• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.215-220
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• 2012

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized through a facile route and were used as ozonation catalysts. With the increase of calcination temperature ($150-300^{\circ}C$), surface hydroxyl groups and catalytic efficiency of asobtained ZnO decreased remarkably, and the ZnO obtained at $150^{\circ}C$ showed the best catalytic activity. Compared with ozonation alone, the degradation efficiency of phenol increased above 50% due to the catalysis of ZnO-150. In the reaction temperatures range from $5^{\circ}C$ to $35^{\circ}C$, ZnO nanocatalyst revealed remarkable catalytic properties, and the catalytic effect of ZnO was better at lower temperature. Through the effect of tertbutanol on degradation of phenol and the catalytic properties of ZnO on degradation of nitrobenzene, it was proposed that the degradation of phenol was ascribed to the direct oxidation by ozone molecules based on solidliquid interface reaction.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.243-250
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• 2018

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were grown on a palladium (Pd) activated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber where Pd activation was carried out in advance by the following dry process: palladium(II) bis(acetylacetonate), $Pd(acac)_2$ was sublimed, penetrated into the surface of PAN fiber and spontaneously reduced to Pd nanoparticles at $180^{\circ}C$ for various times under a nitrogen atmosphere. ZnO nanorod morphology was observed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the elemental composition was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The crystalline structure of ZnO nanorods was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showing Wurtzite structure consisting of hexagonal lattice. Sulfur removal characteristics were evaluated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.412-412
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• 2014

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most powerful materials for purifying organic pollutants using photocatalytic activity. In this study, we have introduced a novel method to design highly photoreactive flexible 3 dimensional (3D) ZnO nanocomposite [F-ZnO-m (m: reaction time, min)] by electrospinning and simple-step ZnO growth processing (one-step ZnO seed coating/growth processing). Significantly, the F-ZnO-m could be a new platform (or candidate) as a photocatalytic technology for both morphology control and large-area production. The highest photocatalytic degradation rate ([k]) was observed for F-ZnO-m at 2.552 h-1, which was 8.1 times higher than that of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs; [k] = 0.316 h-1). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of F-ZnO-m may be attributed to factors such as large surface area. The F-ZnO-m is highly recyclable and retained 98.6% of the initial decolorization rate after fifteen cycles. Interestingly, the F-ZnO-m samples show very strong antibacterial properties against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) after exposure to UV-light for 30 min. The antibacterial properties of F-ZnO-m samples are more effective than those of ZnO NPs. More than 96.6% of the E. coli is sterilized after ten cycles. These results indicate that F-ZnO-m samples might have utility in several promising applications such as highly efficient water/air treatment and inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2014

In the present study, a yeast species isolated from CETP, Vellore, Tamilnadu was identified as Cryptococcus sp. VITGBN2 based on molecular techniques and was found to be a potent producer of acidic diacetate sophorolipid in mineral salt media containing vegetable oil as additional carbon source. The chemical structure of the purified biosurfactant was identified as acidic diacetate sophorolipid through GC-MS analysis. This sophorolipid was used as a stabilizer for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZON). The formation of biofunctionalized ZON was characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of naked ZON and sophorolipid functionalized ZON were tested based on the diameter of inhibition zone in agar well diffusion assay, microbial growth rate determination, protein leakage analysis, and lactate dehydrogenase assay. Bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica and fungal pathogen Candida albicans showed more sensitivity to sophorolipid biofunctionalized ZON compared with naked ZON. Among the two pathogens, S. enterica showed higher sensitivity towards sophorolipid biofunctionalized ZON. SEM analysis showed that cell damage occurred through cell elongation in the case of S. enterica, whereas cell rupture was found to occur predominantly in the case of C. albicans. This is the first report on the dual role of yeast-mediated sophorolipid used as a biostabilizer for ZON synthesis as well as a novel functionalizing agent showing antimicrobial property.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.270.1-270.1
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• 2013

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most powerful materials for purifying organic pollutants using photocatalytic activity. In this study, we have introduced a novel method to design highly photoreactive flexible 3 dimensional (3D) ZnO nanocomposite [F-ZnO-m (m: reaction time, min)] by electrospinning and simple-step ZnO growth processing (one-step ZnO seed coating/growth processing). Significantly, the F-ZnO-m could be a new platform (or candidate) as a photocatalytic technology for both morphology control and largearea production. The highest photocatalytic degradation rate ([k]) was observed for F-ZnO-m at 2.552 h-1, which was 8.1 times higher than that of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs; [k] = 0.316 h-1). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of F-ZnO-m may be attributed to factors such as large surface area. The F-ZnO-m is highly recyclable and retained 98.6% of the initial decolorization rate after fifteen cycles. Interestingly, the F-ZnO-m samples show very strong antibacterial properties against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) after exposure to UV-light for 30 min. The antibacterial properties of F-ZnO-m samples are more effective than those of ZnO NPs. More than 96.6% of the E. coli is sterilized after ten cycles. These results indicate that F-ZnO-m samples might have utility in several promising applications such as highly efficient water/air treatment and inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.291-302
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• 2023

