higher than that on film type, irrespective of chondrocyte and osteoblast. Therefore, such surface-modified PLLAs are expected to be useful as organic-inorganic hybrid scaffolds in the regeneration of cartilage and bone.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.320-326
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• 2001

To obtain the basic data for preparing edible or biodegradable film, fish meal protein isolates (FMPI) were prepared through alkaline extraction. And FMPI's properties and the ester compounds permeability of FMPI film were measured. FMPI were extracted under various extracting time with 0.2 N NaOH solution at $60^{\circ}C$, Recovery ratios of FMPI extracted from fish meal were increased with extracting time increasing. Surface hydrophobicity of FMPI extracted for 1 hr showed highest value. Emulsifying activity index (EAI) was increased with the increasement of extracting time but its emulsifying stability index (ESI) showed an inverse results. Viscosity of FMPI solution showed the highest value at pH 2 but showed the lowest value at pH 4, The higher concentration of sorbitol as plasticizer showed the higher ethyl acetate permeability of FMPI film, Ethyl acetate permeability of FMPI films according to kind of plasticizers showed different degree and increased in order as follow: polyethylene glycol, glycerol and sorbitol. Ester compounds having the lower molecular weight showed the higher permeability. Increment of temperature increased the ethyl acetate permeability of FMPI film. FMPI haying higher surface hydrophobicity made FMPI film be higher tensile strength. On elongation of FMPI films, kinds of plasticizer were more effective than surface hydrophobicity of FMPI.