The study of the stability of aqueous three-phase fire-resistant foam in typical liquidus hydrocarbons

The utilization of solid particles in aqueous foam has a great potential in improving fire fighting efficiency. In this study, aqueous foam supported by micro fly-ash (FA) was prepared and its stability in a specific type of oil was characterized. Firstly, different amount of FA was added to study the influence of FA concentration on foamability. It showed that within a specific extent, foam expansion ratio increased with the increasing of FA concentration. And compared with conventional foams, oil resistance of FA stabilized foams, which was investigated by analyzing drainage rate and evolution process with a self-made apparatus, was remarkably improved when FA concentration exceed 4.8wt.%. Secondly, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ particles with different median sizes were used to study the effect of particle size on stability. However, the smaller hydrophilic particles didn’t behave better as expected. Moreover, the foam stability in three hydrocarbons was evaluated in the same way. The results indicated that the short chain hydrocarbons had much stronger detrimental effect to both two-phase foam and three-phase foam. But overall, the three-phase foam stabilized by FA exhibited much better oil resistance, so it can be used as a promising material for pool fire extinguishing and prevention.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

SiO2/炭泡沫和SiC/炭泡沫复合材料的制备及表征

对炭泡沫为支撑骨架的氧化硅气凝胶(SiO₂/炭泡沫)和碳化硅(SiC/炭泡沫)复合材料分别采用XRD、SEM、激光导热仪、万能力学试验机进行物相、微观结构、热学及力学性能方面的表征.结果表明:所制备的SiO₂/炭泡沫与原炭泡沫相比,具备更高的抗压强度(14.95 MPa)和更低的室温热导率(0.44 W·m^-1·K^-1).SiC/炭泡沫材料则保持了较高的抗压强度值(14.66 MPa),其在 1 200 ℃下具备极低的高温热导率(2.18W·m^-1·K^-1).热重分析表明,SiC/炭泡沫在氧化氛围中到610 ℃才发生质量的损失,而内部炭发生完全烧蚀的温度高达844 ℃,这表明该材料的抗氧化性能远好于纯的炭泡沫材料.     

Properties of Absorbent Acrylic Foam Prepared Based on the Method of High Internal Phase Emulsion

Acrylate and methacrylate monomers absorbent acrylate foams were prepared based on the method of high internal phase emulsion (HIPE). The influence of reaction conditions on liquid absorption by acrylate foams was studied. The reaction conditions included monomer ratio, cross-linker amount, initiator amount, emulsifier amount, emulsion concentration, emulsification temperature, and the curing time. The reaction conditions were determined to achieve the best liquid absorption by acrylate foams. Acrylate foams were analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that when the monomer ratio was 9:1, cross-linking agent was 30% of monomer amount, initiator amount was 4% of the reactants amount, emulsifier amount was 8% of the reactants amount, the ratio of aqueous phase to oil phase was 32:1, emulsification temperature was 75°C, and curing time was 1.5 h, we could prepare the acrylate foam material with the best liquid absorption. Reaction of monomer and cross-linking agent was confirmed by FTIR analysis. The pore sizes of acrylate foam were between 1 μm and 8 μm according to SEM analysis. This material was very suitable to absorb aqueous fluids.     

Fabrication and characterization of a novel wound scaffold based on polyurethane added with Channa striatus for wound dressing applications

Abstract

Wound healing is a complex process and it involves restoration of damaged skin tissues. Several wound dressings comprising naturally made substances are constantly investigated to assist wound healing. In this research, a new wound dressing based on polyurethane (PU) supplemented with essence of Channa striatus (CS) fish oil was made by electrospinning. Morphological study depicted the reduction in fiber diameter than PU with the addition of fish oil (0.552?±?0.109?μm for 8:1 v/v% and 0.519?±?0.196?μm 7:2 v/v%) than the pristine PU (0.971?±?0.205?µm). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed the presence of fish oil in the composite as identified through increasing peak intensity. Fish oil resulted in the hydrophilic behavior (88?±?3 (8:1 v/v) and 70?±?6 (7:2 v/v)) as revealed in the contact angle analysis. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed the superior thermal behavior of the wound dressing patch compared to the PU. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis insinuated a decrease in the surface roughness of the pristine polyurethane with the added fish oil. Coagulation assays signified the delay in the blood clotting time portraying its anti-thrombogenic behavior. Hemolytic assay revealed the less toxic nature of the developed nanocomposites with the red blood cells (RBC’s) depicting its safety with blood. Hence, polyurethane nanofibers supplemented with fish oil made them as deserving candidates for wound dressing application.     

Controlled Synthesis of Cr‐Co0.85Se Nanoarrays for Water Splitting at an Ultralow Cell Voltage of 1.43 V

Water splitting has attracted more and more attention as a promising strategy for the production of clean hydrogen fuel. In this work, a new synthesis strategy was proposed, and Co_0.85Se was synthesized on nickel foam as the main matrix. The doping of appropriate Cr amount into the target of Co_0.85Se and the Cr‐Co_0.85Se resulted in an excellent electrochemical performance. The doping of Cr introduces Cr³⁺ ions which substitute Co²⁺ and Co³⁺ ions in Co_0.85Se, so that the lattice parameters of the main matrix were changed. It is worth noting that the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF material exhibits an excellent performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) test. When the current density reaches 50 mA cm^?2 for OER, the overpotential is only 240 mV. For the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) tests, the overpotential is only 117 mV to drive 10 mA cm^?2 of current density. Moreover, when the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF material is used as a two‐electrode device for whole water splitting, the required cell voltage is only 1.43 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, which is among the lowest values of the published catalysts up to now. In addition, the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF catalyst also exhibits excellent stability during a long period of water splitting. The experimental result demonstrates that the change of the lattice structure has an obvious influence on the electrocatalytic activity of the material. When an external electric field is applied, it facilitates the rapid electron transfer rate and enhances the electrocatalytic performance and stability of the material.     

