• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

Polymer electrolyte membranes containing polysilsesquioxane (PSQ) spheres were prepared with the blend of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) (60%) and poly(ether sulfone) (PES) (40%). The amount of PSQ spheres was fixed at 10 wt%. The prepared polymer electrolyte membranes were characterized in terms of methanol permeability, proton conductivity, and ion exchange capacity. In all cases, both methanol permeability and proton conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membranes containing PSQ spheres were lower than the values of Nafion 117 and higher than those of SPEEK/PES (6:4) blend without PSQ spheres. The experimental results indicated that the polymer electrolyte membranes containing MS64 and VTMOS spheres were the best choice in terms of the ratio of proton conductivity to methanol permeability.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.177-180
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• 2005

A series of inorganic-organic hybrid membranes were prepared with a systematic variation of titanium dioxide nano particles content. Their liquid uptake, methanol permeability and proton conductivity as a function of inorganic oxide content were investigated. The results obtained show that the inorganic oxide network decreases the proton conductivity and liquid uptake. It is also found that increase in inorganic oxide content leads to decrease of methanol permeability. In terms of the morphology, membranes are homogeneous and exhibit a good adhesion between inorganic domains and the polymer matrix. The properties of the composite membranes are compared with the standard nafion membrane.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.842-846
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• 2008

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers of poly(ethersulfone)s were deposited on the surface of Nafion membrane for the application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Aminated poly(ethersulfone) (APES) and sulfonated poly(ethersulfone) (SPES) were used as a polycation and a polyanion for fabrication of the multilayer films. UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy verified a linear build-up of the multilayers of APES and SPES on the surface of Nafion. Thin multilayer films deposited on the Nafion membrane enabled methanol permeability of the membrane to decrease by 78% in comparison with the pristine Nafion. The performance of DMFCs in concentrated methanol was highly enhanced by using the multilayer modified Nafion.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.457-466
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• 2008

The relation between the phase separated morphologies and their transport properties in the polymer blend membrane for direct methanol fuel cell application was studied. In order to enhance the proton conductivity and reduce the methanol crossover, sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymer, with a sulfonation of 60 mol% (sPAES-60), was blended with nonsulfonated poly(ether sulfone) copolymer (RH-2000, Solvay). Various morphologies were obtained by varying the drying condition and the concentration of the casting solution (10, 15, 20 wt%). The transport properties of proton and methanol molecule through the polymer blend membranes were studied according to the absorbed water. AC impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the proton conductivity and a liquid permeability measuring instrument was designed to measure the methanol permeability. The state of water in the blend membranes was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and was used to correlate the morphology of the membrane with the membrane transport properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.409-411
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• 2005

A series of inorganic-organic hybrid membranes were prepared with a systematic variation of titanium dioxidenanoparticles content. Their water uptake, methanol permeability and proton conductivity as a function of inorganic oxide content were investigated. The results obtained show that the inorganic oxide network decreases the proton conductivity and water swelling. It is also found that increase in inorganic oxide content leads to decrease of methanol permeability. In terms of the morphology, membranes are homogeneous and exhibit a good adhesion between inorganic domains and the polymer matrix. The properties of the composite membranes are compared with the standard nation membrane.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.191-199
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• 2003

Cation exchange polymer electrolyte membrane for the application of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) was studied. Poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) well known as a methanol barrier in pervaporation separation was used fur the base materials and poly(acrylic acid)(PAA) was used for the crosslinking agent with various concentration. Methanol permeability, ion conductivity, ion exchange capacity, water contents and fixed ion concentration of the membranes were investigated to evaluate the performance of the fuel cell electrolyte membrane. Methanol permeability and ion conductivity of the membranes were decreased with increasing PAA content and were increased over 15% of PAA content. These phenomena would be explained with the introduction of hydrophilic crosslinking agent. The membranes with 15% content of PAA showed methanol permeability of $6.49{\times}10^{-8}/cm^2/s,\; 2.85{\times}10^{-7}CM^2/s$ at $25^{\circ}C,\; 50^{\circ}C$ of operating temperatures, respectively. ion conductivities of the membrane were $2.66{\times}10^{-3}\;S/cm,$ $9.16{\times}10^{-3}\;S/cm$ at $25^{\circ}C,\; 50^{\circ}C$ of operating temperatures, respectively. ion exchange capacity, water content and fixed ion concentration of the membrane were revealed 1.32 meq/g membrane,0.25 g $H_2$O/g membrane and 5.25 meq/g $H_2O$, respectively.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.51-53
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• 2002

