• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.296-301
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• 2017

Recently, there are many efforts focused on development of more economical non-fluorinated membranes for PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). In this study, sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (sPEEK) membrane reinforced with poly imide was made to enhance of membrane durability. In order to test durability of single (un-reinforced) membrane and reinforced membrane MEA (Membrane and Electrode Assembly), degradation accelerated stress test was used. Before and after degradation, I-V polarization curve, hydrogen crossover current, electrochemical surface area, membrane resistance and charge transfer resistance were measured. As a result of experiments, hydrogen crossover current of reinforced MEA was lower than that of single MEA, therefor durability of reinforced MEA was higher than that of single MEA. There was not especially short phenomena in reinforced MEA after degradation accelerated stress test.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.536-541
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• 1998

The porous size alumina membrane was prepared by anodic oxidation with current method in an aqueous solution of oxalic acid. The aluminum metal plate was pretreated with thermal oxidation, chemical polishing and electropolishing before anodic oxidation. Membrane thickness and pore size distribution were investigated with several anodizing conditions; reaction temperature, cumulative charge, electrolyte concentration and current density. The porous alumina membrane obtained was $55{\sim}75{\mu}m$ thick with straight micropore of 45~100nm. Also, the porous alumina membrane has an uniform pore diameter and pore distribution. It was inorganic ultrafiltration membrane as a kind of the ceramic membrane.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.556-560
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• 2013

Recently, there are many efforts focused on development of more economical non-fluorinated membranes for use in PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). In this study, characteristics of poly(arylene ether sulfone)(PAES) were compared with fluorinated membrane at PEMFC operation condition. I-V polarization curve, hydrogen crossover, electrochemical surface area, membrane resistance and charge transfer resistance were measured. PAES membrane showed similar performance compared with fluorinated membrane at 100% relative humidity, but the performance of PAES membrane decreased largely due to low ionic conductivity at low relative humidity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.484.2-484.2
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• 2014

There are many efforts to improving the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Although DSCs have a low production cost, their low PCE and low thermal stability have limited commercial applications. This study describes the preparation of a novel multifunctional polymer gel electrolyte in which a cross-linking polymerization reaction is used to encapsulate $TiO_2$ nanoparticles toward improving the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability of a quasi-solid state DSC. A series of liquid junction dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was fabricated based on polymer membrane encapsulated dye-sensitized $TiO_2$ nanoparticles, prepared using a surface-induced cross-linking polymerization reaction, to investigate the dependence of the solar cell performance on the encapsulating membrane layer thickness. The ion conductivity decreased as the membrane thickness increased; however, the long term-stability of the devices improved with increasing membrane thickness. Nanoparticles encapsulated in a thick membrane (ca. 37 nm), obtained using a 90 min polymerization time, exhibited excellent pore filling among $TiO_2$ particles. This nanoparticle layer was used to fabricate a thin-layered, quasi-solid state DSC. The thick membrane prevented short-circuit paths from forming between the counter and the $TiO_2$ electrode, thereby reducing the minimum necessary electrode separation distance. The quasi-solid state DSC yielded a high power conversion efficiency (7.6/8.1%) and excellent stability during heating at $65^{\circ}C$ over 30 days. These performance characteristics were superior to those obtained from a conventional DSC (7.5/3.5%) prepared using a $TiO_2$ active layer with the same thickness. The reduced electrode separation distance shortened the charge transport pathways, which compensated for the reduced ion conductivity in the polymer gel electrolyte. Excellent pore filling on the $TiO_2$ particles minimized the exposure of the dye to the liquid and reduced dye detachment.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.326-331
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• 2012

In this study, rejection behavior of 2-MIB (methylisoborneal) and geosmin which are known as taste-and-odor (T & O) causing micropollutants in drinking water source was investigated using hydrophobic polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration "loose" membrane (MWCO : 400 Da). It was found that the rejection of the geosmin was higher than that of the 2-MIB in all experimental conditions tested. This study also showed that the rejections of 2-MIB and geosmin were increased by increasing solution pH due to enhancing electrostatic repulsions between micropollutants and membrane surface. The presence of natural organic matter led to increase the rejection of the hydrophobic 2-MIB and geosmin and the effectiveness was more pronounced at higher solution pH. Increasing hydrophilicity of the hydrophobic membrane surface by coating with $TiO_2$ particles resulted in the significant increase in the rejection of 2-MIB and geosmin. In addition to the charge repulsion, this result suggests that hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction should be one of main rejection mechanisms of T & O compounds by NF membrane.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.211-220
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• 2018

