• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.1067-1072
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• 2014

In this study, we report a new approach for $Mn_3O_4$-graphene nanocomposite by ex situ method. This nanocomposite shows two-dimensional aggregation of nanoparticle, and doping effect by decorated manganese oxide ($Mn_3O_4$), as well. The graphene film was made through micromechanical cleavage of graphite on the $SiO_2/Si$ wafer. Manganese oxide ($Mn_3O_4$) nanoparticle with uniform cubic shape and size (about $5.47{\pm}0.61$ nm sized) was synthesized through the thermal decomposition of manganese(II) acetate, in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine. The nanocomposite was obtained by self-assembly of nanoparticles on graphene film, using hydrophobic interaction. After heat treatment, the decorated nanoparticles have island structure, with one-layer thickness by two-dimensional aggregations of particles, to minimize the surface potential of each particle. The doping effect of $Mn_3O_4$ nanoparticle was investigated with Raman spectra. Given the upshift in positions of G and 2D in raman peaks, we suggest that $Mn_3O_4$ nanoparticles induce p-doping of graphene film.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.299-304
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• 2008

A detection system was set up to measure the neutron generation rate of a recently developed D-D neutron generator. The system is composed of a Si detector, He-3 detector, and electronics for pulse height analysis. The neutron generation rate was measured by counting protons using the Si detector, and the data was crosschecked by counting neutrons with the He-3 detector. The efficiencies of the Si and He-3 detectors were calibrated independently by using a standard alpha particle source $^{241}Am$ and a bare isotopic neutron source $^{252}Cf$, respectively. The effect of the cross-sectional difference between the D(d,p)T and $D(d,n)^3He$ reactions was evaluated for the case of a thick target. The neutron generation rate was theoretically corrected for the anisotropic emission of protons and neutrons in the D-D reactions. The attenuations of neutron on the path to the He-3 detector by the target assembly and vacuum flange of the neutron generator were considered by the Monte Carlo method using the MCNP 4C2 code. As a result, the neutron generation rate based on the Si detector measurement was determined with a relative uncertainty of ${\pm}5%$, and the two rates measured by both detectors corroborated within 20%.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.255-261
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• 2016

$CaCO_3$ was applied in various industries including rubber, plastics, paint, paper, food additives, and acid neutralizer, etc., owing to its excellent physical and chemical characteristics as well as various appearances of crystals and many reserves. In particular, research on controlling the structure and shape of $CaCO_3$ has attracted considerable attention recently, because the whiteness and physical characteristics of $CaCO_3$ depend on the size and shapes of the particles. In this study, $CaCO_3$ was synthesized using $CaCl_2$ and $(NH4)_2CO_3$, which has multi-shapes and structures, using a self-assembly method with a hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the $CaCO_3$ could be controlled by adjusting the pH and precursor concentration. In particular, the pH adjustment appeared to be a critical factor for the morphology and crystal form. In addition, the calcite and cubic shape were obtained at pH 7, while the mixed calcite, aragonite structure, and rod shapes appeared at pH 7 and over. Through an analysis of the particle formation process, the formation of the calcium carbonate particles was confirmed. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized $CaCO_3$ were analyzed by SEM, XRD, EDS, FTIR, and TG/DTA.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.404-409
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• 2017

Natural polymer chitosan has been widely applied to medical fields due to its biochemical activities such as anticancer, antibacterial and lowering cholesterol in addition to biocompatibility and biodegradability. Currently, researches are being actively conducted to develop various drug-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles for curing different diseases by applying chitosan to a drug delivery system. The free amine ($-NH_2$) group present in chitosan can bind to various hydrophobic groups by physical and chemical modification and the chitosan with hydrophobic groups can form shell-core nanoparticles by self-assembly when dispersed in water. In addition, an insoluble drug can increase the solubility against water when it was encapsulated in the core of chitosan nanoparticles. Also, the therapy effect can be maximized by minimizing side effects of drugs such as proteins, anticancer drugs and vaccines when they were encapsulated in the core of chitosan nanoparticles. Moreover, it is possible to control the particle size and release rate according to the hydrophobic group introduced to chitosan, so that it can be applied to a wide range of medical fields. The purpose of this review is to discuss the preparation and property of chitosan nanoparticles modified with various hydrophobic groups, and the application to drug delivery systems according to their property.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

Analogue physical modelling using granular materials (i.e., sandbox experiments) has been applied with great success to a number of geological problems at various scales. Such physical experiments can also be simulated numerically with the Discrete Element Method (DEM). In this study, we apply the DEM simulation to the collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian Plate, one of the most significant current tectonic processes in the Earth. DEM simulation has been applied to various kinds of dynamic modelling, not only in structural geology but also in soil mechanics, rock mechanics, and the like. As the target of the investigation is assumed to be an assembly of many tiny particles, DEM simulation makes it possible to treat an object with large and discontinuous deformations. However, in DEM simulations, we often encounter difficulties when we examine the validity of the input parameters, since little is known about the relationship between the input parameters for each particle and the properties of the whole assembly. Therefore, in our previous studies (Yamada et al.,2002a,2002b,2002c), we were obliged to tune the input parameters by trial and error. To overcome these difficulties, we introduce a numerical biaxial test with the DEM simulation. Using the results of this numerical test, we examine the validity of the input parameters used in the collision model. The resulting collision model is quite similar to the real deformation observed in eastern Asia, and compares well with GPS data and in-situ stress data in eastern Asia.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.106-112
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• 2021

