Concerted effect of boron and porosity on shear thickening behavior of hybrid mesoporous silica dispersions

In the present work, the influence of porosity and boron on shear thickening behavior of hybrid mesoporous silica has been studied. Three different levels of boron modification were performed by varying the molar composition of boric acid viz., 1.5 mmol, 2.5 mmol, and 3.5 mmol in a co-condensation approach. The incorporation of boron in mesoporous silica network was confirmed by various techniques such as Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), and ¹¹B solid- state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The morphology and particle size were confirmed by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. To evaluate the effect of boron and porosity on the shear thickening behavior, dispersions were prepared from mesoporous boron- modified silica (MSiB), control mesoporous silica (MSi), non-porous boron-modified silica (SiB), and control non-porous silica (Si) in polyethylene glycol. The shear thickening behavior was studied using steady shear rheology. The dispersion prepared from different loadings of synthesized MSiB containing 1.5 mmol boron showed more than 16 times increase in viscosity (657.7 Pa.s) compared to that of MSi (39.2 Pa.s) at a fairly low volume fraction (φ = 0.15) of silica. It is expected that the highly ordered mesoporous architecture of hybrid silica has improved the interaction between the particle and the dispersing medium through hydrogen bonding. The porous morphology of the hybrid mesoporous silica as well as the incorporation of boron in the silica network favors the formation of a frictional contact network, and a transition from continuous shear thickening (CST) to discontinuous shear thickening (DST) behavior was observed. Therefore, silica prepared via incorporation of boron as well as porosity can be material of interest in variety of applications, for example, soft body armors, sporting goods, and shear thickening electrolytes for high impact resistant batteries.     

基于棒状介孔SiO_2剪切增稠流体的流变行为

以三嵌段共聚物聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯-聚氧乙烯(PEO-PPO-PEO,P123)为模板剂,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成了介孔SiO_2-P123复合物,经煅烧除去P123得到不同长径比的棒状介孔SiO_2粒子,将其分散于聚乙二醇(PEG)中制成剪切增稠流体(STF),利用旋转流变仪对STF的流变性能进行了表征。结果表明:在稳态条件下,STF的剪切增稠效应随介孔SiO_2质量分数的增加而增强,随介孔SiO_2粒子长径比的增加而减弱;在动态条件下,STF的剪切增稠效应随介孔SiO_2质量分数的增加而减弱,随介孔SiO_2粒子长径比的增加而增强。     

Viscoelasticity of Shear Thickening Fluid Based on Silica Nanoparticles Dispersing in 1-butyl-3-methylimidizolium Tetrafluoroborate

The viscoelasticity of shear thickening fluid (STF), a crucial property in the protective composite applications, with different silica nanoparticle concentrations in ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidizolium tetrafluoroborate ([C₄min]BF₄), was studied at different temperatures and with shear frequencies through oscillatory shear, respectively. All STFs present strain thickening behavior. With increasing silica nanoparticle concentration, the critical shear strain for the onset of strain thickening decreased, while the complex viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus increased significantly. The critical shear strain increased with an increase of temperature, while the complex viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus decreased notably. The critical shear strain was constant with increasing the frequency of strain, while the complex viscosity decreases slightly. The storage modulus and loss modulus were independent with frequency in the strain thickening region. Nanoparticle clusters leading to strain thickening were demonstrated. The viscoelastic response of STFs to varying silica nanoparticle content, temperature, and frequency investigated here will help to design the specific application of STFs in soft protective composites and damping devices.     

Effects of electrolyte concentration and counterion valence on the microstructural flow regimes in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate micellar solutions

The shear thickening behavior and the transition to shear thinning are examined in dilute cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT) micellar solutions as a function of surfactant concentration and ionic strength using electrolytes with different counterion valence. Newtonian behavior at low shear rates, followed by shear thickening and shear thinning at higher shear rates, are observed at low and intermediate surfactant and electrolyte concentrations. Shear thickening diminishes with increasing surfactant concentration and ionic strength. At higher surfactant or electrolyte concentration, only a Newtonian region followed by shear thinning is detected. A generalized flow diagram indicates two controlling regimes: one in which electrostatic screening dominates and induces micellar growth, and another, at higher electrolyte and surfactant concentrations, where chemical equilibrium among electrolyte and surfactant counterions controls the rheological behavior by modifying micellar breaking and reforming. Analysis of the shear thickening behavior reveals that not only a critical shear rate is required for shear thickening, but also a critical deformation, which appears to be unique for all systems examined, within experimental error. Moreover, a superposition of the critical shear rate for shear thickening with surfactant and electrolyte concentration is reported.     

