Photothermal Polymer Nanocomposites of Tungsten Bronze Nanorods with Enhanced Tensile Elongation at Low Filler Contents

We present polymer nanocomposites of tungsten bronze nanorods (TBNRs) and ethylene propylene diene monomers (EPDM). The combination of these components allows the simultaneous enhancement in the mechanical and photothermal properties of the composites at low filler contents. The as-synthesized TBNRs had lengths and diameters of 14.0 +/- 2.4 nm and 2.5 +/- 0.5 nm, respectively, and were capped with oleylamine, which has a chemical structure similar to EPDM, making the TBNRs compatible with the bulk EPDM matrix. The TBNRs absorb a wide range of near-infrared light because of the sub-band transitions induced by alkali metal doping. Thus, the nanocomposites of TBNRs in EPDM showed enhanced photothermal properties owing to the light absorption and subsequent heat emission by the TBNRs. Noticeably, the nanocomposite with only 3 wt% TBNRs presented significantly enhanced tensile strain at break, in comparison with those of pristine EPDM, nanocomposites with 1 and 2 wt % TBNRs, and those with tungsten bronze nanoparticles, because of the alignment of the nanorods during tensile elongation. The photothermal and mechanical properties of these nanocomposites make them promising materials for various applications such as in fibers, foams, clothes with cold weather resistance, patches or mask-like films for efficient transdermal delivery upon heat generation, and photoresponsive surfaces for droplet transport by the thermocapillary effect in microfluidic devices and microengines

Metal-organic frameworks constructed from flexible ditopic ligands: Conformational diversity of an aliphatic ligand

The solvothermal reaction of adipic acid as a flexible ditopic ligand and the metal ions MnII, CoII, and TbIII afforded three novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), {[Mn2(adipate) 2(DMA)]} (1), {[Co2(adipate)2(DMF)] ??1DMF??1.5H2O} (2), and {[Tb3(adipate) 4.5(DMF)2]} (3) (DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide; DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide), respectively, which were structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Depending on the kind of metal ion and solvent system, the conformations and coordination modes of the adipate ligands were diverse and governed the entire MOF structure. Compound 1 consists of the secondary building units (SBUs) of Mn-O chains that were linked by adipate ligands extending in two-dimensional sheets, which were infinitely stacked in a layer-by-layer manner. Compound 2 presented a three-dimensional MOF constructed from Co-O chains and bridging adipate ligands extending in four different directions. Compound 3 also had a three-dimensional structure which was formed by Tb-O chains connected with adipate ligands in six directions. From these structures, ten different adipate ligands with diverse conformations were found, and the potential energy of each conformation was calculated by the first-principles density function. In addition, the luminescence properties of the Tb-based MOF 3 were investigated in the solid state at room temperature.close0

Eco-Innovation Indices as Tools for Measuring Eco-Innovation

Measuring eco-innovation helps us understand the overall trends and raises awareness in society. Measuring eco-innovation at the national level and making comparisons across countries may allow us to benchmark performance and foster policy learning. This paper assesses two indices developed in two different regions: The ASEM Eco-Innovation Index (ASEI) by the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center, based in Republic of Korea; and the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard (Eco-IS) developed by the Eco-Innovation Observatory, based in the European Union. This paper aims to examine and compare the features of both and attempts to obtain insights on their strengths and weaknesses. Towards this aim, our paper assesses those scoreboards against four criteria stemming from innovation analysis: (1) relevance of areas and stakeholders covered; (2) ability to indicate changes; (3) directions towards common goals; and (4) ability to facilitate further changes. We conclude both are promising, despite data shortages, and have great potential to contribute towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly with regard to the SDGs on sustainable industrialization and sustainable consumption and production. In comparison, the ASEI covers more countries than the Eco-IS. However, the ASEI has limitations on measuring indicators due to limited data availability in Asian countries. The Eco-IS is closely linked with the regional and national policies for eco-innovation in Europe, while the ASEI’s impact appears more limited, as of now. In conclusion, the research results give insights into key areas, goals and applications of eco-innovation indices, and can help upgrading eco-innovation indices. This research helps interpret the scores of two indices better and facilitate application of the scores in the multiple ways. It is expected that this research contributes to developing and modifying a global eco-innovation index and enhancing the ability of these indices to facilitate eco-innovation strategies at national levels and across relevant actors

Effectiveness of Electrical Heating for Improved Thermal Insulation of a Multi-layered Winter Clothing System

This paper investigated the impact of the distance of the heating unit from the body in a multi-layered winter clothing system on effective thermal insulation and heating efficiency. To identify changes in the thermal insulation and heating efficiency of electrical heating in different layers inside a winter clothing ensemble, a series of thermal manikin tests was conducted. A multi-layered winter ensemble with and without activation of a heating unit was tested on the thermal manikin under two different ambient temperature conditions (10°C and 5°C). Results show that the effective thermal insulation of test ensembles increased by 5-7 percent with the activation of the heating unit compared to that without the activation. The closer the heating unit to the body, the higher the effective thermal insulation was in both ambient temperature conditions. This trend was more significant at lower ambient temperature

Cancer Statistics in Korea: Incidence, Mortality and Survival in 2006-2007

Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Korea. Korea is facing a very rapid change and increase in cancer incidence, which draws much attention in public health. This paper overviews the nationwide cancer statistics, including incidence, mortality, and survival rates, and their trends in Korea based on the cancer incidence data from The Korea Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) in year 2006 and 2007. In Korea, there were 153,237 cancer cases and 65,519, cancer deaths observed in 2006, and 161,920 cancer cases and 67,561 cancer deaths in 2007, respectively. The incidence rate for all cancer combined showed an annual increase of 2.8% from 1999 to 2007. Specifically, there was significant increase in the incidence of colorectal, thyroid, female breast, and prostate cancers. The number of cancer deaths has increased over the past two decades, due mostly to population aging, while the age-standardized mortality rates have decreased in both men and women since 2002. Notable improvement has been observed in the 5-yr relative survival rates for most major cancers and for all cancer combined, with the exception of pancreatic cancer. The nationwide cancer statistics in this paper will provide essential data for cancer research and evidence-based health policy in Korea