• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.569-578
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• 2011

The $SiO_2$ membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are preapared by electrospinning method. It leads to high porosity and surface area of membrane to accommodate the proton conducting materials. The composite membrane was prepared by impregnating of Nafion ionomer into the pores of electrospun $SiO_2$ membranes. The $SiO_2$:heteropolyacid (HPA) nano-particles as a inorganic proton conductor were prepared by microemulsion process and the particles are added to the Nafion ionomer. The characterization of the membranes was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and single cell performance test for PEMFC. The Nafion impregnated electrospun $SiO_2$ membrane showed good thermal stability, satisfactory mechanical properties and high proton conductivity. The addition of the $SiO_2$:HPA nano-particle improved proton conductivity of the composite membrane, which allow further extension for operation temperature in low humidity environments. The composite membrane exhibited a promising properties for the application in high temperature PEMFC.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.44-54
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• 2004

Organic-inorganic composite membranes based on sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone) (sPPES)/silica hybrid were prepared using the sol-gel process under acidic conditions. The sulfonation of PPES with concentrated sulfuric acid as sulfonation agent was carried out to prepare proton exchange membrane material. The behaviors of the proton conductivity and methanol permeability are depended on the sulfonation time (5-100 hr). The hybrid membranes composed of highly sulfonated PPES (IEC value: 1.42 meq./g) and silica were fabricated from different silica content (5-20 wt%) in order to achieve desirable proton conductivity and methanol permeability demanded for fuel cell applications. The silica particles within membranes were used for the purpose of blocking excessive methanol cross-over and for forming the path way to transport of the proton due to absorbing water molecules with ≡SiOH on silica. The presence of silica particles in the organic polymer matrix results in hybrid membranes with reduced methanol permeability and improved proton conductivity.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.97-101
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• 2009

The use of a filler material in epoxy composite materials is an essential condition for reducing the unit cost of production and reinforcing mechanical strength. However, the dielectric strength of insulators decreases rapidly due to interactions between the epoxy resin and filler particles. In contrast to existing composite materials, nano-composite materials have superior dielectric strength, mechanical strength, and enduring chemical properties due to an increase in the bond strength of the polymer and nano material, It is reported that nano-fillers provide new characteristics different from the properties of the polymer material. This study is to improve the insulation capability of epoxy resins used in the insulation of a power transformer apparatus and many electronic devices mold. To accomplish this, the additional amount of nano-$SiO_2$ to epoxy resin was changed and the epoxy/$SiO_2$ nano composite materials were made, and the fundamental electrical properties were investigated using a physical properties and an analysis breakdown test. Using allowable breakdown probability, the optimum breakdown strength for designing an electrical apparatus was determined. The results found that the electrical characteristics of the nano-$SiO_2$ content specimens were superior to the virgin specimens. The 0.4 wt% specimens showed the highest electrical properties among the specimens examined with an allowable breakdown probability of 20 %, which indicates stable breakdown strength in insulating machinery design.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.212-219
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• 2019

This paper reviews recent approaches to develop composite polymer-containing coatings by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) using various low-molecular fractions of superdispersed polytetrafluoroethylene (SPTFE). The features of the unique approaches to form the composite polymer-containing coating on the surface of MA8 magnesium alloy were summarized. Improvement in the corrosion and tribological behavior of the polymer-containing coating can be attributed to the morphology and insulating properties of the surface layers and solid lubrication effect of the SPTFE particles. Such multifunctional coatings have high corrosion resistance ($R_p=3.0{\times}10^7{\Omega}cm^2$) and low friction coefficient (0.13) under dry wear conditions. The effect of dispersity and ${\xi}$-potential of the nanoscale materials ($ZrO_2$ and $SiO_2$) used as electrolyte components for the plasma electrolytic oxidation on the composition and properties of the coatings was investigated. Improvement in the protective properties of the coatings with the incorporated nanoparticles was explained by the greater thickness of the protective layer, relatively low porosity, and the presence of narrow non-through pores. The impedance modulus measured at low frequency for the zirconia-containing layer (${\mid}Z{\mid}_{f=0.01Hz}=1.8{\times}10^6{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$) was more than one order of magnitude higher than that of the PEO-coating formed in the nanoparticles-free electrolyte (${\mid}Z{\mid}_{f=0.01Hz}=5.4{\times}10^4{\Omega}{\cdot}cm^2$).

