• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.151-160
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• 2001

Polymeric membranes consisting of poly(d,1-lactide) as a polymer matrix and crystallizable progesterone as a drug were prepared by coagulating polymeric solutions. The homogeneous casting solutions in dimethyformamide were solidified by using three different coagulating processes : solvent evaporation under vacuum, solvent extraction via immersion into the nonsolvent bath, or vapor exposure at high humidity condition. With solvent removal via evaporation under vacuum, the cast solution film was vitrified to form a homogeneous film containing progesterone of spherical shape distributed evenly in the film. Being prepared by solvent extraction via immersion into a water bath, the resulting membrane showed an asymmetric structure, with progesterone of big crystallites distributed unevenly in the structure. On the other hand, the coagulation under high humidity transformed the cast film into a sponge-like structure, where progesterone took a shape like flake.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.258-264
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• 1996

Polyanilines were prepared by the oxidative polymerization in the presence of ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. After dehydration, a doping was carried out by mixing the polymer solution with dopants and immersing into aqueous dopant solutions. Using various riopants, the d-spacing of polyanilines can be controlled from $3.72{\AA}$ to $4.844{\AA}$. The d-spacing of polyanilines with polymeric or bulky dopants was larger than that of as-cast polyaniline. The characterization of the physical properties were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dielectric analyzer (DEA) etc. Annealed polyaniline membrane exhibited the oxygen permeability of 0.072 barrer and the oxygen selectivity to nitrogen was 6.87. For the gas separation of polyanilines with polymeric or bulky riopants, the permeability increased while the selectivity detereased. Permeability can be readily controlled by the use of bulky dopants.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.189-203
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• 2015

Membrane biofouling impedes wide application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment. Recently, quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms are accounted for one of major mechanisms in biofouling of MBRs. In this study, vanillin was applied to investigate reduction of biofouling in MBRs. MBR sludge was analyzed to contain QS signal molecules by cross-feeding biosensor assay and HPLC. In addition, the inhibitory activity of vanillin against bacterial quorum sensing was verified using an indicator strain CV026. The vanillin doses greater than 125 mg/L to 100 mL of MBR sludge showed 25% reduction of biofilm formed on the membrane surfaces. Two MBRs, i.e., a typical MBR as a control and an MBR with vanillin, were operated. The TMP increases of the control MBR were more rapid compared to those of the MBR with the vanillin dose of 250 mg/L. The treatment efficiencies of the two MBRs on organic removal and MLSS were maintained relatively constant. Extracellular polymeric substance concentrations measured at the end of the MBR operation were 173 mg/g biocake for the control MBR and 119 mg/g biocake for the MBR with vanillin. Vanillin shows great potential as an anti-biofouling agent for MBRs without any interference on microbial activity for wastewater treatment.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.11-14
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• 1998

1. Introduction : Research progresses in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering have been made during the last decades with important contributions to the industrial development and to the quality of our life. An interesting case is related to the membrane science and technology continuous impact to innovative processes and products, particularly appropriate for a sustainable industrial growth. Membrane operations have been familiar for many years to biologists and chemists working in their laboratorier or studying biological phenomena. Only recently engineers started to operate in' this area. The preparation of asymmetric CA membranes at University of California, Los Angeles in the early 60s is generally recognized as a crucial moment for membranology (1). Loeb and Sourirajan with their discovery of how to increase significantly the permeability of polymeric membranes without significant changes in their selectivity, made realistic the possibility of their use in large scale operations for desalting brackish and sea water by reverse osmosis and for various other molecular separations in different industrial areas. Reverse osmosis is today a well recognized basic unit operations, togheter with ultrafiltration, crossflow microfiltration,. nanofiltration, all pressure driven membrane processes. Already in 1992 more than 4 milIions m$^3$/day were the total capacity of RO desalination plants and in 1995 more than 180.000 m$^2$ of ultrafiltration membranes were installed for the treatment of wheys and milk (2) (3).

