Effect of ß-resin of binderless coke on mechanical properties of high-density carbon blocks at high molding pressure.

High-density carbon blocks have excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. In particular, these blocks are applied in various fields while maintaining excellent physical properties even in harsh environments. In this study, binderless coke manufactured under certain conditions was used to form green bodies (GBs) under various pressure conditions of 50 to 250 MPa, and the bodies were carbonized to form a high-density carbon block (CB). Then, the effect of the ß-resin and oxygen functional groups of binderless coke on the mechanical properties of the high-density carbon block according to molding pressure was considered. When molding at a pressure of under 200 MPa, the ratio of O and C (O/C) has a greater effect, and the larger the O/C, the higher the mechanical properties. On the other hand, when molding at a high pressure of 250 MPa, the ß-resin content has a greater effect and steadily increases when the ß-resin content is low and when the mechanical properties are sufficiently reduced. In particular, in the case of CB-N7A3-250, which has the highest ß-resin content of 3.7 wt%, the density was 1.79 g/cm3, the flexural strength was 106 MPa, and the shore hardness was 99 HSD.

Preparation of Isotropic Carbon Fibers from Kerosene-Purified Coal Tar Pitch by Co-Carbonization with Pyrolysis Fuel Oil.

An inexpensive and general-purpose carbon fiber was prepared using coal tar pitch. In contrast to the solvent extraction process employing expensive solvents, a low-cost centrifugal separation method facilitated the reduction of loss due to the pitch purification and an overall yield increase. The coal tar pitch purified by centrifugation and subsequently co-carbonized with pyrolysis fuel oil improved in spinnability. Moreover, the resulting spinnable pitch had a softening point of 250 °C. The obtained carbon fibers were heat-treated at 1000 °C for 5 min, resulting in a tensile strength of approximately 1000 MPa and an average diameter of 9 µm. In this study, we present an effective method for obtaining low-cost general-purpose isotropic carbon fibers.

The Effect of Oxygen Content in Binderless Cokes for High-Density Carbon Blocks from Coal Tar Pitch.

High-density carbon blocks are much lighter than metals and have excellent mechanical properties and are one of the materials garnering attention to replace existing metal parts. In this study, a binderless coke was produced by changing the flow rates of nitrogen and air as a carrier gas during heat treatment of coal tar pitch and using this, a green body was formed at 150 MPa and carbonized to produce a high-density carbon block. We express the binderless coke produced in this way by N10A0, N7A3, N5A5, N3A7, N0A10 according to the ratio of nitrogen and air, and in the case of carbon block, we have added CB in front of it. We then considered the effect of oxygen content in the binderless cokes on the optical, chemical, and mechanical properties. It was observed that the produced binderless cokes develop into a dense mosaic structure with a small particle size as the air flow rate increased. To survey the change in oxygen content of the produced binderless coke, O1s and C1s regions were measured using X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS), and O1s/C1s was calculated. The O1s/C1s ratio steadily increased as the air flow rate increased, and in the case of N0A10, it increased about twice as much as that of N10A0 to 11.20%. ß-resin has a very large effect on the mechanical strength of the carbon block in addition to air in the pitch. And in the case of CB-N0A10, it shows the best mechanical strength with a density of 1.72 g/cm3, bending strength of 87 MPa, and shore hardness of 93 HSD.

Initial observations of cell-mediated drug delivery to the deep lung.

Using current methodologies, drug delivery to small airways, terminal bronchioles, and alveoli (deep lung) is inefficient, especially to the lower lungs. Urgent lung pathologies such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and post-lung transplantation complications are difficult to treat, in part due to the methodological limitations in targeting the deep lung with high efficiency drug distribution to the site of pathology. To overcome drug delivery limitations inhibiting the optimization of deep lung therapy, isolated rat Sertoli cells preloaded with chitosan nanoparticles were use to obtain a high-density distribution and concentration (92%) of the nanoparticles in the lungs of mice by way of the peripheral venous vasculature rather than the more commonly used pulmonary route. Additionally, Sertoli cells were preloaded with chitosan nanoparticles coupled with the anti-inflammatory compound curcumin and then injected intravenously into control or experimental mice with deep lung inflammation. By 24 h postinjection, most of the curcumin load (∼90%) delivered in the injected Sertoli cells was present and distributed throughout the lungs, including the perialveloar sac area in the lower lungs. This was based on the high-density, positive quantification of both nanoparticles and curcumin in the lungs. There was a marked positive therapeutic effect achieved 24 h following curcumin treatment delivered by this Sertoli cell nanoparticle protocol (SNAP). Results identify a novel and efficient protocol for targeted delivery of drugs to the deep lung mediated by extratesticular Sertoli cells. Utilization of SNAP delivery may optimize drug therapy for conditions such as ARDS, status asthmaticus, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and complications following lung transplantation where the use of high concentrations of anti-inflammatory drugs is desirable, but often limited by risks of systemic drug toxicity.