Electrical and mechanical properties of the zone-drawn polypyrrole films

The zone-drawing method (ZD) was applied to electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole films containing tosylate (PPy/TsO) and the mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting films were investigated. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the zone-drawn film reached 365 S cm⁻¹ in the drawing direction, which was 4.7 times that of the original film. The tensile properties of the zone-drawn film were improved and Young's modulus and strength at break increased to 4.32 GPa and 90.1 MPa from 0.53 GPa and 40.4 MPa of the as-synthesized film, respectively. The dynamic storage modulus (E) increased by the zone-drawing over a whole experimental temperature range and attained 7.0 GPa at room temperature and 4.0 GPa even at 200°C. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Geometric and mechanical characterization of ribbed FRP rebars

The paper discusses the advantage of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebar for application in concrete because of its light weight, high strength, high corrosion resistance and durability. Different options of shaping the wave-like texture of FRP bars for concrete bonding are considered. The diameter measurement problem of ribbed FRP bars is examined, and a proprietary procedure is suggested to determine the equivalent diameter and elastic modulus of ribbed FRP bars. The tensile strength (889–1197 MPa) obtained herein is greater than the longitudinal flexural strength (566–822 MPa), which is due to the ribs, contrary to the case of plain bars. The elastic modulus values obtained (40–61 GPa) are in agreement with the known literature data.     

High speed melt spinning of poly(L-lactic acid) filaments

Poly(L-lactic acid) filaments were prepared by high speed melt spinning at take-up velocities up to 5000 m/min. The crystallinity, birefringence, tensile strength, Young's modulus and yield strength all exhibit maxima at take-up velocities between 2000 and 3000 m/min. The boiling water shrinkage exhibits a minimum in this range. The maximum tensile strength of the as-spun filaments was 385 MPa and the maximum modulus was 6 GPa. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1005–1012, 1998     

Characterization of new natural cellulosic fiber from the Perotis indica plant

This investigation summarizes the characteristics of biofiber extracted from the Perotis indica plant. Cellulose content (68.4 wt%), density (785 kg m^?3), crystallinity index (48.3%), tensile strength (317–1,608 MPa), and Young’s modulus (8.41–69.61 GPa) properties were identified in the P. indica fibers (PIFs), and thermal stability was studied using thermal gravimetric analysis and derivative thermogravimetric analysis, which revealed its cellulose degradation at a temperature of 339.1°C. Further, the properties of PIFs ensured that it can play an imperative role as new reinforcement as green composites in the manufacturing industries.     

Synthesis and properties of thermoplastic polyimides with ether and ketone moieties

A series of polyimides containing ether and ketone moieties were synthesized from 1,3‐bis(4‐fluorobenzoyl) benzene and several commercially available dianhydrides via a conventional two‐step polymerization. The inherent viscosities of Polyamide acids ranged from 0.46 to 0.73 dL/g. Thermal properties, mechanical properties, and thermalplasticity of the obtained polimide films were investigated by focusing on the chemical structures of their repeat units. These films were amorphous, flexible, and transparent. All films displayed low T_gs (184–225 °C) but also excellent thermal stability, the 5% weight loss temperature was up to 542 °C under nitrogen. The films showed outstanding mechanical properties with the modulus up to 3.0 GPa and the elongation at break in the range of 8–160%. The uniaxial stretching of PI‐a at high temperature was studied owing to its excellent flexibility. The PI‐a had an elongation at break up to 1600% at 245 °C and the uniaxially stretched film exhibited a much higher modulus (3.9 GPa) and strength (240 MPa) than undrawn film. The results indicated that PI‐a can potentially be used to prepare materials such as fiber, ultra‐thin film or ultra‐high modulus film. All the obtained films also demonstrated excellent thermoplasticity (drop of E′ at T_g > 10³) which made the polyimides more suitable for melt processing. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2878–2884, 2010     

Synthesis and properties of polyamides derived from 1, 4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)-2-tert-butylbenzene

1, 4-Bis(4-aminophenoxy)-2-tert-butylbenzene was synthesized and used as a monomer to prepare a series of polyamides by the direct polycondensation with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. All the polymers were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.75–1.75 dL g⁻¹. All the polyamides showed amorphous nature and most of them were soluble in polar solvents. Polyamides derived from 4, 4'-sulfonyldibenzoic acid and 4, 4'-hexafluoroisopropylidenedibenzoic acid were even soluble in common organic solvent such as THF. All polyamide films could be obtained by casting from their DMAc or NMP solutions. The polyamide films had a tensile strength range of 35–84 MPa, an elongation range at break of 3–7%, and a tensile modulus range of 1.2–2.5 GPa. These polyamides had glass transition temperatures between 203–268°C and 10% mass loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 456–472°C in nitrogen and 453–470°C in air atmosphere.     

