Influence of energy characteristics of the fiber-binder interface on polymer composite strength

A correlation between the energy characteristics of fiber-binder interfaces and tensile strength of polymer composite materials (PCMs) was demonstrated by the example of microplastics based on carbon fiber. A new approach for express prediction of the strength properties of PDMs based on determination of the adhesive characteristics of polymer binders in model systems by the wetting method was proposed and experimentally confirmed.     

聚醚环酰胺固体推进剂用键合剂的合成及使用性能

以丙三醇、环氧乙烷、环氧丙烷、氯化亚砜、异氰脲酸等为原料,合成了聚醚环酰胺键合剂。将其应用到推进剂(GAP/HMX/Al/AP)配方中,对成型后的推进剂进行力学性能测试和断面电子显微镜分析。结果表明,此类键合剂可以改善与推进剂中氧化剂的界面粘结性能,有效地提高成型后的推进剂在不同温度下的最大延伸率,但对抗拉伸强度的提高作用不明显。     

Improvements of properties of asphalt by poly(methyl methacrylate) additives

This article presents the effect of adding poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with different molecular weights on the mechanical properties of asphalt in terms of durability, strength, and resistance to rutting. By controlling the time of reaction we obtained PMMA of two different molecular weights: PMMA1 and PMMA2. The ageing properties of polymer modified asphalts were studied using the thin film over (oven) a test. A hot storage stability test was carried out for polymer modified binder. The physical properties of asphalt modified with PMMA including penetration value and softening point were examined at two different temperatures. Resilient modulus test was evaluated by a Universal Testing Machine. Results showed that an incorporation of PMMA into asphalt binder has significantly improved its properties under studies. Indirect tensile strength test and durability performance of the modified asphalts was evaluated as well. The resulted modification was found to be dependent on the polymer molecular weight. The PMMA1 exhibited effective and cheerful results.     

Glutaraldehyde crosslinking of arabinoxylan produced from corn ethanol residuals

This study investigated the possibility of substituting petroleum-based polymers with biopolymers for films and paper coatings. Arabinoxylan (AX) was extracted from distillers’ grains, a low-value corn ethanol byproduct, and modified through crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (GA) which was made into films and paper coatings. The effects of degree of substitution (DS) on film and coating properties of GA cross-linked AX, referred to as GAX, were investigated. The GAX films had markedly higher tensile strength, approximately 3 times higher than the unmodified AX films at low DS, with higher DS causing a negative effect on the film tensile strength. Compared to unmodified AX coating, paper coated with GAX also had significantly higher tensile index, presumably due to high adhesion between the coating and paper interface. When used as a coating binder with calcium carbonate pigments, GAX showed comparable performance to polyvinyl alcohol, a common industrial binder, demonstrating the potential to be substituted for the petroleum-based paper coating binder.     

The brittle-ductile transition in rubber-filled polymers

Composites based on various polymers and rubber particles as a filler were studied. As the filler concentration was increased, the transition from necking to brittle fracture and then to uniform ductile yielding was observed. The criterion for the brittle-ductile transition, which is accompanied by an increase in the elongation at break, is equality between the tensile strength and the upper yield stress of the filled composite. Upon the brittle-ductile transition, the critical concentration of rubber particles is determined by two parameters: the height of the yield drop (difference between the upper and lower yield stresses of matrix polymer) and adhesive strength at the interface between the matrix polymer and filler particles (in the case of good adhesion, tensile strength of rubber particles). The larger the yield drop, the broader the concentration range corresponding to the polymer brittle fracture. The enhancement of adhesion between the matrix and the particles makes it possible to displace the brittle-ductile transition to lower filler contents and, hence, to narrow the region of brittle fracture of the composite.     

Preparation and Properties of Biodegradable Spent Tea Leaf Powder/Poly(Propylene Carbonate) Composite Films

The aim of the present work is to develop novel bio-based lightweight material with improved tensile and thermal properties. Spent tea leaf powder (STLP) was used as a filler to improve the tensile and thermal properties of polypropylene carbonate (PPC). Tea is an important material used in hotels and households, and spent tea leaf is a resulting solid waste. Composite films with STLP were obtained by the solution casting method. These films were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and tensile testing to examine the effect of filler content on the properties of the composites. The results showed that composite films have increased tensile strength due to enhanced interfacial adhesion between the filler and the matrix. In addition, the composite films also exhibited higher thermal degradation temperatures than pure polypropylene carbonate. The morphology results indicate that there is a good interface interaction between STLP and PPC. Results of the study reveal STLP to be a promising green filler for polymer plastics.     