The numerical simulation of the mechanical failure behavior of shear thickening fluid/fiber composites: A review

This study reveals the finite element modeling of mechanical failure behavior of shear thickening fluid (STF)/fiber composites under impact. Numerical analysis and finite element modeling of the rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluid, STF are introduced. This review summarizes the model coupling methods in finite element modeling and the mechanical failure behavior prediction models of STF/fiber composites under impact. Further, the influencing factors on the accuracy of mechanical failure simulation models are analyzed. Factors such as the friction between fibers, shear rate, filler particles in the fibers, hysteresis effect and the boundary conditions should be considered in simulating the shear thickening effect of the composites.     

Non-linear Viscoelastic Rheological Properties of PCC/PEG Suspensions

The shear thinning and shear thickening rheological properties of PCC/PEG suspension were investigated with the increase of oscillatory amplitude stress at different constant frequencies. The results show that the complex viscosity was initially independent of stress amplitude and obvious shear thinning occurred, then dramatic shear thickening took place after reaching the minimum viscosity. Typically, in a constant frequency of 5 rad/s, the elastic modulus, viscous modulus, and tanδ （δ is the out-of-phase angle） vs. the stress amplitude was investigated. It is found that the elastic modulus initially appeared to be independent of stress amplitude and then exhibited a rapid decrease, but the viscous modulus was independent of amplitude stress at lower amplitude stress. After reaching the minimum value the viscous modulus showed a rapid increase. On the other hand, tanδ increased from 0.6 to 92, which indicates that the transition from elastic to viscous had taken place and tanδ showed a steep increase when shear thickening occurred. Lissajous plots are shown for the dissipated energy vs. different maximum stress amplitude in the shear thinning and shear thickening regions. The relationship of dissipated energy vs. maximum stress amplitude was determined, which follows a power law. In the shear thinning region the exponent was 1.91, but it steeply increases to 3.97 in the shear thickening region.     

Influence of cellulose nanofibers on the rheological behavior of silica-based shear-thickening fluid

In this work, the influence of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on the rheological behavior of silica-based shear-thickening fluid (STF) is investigated. CNFs of 150–200 nm in diameter were extracted from cotton fibers using a supermasscolloider. CNF-reinforced STF of different concentrations (0.1–0.3 wt.%) was prepared via an ultrasonication technique. The presence of CNFs and their interaction with the silica nanoparticles in the STF were analyzed using SEM and FTIR. The addition of a minute quantity of CNF to the STF (0.3% CNF-reinforced STF) caused a marked increase in the peak viscosity, from 36.8 (unmodified STF) to 139.0 Pa s (0.2% CNF-reinforced STF), and a concomitant decrease in the critical shear rate from 33.45 to 14.8 s^?1 . The presence of a large number of hydroxyl groups on the CNFs enhanced their interaction with the nanoparticles via hydrogen bonding, which induced shear thickening. The mechanism of the interaction between silica nanoparticles and CNF was also demonstrated. Oscillatory dynamic rheological analysis showed that the addition of even a small amount of CNF led to higher elastic behavior in the system at lower shear rates. In contrast, a more viscous nature was demonstrated at higher angular frequencies. As the concentration of  nanofibers in the STFs increased, the crossover point between storage and loss modulus shifted to higher angular frequencies, implying stronger interaction between the constituents of the STF. The dynamic viscosity profile of all samples also exhibited shear-thickening behavior.     

Shear Thickening Fluids Based on Additives with Different Concentrations and Molecular Chain Lengths

Shear thickening fluids (STFs) based on additives with different concentrations and molec-ular chain lengths were investigated. STF samples were prepared with silica and additive dispersed in polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400, where three types of additives with different molecular chain lengths of PEG4000, PEG6000, and PEG10000 were used. For PEG10000, different concentrations, including 0, 1%, 3%, and 5%, were selected to study the influences of additive concentrations. Rheological properties of the samples were measured with a rheometer. The results show that the shear thickening effect was significantly enhanced with the increase of the concentration and the molecular chain length of additives. The mech-anism of enhancement was quantitatively explained with the formation of large particles clusters.     

