• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.235-246
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• 2023

Nanotechnology, like any other revolutionary innovation in materials science, has significantly influenced the level of competition in sports. Nanotechnology provides various benefits and enormous potential to enhance athletic equipment, making players safer, more comfortable, and more agile. Various sporting equipment is being infused with nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), silica nanoparticles (SNPs), nanoclays fullerenes, etc., to enhance athlete and equipment performance. Each of these nanomaterials gives athletic equipment an extra benefit like high strength and stiffness, longevity, decreased weight, abrasion resistance, etc. This paper mechanically analysis the structural strength of tennis equipment to avoid injury. As a result, the bending forces are applied to the reinforced structures to investigate their durability.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1096-1103
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• 2019

UCB-1 is the commercial rootstock of pistachio. Reproduction of this rootstock by tissue culture is limited by low levels of proliferation rate. Therefore, any compound that improves the proliferation rate and the quality of the shoots can be used in the process of commercial reproduction of this rootstock. Use of plant growth-promoting bacteria is one of the best ideas. Given the beneficial effects of nanoparticles in enhancement of the growth in plant tissue cultures, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of nanoencapsulation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (using silica nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes) and their metabolites in improving UCB1 pistachio micropropagation. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. Before planting, treatments on the DKW medium were added. The results showed that the use of Pseudomonas fluorescens VUPF5 and Bacillus subtilis VRU1 nanocapsules significantly enhanced the root length and proliferation. The nanoformulation of the VUPF5 metabolite led to the highest root length (6.26 cm) and the largest shoot (3.34 cm). Inoculation of explants with the formulation of the metabolites (both bacterial strains) significantly elevated the average shoot length and the fresh weight of plant compared to the control. The explants were dried completely using both bacterial strains directly and with capsule coating after the three days.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2006

This article presents a brief overview of an important area of neutron scattering: the general principles and techniques of elastic, quasielastic and inelastic scattering from a system composed predominately of incoherent scatterers. The methodology is then applied to the study of water, specifically when it is confined in nanometer-scale environments. The confined water exhibits uniquely anomalous properties in the supercooled state. It also nourishes biological functions, and supports essential chemical reactions in living systems. We focus on recent investigations of water encapsulated in nanoporous silica and carbon nanotubes, hydrated water in proteins and water or hydroxyl species incorporated in nanostructured minerals. Through these scientific examples, we demonstrate the advantages derived from the high sensitivity of incoherent neutron spectroscopy to hydrogen atom motions and hydrogen-bond dynamics, aided by rigorous data interpretation method using molecular dynamics simulations or theoretical modelling. This enables us to probe the inter-/intramolecular vibrations and relaxation/diffusion processes of water molecules in a complex environment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.351-364
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• 2016

In recent decades, many researchers have tried to improve desalination performances of polyamide (PA) thin-film composite membranes (TFCs) by incorporating nanomaterials into a selective PA layer. This review focuses on PA-based nanocomposite membranes with high performances for energy-effective desalination in reverse osmosis. Carbon based nanomaterial (e.g., graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNT)) and/or other nanoparticles (e.g., zeolite, silica and etc.,) were applied to overcome the trade-off correlation between water permeability and salt rejection of current polymeric desalination membranes. Here, this brief review will discuss current studies of PA-based nanocomposite membranes with enhanced separation characteristics and provide the future research direction to achieve further improved desalination performances.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.68
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• pp.387-392
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• 2018

Various technical approaches and concepts have been proposed to develop conductive super-hydrophobic (SH) surfaces. However, most of these approaches are not usable in practical applications because of insufficient adhesion and cost issues. Additionally, durability and uniformity issues are still in need of improvement. The goal of this research is to produce a large-area conductive SH surface with improved adhesion performance and uniformity. To this end, carbon nanotubes (CNT) with a high aspect ratio and elastomeric polymer were utilized as a conductive filler and matrix, respectively, to form a coating layer. Additionally, nanoscale silica particles were utilized for stable implementation of the conductive SH surface. To improve the adhesion properties between the SH coating layer and substrate, pretreatment of the substrate was conducted by utilizing both wet and dry etching processes to create specific organic functional groups on the substrate. Following pretreatment of the surface, a zirco-aluminate coupling agent was utilized to enhance adhesion properties between the substrate and the SH coating layer. Raman spectroscopy revealed that adhesion was greatly improved by the formation of a chemical bond between the substrate and the SH coating layer at an optimal coupling agent concentration. The developed conductive SH coating attained a high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness, which is advantageous in self-cleaning EMI shielding applications.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

This experimental study was intended to improve the compressive strength of multi-walled CNT reinforced cementitious composites with efficiency. The variables considered are the degree of sonication, the amount of surfactant, the replacement ratio of silica fume, etc. Optical microscope informed that fiber dispersion of CNT was improved with the increase of sonication time, and the compressive strength was proved to be enhanced as the degree of sonication increased. When superplasticizer as a surfactant had SP/CNT ratio of 4~6, the best improvement in strength was obtained. Silica fume was shown to produce the highest compressive strength at 10% replacement. Microstructure of CNT composites was also analyzed; XRD and SEM results indicated that CNT addition hardly changed hydration products and microstructure, and MIP analysis found the reduction of total porosity as well as the increase of nano-pores with the size of tens of nm instead of the decrease of pore distribution in the region of around 10 ${\mu}m$ and 100 nm. The results of microstructure analysis explains that the strength improvement is closely related to physical contribution rather than chemical influence by adding CNT.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.108-109
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• 2012

