• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.97-101
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• 2003

Polymer/silicate nanocomposites were prepared via two-step manufacturing process: a master batch preparation and then mixing with matrix polymer. A hybrid of PMMA and Na-MMT with exfoliated structure was first prepared by emulsion polymerization of MMA in the presence of Na-MMT. For the case that SAN24, miscible with PMMA, is used as matrix, we could prepare a nanocomposite with exfoliated structure. However, SAN31 nanocomposite shows the aggregation and/or reordering of the silicate layers due to the immiscibility between SAN31 and PMMA.

• Carbon letters
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2001

Graphite intercalation compounds (GIC) were prepared by direct reaction of $SO_3$ gas with flake graphite. The intercalated $SO_3$ molecules were ejected by rapid heating to $950^{\circ}C$ under an oxidizing atmosphere for about 1 minute, resulting in surprisingly high expansion in the direction of c-axis. The characteristics of the micro-structure and pore size distribution were examined with a SEM and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The XRD analysis and spectroscopic analysis were used for the identification of the graphite and surface chemistry state. The pore size distribution of the exfoliated graphite (EG) was a range of $1{\sim}170{\mu}m$. The higher expanding temperature the higher expanded volume, so oil sorption capacities were 58.8 g of bunker-C oil and 34.7 g of diesel oil per 1 g of the the EG. The sorption equilibrium was achieved very rapidly within several minutes. As the treatment temperature increases, bulk density decreases.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2005

Biodegradable nanocomposites were prepared by mixing a polymer resin and layered silicates by the melt intercalation method. Internal structure of the nanocomposite was characterized by using the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Nanocomposites having exfoliated and intercalated structures were obtained by employing two different organically modified nanoclays. Rheological properties in shear and extensional flows and biodegradability of nanocomposites were measured. In shear flow, shear thinning behavior and increased storage modulus were observed as the clay loading increased. In extensional flow, strain hardening behavior was observed in well dispersed system. Nanocomposites with the exfoliated structure had better biodegradability than nanocomposites with the intercalated structure or pure polymer.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.410-417
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• 2003

Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylonitrile) [P(MMA-co-AN)]/Na-MMT nanocomposites were synthesized through emulsion polymerization with pristine Na-MMT. The nanocomposites were exfoliated up to 20 wt% content of pristine Na-MMT relative to the amount of MMA and AN, and exhibited enhanced storage moduli, E', relative to the neat copolymer. The exfoliated morphology of the nanocomposite was confirmed by XRD and TEM. 2-Acryla-mido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) widened the galleries between the clay layers before polymerization and facilitated the comonomers, penetration into the clay to create the exfoliated nanocomposites. The onset of the thermal decomposition of the nanocomposites shifted to a higher temperature as the clay content increased. By calculating areas of tan$\delta$ of the nanocomposites, we observed that the nanocomposites show more solid-like behavior as the clay content increases. The dynamic storage modulus and complex viscosity increased with clay content. The complex viscosity showed shear-thinning behavior as the clay content increased. The Young's moduli of the nano-composites are higher than that of the neat copolymer and they increase steadily as the silicate content increases, as a result of the exfoliated structure at high clay content.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2013

Exfoliated graphite (EFG) with high aspect ratio was incorporated with high density polyethylene (HDPE) for use as high barrier packaging material such as water-sensitivity electric product and pharmaceutical packaging. Also HDPE/EFG nanocomposite films were prepared by adding the compatibilizer for effective dispersion and compatibility. Their chemical properties, crystal structure properties, thermal properties and water barrier properties of as-prepared HDPE/EFG nanocomposite films were investigated as a function of EFG contents. It showed that there is a weak interfacial interaction between HDPE and EFG, however, the water vapor permeations were decreased from 127 to 78 (70 ${\mu}m{\cdot}g/m^2$, $day{\cdot}atm$) by addition of EFG. Especially, the physical properties of HDPE/EFG nanocomposite films were effectively increased up to 0.5 wt%, however, there were no significant improvement of properties in nanocomposite films at the additional EFG loading. To maximize their performance of the nanocomposite films, further research is required to enhance the dispersion of EFG and compatibility of EFG in HDPE matrix.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.243-250
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• 2003

