Organic-inorganic hybrid coating films have been used to increase the transmittance and enhance the physical properties of plastic substrates. Sol-gel organic-inorganic thin films were fabricated on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrates using a dip coater. Metal alkoxide precursor tetraethylsilicate (TEOS) and alkoxy silanes including decyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS), 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS), 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) were used to synthesize sol-gel hybrid coating solutions. Sol-gel synthesis was confirmed by the results of FT-IR. Cross-linking of the Si-O-Si network during synthesis of the sol-gel reaction was confirmed. The effects of each alkoxy silane on the coating film properties were investigated. All of the organicinorganic hybrid coatings showed improved transmittance of over 90 %. The surface hardness of all coating films on the PMMA substrate was measured to be 4H or higher and the average thickness of the coating films was measured to be about 500 nm. Notably, the TEOS/DTMS coating film showed excellent hydrophobic properties, of about 97°.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can adversely affect human and plant health by generating secondary pollutants such as ozone and fine particulate matter, through photochemical reactions, necessitating systematic management. This study investigated the distribution characteristics of gaseous VOCs in ambient air, with a focus on interpreting data from a photochemical pollution perspective. This paper analyzed the presence and concentration distribution of VOCs in industrial areas, identifying toluene, m-xylene, p-xylene, and n-octane as the most frequently detected components. Particularly, toluene was found to significantly contribute to the formation of ozone and fine particulate matter, highlighting the need for stricter regulation of this compound. Although n-octane and styrene were present in relatively low concentrations overall, their significant contributions to ozone generation and secondary organic aerosol formation, respectively, emphasize their importance in air pollution management.

Among various organic materials suitable for silicon-based inorganic-organic hybrid solar cells, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been extensively studied due to its high optical transmittance, high work function, and low bandgap characteristics. The electro-optical properties of PEDOT:PSS have a significant impact on the power conversion efficiency of silicon-organic hybrid solar cells. To enhance the photovoltaic properties of the silicon-organic hybrid solar cells, we developed a method to improve the properties of the PEDOT:PSS film using Ag nanowires (NW) instead of conventional solvent addition methods. The influence of the Ag NW on the electro-optical property of the PEDOT:PSS film and the photovoltaic performance of the silicon-organic hybrid solar cells were investigated. The addition of Ag NW further improved the sheet resistance of the PEDOT:PSS film, enhancing the performance of the silicon-organic hybrid solar cells. The present work using the low sheet resistance PEDOT:PSS layer paves the way to develop simple yet more efficient siliconorganic hybrid solar cells.

본 연구는 폴리케톤(PK) 지지체를 이용한 유기용매 역삼투(OSRO) 분리막 제조를 목적으로 하였다. 비용매 유도 상분리 방법(NIPS)을 통해 PK 지지체를 제작하였고, PK 지지체 위에 polyamide layer를 계면 중합하여 thin-film composite (TFC) 형태로 OSRO 분리막을 완성하였다. 이후 OSRO 분리막의 표면과 단면 구조 및 표면의 화학적 구조를 분석하였고 수 투과도와 염 제거율은 각각 약 1.28 LMH/bar와 99.0%의 결과를 얻었다. 또한 OSRO 분리막의 polyamide layer는 유기용매 침지 1일 동안 매우 안정적이었고, 단일 유기용매 투과도 경향성은 유기용매 나노여과(OSN) 분리막의 투과도 모델과 일치하 였다. OSRO 분리막의 MWCO는 MeOH 상에서 240 g/mol이었다. OSRO 분리막의 MeOH-toluene 혼합용액에 대한 투과도 와 separation factor는 상용 OSN 분리막보다 각각 200%와 60%의 높은 결과를 얻었다.

