Microencapsulation of imidazole curing agent by solvent evaporation method using W/O/W emulsion

The epoxy–imidazole resin system is used to form the anisotropic conducting film. The latent character of the system is very significant. In this study, imidazole (Im) or 2‐methylimidazole (2MI) was encapsulated for the latent curing system to use in the reaction of epoxy resin. Polycaprolactone was used as a wall material, and the solvent evaporation method was used to form the microcapsule using W/O/W emulsion. The shelf life of the microcapsules was studied for the epoxy resin, and the curing behavior of the microcapsules for epoxy resin was examined using a differential scanning calorimeter. The curing times at 150 and 180°C were estimated using an indentation method. The microcapsules of Im or 2MI exhibited a long shelf life for epoxy resin. When comparing the results of the previous methods with the results of this study using the W/O/W emulsion, finer microcapsules were formed and the microcapsule has longer shelf life. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Antioxidant capacities of individual and combined phenolics in a model system

In order to understand how interaction of individual phenolics contributes to the total antioxidant capacity, we quantitatively measured antioxidant capacity of various phenolics in different combinations, using ABTS radical-scavenging ability in a model system. Selected phenolics included in this study were those often found in fruits and vegetables, such as catechin, chlorogenic acid, cyanidin, cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, epicatechin, peonidin, peonidin 3-glucoside, quercetin, quercetin 3-glucoside, quercetin 3-galactoside and quercetin 3-rutinoside. Individual phenolics showed their characteristic antioxidant capacities, while the mixtures, with two or three phenolics combined revealed that the summation of antioxidant capacities of individual phenolics led to total antioxidant capacity. Therefore, it can be concluded that there was no synergistic effect among the phenolics studied. Only an additive effect of antioxidant capacity was observed.     

Electrochemical stability of bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquids at elevated temperature as a solvent for a titanium oxide bronze electrode

Four different electrolytes are prepared by dissolving a Li salt in three different room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and also in a conventional organic solvent. The cathodic (electrochemical reduction) stability of these electrolytes is compared at both ambient and elevated temperature by potential cycling on a TiO₂-B electrode. At room temperature, the stability of pyrrolidinium- and piperidinium-based RTILs is comparable with that of the carbonate-based organic solvent, which is in contrast to the severely decomposed imidazolium-based RTIL. At elevated temperature (120 °C), the imidazolium-based RTIL undergoes even more significant cathodic decomposition that results in the deposition of a resistive surface film and leads to eventual cell degradation. By contrast, the cathodic decomposition and concomitant film deposition are not serious with pyrrolidinium- and piperidinium-based RTILs even at this high-temperature, so that the TiO₂-B/Li cell operates with reasonably good cycle performance. The latter two RTILs appear to be promising solvents for lithium-ion batteries that are durable against occasional exposure to high-temperature.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of crude sorghum extract

Here, we report the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) extracts prepared from 25 cultivars from South Korea. Four cultivars of sorghum were extracted with methanol, then further fractioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water. The RC₅₀ (the concentration of antioxidant required to achieve absorbance equal to 50% that of a control containing no antioxidants) value of the DPPH method and reducing power showed higher efficiency in the BuOH layer of all selected cultivars except Neulsusu. The various fractions were then examined for antimicrobial activity by a serial two fold dilution assays using the paper disc method. The methanol extracts showed higher levels of antimicrobial activity than the other fractions. Our results indicate that sorghum extracts could be used as a source of antioxidant and antimicrobial ingredients in the food industry.     

Evaluation of chondroitin sulfate in shark cartilage powder as a dietary supplement: Raw materials and finished products

We evaluated the content and biochemical properties of chondroitin sulfate (CS) in shark cartilage powders being used as nutraceutical supplements. The quantities of CS in shark cartilage products (SCPs) and finished products containing shark cartilage powder were determined by analyzing unsaturated disaccharides after treatment with chondroitinase ABC, and the results were compared with the specifications on the product labels. This method was validated and good linearity (r ? 0.999) was obtained. The recovery ranged from 95.27% to 102.39% with precision from 2.27% to 3.95%. Furthermore, the average molecular weights (MW) and the origins of CS in SCPs and finished products were evaluated by agarose gel-electrophoresis and assessment of disaccharide compositional patterns, respectively. Quantitative and compositional analysis of disaccharides after enzymatic depolymerization showed that the amount of CS in the samples of SCPs ranged from 0% to 28.92 ± 0.03%. All of the SCP samples except for SCP D had ΔDi-2,6diS and had more ΔDi-6S than ΔDi-4S, indicating that they originated from shark cartilage. In the finished products, the amount of CS ranged from 0.58 ± 0.01% to 21.30 ± 0.08%. With the exception of SCP D and two finished products (F and D), which contained CS with lower MWs, the average MW of CS in the SCPs and finished products was approximately 40 kDa or higher than that of MW standard (40 kDa) of CS. These analyses contribute to the evaluation of the quantity and quality of CS in SCPs and finished products containing CS, which is necessary for the manufacture of high-grade nutraceuticals.     

Treatment of non-biodegradable cutting oil wastewater by ultrasonication-Fenton oxidation process.

