Dispersion Improvement of Platinum Catalysts Supported on Silica, Silica-Alumina and Alumina by Titania Incorporation and pH Adjustment

Platinum catalysts supported on silica, silica-alumina and alumina supports were prepared using four different cationic and anionic platinum precursors in order to examine the contribution of the precursors and supports to the platinum dispersion. The pH adjustment of the precursor suspension to obtain an opposing surface charge of the support to that on the platinum precursor ions considerably improved the platinum dispersion by strengthening their adsorption on the support. However, exceptional platinum dispersion was achieved, regardless of the precursor and support, by simultaneous pH adjustment and titania incorporation on the supports. The increase in the interaction between the platinum precursor and the titania-incorporated support raised the dispersion and stability of the platinum catalysts with high-loading, even after reduction at 400 °C. The physico-chemical states of platinum and titanium were investigated by XRD, TEM, XAFS spectroscopy and CO adsorption technique. The platinum catalysts supported on the titania-incorporated supports with pH adjustment exhibited highly dispersed platinum particles ranging in size from 1 to 3 nm. They also exhibited high catalytic activity in the oxidation of carbon monoxide because of its incorporated titania and partially oxidized, small platinum particles.     

Hard coatings on polycarbonate plate by sol–gel reactions of melamine derivative,poly(vinyl alcohol), and silicates

Hard coatings were deposited on a polycarbonate plate using a sol–gel process with a melamine derivative, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and silicates and examined as potential substitutes for glass in cars. PVA was partially functionalized with (3-isocyanatopropyl)triethoxysilane, and the synthesized polymer was used to form a coating solution with methylated poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde), tetraethoxysilane, and methyltriethoxysilane. The coatings that contained both the melamine and silicate structures were deposited using a sol–gel process. The optimum conditions and formulation to obtain excellent physical properties of the coating were determined. Smooth coatings with the hardness of a 3H class pencil, excellent abrasion resistance and transparency were formed.     

Effect of microwave irradiation on the disintegration and acidogenesis of municipal secondary sludge

This work experimentally determined the effect of microwave treatment on the disintegration and acidogenesis of municipal secondary sludge. Sludge samples (500 g) were heated for 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 15 min in a microwave oven (2450 MHz, 700 W). The solubilization degree (soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)/COD) of sludge increased asymptotically with microwave irradiation time from 2% at 0 min to 22% at 15 min. The concentrations of soluble protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and calcium also increased with microwave irradiation time. The biochemical acidogenic potentials (BAP) of sludge increased from 3.58 to 4.77 g COD l⁻¹. The results show that microwave irradiation increases the solubilization degree and BAP of municipal secondary sludge.     

Rational Biosynthetic Engineering for Optimization of Geldanamycin Analogues

Tailor made : We report the rational biosynthesis of C15 hydroxylated non‐quinone geldanamycin analogues by site‐directed mutagenesis of the geldanamycin polyketide synthase (PKS), together with a combination of post‐PKS tailoring genes. Rational biosynthetic engineering allowed the generation of geldanamycin derivatives, such as DHQ3 illustrated in the figure, which had superior pharmacological properties in comparison to the parent compound.

     

The effect of dielectric constant of materials on unipolar diffusion charging of nanoparticles

We investigated the dependence of unipolar diffusion charging of nanoparticles on the dielectric constant of the particle material experimentally. The examined nanoparticles (10–200 nm) cover a wide range of dielectric constant but have almost the same spherical or compact morphology. Measurements of both intrinsic charged fraction and mean charge per particle show very small differences among different materials. The level of the small difference is consistent with the estimation by Fuchs’ [(1963). On the stationary charge distribution on aerosol particles in bipolar ionic atmosphere. Geofisica Pura e Applicata, 56, 185–193] theory.     

Enhanced light emission of nano-patterned GaN via block copolymer thin films

We demonstrate that the nanoscopic block copolymer patterns on GaN can enhance light extraction efficiency of GaN-based light emitting diodes. Nanoporous patterns were fabricated on a bare GaN substrate via self-assembly of poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) block copolymers from which PMMA microdomains were selectively removed later on. A bare GaN surface was treated with a photo-crosslinkable thin layer of poly(styrene-r-methyl methacrylate) random copolymers to tune the cylindrical microdomain orientations. The nanoporous block copolymer thin film was controlled to be thicker than its typical repeat period in bulk by incorporating PMMA homopolymer into block copolymer. Consequently, the light extraction efficiency in photoluminescence spectra could be tuned with the thickness of nanopatterned thin film on GaN. This paper is dedicated to Professor Chul Soo Lee on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

A multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model for mixtures containing nonionic surfactants

Surfactant systems show highly non-ideal phase behavior because of the inter-association and intra-association hydrogen bond. We present a lattice fluid equation of state that combines the multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model with modified Veytsman statistics for intra+inter molecular association to calculate phase behavior for mixture containing surfactant systems. The literatureresults fitted to this model show good accordance for mixtures containing nonionic surfactant systems. This article is dedicated to Professor Chul Soo Lee in commemoration of his retirement from Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering of Korea University.     

Transient responses of two-dimensional viscoelastic film casting processes to sinusoidal disturbances

The sensitivity of two-dimensional isothermal film casting processes to ongoing sinusoidal disturbances has been investigated by using the frequency response method with transient simulation techniques. Amplitude ratios of state variables such as cross-sectional area, film width and film thickness at the take-up position with respect to a sinusoidal disturbance show resonant peaks along the frequency domain. Effects of operating conditions, such as drawdown ratio and aspect ratio, on the process sensitivity have been examined. Increasing drawdown ratio and decreasing aspect ratio make the system more sensitive to disturbances. Also, the dichotomous behavior in the sensitivity analysis using viscoelastic Phan-Thien and Tanner fluids has been elucidated. This frequency response method can be a useful tool to optimally design process systems for better processability and product quality. This article is dedicated to Professor Chul Soo Lee in commemoration of his retirement from Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering of Korea University.     

Low-temperature preparation and microwave dielectric properties of ZBS glass–Al2O3 composites

The preparation and microwave dielectric properties of ZnAl₂O₄-based glass–ceramic composites were investigated. Using zinc borosilicate (ZBS) glass and Al₂O₃, glass–ZnAl₂O₄ composites with high quality factor was successfully prepared at temperatures below 950 °C. The linear shrinkage for 50 vol% ZBS glass–ZnAl₂O₄ composite showed a steep increase up to 650 °C and a plateau between 700 °C and 950 °C, implying that one-stage densification process occurred. The crystallization of ZnAl₂O₄ was observed above 700 °C and an insufficient densification occurred due to the consumption of the glass. As the sintering temperature increased, the quality factor (Q × f₀) showed an increase with an S-type curve whereas the dielectric constant was almost constant. The formation of ZnAl₂O₄ might correspond to the increase of Q × f₀; a high value of 17,757 GHz (1415 at 12.6 GHz) was obtained for the specimen sintered at 900 °C.     

Synthesis of Titanium Carbide Nanoparticles with a High Specific Surface Area from a TiO2 Core–Sucrose Shell Precursor

By carbothermally reducing a TiO₂ core–sucrose shell precursor, titanium carbide mesoporous nanoparticles with a very high specific surface area (147 m²/g at 1500°C) have been prepared. The high specific surface area results from the mesoporous nature of the produced nanoparticles with two types of pores: the one with a pore diameter of about 20 nm and the other with <4 nm.