• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.209-219
• /
• 2019

It is important to analyze crosslink densities of rubber articles because the physical properties are dependent on the crosslink densities. In this paper, analytical techniques for the measurement of crosslink densities of rubber vulcanizates are described. The most widely used method to measure the crosslink density is a swelling method combined with the Flory-Rehner equation. Application of the interaction parameter (${\chi}$) of rubber and swelling solvent is critical because the crosslink density is absolutely dependent on the ${\chi}$ value. Methods for obtaining ${\chi}$ employ not only solubility parameters of the polymer and swelling solvent but also inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The solubilities of rubbers can be obtained using micro differential scanning calorimetry (${\mu}DSC$), intrinsic viscosity measurement, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been also used for the measurement of the crosslink density using the $T_2$ relaxation time, which is determined by spin-spin relaxation in solid-state NMR. For sulfur-cured rubber vulcanizates, crosslink densities according to the crosslink types of mono-, di-, and polysulfides are measured by treating the rubber samples with a chemical probe composed of thiol and amine compounds. Measurement methods of physical crosslinking by filler, crystallization, and ionic bonding have also been introduced.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.429-438
• /
• 2021

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is widely used in the food industry for products such as nata de coco. The mechanical properties of BC hydrogels, including stiffness and viscoelasticity, are determined by the hydrated fibril network. Generally, Komagataeibacter bacteria produce gluconic acids in a glucose medium, which may affect the pH, structure and mechanical properties of BC. In this work, the effect of pH buffer on the yields of Komagataeibacter hansenii strain ATCC 53582 was studied. The bacterium in a phosphate and phthalate buffer with low ionic strength produced a good BC yield (5.16 and 4.63 g/l respectively), but there was a substantial reduction in pH due to the accumulation of gluconic acid. However, the addition of gluconic acid enhanced the polymer density and mechanical properties of BC hydrogels. The effect was similar to that of the bacteria using glycerol in another carbon metabolism circuit, which provided good pH stability and a higher conversion rate of carbon. This study may broaden the understanding of how carbon sources affect BC biosynthesis.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.553-557
• /
• 2014

Sulfonated polypropylene (S-PP) is prepared by sulfuric acid-acetone aldol condensation reaction of polypropylene (PP) separator to yield hydrophilic separator surface with a moderate amount of $-SO_3H$ groups. Activated carbon supercapacitor is also fabricated adopting the S-PP separator coated with potassium polyacrylate (PAAK) hydrogel polymer electrolyte. As a result, the hydrophilic surface of S-PP separator involves better physical and electrochemical properties such as decrease in contact angle, improvements of wettability, electrolyte uptake, and ionic conductivity to give higher specific capacitance and long cycle-life.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2012

$LiFePO_4$ is an attractive cathode material due to its low cost, good cyclability and safety. But it has low ionic conductivity and working voltage impose a limitation on its application for commercial products. In order to solve these problems, the iron($Fe^{2+}$)site in $LiFePO_4$ can be substituted with other transition metal ions such as $Mn^{2+}$ in pursuance of increase the working voltage. Also, reducing the size of electrode materials to nanometer scale can improve the power density because of a larger electrode-electrolyte contact area and shorter diffusion lengths for Li ions in crystals. Therefore, we chose electrospinning as a general method to prepare $Li[Fe_{0.9}Mn_{0.1}]PO_4$ to increase the surface area. Also, there have been very a few reports on the synthesis of cathode materials by electrospinning method for Lithium ion batteries. The morphology and nanostructure of the obtained $Li[Fe_{0.9}Mn_{0.1}]PO_4$ nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy(SEM). X-ray diffraction(XRD) measurements were also carried out in order to determine the structure of $Li[Fe_{0.9}Mn_{0.1}]PO_4$ nanofibers. Electrochemical properties of $Li[Fe_{0.9}Mn_{0.1}]PO_4$ were investigated with charge/discharge measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements(EIS).

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.271-276
• /
• 2006

Felodipine, a calcium-antagonist of dihydropyridine type, is a poorly water soluble drug and has very low bioavailability. As preceding studies, use of solid dispersion systems and surfactants(solubilizers) has been suggested to increase dissolution and to improve bioavailability of felodipine. But in case of solid dispersion systems, large amount of toxic organic solvents should be used and manufacturing process time become longer than conventional process. In case of using surfactants, as time elapsed, decreasing of dissolution rate of felodipine due to crystallization has been reported. In this study, Copovidon as a hydrophilic polymer and $Transcutol^{\circledR}$ as a surfactant were combined to formulations if order to increase dissolution of felodipine and conventional wet granulation process were applied to manufacturing of formulations. The effect of Copovidon and $Transcutol^{\circledR}$ on the dissolution oi felodipine was investigated in-vitro. When Copovidon and $Transcutol^{\circledR}$ used simultaneously, the dissolution rate of felodipine was prominently increased compared with when used separately and the maximum increase in the dissolution of felodipine was 5.8 fold compared to control. This is most probably due to synergy effect by combination of Copovidon and $Transcutol^{\circledR}$. Felodipine sustained release tablets were successfully formulated using several grades of HPMC as a release retarding agent. The stability of felodipine sustained release tablet was evaluated after storage at accelerated condition($40^{\circ}C/75%\;RH$) for 6months in HDPE(High density polyethylene) bottle. Neither significant degradation nor change of dissolution rate for felodipine was observed after 6months. In conclusion, felodipine sustained release tablet was successfully formulated and dissolution of felodipine, poorly water soluble drug, was prominently increased and also stability was guaranteed by using combination system of hydrophilic polymer and surfactant.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.228-241
• /
• 2020

