The friction and wear characteristics of the rubber matrix composites filled with nano sized silica particles were investigated at ambient temperature by pin-on-disc friction test. The volume fraction of silica particles was 19%. The cumulative wear volume and wear rate of these materials on counterpart roughness were determined experimentally. The major failure mechanisms were lapping layers, deformation of matrix, ploughing, debonding of particles, fracture of particles and microcracking by scanning electric microscopy photograph of the tested surface. The cumulative wear volume showed a tendency to increase with increase of sliding distance. The wear rate of these composites tested indicated low value as increasing the sliding distance.

본 연구에서는 졸-겔, 용매치환, 표면개질, 상압건조 공정과 계면활성제에 의한 템플레이팅(templating) 공법 및 소결 공정을 이용하여 실리카 에어로겔 모노리스와 메조포러스 실리카 모노리스를 각각 합성하였다. 제조된 두 종류의 실리카 모노리스는 균열이 없이 비교적 투명하였으며, 매우 높은 기공율(92-94%) 및 비표면적(800 - 840 m²/g)과 수 십 nm 수준의 기공 크기를 갖는 것으로 확인되었다. 표면개질을 적용한 실리카 에어로겔 샘플이 스피링백 효과로 인하여 메조포러스 실리카 모노리스에 비해 더욱 미세하고 균질한 나노 기공 구조를 보였을 뿐만 아니라, 그 단열 성능도 더욱 우수한 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통해 합성된 두 종류의 실리카 모노리스를 중간층으로 적용한 복층 창유리의 단열성능을 측정된 모노리스의 열전도도와 이론식을 근거로 조사한 결과, 기존의 상업적으로 응용되는 공기층 삽입 복층 창유리에 비해 우수한 단열 성능을 보이는 것으로 나타났다.

Nanotechnology has become one of the fastest developing technologies and recently applied to a variety of industries. Thus, increasing number of nano materials including various nanoparticles would be discharged into wastewater and consequently entering a biological wastewater treatment process. However, the impact of the nano particles on biological wastewater treatment has not been estimated intensively. In this research, we investigated the effect of silica nanoparticle on the oxygen uptake rates (OURs) of activated sludge used in a conventional wastewater treatment process. The inhibition (%) values were estimated from the results of OURs experiments for the silica nanoparticles with various sizes of 10-15, 45-50, and 70-100 nm and concentrations of 50, 250, and 500 ppm. As results, the inhibition value was increased as the size of silica nano particles decreased and the injected concentration increased. The maximum inhibition value was investigated as 37.4 % for the silica nanoparticles with the size of 45-50 nm and concentration of 50 ppm. Additionally, the effect of size and concentration on the inhibition should be considered cautiously in case that the aggregation of particles occurred seriously so that the size of individual particles was increased in aquatic solution.

The characteristics of abrasive wear of the rubber matrix composites filled with nano sized silica particles were investigated at ambient temperature by pin-on-disc friction test. The range of volume fraction of silica particles tested are between 11% to 25%. The cumulative wear volume and friction coefficient of these materials on particle volume fraction were determined experimentally. The major failure mechanisms were lapping layers, deformation of matrix, ploughing, deboding of particles and microcracking by scanning electric microscopy photograph of the tested surface. The cumulative wear volume showed a tendency to increase nonlinear with increase of sliding distance. As increasing the silica particles of these composites indicated higher friction coefficient.

Nano-sized β-SiC nanoparticles were synthesized combined with a sol-gel process and a carbothermal process. TEOS and carbon black were used as starting materials for the silicon source and carbon source, respectively. SiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel technique (Stober process) combined with hydrolysis and condensation. The size of the particles could be controlled by manipulating the relative rates of the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) within the micro-emulsion. The average particle size and morphology of synthesized silicon dioxide was about 100nm and spherical, respectively. The average particles size and morphology of the used carbon black powders was about 20nm and spherical, respectively. The molar ratio of silicon dioxide and carbon black was fixed to 1:3 in the preparation of each combination. SiO2 and carbon black powders were mixed in ethanol and ball-milled for 12 h. After mixing, the slurries were dried at 80˚C in an oven. The dried powder mixtures were placed in alumina crucibles and synthesized in a tube furnace at 1400~1500˚C for 4 h with a heating rate of 10˚C/min under flowing Ar gas (160 cc/min) and furnace cooling down to room temperature. SiC nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM, and SAED. The XRD results showed that high purity beta silicon carbide with excellent crystallinity was synthesized. TEM revealed that the powders are spherical shape nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 15 to 30 nm with a narrow distribution.

Hollow silica spheres were prepared by spray drying of precursor solution of colloidal silica. The precursor solution is composed of 10-20 nm colloidal silica dispersed in a water or ethanol-water mixture solvent with additives of tris hydroxymethyl aminomethane. The effect of pH and concentrations of the precursor and additives on the formation of hollow sphere particles was studied. The spray drying process parameters of the precursor feeding rate, inlet temperature, and gas flow rate are controlled to produce the hollow spherical silica. The mixed solvent of ethanol and water was preferred because it improved the hollowness of the spheres better than plain water did. It was possible to obtain hollow silica from high concentration of 14.3 wt% silica precursor with pH 3. The thermal conductivity and total solar reflectivity of the hollow silica sample was measured and compared with those values of other commercial insulating fillers of glass beads and TiO2 for applications of insulating paint, in which the glass beads are representative of the low thermal conductive fillers and the TiO2 is representative of infrared reflective fillers. The thermal conductivity of hollow silica was comparable to that of the glass beads and the total solar reflectivity was higher than that of TiO2.