Dielectric,magnetic and mechanical properties of ferrite composites

The dielectric and magnetic properties of carbonyl—iron (CI) and nickel zinc ferrite polymer composites were studied with respect to the ferrite particulate content and microwave frequency. From the experimental data and using empirical models that relate the composite dielectric and magnetic properties, the respective dielectric and magnetic properties of the neat fillers were estimated. The tensile properties of the particulate composites comprising CI were shown to follow qualitatively Mooney's equation for the elastic modulus. The tensile strength of an elastomeric polyurethane and PVC composites containing CI increased with particulate content, while the elongation to break decreased with filler content. SEM micrographs of tensile fracture surfaces indicated that somewhat better adhesion is obtained in the case of the polyurethane-based composites compared to the PVC ones.     

Properties of ultrahighly filled composites based on polymers and ground rubber

The stress-strain and strength properties of ultrahighly filled composites based on thermoplastic polymers and ground rubber wastes are studied. The content of the elastic filler is higher than 70 wt%. As is shown, introduction of minor amounts of the plastic polymer, which serves as the binder for the filler particles, makes it possible to improve the strength properties of ultrahighly filled composites and to prepare materials of a desired thickness. A correlation between the stress-strain properties of the plastic polymer-rubber systems and the effective viscosity of the matrix polymer is established. When a polymer with homogeneous deformation and good adhesion to the elastic filler is used as the matrix, the resultant composites are characterized by properties close to those of vulcanized rubbers. A new method is proposed for processing of ground rubber wastes and preparation of materials that are similar to hard rubbers.     

Rheological,morphological and mechanical properties of flax fiber polypropylene composites: influence of compatibilizers

In this work, the rheological, mechanical and morphological properties of flax fiber polypropylene composites were investigated. The effect of incorporating a polypropylene grafted acrylic acid or a polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride on these properties has been studied as well. According to scanning electron microscopic observations and tensile tests, the addition of a compatibilizer improved the interfacial adhesion between the flax fibers and the polymer matrix. The tensile modulus of composite containing 30 wt% flax fibers was improved by 200 % and the tensile strength improved by 60 % in comparison with the neat PP. Plasticizing effect of the compatibilizers as a result of their lower melt flow index was also shown to decrease the rheological properties of the composites, even though the effect was not pronounced on the mechanical properties.     

The synergetic effect of zinc phthalate and carboxymethyl cellulose–carbon nanotube of glass fibers surfaces on improving strength and toughness of polypropylene composite

The interfacial interaction between glass fibers (GFs) and polypropylene (PP) resin is the key factor which affects the properties of GFs reinforced PP composites. The β-transcrystallization (β-TC) structure induced by β-nucleating agent (β-NA) at the interface is beneficial to improving the interfacial performance and comprehensive mechanical properties. However, due to the poor adhesive ability, it is difficult to introduce β-NAs onto GFs surface directly. In this work, for solving above problem, the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and  NH₂ functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used to construct the network structure on GFs (CMC-CNT-GF) through plenty of active groups. Furthermore, the zinc phthalate (ZnPht, β-NA) was synthesized and coated on GFs surface by hydrogen bonds interaction with CMC-CNT and physical anchoring effect (ZnPht@CMC-CNT-GF). Finally, the hybrid GFs reinforced PP composite (iPP/ZnPht@CMC-CNT-GF) was prepared, which exhibited enhanced tensile, flexural, and impact strength by 20.1, 9.3, and 33.3%, respectively when compared with the iPP/raw GF due to the formation of β-TC and improvement of interfacial adhesion. This study provides an effective strategy to introduce β-NAs on GFs with network structure for improving interfacial properties by inducing β-TC to enhance the strength and toughness of composite, which could be applied in other fiber/semicrystalline polymer systems.     

INTERFACIAL MOLECULAR DESIGN OF A RIGID- PARTICLE TOUGHENED POLYAMIDE 6 COMPOSITE

The effects of interfacial modifier on the mechanical properties of kaolin-filled polyamide 6 (PA6) have been studied. The interracial interaction between polyamide 6 and kaolin has been character ized by means of infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the role of the interracial modifier lies in forming an elastic interlayer with good adhesion between kaolin and PA 6. A composite with high impact strength, high tensile strength and high elastic modulus can be obtained by inserting the elastic interfacial modifier into the rigid-particle-filled polymer system.     

Effect of fiber length and loading on the properties of Schumannianthus dichotomus (murta) fiber–reinforced epoxy composites

The present work was aimed at preparing composite materials using epoxy matrix and murta fibers of varying lengths and weight percentages. The composites were analyzed on the basis of density, thermal gravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile strength, flexural strength, Izod impact strength, and Rockwell hardness studies. Twenty-five weight percent of randomly oriented fibers of 25 mm length rendered the best mechanical properties to the composite. The tensile strength of the composite was analyzed using the Hirsch model. The characterization of the composite reveals that murta fiber is a good candidate for polymer reinforcement.     