Separators, which produces physical layer between a cathode and anode, are getting enormous attention as the quality of the separator determines the performance of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Porous membranes based on polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are generally utilized as the separator of LIBs because of their high electrochemical stability and suitable mechanical strength. However, low thermal resistance and wettability of PE and PP membranes limited the potential of LIBs. Operating at the temperature exceeding the melting point of membranes, the separators change their structures which lead to short circuit of LIBs. Low wettability of the separators corresponds to low ionic conductivity which increases the cell resistance. To overcome these weaknesses of PE and PP separators, different types of separator were prepared by co-electrospinning, applying coating layer, forming core shell around membrane, and papermaking method. The synthesized separator greatly enhanced the heat resistance and wettability of separator and mechanical properties like flexibility and tensile strength. In this review different type of polymer membrane used as separator in lithium ion battery are discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.12
• /
• pp.1782-1789
• /
• 2012

We have developed a novel type of polymer nanogel loaded with anticancer drug based on bio-derived poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) (${\gamma}$-PGA). ${\gamma}$-PGA is a highly anionic polymer that is synthesized naturally by microbial species, most prominently in various bacilli, and has been shown to have excellent biocompatibility. Thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA was synthesized by covalent coupling between the carboxyl groups of ${\gamma}$-PGA and the primary amine group of cysteamine. Doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated using the following steps: (1) an ionic nanocomplex was formed between thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA as the negative charge component, and Dox as the positive charge component; (2) addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) induced hydrogen-bond interactions between thiol groups of thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA and hydroxyl groups of PEG, resulting in the nanocomplex; and (3) disulfide crosslinked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated by ultrasonication. The average size and surface charge of Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels in aqueous solution were $136.3{\pm}37.6$ nm and $-32.5{\pm}5.3$ mV, respectively. The loading amount of Dox was approximately 38.7 ${\mu}g$ per mg of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogel. The Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels showed controlled drug release behavior in the presence of reducing agents, glutathione (GSH) (1-10 mM). Through fluorescence microscopy and FACS, the cellular uptake of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels into breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was analyzed. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated using the MTT assay and was determined to be dependent on both the concentration and treatment time of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels. The bio-derived ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels are expected to be a well-designed delivery carrier for controlled drug delivery applications.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.88-95
• /
• 2019

Hydrocarbons containing carbon double bonds are generally called olefins and it is extensively used in petro-chemical industry as essential base material. Especially, olefins are essential in polymer synthesis and thus the effective separation and purification of olefins from gas mixture are very important and it gives significant positive effect on the future industrial development. In this study, we fabricated polymeric composite membrane based on poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) for propylene/nitrogen separation and enhancement of its separation performance by grafting amphiphilic copolymer. Furthermore, to accelerate facilitated transport for propylene molecules, Ag salt ($AgBF_4$) and ionic liquid ($EMIM-BF_4$) was incorporated to polymer composite membranes. The neat PTMSP membrane exhibited extremely high gas permeance and low gas selectivity due to its high free volume. To address this issue, PTMSP was grafted with poly(oxyethylene glycol methacrylate) (POEM) and poly(ethylene glycol) behenyl ether methacrylate (PEGBEM). Additionally, the additives such as $AgBF_4$ and $EMIM-BF_4$ further increased the propylene permeance, resulting in increment of propylene/nitrogen selectivity.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.87-103
• /
• 2019

Nonaqueous organic electrolyte solution in commercially available lithium-ion batteries, due to its flammability, corrosiveness, high volatility, and thermal instability, is demanding to be substituted by safer solid electrolyte with higher cycle stability, which will be utilized effectively in large-scale power sources such as electric vehicles and energy storage system. Of various types of solid electrolytes, composite solid electrolytes with polymer matrix and active inorganic fillers are now most promising in achieving higher ionic conductivity and excellent interface contact. In this review, some kinds and brief history of solid electrolyte are at first introduced and consequent explanations of polymer solid electrolytes and inorganic solid electrolytes (including active and inactive fillers) are comprehensively carried out. Composite solid electrolytes including these polymer and inorganic materials are also described with their electrochemical properties in terms of filler shapes, such as particle (0D), fiber (1D), plane (2D), and solid body (3D). In particular, in all-solid-state lithium batteries using lithium metal anode, the interface characteristics are discussed in terms of cathode-electrolyte interface, anode-electrolyte interface, and interparticle interface. Finally, current requisites and future perspectives for the composite solid electrolytes are suggested by help of some decent reviews recently reported.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.698-706
• /
• 2019

Over the last few decades, there have been a lot of efforts to develop soft actuators, which can be external stimuli-responsive and applied to the human body. In order to fabricate medical soft actuators with a dynamic precision control, the 3D crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels were synthesized in this study by using a radiation technique without noxious chemical additives or initiators. After irradiation, all hydrogels showed high gel fraction over 75% and the ATR-FTIR spectra indicated that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels were successfully synthesized. In addition, the gel fraction, equilibrium water content, and compressive strength were measured to determine the change in physical properties of PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels according to the irradiation dose and content ratio of constituents. As the irradiation dose and amount of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) increased, the PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels showed a high crosslinking density and mechanical strength. It was also confirmed that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels responded to electrical stimulation even at a low voltage of 3 V. The bending behavior of hydrogels under an electric field can be controlled by changing the crosslinking density, ionic group content, applied voltage, and ionic strength of swelling solution.