• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.534-539
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• 2004

Two biopolymers, silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan, were conjugated by tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1), a polyphenolic oxidase, to improve their physicochemical properties, such as their thermal properties and morphological stabilities in organic solvents. The crosslinking between SF and chitosan took place mainly through Michael addition reactions. A main reaction between the amino groups in chitosan and o-quinone, the oxidation product of the tyrosyl residue in SF, was confirmed by UV spectroscopy. Measurements of viscosity and light scattering indicated that the crosslinked SF/chitosan conjugate was compact: it had a smaller particle size because of tight bonding forces between the SF and chitosan molecular chains. Thermal decomposition of SF/chitosan conjugates crosslinked by tyrosinase occurred at higher temperatures. The adhesiveness of the SF/chitosan conjugates decreased steadily as the crosslinking reaction progressed. We propose that this new crosslinking method be used for the preparation of silk fibroin/chitosan conjugates using tyrosinase. We expect that SF/chitosan conjugates crosslinked by tyrosinase can be used preferentially in biomedical applications because of its unique properties and non-toxicity.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2009

Iridium oxide films (IROFs) have been extensively studied as a material for electrical stimulation of neurons, as iridium oxide has higher charge storage capacity than other metal films. More recently, sputtered iridium oxide film (SIROF) has been studied, because it can be made more conveniently than activated iridium oxide film (AIROF). Typically, the SIROFs are grown at temperatures from 400 to 600 $^{\circ}C$. However, such high temperatures cannot be used when the iridium oxide (IrOx) film is to be deposited on a flexible polymer material, such as polyimide. In this paper, we show that we can still obtain excellent characteristics in SIROFs grown without heating (cold SIROF), by optimizing the growth conditions. We show that the oxygen flow rate is a critical parameter for controlling the surface properties of a cold SIROF. At an oxygen flow rate of 12 seem, the cold SIROF exhibited a charge storage capacity (CSC) of 60 mC/cm$^2$, which is comparable to or better than other published values for iridium oxide films including heated SIROFs. The film produced under these conditions also had the minimum impedance value of all cold SIROFs deposited for this study. A stability test and biocompatibility test also demonstrated the superiority of the optimized cold SIROF.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.112-118
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• 2004

With the goal of enhancing the creep resistance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), we performed gamma irradiation and post-irradiation annealing at a low temperature, and investigated the crystalline structures and mechanical properties of the samples. Electron spin resonance spectra reveal that most of the residual radicals are stabilized by annealing at 100$^{\circ}C$ for 72 h under vacuum. Both the melting temperature and crystallinity increase after increasing the dose and by post-irradiation annealing. When irradiated with the same dose, the quenched sample having a higher amorphous fraction exhibits a lower swell ratio than does the slow-cooled sample. The measured tensile properties correlate well to the crystalline structure of the irradiated and annealed samples. For enhancing creep resistance, high crystallinity appears to be more critical than a high degree of crosslinking.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-29
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• 2008

In last two decades, an impressive progress has been recorded in terms of developing new materials or refining existing material composition/microstructure in order to obtain better performance in biomedical applications. The success of such efforts clearly demands better understanding of various concepts, e.g. biocompatibility, host response, cell-biomaterial interaction. In this article, we review the fundamental understanding that is required with respect to biomaterials development, as well as various materials and their properties, which are relevant in applications, such as hard tissue replacement. A major emphasize has been placed to present various design aspects, in terms of materials processing, of ceramics and polymer based biocomposites, Among the bioceramic composites, the research results obtained with Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based biomaterials with metallic (Ti) or ceramic (Mullite) reinforcements as well as $SiO_2-MgO-Al_2O_3-K_2O-B_2O_3-F$ glass ceramics and stabilized $ZrO_2$ based bioinert ceramics are summarized. The physical as well as tribological properties of Polyethylene (PE) based hybrid biocomposites are discussed to illustrate the concept on how can the physical/wear properties be enhanced along with biocompatibility due to combined addition of bioinert and bioactive ceramic to a bioinert polymeric matrix. The tribological and corrosion properties of some important orthopedic metallic alloys based on Ti or Co-Cr-Mo are also illustrated. At the close, the future perspective on orthopedic biomaterials development and some unresolved issues are presented.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.99-106
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• 2018

The modifier proposed in this research is for enhancing the affinity of the glass component with the high polymer resin and the molecular weight. The particle packing, tensile strength and shielding performance of the shielding sheet made of the tungsten oxide were evaluated. The best effect can be obtained when 20% of the modifier PMMA used to improve the shielding performance and maintain the affinity and strength with the sealant is mixed. The fusion of the materials presented in this study and the mass production of the shielding sheet through the modifier are possible and will contribute to the production of lightweight shielding sheets in the future.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2023

