• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.595-604
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• 1992

Carbonate-type polyurethane resins containing anionic moieties were systhesized from NCO-terminated prepolymer method. Membranes were manufactured from the polymer solution and the separation of aqueous ethanol solution was investigated. To enhance the property of urethane resin, carbonate-type polyol(PTMCG) was used. ${\alpha}^{\prime},{\alpha}^{{\prime}{\prime}}$-dimethylolpropionic acid was used as a chain extender to increase the hydrophilicily of the urethane membrane. The ionization of the pendent carboxylic groups in urethane resin was carried out using trimthylamine. To confirm the formation of anionic groups in urethane resin, IR spectra of model compounds were compared with those of urethane resins. It was confirmed that the concentration of hard segment and hydrogen bond contributed to the property of the concentration of hard segment and hydrogen bond contributed to the property of urethane resin in which the mole ratio of chain extender and polyol was from 3:1 to urethane resin in which the mole ratio of chain extender and polyol was from 3:1 to 5:1. The carbonate-type polyurethane containing pendent carboxylic grop(PU) had Tg of around-$25^{\circ}C$ and Tm, $45^{\circ}C$ measured by DSC. Transition temperatures of one containing pendent anionic group(APU) prepared from the ionization of PU shifted to $8{\sim}10^{\circ}C$ lower temperature region than those of PU. Pervaporation membrane was prepared through the casting method. N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) were used as a solvent and hexamethylene diisocyanate(HMDl) as a crosslinking agent. Swelling degree increased with ethanol concentration in mixure and the control of the swelling degree of the membrane could be achieved by crossliking. The results of pervaporation were as follows : separation factor, 2.3~9.8 ; flux, $27{\sim}79.5g/m^2hr$. Pervaporation separation capacity could be enhanced by reducing the molecular weight of polyol from 2,000 to 1,000.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.819-824
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• 1994

A membrane-like $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$-polysulfone film was prepared by blending $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$ with polysulfone using dimethylformamide as a common solvent. SEM and EDX analysis showed that $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$ was uniformly and finely distributed in the film catalyst. The ESCA measurement also revealed that the oxidation state of Mo was not changed. The $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$-polysulfone catalyst showed lower activity for acid-catalyzed reaction and higher activity for oxidation reaction than $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$ in ethanol conversion reaction. The oxidation activity of the film catalyst was about 10 times higher than $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$. The decrease of acidic activity was due to DMF strongly adsorbed in acid sites of $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$, whereas the increase of oxidation activity was mainly due to uniform distribution of $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$. Adsorption results showed that the surface character of $H_3PMo_{12}O_{40}$ was drastically increased, while the bulk property of that was almost same after blending. It is suggested that the control of surface/bulk property as well as acid/redox property of heteropoly acid would be possible by blending it with a polymer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2006

Yam has been recognized as healthy food due to its various biological activities, such as anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anticancer and immuno-stimulation activities, and its consumption has been increased during last decades. In this study, to investigate low-temperature, long-term storage of yam and to develop processed yam products, yam-putrefactive psychrotrophic bacteria were isolated from rotted yam and identified based on BBL identification system, fatty acid analysis in cell membrane and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The putrefaction activity of isolated thirteen bacteria was evaluated using yam-slices (NaOCl-treated, autoclaved yam and without treatment), and YAM-10 and YAM-12 were identified as major psychrotrophic putrefactive bacteria. Both YAM-10 (Pseudomonas cepacia) and YAM-12 (Pseudomonas rhodesiae) bacteria grew well at 4$\sim$12$^{\circ}C$ and showed strong activity of polymer degrading enzymes, especially amylase, carboxy methyl cellulase and xylanase, at 20$^{\circ}C$. But they failed to grow at acidic pH (<5) or alkaline pH (>10). Our results suggested that the control of psychrotrophic Pseudomonas sp. by pH change and inhibition of polymer degrading enzymes, such as amy-lase, are necessary to long-term storage of yam.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.338-345
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• 2015

Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) and polyether imide (PEI) were sulfonated and aminated to create sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) and aminated polyether imide (APEI), respectively. Characterization of the SPPO and APEI were performed via measurements of FTIR, thermogravimetry (TGA), swelling degree, ion exchange capacity (IEC), and ion conductivity. Next, the surfaces of these membranes were modified by surface fluorination at room temperature. The surface fluorinated SPPO and APEI membranes underwent characterization again for the mentioned measurements to determine any differences. The 3 types of bi-polar membranes were prepared by varying the IEC of the APEI at a fixed SPPO IEC value, which were applied to the low and high NaCl concentration of feed solution at the different current density, respectively. The hypochlorite concentration derived from the surface fluorinated membranes was dependent on the IEC of the APEI and ranged from 491 to 692 ppm at $80mA/m^2$. At low current density of $5mA/m^2$, the hypochlorite concentrations ranged from 18 to 28 ppm for the 4 hrs surface fluorinated membranes and their durability increased greatly.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.323-328
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• 2015

Poly(${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers and PCL/silica membranes were synthesized by sol-gel derived electrospinning and casting, respectively. Smooth PCL nanofibers were obtained from the precursor containing N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). PCL/silica membranes were prepared by varying the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) contents from 0 to 40 vol% to investigate the effect of silica addition on mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of the membranes. Although the strength of the membranes decreased from 12 to 8 MPa with increasing the silica content, the strength remained almost constant 7 weeks after dipping in phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS). The strength reduction was attributed to the presence of a patterned surface pores and micro-pores present in the walls between pores. The crystal structure of the membranes was orthorhombic and the crystallite size decreased from 57 to 18 nm with increasing the silica content. From the agar overlay test, the PCL/silica membranes exhibited neither deformation and discoloration nor lysis of L-929 fibroblast cells.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.314-320
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• 2005

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared at various crosslinking temperatures using poly(acrylic acid-co-maleic acid) (PAM) containing different PAM contents. The thermal properties of these PVA/PAM membranes prepared at various reaction temperatures were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of PVA/PAM membranes were then investigated as PAM content was varied from 3 to 13 wt%. It was found that the proton and methanol transport were dependent on PAM content in their function both as crosslinking agent and as donor of hydrophilic -COOH groups. Both these properties decreased monotonously with increasing PAM concentration. The proton conductivities of these PVA/PAM membranes were in the range from $10^{-3}\;to\;10^{-2}S/cm$ and the methanol permeabilities from $10^{-7}\;to\;10^{-6}cm^{2}/sec$. In addition, the effect of operating temperature up to $80^{\circ}C$ on ion conductivity was examined for three selected membranes: 7, 9 and 11 wt% PAM membranes. Ion conductivity increased with increasing operating temperature and showed and S/cm at $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. The effects of crosslinking and ionomer group concentration were also examined in terms of water content, ion exchange capacity (IEC), and fixed ion concentration. In addition, the number of water molecules per ionomer site was calculated using both water contents and IEC values. With overall consideration for all the properties measured in this study, $7{\sim}9\;wt%$ PAM membrane prepared at $140^{\circ}C$ exhibited the best performance. These characteristics of PVA/PAM membranes are desirable in applications related to the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.687-693
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• 2014

Poly(ether-block-amide) 1657 (PEBAX 1657) blended membranes with molecular weight 400 poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 400) were prepared and their permeability was tested for the gases $N_2$, $O_2$, $CH_4$, $CO_2$, and $SO_2$ by the time-lag method. The permeation characteristics were investigated in terms of diffusivity and solubility, which are dominant factors for gas transport. With the addition of PEG 400, the permeability of all the gases increased and also the ideal selectivity for several pair gases was enhanced. In particular, selectivity for $CO_2/N_2$ ranged from 53.2 (pristine PEBAX 1657 membrane) to 84.1 (50% PEG 400 added), for $SO_2/CO_2$ from 38.9 to 50.7, and for $CO_2/CH_4$ from 17.7 to 31.4. The increase of both permeability and selectivity is mainly because of the increase of solubility of the gases, especially $CO_2$ and $SO_2$. To obtain durability against water vapor, glutaraldehyde (GA) was added to the PEBAX 1657/PEG 400 blended membranes. As a result, permeability decreased owing to a reduction of the free volume and ether oxide units, which are the main factors in elevating the permeability for the blended membranes, and selectivity decrease however; we believe that the durability of the resulting membranes would be increased.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.274-277
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• 2012

