Carbon supports for dispersed platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are being continuously developed to improve electrochemical performance and catalyst stability. However, carbon supports still require solutions to reduce costs and improve catalyst efficiency. In this study, we prepare well-dispersed Pt electrocatalysts by introducing titanium dioxide (TiO2) into biomass based nitrogen-doped carbon supports. In order to obtain optimized electrochemical performance, different amounts of TiO2 component are controlled by three types (Pt/TNC-2 wt%, Pt/TNC-4 wt%, and Pt/TNC-6 wt%). Especially, the anodic current density of Pt/TNC-4 wt% is 707.0 mA g−1 pt, which is about 1.65 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (429.1 mA g−1 pt); Pt/TNC-4wt% also exhibits excellent catalytic stability, with a retention rate of 91 %. This novel support provides electrochemical performance improvement including several advantages of improved anodic current density and catalyst stability due to the well-dispersed Pt nanoparticles on the support by the introduction of TiO2 component and nitrogen doping in carbon. Therefore, Pt/TNC-4 wt% may be electrocatalyst a promising catalyst as an anode for high-performance DMFCs.

이 연구는 유기농 식물성 계면활성제의 화장품 가용화력에 관한 연구이다. 유기농으로 인증된 원료를 사용하여 고순도의 폴리글리세릴-10올리에이트와 폴리글리세릴-10스테아레이트를 합성하여 우수한 가용화력을 가진 계면활성제를 개발하였다. 이 혼합원료의 이름을 Solubil ORG-1300으로 칭하였다. 이 원료의 외관은 엷은 노란색의 페이스트이었고, 특이한 고유의 냄새를 가지고 있었다. 비중은 1.15, 산가는 0.072±0.1로 순도가 높았다. 이 계면활성제의 HLB값은 평균값=15.1로 Griffin식을 사용 하여 계산하였다. 유기농 가용화제가 향과 오일을 어떻게 가용화되는가를 메커니즘적으로 해석하였다. 가용화 실험은 두 가지 오일에 대하여 성능실험을 통하여 육안으로 판별하고 UV분광광도계로 890nm에서 투과도를 측정하여 투명도를 평가하였다. 이 결과 베르가못오일을 가용화하는데 필요한 계면활성제의 농도는 약 2배정도가 필요한 것으로 나타났다. 또한 토코페릴아세테이트를 가용화하는데 필요한 계면활성제의 농도는 약 8배정도가 필요한 것으로 나타났다. pH변화에 따른 가용화력을 실험한 결과 pH=3.5의 산성영역, pH=7.2의 중성영역, pH=11.5의 알칼리성영역에서도 안정화된 가용화력을 보였다. 화장품의 응용분야로써 보습스킨토너 처방을 성공적으로 개발하였다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 스킨케어, 베이비 로션, 민감성 혹은 아토피 피부용 화장품에 폭넓게 응용이 가능할 것으로 기대한다.

In this work, ultra-fine calcium oxide (CaO) powder derived from eggshells is used as the starting material to synthesize mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). The prepared CaO powder is confirmed to have an average particle size of 500 nm. MTAs are synthesized with three types of fine CaO-based powders, namely, tricalcium silicate (C3S), dicalcium silicate (C2S), and tricalcium aluminate (C3A). The synthesis behavior of C3S, C2S and C3A with ultra-fine CaO powder and the effects of C3A content and curing time on the properties of MTA are investigated. The characteristics of the synthesized MTA powders are examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and a universal testing machine (UTM). The microstructure and compressive strength characteristics of the synthesized MTA powders are strongly dependent on the C3A wt.% and curing time. Furthermore, MTA with 5 wt.% C3A is found to increase the compressive strength and shorten the curing time.

Fe3O4/SiO2/YVO4:Eu3+ multifunctional nanoparticles are successfully synthesized by facile stepwise sol-gel processes. The multifunctional nanoparticles show a spherical shape with narrow size distribution (approximately 40 nm) and the phosphor shells are well crystallized. The Eu3+ shows strong photoluminescence (red emission at 619 nm, absorbance at 290 nm) due to an effective energy transfer from the vanadate group to Eu. Core-shell structured multifunctional nanoparticles have superparamagnetic properties at 300 K. Furthermore, the core-shell nanoparticles have a quick response time for the external magnetic field. These results suggest that the photoluminescence and magnetic properties could be easily tuned by either varying the number of coating processes or changing the phosphor elements. The nanoparticles may have potential applications for appropriate fields such as laser systems, optical amplifiers, security systems, and drug delivery materials.

