Chang-Kyu Rhee

Magnetic nanoparticles of Fe2O3 synthesized by the pulsed wire evaporation method

Nanoparticles of Fe2O3 with a mean particle size of 4–50 nm have been prepared by the pulsed wire evaporation method, and its structural and magnetic properties were studied. From the main peak intensity of x-ray diffraction the amount of v-Fe2O3 and ɑ-Fe2O3 in sample is composed about 70% and 30%, respectively. The coercivity (53 Oe) and the saturation magnetization (14 emu/g) are about 20% of those of the bulk v-Fe2O3. A quadrupole line on the center of Mossbauer spectrum represents the superparamagnetic phase of v-Fe2O3 with a mean particle size of 7 nm or below.

Fabrication of cast carbon steel with ultrafine TiC particles

The carbon steels dispersed with ultrafine TiC particles were fabricated by conventional casting method. The casting process is more economical than other available routes for metal matrix composite production, and the large sized components to be fabricated in short processing time. However, it is extremely difficult to obtain uniform dispersion of ultrafine ceramic particles in liquid metals due to the poor wettability and the specific gravity difference between the ceramic particle and metal matrix. In order to solve these problems, the mechanical milling (MM) and surface-active processes were introduced. As a result, Cu coated ultrafine TiC powders made by MM process using high energy ball milling machine were mixed with Sn powders as a surfactant to get better wettability by lowering the surface tension of carbon steel melt. The microstructural investigations by OM show that ultrafine TiC particles are distributed uniformly in carbon steel matrix. The grain sizes of the cast matrix with ultrafine TiC particles are much smaller than those without ultrafine TiC particles. This is probably due to the fact that TiC particles act as nucleation sites during solidification. The wear resistance of cast carbon steel composites added with MMed TiC/Cu-Sn powders is improved due to grain size refinement.

Round-robin test on thermal conductivity measurement of ZnO nanofluids and comparison of experimental results with theoretical bounds

Ethylene glycol (EG)-based zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids containing no surfactant have been manufactured by one-step pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method. Round-robin tests on thermal conductivity measurements of three samples of EG-based ZnO nanofluids have been conducted by five participating labs, four using accurate measurement apparatuses developed in house and one using a commercial device. The results have been compared with several theoretical bounds on the effective thermal conductivity of heterogeneous systems. This study convincingly demonstrates that the large enhancements in the thermal conductivities of EG-based ZnO nanofluids tested are beyond the lower and upper bounds calculated using the models of the Maxwell and Nan et al. with and without the interfacial thermal resistance.

Precisely Determining Ultralow level UO22+ in Natural Water with Plasmonic Nanowire Interstice Sensor

Uranium is an essential raw material in nuclear energy generation; however, its use raises concerns about the possibility of severe damage to human health and the natural environment. In this work, we report an ultrasensitive uranyl ion (UO22+) detection method in natural water that uses a plasmonic nanowire interstice (PNI) sensor combined with a DNAzyme-cleaved reaction. UO22+ induces the cleavage of DNAzymes into enzyme strands and released strands, which include Raman-active molecules. A PNI sensor can capture the released strands, providing strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal. The combination of a PNI sensor and a DNAzyme-cleaved reaction significantly improves the UO22+ detection performance, resulting in a detection limit of 1 pM and high selectivity. More importantly, the PNI sensor operates perfectly, even in UO22+-contaminated natural water samples. This suggests the potential usefulness of a PNI sensor in practical UO22+-sensing applications. We anticipate that diverse toxic metal ions can be detected by applying various ion-specific DNA-based ligands to PNI sensors.

Cellular Uptake Behavior of Doxorubicin‐Conjugated Nanodiamond Clusters for Efficient Cancer Therapy

This paper describes the design and fabrication of doxorubicin (Dox)-conjugated nanodiamond (ND) clusters with controlled sizes and cellular uptake behaviors of free Dox and Dox-conjugated ND clusters. The ND clusters with an average size of 45.84 nm exhibited a higher amount of cellular uptake as compared to the ND clusters with larger sizes. The amount of Dox taken up as free Dox increased initially and then decreased over time. In contrast, the amount of Dox taken up as Dox-ND clusters continuously increased and reached a plateau, resulting in high ablation efficiency. At the same Dox concentration, the cell viabilities after treatment with free Dox and Dox-ND clusters were 26.38 and 5.31%, respectively. The Dox-ND clusters potentially could be employed as efficient drug carriers for efficient cancer therapy.

