• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.195-203
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• 2011

Eco-friendly materials or bio-composites were made with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as matrix polymer and kenaf fibers as filler. Also, acetylated kenaf fibers and compatibilizer were adopted in order to improve the interfacial adhesion between fiber and polymer. In this study, the effect of chemical modification and compatibilizer on the mechanical-viscoelastic and morphology properties of the bio-composites was discussed. The hydrophobic fibers by acetylation were known to show better interfacial bonding with the matrix polymer and resulted in improved performance and morphology. Viscoelastic property and glass transition temperature, however, were not nearly enhanced.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2006

Biodegradable $\beta$-tricalcium phosphate ( $\beta$-TCP)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composites were synthesized by in-situ polymerization with microwave energy. The influence of the $\beta$-TCP content in $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites on the molecular weight, crystallinity, microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. As the molecular weight of composites decreased, the $\beta$-TCP content increased up to 10 wt.%, while the excess addition of the $\beta$-TCP content above 10 wt.% the molecular weight increased with increasing of the $\beta$-TCP content. This behavior would be due to the superheating effect or nonthermal effect induced by microwave energy. It was found that the bending strength and Young's modulus of the $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites was proportional to the molecular weight of PLGA. The bending strength of the $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites ranged from 18 to 38 MPa, while Young's modulus was in the range from 2 to 6 GPa.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.407-411
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• 2009

Reflection properties, such as specular reflection and diffuse reflection, are very important optical properties for the reflector, which has high reflectance in the display and architecture industry. Calcite is lowcost, nontoxic, and stable over a wide temperature range. Therefore, it is one of the most widely using fillers in many industries and has some advantages over titania as a filler to improve reflectance. However, optical properties, especially those of ceramic-filled composites, have not been analyzed. We studied the reflectance of calcite composites with their surface roughness. The reflectance of the composites was determined using a UV-visible spectrometer. The surface morphology and the micro-structure of the composites were investigated by atomic force microscope. The reflectance of the composites was improved by increasing the content of calcite in the calcite-frit composite. The reflectance is related with the surface roughness in the composites. However, the reflectance depends on the calcite contents in materials with similar surface roughness.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.542-546
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• 2008

$BaTiO_3$/epoxy composites can be applied as the dielectric materials for embedded capacitors. The effects of the degree of $BaTiO_3$ particle agglomeration on the dielectric properties of $BaTiO_3$/epoxy composites were investigated in the present study. The degree of particle agglomeration was controlled by the milling of the agglomerated particles. The size and content of the agglomerated $BaTiO_3$ particles decreased with an increase in the milling time. The dielectric constants and polarizations of $BaTiO_3$/epoxy composites abruptly decreased with the increase of the milling time. It was concluded that the dielectric constants and polarizations of $BaTiO_3$/epoxy composites decreased as the degree of particle agglomeration decreased. The degree of agglomeration of $BaTiO_3$ particles turned out to be a very influential factor on the dielectric properties of $BaTiO_3$/epoxy composites.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2012

AC and ZnS modified $TiO_2$ composites (AC/ZnS/$TiO_2$) were prepared using a sol-gel method. The composite obtained was characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, and according to the UV-vis absorption spectra (UV-vis). XRD patterns of the composites showed that the AC/ZnS/$TiO_2$ composites contain a typical single and clear anatase phase. The surface properties as observed by SEM present the characterization of the texture of the AC/ZnS/$TiO_2$ composites, showing a homogenous composition in the particles showing the micro-surface structures and morphology of the composites. The EDX spectra of the elemental identification showed the presence of C and Ti with Zn and S peaks for the AC/ZnS/$TiO_2$ composite. UV-vis patterns of the composites showed that these composites had greater photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. A rhodamine B (Rh.B) solution under visible light irradiation was used to determine the photocatalytic activity. The degradation of Rh.B was determined using UV/Vis spectrophotometry. An increase in the photocatalytic activity was observed. From the photocatalytic results, the excellent activity of the Y-fullerene/$TiO_2$ composites for the degradation of methylene blue under visible irradiation could be attributed to an increase in the photo-absorption effect caused by the ZnS and to the cooperative effect of the AC.

• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.273-278
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• 2013

PLA/PP polymer blends in various ratios (PLA:PP = 9:1, 4:1, 3:1, and 1:1), and their composites (PLA:PP = 1:1) with sisal fiber (10, 15 and 20 wt%) were fabricated using MAPP as compatibilizer. The aim of the work was to reduce the cost of biodegradable composites as well as to improve the impact strength of PLA using PP, a relatively cheaper thermoplastic. The developed composites were characterized for their morphological and mechanical properties. The tensile strength and modulus of the blends were decreased with increasing PP content whereas the strain at break and impact strength are increased. The tensile strength, modulus and water absorption were increased for hybrid composites with increasing fiber content.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.204-207
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• 2008

This paper presents a new process for producing SiC fiber-SiC matrix(SiC/SiC) composites by reaction sintering. The processing strategy for the fabrication of the SiC/SiC composites involves the following: (1) infiltration of the SiC fiber fabric using a slurry consisting of Si and C precursors, (2) stacking the slurry-infiltrated SiC fiber fabric at room temperature, (3) cross-linking the stacked composites, (4) pyrolysis of the stacked composites, and (5) hot-pressing of the pyrolyzed composites. It was possible to obtain dense SiC/SiC composites with relative densities of >96% and a typical flexural strength of ${\sim}400$ MPa.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.589-595
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• 2011

Laminated glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites were applied to an insulating structure of a magnet system for a nuclear fusion device. Decreased inter-laminar strength by a strong repulsive force between coils which is induced a problem of structural integrity in laminated GFRPs. Therefore, it is important to investigate the inter-laminar characteristics of laminated GFRP composites in order to assure more reliable design and better structural integrity. Three types of the laminated GFRP composites using a high voltage insulating materials were fabricated according to each molding process. To evaluate the grade of the fabricated composites, mechanical tests, such as hardness, tensile and compressive tests,were carried out. The autoclave molding composites satisfied almost of the mechanical properties reguested at the G10 class standard, but the vacuum impregnation (VPI) and Prepreg composites did not.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.676-680
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• 2006

The biodegradable $\beta$-tricalcium phosphate ($\beta$-TCP)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composites were synthesized by in situ polymerization with microwave energy. The degradation behavior of $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composite was investigated by soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 4 weeks. The molecular weight of the $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites decreased with soaking time until week 2, whereas the loss rate of molecular weight reduced after week 2. The incubation time was needed for the degradation of the $\beta$-TCP, indicating that the $\beta$-TCP should be detached from the PLGA matrix and then degraded into SBF solution. The studies of mass loss of the composites with the soaking time revealed that the degradation behavior of PLGA would be processed with the transformation from the polymer to the oligomer followed by the degradation. Morphological changes, whisker-like, due to transformation and degradation of polymer in the composites were observed after week 2. On the basis of the results, it found that the degradation behavior of $\beta$-TCP/PLGA composites was influenced by the $\beta$-TCP content in the composites and the degradation rate of the composites could be controlled by the initial molecular weight of PLGA in the composites.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.59-66
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• 2006

The thermal properties of wood flour, Hwangto, and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) reinforced HDPE composites were investigated in this study. The thermal behavior of reinforced wood polymer composites was characterized by means of thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analyses. Hwangto and MAPE were used as an inorganic filler and a coupling agent, respectively. According to TGA analysis, the increase of wood flour level increased the thermal degradation of composites in the early stage, but decreased in the late stage. On the other hand, Hwangto reinforced composites showed the higher thermal stability than virgin HDPE, from the determination of differential peak temperature ($DT_p$). Decomposition temperature of wood flour and/or Hwangto reinforced composites increased with increase of heating rate. From DSC analysis, melting temperature of reinforced composites little bit increased with the addition of wood flour or Hwangto. As the loading of wood flour or Hwangto to HDPE increased, overall enthalpy decreased. It showed that wood flour and Hwangto absorbed more heat energy for melting the reinforced composites. Hwangto reinforced composites required more heat energy than wood flour reinforced composites and virgin HDPE. Coupling agent gave no significant effect on the thermal properties of composites. Thermal analyses indicate that composites with Hwangto are more thermally stable than those without Hwangto.