• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.557-564
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• 2005

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) was manufactured and blended with poly(butylene adipate-co-succinate) (PBAS), which is one of the most popular biodegradable aliphatic polyesters. The effects of the TPS contents on the mechanical properties, thermal characteristics, and biodegradability of PBAS/TPS blends were investigated. The foaming characteristics of those were also studied. With small amount of TPS, mechanical properties of the blends were largely deteriorated and the variations of them decreased with more addition of TPS. In addition, TPS decreased crystallinity and thermal decomposition temperature of PBAS. The PBAS/TPS foam having maximum blowing ratio was obtained with 20 Phr of TPS, and their blowing ratio decreased with the further increase of TPS.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2007

The material factors influencing the sound absorption of the polyurethane foam were investigated with FT-IR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA). The measurements were performed using the samples which had a similar cell structure but different absorption coefficients. It was found that the ability of the sound absorption of the polyurethane foams was closely related to the damping behavior over the transition range. In order to confirm the use of the low monol polyol (LMP) in high-performance applications, the polyurethanes based on LMP and polypropylene oxide polyol (PPG) were prepared by the solution polymerization method. The microstructure and the physical properties of these polyurethanes were compared. The PPG-based polyurethane showed a higher level of the phase-separated structure because the considerable amount of monol presented in PPG made a contribution to the increased chain mobility. However the short chains formed due to the monol species deteriorated the damping property. As a result, the LMP-based polyurethane showed the superior damping behavior as compared with the PPG-based one.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.579-585
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• 2012

Polystyrene/carbon nanotube (CNT) microcellular foams were prepared to have electrically conductive properties via high internal phase emulsion polymerization. In this study, we have investigated the effects of surface modification of CNT, surfactant content and dispersion time to improve the stability of emulsion and the electrical conductivity of foam. Acid treatment and a surfactant were used to effectively disperse CNTs in the aqueous phase. In the organic phase, CNTs were used after a surface modification with organic functional groups. The degree of dispersion of CNTs was estimated by the electrical conductivity of resultant microcellular foams. With raw CNTs dispersed with the surfactant in the aqueous phase, substantial conductivity increase was observed but the foams were slightly shrunk. The foams prepared with organically modified CNTs dispersed in the organic phase showed stable cell morphology without shrinkage, but displayed limitation to improve the conductivity.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.413-418
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• 2017

In the present study, silica-aerogel-polyurethane foams were synthesized to improve the mechanical characteristics and insulation performance of the polyurethane foam applied to a liquefied natural gas carrier at a cryogenic temperature of $-163^{\circ}C$. A silica-aerogel-polyurethane foam bulk was prepared using a homogenizer by varying the weight ratio of the silica aerogel (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt%), while maintaining the contents of the polyol, isocyanate, and blowing agent constant. Compression tests were performed at room and cryogenic temperatures to compare the mechanical properties of the silica-aerogel polyurethane foams. The internal temperature of the universal testing machine was maintained through the cryogenic chamber. The thermal conductivity of the silica-aerogel-polyurethane foam was measured using a heat flow meter to confirm the insulation performance. In addition, the effect of the silica aerogels on the cells of the polyurethane foam was investigated using FE-SEM and FTIR. From the experimental results, the 1 wt% silica aerogel polyurethane foam showed outstanding mechanical and thermal performances.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2021

Flow field is an important parameter for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance to have an effect on the reactant supply, heat and water diffusion, and contact resistance. In this study, PEMFC performance was investigated using Cu foam flow field at the cathode of 25 cm² unit cell. Polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed at different pressure and relative humidity conditions. The Cu foam showed lower cell performance than that of serpentine type due to its high ohmic resistance, but lower activation and concentration loss due to the even reactant distribution of porous structure. Cu foam has the advantage of effective water transport because of its hydrophobicity. However, it showed low membrane hydration at low humidity condition. The metal foam flow field could improve fuel cell performance with a uniform pressure distribution and effective water management, so future research on the properties of metal foam should be conducted to reduce electrical resistance of bipolar plate.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.373-373
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• 2006

Rigid polyurethane foams(PUFs) are widely used in most areas of insulations such as storage tank and pipe line for transporting liquefied gas. Glass fiber and nanoclay are used for improvement in mechanical property and thermal insulation of rigid PUF at very low temperature(<$-150^{\circ}C$). These rigid PUFs have been characterized in terms of thermal, mechanical, dynamic mechanical properties and cell morphology. It was found that mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and dimensional stability of rigid PU foams were improved by glass fiber and nanoclay.

• Composites Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.21-27
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• 2004

In this paper, the polymer concrete using the chemically treated waste paint and polystyrene foam was manufactured and their mechanical properties were evaluated. The compressive strength, specific gravity and water absorption with respect to the volume percents of the waste paint and resin were tested. From the tests, the specific gravities of the polymer concretes using the waste paint were lower than that of the conventional polymer concrete and it was recommended that they can be used for building exterior materials.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2000

The cure and physical properties of EPDM foam containing ground rubber and carbon black as filler were studied. The cure time reduced with the addition of filler. This result means reducing the operation time. In case of ground rubber was used, blowing ratio, tensile strength, and elongation were decreased rapidly at above 30 phr. On the other hand, in case of carbon black, they showed similar physical properties until 70 phr was used limited to 30 phr to make a good foam, which should be due to low interfacial interaction between EPDM and ground rubber. All the EPDM foams showed excellent thermal stability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.21-27
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• 2008

Polypropylene(PP) foams are widely used as protective materials such as automotive bumper and safety helmet, but whose dynamic behaviour are not well defined. In this paper, the compression tests by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar were conducted to obtain the stress-strain curve and to investigate the effect of density on the absorption of impact energy in the PP foams. Three kinds of foams were chosen depending upon the density. The result of the experiment has revealed that the stiffness of the low-density PP foam is remarkably increased at high strain rate compared with that of the high-density PP foam. And it is also shown that the absorption of impact energy are greatly influenced by the density of PP foam. These results are expected to be utilized for the development of a protective structure with polymer foams.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.300-305
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• 2020

In recent times, polymeric foams have been popularly used in various applications. To meet the demand for these applications, polymer foams with excellent mechanical and thermal properties are required. In particular, silicone foam has gained significant attention owing to its superior thermal properties and low density. In this study, the mechanical and thermal properties of silicone foams filled with wollastonite were investigated. A maximum tensile strength of 98.3 kPa was obtained by adding 15 phr of wollastonite. The specific gravity did not exhibit a marked difference up to 10 phr, but it increased substantially above 15 phr wollastonite. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that adding wollastonite to the silicone foam increased both the amount of residue and the thermal decomposition temperature. The morphologies of the silicone foams filled with wollastonite were observed by scanning electron microscopy.