Flexible zinc-air batteries have many merits, including low cost, high safety, environmentally friendliness applicability, etc. One of the key factors to improve the performance of flexible zinc-air batteries is to use a gel electrolyte. In this study, gel electrolytes were synthesized from potato, sweet potato, and corn starch. In a comparison of each starch, the corn starch-based gel electrolyte showed the highest discharge capacity of 12.41 mAh/cm2 in 20 mA and 6.47 mAh/cm2 in 30 mA. It also delivered a higher specific discharge capacity of 7.06 mAh/cm2 than the other materials after 100° bending. In addition, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was analyzed to calculate the ionic conductivity. The potato, sweet potato, and corn starch-based gel electrolytes showed electrolyte resistances (Re) of 0.306, 0.298, and 0.207 Ω, respectively. In addition, the corn starch-based gel electrolyte delivered the highest ionic conductivity of 0.121 S cm-1 among the other gel electrolytes. Thus, the corn starch-based gel electrolyte was verified to improve the performance of flexible zinc-air batteries

Conductive polymer composites with high electrical and mechanical properties are in demand for bipolar plates of phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC). In this study, composites based on natural graphite/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and different ratios of carbon black are mixed and hot formed into bars. The overall content of natural graphite is replaced by carbon black (0.2 wt% to 3.0 wt%). It is found that the addition of carbon black reduces electrical resistivity and density. The density of composite materials added with carbon black 3.0 wt% is 2.168 g/cm3, which is 0.017 g/cm3 less than that of non-additive composites. In-plane electrical resistivity is 7.68 μΩm and through-plane electrical resistivity is 27.66 μΩm. Compared with non-additive composites, in-plane electrical resistivity decreases by 95.7 % and through-plane decreases by 95.9 %. Also, the bending strength is about 30 % improved when carbon black is added at 2.0 wt% compared to non-additive cases. The decrease of electrical resistivity of composites is estimated to stem from the carbon black, which is a conductive material located between melted FEP and acts a path for electrons; the increasing mechanical properties are estimated to result from carbon black filling up pores in the composites.

본 연구에서는 식품 및 화장품 원료로 널리 사용되는 천연 다당류의 분자 구조, 분자량, 점도, 친수성, 팽창, 습윤 및 보습 특성을 이용하여 도로 분진 방지제를 제조하였다. 다양한 분진 제어 효과가 확인되었으며 단순한 물 분사 및 시험 대조군인 합성PVA보다 우수한 결과를 얻었다. 또한 수분 증발 비교, 비산 저감율, 공사현장 테스트 및 물벼룩 급성 독성 시험 등의 영향을 연구하고 토양 및 수질의 안전성을 연구하여 도로 분진 방지제의 유용성을 확인하였다.

금속 주조시 사용되는 탄소이형제를 카본블랙과 점증제 겸 알데하이드 화합물의 경화제로 사용될 수 있는 수용성 고분자인 잔탄검(X-gum), 카르복시메틸셀룰로오스(CMC)을 혼합하여 제조하였다. 이 때 카본블랙의 안정한 분산을 위하여 0.25 wt%의 X-gum 또는 1.0 wt%의 CMC가 적당하였다. 1.0 wt% 보다 낮은 농도의 CMC를 사용했을 경우 카본블랙이 매우 쉽게 층분리되었다. 유리판에 대한 부착력은 경화제와, 구르탈알데하이드 및 사슬연장제인 올리고당의 양에 비례하였으며. X-gum으로 제조된 탄소 이형제는 CMC를 이용해 제조된 것보다 유리에 대한 부착력이 우수하였다. 결과적으로 본 실험의 최적 조건에서 제조된 탄소이형제는 친환경적으로 주조시에 적용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

Transdermal therapeutic system(TTS) is often used as the method of drug dosage into the epidermic skin. Natural polymer were selected as ointment material of TTS. We investigated the permeation of natural polymer ointment containing drug in rat skin using horizontal membrane cell model. Permeation properties of materials were investigated for water-soluble drug such as oxiniacic acid in vitro. These results showed that skin permeation rate of drug across the composite was mainly dependent on the property of ointment base and drug. Proper selection of the polymeric materials which resemble and enhance properties of the delivering drug was found to be important in controlling the skin permeation rate. This result suggests a possible use of natural polymer ointment base as TTS of antihyperlipoproteinemic agent.