본 연구에서는 구리 이온(Cu2+ ion) 제거를 위한 산화철(Fe3O4)/다공성 탄소 복합체를 합성하였으며, 이를 바탕으로 구리 이온 제거에 대한 특성 평가를 실시하였다. SEM, XRD 분석을 진행하여 수열합성(hydrothermal) 반응을 이용한 산화철/다공성 탄소 복합체의 형태와 구조를 확인하였다. BET 분석을 통해 비표면적과 기공 크기를 확인하였으며, UV-vis 장비를 통해 성능 평가를 실시하여 자성이 있는 Fe3O4와 다공성 탄소와의 시너지효과를 통해 액체 상태에서 존재하는 구리 이온을 제거할 수 있는 가능성을 제시하였다.

In this paper, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide(rGO) is obtained by thermal annealing of nitrogen-containing compounds and graphene oxide (GO) manufactured by modified Hummers' method. We use melamine as a nitrogen-containing compound and treat GO thermally with melamine at over 800 ~ 1,000℃ and 1 ~ 3 hr under Ar atmosphere. The electrical conductivity of doped rGO is measured by 4-point probe method. As a result, nitrogen contents on rGO are found to be in the range of 2.5 to 12.5 at% depending on the doping conditions after thermal annealing. The main doping site on graphene oxide is changed from pyridinic-N and pyrrolinic N to the graphitic site as the heat treatment temperature increases. The electrical conductivity of doped rGO increases as the N doping content increases. As the thermal treatment time increases, the change of both total doping contents and doping sites is slight and the surface resistance is remarkably reduced, which is caused by healing effects of doped graphene oxide at high temperature.

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) represent one of the most unique materials in the field of nanotechnology. CNT are the allotrope of carbon having sp2 hybridization. CNT are considered to be rolled-up graphene with a nanostructure that can have a length to diameter ratio greater than 1,000,000. CNT can be single-, double-, and multi-walled. CNT have unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties, all of which have been extensively studied. The novel properties of CNT are their light weight, small size with a high aspect ratio, good tensile strength, and good conducting characteristics, which make them useful for various applications. The present review is focused on the structure, properties, toxicity, synthesis methods, growth mechanism and their applications. Techniques that have been developed to synthesize CNT in sizeable quantities, including arc discharge, laser ablation, chemical vapor deposition, etc., have been explained. The toxic effect of CNT is also presented in a summarized form. Recent CNT applications showing a very promising glimpse into the future of CNT in nanotechnology such as optics, electronics, sensing, mechanical, electrical, storage, and other fields of materials science are presented in the review.

Ink-jet printing is a manufacturing process technology that directly prints a digitalized design pattern onto a substrate using a fine ink jetting system. In this study, environmentally friendly yellow aqueous ceramic ink is synthesized by mixture of distilled water, yellow ceramic pigment and additives for ink-jet printing. The graft polymer, which combines electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance mechanism, is used as a surfactant for dispersion stability of aqueous ceramic ink. Synthesized ceramic ink with graft polymer surfactant shows better dispersion stability than did ceramic ink with PAA surfactant; synthesized ink also shows desirable ink-jet printability with the formation of a single ink droplet during printability test. Finally, ceramic ink printed on glass substrate and ceramic ink with graft polymer surfactant shows a high contact angle without surface treatment on glass substrate. Consequently, it is confirmed that the ceramic ink with graft polymer surfactant can achieve high printing resolution without additional surface treatment process.

To improve the mechanical properties of aluminum, graphene has been used as a reinforcing material, yielding graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (GRAMCs). Dispersion of graphene materials is an important factor that affects the properties of GRAMCs, which are mainly manufactured by mechanical mixing methods such as ball milling. However, the use of only mechanical mixing process is limited to achieve homogeneous dispersion of graphene. To overcome this problem, in this study, we have prepared composite materials by coating aluminum particles with graphene by a self-assembly reaction using poly vinylalcohol and ethylene diamine as coupling agents. The scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results confirm the coating of graphene on the Al surface. Bulk density of the sintered composites by spark plasma sintering achieved a relative density of over 99% up to 0.5 wt.% graphene oxide content.

Among fatty acid families, the polyunsaturated fatty acids were demonstrated to be mediators in various reproductive processes as precursor of steroid hormone (via cholesterol) and prostaglandins (via arachidonic acid), and in the last decade, major research was focused on the effects of omega-6 and especially omega-3 fatty acid. Eicosapentaenoic acid, the longest members of omega-3 fatty acid family, can be produced by a series of desaturation and elongation reactions from shorter member such as α-Linolenic acid. However, very few studies have provided detailed descriptions of Eicosapentaenoic acid effects and mechanisms of action in mammalian oocytes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation on in vitro maturation and developmental potential of porcine oocytes. Various concentrations of Eicosapentaenoic acid was added into in vitro maturation medium, and we evaluated the degree of cumulus expansion, nuclear maturation rate, blastocysts quality, and levels of prostaglandin E2, 17β-estradiol, progesterone in the spent medium. High doses (100 mM) of Eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation significantly inhibited cumulus expansion and oocyte nuclear maturation, and prostaglandin E2 synthesis also significantly decreased compared with other groups (p < 0.05). Supplementation of 50 mM Eicosapentaenoic acid showed higher quality blastocysts in terms of high cell numbers and low apoptosis when compared with other groups (p < 0.05), and synthesis ratio of E2/P4 also significantly increased compared with control group (p < 0.05). However, Supplementation of 100 mM Eicosapentaenoic acid showed high apoptosis when compared with other groups (p < 0.05), and synthesis ratio of 17b-estradiol/progesterone also significantly decreased compared with control group (p < 0.05). Our results indicated that supplementation with appropriate levels of Eicosapentaenoic acid beneficially affects the change of hormone synthesis for controlling oocyte maturation, leading to improved embryo quality. However, high doses of Eicosapentaenoic acid treatment results in detrimental effects.

