• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.127-131
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• 2003

Acrylonitrile(AN) was solution-polymerized in dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) and tertiary butyl alcohol(TBA) at 30, 40, $50^\circ{C}$ using a low temperature initiator, 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN). The low temperature polymerization using ADMVN, DMSO, and TBA is to be successful in obtaining high molecular weight polyacrylonitrile(PAN) with less branches by solution polymerization. Throug a polymerization of AN in DMSO at $30^\circ{C}$, PAN having viscosity-average molecular weight$(M_v)$ of 931,000 was obtained. And then, during AN solution polymerization in DMSO and TBA using a cosolvent system the in-situ formation of microfibrillar structure has been discovered at the cosolvent composition of 24/1$(V_{DMSO}/V_{TBA})$. The simultaneous process of gelation and phase separation of long chain molecules may explain the in-situ formation of PAN fibers during polymerization.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.632-637
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• 2014

A microfluidic method for the in situ production of monodispersed alginate hydrogels using biocompatible polymer gelation by crosslinker mass transfer is described. Gelation of the hydrogel was achieved in situ by the dispersed calcium ion in the microfluidic device. The capillary number (Ca) and the flow rate of the disperse phase which are important operating parameters mainly influenced the formation of three distinctive flow regions, such as dripping, jetting, and unstable dripping. Under the formation of dripping region, monodispersed alginate hydrogels having a narrow size distribution (C.V=2.71%) were produced in the microfluidic device and the size of the hydrogels, ranging from 30 to $60{\mu}m$, could be easily controlled by varying the flow rate, viscosity, and interfacial tension. This simple microfluidic method for the production of monodisperse alginate hydrogels shows strong potential for use in delivery systems of foods, cosmetics, inks, and drugs, and spherical alginate hydrogels which have biocompatibility will be applied to cell transplantation.

• CELLMED
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.7
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• 2021

In situ gelling devices, as they enter the body, are dosage forms in the shape of the sol but turn into gel types under physiological circumstances. Transition from sol to gel is contingent on one or a mixture of diverse stimuli, such as transition of pH control of temperature, irradiation by UV, by the occurrence of certain ions or molecules. Such characteristic features may be commonly employed in drug delivery systems for the production of bioactive molecules for continuous delivery vehicles. The technique of in situ gelling has been shown to be impactful in enhancing the potency of local or systemic drugs supplied by non-parenteral pathways, increasing their period of residence at the absorption site. Formulation efficacy is further improved with the use of mucoadhesive agents or the use of polymers with both in situ gelling properties and the ability to bind with the mucosa/mucus. The most popular and common approach in recent years has provided by the use of polymers with different in situ gelation mechanisms for synergistic action between polymers in the same formulation. In situ gelling medicine systems in recent decades have received considerable interest. Until administration, it is in a sol-zone and is able to form gels in response to various endogenous factors, for e.g elevated temperature, pH changes and ions. Such systems can be used in various ways for local or systemic supply of drugs and successfully also as vehicles for drug-induced nano- and micro-particles. In this review we will discuss about various aspects about use of these in situ gels as novel drug delivery systems.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.12 no.3_4
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• pp.143-149
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• 2000

In this article, we considered shear-induced microstructure and rheological behavior of micellar solutions of cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) in the presence of a structure-forming additive, sodium salicylate (NaSal). Shear viscosity, shear moduli and flow birefringence were measured as functions of the surfactant and additive concentrations. In the presence of NaSal, the micellar solution exhibited the non-linear rheological behavior due to the formation of supramolecular structures when the molar ratio of NaSal to CPC exceeded a certain threshold value. Flow birefringence probed the change in micelle alignment under shear flow. At low shear rates, the flow birefringence increased as the shear rate increased. On the other hand, fluctuation of flow birefringence appeared from the shear rate near the onset of shear thickening, which was caused by shear-induced coagulation or aggregation. These results were confirmed by the SEM images of in situ gelified micelle structure through sol-gel route.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.704-710
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• 2008

Injectable hydrogels are quite promising materials due to their potential to minimize invasive implantation and this provides versatile fitness irrespective of the damaged regions and facilitates the incorporation of bioactive agents or cells. In situ gel formation through stereocomplex formation is a promising candidate for injectable hydrogels. In this paper, a new series of enantiomeric, four-arm, PEG-PLA block copolymers and their stereocomplexed hydrogels were prepared by bulk ring-opening polymerization of D-lactide and L-lactide, respectively, with stannous octoate as a catalyst. The prepared polymers were characterized by $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermal gravitational analysis (TGA), confirming the tailored structure and chain lengths. The swelling and degradation behavior of the hydrogels formed from a selected copolymer series were observed in different concentrations. The degradation rate decreased with increasing polymer content in the solution. The rheological behavior indicated that the prepared hydrogel underwent in situ gelation and had favorable mechanical strength. In addition, its feasibility as an injectable scaffold was evaluated using a media dependence test for cell culture. A Tris solution was more favorable for in situ gel formation than PBS and DMEM solutions were. These results demonstrated the in situ formation of hydrogel through the construction of a stereocomplex with enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers. Overall, enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers are a new species of stereocomplexed hydrogels that are suitable for further research into injectable hydrogels.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.77-77
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• 2001