The hydrogen ions in poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) membranes substiuted with $Li^+, Na^+, and K^+/ $of monvoalent metal ions, $Mg^{2+}, Ca^{2+} and Ba^{2+}$ of divalent metal ions, and $Al^{3+}$ of trivalent metal ion. In addition, $Li^+ ions were exchanged with varing reaction time. The effects of metal ions exchanged were investigated in terms of methanol permeability -uling diffusion cell. The methanol permeabilies decreased in the sequence of $Na^+, Li^+ and K^+$ and this might be due to the 'Salting-out' effect while the methanol permeabilities for divalent and trivalent ion-substituted membranes were affected by the combined effects of salting-out, eletrostatic crosslinking and extent of metal ion substiution. As for $Li^+$ ions, methanol permeabilities of PVA/SSA membranes decreased in proportion to the degrees of subsituted $Li^+$ ions.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2008

The composite membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) was developed using $H_3O^+-{\beta}"-Al_2O_3$ powder and perfluorosulfonylfluroride copolymer (Nafion) resin. The perfluorosulfonylfluroride copolymer (Nafion) resin was mixed with $H_3O^+-{\beta}"-Al_2O_3$ powder and it was made to sheet form by hot pressing. The electrodes were prepared with 60 wt% PtRu/C and 60wt% Pt/C catalysts for anode and cathode, respectively. The morphology and the chemical composition of the composite membrane have been investigated by using SEM and EDXA, respectively. The composite membrane and $H_3O^+-{\beta}"-Al_2O_3$ were analyzed by using FT-IR and XRD. The methanol permeability of the composite membranes was also measured by gas chromatography (GC). The performance of the MEA containing the composite membrane (2wt% $H_3O^+-{\beta}"-Al_2O_3$) was higher than that of normal pure Nafion membrane at high operating temperature (e.g. $110^{\circ}C$), due to the homogenous distribution of $H_3O^+-{\beta}"-Al_2O_3$, which decreased the methanol permeability through the membrane and enhanced the water contents in the composite membrane.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.127-128
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• 2006

Nafion/basic polymer composite membranes were prepared to reduce the methanol crossover for the application of direct methanol fuel cell. The thermal and mechanical properties increased with increasing basic polymer contents due to the formation of complex via acid/basic interaction. The water uptake, proton conductivity, methanol permeability decreased with increasing basic polymer concentration by reduction of acidity associated with the formation of acid/base complex. The molecular effect on those properties was not considerable.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.189-193
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• 2004

Clerodendron trichotomum Thunberg Leaves (CTL) have been used for centuries in Chinese folk medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. We have studied the anti-inflammatory effects of CTL extracts in rats, mice and in Raw 264.7 cells. 1 mg/kg solutions of the 30％ and 60％ methanol extracts of CTL were used and a 1 mg/kg of indomethacin was used as a positive anti-inflammatory standard; these were then administrated to rats. Carrageenan was injected subcutaneously to induce hind paw edema in rats. The result of carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema showed that a 1 mg/kg of the 30％, and 60％ methanol fraction of CTL and 1 mg/kg of indomethacin inhibited the hind paw edema by 19.5％, 23.0％, and 20.5％ respectively. The effect of CTL on inflammation in mice by a capillary permeability assay was examined by detecting Evans blue leakage from capillaries after the intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid, a potent inflammatory stimulus. The 60％ methanol fraction of CTL inhibited Evans blue dye leakage by 47.0％, which was 10％ higher than that of the inhibition of 1 mg/kg of indomethacin. Also, the 60％ methanol fraction of CTL suppressed the prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) generation in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells after treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by as much as the inhibition of 1 mg/kg of indomethacin and this led to the synthesis of $PGE_2$ by COX-2 induction. The inhibition of the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, vascular permeability and the $PGE_2$ generation demonstrates that the 60％ methanol fraction of CTL contains a potent anti-inflammatory activity.