Papers by Author: Han Do Kim

Abstract: Biodegradable superabsorbents, hydrolyzed AN(acrylonitrile)-grafted-SA(sodium alginate) copolymers were prepared in this study by graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile on sodium alginate and the subsequent hydrolysis of the resulting grafted copolymer. The absorbency was found to significantly depend on the % add-on, graft copolymerization conditions and hydrolysis conditions. The optimum condition for graft copolymerization to obtain the maximum % add-on (64.5%) was 4g SA, 12g AN, and 8.42g H2O2 in 100ml water at 70 oC for 10hr., respectively. The optimum hydrolysis conditions for the graft copolymer (64.5 % add-on) to reach the maximum water absorbency (2518g/g), saline absorbency (1558g/g), and WRV (288g/g) is 1g graft copolymer in 10 ml aqueous NaOH (1.0N) at 110 oC for 1 hr. Furthermore, this hydrolyzed AN-graft-SA showed a good biodegradability in enzymatic hydrolysis tests when compared with commercial superabsorbent materials.

Abstract: A series of multiblock polyurethanes containing various poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) contents (0-80 wt%) were prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)/ PEO / poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO)/ polybutadiene diol (PBD)/ 1,4-butanediol (BD) and used as modifying additives (30 wt%) to improve the properties of biomedical grade PelletheneÒ. A hydrophilic PEO component was introduced by the addition of PEO-containing polyurethanes and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as the crosslinking agents in a PelletheneÒ matrix. As the PEO content (PEO block length) increased, the hydrogen-bonding fraction of the crosslinked polyurethane also increased, indicating an increase in the phase separation with an increase in the PEO content in the crosslinked polyurethane. Using electron spectroscopy for a chemical analysis, the ratio of ether carbon to alkyl carbon in the crosslinked polyurethane film increased remarkably with an increase, in the PEO content. Meanwhile, the water contact angle of the crosslinked polyurethane film surfaces decreased with increasing PEO content. The water absorption and mechanical properties of the crosslinked polyurethane films increased with increasing and the platelet adhesion on the crosslinked polyurethane film surfaces decreased significantly. Accordingly, these results suggest that the crosslinked polyurethane containing a hydrophilic PEO component may be more effective for a biomaterial application that is in direct contact with blood.