• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.38-42
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• 2015

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a widely used material for replicating micro-structures because of its transparency, deformability, and easy fabrication. At the nanoscale, however, it is hard to fill a nanohole template with uncured PDMS. This paper introduces several simple methods by changing the surface energy of a nanohole template and PDMS elastomer for replicating 100nm-scale structures. In the case of template, pristine anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), hydrophobically treated AAO, and hydrophillically treated AAO are used. For the surface energy change of the PDMS elastomer, a hydrophilic additive and dilution solvent are added in the PDMS prepolymer. During the molding process, a simple casting method is used for all combinations of the treated template and modified PDMS. The nanostructured PDMS surface was investigated with a scanning electron microscope after the molding process for verification.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.274.2-274.2
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• 2013

We described a simple and efficient fabrication method for generating microfluidic channels with a circular-cross sectional geometry by exploiting the reflow phenomenon of a thick positive photoresist. Initial rectangular shaped positive photoresist micropatterns on a silicon wafer, which were fabricated by a conventional photolithography process, were converted into a half-circular shape by tuning the temperature to around $105^{\circ}C$. Through optimization of the reflow conditions, we could obtain a perfect circular micropattern of the positive photoresist, and control the diameter in a range from 100 to 400 ${\mu}m$. The resultant convex half-circular photoresist was used as a template for fabricating a concave polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through a replica molding process, and a circular PDMS microchannel was produced by bonding two half-circular PDMS layers. A variety of channel dimensions and patterns can be easily prepared, including straight, S-curve, X-, Y-, and T-shapes to mimic an in vivo vascular network. To inform an endothelial cell layer, we cultured primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) inside circular PDMS microchannels, and demonstrated successful cell adhesion, proliferation, and alignment along the channel.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.929-932
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• 2012

Novel platform technology has been developed to replace the photolithography used currently for manufacturing semiconductors and display devices. As a substrate, plastics, especially polycarbonates, have been considered for future application such as flexible display. Other plastics, i.e. polyimide, polyetheretherketon, and polyethersulfone developed for the substrate at this moment, are available for photolithography due to their high glass transition temperature, instead of high price. After thin polystyrene film was coated on the polycarbonate substrate, microstructure of the film was formed with polydimethylsiloxane template over the glass transition temperature of the polystyrene. The surface of the structure was treated with potassium permanganate and octadecyltrimethoxysilane so that the surface became hydrophobic. After this surface treatment, the nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous solution were aligned in the structure followed by evaporation of the DI water. Without the treatment, the nanoparticles were placed on the undesired region of the structure. Therefore, the interfacial interaction was also utilized for the nanoparticle alignment. The surface was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. The evaporation of the solvent occurred after several drops of the solution where the hydrophilic nanoparticles were dispersed. During the evaporation, the alignment was precisely guided by the physical structure and the interfacial interaction. The alignment was applied to the electric device.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.3378-3382
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• 2012

A superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle > $150^{\circ}$ has attracted great interest from both fundamental and practical aspects. In this study, we demonstrated that hydrophobicity of a silica nanotube (SNT) array can be easily controlled by the SNT aspect ratio. In addition, the adhesive and anti-adhesive properties were controlled without modifying the hydrophobic surface. Various silica structures on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate were prepared using the desired alumina template. Bundle-arrayed and bowl-arrayed silica surfaces exhibited extraordinary superhydrophobicity due to the large frontal surface area and hierarchical micro/nanostructure. As the strategy used in this study is biocompatible and a wide range of hydrophobicities are capable of being controlled by the SNT aspect ratio, a hydrophobic surface composed of an SNT array could be an attractive candidate for bioapplications, such as cell and protein chips.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2022

We demonstrated roll-to-roll microcontact printed (mCP) microlens array (MLA) to enhance the light extraction of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The commercially provided microlens array is used as a template for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) roll stamp. The fluorinated film is formed on the PDMS roll stamp from fluorinated ink with low boiling point and printed onto the bottom side of the organic light emitting diode without high pressure and high thermal treatment. With optimized concentration of ink, the pattern which is almost identical to that of the template MLA was successfully printed. Due to the structure and low optical absorbance of microcontact printed MLA, the external quantum efficiency of OLED was improved by about 18%.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2019

Monodisperse microparticles has been particularly enabling for various applications in the encapsulation and delivery of pharmaceutical agents. The microfluidic devices are attractive candidates to produce highly uniform droplets that serve as templates to form monodisperse microparticles. The microfluidic devices that have micro-scale channel allow precise control of the balance between surface tension and viscous forces in two-phase flows. One of its essential abilities is to generate highly monodisperse droplets. In this paper, a microfluidic approach for preparing monodisperse polycaprolactone (PCL) microparticles is presented. The microfluidic devices that have a flow-focusing generator are manufactured by soft-lithography using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The crucial factors in the droplet generation are the controllability of size and monodispersity of the microdroplets. For this, the volumetric flow rates of the dispersed phase of oil solution and the continuous phase of water to generate monodisperse droplets are optimized. As a result, the optimal flow condition for droplet dripping region that is able to generate uniform droplet is found. Furthermore, the droplets containing PCL polymer by solvent evaporation after collection of droplet from device is solidified to generate the microparticle. The particle size can be controlled by tuning the flow rate and the size of the microchannel. The monodispersity of the PCL particles is measured by a coefficient of variation (CV) below 5%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.109-109
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• 2017