As the first part of the body that strikes the ground during running, sports shoes are especially important for improving performance and reducing injuries. The use of new nanotechnology materials in the shoe's sole that can affect the movement angle of the foot and the ground reaction forces during running has not been reported yet. It is important to consider the material of the sole of the shoe since it determines the long-term performance of sports shoes, including their comfort while walking, running, and jumping. Running performance can be improved by polymer foam that provides good support with low energy dissipation (low energy dissipation). Running shoes have a midsole made of ethylene propylene copolymer (EPP) foam. The mechanical properties of EPP foam are, however, low. To improve the mechanical performance of EPP, conventional mineral fillers are commonly used, but these fillers sacrifice energy return. In this study, to improve the magnificence of physical education training with nanotechnology, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) derived from recycled plastics were prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition and used as nucleating and reinforcing agents. As a result of the results, the physical, mechanical, and dynamic response properties of EPP foam combined with CNT and zinc oxide nanoparticles were significantly improved. When CNT was added to the nanocomposites with a weight percentage of less than 0.5 wt%, the wear resistance, physical properties, dynamic stiffness, compressive strength, and rebound properties of EPP foams were significantly improved.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.634-640
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• 2017

Toxicity and fate assessment is necessary in the evaluation of the environmental, health and safety risks of engineered nanomaaterials (ENMs). Therefore, in order to ensure the reproducibility, reliability and relevance of ENMs toxicity results, stable and monomodal dispersion protocols in toxicity test media are needed. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) are widely used in various products such as cosmetic products, paper, paints etc. In this study, nZnO dispersions in ecotoxicity test media were produced by following a series of steps of modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special publication 1200-5. In addition, natural organic matter (humic acid (HA)) was used as a stabilizing agent to disperse nZnO in the test media. The hydrodynamic diameters (HDD) of the nZnO in dispersion ranged between 150 and 200 nm according to the dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement. Based on these dispersions in ecotoxicity test using ecological species (Oryzias latipes, Daphnia magna, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Chironomusus riparius), dispersion protocol was found to have a considerable potential in ecotoxicity test of ENMs.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.69-77
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• 2019

Agar-based nanocomposite films were prepared by incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) and grapefruit seed extract (GSE). The composite films were characterized using FT-IR, UV-visible spectroscopy and thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA). The composite films showed light absorption peaks at 220 and 380 nm, characteristic for GSE and ZnONP, respectively. The UV-light transmittance of the agar film was markedly reduced from 54.4 ± 1.3% to 5.8 ± 2.5% with little sacrifice of transparency when 3 wt% ZnONP and 5 wt% GSE were added. The mechanical and water vapor barrier properties increased slightly though they were not significant statistically by the addition of ZnONP and GSE. The nanocomposite films showed stronger antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes than E. coli O157: H7 and the antibacterial activity was affected by bacterial types as well as concentrations of ZnONP and GSE. The nano-composite film incorporated with 3 wt% of ZnONP and 5 wt% of GSE exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157: H7. The results indicate that 3 wt% of ZnONP and 5 wt% of GSE are the optimal concentrations for producing functional agar/ZnONP/GSE composite films.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.179-184
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• 2017

In this paper, a $ZnO/SiO_2$ nano-composite was prepared by a simple chemical method at room temperature. For the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), a sonochemical method was used, and $SiO_2$ NPs were prepared by precipitation method. The formation of $ZnO/SiO_2$ NCs was characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy(FT-IR). The photocatalytic properties of $ZnO/SiO_2$ NCs formed at different concentrations of $SiO_2$ were evaluated by rhodamine-B dye. It was confirmed that increasing $SiO_2$ concentration resulted in an increase in the photocatalytic property. In addition, the antibacterial activity of $ZnO/SiO_2$ NCs was conducted against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). As a result, the antibacterial activities of E.coli and S. aureus were increased in the presence of thick SiO NPs layer.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.1197-1205
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• 2018

UV protection cosmetics belong to functional cosmetics and contain organic or inorganic UV blocking pigments. The inorganic UV blocking pigments are mainly zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It is known that inorganic UV blocking pigment has a diameter of 60 to 100 nm and has good blocking ability of UVA and UVB. Also, it has high inactivity against sunlight including UV and is excellent in safety. In addition, it is not absorbed or accumulated on the skin like organic pigments and does not cause skin irritation or allergy. In this study, mica, a plate-shaped inorganic pigment, nanosized titanium dioxide, an UV blocking material, and hydrophobic silica were surface-treated with surfactants. And then, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and silica were physically adsorbed on the mica by non-chemical mutual attraction due to differences in charge. Thereafter, the mica complex was surface-treated with silane to prepare a hydrophobic UV blocking pigment complex. The plate-shaped UV blocking composite improves the cohesiveness of a general nanoparticle material titanium dioxide, enhances UV blocking effect due to uniform dispersion, and can greatly improve dispersion stability in cosmetic formulations by surface treatment with hydrophobic property. The surface charge of the pigment was evaluated by zeta potential. The properties of the UV blocking pigment complex were evaluated by FE-SEM, XRD, FT-IR and UV-VIS.