One of the key challenges for the commercialization of carbon nanotube fibers (CNTFs) is their large-scale economic production. Among CNTF spinning methods, surfactant-based wet spinning is one of the promising techniques for mass producing CNTFs. Here, we investigated how the coagulation bath composition affects the spinnability and the properties of CNTFs in surfactant-based wet spinning. We used acetone, DMAc, ethanol, and IPA as coagulants and analyzed the relationship between coagulation bath composition and the properties of CNTFs in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic coagulation parameters. From a kinetic perspective, we found that a low mass transfer rate difference (MTRD) is favorable for wet spinning. Based on this finding, we mixed the coagulant bath with solvent in a proper ratio to reduce the MTRD, which generally improved the wet spinning. We also showed that the coagulation strength, a thermodynamic parameter, should be considered. We believe that our research can contribute to establishment of surfactant-based wet spinning of CNTFs.

The electrochemical properties of a CFX cathode were improved by defluorination of the surface with a N2 plasma and using a silica wafer. Compared to the N2 plasma treatment alone, when the CFX and silica were reacted together, the C-F bonds were modified and the surface was etched efficiently, so defluorination was enhanced. An electrochemical analysis confirmed that Half-cells prepared by treating CFx and silica with nitrogen plasma exhibited a capacity of about 400 mAh/g at 5C. In addition, it was confirmed that the loss of charge transfer was reduced by up to 71% compared to that for pristine CFX. As shown by a GITT analysis, when the CFx and silica were treated with N2 plasma together, the ion conductivity gradually increased due to a decrease in the ion diffusion barriers and the formation of a carbon layer. Therefore, this is a simple and effective way to improve the conductivities of CFX cathode materials with the energy of a N2 plasma and the silica-fluorine reaction.

It was found in this study that fluorinated microporous carbon aerogels with enhanced hydrophobicity could be successfully prepared by direct fluorination to separate water-in-oil emulsions at high flux. The fluorinated carbon aerogel (F-CA) surface treated by the fluorination method had a water contact angle of 151.2° and could immediately absorb oil. In addition, the unique network structure of F-CA and its hydrophobicity allow surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions to be effectively and simply separated under gravity without requiring external forces such as vacuum or pressurization. The network structure of F-CAs consists of randomly connected spherical particles that form fluorinated permeation channels, which induce high flux during emulsion separation. The F-CA spherical particles have nanosized pores and high hydrophobicity, which repel and trap water droplets to increase the separation purity. Therefore, F-CA exhibited excellent performance, such as high filtrate purity (up to 99.9954%) and flux (up to 11,710 L/m2h). Furthermore, F-CA reusability was demonstrated as it did not lose its hydrophobicity and maintained its performance even after repeated use. This type of aerogel has great potential to be utilized throughout various environmental fields, including oil remediation.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been reported to have better properties than conventional materials; however, they are more expensive due to the high cost of their main components. Therefore, research is needed to reduce manufacturing costs. In this study, CoCrFeMnNi HEAs were prepared using metal injection molding (MIM), which is a powder metallurgy process that involves less material waste than machining process. Although the MIM-processed samples were in the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, porosity remained after sintering at 1200°C, 1250°C, and 1275°C. In this study, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, which considers both temperature (1150°C) and pressure (150 MPa), was adopted to improve the quality of the MIM samples. Although the hardness of the HIP-treated samples decreased slightly and the Mn composition was significantly reduced, the process effectively eliminated many pores that remained after the 1275°C MIM process. The HIP process can improve the quality of the alloy.

Objective: This study aimed to translate and validate the Motivation to Change Lifestyle and Health Behaviors for Dementia Risk Reduction (MCLHB-DRR) scale among middle-aged and older Korean adults. Methods: This study included a sample of Korean adults aged ≥ 50 years recruited from an online panel. Content and construct validity were examined to determine the scale’s validity. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined to determine its reliability. Results: A total of 270 participants completed the questionnaire. Content validity was determined by professors and researchers of occupational therapy. One item was deleted during the content validity assessment. The confirmatory factor analysis results showed a good model fit (χ 2/degree of freedom = 1.845, comparative fit index = 0.939, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.929, root mean square error of approximation = 0.056). Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.821 - 0.900, indicating good internal consistency. The test and retest scores did not differ significantly. Conclusion: The Korean version of the MCLHB-DRR scale has validity and reliability for use among the Korean population, to assess beliefs and attitudes toward lifestyle change to reduce the risk of dementia.