Free volume hole size of Cyanate ester resin/Epoxy resin interpenetrating networks and its correlations with physical properties

Cyanate ester (CE) resin was blended with epoxy resin (EP) at different mass ratios (CE/EP: 100/0, 90/10, 70/30, 50/50, 30/70, 10/90, and 0/100). The curing process of the blend system was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Examination of the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and morphology of the blend systems showed that addition of epoxy resin resulted in improved toughness but a little sacrifice in thermal stability when compared with neat CE. The free volume size of the blend system determined by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) decreased with the epoxy resin content, which is consistent with the chemical structure changes for the copolymerization between CE and EP. The crosslinking units of curing products (oxazoline, oxazolidinone, and polyether network) of the blends are all smaller in size than those of triazine ring structure from neat CE. Therefore, the free volume size of the blends decreases with increase of EP content. The correlations between the free volume properties and other physical properties (thermal stability and mechanical properties) have also been discussed.     

Preparation and properties of graphene oxide nanosheets/cyanate ester resin composites

Graphene oxide nanosheets (GONSs)/cyanate ester (CE) resin composites were prepared via a solution intercalation method. The structures of the GONSs and the composites were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical and tribological properties of the composites were investigated. In addition, the thermal behavior of the composites was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results show that the GONSs/CE resin composites were successfully prepared. The addition of GONSs is beneficial to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites. Moreover, the composites exhibit better thermal stability in comparison with the CE resin matrix.     

Vinyl ester resin modified with silicone-based additives: III. Curing kinetics

Silicone-based additives have been used as fire retardants for thermoplastics with the advantageous of improving the processing and the impact resistance of the polymers. In this work the influence of these additives on the curing kinetics of a vinyl ester resin was studied. Three silicone-based additives were used to modify the properties of the vinyl ester resin. The principal differences between them are the functional groups inserted in the polydimethylsiloxane chains. The additives were dispersed in the resin containing a commonly used mixture of initiator and catalyst methylethylKetone peroxide and cobalt-II octanoate, respectively. For some reactional mixtures N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) was used as promoter. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to perform the non-isothermal cure of the non-modified resin and of the resins modified with the additives. Ozawa´s, Kissinger´s and Ozawa´s isoconversional methods were used to determine the kinetic parameters. For resin cured in absence of DMA the silicone-based additives act as retardants for the curing reaction, a typical diluent effect, while in presence of this promoter the reaction enthalpy as well as the reaction rate were improved. This effect was attributed to specific interactions and reactions between DMA and the silicone-based additives that changed the curing mechanism as well as controlled the phase segregation.     

Preparation of graphene/tetrathiafulvalene nanocomposite switchable surfaces

A one step process for simultaneous reduction and functionalization of graphene oxide using tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) is described. Chemical oxidation of TTF to TTF(2+) using an aqueous solution of Fe(ClO(4))(3) expels the charged molecule from the graphene nanosheets, while subsequent immersion in neutral TTF solution allows the capture of the TTF molecules.     

Cyanate ester tethered POSS/BACY nanocomposites for low‐k dielectrics

Low‐k dielectrics have been developed as an interlayer insulating material in the large scale integrated circuitry devices by the copolymerization of various weight percentages (10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%) of cyanate ester tethered POSS (POSS‐OCN) and bisphenol‐A cyanate ester (BACY) to obtain BACY/POSS‐OCN nanocomposites. The reinforcement of POSS‐OCN significantly contributes to the reduction in the value of dielectric constant and dielectric loss as well, which might be due to the presence of porous structured POSS‐OCN. The 30 wt% POSS‐OCN/BACY nanocomposite possesses the lowest value of dielectric constant of 1.81 at 1 MHz. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cure behavior of epoxy resin/MMT/DETA nanocomposite