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.749-754
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• 2022

High adhesion and water resistance of the skin surface are required for wearable and skin-attachable electronic patches in various medical applications. In this study, we report a stretchable electronic patch that mimics the drainable structure pattern of the hexagonal channels of frog's pads and the sucker of an octopus based on carbon-based conductive polymer composite materials. The hexagonal channel structure that mimics the pads of frogs drains water and improves adhesion through crack arresting effect, and the suction structure that mimics an octopus sucker shows high adhesion on wet surfaces. In addition, the high-adhesive electronic patch has excellent adhesion to various surfaces such as silicone wafer (max. 4.06 N/cm²) and skin replica surface (max. 1.84 N/cm²) in dry and wet conditions. The high skin-adhesive electronic patch made of a polymer composite material based on a polymer matrix and carbon particles can reliably detect electrocardiogram (ECG) in dry and humid environments. The proposed electronic patch presents potential applications for wearable and skin-attachable electronic devices for detecting various biosignals.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.185-194
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• 1995

Membrane process has been employed to separate a specific substance from gas or liquid mixture, and treat wastewater. This is due to the fact that the substance of mixture can be permeated and separated selectively by membrane. Since Initial equipment and operation costs are not expensive, membrane process has been adopted in various fields such as petroleum Industry, chemistry, polymer, electronics, foods, biochemical industry and wastewater treatment. In this study, $CaCO_3$ particles impregnated in silicone rubber network were extracted by using supercritical carbon dioxide and pore distribution of silicone $rubber-CaCO_3$ was investigated with varying amount of extract. Silicone rubber has excellent mechanical properties such as heat-resistance, cold-resistance etc. and $CaCO_3$ has microporous structure. It is possible to make silicone $rubber-CaCO_3$ composite sheets via work-intensive kneading processes. In so doing $CaCO_3$ particles become distributed and impregnated in silicone rubber network. Supercritical carbon dioxide diffuse through composite sample, then sample is swollen. $CaCO_3$ in silicone rubber network Is dissolved in supercritical carbon dioxide, and its sites become pores. Pore distribution, pore shape and surface area are observed by SEM(scanning electron microscope) micrograph and BET surface area analyzer examination respectively. Pore characteristics of membrane suggest the possibilities that the membrane can be used for process of mixture separation and wastewater treatment.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.817-822
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• 2008

Metal matrix composite (MMC) materials having low electrical contact resistance based on 316L stainless steel (STS) matrix alloy with $ZrB_2$ particles were fabricated for PEMFC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell) separator by powder metallurgy (PM). The effects of the boride particle addition into the matrix alloy on microstructure, surface morphology, and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between the samples and gas diffusion layer (GDL) were investigated. Both conventional and PM 316L STS samples showed high ICR due to the existence of non-conductive passive film on the alloy surface. The addition of the boride particles, however, remarkably reduced ICR of the samples. SEM observation revealed that the boride particles were protruded out of the matrix surface and particle density existing on the surface increased with increasing the boride content, causing increase of the total contact area between the conductive particles and GDL. ICR of the samples also decreased with increasing the boride content resulted from the increased contact area.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.307-311
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• 2017

Organometal halide perovskite materials, due to the tunability of their electronic and optical properties by control of composition and structure, have taken a position of significant importance in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaic and lighting devices. Despite numerous studies on the structure - property relationship, however, practical application of these materials in electronic and optical devices is still limited by their processability during fabrication. Achieving nano-sized perovskite particles embedded in a polymer matrix with high loading density and outstanding photoluminescence performance is challenging. Here, we demonstrate that the careful control of nanoparticle formation and growth in the presence of poly(methyl methacrylate) results in perovskite nanoparticle - polymer nanocomposites with very good dispersion and photoluminescence. Furthermore, this approach is found to prevent further growth of perovskite nanoparticles, and thus results in a more uniform film, which enables fabrication using the perovskite nanoparticles.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.181-187
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• 2011

PVDF was used as a polymeric matrix material in this work. Nickel powders with average particles size of 200 nm or 72 nm were used as fillers. PVDF/metal submicro- and nanocomposites were prepared by means of a mixing in twin screw extruder and planetary ball mill, respectively. All samples were prepared by hot pressing method. Their electrical, thermal and morphological properties were examined by dielectric spectroscopy, DSC, FTIR, XRD, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that all properties of composites were strongly modified depending on the content of metal powders and filler particles size. Particularly, specific volume resistivity of PVDF/Ni composite with 0.2 wt.% of Ni was increased by factor of 1.5~4.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.815-820
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• 2016

An elastic polymer (e.g., PDMS) blended with EFG particles is a promising conductive composite for fabricating soft sensors that can detect an object's deformation up to or more than 50%. Here, we develop large-strain, sprayable soft sensors using a mixture of PDMS and EFG particles, which are used as a host elastomer and electrically conductive particles, respectively. A solution for a conductive composite mixture is prepared by the microwave-assisted graphite exfoliation, followed by ultrasonication-induced fragmentation of the exfoliated graphite and ultrasonic blending of PDMS and EFG. Using the prepared solutions for composite and pure PDMS, 1-, 2-, and 3-axis soft sensors are fabricated by airbrush stencil technique where composite mixture and pure PDMS are materials for sensing and insulating layers, respectively. We characterize the soft strain sensors after investigating the effect of PDMS/EFG wt% on mechanical compliance and electrical conductance of the conductive composite.