• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.420-426
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• 2017

A colorimetric sensor was investigated to achieve a low-cost warning device for harmful gaseous formaldehyde (HCHO). The sensor is based on selective reactions between hydroxylamine sulfate and HCHO, leading to the production of sulfuric acid. The produced acid results in color-changing response through the acid-base reaction with dye molecules impregnated on a solid membrane substrate. For attaining this purpose, sensors were fabricated by drop-casting a dye solution prepared using different pH indicators on various commercially available polymer sheets, and their colorimetric responses were evaluated in terms of sensitivity and reliability. The colorimetric sensor using bromophenol blue (BPB) and nylon sheet was found to exhibit the best performance in HCHO detection. An initial bluish green of a sensor was changed to yellow when exposed to gaseous formaldehyde. The color change was recorded using an office scanner and further analyzed in term of RGB distance for quantifying sensor's response at different HCHO(g) concentrations. It exhibited a recognizable colorimetric response even at 50 ppb, being lower than WHO's standard of 80 ppb. In addition, the sensor was found to have quite good selectivity in HCHO detection under the presence of common volatile organic compounds such as ethanol, toluene, and hexane.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2023

In this paper, a powerful photocatalyst based on carbon nanocomposite is developed in order to obtain a new material applicable in water treatment and especially for the discoloration of effluents used in the textile industry. For that, TiO₂-graphene nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by a mixture of Functionalized Graphene Sheet (FGS) and tetrachlorotitanium complexes to form FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. In the presence of an anionic surfactant, we used a new chemical process to functionalize graphene sheets in order to make them an excellent medium for blocking and preventing the aggregation of TiO₂ nanoparticles. The components of these nanocomposites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which confirms the successful formation of the FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. It was found that the TiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly on the graphene plane which possesses better charge separation capability than pure TiO₂. The FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure TiO₂ for the removal of three dyes: such as Methylene Blue (MB), Bromophenol Blue (BB) and Alizarin Red-S (AR) in water. The removal process was fast and more efficient with FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite in daylight (in the absence of UV irradiation) compared to pure TiO₂ nanoparticles without and under UV in all pH range.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.381-388
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• 1974

When mixture of p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and m-aminophenol (MAP) were reacted with formaldehyde (F) varying their amounts under $N_2$ stream at the temperature of -5∼0$^{\circ}$, addition condensation reaction occurred and brown colored resins(in some cases orange colored) were formed immediately. All resins thus formed were insoluble in most ordinary organic solvents and did not melt up to 300$^{\circ}$. When the resins were treated with dilute(7 %) aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, the adsorptivity of methylene blue on them showed marked improvement reaching as much as 80 mg of methylene blue on 1 g of the resin. On the other hand, in the case of bromophenol blue, its amount of adsorption appeared 250 mg per 1 g of the resin. The TGA under $N_2$ atmosphere indicated that the resin formed in molar ratio of 1 : 3 : 8 (PPD : MAP : F) showed the best heat-resistant property among others. About 40 % weight loss was observed for this resin at 900$^{\circ}$ with heating rate of 2$^{\circ}$ per minute.