Municipal landfill leachate (MLL) contamination in surface water is a critical global issue due to the high concentration of toxic organics and recalcitrants. The biological treatment of MLL is ineffective due to an elevated concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen, which restricts the production of the recalcitrant degrading laccase enzyme. In this context, integrating an external laccase-anchored carbon catalyst (LACC) matrix system with the microbial system could be an efficient strategy to overcome the drawbacks of conventional biological MLL treatment technologies. In the present study, the LACC matrix was synthesized by utilizing nanoporous activated carbon (NAC) functionalized ethylene diamine (EDA) and glutaraldehyde (GA) (GA/EDA/NAC) matrix for the anchoring of laccase. The maximum anchoring capacity of laccase onto GA/EDA/ NAC was achieved to be 139.65 U/g GA/EDA/NAC at the optimized anchoring time, 60 min; pH, 5; temperature, 30 °C, and mass of GA/EDA/NAC, 300 mg and was confirmed by Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. Further, the mechanistic study revealed the involvement of covalent bonding in the anchoring of laccase onto the functionalized surface of the GA/EDA/NAC matrix. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics of laccase anchoring onto the GA/EDA/NAC matrix were performed to evaluate its field-level application. Subsequently, the sequential microbial system (I-stage bacterial treatment followed by II-stage fungal treatment) and III-stage LACC matrix system could effectively reduce the COD by 94.2% and phenol by 92.36%. Furthermore, the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry (GC–MS) and FT-IR analyses confirmed the effective degradation of organic compounds and recalcitrants by the integrated microbial and LACC matrix system. The study suggested that the application of the LACC matrix system has resulted in the complete treatment of real-time MLL by overcoming the negative interference of elevated ammoniacal nitrogen concentration. Thus, the integrated microbial and LACC matrix approach could be considered to effectively treat the MLL without any secondary pollution generation.

In this study, two alignment methods were used to create a Fringe-Field Switching (FFS) mode liquid crystal device using an organic thin film (polyimide: PI) as an alignment layer. In addition, the electro-optical (EO) characteristics of the liquid crystal device manufactured in this way were investigated to evaluate the feasibility of mass production application of the technology. In general, the photo-alignment method using unpolarized ultraviolet rays can obtain a relatively low pretilt angle, so a liquid crystal device in FFS mode, which is a driving mode of the liquid crystal device that reflects the characteristics of liquid crystal alignment, was manufactured, and the liquid crystal has a high reactivity with the alignment film. Considering this, nematic liquid crystal (NLC) was used. In addition, in order to improve the misalignment, it was observed whether more stable orientation occurred by irradiating ultraviolet rays for an additional 1 to 3 hours in the aligned state. As a result of the experiment, it was found that NLC alignment occurs through a photodecomposition reaction caused by unpolarized UV irradiation oblique to the PI surface. In addition to the existing orientation method, UV irradiation was used to achieve a more stable orientation state and stable V-T curve and response characteristics. With liquid crystal alignment completed, more stable orientation characteristics and EO characteristics at the mass production level were obtained through additional UV irradiation for 3 hours. This method can further stabilize the orientation stability caused by existing UV irradiation through an additional process.

This study evaluated the importance of assessing personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by monitoring indoor, outdoor, and personal VOC levels in 15 Seoul residents over a 3-month period using passive samplers. Results indicated that limonene had the highest concentrations across indoor, outdoor, and personal samples, with this compound primarily originating from household cleaners and air fresheners. Other VOCs, such as 2-butanone and toluene, also varied by location. Health risk assessments showed that most VOCs had a Hazard Index (HI) below 1, while the HI of individual exposures were relatively higher. Notably, cancer risk assessments for chloroform and ethylbenzene exceeded permissible levels in some scenarios, suggesting potential cancer risks. This underscores the importance of diverse microenvironment monitoring for accurate health risk evaluations, as relying solely on indoor and outdoor levels can underestimate actual exposure risks. This study highlights the need for future research to monitor VOC levels in various microenvironments, in addition to the necessity of investigating personal activity patterns in depth to accurately assess personal exposure levels. Such an approach is crucial for precise health risk assessments, and it provides valuable foundational data for evaluating personal VOC exposures.