Zone‐Drawn Poly(p‐phenylene) Films. Effects of Molecular Orientation on Electrical and Mechanical Properties

The electrochemically synthesized poly(p‐phenylene) film could be zone drawn by a factor of 1.57, where the orientation function (f) increased with the draw ratio (λ), regardless of the heater temperature (T_h) or applied tension (σ), and reached 0.428 for the resulting film. The electrical conductivity in the drawing direction rose with f but decreased as T_h became higher due to dedoping that occurred simultaneously with drawing. Young's modulus and tensile strength significantly increased to 4.5 GPa and 155 MPa by zone drawing from 1.1 GPa and 79 MPa of the as‐synthesized film.     

High‐performance poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate) fiber prepared by high‐tension annealing

A high‐tension annealing (HTA) method has been applied to zone‐annealed poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN) fibers in order to further improve their mechanical properties. The HTA treatment was carried out under an applied tension of 428 MPa at a treating temperature of 175 °C. The applied tension was close to the tensile strength at 175 °C. The resulting HTA fiber had a birefringence of 0.492 and degree of crystallinity of 57%. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) photographs of the HTA fibers showed three reflections (010, 100, and 1 10) attributed to an α form crystal, but no (020) reflection attributed to a β form was observed in the equator. The tensile modulus and tensile strength increased with processing, and the HTA fiber had a maximum modulus of 33 GPa, a tensile strength of 1.1 GPa, and a storage modulus of 33 GPa at 25 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 61–67, 2000     

Mechanical properties and structure of the zone‐drawn poly(L‐lactic acid) fibers

The zone‐drawing (ZD) method was applied three times to the melt‐spun poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers of low molecular weight (M_v = 13,100) at different temperatures under various tensions. The mechanical properties and superstructure of the ZD fibers were investigated. The resulting ZD‐3 fiber had a draw ratio of 10.5, birefringence of 37.31 × 10⁻³, and crystallinity of 37%, while an orientation factor of crystallites remarkably increased to 0.985 by the ZD‐1. The Young's modulus and tensile strength of the ZD‐3 fiber respectively attained 9.1 GPa and 275 MPa, and the dynamic storage modulus was 10.4 GPa at room temperature. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 991–996, 1999     

Continuous cellulose fiber-reinforced cellulose ester composites. I. Manufacturing options

Thermoplastic fiber composites were prepared using high modulus lyocell (regenerated cellulose) fibers for reinforcement and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) as matrix. Choices were made with regard to fiber options (fabric versus continuous tow) and method of matrix deposition (prepregging by powder coating, film stacking, or solution impregnating). The results suggest that solution-prepregged fiber tow consolidated at circa 200°C produced unidirectional consolidated panels with tensile strength, modulus, and strain at failure values of approximately 250MPa,>20GPa and 3–4%, respectively, at fiber volume contents of approximately 60%. Modulus and ultimate tensile strength increased with fiber content, and modulus followed rule-of-mixture behavior. Adequate surface wetting and matrix-fiber adhesion were found with solution-prepregged composites. The unexpectedly low strain at failure (2 to <4%) was attributed to brittle matrix failure, and failure surfaces revealed that the fibers, for the most part, remained intact after the matrix had failed.     

Changes in the mechanical properties of tooth-colored direct restorative materials in relation to time

The objective of this study was to determine the flexural strength, flexural modulus, Vickers hardness of a packable composite (Surefil), and an ormocer (Definite) in comparison with a microhybrid composite (Z-100), a microfil composite (Silux Plus) and a polyacid-modified composite resin (Dyract). Flexural strength and flexural modulus were determined using a three-point bending device. Microhardness was measured with a Vickers indentor. The specimens of each material were prepared according to manufacturer's instructions. The specimens were stored in artificial saliva at pH 6, all at 37°C. The groups were tested at the beginning of the test, at 3 months and at 6 months. Flexural strength values of Surefil and Definite showed a progressive increase. The highest MPa values were determined for Surefil (134.4 MPa) and the lowest MPa values were obtained for Dyract (59.6 MPa). The highest flexural modulus values were revealed for Surefil (10.000 GPa). Z-100, Silux Plus and Definite showed a tendency to decline in relation to time for their flexural modulus. GPa values of Silux Plus were stable at 3 and 6 months. Vickers hardness numbers showed that Surefil was the hardest and Dyract was the weakest material. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of zone-drawing and zone-annealing method to poly(p-phenylene sulfide) fibers