Catalyst poisoning by ionomers in membrane electrode assemblies of alkaline membrane fuel cells has been reported recently. We tried to improve the membrane electrode assembly's performance by controlling the solvent's ratio during electrode manufacturing. 4 Different mixing ratios of N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and ethylene glycol (EG) gave four different cathode electrodes with platinum and Fuma-Tech ionomers. The electrode with higher EG improved polarization performance by about 36% compared to the NMP-based commercial ionomer. The dependence of the ionomer's dispersibility on the solvent seems responsible for the difference, which means that the non-uniform distribution of ionomers improves the performance of the electrode. High-frequency resistance, internal resistance corrected polarization curve, Tafel slope, mass activity, and impedance spectroscopy characterized the electrode. We can find that the existence of poor solvent improves cathode electrode performance. It seems to be the result of reduced poisoning of the catalyst according to the particle size distribution of the ionomer.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.808-823
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• 2008

Sediment abrasion in rivers is caused by the interaction between bedrock channel bed and sediment particles transported through the river. Abrasion rate of sediment particles in rivers is controlled by two major factors; Sediment transport conditions including hydraulic conditions form the erosive forces and physical and chemical strengths of the particles form a resistance force against abrasion and other erosional processes. Physical experiments were performed to find the role of each variable on sediment abrasion process. Total 266 sediment particles were used in this experiment. All sediment particles were divided into 11 independent sediment groups with sediment particle size and sediment loads. Each sediment groups were abraded in tumbling mill for up to 8 hours. Changes in weight were recorded by run and total: 2,128 cases of abrasion rate were recoded. Physical strength of rock particles was measured with point load strength index. It is found that sediment abrasion rate has a negative functional relationship point load strength index ($I_{a(50)}$) ($R^2=0.22$). It was suggested that physical strength of sediment particles set the "maximum possible abrasion rate'. As sediment flux increases, abrasion rates of sediment particles with similar point load strength index were changed. It could be concluded that not only physical characteristics of sediment particles, but also sediment transport conditions control sediment abrasion rates.

• Clean Technology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2018

This study presents a novel and eco-friendly process that can precisely control the location of the patches on the patch particles. The method of manufacturing these anisotropic hexagram patch particles consists of sequential combinations of two separate methods such as a sequential micromolding technique for fabricating patch particles and a selective localization method for controlling the location of patches on the patch particles. The micromolding technique was carried out using physicochemically stable material as a micromold. In order to fabricate the highly stable patch anisotropic hexagram particles, the perfluoropolyether (PFPE) micromold was used to the process of the micromolding technique because they could prevent the problem of diffusion of hydrophobic monomers while conventional poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) micromold is limited to prevent the problem of diffusion of hydrophobic monomers. Based on combination methods of the micromolding technique and the selective localization method, the reproducibility and stability have been improved to fabricate 12 different types of anisotropic hexagram patch particles. This fabrication method shows the unique advantages in eco-friend condition, easy and fast fabrication due to less number of process, the feasibility of a mass production. We believe that these anisotropic hexagram patch particles can be widely utilized to the field of the directional self-assembly.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.35-44
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• 2021

As the execution speed of Python is slower than those of other programming languages (e.g., C, C++, and FORTRAN), Python is not considered to be efficient for writing numerical geodynamic code that requires numerous iterations. Recently, many computational techniques, such as the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, have been developed to enhance the calculation speed of Python. Here, we developed two-dimensional (2D) numerical geodynamic code that was optimized for the JIT compiler, based on Python. Our code simulates mantle convection by combining the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) scheme and the finite element method (FEM), which are both commonly used in geodynamic modeling. We benchmarked well-known mantle convection problems to evaluate the reliability of our code, which confirmed that the root mean square velocity and Nusselt number obtained from our numerical modeling were consistent with those of the mantle convection problems. The matrix assembly and PIC processes in our code, when run with the JIT compiler, successfully achieved a speed-up 30× and 258× faster than without the JIT compiler, respectively. Our Python-based FEM-PIC code shows the high potential of Python for geodynamic modeling cases that require complex computations.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.27-42
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• 2005

An explosion modeling technique was developed by using the spherical discrete element code, $PFC^{3D}$, which can be used to model the dynamic stress wave propagation phenomenon. The modeling technique is simply based on an idea that the explosion pressure should be applied to a $PFC^{3D}$ particle assembly not in the form of an external force (body force), but in the form of a contact force (surface force). The stress wave propagation modeling was conducted by simulating the experimental approach based on the Hopkinson's effect combined with the spatting phenomenon that had previously been developed to determine the dynamic tensile strength of Inada granite. As a result, the stress wave velocity obtained by the proposed modeling technique was 4167 m/s, which is merely $3\%$ lower than the actual wave velocity of 4300 m/s for an Inada granite.