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/clay nanocomposite particles with particle size of 275${\sim}$292 nm range were successfully prepared using emulsion polymerization. The content of montmorillonite based on the methyl methacrylate monomer was chosen as 30 wt.%. 2,2-azobis(isobuthylamidine hydrochloride) and n-dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride were used as an initiator and a surfactant in cationic emulsion system. Potassium persulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate were used as an initiator and a surfactant in anionic emulsion system. The evidence of intercalated /exfoliated structure of montmorillonite in the nanocomposite prepared in our experiment was confirmed by wide angle x-ray diffraction patterns of $d_{001}$ plane. Thermal behavior of nanocomposite was traced using DSC and TGA. It was found that the nanocomposite particle prepared by cationic emulsion system showed intercalated structured. We also found that the nanocomposite particle obtained from anionic emulsion system resulted in the fully exfoliated structure.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2019

The PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate)/clay nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ radical polymerizations with different clay contents (3 and 7 wt%) using microwave heating. The nanostructure, optical, and thermal properties of the synthesized PMMA/clay nanocomposites were measured by XRD, TEM, AFM, UV-vis, and TGA. It was found that the intercalated- or exfoliated structure of PMMA/clay nanocomposites was strongly dependent on the content of clay. Thus, the imposition of microwave-assisted polymerization facilitated a delamination process of layered silicates to achieve exfoliation state of interlayer distance. The PMMA/3 wt% C10A nanocomposite with well-dispersed and exfoliated clay nano-layers showed the good optical transparency similar to pure PMMA in this study. The thermal decomposition rates of the PMMA/clay nanocomposites become to be lower compared to that of the pure PMMA, indicating the intercalated- or exfoliated inorganic silicate has high thermal stability. A possible reason is that the thermally segmental motion of PMMA polymer into inorganic silicate interlayer spacing has increased the thermal stability of the PMMA/clay nanocomposites.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.449-453
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• 2009

A mesoporous assembly of layered titanate with well-dispersed Pt cocatalysts has been synthesized via a restacking of exfoliated titanate nanosheets and a simultaneous adsorption of Pt nanoparticles. According to powder X-ray diffraction analysis, the obtained mesoporous assembly shows amorphous structure corresponding to the disordered stacking of layered titanate crystallites. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy and $N_2$ adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement clearly demonstrate the formation of mesoporous structure with expanded surface area due to the house-of-cards type stacking of the titanate crystallites. From high resolution-transmission electron microscopy and elemental mapping analyses, it is found that Pt nanoparticles with the size of ~2.5 nm are homogeneously dispersed in the mesoporous assembly of layered titanate. In comparison with the protonated titanate, the present mesoporous assembly of layered titanate exhibits better photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of organic molecules. This finding underscores that the restacking of exfoliated nanosheets is quite useful not only in creating mesoporous structure but also in improving the photocatalytic activity of titanium oxide.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.49
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• pp.3.1-3.7
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• 2019

Graphene, which is one of the most promising materials for its state-of-the-art applications, has received extensive attention because of its superior mechanical properties. However, there is little experimental evidence related to the mechanical properties of graphene at the atomic level because of the challenges associated with transferring atomically-thin two-dimensional (2D) materials onto microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. In this study, we show successful dry transfer with a gel material of a stable, clean, and free-standing exfoliated graphene film onto a push-to-pull (PTP) device, which is a MEMS device used for uniaxial tensile testing in in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through the results of optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM, we demonstrate high quality exfoliated graphene on the PTP device. Finally, the stress-strain results corresponding to propagating cracks in folded graphene were simultaneously obtained during the tensile tests in TEM. The zigzag and armchair edges of graphene confirmed that the fracture occurred in association with the hexagonal lattice structure of graphene while the tensile testing. In the wake of the results, we envision the dedicated preparation and in situ TEM tensile experiments advance the understanding of the relationship between the mechanical properties and structural characteristics of 2D materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.11-15
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• 2003

In order to suppress a repulsive interfacial energy between hydrophilic clay and hydrophobic polymer matrix in preparing a polymer/clay nanocomposite, a third component of amphiphilic nature such as poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (PCL) was introduced into the model system of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN)/Na-montmorillonite. Once $\varepsilon$-caprolactone was polymerized in the presence of Na-rnontmorillonite, the successful ring-opening polymerization of $\varepsilon$-caprolactone and the well-developed exfoliated structure of PCL/Na-montmorillonite mixture were confirmed, Thereafter, SAN was melt-mixed with PCL/Na-montmorillonite nanocomposite, which resulted in that SAN matrix and PCL fraction were completely miscible to form homogeneous mixture with retention of the exfoliated state of Na-montmorillonite, exhibiting that PCL effectively stabilizes the repulsive polymer/clay interface and contributes the improvement of mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.