• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.396-401
• /
• 2013

Chronic osteomyelitis is an infection and inflammation of the bone or bone marrow, causing ischemia in bone marrow due to lack of blood, nutrients, and oxygen supply to the bone marrow, eventually leading to necrosis of bone marrow. A current method for treatment of chronic osteomyelitis is administration of systemic antibiotics followed by removal of the infected bone and tissues. Because infected tissue of chronic osteomyelitis is surrounded by avascular necrotic bone, supply of blood and antibiotics to the infected area is diminished. For effective treatment, high plasma concentrations of antibiotics should be provided for a prolonged period. However, long term high serum level of antibiotics may result in undesirable adverse effects. For delivery of a sufficient concentration of antibiotic to the infected area while avoiding the adverse effect, implantation of a local antibiotic delivery system is suggested. One of the implantation systems that has been utilized is antibiotic impregnated polymethyl methacrylate.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.194-199
• /
• 2016

We prepared polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) beads with a particle size of 80 nm to improve the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) by increasing the effective surface area and the dye absorption ability of the working electrodes (WEs) in a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). We prepared the $TiO_2$ layer with PMMA beads of 0.0~1.0 wt%; then, finally, a DSSC with $0.45cm^2$ active area was obtained. Optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of the $TiO_2$ layer with PMMA. UV-VIS-NIR was used to determine the optical absorbance of the WEs with PMMA. A solar simulator and a potentiostat were used to determine the photovoltaic properties of the PMMA-added DSSC. Analysis of the microstructure showed that pores of 200 nm were formed by the decomposition of PMMA. Also, root mean square values linearly increased as more PMMA was added. The absorbance in the visible light regime was found to increase as the degree of PMMA dispersion increased. The ECE increased from 4.91% to 5.35% when the amount of PMMA beads added was increased from 0.0 to 0.4 wt%. However, the ECE decreased when more than 0.6 wt% of PMMA was added. Thus, adding a proper amount of PMMA to the $TiO_2$ layer was determined to be an effective method for improving the ECE of a DSSC.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.541-546
• /
• 2012

Objective : The prefabrication of customized cranioplastic implants has been introduced to overcome the difficulties of intra-operative implant molding. The authors present a new technique, which consists of the prefabrication of implant molds using three-dimensional (3D) printers and polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) casting. Methods : A total of 16 patients with large skull defects (>100 $cm^2$) underwent cranioplasty between November 2009 and April 2011. For unilateral cranial defects, 3D images of the skull were obtained from preoperative axial 1-mm spiral computed tomography (CT) scans. The image of the implant was generated by a digital subtraction mirror-imaging process using the normal side of the cranium as a model. For bilateral cranial defects, precraniectomy routine spiral CT scan data were merged with postcraniectomy 3D CT images following a smoothing process. Prefabrication of the mold was performed by the 3D printer. Intraoperatively, the PMMA implant was created with the prefabricated mold, and fit into the cranial defect. Results : The median operation time was $184.36{\pm}26.07$ minutes. Postoperative CT scans showed excellent restoration of the symmetrical contours and curvature of the cranium in all cases. The median follow-up period was 23 months (range, 14-28 months). Postoperative infection was developed in one case (6.2%) who had an open wound defect previously. Conclusion : Customized cranioplasty PMMA implants using 3D printer may be a useful technique for the reconstruction of various cranial defects.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.28-34
• /
• 2020

In this study, an ISO 5660-1 cone calorimeter experiment was conducted to examine the effects of changes in flow and thermal thickness around solid combustibles on heat release rate characteristics. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a solid combustible material that does not generate char during the combustion reaction. Hence, it was selected for the experiment, and the thermal penetration depth was calculated to distinguish the thermal thickness of PMMA. Furthermore, the thermal decomposition characteristics were analyzed by measuring the heat release rate measured during the combustion of PMMA. This was performed after generating the forced flow around the combustibles by setting the duct flow of the cone calorimeter to 12, 24, and 40 L/s. The results confirmed that the thermal release rate of the thermally thin combustible material was not significantly affected by the change in the surrounding flow. Hence, the thermally thick combustible material was significantly affected by the change in the flow rate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.345-353
• /
• 2021

Digital radiography imaging systems can also help diagnose lesions in patients, but if x-rays that enter the human body cause scatter x-ray due to interaction with substances, they affect the signal and noise characteristics of digital x-ray images. To regard the human body as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and observe the properties of scattered x-ray generated from PMMA on x-ray images, we analyze signal and noise in the spatial domain as well as noise-power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) at zero frequency. As PMMA thickness increased, signals decreased, the noise increased, and NPS degradation was identified in overall spatial frequencies. Based on these characteristics, zero-frequency performance was also shown to be degraded. Comparative analysis with Monte-carlo simulations will need to be made to analyze the zero-frequency performance by scattered x-ray of indirect conversion-type x-ray detectors more quantitatively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.395-403
• /
• 2022