Graphene and Fe3O4 were bound by electrostatic attraction and prepared by effective reduction through microwave treatments. As a result of fabricating graphene with Fe3O4 as a composite material, it has been confirmed that it contributes to the structural improvement in graphene stabilization and at the same time, it shows improved electrochemical performance through improved charge transfer. It was also confirmed that the crystalline Fe3O4 was uniformly dispersed in the rGO sheet, effectively blocking the reaggregation due to the van der Waals interaction between the neighboring rGO sheets. The structural analysis of prepared composites was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. Electrochemical properties of composites were studied by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Fe3O4 (0.4 M)/rGO composite showed a high specific capacitance of 972 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte, which is higher than that of the pristine materials rGO (251 F g−1) and Fe3O4 (183 F g−1). Also, the prepared composites showed a very stable cyclic behavior at high current density, as well as an improvement in comparison with pristine materials in terms of resistance.

Due to the rapid development of electricity, electronics, information communication, and biotechnology in recent years, studies are actively being conducted on nanopowders as it is required not only for high strengthening but also for high-function powder with electric, magnetic, and optical properties. Nonetheless, studies on nickel nanopowders are rare. In this study of the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles from LiNiO2 (LNO), which is a cathode active material, we have synthesized the nanosized nickel powder by the liquid reduction process of NiSO4 obtained through the leaching and purification of LNO. Moreover, we have studied the reduction reaction rate according to the temperature change of liquid phase reduction and the change of particle size as a function of NaOH addition amount using hydrazine monohydrate (N2H4·H2O) and NaOH.

Ti has received considerable attention for aerospace, vehicle, and semiconductor industry applications because of its acid-resistant nature, low density, and high mechanical strength. A common precursor used for preparing Ti materials is TiCl4. To prepare high-purity TiCl4, a process based on the removal of VOCl3 has been widely applied. However, VOCl3 removal by distillation and condensation is difficult because of the similar physical properties of TiCl4 and VOCl3. To circumvent this problem, in this study, we have developed a process for VOCl3 removal using Cu powder and mineral oil as purifying agents. The effects of reaction time and temperature, and ratio of purifying agents on the VOCl3 removal efficiency are investigated by chemical and structural measurements. Clear TiCl4 is obtained after the removal of VOCl3. Notably, complete removal of VOCl3 is achieved with 2.0 wt% of mineral oil. Moreover, the refined TiCl4 is used as a precursor for the synthesis of Ti powder. Ti powder is fabricated by a thermal reduction process at 1,100oC using an H2-Ar gas mixture. The average size of the Ti powder particles is in the range of 1-3 μm.

Structural characterization of pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO) was conducted via 1H NMR and 13C NMR to elucidate its molecular structure and evaluate the feasibility of using PFO as a raw material for mesophase pitch synthesis. The average structural parameters were calculated based on the data from elemental analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), as well as 1H NMR and 13C NMR data. The resultant structural features of PFO were compared with those of fluidized catalytic cracking-decant oil (FCC-DO). Based on the calculated parameters, we proposed average molecular models of PFO and FCC-DO. The molecular model of PFO showed that it had an aromatic structure consisting of three aromatic rings and one naphthenic ring fused with one pericondensed and two catacondensed aromatic carbons, as well as a short alkyl side chain (with only a methyl group). This structural feature of PFO demonstrated that it is highly favorable for use as a raw material for mesophase pitch synthesis. The empirical findings in this study provide an in-depth understanding of the molecular structure of PFO as well as FCC-DO and can offer insights for future research on the utilization of PFO and other petroleum heavy oils.

High-level heteroatom, N and S, dual-doped graphene with an improved mesoporous structure was fabricated via facile in situ carbonization and used as metal-free cathode for non-aqueous lithium oxygen batteries. The prepared cathode delivered an ultrahigh specific capacity of 22,252 mAh/g at a current density of 200 mA/g as well as better cycling reversibility because of the larger and copious mesopores, which can promote the penetration of oxygen, electrons, and lithium ions and the ability to accommodate more discharge products, e.g., Li2O2, in Li–O2 batteries. The material had a high level of heteroatom co-doping in the carbon lattice, which enhanced the electrical conductivity and served as active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction.