Thermal and crystallization studies of nano-hydroxyapatite reinforced polyamide 66 biocomposites

The thermal and crystalline behaviour of nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) reinforced polyamide 66 (PA66) biocomposites was studied by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal properties of PA66 and n-HA/PA66 composites were analysed by TG. The effect of hydroxyapatite on the melting and crystallization of PA66 was evaluated by DSC. DSC measurements exhibited an increase in the crystallization temperature, however, decrease in crystallinity with the addition of n-HA to the PA66 matrix, which was attributed to the hydrogen bonds between the n-HA surface and polyamide 66 molecules. With increase of n-HA content, the melting peak of the PA66 component shifted to higher temperature, suggesting constrained melting. The addition of n-HA to PA66 played the role of nucleating agent and enhanced the crystallization rate. Non-isothermal parameter a measured by Liu method varies from 1.13 to 1.18, from 1.02 to 1.07, and from 1.18 to 1.21 for PA66, 30 wt% n-HA/PA66 and 40 wt% n-HA/PA66, respectively, and the values of K_(T) systematically increase with rise in relative degree of crystallinity.     

Valence band XPS and FT-IR evaluation of thermal degradation of HVAF thermally sprayed PEEK coatings

Coatings of PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) have been produced on stainless steel 304 using the High Velocity Air Fuel (HVAF) thermal spray technique. These coatings were produced using 50 and 100 mm nozzle lengths with 200, 300 and 400 mm gun to substrate distances. The thermal degradation of the PEEK during the production of the coatings was assessed with valence band X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR). Valence band XPS shows that in general there is minimal degradation of the PEEK during the HVAF thermal spraying process. The FT-IR results show that at the 200 mm gun to substrate (standoff) distance for both nozzle lengths there is more surface degradation of the PEEK coating than at the longer gun to substrate distances. Specifically absorption bands appeared at 2918 and 2850 cm⁻¹, which correspond to alkane -CH₂- asymmetric stretching modes. The reduction of the 1250 cm⁻¹ band as compared with the 1220 cm⁻¹ band, both representing the stretching modes of the ether bonds in PEEK suggests that the degradation occurs at only one of the ether bonds. The phenyl C-H vibration at 673 cm⁻¹ was split for coatings produced at gun-substrate distance of 200 and 300 mm. This indicates a structural change in the phenyl ring possibly indicating a change in the extent of crystallinity of the PEEK polymer.     

Thermodynamic properties of liquid Au-Cu-Sn alloys determined from electromotive force measurements

A thermally conductive linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) composite with aluminum nitride (AlN) as filler was prepared in a heat press molding. Differential scanning calorimeter results indicated that the AlN filler decreases the degree of crystallinity of LLDPE, and has no obvious influence on the melting temperature of LLDPE. Experimental results demonstrated that the LLDPE composites display a high thermal conductivity of 1.25 W/m K and improved thermal stability at 70 wt% AlN content as compared to pure LLDPE. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor increased with AlN content, however, they still remained at relatively low levels, i.e., <5 in wider frequency range from 10 to 10⁶ Hz. The surface treatment of AlN particles had a beneficial effect on improving the thermal conductivity and dielectric constant, whereas, the dissipation factor was less affected. Additionally, the obtained AlN/LLDPE composites have possessed rather low dielectric constant and high electrical insulation, which is suitable for substrate and packaging materials.     

Thermal,mechanical and dielectric behaviour of poly(aryl ether ketone) with low melting temperature

New poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) with a low melting temperature (relative to PEEK) are of interest in order to simplify the manufacturing of high-performance polymers or composites. In this study, we propose to investigate the physical properties of a new PAEK from Victrex, namely PAEK LM. Combinations of thermal analyses were used as follows: standard and modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, dynamic dielectric analysis and guarded hot plate technique. We found that the global mechanical, dielectric and thermal properties are very similar to the PEEK reference. The glass transition temperature was observed in the same range than PEEK (∼ 150 °C) while the melting temperature T_m was measured at 307 °C for PAEK LM which is about 35 °C below the melting temperature of PEEK. The degree of crystallinity of PAEK LM was found to be 27% while for PEEK it is 38%, depending on the processing conditions. This work explored crystalline structure–property relationships to explain the behaviour of PAEK LM.

     

Influence of melting conditions on the thermal behaviour of poly(l-lactic acid)

The influence of melting temperature and time on the thermal behaviour of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Different melting conditions were investigated at temperature ranging from 200 to 210 °C, and for time from 2 to 20 min. For lower-molecular-weight PLLA, a single exothermic peak could be observed at cooling rate of 2 °C/min, after melted at different conditions. The obtained peak temperature and degrees of crystallinity dramatically increased with an increase of melting temperature or time. During subsequent heating scans, double melting peaks could be observed, which were significantly affected by prior melting conditions. The degradation of this material in the melt and the melt/re-crystallization mechanism might be responsible for the observations above. Apart from double melting, double cold crystallization peaks were observed during heating traces for this material after fast cooling (20 °C/min) from the melt. Prior melting conditions could significantly influence the cold crystallization behaviour. The competition between the crystallization from the nuclei remained after cooling, and that from spontaneous nucleation might be responsible for the appearance of double peaks. Additionally, the influence of melting conditions on the thermal behaviour of PLLA was dependent on the initial molecular weight.     

Thermal conductivities of solid and liquid phases for pure Al,pure Sn and their binary alloys

The variations of thermal conductivities of solid phases versus temperature for pure Sn, pure Al and Sn–0.5 wt.% Al, Sn–2.2 wt.% Al, Sn–25 wt.% Al, Sn–50 wt.% Al, Sn–75 wt.% Al binary alloys were measured with a radial heat flow apparatus. From thermal conductivity variations versus temperature, the thermal conductivities of the solid phases at their melting temperature and temperature coefficients for same materials were also found to be 60.60 ± 0.06, 208.80 ± 0.22, 69.70 ± 0.07, 80.30 ± 0.08, 112.30 ± 0.12, 142.00 ± 0.15, 188.50 ± 0.20 W/K m and 0.00098, 0.00062, 0.00127, 0.00114, 0.00112, 0.00150, 0.00116 K⁻¹, respectively. The thermal conductivity ratios of liquid phase to solid phase for the pure Sn, pure Al and eutectic Sn–0.5 wt.% Al alloy at their melting temperature are found to be 1.11, 1.13, 1.06 with a Bridgman type directional solidification apparatus, respectively. Thus the thermal conductivities of liquid phases for pure Sn, pure Al and eutectic Sn–0.5 wt.% Al binary alloy at their melting temperature were evaluated to be 67.26, 235.94 and 73.88 W/K m, respectively by using the values of solid phase thermal conductivities and the thermal conductivity ratios of liquid phase to solid phase.     

Crystallization, glass transition and morphology of (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate oligomers

The study focuses on the effect of the molecular length of isotactic hydroxybutyrate oligomers on the crystal morphology, crystallinity, and spherulitic superstructure. Furthermore, the process of solidification of the quiescent melt is evaluated by the analysis of the crystallization kinetics and of the glass transition. Melt-crystallization is strongly controlled by the chain length, and the regime of cooling. Crystallization can completely be avoided by rapid cooling. Slow cooling allows at best incomplete crystallization, with the crystallinity increasing with chain length. Typically, the maximum crystallinity is between 50% and 80% for OHB of molecular weights of 500 and 5000 g mol⁻¹, respectively. The temperatures of the glass transition and of crystallization/melting increase with molecular length, and are discussed in terms of the Fox-Flory and Gibbs-Thomson equations, respectively. For all samples, regardless of the chain length, spherulitic crystallization is observed, with the perfection of spherulites increasing with decreasing crystallization temperature. The transition of formation of extended-chain crystals to formation of folded-chain crystals occurs at a molecular weight of about 2000 g mol⁻¹, which corresponds to chain length of about 7 nm. Analysis of the heat-capacity increment at the glass transition temperature reveals the existence of a rigid amorphous fraction.     

Fabrication of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets-reinforced aluminum composites and evaluating their mechanical properties and corrosion behavior

Aluminum composites with different amounts of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets particles were fabricated by powder metallurgy method. The mixture powders were consolidated at 520 MPa for 5 min and followed by pressureless sintering at 600 °C for 6 h. The mechanical properties of composites were evaluated by compression and hardness tests. The corrosion behavior in 3.5% NaCl solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The mechanical testing results showed that the maximum strength and Vickers hardness increase as a function of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets content. Corrosion data indicated that the presence of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets and the increase of its concentration raise the corrosion rate and reduce the polarization resistance of Al. SEM/EDX investigations revealed that the presence of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets activates the corrosion of Al due to the occurrence of galvanic corrosion. SEM/EDX investigations confirmed the electrochemical measurements showing that the increase of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets content increases the corrosion of Al.     

Evaluation of Thermal Properties of Composites Prepared from Pistachio Shell Particles Treated Chemically and Polypropylene

The purpose of the present work was to prepare polypropylene (PP) matrix composited filled with chemically treated pistachio shell particles (PTx), and evaluate their effect on the composites’ thermal properties. PP-PTx composites were formulated in different PTx content (from 2 to 10 phr) in a mixing chamber, using the melt-mixing process. The PTx were chemically treated using a NaOH solution and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). According to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the treatment of pistachio shell particles resulted in the remotion of lignin and hemicellulose. The thermal stability was evaluated by means of TGA, where the presence of PTx in composites showed a positive effect compared with PP pristine. Thermal properties such as crystallization temperature (Tc), crystallization enthalpy (∆Hc), melting temperature (Tm) and crystallinity were determinate by means differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); these results suggest that the PTx had a nucleation effect on the PP matrix, increasing their crystallinity. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that stiffness of the composites increase compared with that PP pristine, as well as the storage modulus, and the best results were found at a PTx concentration of 4 phr. At higher concentrations, the positive effect decreased; however, they were better than the reference PP.     

