• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.483-486
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• 2021

Catalytic ozonation of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) has been examined over mesoporous MnO_x/Al₂O₃ (MA) catalysts developed by a solvent deficient method using two different manganese precursors including manganese chloride (C) and manganese sulfate (S) at room temperature. The maximum catalytic activities of MA with C (MEK removal efficiency and ozone decomposition of 98.4 and 93.7%, respectively) were higher than those of MA with S (MEK removal efficiency and ozone decomposition of 96 and 68%, respectively). Also the catalytic stability of MA with C was much higher than that of MA with S. The physico-chemical properties of catalysts are well correlated with the activity results, which confirmed that fine dispersion of MnO_x species with high ratios of Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ and more acid sites are attributed to the higher catalyst stability for the MA-C catalyst.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2021

Isolation and separation of biological nanoparticles, such as cells and extracellular vesicles, are important techniques for their characterization. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) based on microfluidic chips is an effective method to isolate and separate the nanoparticles. However, the electrodes of the DEP chips are electrolyzed by the electrical signals applied to the nanoparticles. Thus, the isolation/separation efficiency of the nanoparticles is reduced considerably. Through this study, we developed a microfluidic DEP chip for reliable isolation/ separation of nanoparticles and developed a passivation technique for the protection of the DEP chip electrodes. The electrode passivation process was designed using a hydrogel and the stability of the hydrogel passivation layer was verified. The fabricated DEP chip and the proposed passivation technique were used for the collection and dispersion of the fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles. The proposed chip and the technique for isolation and separation of nanoparticles can be leveraged in various bioelectronic applications.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.47-66
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• 2021

This work addresses the free vibration analysis of Functionally Graded Porous (FGP) nanocomposite truncated conical shells with Graphene PLatelet (GPL) reinforcement. In this study, three different distributions for porosity and three different dispersions for graphene platelets have been considered in the direction of the shell thickness. The Halpin-Tsai equations are used to find the effective material properties of the graphene platelet reinforced materials. The equations of motion are derived based on the higher-order shear deformation theory and Sanders's theory. The Fourier Differential Quadrature (FDQ) technique is implemented to solve the governing equations of the problem and to obtain the natural frequencies of the truncated conical shell. The combination of FDQ with higher-order shear deformation theory allows a very accurate prediction of the natural frequencies. The precision and reliability of the proposed method are verified by the results of literature. Moreover, a wide parametric study concerning the effect of some influential parameters, such as the geometrical parameters, porosity distribution, circumferential wave numbers, GPLs dispersion as well as boundary restraint conditions on free vibration response of FGP-GPL truncated conical shell is also carried out and investigated in detail.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2022

In decommissioning a nuclear power plant, numerous concrete structures need to be demolished and decontaminated. Although concrete decontamination technologies have been developed globally, concrete cutting remains problematic due to the secondary waste production and dispersion risk from concrete scabbling. To minimize workers' radiation exposure and secondary waste in dismantling and decontaminating concrete structures, the following conceptual designs were developed. A micro-blast type scabbling technology using explosive materials and a multi-dimensional contamination measurement and artificial intelligence (AI) mapping technology capable of identifying the contamination status of concrete surfaces. Trials revealed that this technology has several merits, including nuclide identification of more than 5 nuclides, radioactivity measurement capability of 0.1-10⁷ Bq·g^-1, 1.5 kg robot weight for easy handling, 10 cm robot self-running capability, 100% detonator performance, decontamination factor (DF) of 100 and 8,000 cm²·hr^-1 decontamination speed, better than that of TWI (7,500 cm²·hr^-1). Hence, the micro-blast type scabbling technology is a suitable method for concrete decontamination. As the Korean explosives industry is well developed and robot and mapping systems are supported by government research and development, this scabbling technology can efficiently aid the Korean decommissioning industry.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.535-541
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• 2022

The radical reaction position was calculated by varying the calculation level for ACEL and ANT, which are detected with the highest frequency and concentration in PAHs pollution sites. The results of each calculation level were compared and evaluated with the existing literature. HF, B3LYP, B3LYP-D, and MP2 were used as the method for each level used for calculation. Except for HF, the MK charge by B3LYP, B3LYP-D, and MP2 was consistent with the experimental results. It was found that the dispersion effect was negligible in the calculation of ACEL and ANT because the calculation results by the B3LYP and B3LYP-D methods were the same. In particular, it was found that the MK charge calculation result by MP2 agrees well with the product/PAH ratio obtained as a result of the experiment. Considering the calculation cost, it would be preferable to use B3LYP to predict the radical reaction site of ACEL and ANT. However, considering the product/PAH ratio, it takes more time to calculate, but it is judged that it is better to use the MP2.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.218-227
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• 2022

