• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 2011

In order to explore properties of various rubber compounds after thermal aging under the condition similar to the operating environment of a fuel cell-stack, heat resistance and compression set of those compounds were investigated for a long term operation in $H_2SO_4$, $H_2O$, and LLC (ethylene glycol : $H_2O=50:50$) solution. It was assumed that aging Acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and Elthylene Propylene diene rubber (EDPM) compound in the solution resulted in discoloration as time passed. It was also found that hydrolysis was developed on the Silicone rubber (VMQ) compound intentionally aged under acidic condition by means of TGA, SEM, and EDS analysis.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.518-521
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• 2011

A PEMFC single cell with the active area of $25cm^2$ was used to verify the effect of water management in the anode. Water management is one of the most critical operating variables. In this paper the effect of operating condition change, such as anode humidification and temperature, was investigated under constant current density of $200mA/cm^2$ where possible anode flooding operating area. Also experiments to observe the effect of the anode and cathode stoichiometry change and flow field design on the water management were performed. The water management was effected by the stoichimetry change. The temperature and humidification change also affected the fuel cell performance.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.522-525
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• 2011

In this study, an established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immuno-chromatography technique are combined to fabricate an immuno-strip sensor for the detection of S. aureus. The immuno-strip is manufactured by using four different functional membranes. The capture antibody is immobilized on the nitrocellulose membrane due to the high affinity and the capillary action through porous membranes induces a flow of sample. A colorimetric signal is appeared according to the enzyme reaction and is analyzed by the digital camera (qualitative analysis) and home-made image analysis software (quantitative analysis). Under the optimal conditions, samples with S. aureus in the range of $2.7{\times}10^4{\sim}2.7{\times}10^7CFU/mL$ can be detected by the colorimetric method within 30 min.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.646-652
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• 2022

The dead-end anode (DEA) system is a method that closes the anode outlet and supplies fuel by pressure. The DEA method could improve fuel usage and power efficiency through system simplification. However, flooding occurs due to water and nitrogen back diffusion from the cathode to the anode during the DEA operation. Flooding is a cause of decreased fuel cell performance and electrode degradation. Therefore, tthe structure and components of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) should be optimized to prevent anode flooding during DEA operation. In this study, the effect of a porous flow field with metal foam on fuel cell performance and fuel efficiency improvement was investigated in the DEA system. As a result, fuel cell performance and purge interval were improved by effective water management with a porous flow field at the cathode, and it was confirmed that cathode flow field structure affects water back-diffusion. On the other hand, the effect of the porous flow field at the anode on fuel cell performance was insignificant. Purge interval was affected by metal foam properties and shown stable performance with large cell size metal foam in the DEA system.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.623-631
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• 2022

Using the design of experiment (DOE), factors affecting the particle size of hydrated liquid crystalline vesicles containing a high content of ceramide were analyzed and the mixture composition was optimized. Manufacturing temperature, amount of ethanol, and ultrasonic time were selected as the main variables affecting the droplet size of the vesicles, and the effect of these variables on the droplet size was examined through the signal to noise (S/N) ratios of Taguchi method and ANOVA analysis. In addition, mixture composition experiments of three lipid components constituting the vesicle membrane, hydrogenated phosphatidyl choline (HPC), cholesterol (Chol), and ceramide (Cer), were performed according to the simplex central design matrix of the mixture. Regression analysis was conducted with the experimental data to obtain a model equation, and the optimal mixing composition of the three lipid components to minimize the vesicle droplet size was determined as HPC (0.6), Chol (0.1), and Cer (0.3).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.64-68
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• 2023

The salt concentration process in electrodialysis, which uses electrical energy to enhance ion concentrations in an aqueous electrolyte solution, has been studied on the transfer phenomenon of ions and water molecules over the ion exchange membrane. In this paper, we investigated various parameters for limiting concentration of electrolyte solution and the electroosmosis phenomenon in an electrodialysis system by varying salt concentration of electrolyte solution. The electroosmotic water transport was analyzed by measuring the ions and water fluxes in electrolyte solutions having two different NaCl concentrations (NaCl 2M/4M), and concentration change was observed for various volume ratios of the diluted reservoir to the concentration one As a result, it was found that the higher concentration of the aqueous electrolyte solution, the lower electroosmosis, and the higher volume ratio led to a higher concentration in the dilute reservoir, so the limiting concentration was enhanced and the specific energy consumption decreased.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2023