Cytokinesis is the final stage of cell division, dividing one mother cell into two daughter cells. For the cutting of a plasma membrane during bacterial cytokinesis, a tubulin homolog FtsZ protein is recruited from the cytoplasm to the division site. FtsZ protein polymerizes in a GTP-dependent manner and its N-terminal domain has a GTPase activity. In this study, we have begun to characterize FtsZ from Staphylococcus aureus (SA). Full-length SA FtsZ was cloned into pRSFDuet-1 vector and the clone was transformed into a BL21 (DE3) star cell. The recombinant SA FtsZ protein was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and dialysis. Using a spectrofluorometer, we showed that SA FtsZ undergoes a GTP-dependant polymerization in vitro. The polymer of the SA FtsZ protein disappeared after a few minutes, suggesting that the polymer is degraded as the GTP is consumed. This assay system may well be applied for inhibitor screening targeting S. aureus FtsZ.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2010

New cinnamate group-containing copolymers for a self-curable, humidity-sensitive polyelectrolyte and polymeric anchoring agents were prepared by copolymerization of [2-[(methacryloyloxy) ethyl]dimethyl]propyl ammonium bromide(MEPAB), methyl methacrylate(MMA), 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate(TMSPM) and 2-(cinnamoyloxy)ethyl methacrylate(CEMA). Photocrosslinkable copolymer composed of MEPAB/MMA/TMSPM/CEMA＝70/20/0/10 were used for humidity-sensitive membrane, and those of 50/0/20/30 and 0/0/50/50 were used for polymeric anchoring agents. 3- (Triethoxysilyl)propyl cinnamate(TESPC) was also used as a surface-pretreating agent for the comparison of capability of attachment of polyelectrolyte to the electrode surface with polymeric photocurable silanecoupling agents. Pretreatment of the electrode substrate with anchoring agents was performed to form a cinnamate thin film on the electrode through covalent bonds. When the sensors were irradiated with UV light, the anchoring of a polyelectrolyte into the substrate was carried out via the [2$\pi$+2$\pi$] cycloaddition. The resulting sensors using polymeric anchoring agents and TESPC showed water durability with increase of resistance by 60~85%, which is corresponding to the reduction of 2.25~3.15%RH, after soaking in water for 24 h. They showed good hysteresis (-0.2%RH), response time (90 sec) and long-term stability at high temperature and humidity.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2006

Porous polymer gel electrolytes (PGEs) based on poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-co-HFP)) as a polymer matrix and polyvinylpyrolidone (PVP) as a pore-forming agent were prepared and electrochemical properties were investigated for an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) in order to increase a permeability of an electrolyte into the PGE. Propylene carbonate (PC) and ethylene carbonate (EC) as plasticizers, and tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate ($TEABF_4$) as a supporting salt for the PGE were used. EDLC unit cells were assembled with the PGE and electrode comprising BP-20 and MSP-20 as activated carbon powders, Super P as a conducting agent, and P(VdF-co-HFP)/PVP as a mixed binder. Ion conductivity of PGEs increased with an increased PVP content and was the best at 7 wt% PVP, whereas electrochemical characteristics such as AC-ESR of unit cell were better in 3 wt%. And electrochemical characteristics of the unit cell with PGE were the best at a 33 : 33 weight ratio of PC to EC. Specific capacitance of a mixed plasticizer system of PE and EC was higher than that of pure PC. Ion conductivity of PGEs with a film thickness of $20{\mu}m$ was higher, but electrochemical characteristics of unit cells were higher for a $50{\mu}m$ membrane thickness. Also, the unit cell has shown the highest capacitance of 31.41 F/g and more stable electrochemical performance when PGE and electrode were hot pressed. Consequently, the optimum composition ratio of PGE for EDLCs was 23 : 66 : 11 wt% such as P(VdF-co-HFP) : PVP = 20 : 3 wt% and PC : EC = 44 : 22 wt%. In this case, $3.17{\times}10^{-3}S/cm$ of ion conductivity was achieved at the $50{\mu}m$ thickness of PGE for EDLCs. And the electrochemical characteristics of unit cells were $2.69{\Omega}$ of DC-ESR, 28 F/g of specific capacitance, and 100% of coulombic efficiency.