The Flory's gelation theory, non-equilibrium thermodynamic fluctuation theory and Avrami equation have been used to predict the gel time t _g and the cure behavior of epoxy resin/organo-montmorillonite/diethylenetriamine intercalated nanocomposites at various temperatures and organo-montmorillonite loadings. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the experimental results obtained by dynamic torsional vibration method, and the results show that the addition of organo-montmorillonite reduces the gelation time t _gand increases the rate of curing reaction, the value of k, and half-time of cure after gelation point t_1/2 decreases with the increasing of cure temperature, and the value of n is ~2 at the lower temperatures (<60°C) and decreases to ~1.5 as the temperature increases, and the addition of organo-montmorillonite decreases the apparent activation energy of the cure reaction before gelation point, but has no apparent effect on the apparent activation energy of the cure reaction after gelation point. There is no special curing process required for the formation of epoxy resin/organo-montmorillonite/diethylenetriamine intercalated nanocomposite. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

碳包覆磷酸亚铁锂/石墨烯复合结构的制备及其电化学性能

通过简单的水热和气相沉积法合成了碳包覆磷酸亚铁锂/石墨烯复合材料,通过XRD,SEM,TEM等对其形貌进行了表征,并将其用作锂离子电池正极材料进行电化学性能表征,结果表明:碳包覆磷酸亚铁锂/石墨烯复合材料即使在10C的倍率下仍有115mAh·g~(-1)的容量,同时在10C循环300次,容量保持率为82%.其优异的倍率和循环性能归因于沉积碳、石墨烯以及磷酸亚铁锂之间层层叠加的独特三维导电结构.     

Polyester resin and carbon nanotubes based nanocomposite as new-generation coating to prevent biofilm formation

In this article, we have developed protective nanocomposite coatings using unsaturated polyester resin and multiwalled carbon nanotubes showing antimicrobial activity and mechanical durability. Carbon nanotubes retain the mechanical resilience of polyester resin in the nanocomposite, improve its hydrophobic character, and increase the adhesion features of the coating, preventing its stiffness from decreasing due to water absorption or exposure to UV rays. Nanocomposite coating exhibits an appreciable antimicrobial property and a lower level of toxicity compared to pure resin. All these features make this material a good candidate for its use in the field of anti-biofilm coatings.     

Curing characteristics of carboxyl functionalized glucose resin and epoxy resin

The curing characteristics of carboxylic functionalized glucose resin (glucose maleic acid ester vinyl resin: GMAEV) and epoxy resin have been studied using DSC and FTIR methods. Exothermic reactions attributed to esterification and etherification reactions of the hydroxyl and carboxyl functionalities of GMAEV with the epoxy groups were identified. Exothermic reactions showed very different patterns according to the degree of carboxyl group substituent of GMAEV. The results showed that esterification reaction occurs in the early stage of cure and then etherification followed after completion of the esterification. A cured matrix containing epoxy resin and 50 wt.% of GMAEV was prepared and characterized. The cured matrix showed thermal stability up to 300 °C. The average glass transition temperature and storage modulus of the matrix were as high as 95 °C and 2700 MPa, respectively. The cured matrix of epoxy resin and GMAEV with higher degree of carboxyl group was found to have a lower density due to the formation of bulky groups in the crosslinks.     

氧化石墨烯-石墨烯纳米复合物传感器检测 对乙酰氨基酚和对氨基苯酚

本文通过简单超声法制备了氧化石墨烯-石墨烯(GO-Gr)碳复合材料,通过扫描电镜和电化学方法进行表征。将其修饰在玻碳电极表面,成功构建了用于对乙酰氨基苯酚(APAP)和对氨基苯酚(PAP)检测的电化学传感器。采用差分脉冲伏安法(DPV)测定APAP和PAP,线性检测范围为0.1～70μmol/L和0.3～60μmol/L,检出限为0.02 和0.1μmol/ L。同时,构建的传感器还表现出良好的稳定性和抗干扰能力,可用于实际样品的检测。     

Preparation and properties of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized graphene/polyurethane nanocomposite coatings

Silicone-modified graphene was successfully synthesized by treating graphene oxide with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (AMEO) and then reduced by hydrazine hydrate. Subsequently, the AMEO-functionalized graphene was incorporated into polyurethane (PU) matrix to prepare AMEO-functionalized graphene/PU nanocomposite coatings. The functionalized graphene could disperse homogenously by means of a covalent connection with PU. AMEO-functionalized graphene (AFG)-reinforced PU nanocomposite coatings showed more excellent mechanical and thermal properties than those of pure PU. A 227 % increase in tensile strength and a 71.7 % improvement of elongation at break were obtained by addition 0.2 wt% of AFG. Meanwhile, thermogravimetric analysis reveals that thermal degradation temperature was enhanced almost 50 °C higher than that of neat PU, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis demonstrates that glass transition temperature decreased by around 9 °C. The thermal conductivity of AFG/PU nanocomposite coatings also increased by 40 % at low AFG loadings of 0.2 wt%.     

Bulk and shear rheology of silica/polystyrene nanocomposite: Reinforcement and dynamics

Bulk and shear rheological studies were performed on a 10 wt % silica nanoparticle‐filled polystyrene nanocomposite. The limiting moduli in glassy and rubbery states are higher for the nanocomposite than for the neat polymer; the increase is consistent with hydrodynamic reinforcement and is slightly higher than the lower bound of the rule of mixtures prediction. All evidence indicates that the presence of nanoparticles does not significantly change the polymer dynamics associated with glass transition, except to increase the T_g by 3 K. Comparison of the bulk and shear retardation spectra suggests that the underlying mechanisms for both responses are similar at short times and that the long‐time chain modes available to the shear are not available to the bulk, consistent with Plazek's earlier findings. In addition, T ? T_g and TV^γ scaling, along with the findings of thermorheological complexity, are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 621–632     

The free volume in acrylic resin/laponite nanocomposite coatings

The morphological features and the free volume properties of an acrylic resin/laponite nanocomposite are investigated using X-ray diffraction and Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy. The effects of particle loading on the degree of exfoliation is examined. The measured lifetime spectra and the relative intensities of samples with different particle loading, as well as the shape parameters of the Doppler line broadening are correlated to the free volume in the nanocomposite and the measured CO₂ gas solubility. The effect of the exfoliated nanoclay on the free volume of the composite is found to be very small for clay volume fraction up to 0.2%.     

Influence of polymer matrix composition and architecture on polymer nanocomposite formation: Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of stacks of two-dimensional platelets immersed in a polymer melt were performed to investigate aspects of the polymer matrix that promote the formation of intercalated or exfoliated nanocomposite structures. Such factors include temperature, copolymer architecture, and blend composition. Increasing the polymer-sheet attractive interaction led to binding of the sheets, where individual beads simultaneously attract two neighboring sheets, thus kinetically blocking intercalation by occupying the perimeter of the affected gallery. Polymers with a small polymer-sheet attraction, but having a strongly attractive chain end (end-functionalized polymers) minimized the bonding of adjacent sheets. These systems exhibited some sheet sliding because a majority of the confined polymer beads only interacted weakly with adjacent sheets; however, the number density of intercalated polymer was low. Mixtures of end-functionalized and nonfunctionalized polymers, however, yielded better intercalation efficiency. For the mixed system, the reduced number of highly attractive beads provided sufficient interaction for intercalation to occur, enabling greater intercalation rates, less sheet-bridging, and incorporation of the nonfunctionalized polymers into the galleries. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3272–3284, 2003     

Preparation and characterization of novel cyanate ester/epoxy resin microspheres

A novel kind of cyanate ester (CE)/epoxy resin microspheres have been synthesized using the polymerization technology of cyanate ester and epoxy resin in anhydrous ethanol media; surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate was used as an emulsifier, and imidazole was used as catalyst or curing agent. The morphologies, chemical structures, and thermal properties of microspheres were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy, optical microscope, differential scanning calorimeter, and thermogravimetric analyzer, respectively. The effects of process parameters such as the amount of imidazole and the weight ratio of epoxy resin to CE on the size and morphology of microsphere were discussed. Results indicate that the reactivity and surface morphology of microsphere can be adjusted by the amount of imidazole and the weight ratio of epoxy resin to CE. The prepared microsphere shows excellent thermal stability and good reactivity.     

Polystyrene‐modified novolac epoxy resin/clay nanocomposite: Synthesis,and characterization

A polystyrene‐modified epoxidized novolac resin/montmorillonite nanocomposite was fabricated and characterized successfully. For this purpose, novolac resin (NR) was epoxidized through the reaction of phenolic hydroxyl group with epichlorohydrin in super basic medium to produce epoxidized novolac resin (ENR). Afterward, a polystyrene was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique, and then brominated at the benzylic positions using N‐bromosuccinimide (NBS). The brominated polystyrene (PSt‐Br) was reacted with ethanolamine in basic medium in order to afford an amine‐functionalized polystyrene (PSt‐NH₂). An organo‐modified montmorillonite (O‐MMT) was synthesized through the treatment of MMT with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride salt. Finally, ENR‐PSt/MMT nanocomposite was fabricated through curing a mixture of ENR (70 wt.%) and O‐MMT (5 wt.%) with PSt‐NH₂ (25 wt.%). Transition electron microscopy (TEM) and powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the fabricated nanocomposite has an exfoliated structure. Thermal property studies using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the curing of ENR by PSt‐NH₂, as well as incorporation of a small amount of MMT have synergistic effect on the thermal stability of the ENR resin.     

Curing of dicyanate ester/epoxy copolymers modified with polysiloxane and butadiene-acrylonitrile rubbers

The cyanate ester (CE) and epoxy (EP) resins were cured together at various mass compositions. The curing behavior of CE and CE/EP systems was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in non-isothermal conditions. The DSC measurements indicated that the curing reactions were dependent on the stoichiometric ratio of the mixtures and showed the dilution effect of the EP resin in the cyclotrimerization of the catalyzed CE resin. The CE and CE/EP (70/30) systems were modified using reactive liquid butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (ETBN) and polysiloxane core?Cshell (PS) elastomer. The influence of ETBN and PS on the curing process and glass transition temperature (T _g) of CE/EP systems was determined. The impact resistance characteristics of the completely cured systems indicated the influence of the modifiers and the EP content in the mixtures on its impact resistance.     

氮掺杂石墨烯负载的硫化镉空心球纳米复合材料的光催化性能

通过无模板法一步合成了一种新型N掺杂石墨烯负载的CdS空心球复合材料. 采用X射线衍射、透射电镜、红外光谱、紫外-可见光谱、N₂吸附-脱附、荧光光谱和X射线光电子能谱等技术对该材料进行了表征, 并在可见光照射下测试了其在降解亚甲基蓝和水杨酸中的光催化性能. 结果表明, 相对于氧化石墨烯负载硫化镉空心球和单独的硫化镉空心球, 氮掺杂石墨烯负载的硫化镉空心球具有更高的光催化活性和稳定性. 这是由于氮掺杂的石墨烯能充当优异的电子受体和传输体, 从而抑制了载流子的复合. 另外发现, 羟基自由基是可见光下降解亚甲基蓝的主要活性物种.     

Studies on the stability of MF resin solutions: investigations on network formation

The phenomenon of thixotropy of melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resins has been investigated. A series of MF-resins with varying F/M ratios, different condensation times and pH during the condensation has been prepared. The storage stability at room temperature was measured using viscosimetry, polarization microscopy, NMR-spectroscopy and XRD. The visible changes observed in polarization microscopy (i. e. the formation of micron sized structures) correlate with the increase of viscosity related to the formation of thixotropy. The formation of a transient network can be concluded on basis of nmr-relaxation measurements and viscosimetry.