Al-Cu alloy nano powders have been produced by the electrical explosion of Cu-plated Al wire. The porous nano particles were prepared by leaching for Al-Cu alloy nano powders in 40wt% NaOH aqueous solution. The surface area of leached powder for 5 hours was 4 times larger than that of original alloy nano powder. It is demonstrated that porous nano particles could be obtained by selective leaching of alloy nano powder. It is expected that porous Cu nano powders can be applied for catalyst of SRM (steam reforming methanol).

Silver coated copper composite powders were prepared by electroless plating method by controlling the activation and deposition process variables such as feeding rate of silver ions solution, concentration of reductant and molar ratio of activation solution at room temperature. The characteristics of the product were verified by using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic absorption (A.A.). It is noted that completely cleansing the copper oxide layers and protecting the copper particles surface from hydrolysis were important to obtain high quality Ag-Cu composite powders. The optimum conditions of Ag-Cu composite powder synthesis were molar ratio 4, concentration of reductant 15g/l and feeding rate of silver ions solution 2 ml/min.

As a result of adopting Six Sigma, many companies equipped with mass production system seem to get more financial effects in these days. In some cases with small volume high variety production system, however, it is not easy to apply Six Sigma properly and to find some financial results as well. In this study, we reviewed the deployment process of Six Sigma and characterized each development step, for one of the major Korean companies with small volume high variety production system. To enhance the short term cash flow, the project-based improvement strategy can be replaced by the whole process optimization and the reducing efforts of opportunity costs as well as COPQ (cost of poor quality). This approach is now applied to all functions of the company, including strategic planning, sales, R&D, production, quality assurance, purchasing, and management support. Furthermore, a sustainable Six Sigma growth strategy is suggested for the companies with small volume high variety production system.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of skate (Raja kenojei) flour on the functional and sensory characteristics of Mandupi. Mandupi samples were prepared with wheat flour along with the addition of different amounts of skate flour, followed by functional measurements and sensory evaluations. According to the amylograph data, the composite skate flour-wheat flour samples had increased gelatinization temperatures with increasing skate flour content; whereas initial viscosity at 95℃, viscosity at 95℃ after 15 minutes, and maximum viscosity were reduced. In terms of color values, L and b values decreased, but the a-value increased with increasing skate flour content. Furthermore, the addition of skate flour increased hardness, springiness, chewiness, and adhesiveness in the samples. Overall, based on sensory evaluations, the Mandupi containing 5% skate flour was preferred over the other samples.

This purpose of this study was to develop a functional muffin by adding yam powder in the shape of a muffin as a partial surrogate for wheat flour. The yam has been found to be effective for liver and kidney function, as well as the digestion of protein, since it produces glucuronic acid in the body. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the optimal mixing conditions of yam muffins by adjusting the amounts yam powder, butter, and sugar. The mixing conditions for the yam muffins included 3 categories: yam powder (X1), sugar (X2), and butter (X3) by Central Composite Design (CCD) which was optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The effects of the three variable additions on muffin quality were examined via physical and chemical experiments, such as the analysis of texture (hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess), coloration (lightness, redness, yellowness), and height. Lastly, we performed a sensory test, which revealed significant findings for gumminess, color, appearance, flavor, softness (p〈0.05), redness, and overall quality (p〈0.01). Consequently, the optimal mixing rate which best satisfied the sensory items were 34.35g of yam powder, 80.15 g of sugar, and 80.55 g of butter.

WO3-doped SnO2 thin films were prepared in a solution-deposition method and their gas-sensing characteristics were investigated. The doping of WO3 to SnO2 increased the response (Ra/Rg, Ra: resistance in air, Rg: resistance in gas) to H2 substantially. Moreover, the Ra/Rg value of 10 ppm CO increased to 5.65, whereas that of NO2 did not change by a significant amount. The enhanced response to H2 and the selective detection of CO in the presence of NO2 were explained in relation to the change in the surface reaction by the addition of WO3. The WO3-doped SnO2 sensor can be used with the application of a H2 sensor for vehicles that utilize fuel cells and as an air quality sensor to detect CO-containing exhaust gases emitted from gasoline engines.

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/SnO2 nano-composite (MSC) for the anode electrode of a Li-ion battery was prepared using a homogeneous precipitation method with SnCl2 precursors in the presence of MWNT. XRD results indicate that when annealed in Ar at 400˚C, Sn6O4(OH)4 was fully converted to SnO2 phases. TEM observations showed that most of the SnO2 nanoparticles were deposited directly on the outside surface of the MWNT. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode showed higher specific capacities than a MWNT and better cycleability than a nano-SnO2 electrode. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode improved because the MWNT in the MSC electrode absorbed the mechanical stress induced from a volume change during alloying and de-alloying reactions with lithium, leading to an increase in the electrical conductivity of the composite material.

Nano magnetite particles have been prepared by two step reaction consisting of urea hydrolysis and ammonia addition at certain ranges of pH. Three different concentrations of aqueous solution of ferric () and ferrous () chloride (0.3 M-0.6 M, and 0.9 M) were mixed with 4 M urea solution and heated to induce the urea hydrolysis. Upon reaching at a certain pre-determined pH (around 4.7), 1 M ammonia solution were poured into the heated reaction vessels. In order to understand the relationship between the concentration of the starting solution and the final size of magnetite, in-situ pH measurements and quenching experiments were simultaneous conducted. The changes in the concentration of starting solution resulted in the difference of the threshold time for pH uprise, from I hour to 3 hours, during which the akaganeite (-FeOOH) particles nucleated and grew. Through the quenching experiment, it was confirmed that controlling the size of -FeOOH and the attaining a proper driving force for the reaction of -FeOOH and ion to give are important process variables for the synthesis of uniform magnetite nanoparticles.

The hypereutectic Al-20 wt%Si powders including some amount of Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn were prepared by a gas atomization process. In order to get highly densified Al-Si bulk specimens, the as-atomized and sieved powders were extruded at , Microstructure and tensile properties of the extruded Al-Si alloys were investigated in this study. Relative density of the extruded samples was over 98%. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) in stress-strain curves of the extruded powders increased after T6 heat treatments. Elongation of the samples was also increased from 1.4% to 3.2%. The fracture surfaces of the tested pieces showed a fine microstructure and the average grain size was about