This study investigates the rheological properties of in-situ polymerized solutions of polyacrylonitrile(PAN) and acrylonitrile(AN)-itaconic acid(IA) in dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) in terms of temperature, concentration, and time. The complex viscosity and storage modulus of the solutions were generally increased with elapsing time, which is ascribable to the three-dimensional pseudostructures formed by strong inter- or intra-molecular attractions through Polar -CN and -COOH groups. The three-dimensional pseudonetworks would lead to gelation of the acrylic solutions in long term. This was more noticeable at higher temperature within the temperature range examined. In the case of 20% solutions one can not observe lower Newtonian flow region in the viscosity curve. Disappearance of lower Newtonian flow region is indicative of heterogeneity of the solution system. Casson Plot of the viscosity data revealed that 20% solutions of PAN and AN-IA copolymer in DMSO clearly demonstrated positive yield stress, ascertaining formation of pseudostructures in the solution systems.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2003

The isothermal cure reactions of blends of epoxy (DGEBA, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A)/anhydride resin with polyamide copolymer (poly(dimmer acid-co-alkyl polyamine)) or PEI were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Rheological measurements have been made to investigate the viscosity and mechanical relaxation behavior of the blends. The reaction rate and the final cure conversion were decreased with increasing the amount of thermoplastics in the blends. Lower values of final cure conversions in the epoxy/thermoplastic blends indicate that thermoplastics hinder the cure reaction between the epoxy and the curing agent. Complete miscibility was observed in the uncured blends of epoxy/thermoplastics up to $120^{\circ}C$ but phase separations occurred in the early stages of the curing process at higher temperatures than $120^{\circ}C$. According to the rheological measurement results, a rise of G' and G" at the onset of phase separation is seen. A rise of G' and G" is not observed for neat epoxy system since no phase separation is seen during cure reaction. At the onset of phase separation the rheological behavior was influenced by the amount of thermoplastics in the epoxy/thermoplastic blends, and the onset of phase separation can be detected by rheological measurements.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2019

Light construction waste (LCW) particles are pieces of light concrete or insulation wall with light quality and certain strength, containing rich isolated and disconnected pores. Mixing LCW particles with soil can be one of the alternative lightweight soils. It can lighten and stabilize the deep-thick soft soil in-situ. In this study, the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and its mechanism of Construction Waste Stabilized Lightweight Soil (CWSLS) are investigated. According to the prescription design, totally 35 sets of specimens are tested for the index of dry density (DD) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). The results show that the DD of CWSLS is mainly affected by LCW content, and it decreases obviously with the increase of LCW content, while increases slightly with the increase of cement content. The UCS of CWSLS first increases and then decreases with the increase of LCW content, existing a peak value. The UCS increases linearly with the increase of cement content, while the strength growth rate is dramatically affected by the different LCW contents. The UCS of CWSLS mainly comes from the skeleton impaction of LCW particles and the gelation of soil-cement composite slurry. According to the distribution of LCW particles and soil-cement composite slurry, CWSLS specimens are divided into three structures: "suspend-dense" structure, "framework-dense" structure and "framework-pore" structure.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2015

Facile immobilization of growth factors in hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels using dual enzymes is reported in the paper. The hydrogels were formed by using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and transforming growth factor-${\beta}3$ (TGF-${\beta}3$) was covalently conjugated on the hydrogels in situ using tyrosinase (Ty) without any modifications. For the preparation of hydrogels, HA was grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which was modified with a tyrosine. The gelation times of the HA hydrogels were ranging from 415 to 17 s and the storage moduli was dependent on the concentration of $H_2O_2$ and Ty (470-1600 Pa). A native TGF-${\beta}3$ (200 ng/mL) was readily encapsulated in the HA hydrogels and 17% of the TGF-${\beta}3$ was released over 1 month at the Ty concentration of 0.5 KU/mL, while the release was faster when 0.3 KU/mL of Ty was used for the encapsulation (27%). It can be suggested that the growth factors resident in the hydrogels for a long period of time may lead cells proliferating and differentiating, whereas the growth factors that are initially released from the hydrogels can induce the ingrowth of cells into the matrices. Therefore, the dual enzymatic methods as facile gel forming and loading of various native growth factors or therapeutic proteins could be highly promising for tissue regenerative medicines.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2004

In this study, the pore-filled ion-exchange membranes were prepared by using the asymmetric PVDF membrane as a nascent membrane. First, the solution of PVBCI having the chlorornethylate aryl ring of 80 percents and DABCO was made with the mixed solvent of THF and DU (8:2). These mixed solution was then, filled in the pores of PVDF membrane, and left for a day to complete the gelation. Finally the pore-filled anion-exchange membrane is obtained fallowed by the amination of the remaining chloromethyl groups with trimethylamine (TMA, 40 wt% in water) forming the positive ammonium ion sites. This 2 step procedure enabled us to produce the pore-filled membranes without change of size, and to control the properties of final membrane with various degree of cross-linking. The results of SEM and AFM showed the polyelectrolyte existed in the pores of nascent membrane as a certain configuration. From the investigation of the solvent affecting much to the permeability and rejection, it was found that the membranes using mixed solvent of THE and DMF (8:2) showed better performances than the membranes produced by THF only. The result of an investigation for the water permeability of the final membrane at low pressure (100 Kpa) showed a typical ultrafiltration membrane's permeability (8 ∼ 10 kg/$m^2$hr) and good values of rejection (55∼60 percent).