Rheological Properties of Silica Particle Suspensions in Mineral Oil

The rheological properties of particles suspended in a non‐polar mineral oil have been investigated as a function of volume fraction of particles, particle size, surface properties and shear rate. Three different types of particles were investigated; glass microspheres, monodisperse silica particles and fumed silica. The suspensions showed shear thinning behavior at higher volume fractions, and the viscosity increased with decreasing particle size. The hydrophobic particles display lass shear thinning effects. The relative viscosity of all the suspensions was well fitted to the Krieger and Dougherty model.     

Synthesis and morphology of polyethylene chains grafted onto the surface of crosslinked polystyrene microspheres

The bifunctional comonomer 4‐(3‐butenyl) styrene was used to synthesize crosslinked polystyrene microspheres (c‐PS) with pendant butenyl groups on their surface via suspension copolymerization. Polyethylene chains were grafted onto the surface of c‐PS microspheres (PS‐g‐PE) via ethylene copolymerizing with the pendant butenyl group on the surface of the c‐PS microspheres under the catalysis of metallocene catalyst. The composition and morphology of the PS‐g‐PE microspheres were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. It is possible to control the content of PE grafted onto the surface of c‐PS microspheres by varying the polymerization time or the initial quantity of pendant butenyl group on the surface of c‐PS microspheres. Investigation on the morphology and crystallization behavior of grafted PE chains showed that different surface patterns could be formed under various crystallization conditions. Moreover, the crystallization temperature of PE chains grafted on the surface of c‐PS microspheres was 6 °C higher than that of pure PE. The c‐PS microspheres decorated by PE chains had a better compatibility with PE matrix. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4477–4486, 2007     

聚合物多元醇分散体的流变特性

聚合物多元醇分散体(以下简称分散体)是接枝聚醚多元醇、聚醚多元醇和乙烯基单体聚合物的混合物,直接用于制备高回弹、高负载和阻燃的软质和半软质聚氨酯泡沫体,是新一代聚醚多元醇产品[1].分散体用于聚氨酯工业中各种产品的生产,除要求有良好的稳定性外,其最为重要的指标是粘度应小于3000mPa·s和乙烯基单体聚合物的含量(固含量)应大于40%.但分散体的粘度,随固含量的增加呈指数性增加[2].近年来,已有既具高固含量和良好稳定性,又有较低粘度的分散体的研究报道[3].本文在不同的反应条件下,合成了分散体,测定了其流变特性和体系中微粒的大小…     

The ballistic performance of aramid based fabrics impregnated with multi-phase shear thickening fluids

Single-phase shear thickening fluids (STFs) have been extensively investigated in body protective applications. However, researchers do not have long-standing past experience of multi-phase STFs in protection. In the present work, multi-phase STFs were fabricated adding different amount of silicon carbide (SiC) additives into silica and polyethylene glycol (PEG) based suspensions. The thickening rheology of multi-phase STFs was investigated through rheological measurements. Ballistic impacts on multi-phase STF treated fabrics were carried out using lead core bullets with the impact speed of ∼330 m/s. Based on the results, multi-phase STFs improve the ballistic performance of high performance fabrics in comparison to single-phase STFs however, the mass efficiency of fabrics has a loss of performance for high velocity impact conditions.     

Investigating the effect of hydrophobic structural parameters on the thickening properties of HEUR associative copolymers

Hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes (HEUR) associative copolymers are prepared through the hydrophobic modification of polyethylene glycol based polyurethanes. These types of thickeners are categorized as anionic associative thickeners. To investigate the effect of structure of the hydrophobic groups on the thickening properties, three different hydrophobic groups were selected. These groups were comprised of cetyl alcohol (16 carbons), dodecyl alcohol (12 carbons) and a cyclic group such as cyclo hexanol. These functional groups were substituted on the identical prepolymers made from H₁₂MDI and polyethylene glycol. Here, three different urethane associative polymers containing hydrophobic segments and different hydrophobic groups were synthesized. The viscoelastic characteristics of all the samples were determined using a cone and plate rheometer. The viscosities of the examined HEUR samples showed both Newtonian and non-Newtonian behaviours (shear thinning and thickening) for the explored shear rates window. The steady shear viscosity results were interpreted using the theories by Raspaud [Macromolecules 27 (1994) 2956] and Semenov [Macromolecules 28 (1995) 1066]. The Cox-Merz rule happened to be applicable to these systems for the various hydrophobic ends and concentrations at lower shear rates indicating typical associative polymer behaviour. The cyclic end groups did not show viscoelasticity for the frequencies window explored. The zero shear viscosity increased by almost two orders of magnitude from HEUR-cyc to HEUR-dod and by four orders of magnitude from HEUR-cyc to HEUR-cet. The intermediate shear thickening was only observed for the concentrated HEUR-cet samples.     