To treat cutting oil wastewater produced in metal surface treatment industry, Ultrasonication (US)-Fenton process, which is one of the advanced oxidation processes, was used. The optimum conditions to treat non-biodegradable pollutants using the US-Fenton process were that the application rates of H2O2 and FeSO4 were 10% and 3 g/L, respectively, the value of pH was 3, and the ultrasonication time was 30 min. It identified non-degradable pollutants such as ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Triethanolamine (TEA) in the cutting oil wastewater. TLC analysis of two compounds of treated water by the coagulation process was similar to that of raw water. However, TLC analysis of two compounds of US-Fenton process was different from that of raw water, meaning that US-Fenton process decomposed the EDTA and TEA. To study the possibility of application with the US-Fenton process to pilot plant, the pollutants treatment efficiency of three different methods, such as US-Fenton process, activated sludge process and coagulation process, in continuous experiments were compared. The removal rate of pollutants by the US-Fenton process according to the effluent time was higher than any other processes. The removal rates of COD, SS, T-N and T-P by US-Fenton process were 98, 93, 75 and 95%, respectively.     

Development of a continuous fabrication system for a metallic sandwich plate with a three-dimensional truss core

In this paper, the concept of the continuous fabrication of a metallic sandwich plate with a three-dimensional truss core is introduced. The method consists of three processes as a fabrication system: metallic mesh manufacture, truss core making, and bonding. A process that fabricates rhombic-shaped metal meshes without material loss is introduced. In order to construct the truss core, a crimping process is employed. Bonding is carried out using multipoint resistance welding with a pair of roll electrodes. To realize the proposed process, a prototype apparatus was assembled. Sandwich plates with a pyramidal truss core are fabricated on an integrated system for continuous fabrication, and various experimental verifications are performed in order to investigate the applicability of the proposed process. As a result, it has been shown that the proposed process is an efficient and practical manufacturing process for continuous fabrication of truss-cored sandwich plates.     

A study on the leakage current of poly-Si TFTs fabricated by metal induced lateral crystallization

Leakage current of poly-Si TFT fabricated by a metal induced lateral crystallization(MILC) process was investigated in terms of metal contamination and crystallization mechanisms. MILC poly-Si TFTs showed a higher leakage current than those by the solid phase crystallization method at high drain voltages. It turned out that the Ni rich phases in the depleted junction region played the role of trapping and recombination centers to generate the leakage currents and that the leakage current was generated by thermionic field emission. The leakage current could be drastically reduced to 5 pA/μm at V_GS=0 V and V_DS=15 V after the exclusion of the Ni-rich phase from the junction region by a Ni offset MILC process.     

Synthesis and characterization of zirconium silicalite-1

Zirconium silicalite-1 (ZS-1) catalysts with MFI structure were prepared using a hydrothermal synthesis method. XRD, SEM, IR,²⁹Si MAS NMR, UV-VIS DRS, physical adsorption of nitrogen, and elemental analysis were then performed to evaluate its physico-chemical properties, and evidences of Zr⁴⁺ incorporation into the zeolite framework were provided : The unit cell volume of zirconium silicalite-1 increased linearly with increases in zirconium content, and the characteristic framework i.r. spectra shifted to lower frequencies as Zr⁴⁺ was incorporated into the silicalite-1 lattice. For its catalytic reaction test, liquid phase 2-butanol oxidation using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant was carried out. All of the zirconium silicalite-1 samples synthesized were active for the 2-butanol oxidation, but activities obtained using ZS-1 catalysts were lower than TS-1 catalyst. Zirconium in the zeolite frameworkwas found to be the active site for the 2-butanol oxidation.     

Identification of estrogen-like effects and biologically active compounds in river water using bioassays and chemical analysis

The Nackdong River is the longest river in South Korea and passes through major cities that have several industrial complexes, including chemical, electric, and petrochemical complexes, and municipal characteristics such as apartment complexes. Along the river, the Gumi region has an electric industrial complex and an apartment complex that may be possible point sources of xenoestrogens such as phenolic compounds. To identify the causative chemicals for estrogenic activity in the river water of this region, bioassay-directed chemical analysis was performed. All samples from six sampling sites (an upstream point: S1; hot spot points: S2-1, S2-2, and S2-3; and downstream points: S3, and S4) showed estrogenic activity in the E-screen assay, with bio-EEQs (17β-E₂-equivalent quantities) ranging from 25.35-677.15 pg/L. Samples from S2-2, the sampling point downstream of the junction of stream water, and domestic and industrial wastewater, contained the highest estrogenic activity. Since the bio-EEQ of the organic acid fraction (F2) of the S2-2 sample had the highest activity (823.25 pg-EEQ/L) and F2 may contain phenolic compounds, GC-MS analyses for phenolic xenoestrogens were conducted with the organic acid fractions of the river water samples. Six estrogenic phenolic chemicals, 4-NP, BPA, 4-t-OP, 4-t-BP, 4-n-OP, and 4-n-HTP, were detected, with the highest concentrations (I-EEQ) found in S2-2 (231.80 pg/L). Among these phenolic chemicals, 4-NP was the most potent estrogen (bio-EEF; 8.12 × 10^− 5) and acted as a full agonist. Furthermore, 4-NP was present at levels (2.0 µg/L in S2-2) that can induce VTG induction in fish (>1 µg/L). In addition, we confirmed that river water (S2-2) significantly increased serum VTG levels in crucian carp (Carassius auratus) in a fish exposure experiment under laboratory conditions. Therefore, phenolic xenoestrogens, especially 4-NP, may be the main causative compounds responsible for the estrogenic effect on the Nackdong River.