A simple and fast throughput flow injection (FI) system with a merging-zone technique was designed to determine ferrous and ferric in an aqueous solution. The method is based on the direct reaction of ferrous with a Bathophenanthroline reagent (Bphen) in acidic media. The forming red complex absorbs light at 533 nm. All conditions of the flow injection system were investigated. The analytical curve of ferrous was linear in the range of 0.07 to 4 mg/L with an r² value of 0.9968. The detection and quantification limits were 0.02 and 0.04 mg/L, respectively. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity were 4.0577 × 10⁶ L/mol cm and 25 × 10^-5 ㎍/cm², respectively. The homemade valve was low-cost with high repeatability (n = 7) at an RSD of 1.26 % and zero dead volume. The values of the dispersion coefficient were 2.318, 2.022, and 1.636 for the concentrations of 0.2, 1, and 3 mg/L, respectively. The analysis throughput of the designed flow injection unit was 57 sample per hour.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.290-295
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• 2022

Recently, the use of high-tech ceramic parts in functional electronic parts, automobile parts and semiconductor equipment parts is increasing. These ceramics materials are required to have high reproducibility, reliability, large size and complex shapes. The researchers initiated the work to develop a new shaping method called gel casting, which allows high performance ceramic materials with a complex shape to be produced. The manufacturing process parameters of gel casting include uniform mixing of the initiator, bubble removal, and slip injection. In this study, we analyzed the dispersion and gelation characteristics according to the change in the additive content of the alumina slurry in the gel casting process. The alumina slurry for gel casting was prepared by mixing a solvent, a monomer and a dispersant through a ball mill. Alumina powder and a gelation initiator were added to the mixed solution, and ball milling was performed for 24 hours. A viscosity of 6,435 cps and a stable zeta potential value were obtained under the conditions of alumina powder content of 55 vol% and dispersant 2.0 wt%. After curing for 12 hours by adding aps 0.1wt%, TEMED 0.2wt%, and Monomer 3, 5wt%, it was possible to separate from the molding cup, confirming that the gelation was completed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.70-77
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• 2022

Wet-spun regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) fibers have been extensively studied owing to their 1) useful properties as biomaterials, including good blood compatibility and cyto-compatibility; 2) the various methods available to control the structural characteristics and morphology of the fiber, and 3) the possibility of fabricating blended fibers and new material-embedded fibers. In this study, silk nanofibrils prepared using a new method were embedded in RSF to fabricate wet-spun silk nanofibril/RSF composite fibers. Up to 2% addition of silk nanofibril, the silk nanofibril/RSF dope solution showed slight shear thinning, and the G' and G" of the dope solution were similar. However, above 3% silk nanofibril content, the viscosity of the dope solution significantly increased. In addition, shear thinning was remarkably evident, and the G' of the dope solution was much higher than the G", indicating a very elastic state. As the silk nanofibril content was increased, the wet-spun silk nanofibril/RSF composite fiber became uneven, with a rough surface, and more beaded fibers were produced. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed that the beaded fibers were attributed to the inhomogeneous dispersion and presence of agglomerates of the silk nanofibrils. As the silk nanofibril content and RSF concentration increased, the maximum draw ratio decreased, indicating the deterioration of the wet spinnability and post-drawing performance of silk nanofibril/RSF.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.164-169
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• 2023

Nano Pt particles were dispersed on carbon-based supports by a polyol process for a catalyst application in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. We tried to optimize the effect of pH on the electrostatic forces between the support and the Pt colloids. We investigated the relationship among the surface charges on the carbon support, the solution pH, and the concentration of a glycolate, and the Pt particle size. The produced catalyst with nano Pt particles on the support was evaluated by the long-term cyclic voltammetry (CV) performance test and compared with the results from a commercial catalyst. Our experimental results reveal that the pH-control can modify the particle size distribution and the dispersion of the nano Pt particles. This resulted in a cost-effective method for the synthesis of highly Pt loaded Pt/C catalysts for fuel cells better than a commercial catalyst system.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.810-814
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• 2017

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are some of the most efficient electrochemical energy sources for transportation applications because of their clean, green, and high efficiency characteristics. The optimization of catalyst layer morphology is considered a feasible approach to achieve high performance of PEMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this work, we studied the effect of the solvent on the catalyst layer of PEMFC MEAs fabricated using the electrostatic spray deposition method. The catalyst ink comprised of Pt/C, a Nafion ionomer, and a solvent. Two types of solvent were used: isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and dimethylformamide (DMF). Compared with the catalyst layer prepared using IPA-based ink, the catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink had a dense structure because the DMF dispersed the Pt/C-Nafion agglomerates smaller and more homogeneously. The size distribution of the agglomerates in catalyst ink was confirmed through Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and the microstructure of the catalyst layer was compared using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). In addition, the electrochemical investigation was performed to evaluate the solvent effect on the fuel cell performance. The catalyst layer prepared with DMF-based ink significantly enhanced the cell performance (1.2 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) compared with that fabricated using IPA-based ink (0.5 A cm-2 at 0.5 V) due to the better dispersion and uniform agglomeration on the catalyst layer.