A zone-drawing and zone-annealing treatment was applied to poly(p-phenylene sulfide) fibers in order to improve their mechanical properties. The zone-drawing (ZD) was carried out at a drawing temperature of 90°C under an applied tension of 5.5 MPa, and the zone-annealing (ZA) was carried out at an annealing temperature of 220°C under 138.0 MPa. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermogram of the ZD fiber had a broad exothermic transition (T_c = 110°C) attributed to cold-crystallization and a melting endotherm peaking at 286°C. The T_c of the ZD fiber was lower than that (T_c = 128°C) of the undrawn fiber. In the temperature dependence of storage modulus (E′) for the ZD fiber, the E′ values decreased with increasing temperature, but increased slightly in the temperature range of 90–100°C, and decreased again. The slight increase in E′ was attributable to the additional increase in the crosslink density of the network, which was caused by strain-induced crystallization during measurement. The resulting ZA fiber had a draw ratio of 6.0, a degree of crystallinity of 38%, a tensile modulus of 8 GPa, and a tensile strength of 0.7 GPa. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1731–1738, 1998     

Drawing behavior and characteristics of laser‐drawn polypropylene fibers

Drawing behavior, flow drawing, and neck drawing, was studied for isotacticpolypropylene fibers in CO₂ laser drawing system, and the fiber structure and the mechanical properties of drawn fibers were analyzed. For a certain laser power, flow drawing of polypropylene (PP) was possible up to draw ratio (DR) 19.5. Though the drawing stress was very low, the flow‐drawn PP fiber exhibited oriented crystal structure and improved mechanical properties. On the other hand, neck‐drawing was accomplished from DR 4 to 12, with significant increase in drawing stress that enhanced the development of fiber structure and mechanical properties. Unlike PET, the drawing stress depends not only on the DR, but on irradiated laser power also. The 10–12 times neck‐drawn fibers were highly fibrillated. The fibers having tensile strength 910 MPa, initial modulus 11 GPa, and dynamic modulus 14 GPa were obtained by single‐step laser drawing system. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 398–408, 2006     

PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF HIGH STRENGTH RODS FROM L-AND D,L-LACTIDE COPOLYMER

Starting with the L-and D,L-lactide copolymer (L:DL = 9: 1) [P(L-DL)LA] of M_w = 32.1×10~4, rods were obtainedthrough a two stage process: (1) melt-extrusion at 155℃, and (2) hot-drawing at 90℃ to various drawing ratios. Themolecular weight of P(L-DL)LA fell to 9.3×10~4 as a consequence of the production process. The crystallization andmolecular orientation of P(L-DL)LA developed as a result of the hot-drawing. The mechanical strengths of the rods increasewith the drawing ratio. The maximum for tensile strength, bending strength, bending modulus, and shear strength are329 MPa, 237 MPa, 8.8 GPa, and 157 MPa, respectively.     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides derived from 1,2-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

1,2-Bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene was synthesized in two steps by the preparation of 1,2-bis(4-itrophenoxy)benzene from 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol) and p-chloronitrobenzene and subsequent reduction with a 10% Pd-C catalyst and hydrazine hydrate. Aromatic polyamides with an inherent viscosity in the range of 1.08–2.00 dL/g were prepared by the direct polycondensation of this diamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Most of the polymers formed were soluble in aprotic solvents such as NMP and N,N-methylacetamide (DMAc), and afforded transparent, flexible, and tough films upon casting from DMAc solutions. Most of the cast films showed obvious yield points in their stress-strain curves and had tensile strength among 64–89 MPa, elongation at break among 5–23%, and initial modulus in 1.7–2.5 GPa. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of these polymers were in the range of 207–278°C, and the 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded above 475°C in nitrogen and above 452°C in air. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Physico-Chemical Properties of Alkali-Treated Acacia leucophloea Fibers

The attractive properties of raw Acacia leucophloea fibers (ALFs) resulted in this present study evaluating the physio-chemical properties of alkali-treated ALFs. The treatment of raw ALFs with 5% (w/v) sodium hydroxide solution with 45 min soaking time was found to be optimum. It was found that optimally treated ALFs had relatively higher tensile strength (357–1809 MPa), Young’s modulus (10.45–87.57 GPa), and percentage of elongation (1.91–5.88%) and high thermal stability. The optimally treated ALFs had high cellulose (76.69 wt.%) and low hemicellulose (3.81 wt.%) and lignin (13.67 wt.%) contents and higher crystallinity index (74.27%), as evidenced by the results of chemical and X-ray diffraction analyses.     