Modification of cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced composite hydrogels: effects of co-crosslinked and drying treatment

The synthesis platform of composite hydrogels containing rigid reinforcing filler cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and polymer matrix polyacrylamide (PAM) has been proposed (Yang et al. in Cellulose 20:227–237, 2013). The features of CNCs as multifunctional crosslinkers and flexible polymer chain entanglements contributed to the unique arrangement of CNC/PAM clusters with reversible network structures. In this article, the chemical crosslinking agent N,N′-methylene-bisacrylamide (BIS) was added to obtain the dual crosslinked networks, and the mechanical properties of the resulting co-crosslinked hydrogels were examined by tailoring the CNC and BIS concentrations. The results indicated that the homogeneous dispersion of CNCs throughout the polymer matrix was disturbed in the presence of BIS, and the covalent crosslinkers led to weakness and brittleness of the hydrogels. Some new entanglements within the networks were formed after a simple drying treatment, which was verified by the greater tensile strength compared with the as-prepared ones. The mechanism for the formation of these new entanglements was ascribed to the irreversible rearrangement of the CNC/PAM network structure, whereas for co-crosslinked hydrogels no strength increment was observed after the drying treatment.     

A review on plant fiber reinforced thermoset polymers for structural and frictional composites

In recent past years, utilization of synthetic materials has become a matter of immense concern due to increasing environmental awareness in terms of safety, sustainability and maintaining ecological balance. A substantial amount of work has been carried out on various aspects of plant based natural fiber reinforced thermoset polymer composite materials due to their numerous inherent properties like high specific strength, low cost and degradability. Current issues and challenges associated with mechanical and tribological properties of only plant based natural fiber reinforced thermoset composites have been highlighted in the present study. Various factors influencing mechanical and tribological characteristics have been discussed keeping the focus on plant fiber reinforced thermoset composites. A detailed discussion on mechanical (tensile, compressive, flexural, impact strength) and tribological properties (friction and specific wear rate) have been reported. Interfacial adhesion was found to be a dominating factor with respect to mechanical and tribological properties. Wear and frictional characteristics of plant fiber based thermoset composites can be controlled using suitable fillers and reinforcement orientation. A discussion on interfacial adhesion and its effect on composite performance have also been included.     

三明治结构多壁碳纳米管/聚醚醚酮电磁屏蔽复合材料的制备

以聚醚砜(PES)为黏结剂, 多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)为芯层, 聚醚醚酮(PEEK)薄膜为皮层, 制备了具有 三明治结构的MWCNTs/PEEK电磁屏蔽复合材料. 研究结果表明, 将适量的黏结剂PES引入到MWCNTs芯 层中, 当芯层层数增加到3层时, 复合材料的平均厚度仅有0.28 mm, 其密度、 拉伸强度、 5%热失重温 度(T_d,5%)、 导电率、 电磁屏蔽值及比电磁屏蔽值分别可以达到1.349 g/cm³, 80 MPa, 581.8 ℃, 2.6 S/cm, 32 dB及115 dB/mm, 是一种质量轻、 厚度薄、 机械性能好且电磁屏蔽性能高的复合材料. 其优异的综合性能主要归因于在三明治结构MWCNTs/PEEK复合材料的制备过程中, 在碳纳米管芯层中引入适量的聚醚砜作为黏结剂可以改善芯层内部碳纳米管之间及芯层与聚醚醚酮皮层之间的界面作用, 有利于芯层及芯层与皮层黏结成一个整体, 从而提高复合材料的机械性能; 同时, 芯层中碳纳米管互相搭接成密集导电网络又可以使得复合材料拥有较高的电磁屏蔽性能.     

兼具导热和自修复功能的聚合物复合材料

针对聚合物复合材料存在的结构受损导致导热和力学强度降低的问题,提出利用导热填料增强自修复聚合物,实现导热性能和力学强度的快速修复.通过对双(3-氨丙基)封端的聚二甲基硅氧烷(H2N-PDMS-NH2)进行端基改性,得到脲基嘧啶酮(UPy)双封端的聚二甲基硅氧烷(UPy-PDMS-UPy),于60°C下20 h后拉伸强度修复效率可达86.6%.进一步填充羟基化氮化硼(mBN)制备兼具自修复功能的导热复合材料,研究发现mBN的填充导致复合材料强度提高但韧性降低,对导热性能和自修复功能分别起积极和不利影响.当mBN含量为30 wt%时,热导率高达2.579 W·m-1·K-1,于60°C下40 h后拉伸强度修复效率达82.0%.红外热像仪显示,损伤处接触10 h后,m BN-30/UPy-PDMS-UPy上表面温度接近初始温度,展现出导热通路的修复特征,实现导热与自修复功能的兼备.     