Carbon nanotube(CNT) plays an essential role in various fields of nano based science and technology. Recently, silica coated CNT composites are interested because they are useful for the optical, magnetical, and catalytic applications. In this report, carboxyl groups were introduced on the MWCNT using nitric acid. In order to maximize the silica encapsulation efficiency, carboxyl groups of MWCNT reacted with a silane coupling agent were used to prepare silica coated MWCNT. Due to their strong interaction between modified MWCNT and TEOS. Silica layer with a controllable thickness was achieved. Silica coated MWCNT were further utilized as the template for the synthesis of hollow silica nanotubes after 800℃ calcination.

The relative viscosity was measured at different filler loadings for a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin and hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride hardener system filled with micro/nano hybrid silica. Various empirical models were fitted to the experimental data and a fitting parameter such as critical filler fractions (φmax) was estimated. Among the models, the Zhang-Evans model gave the best fit to the viscosity data. For all the silica loadings used, ln (relative viscosity) varied linearly with filler loadings. Using the Zhang-Evans model and the linearity characteristics of the viscosity change, simple methods to predict the relative viscosity below φmax are presented in this work. The predicted viscosity values from the two methods at hybrid silica fractions of φ = 0.086 and 0.1506 were confirmed for a micro:nano = 1:1 hybrid filler. As a result, the difference between measured and predicted values was less than 11%, indicating that the proposed predicting methods are in good agreement with the experiment.

Surface modification of silica nanoparticles was investigated using an aerosol self assembly. Stearic acid was used as surface treating agent. A two-fluid jet nozzle was employed to generate an aerosol of the colloidal suspension, which contained 20 nm of silica nanoparticles, surface modifier, and ethyl alcohol. Powder properties such as morphology, specific surface area and pore size distribution were analyzed by SEM, BET and BJH methods, respectively. Surface properties of the silica power were analyzed by FT-IR. The OH bond of the SiO2 surface was converted to a C-H bond. It was revealed that the hydrophilic surface changed to a hydrophobic one due to the aerosol self assembly. Morphology of the surface treated powder was nanostructured with lots of pores having an average diameter of around 2 μm. Depending on the stearic acid concentration (0.25 to 1.0 wt%), the pore size distribution of the particles and the degree of hydrophobicity ranged from 1.5 nm to 180 nm and 29.6% to 50.2%, respectively.

Poly propylene carbonate (PPC)와 cloisite 20B (PPC/C-20B)을 solution method를 통하여 합성하였고, 이를 통해 합성된 나노 조성물의 morphology, 열적 특성, 수분 흡수의 특성을 평가하였다. 나노 조성물의 구조는 X-ray diffraction (XRD) 로 확인하였고, 열적 특성은 thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA)와 differential scanning calorimetric (DSC)를 이용해 분석하였다. TGA와 DSC의 결과를 통해 나노 조성물은 기존의 PPC에 비해 높은 열적 안정성을 가짐을 확인할 수 있었다. DSC측정에서 5 wt%의 clay를 포함한 nanohybrid의 유리전이온도는 순수한 PPC의 21℃에서 30℃로 9℃ 증가하였고, TGA 측정을 통해 확인한 열분해온도(Td50%)는 순수 PPC에 비해 23℃가 높아졌음을 확인하였다. 또한 PPC 나노 조성물의 수분 흡수량은 기존의 PPC에 비해 상당히 감소하였다. 이는 clay의 PPC matrix 구조 내에 존재함으로 인해 수분 흡수를 감소시킨 것으로 해석할 수 있다. 수분 흡수는 코팅 막의 분해를 유발하고 물리적, 기계적 성능에 영향을 미친다. 따라서 나노 조성물로 인한 PPC의 열적 안정성, 수분흡수도 향상은 PPC의 사용과 실제 공정에 중요한 변수로 작용할 수 있다.

본 연구에서는 졸-겔 공법을 이용하여 가스 차단 특성을 갖는 SiO2/EVOH(에틸렌 비닐알콜 공중합체) 하이브리드 물질을 제조하였다. 제조된 여러 조성의 하이브리드 졸을 표면 처리한 biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) 기지재에 스핀 코팅 방식을 이용하여 코팅하였다. X선 회절 및 DSC 분석에 의해 하이브리드 내의 EVOH 상과 실리카 상 사이의 결합에 따른 결정화 거동의 변화를 조사하였다. 또한 SiO2/EVOH 하이브리드 겔의 모폴로지 관찰을 통하여, 100nm 이하의 실리카 입자들이 균열하게 분산된 매우 치밀한 상 미세구조를 갖는 하이브리드 물질을 제조하기 위해 필요한 Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) 무기전구체의 최적 함량이 존재함을 알 수 있었다. 첨가된 TEOS 함량이 최적 함량보다 낮거나 높은 경우에는 큰 도메인의 입자 클러스터들이 형성되어 매우 불안정한 모폴로지를 나타내는 상분리 현상이 관찰되었다. 이러한 모폴로지 결과는 하이브리드 코팅 필름의 산소 투과도의 변화 결과와 일치하였는데, TEOS 함량이 0.01 - 0.02mol로 첨가되어 제조된 하이브리드로 코팅된 필름의 경우 매우 우수한 산소 차단 특성을 나타냈으며, 0.04mol 이상으로 첨가되었을 때는 상 분리 및 미세 균열 발생으로 인하여 그 차단 특성이 급격하게 감소하는 것으로 나타났다.