• Membrane Journal
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.191-198
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• 1997

Membrane formation mechanism by the phase inversion has been investigated in order to control the membrane morphology. It was found that finger-like structures were obtained when the heat of mixing between the solvent and non-solvent is exothermic, while sponge-like structures were obtained when they are endothermic in polystyrenes as well as in polyimides (Torlon and polyimide made frorn 3,3'4,4'-benzophenontetracarboxylic diahmydride and 1,4-phenylene diarnine) membranes. This concept was applied to control the morphology of polysulfone membranes simply by adding a solvent additive by adjusting the heat of mixing. A crude, but simple, relationship between the heat of mixing and the exchange rate of the solvent with non-solvent has been also developed.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.308-314
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• 2021

Chemical durability issue in polymer electrolyte membranes has been a challenge for the commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, we proposed a manufacturing method of Nafion composite membrane containing a stable polyimide antioxidant to improve the chemical durability of the membrane. The thermal casting of the Nafion solution with poly (amic acid) induced polyimide reaction. We evaluated proton conductivity, oxidative stability with ex-situ Fenton's test, and fluoride ion emission to analyze the effect of polyimide antioxidants. We confirmed that incorporating the polyimide antioxidant improves the chemical durability of the Nafion membrane while maintaining inherent proton conductivity.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.156-163
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• 2018

High-performance mixed-matrix membranes that comprise both zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized with a solution casting technique to realize excellent $CO_2/CH_4$ separation. The incorporation of ZIF-8 nanocrystals alone in ODPA-TMPDA polyimide can be used to significantly enhance $CO_2$ permeability compared with that of pure ODPA-TMPDA. Meanwhile, the addition of a GO nanostack alone in ODPA-TMPDA contributes to improved $CO_2/CH_4$ selectivity. Hence, a composite membrane that contains both fillers displays significant enhancements in $CO_2$ permeability (up to 60%) and $CO_2/CH_4$ selectivity (up to 28%) compared with those of pure polymeric membrane. Furthermore, in contrast to the ZIF-8 mixed-matrix membrane, which showed decreased mechanical stability, it was found that the incorporation of GO could improve the mechanical strength of mixed-matrix membranes. Overall, the synergistic effects of the use of both fillers together are successfully demonstrated in this paper. Such significant improvements in the mixed-matrix membrane's $CO_2/CH_4$ separation performance and mechanical strength suggest a feasible and effective approach for potential biogas upgrading and natural gas purification.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.304-313
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• 2022

There is evidence that the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredient (APIs) are a danger for aquatic ecosystems and the human health. The presence of APIs such as tetracycline, an antibiotic, in water causes antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms inflicting enormous costs on individuals and society. Membranes embedded with catalysts such as TiO₂ or bismuth based catalysts degrade and separate the organic effluents from wastewater. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts can be enhanced with noble metal doping and addition of carbonaceous materials and formation of heterojunction with other semiconductors. The recollection of photoctalysts is possible through the immobilization of the photocatalysts in polymeric membranes. In this review, the degradation of antibiotics in water is discussed.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.56-57
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• 2006

The ultra pH-sensitive polymeric mixed micelles based on poly(L-histidine) chemistry and constructed from block copolymers containing polyHis, present four functionalities as decreasing pH: ligand exposure at pH 7.0, micelle destabilization below pH 6.8, enhanced DOX release and endosomal membrane disruption. The first functionality is expected to endow tumor pH specificity to nonspecific ligands and the rest ones may help to treat solid tumors that are hard-to-treat by conventional chemotherapy (resistant tumors). The concept was proven in vitro studies and in vivo model.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.221-231
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• 2018

A new procedure to produce poly(vinylidene fluoride)/boron nitride hybrid membrane is presented for application in membrane distillation (MD) process. The influence of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) incorporation on the performance of the polymeric membranes is studied through the present investigation. For this aim, h-BN nanopowders were successfully synthesized using the simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route and subsequent solvent treatments. The resulting h-BN nanosheets were blended with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution. Then, the prepared composite solution was subjected to phase inversion process to obtain PVDF/h-BN hybrid membranes. Various examinations such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wettability, permeation flux, mechanical strength and liquid entry pressure (LEP) measurements are performed to evaluate the prepared membrane. Moreover, Air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) experiments were carried out to investigate the salt rejection performance and the durability of membranes. The results show that our hybrid PVDF/h-BN membrane presents higher water permeation flux (${\sim}18kg/m^2h$) compared to pristine PVDF membrane. In addition, the experimental data confirms that the prepared nanocomposite membrane is hydrophobic (water contact angle: ${\sim}103^{\circ}$), has a porous skin layer (>85%), as well competitive fouling resistance and operational durability. Furthermore, the total salt rejection efficiency was obtained for PVDF/h-BN membrane. The results prove that the novel PVDF/h-BN membrane can be easily synthesized and applied in MD process for salt rejection purposes.