• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.259-290
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• 2022

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), due to their excellent physical, chemical and mechanical properties and their ability to prepare new membranes with attractive properties, have found applications in water and wastewater technology. CNT functionalization, which involves the introduction of different types of functional groups into pure CNTs, improves the capabilities of CNT membranes for water and wastewater treatment. It turns out that CNT-based membranes have many advantages, including enhanced water permeability, high selectivity and anti-fouling properties. However, their full-scale application is still limited by their high cost. With their tremendous separation efficiency, low biofouling potential and ultra-high water flux, CNT membranes have the potential to be a leading technology in water treatment in the future, especially in desalination.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.260-264
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• 2015

In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was carried to predict thermo-mechanical behaviors for carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced epoxy composites and to analyze the trends. Total of six models having the volume fractions of CNT from 0 to 25% in epoxy were constructed. To predict thermal behaviors, temperature was increased constantly from 300 to 600 K, and the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) analyzed using the relationship between temperature and specific volume. The elastic moduli that represented to the mechanical behaviors were also predicted by constant strain. Additionally, the effects of functionalization of CNT on mechanical behaviors of composite were analyzed. Models were constructed to represent CNTs functionalized by nitrogen doping and COOH groops, and interfacial behaviors and elastic moduli were analyzed. Results showed that the agglomerations of CNTs in epoxy cause by perturbations of thermo-mechanical behaviors, and the functionalization of CNTs improved the interfacial response as well as mechanical properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2022.04a
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• pp.243-244
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• 2022

Recently, the utilization of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in cement paste has been widely investigated in terms of improving the dispersion quality and enhancing the cement paste mechanical performance. While methods of functionalizing the CNT using surfactants to disperse the nanoparticles have been studied to some extent, the literature on the effects of chemical covalent functionalization is still scarce. This work focuses on chemical functionalization of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) using acid treatment, and a consequent addition of the modified MWCNT to the cement paste. The microstructural observation and degree of the MWCNT functionalization are examined using FE-SEM. The compressive strength is measured at an age of 28 days. The results of the study suggest that the acid-functionalized MWCNT are dispersed better compared to the pristine MWCNT due to presence of functional groups. The better dispersion of the nanotubes and the attached functional groups may contribute to the refinement of the microstructure of the cement paste and hence, increase its mechanical strength.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.480.2-480.2
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• 2014

Electrochemical capacitors have been the most strong energy storage devices due to high power density and long cycle stability. Pristine carbon nanotubes are promising electrode materials for excellent electrical conductivity and high specific surface area in electrochemical capacitor. However, the practical application of pristine carbon nanotubes was limited by the aggregation into bundles due to van der Waals force. In this research, we explained how multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) functionalized by carboxyl, sulfonic, and amine groups (CNT-COOH, CNT-SO3H, CNT-NH2) to improve the performances of MWCNT. Functionalized CNTs showed two- to four-fold increase in capacitance over that of pristine CNTs, while maintaining reasonable cyclic stability. But, the CNT-COOH showed the lowest rate capability of 57% compared to 84%, 86% of CNT-SO3H and CNT-NH2. As demonstrated by the spectroscopic analysis, This reseach showed how surface functional group of carbon nanotubes change capacitor performances.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.366-367
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• 2006

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted remarkable attention as reinforcement for composites owing to their outstanding mechanical properties. The CNT/Cu nanocomposite is fabricated by a novel fabrication process named molecular level process. The novel process for fabricating CNT/Cu composite powders involves suspending CNTs in a solvent by surface functionalization, mixing Cu ions with CNT suspension, drying, calcination and reduction. The molecular level process produces CNT/Cu composite powders whereby the CNTs are homogeneously implanted within Cu powders. The mechanical properties of CNT/Cu nanocomposite, consolidated by spark plasma sintering of CNT/Cu composite powders, shows about 3 times higher strength and 2 times higher Young's modulus than those of Cu matrix.

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.275-276
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.491-491
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• 2013

A novel plasma system has been developed for 3-dimensional modification of the carbon nano-powders. Improvement of dispersion of these nano materials are studied by plasma discharge, not using chemical modification. The plasma process is considered to great advantages over wet chemical process due to environmental, economic viewpoint, and uniformity over the treated volume. The uniform dispersion is a critical factor for these material's nano composite applications. Using this plasma system, graphene, carbon black, and CNT was treated and functionalized. Several key discharge conditions such as Ar/H2/O2 or Ar/H2/NH3 gas ratio, treatment time, power, feeder's vibration frequency are investigated. Hydrophobic of graphene has turned some more into hydrophilic by reaction test with water, electrophoresis, surface contact angle test, and turbidity analysis. The oxygen content ratio in the plasma treated CNT has increased about 3.7 times than the untreatedone. In the case of graphene and carbon black, the oxygen- and nitrogen- content has been enhanced average 10%. O-H (N-H) peak, C-O (C-N) peak, and C=O (C=N) peak data have been detected by FTIR measurement and intensified compared to before-plasma treatment due to O2 or NH3 content.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2010

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties as well as nanometer scale diameter and high aspect ratio, which make them an ideal reinforcing agent for high strength polymer composites. The functionalized CNTs are believed to be very promising in the fields such as preparation of functional and composite materials. CNT-Polymer composites are expected to have good processability characteristics of the polymer and excellent functional properties of the CNTs. However, since CNTs usually form stabilized bundles due to Van der Waals interactions, are extremely difficult to disperse and align in a polymer matrix. The biggest issues in the preparation of CNT-reinforced composites reside in efficient dispersion of CNTs into a polymer matrix, and the alignment and control of the CNTs in the matrix. There are several methods for the dispersion of nanotubes in the polymer matrix such as solution mixing, bulk mixing, melt mixing, in-situ polymerization and chemical functionalization of the carbon nanotubes, etc. These methods and preparation of high performance CNT-polymer composites are described in this review.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.140-147
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• 2008

In this study, a carbon nanotube probe (CNT probe) is proposed as a mechanical force transducer for the measurement of pico-Newton (pN) order force in biological applications. In order to measure nantube's displacement in the air or liquid environment, the fabrication of a CNT probe with tip-specific loading of fluorescent dyes is performed using tip- specific functionalization of the nanotube and chemical bonding between dyes and nanotube. Also, we experimentally investigated the mechanical properties of the CNT probe using electrostatic actuation and fluorescence microscope measurement. Using fluorescence measurement of the tip deflection according to the applied voltage, we optimized the bending stiffness of the CNT probe, therefore determined the spring constant of the CNT probe. The results show that the spring constant of CNT probes is as small as 1 pN/nm and CNT probes can be used to measure pN order force.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2008

In the recent years, increasing interests are being focused on the rational functionalization of the CNTs by some creative methods. However, the considerable toxicity of CNT is still a controversialissue and limits its biological application. To improve the biocompatibility of CNT, in this work we prepared CNT-$TiO_2$ nanocomposites with CNT and organic titanium precursors. Our observations demonstratethat the modified interface could accelerate the heterogeneous electron transfer rates and thusenhance the relevant detection sensitivity, suggesting its potential application as the new strategy for the development of the biocompatible and multi-signal responsive biosensors for the early diagnosis of cancers.