Incorporating nano-materials in thin-film composite (TFC) membranes has been considered to be an approach to achieve higher membrane performance in various water treatment processes. This study investigated the rejection efficiency of three target compounds, i.e., reserpine, norfloxacin and tetracycline hydrochloride, by TFC membranes with different graphene oxide proportions. Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into the polyamide active layer of a TFC membrane via an interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. The TFC membranes were characterized with FTIR, FE-SEM, AFM; in addition, the water contact angle measurements as well as the permeation and separation performance were evaluated. The prepared GO-TFC membranes exhibited a much higher flux ($3.11{\pm}0.04L/m2{\cdot}h{\cdot}bar$) than the pristine TFC membranes ($2.12{\pm}0.05L/m2{\cdot}h{\cdot}bar$) without sacrificing their foulant rejection abilities. At the same time, the GO-modified membrane appeared to be less sensitive to pH changes than the pure TFC membrane. A significant improvement in the anti-fouling property of the membrane was observed, which was ascribed to the favorable change in the membrane's hydrophilicity, surface morphology and surface charge through the addition of an appropriate amount of GO. This study predominantly improved the understanding of the different PA/GO membranes and outlined improved industrial applications of such membranes in the future.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.181-186
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• 2016

Recently, there are many efforts focused on development of more economical non-fluorinated membranes for use in PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). In this study, characteristics of sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) (sPEEK) were compared according to degrees of sulfonation (DS), relative humidity, cell temperatures at PEMFC operation condition. I-V polarization curve, hydrogen crossover, electrochemical surface area, membrane resistance and charge transfer resistance were measured. sPEEK membrane showed high performance at high DS, high temperature and high relative humidity, in particular, performance of sPEEK membrane decreased largely due to low ionic conductivity at low DS and low relative humidity.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.414-423
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• 2018

In this study, the commercial nanofiltration membranes were modified with octyltrimethoxysilane(OcTMS) and (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) to improve fouling resistance and to separate dye. The chemical structure and binding energy of elements of silane-deposited surface were analyzed using XPS analysis. And the morphology and hydrophilicity property of silane-modified NF membrane were analyzed using FE-SEM, EDX, AFM, and contact angle. The surface charge of silane-modified NF membrane was characterized by zeta potentiometer analyzer. As a result, silane-modified NF membrane improved fouling resistance about 2 times as compared with that of the commercial membrane. And the silane-modified NF membranes effectively were removed cation dye over 98%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1305-1309
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• 2020

Insects possess biological defense systems that can effectively combat the invasion of external microorganisms and viruses, thereby supporting their survival in diverse environments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a fast-acting weapon against invading pathogens, including various bacterial or fungal strains. A 37-residue antimicrobial peptide, papiliocin, derived from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus larvae, showed significant antimicrobial activities against several human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. Jelleines, isolated as novel antibacterial peptides from the Royal Jelly (RJ) of bees, exhibit broad-spectrum protection against microbial infections. In this study, we developed a novel antimicrobial peptide, PAJE (RWKIFKKPFKISIHL-NH₂), which is a hybrid peptide prepared by combining 1-7 amino acid residues (RWKIFKK-NH₂) of papiliocin and 1-8 amino acid residues (PFKISIHL-NH₂) of Jelleine-1 to alter length, charge distribution, net charge, volume, amphipaticity, and improve bacterial membrane interactions. This novel peptide exhibited increased hydrophobicity and net positive charge for binding effectively to the negatively charged membrane. PAJE demonstrated antimicrobial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, with very low toxicity to eukaryotic cells and an inexpensive process of synthesis. Collectively, these findings suggest that this novel peptide possesses great potential as an antimicrobial agent.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.139-158
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• 2010

This work focuses on the application of nanofiltration (NF) to the concentration of a pharmaceutical product, Clavulanate ($CA^-$), from clarified fermentation broths, which show a complex composition with six main identified ions ($K^+$, $Cl^-$, ${NH_4}^+$, $H_2{PO_4}^-$, ${SO_4}^{2-}$ and $CA^-$), glucose and glycerol. The solutes transport through the NF membrane pores was investigated using the SEDE (Steric, Electric and Dielectric Exclusion) model. This model was applied to predict the rejection rates of the initial feed solution and the final concentrated solution (10-fold concentrated solution). The best results were achieved with a single fitted parameter, ${\varepsilon}_p$ (the dielectric constant of the solution inside pores) and considering that the membrane selectivity is governed by steric, electric (Donnan) and Born dielectric exclusion mechanisms. While the predicted intrinsic rejections of solutions comprising up to six ions and uncharged solutes were in good agreement with the experimental values, the deviations were much larger for the 10-fold concentrated solution.