This talk will begin with the demonstration of facile synthesis of silicon nanostructures using the magnesiothermic reduction on silica nanostructures prepared via self-assembly, which will be followed by the characterization results of their performance for energy storage. This talk will also report the fabrication and characterization of highly porous, stretchable, and conductive polymer nanocomposites embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for application in flexible lithium-ion batteries. It will be presented that the porous CNT-embedded PDMS nanocomposites are capable of good electrochemical performance with mechanical flexibility, suggesting these nanocomposites could be outstanding anode candidates for use in flexible lithium-ion batteries. Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) can generate uniform and periodic patterns within guiding templates, and has been one of the promising nanofabrication methodologies for resolving the resolution limit of optical lithography. BCP self-assembly processing is scalable and of low cost, and is well-suited for integration with existing semiconductor manufacturing techniques. This talk will introduce recent research results (of my research group) on the self-assembly of Si-containing block copolymers for the achievement of sub-10 nm resolution, fast pattern generation, transfer-printing capability onto nonplanar substrates, and device applications for nonvolatile memories. An extraordinarily facile nanofabrication approach that enables sub-10 nm resolutions through the synergic combination of nanotransfer printing (nTP) and DSA of block copolymers is also introduced. This simple printing method can be applied on oxides, metals, polymers, and non-planar substrates without pretreatments. This talk will also report the direct formation of ordered memristor nanostructures on metal and graphene electrodes by the self-assembly of Si-containing BCPs. This approach offers a practical pathway to fabricate high-density resistive memory devices without using high-cost lithography and pattern-transfer processes. Finally, this talk will present a novel approach that can relieve the power consumption issue of phase-change memories by incorporating a thin $SiO_x$ layer formed by BCP self-assembly, which locally blocks the contact between a heater electrode and a phase-change material and reduces the phase-change volume. The writing current decreases by 5 times (corresponding to a power reduction of 1/20) as the occupying area fraction of $SiO_x$ nanostructures varies.

• Clean Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2006

Two types of mesoporous carbons, CMK-3 and CMK-5, were prepared using mesoporous silica as a removable template, and their hydrogen storage capacities were evaluated. For the purpose of comparison, MWCNT (multi-walled carbon nanotubes) was selected and the adsorption of hydrogen was measured. The amount of hydrogen adsorbed on carbon materials was found to be closely related to the surface areas of carbon samples: The higher the surface area of the carbon material, the larger amount of hydrogen was adsorbed. The hydrogen storage capacity increased in the order of CMK-5 > CMK-3 > MWCNT. In addition, hydrogen storage capacity was greatly enhanced by the Pd-doping onto CMK-5. When the metallic Pd was doped on the carbon material, the adsorption amount of hydrogen via a hydrogen spill-over mechanism was crucial to the hydrogen storage capacity of Pd-doped CMK-5.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.343-350
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• 2022

In recent years, nanomaterials, such as nano-silica, carbon nanotubes, and graphene oxide (GO), have been suggested to improve the properties of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between aggregates and cement pastes, which has most adversely affected the strength of quasi-brittle concrete. Among the nanomaterials, GO with superior dispersibility has been reported to be effective in improving the properties of ITZ of normal-strength concrete by forming interfacial chemical bonds with Ca²⁺ ions abundant in ITZ. In this study, the effect of GO on the properties of ITZ in the high-strength mortar was elucidated by calculating the change in hydration heat release, ITZ thickness, and the porosity around ISO sand, which was obtained with isothermal calorimetry tests and scanning electron microscope image analysis, respectively.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2020

To investigate the reinforcing effects of functional fillers in nitrile rubber (NBR) materials, high-structure carbon black (HS45), coated calcium carbonate (C-CaCO3), silica (200MP), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as functional filler, and carbon black (SRF) as a common filler were used for oil-resistant rubber. The curing and mechanical properties of HS45-, 200MP-, and MWCNT-filled NBR compounds were improved compared to those of the SRF-filled NBR compound. The reinforcing effect also increased with a decrease in the particle size of the fillers. The C-CaCO3-filled NBR compound exhibited no reinforcing effect with increasing filler concentration because of their large primary particle size (2 ㎛). The reinforcing behavior based on 100% modulus of the functional filler based NBR compounds was compared by using several predictive equation models. The reinforcing behavior of the C-CaCO3-filled NBR compound was in accordance with the Smallwood-Einstein equation whereas the 200MP- and MWCNT-filled NBR compounds fitted well with the modified Guth-Gold (m-Guth-Gold) equation. The SRF- and HS45-filled NBR compounds exhibited reinforcing behavior in accordance with the Guth-Gold and m-Guth-Gold equations, respectively, at a low filler content. However, the values of reinforcement parameter (100Mf/100Mu) of the SRF- and HS45-filled NBR compounds were higher than those determined by the predictive equation model at a high filler content. Because the chains of SRF composed of spherical filler particles are similarly changed to rod-like filler particles embedded in a rubber matrix and the reinforcement parameter rapidly increased with a high content of HS45, the higher-structured filler. The reinforcing effectiveness of the functional fillers was numerically evaluated on the basis of the effectiveness index (��SRF/��f) determined by the ratio of the volume fraction of the functional filler (��f) to that of the SRF filler (��SRF) at three unit of reinforcing parameter (100Mf/100Mu). On the basis of their effectiveness index, MWCNT-, 200MP-, and HS45-filled compounds showed higher reinforcing effectiveness of 420%, 70%, and 20% than that of SRF-filled compound, respectively whereas C-CaCO3-filled compound exhibited lower reinforcing effectiveness of -50% than that of SRF-filled compound.