Numerical and empirical modeling of peak deceleration and stress analysis of polyurethane elastomer under impact loading test

In this work, we present the modeling of the peak deceleration (PD) using data of the experimental drop test. Specimens with different thicknesses and areas tested in the drop test device which has adaptable height and weight. In the empirical modeling of the PD, the thickness, area, drop mass and drop height considered as separable functions. An analytical model and Neural Network (NN) was used as the empirical models. Further, the stress on the material was calculated using differential equations and the Finite Element Method (FEM). The Obtained PD from the experimental test, analytical and NN models was converted to the stress on the material using a derived differential equation. Finally, the best model for analyzing the PD and Stress on the material was presented.     

Fabrication of flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant isocyanate-based polyimide foam modified by silica aerogel thermal insulation and flame protection layers

Because of containing urea groups, flame resistance and smoke releasing behaviors of isocyanate-based polyimide foam (IBPIF) produced using free foaming technology require further improvement. In this work, silica aerogel layers were incorporated into cells of IBPIF through an in situ growth process of silica sol (SS). Compared with silica aerogel particles directly mixed into the foaming slurry, the silica aerogel layers that firmly attached to the pores and surfaces of cells not only provided exceptional thermal insulation and flame protection, but also kept original cellular structure. With increase in ratio of SS mass to IBPIF volume, silica aerogel incorporation dosage was gradually increased. Accompanied by flame resistance was obviously improved and smoke releasing behavior was effectively suppressed. Those were indicated by the improved limiting oxygen index (LOI), decreased heat release rate (HRR), peak of HRR, and specific optical density of smoke (Ds) in trials with pilot flames. Compared with pure IBPIF, when the ratio reached to 5/15 g/cm³, it resulted in LOI increasing from 22.0% to 33.0%, peak of HRR, total smoke production (TSP), and maximum value of Ds decreasing from 174 to 72 kW/m², 1.11 to 0.37 m²/m², 45.90 to 17.45, respectively.     

Prediction of polyurethane behaviour via time-temperature superposition: Meanings and limitations

Two main issues are essential nowadays for practitioners in the field of polymeric materials: how a polymer will behave under dynamic loading conditions and for how long a polymer is reliable. In this sense, the time-temperature superposition principle was applied to the main viscoelastic properties (E′, E″ and tan δ) of a series of polyurethane coatings (PU-DEG-TMP) tested for mechatronic devices. Polyurethanes are derived from an ester glycol (poly(ethylene adipate) glycol), an aromatic diisocyanate (4,4′-dibenzyldiisocyanate) and di/trifunctional chain extenders - diethylene glycol (DEG) and trimethylol propane (TMP). Despite polyurethane intrinsic rheologic complexity, the moduli/loss factor curves superimpose well over several decades of reduced frequency at the glass transition temperature (T_g), 0 °C and 15 °C, the last temperature being considered the midpoint of the practical testing range. Three criteria were for checking the applicability of the time-temperature superposition: the Cole-Cole plot, the similarity between the a_T calculated from both moduli (E′, E″) and the visual appearance of the final master curve. The presence of both hydrogen bonding and chemical joint points, along with some dangling chains put in a broader context the discussion of the microstructural features resulted from the application of the William-Landell-Ferry (WLF) equation.     

Enhancing toughness of poly (lactic acid)/Thermoplastic polyurethane blends via increasing interface compatibility by polyurethane elastomer prepolymer and its toughening mechanism

Due to the environmental pollution caused by the petroleum-based polymer, poly (lactic acid) (PLA), a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer that obtained from natural and renewable sources, has attracted widespread attention. However, the brittleness of PLA greatly limits its application. In this study, the super toughened PLA-based blends were obtained by compatibilizing the PLA/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends with the polyurethane elastomer prepolymer (PUEP) as an active compatibilizer. The mechanical properties, thermal properties and corresponding toughening mechanism of PLA/TPU/PUEP system were studied by tensile test, instrumented impact test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All the results demonstrate that the isocyanate (−NCO) group in PUEP is successfully reacted with the –OH groups at both sides of the PLA and the obtained polyurethane (PU)~PLA copolymer (PU ~ cõ PLA) significantly improves the interfacial compatibility of PLA/TPU blends. The gradually refined dispersed phase size and fuzzy phase interface as displayed in SEM images suggest a good interfacial compatibilization in the PLA/TPU/PUEP blends, probably due to the isocyanate reaction between PLA and PUEP. And the interfacial reaction and compatibilization among the components led to the formation of super toughened PLA/TPU/PUEP blends. And the instrumented impact results indicate that most of the impact toughness is provided by the crack propagation rather than the crack initiation during the entire fracture process.     

多尺度Ag/CuO复合光热材料的制备及在海水淡化中的应用

采用原位化学反应和热处理相结合的策略,在泡沫铜表面形成丝线状与花瓣状的立体无机物阵列,然后在其表面蒸镀Ag纳米颗粒(NPs),成功制备了基于泡沫铜的Ag/CuO复合光热材料。该复合材料因表面三维立体阵列结构以及Ag NPs而具备较高的太阳光吸收率。故而,Ag/CuO复合光热材料结合三聚氰胺泡沫组成的蒸发器件实现了高效的海水淡化。本研究除了探索光陷阱深度和金属掺杂对吸收体光热转换效率增强之外,还搭建了太阳能驱动界面蒸汽生成测试系统,测试了样品的光热蒸发性能。在1倍太阳(1 kW·m~(-2))辐照下,该器件整体蒸发速率高达1.097 6 kg·m~(-2)·h~(-1),即其蒸发效率可达78.38%。