• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.280-280
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• 2006

Na-bentonite (local clay mineral) and Na-montmorillonite were treated with quaternary alkylammonium cations. The effect of the molecular structure and functional groups of the surfactants on the organoclays was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). For the preparation of nanocomposites, organoclays were melt-blended with polypropylene in a twin screw extruder and $Surlyn^{(R)$. ionomer was used as a reactive compatibilizer. The clay dispersions in the composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD spectra showed no peak at low angle indicated that the silicate clay layer has a nearly exfoliated dispersion in the polymer matrix. Thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites were higher than those of PP.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.367-367
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• 2006

With poly (ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomer (i.e. Surlyn) as a compatibilizer, PP/organoclay (Cloisite(R)20A) nanocomposites were prepared via melt compounding in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. For comparison, the widely used PP-g-MA was also used as a reference. The content of organoclay was fixed at 5phr based on the total weight of polymer resins. The structures of nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, rheometry in small amplitude oscillatory shear, SEM, and TEM, respectively. It was found that PP/Surlyn/OMMT nanocomposites displayed higher intercalation degree and better dispersion effect than the corresponding PP/PP-g-MA/OMMT counterpart. Additionally, their mechanical properties and wettability were measured.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.249-257
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• 2005

Polyurethane(PU) prepolymers were prepared from polyol and diisocyanate. Unionized PU prepolymers were synthesized from poly(propylene glycol)(PPG, MW: 1000), 2,2-bis (hydroxymethyl) propionic acid(DMPA), and isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI) by prepolymer syhthesizing process. After PU prepolymers were dispersed into water, the physical properties were investigated by changing the molar ratio of polyol and diisocyanate. The results showed a stable state with the best physical properties when the prepolymer was composed of PPG/DMPA with hard segment=40%, NCO%=3.43%, [NCO]: [OH]=1.5: 1.0 in molar ratio, and was dispersed into water with 30% solid content. PU prepolymers also were synthesized with various molar ratio of PPG and DMPA. Upon higher molar ratio of DMPA, particle size of polyurethane dispersion(PUD) gradually decreased. PU-prepolymers prepared from the various blocking agents represented characteristic initial deblocking temperatures that depended on the blocking agents, and the beginning of deblocking occured within 30 mins on all the blocking agents used.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.810-814
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• 2017

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are some of the most efficient electrochemical energy sources for transportation applications because of their clean, green, and high efficiency characteristics. The optimization of catalyst layer morphology is considered a feasible approach to achieve high performance of PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this work, we studied the effect of the solvent on the catalyst layer of PEMFC MEAs fabricated using the electrostatic spray deposition method. The catalyst ink comprised of Pt/C, a Nafion ionomer, and a solvent. Two types of solvent were used: isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and dimethylformamide (DMF). Compared with the catalyst layer prepared using IPA-based ink, the catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink had a dense structure because the DMF dispersed the Pt/C-Nafion agglomerates smaller and more homogeneously. The size distribution of the agglomerates in catalyst ink was confirmed through Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and the microstructure of the catalyst layer was compared using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). In addition, the electrochemical investigation was performed to evaluate the solvent effect on the fuel cell performance. The catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink significantly enhanced the cell performance (1.2 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) compared with that fabricated using IPA-based ink (0.5 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) due to the better dispersion and uniform agglomeration on the catalyst layer.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.413-419
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• 2019

In the recent, as a world demand of energy resources has been transformed from fossil fuels to hydrogen-based clean energy resources, a huge attention has been attracted to increase the performance and decrease a production cost of core materials in fuel cell technology. The utilization of reinforced composite membranes as electrolytes in the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells can reduce the use of high cost perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA), mitigate the cell impedance, and improve the dimensional stability as well as the interfacial stability, giving rise to achieve both an improved performance and a reduction of production costs of the fuel cell devices. In this study, we investigate the effects of physical characteristics and cell performances according to the various ionomer solvents in the solution based manufacturing process of reinforced composite electrolyte membrane.