Synthesis and characterization of new organosoluble polyamides derived from bis[4‐(4‐carboxyphenoxy) phenyl]diphenylmethane

A new dicarboxylic acid containing a diphenylmethylene linkage, bis[4‐(4‐carboxyphenoxy)phenyl]diphenylmethane (BCAPD), was prepared from bis(4‐hydroxphenyl)diphenylmethane and p‐fluorobenzonitrile via an aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction followed by hydrolysis. A series of novel polyamides were prepared by the direct polycondensation of BCAPD and various aromatic diamines. The polymers were produced with moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.80–0.85 dL g^?1. Nearly all the polymers were readily soluble in polar solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide, in less polar solvents such as pyridine and cyclohexanone, and in tetrahydrofuran. All the polymers were amorphous, and the polyamide films had a tensile strength and a tensile modulus greater than 80 MPa and 2.0 GPa, respectively. These polyamides had glass‐transition temperatures between 249 and 274 °C, and their temperatures at a 10% weight loss were 477–538 and 483–540 °C in nitrogen and air atmospheres, respectively. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1156–1161, 2001     

Study on poly(imide-ethylene glycol) and graphene oxide-based hybrid proton exchange membrane

In this study, novel poly(imide-ethylene glycol) (PIEG) was prepared via polycondensation of ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride, 4-aminophenyl sulfone, and poly(ethylene glycol) bis(amine). Later, thermally stable and mechanically robust undoped and acid-doped proton exchange membranes were prepared using the graphene oxide (GO) nanofiller. Field emission scanning electron microscope revealed a unique hexagonal imprinted morphology of the fractured surface. Increasing the GO content from 1 to 5 wt% increased tensile strength (59.7–65.9 MPa) and the modulus (20.3–23.9 GPa) of the undoped PIEG/GO series. Thermal properties of the undoped PIEG/GO 1–5 membranes were also higher, i.e., T₁₀ = 438–487°C. However, dop-PIEG/GO 1–5 membranes have a higher ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.4–2.9 mmol/g and proton conductivity 1.8–2.7 S cm^?1 (94% RH).     

New poly (amide-imide) syntheses. IX. Preparation and properties of poly(amide-imide)s derived from 2,7-bis (4-aminophenoxy) naphthalene and various bis (trimellitimide)s

Eleven bis(phenoxy) naphthalene-containing poly(amide-imide)s IIIa–k were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of 2,7-bis (4-aminophenoxy) naphthalene (DAPON) with various aromatic bis (trimellitimide)s IIa–k in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Poly (amide-imide)s IIIa–k having inherent viscosities of 0.70–1.12 dL/g were obtained in quantitative yields. The polymers containing p-phenylene or bis(phenoxy) benzene units exhibited crystalline x-ray diffraction patterns. Most of the polymers were readily soluble in various solvents such as NMP, N, N-dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, m-cresol, o-chlorophenol, and pyridine, and gave transparent, and flexible films cast from DMAc solutions. Cast films showed obvious yield points in the stress-strain curves and had strength at break up to 87 MPa, elongation to break up to 11%, and initial modulus up to 2.10 GPa. These poly(amide-imide)s had glass transition temperatures in the range of 255–321°C, and the 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 529–586°C in nitrogen. The properties of poly(amideimide)s IIIa–k were compared with those of the corresponding isomeric poly (amide-imide)s III′ prepared from 2,7-bis(4-trimellitimidophenoxy) naphthalene and aromatic diamines. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Poly(ether–imide)/polyurethane foams reinforced with graphene nanoplatelet: Microstructure,thermal stability,and flame resistance

Novel poly(ether–imide)/polyurethane (PEI/PU)-based nanocomposite and foamed systems reinforced with graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) were developed. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed hexagonal nanocelluar morphology due to fine interaction between PEI/PU and functional GNP. Compression strength and modulus values were raised up to 72.3 MPa and 27.3 GPa, respectively, for PEI/PU/GNP Foam 1, thus revealing a defensive role of GNP layer against damage. T_max of PEI/PU/GNP Foam 0.1–1 was measured as 479–565°C. The UL 94 showed V-0 rating for nanocomposite, while foams attained V-1 rating. Water absorption capacity was improved steadily with time and was at maximum after 96 h for PEI/PU/GNP Foam 1 (12.3%).