Hydrogels that are made of natural polymer-based double networks have excellent biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and high water content, assuring that the material has the properties required for a variety of biomedical applications. However, hydrogels also have limitations due to their relatively weak mechanical properties. In this study, hydrogels based on an alginate di-aldehyde (ADA) and gelatin (Gel) double network that is reinforced with additional hydrogen bonds formed between the hydroxyl (-OH) groups of the hyperbranched polymer (HPG) and the functional groups present inside of the hydrogels were successfully synthesized. The enhanced mechanical properties of these synthesized hydrogels were evaluated by varying the amount of HPG added during the hydrogel synthesis from 0 to 25%. In addition, magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs) were synthesized within the hydrogels and the structures and the magnetic properties of the hydrogels were also characterized. The hydrogels that contained 15% HPG and Fe₃O₄ NPs exhibited superparamagnetic behaviors with a saturation magnetization value of 3.8 emu g^-1. These particular hydrogels also had strengthened mechanical properties with a maximum compressive stress of 1.1 MPa at a strain of 67.4%. Magnetic hydrogels made with natural polymer-based double networks provide improved mechanical properties and have a significant potential for drug delivery and biomaterial application.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.431-449
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• 2020

Structural property of most hydrogels is soft, resulting in low mechanical performance that limits their usage in the biomedical applications. For overcoming the drawback, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were adopted in this study. Effects of CNCs on characteristics and drug delivery performance of poly (vinyl alcohol) based hydrogels were explored. FT-IR results showed that the fabricated hydrogels had semi-IPN (semi-interpenetrating polymer network) by formation of acetal and aldehyde bridge. Water absorption and swelling ratio decreased with increasing CNCs content, and the hydrogels with CNCs showed better viscoelastic performance than the without CNCs. Also, CNCs mostly improved the ability of the hydrogel to absorb the drug and the sustainability of the drug release. These results demonstrated that incorporating CNCs into the hydrogel systems can be a good alternative to improve drug delivery performance and mechanical property of the hydrogels.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.551-554
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• 2009

Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) have received increasing attention in biomedical and biochemical applications because of their properties such as being water-soluble and biocompatible. In this study, a PVA/CMC hydrogel applicable to artificial cartilage was prepared by a freezing-thawing technique and a gamma-ray irradiation. The solid concentration of PVA was 7 wt% and the concentration of CMC was 4 wt%. The freezing/thawing process was repeated twice and the dose of gamma-ray irradiated was 30 kGy. Results of gelation before and after gamma-ray irradiation were similar, but the swelling degree decreased and compressive strength increased. The cytotoxicity was investigated with CCK-8 assay.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.83-88
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• 2020

Recently, radiation shielding sheets made of eco-friendly materials have been widely used in medical institutions. The shielding sheet is processed into a solid form by thermoforming by mixing a shielding material with a polymer material. The base is resin-based and has a limit in tensile strength, and for this purpose, fibers such as non-woven fabrics are used on the surface. The shielding sheet process technology has a problem in that the tensile strength rapidly decreases when the content of the shielding material is increased to increase the shielding performance. In order to improve this, this study intends to compare and evaluate the method of laminating and coating the fibers in the sheet process. In comparison of the three types of sheets, there was no difference in shielding performance between the fiber-coated sheet and the compression sheet, but there was a large difference in tensile strength.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2011

Ion exchange resins can be one of the good carriers for sustained drug release. However, the sustained release may not be enough only with themselves and hence film coating with rate controlling polymers can be applied to have a further effect on the drug release. Due to the environmental and economic issues of organic solvent for the polymer coating, aqueous polymeric systems were selected to develop dosage forms. Among the many aqueous polymeric dispersions for the film coating, EC (ethylcellulose) based polymers such as Aquacoat$^{(R)}$ ECD and Surelease$^{(R)}$ were evaluated.A fluid-bed coating was applied as a processing method. The drug release rate was quite dependent on the coating level so the release rate could be modified easily by changing different levels of the coating. The drug release rate in the Aquacoat$^{(R)}$ coated resin particles was strongly dependent on curing, which is a thermal treatment to make homogeneous films and circumvent drug release changes during storage. After dissolution test using the compressed tablets in which the coated resin particles are contained, inhomogeneous coating and even pores could be observed showing that the mechanical properties of EC were not resistant to granulation and compaction process. However, when tablets were prepared in different batches, the release profiles were almost identical showing the feasibility of the coated resin particle as incorporated into the tablet formulation.