An analysis of stress waves in 12Cr steel, Stellite 6B and TiN by liquid impact loading

This research placed emphasis on the computer simulated stress distribution on the surface and in the bulk of the materials which are subjected to the water impact causing erosion damage. The erosion damage was predicted by evaluating the spatial and temporal stress wave distribution generated by water impact pressure on 12Cr steel and Stellite 6B as steam turbine materials and TiN as a hard coating material. There were two distinctive stress wave behaviors. Firstly, the large tensile stress at the surface was developed by the Rayleigh wave component which appeared between the water drop and the Rayleigh wave front. After the Rayleigh wave detached from the water drop, the materials were in the tensile stress state which could be related to fracture initiation. Secondly, the largest tensile stress in the bulk was near the surface due to the Rayleigh wave generated at the surface and decreased due to the enlargement of wave front as the radial distance increased. Rayleigh waves shape was broadened due to the difference between the contact point velocity and the wave front velocity, while its value decayed exponentially in the depth direction. Also, there may be a tendency to produce a circumferential crack by σrr near the surface and a lateral crack by σzz in the sub-surface. The tensile stresses in TiN were much lower than those in 12Cr steel and Stellite 6B due to its higher wave velocity.

End Closure Joining of Ferritic-Martensitic and Oxide-Dispersion Strengthened Steel Cladding Tubes by Magnetic Pulse Welding

The magnetic pulse welding (MPW) technique was employed for the end closure joining of fuel pin cladding tubes made of ferritic-martensitic (FM) steel and oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel. The technique is a solid-state impact joining process based on the electromagnetic force, similar to explosive welding. For a given set of optimal process parameters, e.g., the end-plug geometry, the rigid metallurgical bonding between the tube and end plug was obtained by high-velocity impact collision accompanied with surface jetting. The joint region showed a typical wavy morphology with a narrow grain boundary-like bonding interface. There was no evidence of even local melting, and only the limited grain refinement was observed in the vicinity of the bonding interface without destructing the original reinforcement microstructure of the FM-ODS steel, i.e., a fine grain structure with oxide dispersion. No leaks were detected during helium leakage test, and moreover, the rupture occurred in the cladding tube section without leaving any joint damage during internal pressure burst test. All of the results proved the integrity and durability of the MPWed joints and signified the great potential of this method of end closure joining for advanced fast reactor fuel pin fabrication.

Fabrication and Characterization of Carbon-Coated Cu Nanopowders by Pulsed Wire Evaporation Method

Carbon-coated Cu nanopowders with core/shell structure have been successfully fabricated by pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method, in which a mixed gas of Ar/ (10 vol.%) was used as an ambient gas. The characterization of the samples was carried out using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). It was found that the nanoparticles show a spherical morphology with the size ranging of 10-40 nm and are covered with graphite layers of 2-4 nm. When oxygen-passivated Cu nanopowders were annealed under flowing argon gas (600 and 800), the crystallinity of phase and the particle size gradually increased. On the other hand, carbon-coated Cu nanopowders remained similar to as-prepared case with no additional oxide or carbide phases even after the annealing, indicating that the metal nanoparticles are well protected by the carbon-coating layers.

Novel synthesis of nanorod ZnO and Fe-doped ZnO by the hydrolysis of metal powders.

Fe-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized by a novel process employing a hydrolysis of metal powders. Zn and Fe nano-powders were used as starting materials and incorporated into distilled water. The solution was refluxed at 60 degrees C for 24 h to obtain the precipitates from the hydrolysis of Zn and Fe. X-ray diffraction patterns for all the samples showed a pure wurtzite single phase, without any segregation of the Fe into the particulates within the instrumental resolution limit. The TEM results for ZnO with and without an Fe-doping showed that the produced powders had a rod-like shape. The rod shape was attributable to the zinc oxide from the hydrolysis of Zn. With an increasing Fe content, the UV-vis spectra were shifted to a long wave length and this result indicates that the band gap was changed by an Fe-doping.

Decreased Total Antioxidant Activity in Major Depressive Disorder Patients Non-Responsive to Antidepressant Treatment

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the total antioxidant activity (TAA) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the effect of antidepressants on TAA using a novel potentiometric method. Methods Twenty-eight patients with MDD and thirty-one healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The control group comprised 31 healthy individuals matched for gender, drinking and smoking status. We assessed symptoms of depression using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We measured TAA using potentiometry. All measurements were made at baseline and four and eight weeks later. Results There was a significant negative correlation between BDI scores and TAA. TAA was significantly lower in the MDD group than in controls. When the MDD group was subdivided into those who showed clinical response to antidepressant therapy (response group) and those who did not (non-response group), only the non-response group showed lower TAA, while the response group showed no significant difference to controls at baseline. After eight weeks of antidepressant treatment, TAA in both the response and non-response groups was similar, and there was no significant difference among the three groups. Conclusion These results suggest that the response to antidepressant treatment in MDD patients might be predicted by measuring TAA.