Flat-panel detector (FPD) used in digital radiographic imaging systems was used to perform a quantitative power spectrum evaluation as a result of the thickness change of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a tissue equivalent. As the PMMA thickness increases with the resolution-chart phantom image, the effect of the scattering line increases, indicating that the modulation characteristics decrease, and the image is bright. The results show that the noise of the image increases, and noise-power spectral images are obtained by Fourier transform to confirm by spatial frequency. Thus, it can be verified that the PMMA thickness and noise are proportional through the result of evaluating the change of resolution characteristics and representing the 2D noise-power spectrum as one-dimensional values by evaluating the change of scattering line with MTF as the PMMA thickness increases in the image.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.185-191
• /
• 2022

An Amur softshell turtle with multiple shell injuries was admitted to the Seoul Wildlife Center on 19 May 2021. The most severe lesion was a puncture wound requiring urgent closure. In addition to routine supportive therapy, the damaged shell was patched with biocompatible polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) materials (bone cement and dental acrylic) and fiberglass. Despite a few methods to repair the carapace or plastron of hard-shelled turtles, shell repair in the Amur softshell turtle has rarely been reported. This paper reports the repair process of a puncture wound in the carapace of a softshell turtle using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). PMMA is a biocompatible acrylic polymer that forms a tight structure that holds the implant against tissue defects, such as skin, bones, and dentures. Fiberglass, a preferred fiber in various medical fields, was used with PMMA to provide extra strength and waterproof capability. After the procedure, there were no signs of edema, inflammation, bleeding, skin discoloration, or any other complications. Accordingly, this can be a method of choice in softshell turtles using biocompatible materials to cover the lesion in the carapace and provide appropriate wound management, supportive therapy, and a suitable course of antibiotics considering all other circumstances.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.617-624
• /
• 2001

The core-shell composite latexes were synthesized by stage emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (St) with ammonium persulfate after preparing monomer pre-emulsion in the presence of anionic surfactant. However, in preparation of core-shell composite latex, several unexpected results are observed, such as, particle coagulation, low degree of polymerization, and formation of new particles during shell polymerization. To solve the disadvantages, We study the effect of initiator concentrations, surfactant concentrations, and reaction temperature on the core-shell structure of polymethyl methacrylate/polystyrene and polystyrene/polymethyl methacrylate. Particle size and particle size distribution were measured using particle size analyzer, and the morphology of the core-shell composite latex was determined using transmission electron microscope. Glass temperature was also measured using differential scanning calorimeter. To identify the core-shell structure, pH of the two composite latex solutions were measured.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.62 no.6
• /
• pp.433-440
• /
• 2018

The pyrolysis has been universally applied to recycle the waste artificial marble. However, the existing heat treatment equipment has relatively low heat transfer efficiency into the inner part of the waste artificial marble. Besides, it leads to unnecessary excessive gas during the partial carbonization of the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and raises the risk of fire due to heat at an extremely high temperature. This study suggests the process of pyrolysis at the formation state after adding the starch to waste artificial marble to overcome above-mentioned problems. As the result of experiments, this method showed that the pyrolysis of waste artificial marble was greatly improved at comparatively low temperature condition of $350^{\circ}C$. Moreover, it also manifested the effect on securing the stability and energy savings necessary for the recovery of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ${\alpha}$-alumina (${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$).

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.53-58
• /
• 2024

This study explores the enhancement of mechanical properties in Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) composites through the incorporation of Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) and Ethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Utilizing Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, we conducted a series of experiments to analyze the impact of varying concentrations of MMA and EGDMA on PMMA. The results indicate that while MMA demonstrates non-linear and variable mechanical strength across different PMMA concentrations, EGDMA consistently improves mechanical strength as PMMA concentration increases. This consistent enhancement by EGDMA suggests a stable and predictable reinforcement effect, which is critical for applications requiring high mechanical strength. Our comparative analysis highlights that EGDMA is a more effective additive than MMA for optimizing the mechanical performance of PMMA composites. Specifically, EGDMA's ability to provide uniform reinforcement across various PMMA concentrations makes it ideal for high-strength applications. These findings are significant for material scientists and engineers focused on the design and development of advanced PMMA-based materials. In conclusion, this research underscores the importance of selecting appropriate additives to enhance the mechanical properties of PMMA composites. The superior performance of EGDMA in reinforcing PMMA suggests its potential for broader applications in fields such as automotive, construction, medical devices, and 3D printing. This study provides valuable insights that can guide future research and development in high-performance composite materials, paving the way for innovative applications and improved material efficiency.