Divergent Shear Thinning and Shear Thickening Behavior of Supramolecular Polymer Networks in Semidilute Entangled Polymer Solutions

The steady shear behavior of metallo-supramolecular polymer networks formed by bis-Pd(II) cross-linkers and semidilute entangled solutions of poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) is reported. The steady shear behavior of the networks depends on the dissociation rate and association rate of the cross-linkers, the concentration of cross-linkers, and the concentration of the polymer solution. The divergent steady shear behavior-shear thinning versus shear thickening-of samples with identical structure but different cross-linker dynamics (J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2010, 1, 1683-1686) is further explored in this paper. The divergent steady shear behavior for networks with different cross-linkers is connected to a competition between different time scales: the average time that a cross-linker remains open (τ(1)) and the local relaxation time of a segment of polymer chain (τ(segment)). When τ(1) is larger than τ(segment), shear thickening is observed. When τ(1) is smaller than τ(segment), only shear thinning is observed.     

二氧化硅分散体系在应力剪切过程中粘弹性及能耗研究

通过动态应力剪切研究了以乙二醇、丙二醇和丁二醇为分散介质的雾化二氧化硅分散体系的粘弹性以及能耗. 研究发现, 随着应力的增大, 体系都经历了线性粘弹区、剪切变稀区以及剪切增稠区. 在线性粘弹区, 储能模量(G′)、耗能模量(G′′)随着应力(σ)的增大保持不变；在剪切变稀区, G′随着σ的增大而减小, 且乙二醇、丙二醇、丁二醇分散体系的减小幅度依次递减, 而G′′基本保持不变；在剪切增稠区, G′、G′′都随着σ的增大而增大. 在所研究的应力范围内, G′′都大于G′, 体系主要体现粘性, 消耗能量为主. 同时还发现在低剪切应力区, 体系所消耗的能量(Ed)都随着最大应变(γ0)成二次方关系增长, 而在剪切增稠区, 当n=2.79、4.93、4.88时, EG/SiO2、PG/SiO2、BG/SiO2的Ed分别随γ0以指数关系增长.     

Solidification of non-halogen fire-retardant liquids by encapsulation within porous uniform PDVB microspheres for preparation of fire-retardant polymeric blends

Polystyrene/polydivinyl benzene (PS/PDVB) composite microspheres of narrow size distribution were prepared by a single-step swelling process of uniform PS microspheres with DVB and benzoyl peroxide, followed by polymerization of DVB within the microspheres. Dissolution of the PS template resulted in porous uniformly sized PDVB microspheres. New, solid, non-halogenated, fire-retardant composite microspheres of narrow size distribution were prepared by encapsulation of resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) within the pores of the PDVB microspheres. The encapsulation was performed by two different methods as follows: (1) vacuum and (2) heat/cool cycles. The loading capacity of the RDP into the PDVB particles was elucidated. PS/PDVB-RDP blends were prepared by mixing PS with the PDVB-RDP microspheres. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) illustrated that the thermal stability of the PS increases as the content (10–40 %) of the PDVB-RDP increased. Polycarbonate/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene)/PDVB-RDP (PC/ABS/PDVB-RDP) blends were prepared by melting PC/ABS together with the PDVB-RDP microspheres at 250 °C and then pelleting it in an injection molding machine at 250 °C and 40 t. The improved thermal stability of the PC/ABS by blending it with PDVB-RDP was demonstrated by a vertical burn test on PC/ABS/PDVB-RDP bones.     