In the environment, chromium often exists in a highly mobile and toxic form of Cr(VI). Therefore, the reduction of Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) is considered an effective remediation strategy for Cr(VI)-contamination. In this study, the biological reduction of hexavalent chromium was examined at the concentrations of 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM, and 1 mM Cr(VI) by the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella sp. HN-41 in the presence of ferric-citrate. With the relatively condensed cell densities, the aqueous phase Cr(VI) was reduced at the proportions of 42%, 23%, and 31%, respectively for the 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM, and 1 mM Cr(VI) incubations, while Fe(III)-citrate was reduced at 95%, 88%, and 73%, respectively. Although the strain HN-41 was not considered to reduce Cr(VI) as the sole electron acceptor for anaerobic metabolism in the preliminary experiment, it has been presumed that outer-membrane c-type cytochromes such as MtrC and OmcA reduced Cr(VI) in the presence of ferric-citrate as the electron acceptor. Since this study indicated the potential of relatively high cell density for Cr(VI) reduction, it might propose a bioremediation strategy for Cr(VI) removal from contaminated waters using engineered systems such as bioreactors employing high cell growths.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2023

Copper is cost-effective and abundantly available as a biocidal coating agent for a wide range of material surfaces. Natural oxidation does not compromise the efficacy of copper, allowing it to maintain antimicrobial activity under prolonged exposure conditions. Furthermore, copper compounds exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against pathogenic yeast, both enveloped and non-enveloped types of viruses, as well as gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Contact killing of copper-coated surfaces causes the denaturation of proteins and damage to the cell membrane, leading to the release of essential components such as nucleotides and cytoplasm. Additionally, redox-active copper generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause permanent cell damage through enzyme deactivation and DNA destruction. Owing to its robust stability, copper has been utilized in diverse forms, such as nanoparticles, ions, composites, and alloys, resulting in the creation of various coating methods. This mini-review describes representative coating processes involving copper ions and copper oxides on various material surfaces, highlighting the antibacterial and antiviral properties associated with different oxidation states of copper.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.311-319
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• 2023

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is the main structural component of the caveolae on the plasma membrane, which regulates various cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and endocytosis. Although a recent study demonstrated that Cav-1 might be involved in diabetes-associated inflammation, its exact role in the intestine was unclear. In this study, we examined the intestinal expression of Cav-1 in diabetic conditions. We also investigated its effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation by expressing this protein in human intestinal Caco-2 cells lacking Cav-1. We observed that increased Cav-1 levels and decreased expression of tight junction proteins affected intestinal permeability in high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice. When Caco-2 cells were treated with LPS, Cav-1 enhanced the NF-κB signaling. Moreover, LPS reduced the expression of tight junction proteins while it increased cell-cell permeability and reactive oxygen species generation in Caco-2 cells and this effect was amplified by cav-1 overexpression. LPS treatment promoted phosphorylation of tyrosine-14 (Y14) on Cav-1, and the LPS-induced NF-κB signaling was suppressed in cells expressing non-phosphorylatable Cav-1 (tyrosine-14 to phenylalanine mutant), which reduced intestinal barrier permeability. These results suggest that Cav-1 expression promotes LPS-induced inflammation in Caco-2 cells, and phosphorylation of Y14 on Cav-1 might contribute to the anti-inflammatory response in LPS-induced NF-κB signaling and cell permeability.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2005

It is well-known that polyethersulfone (PES) has high $CO_2$ selectivity over $N_2\;(or\;CH_4)$ and excellent pressure resistance of $CO_2$ plasticization among muy commercialized engineering plastics[1-4]. Asymmetric PES hollow fiber membranes for flue gas separation were developed by dry-wet spinning technique. The dope solution consists of PES, NMP and acetone. Water and water/NMP mixtures are used in outer and inner coagulants, respectively. Gas permeation rate (i.e., permeance) and $CO_2/N_2$ selectivity were measured with pure gas, respectively and the micro-structure of hollow fiber membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of polymer concentration, ratio of NMP to acetone, length of air gap, evaporation condition and silicone coating were investigated on the $CO_2/N_2$ separation properties of the hollow fibers. Optimized PES hollow fiber membranes exhibited high permeance of $25\~50$ GPU and $CO_2/N_2$ selectivity of $30\~40$ at room temperature and have the apparent skin layer thickness of about $0.1\;{\mu}m$. The developed PES hollow fiber membranes, would be a good candidate suitable for the flue gas separation process.