알지네이트 하이드로 젤은 해조류에서 추출되는 천연 고분자인 알지네이트가 칼슘 또는 마그네슘 양이온과 이온가교(Ioninc cross linking)를 형성할 때 알지네이트의 고분자 구조가 칼슘, 마그네슘 양이온을 감싸면서 형성되는 고분자이다. 알지네이트 하이드로 젤은 높은 생체적합성(Biocompatibility)으로 인해 세포 재생을 위한 조직공학 및 재생의학, 약물전달 등의 제약 관련 분야에 광범위하게 적용될 수 있는 물질로 많은 연구가 이루어지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 마이크로 플루이딕 칩을 이용하여 알지네이트 튜브를 제조하였다. 먼저 유동 포커싱 방식(flow focussing)을 유도할 수 있는 PDMS(Polydimethylsiloxane) 마이크로 플루이딕 칩을 제조하였다. 마이크로 플루이딕 칩은 CNC(Computer Numeric Control) milling machine을 이용한 template를 만들고 NOA mold를 이용하여 최종 PDMS 칩을 제작하였다. 튜브를 만들기 위한 마이크로 채널은 내부 채널 ($200{\times}200um$), 중간 채널 ($200{\times}200um$) 및 외부 채널 ($200{\times}200um$)로 구성되며 내부, 중간, 외부의 유체가 합류하는 수집채널은 폭 500 um, 깊이 200 um로 구성되었다. 운반체로는 5%의 acetic acid를 함유한 mineral oil를 이용하였으며 내부의 core flow는 $H_2O$로 하였다. 중간 유체인 2% 알지네이트 프리폴리머는 칼슘 이온의 존재 하에서 젤화 과정이 매우 빠르기 때문에 마이크로 채널 내부에서의 반응을 제어하고 막힘을 방지하기 위해 수용성 복합 칼슘-에틸렌 디아민 테트라 아세트산 (EDTA)을 사용하였다. 본 마이크로 플루이딕 칩에 각각의 유체를 이동시켰을 때, 운반체인 oil phase의 수소이온은 중간 유체인 알지네이트 프리폴리머와의 계면을 통해 확산되어 Ca-EDTA 복합체로부터 칼슘 양이온의 방출을 유발하게 된다. 방출된 칼슘 양이온은 알지네이트 고분자와의 이온 가교를 통해 알지네이트 하이드로 젤을 형성하여, 각 유체의 flow에 따라 알지네이트 튜브를 쉽고 빠르게 제조 가능하였다. 본 연구에서 제조된 알지네이트 튜브는 인체 내 장기간 약물 전달을 위한 나노섬유로 활용하거나 인공혈관을 구성하는 extracellular matrix로 활용될 잠재력을 가지고 있어 추후 활발한 연구개발이 진행될 예정이다.

• Clean Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.295-300
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• 2012

Synthesis of well-defined particle with tunable size, shape, and functionalities is strongly emphasized for various applications such as chemistry, biology, material science, chemical engineering, medicine, and biotechnology. This study presents micromolding method for the fabrication of anisotropic particles with elegant control of curvature of covex roof. For the demostration of rapid fabrication of the particles, we have applied polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromold as structure guiding template and wetting fluid to control curvature of roof of the particles. Based on this approach, we can control the radius of curvature from $20{\mu}m$ to $70{\mu}m$ with different aspect ratio of mold. In addition, wetting fluids with different wetting properties can also modulate the height and radius of curvature of the particles. We envision that this methodology is promising tool for precise control of particle shape in 3-dimensional space and new synthetic route for anisotropic particles with cost effective, simple, easy, and fast procedure.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.508-514
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• 2022

Piezoelectric composite films which are enabled by inorganic piezoelectric nanomaterials-embedded polymer, have attracted enormous attention as a sustainable power source for low powered electronics, because of their ease of fabrication and flexible nature. However, the absorption of applied stress by the soft polymeric matrices is a major issue that must be solved to expand the fields of piezoelectric composite applications. Herein, a flexible and porous piezoelectric composite (piezoelectric sponge) comprised of BaTiO₃ nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane was developed using template method to enhance the energy conversion efficiency by minimizing the stress that vanishes into the polymer matrix. In the porous structure, effective stress transfer can occur between the piezoelectric active materials in compression mode due to direct contact between the ceramic particles embedded in the pore-polymer interface. The piezoelectric sponge with 30 wt% of BaTiO₃ particles generated an open-circuit voltage of ~12 V and a short-circuit current of ~150 nA. A finite element method-based simulation was conducted to theoretically back up that the piezoelectric output performance was effectively improved by introducing the sponge structure. Furthermore, to demonstrate the feasibility of pressure detecting applications using the BaTiO₃ particles-embedded piezoelectric sponge, the composite was arranged in a 3 × 3 array and integrated into a single pressure sensor. The fabricated sensor array successfully detected the shape of the applied pressure. This work can provide a cost-effective, biocompatible, and structural strategy for realizing piezoelectric composite-based energy harvesters and self-powered sensors with improved energy conversion efficiency.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.307-311
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• 2022

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, numerous people worldwide connect with various electronic devices via Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Considering that HMIs are a new concept of dynamic interactions, wearable electronics have been highlighted owing to their lightweight, flexibility, stretchability, and attachability. In particular, wearable strain sensors have been applied to a multitude of practical applications (e.g., fitness and healthcare) by conformally attaching such devices to the human skin. However, the stretchable elastomer in a wearable sensor has an intrinsic stretching limitation; therefore, structural advances of wearable sensors are required to develop practical applications of wearable sensors. In this study, we demonstrated a 3-dimensional (3D), porous, and piezoelectric strain sensor for sensing body movements. More specifically, the device was fabricated by mixing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyvinylidene fluoride nanoparticles (PVDF NPs) as the matrix and piezoelectric materials of the strain sensor. The porous structure of the strain sensor was formed by a sugar cube-based 3D template. Additionally, mixing methods of PVDF piezoelectric NPs were optimized to enhance the device sensitivity. Finally, it is verified that the developed strain sensor could be directly attached onto the finger joint to sense its movements.