The tensile properties of HNO3‐treated carbon fiber reinforced ABS/PA6 composites

In this study, acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) terpolymer was reinforced with HNO₃‐treated short carbon fibers (SCFs) [(hollow carbon fibers (HCFs)]. The effects of HCF concentration on the tensile properties of the composites were examined. Increasing the HCF concentration in the ABS matrix from 10 to 30 wt% resulted in improved tensile strength and tensile modulus. To obtain a strong interaction at the interface, polyamide 6 (PA6) at varying concentrations was introduced into the ABS/10 wt% SCF composite. The incorporation and increasing amount of PA6 in the composites increased tensile properties of the ABS/PA6/HCF systems due to the improved adhesion at the interface, which was confirmed by the ratio of tensile strength as an adhesion parameter. These results were also supported by scanning electron micrographs of the ABS/PA6/HCF composites, which exhibited an improved adhesion between the SCFs and the ABS/PA6 matrix. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Smart modification of inorganic fibers and flammability mechanical and radiation shielding properties of their rubber composites

Facile and smart method for the modification of inorganic fibers has been developed. The polyaniline was synthesized on basalt fiber surface presenting an organic polymer shell to the inorganic fibers. The modified basalt fibers were dispersed in rubber-producing well-dispersed rubber composites. Various mass loadings of modified basalt fibers were dispersed and optimized. The effect of radiation on the properties of developed rubber composites was investigated by exposure to different gamma radiation doses. The flammability, thermal and mechanical properties were studied. The flammability of developed composites was improved achieving 62 and 16% reduction in the peak heat release rate compared to blank rubber and unmodified basalt fiber-based rubber composite, respectively. This is in addition to significant reduction in emission of CO and CO₂ gases by 65 and 58%, respectively. Also, the tensile strength property was enhanced by 38 and 53% compared to blank and unmodified basalt composite, respectively. The role of polyaniline layer on inorganic fiber surface and their effect on the properties of the produced composites was studied. The organic polymer shell achieved good compatibility and interfacial adhesion of basalt fibers with rubber matrix and radiation protection effect for the developed composites.     

Study on the evaluation of mechanical and thermal properties of natural sisal fiber/general polymer composites reinforced with nanoclay

Composite materials, made by replacing traditional materials, are used because of their capability to produce tailor-made, desirable properties such as high tensile strength, low thermal expansion, and high strength to weight ratio. The need for the development of new materials is essential and growing day by day. The natural sisal/general polymer (GP) reinforced with nanoclay composites has become more attractive due to its high specific strength, light weight, and biodegradability. In this study, sisal–nanoclay composite is developed and its mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength are evaluated. The interfacial properties, internal cracks, and internal structure of the fractured surface are evaluated using scanning electron microscope. The thermal disintegration of composites are evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that the incorporation of nanoclay in sisal fiber/GP can improve its properties and can be used as a substitute material for glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites.     

Factors and processes influencing the reinforcing effect of layered silicates in polymer nanocomposites

The analysis of the tensile yield stress of a large number polymer/layered silicate composites showed widely differing mechanical properties. The composition dependence of yield stress can be described and evaluated quantitatively by a simple model developed earlier for particulate filled polymers. The comparison of data produced in our laboratory or taken from the literature indicated that several processes may take place during the preparation of the composites and a considerable number of factors influence composite properties. Quite a few of these are often neglected and percentage increase in modulus, strength or other properties is reported in published papers instead. The most important of such effects are changing matrix properties when a functionalized polymer is used to promote adhesion (PE, PP), modification of crystalline structure due to nucleation (PA, PP), plasticization or lubrication (PVC), decreased interaction (PA, PVC, PET, rubbers) or chemical reactions (PVC, PP, PET). Using a few simple assumptions, most of which are supported by previous experience, the extent of exfoliation can be estimated quantitatively in nanocomposites. The analysis of the tensile yield stress of more than 80 composites with various matrices indicated that the extent of exfoliation is very low in most composites; it reaches maximum 10% in the best case, which corresponds to about 10 silicate layers per stack. Although the approach has limitations and several factors were neglected during analysis, this result is in agreement with observations indicating that complete exfoliation rarely can be reached in thermoplastic/clay composites. In order to achieve larger reinforcement, silicates must be exfoliated more perfectly in the future.