An effective way to hydrophilize gigaporous polystyrene microspheres as rapid chromatographic separation media for proteins

To overcome the disadvantages of protein denaturation and nonspecific adsorption on poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS) medium as a chromatographic support, gigaporous PS microspheres prepared in our previous study were coated with hydrophobically modified agarose (phenoxyl agarose, Agap). Both the modification of agarose and the gigaporous structure of PS microspheres provided an advantage that facilitated the coating of Agap onto PS microspheres. The amount of Agap adsorbed onto the PS surface was examined as a function of the polymer concentration, and various samples of microspheres, differing in surface Agap density, were prepared. The adsorbed layer was then stabilized by chemical cross-linking and its stability was evaluated in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Results showed that PS microspheres were successfully coated with Agap, while the gigaporous structure could be well maintained. After coating, the nonspecific adsorption of proteins on PS microspheres was greatly reduced. Flow hydrodynamics experiments showed that the Agap-co-PS column had low backpressure, good permeability, and mechanical stability. Such a procedure could provide a hydrophilic low-pressure liquid chromatographic support for different types of chromatography, since the Agap layer may be easily derivatized by classical methods, and because of their good permeability, the coated microspheres have great potential applications in high-speed protein chromatography.     

Preparation of Monodisperse Cationic Microspheres by Dispersion Polymerization of Styrene and a Cation-Charged Monomer in the Absence of a Stabilizer

Cationic polystyrene (PS) microspheres with monodispersity were prepared by dispersion polymerization of styrene and [2-(methacyrloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (METMAC) in methanol/water system. The effects of METMAC, styrene, and initiator concentration as well as solvent composition on the diameters and size distribution of PS microspheres were systematically investigated. The results indicated that monodisperse cationic PS microspheres could be generated at METMAC concentration less than 2 mol% relative to styrene amount, and too high or low styrene amount was unfavorable to produce cationic PS microspheres. Moreover, it was found that with initiator concentration increasing, the average diameter and the size distribution of cationic PS microspheres also markedly increased. Solvent composition played a significantly important role in the preparation of cationic PS microspheres by dispersion polymerization of styrene and METMAC. Finally, the possible growth and stabilization mechanism of cationic PS microspheres was proposed. The electrostatic repulsion derived from positive charge on the surface of PS microspheres was responsible for the stabilization during dispersion polymerization in the absence of a stabilizer.     

Rheology of polystyrene latexes with adsorbed and free gelatin

The rheology of monodisperse polystyrene latex particles of two different particle radii (26 and 67 nm) has been studied with a range of concentrations of the polyampholyte gelatin. Gelatin contributes to the rheology by adsorption to the particles and by thickening the continuous phase. High viscosities and strong shear thinning are measured for low volume fractions of latex. A procedure is presented to deconvolute the effects of free and bound gelatin by applying simple hard-sphere models. This procedure allows us to estimate the effective size of the gelatin-covered particles as well as the continuous-phase gelatin concentration and viscosity. The layer thicknesses from rheology agree well with those from PCS. The effect of varying particle volume fraction, ionic strength, pH and gelatin and surfactant concentration on the rheology of these suspensions is presented. For the smaller latex, the adsorbed layer occupies a greater fraction of the effective volume. Increasing free polymer concentration reduces the adsorbed-layer thickness. The reduced critical shear stress increases with the suspension viscosity for suspensions of the 26 nm latex but is constant for the 67 nm latex. At very high shear (>2000 s⁻¹), the suspensions show excess shear thinning over that expected from a hard-sphere model. This excess thinning is attributed to deformation of the adsorbed gelatin layer under high shear stress and interpreted in terms of an empirical interparticle potential.     

改性聚苯乙烯微球的制备及其胶体晶体的组装

采用甲基丙烯酸改性的无皂乳液聚合方法制备了尺寸为210 nm、含羧基的聚苯乙烯(PS)微球，用红外光谱、透射电子显微镜和粒度分析仪对其形状和结构进行分析，结果表明，经甲基丙烯酸改性后得到了表面为高密度电荷的单分散性PS微球.用垂直沉积法快速制备出在较大范围(大于1 cm2)呈现很好有序性的密排结构聚苯乙烯胶体晶体薄膜，其在590 nm波长处存在光子带隙.在电子显微镜下，观察到这种胶体晶体是面心立方(fcc)密排结构.