The physical and antibacterial properties of ophthalmic lenses fabricated by copolymerization with hydrogel monomers using two types of graphene were measured, and their usability as contact lens materials was analyzed. For polymerization, silicone monomers, including SID-OH, 3-(methacryloxy)propyl tris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, were used, and N,N-dimethylacetamide, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a crosslinking agent, and azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator were added. Also, graphene oxide nanoparticle (GON) and graphene nanoplate (GNP) were used as an additive, and the physical properties of the lenses fabricated after copolymerization were evaluated. The fabricated lenses satisfied the basic physical properties of general hydrogel contact lenses and showed the characteristics of lenses with high water content, and the disadvantage of very weak durability, due to low tensile strength. However, it was confirmed that the tensile strength and antibacterial properties were greatly improved by adding GON and GNP. With GON, the oxygen permeability and refractive index of the fabricated lenses were slightly improved. Therefore, it was determined that the graphene materials used in this study can be used in various ways as a contact lens material.
In order to broaden the range of application of light weight aluminum alloys, it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of the alloys and combine them with other materials, such as cast iron. In this study, the effects of adding small amounts of Cu and Zr to the Al-Si-Mg based alloy on tensile properties and corrosion characteristics were investigated, and the effect of the addition on the interfacial compounds layer with the cast iron was also analyzed. Although the tensile strength of the Al-Si-Mg alloy was not significantly affected by the additions of Cu and Zr, the corrosion resistance in 3.5 %NaCl solution was found to be somewhat lowered in this research. The influence of Cu and Zr addition on the type and thickness of the interfacial compounds layer formed during compound casting with cast iron was not significant, and the main interfacial compounds were identified to be Al5FeSi and Al8Fe2Si phases, as in the case of the Al-Si-Mg alloys.
‘Tracers’ are bullets that emit light at the backside so that the shooter can see the trajectory of their flight. These light-emitting bullets allow snipers to hit targets faster and more accurately. Conventional tracers are all combustion type which use the heat generated upon ignition. However, the conventional tracer has a fire risk at the impact site due to the residual flame and has a by-product that can contaminate the inside of the gun and lead to firearm failure. To resolve these problems, it is necessary to develop non-combustion-type tracers that can convert heat to luminance, so-called ‘thermoluminescence (TL)’. Here, we highly improve the thermoluminescence properties of MgB4O7 through co-doping of Dy3++Ce3+ and Dy3++Na+. The presence of doping materials (Dy3+, Ce3+, Na+) was confirmed by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). The as-synthesized co-doped MgB4O7 was irradiated with a specific radiation dose and heated to 500 °C under dark conditions. Different thermoluminescence characteristics were exhibited depending on the type or amounts of doping elements, and the highest luminance of 370 cd/m2 was obtained when Dy 10 % and Na 5 % were co-doped.
The electromembrane process, which has advantages such as scalability, sustainability, and eco-friendliness, is used in renewable energy fields such as fuel cells and reverse electrodialysis power generation. Most of the research to visualize the internal flow in the electromembrane process has mainly been conducted on heterogeneous ion exchange membranes, because of the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane. In this study, we successfully visualize the electroconvective vortices near the Nafion homogeneous membrane in PDMS-based microfluidic devices. To reinforce the mechanical rigidity and minimize the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane, a newly developed swelling supporter was additionally adapted to the Nafion membrane. Thus, a clear image of electroconvective vortices near the Nafion membrane could be obtained and visualized. As a result, we observed that the heterogeneous membrane has relatively stronger electroconvective vortices compared to the Nafion homogeneous membranes. Regarding electrical response, the Nafion membrane has a higher limiting current and less overlimiting current compared to the heterogeneous membrane. Based on our visualization, it is assumed that the heterogeneous membrane has more activated electroconvective vortices, which lower electrical resistance in the overlimiting current regime. We anticipate that this work can contribute to the fundamental understanding of the ion transport characteristics depending on the homogeneity of ion exchange membranes.