• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.125-131
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• 2007

Biodegradable polymeric blends are expected to be widely used by industry due to their environmental friendliness and comparable mechanical and thermal properties. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) are such biodegradable polymers which aim to replace commodity polymers in future applications. Since cost and brittleness of PLA is quite high, it is not economically feasible to use it alone for day to day use as a packaging material without blending. In this study, blends of PLA and PBS with various compositions were prepared by using a laboratory-scale twin-screw extruder at $180^{\circ}C$. Morphological, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties were investigated on the samples obtained by compression molding to explore suitability of these compositions for packaging applications. Morphology of the blends was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Morphology showed a clear phase difference trend depending on blend composition. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) thermograms of the blends indicated that the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) of PLA did not change much with the addition of PBS, but analysis showed that for PLA/PBS blend of up to 80/20 composition there is partial miscibility between the two polymers. The tensile strength and modulus were measured by the Instron Universal Testing Machine. Tensile strength, modulus and percentage (%) elongation at break of the blends decreased with PBS content. However, tensile strength and modulus values of PLA/PBS blend for up to 80/20 composition nearly follow the mixing rule. Rheological results also show miscibility between the two polymers for PBS composition less than 20% by weight. PBS reduced the brittleness of PLA, thus making it a contender to replace plastics for packaging applications. This work found a partial miscibility between PBS and PLA by investigating thermal, mechanical and morphological properties.

• 펄프종이기술
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.22-29
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• 2002

This research was conducted to investigate the morphological characteristics of fine fibers produced during beating process of high yield pulp treated with ozone and the distribution of lignin in the produced fine fibers. Thermomechanical(TMP) pulp and chemithermomechanical(CTMP) pulp of spruce and CTMP of white birch were beaten to reach 200$m\ell$ CSF, and then the fine fibers were observed using ultraviolet microscope. The fine fibers produced from TMP and CTMP of spruce using treated with ozone for 15 minutes were fragments of fiber surfaces or cell corners, and most of them contained lignin. However, lignin was not observed in the fibers after 15 minutes of ozone treatment. The fine fibers produced from CTMP of white birch were broken pieces or fragments of fiber surfaces or cell corners. The lignin was observed in the fibers until 5min of ozone treatment but no lignin was observed after 5 minutes of ozone treatment. Different morphological characteristics of TMP and CTMP explained both the different morphological characteristics and the distribution of lignin observed in the fine fibers produced from the beating process of TMP and CTMP treated with ozone.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제22권12호
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• pp.1691-1701
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• 1998

Fly ash produced in coal combustion is a fine-grained material consisting mostly of spherical, glassy, and porous particles. A study on the formation mechanism of the fly ash from coal particles in the pulverized coal power plant is investigated with a physical, morphological, and chemical characteristic analysis of fly ash collected from the Samchonpo power plant. This study may contribute to the data base of domestic fly ash, the improvement of combustion efficiency, fouling phenomena and ash collection in the electrostatic precipitator. The physical property of fly ash is determined using a particle counter for the measurement of ash size distribution. Morphological characteristic of fly ash is performed using a scanning electron micrograph. The chemical components of fly ash are determined using an inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry(ICP). The distribution of fly ash size was bi-modal and ranged from 12 to $19{\mu}m$ in mass median diameter. Exposure conditions of flue gas temperature and duration within the combustion zone of the boiler played an important role on the morphological properties of the fly ash such as shape, particle size and chemical components. The evolution of ash formation during pulverized coal combustion has revealed three major mechanisms by large particle formation due to break-up process, gas to particle conversion and growth by coagulation and agglomeration.

• 펄프종이기술
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.70-76
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• 1999

This study was to measure the potential of nonwoody fibrous material, kenaf. Whole stalk of kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus was separated by two parts of bast and core portion, and cooked separately by alkaline method. Morphological characteristic was evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and fiber quality analyzer(FQA). The strength properties of handsheets, made by different mixing ration between kenaf base and core fibers, were measured. Cross-sectional area of bast fibers was smaller than that of core fibers, but the bast fibers had a thick cell wall and narrow lumen area. Bast fibers were longer in length than core fibers. Core fibers had thin cell walls, broad lumen areas, and short lengths, and they had collapsed shape even in water. These characteristics of core fibers affected strength properties of handsheet positively. When the amount of core fibers increased, the strength properties of handsheet were increased. When the amount of bast fibers increased, the handsheet had rougher surface and higher air permeability.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.71-77
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• 2005

We investigated thermal, rheological, morphological and mechanical properties of a binary blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate adipate) (PBSA). The blends were extruded and their molded properties were examined. DSC thermograms of blends indicated that the thermal properties of PLA did not change noticeably with the amount of PBSA, but thermogravimetric analysis showed that thermal stability of the blends was lower than that of pure PLA and PBSA. Immiscibility was checked with thermal data. The rheological properties of the blends changed remarkably with composition. The tensile strength and modulus of blends decreased with PBSA content. Interestingly, however, the impact strength of PLA/PBSA (80/20) blend was seriously increased higher than the rule of mixture. Morphology of the blends showed a typical sea and island structure of immiscible blend. The effect of the blend composition on the biodegradation was also investigated. In the early stage of the degradation test, the highest rate was observed for the blend containing $80wt\%$ PBSA.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

In this study, the physical properties of live garlic at the harvesting season were measured and analyzed as a fundamental study for developing a garlic harvester. A universal testing machine and a machine vision system were used to obtain mechanical and morphological properties of live garlic, respectively. The moisture content of live garlic at the harvesting season was 50% higher than that of dried garlic. The root of live garlic elongated greatly with respect to the applied tensile force. The relationship between the projected area and the weight of a bulb of live garlic was linear. Such a feature would be applied to develop an effective garlic harvester or garlic quality grader. Other useful physical properties of live garlic at the harvesting season were represented in the study.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.203-210
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• 1990

The structure and properties of blends of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer(EPDM) and polyolefin blends have been investigated. The rheology and tensile properties of the EPDM/HDPE(high density polyethylene), EPDM/PP(polypropylene) binary and EPDM/PP/HDPE ternary blends were studied along with morphological analyses. Those properties were affected by preferential interaction of EPDM on HDPE, compared to that of EPDM on PP, for the binary blends. The preferetial interaction may stem from the molecular characteristics of EPDM to possess more ethylene units than propylene units in the elastomer. The EPDM played a role as compatibilizer for HDPE and PP in the EPDM/PP/HDPE ternary blends.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.85-93
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• 2004

We have prepared poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nanocomposites filled with two different types of fumed silicas, hydrophilic (FS) and hydrophobic (MFS) silicas of 7-nm diameter, by in situ polymerization. We then investigated the morphological changes, rheological properties, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of the PET nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate that the dispersibility of the fumed silica was improved effectively by in situ polymerization; in particular, MFS had better dispersibility than FS on the non-polar PET polymer. The crystallization behavior of the nanocomposites revealed a peculiar tendency: all the fillers acted as retarding agents for the crystallization of the PET nanocomposites. The incorporation of fumed silicas increased the intrinsic viscosities (IV) of the PET matrix, and the strong particleparticle interactions of the filler led to an increased melt viscosity. Additionally, the mechanical properties, toughness, and modules of the nano-composites all increased, even at low filler content.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.182-187
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• 2019

To improve the mechanical properties of glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites through interfacial adhesion control between the PP matrix and glass fiber, the surface of the glass fiber was modified with PP-graft-maleic anhydride (MAPP). Surface modification of the glass fiber was carried out through the well-known hydrolysis-condensation reaction using 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane, and then subsequently treated with MAPP to produce the desired MAPP-anchored glass fiber (MAPP-a-GF). The glass-fiber-reinforced PP composites were prepared by typical melt-mixing technique. The effect of chemical modification of the glass fiber surface on the mechanical properties of composites was investigated. The resulting mechanical and morphological properties showed improved interfacial adhesion between the MAPP-a-GF and PP matrix in the composites.

• Mycobiology
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2014

The typical life cycle of filamentous fungi commonly involves asexual sporulation after vegetative growth in response to environmental factors. The production of asexual spores is critical in the life cycle of most filamentous fungi. Normally, conidia are produced from vegetative hyphae (termed mycelia). However, fungal species subjected to stress conditions exhibit an extremely simplified asexual life cycle, in which the conidia that germinate directly generate further conidia, without forming mycelia. This phenomenon has been termed as microcycle conidiation, and to date has been reported in more than 100 fungal species. In this review, first, we present the morphological properties of fungi during microcycle conidiation, and divide microcycle conidiation into four simple categories, even though fungal species exhibit a wide variety of morphological differences during microcycle conidiogenesis. Second, we describe the factors that influence microcycle conidiation in various fungal species, and present recent genetic studies that have identified the genes responsible for this process. Finally, we discuss the biological meaning and application of microcycle conidiation.