Melt-crystallization, glass transition and morphology of a (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate pentamer

The melt-crystallization of an oligo[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] with five repeating units has been analyzed using standard and temperature-modulated calorimetry, optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Specimens of different crystallinity and supermolecular structure were generated by variation of the rate of cooling of a quiescent melt, or by variation of the temperature of isothermal crystallization. Completely amorphous samples can be obtained by cooling of the melt at a rate of 40 K min⁻¹, or faster, to a temperature lower than the glass transition. The crystallinity depends on the crystallization temperature. The maximum enthalpy-based crystallinity of about 40-45% is obtained by crystallization at temperatures lower than the temperature of the maximum crystallization rate, which is between 310 and 320 K. Analysis of the apparent heat capacity in metastable structural equilibrium reveals reversible melting at temperatures between 320 and 370 K by observation of an excess heat capacity above the level of the vibrational heat capacity, i.e., in the temperature range of irreversible reorganization and melting. The reversible melting is discussed in the context of coupling of the crystalline and amorphous phases, and compared to earlier studies on oligoethylene and oligo(oxyethylene). The presence of crystals causes formation of a rigid amorphous fraction of about 30% at a crystallinity of 40%. Optical and atomic force microscopy reveal spherulitic crystallization. At relatively high crystallization temperature, and in the early stage of the crystallization process, dendrites are observed which finally yield spherulites of decreased perfection. Larger spherulites of higher perfection grow at relatively low crystallization temperature, as deduced from the appearance of the Maltese cross, and the regularity of banding. The band spacing is less than 5 μm, as is accurately determined by atomic force microscopy. The temperature dependence of the spherulitic growth rate is in accord with the calorimetric analysis of the crystallization rate.     

Effect of crosslinking on the properties of composites based on LDPE and conducting organic filler

New types of composites were prepared using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) filled with modified organic filler, Canadian switch grass coated with polypyrrole (PPy). The grass surface was entirely covered when 10 wt.% of pyrrole was used for the modification, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. LDPE composites filled with modified grass were prepared by melt mixing and their properties were compared with the properties of the composites filled with unmodified grass. The influence of crosslinking, induced by 1 wt.% of peroxide, on mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of the composites was investigated. Crosslinking enhanced the tensile strength of the prepared composites in the entire range of the filler content. The Young’s modulus of the composites prepared by crosslinking is slightly lowered when compared with the uncrosslinked composites if the filler content is less than 60 wt.%, for higher filler content it is increased. The conductivity of the uncrosslinked composites containing 40 wt.% of grass modified by PPy was in the range 1 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹, which is a value by 5 orders of magnitude higher than the conductivity of the crosslinked materials. The presence of PPy on grass surface leads to a reduction of crosslinking of the LDPE matrix.     

The crystallinity of polyaryl ether ether ketone

Measurement of the degree of crystallinity of the polymer matrix in a composite is complicated by the presence of the reinforcing additive. This is particularly the case in APC-2 in which as much as 70% can be carbon fibre. A First Law procedure, developed for determining the degree of crystallinity of PEEK, which involves direct measurement of the enthalpy changes associated with melting, crystallization and heat capacity changes, has found to be an effective method for the determination of the crystallinity of the PEEK matrix. The procedure has been applied to carbon fibre and glass fibre PEEK composites.     

CaCO3/PEEK复合体系的力学行为和热行为研究

以聚醚醚酮和碳酸钙复合体系为研究对象,考察了偶联剂和填料添加量对复合材料力学行为和热行为的影响.发现磺化聚醚醚酮作为偶联剂能有效地改善材料的力学性能,提高基体树脂的玻璃化转变温度,降低基体树脂的熔点,有助于改善聚醚醚酮的加工条件     

Synthesis, characterization and biodegradable studies of 1,3-propanediol based polyesters

A series of biodegradable polyesters were synthesized from dicarboxylic acids and 1,3-propanediol catalyzed by transestrification polycondensation reaction in the bulk. The structure, average molecular weights and physical properties of the resulting aliphatic polyesters were characterized by ¹H NMR, FT-IR, solution viscosity, GPC, DSC and TGA. Homopolyesters show higher degree of crystallinity, melting and thermal stability in comparison to copolyesters. The biodegradability of the polyesters was determined by monitoring the normalized weight loss of polyester films with time in phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) without and with Rhizopus delemar lipase at 37 °C. The rate of enzymatic degradation of homopolyesters follows the path PPSu > PPAd > PPSe. PPSe did not show significant weight loss in presence of enzyme which may be due to its highest degree of crystallinity and melting point compared to the PPSu, PPAd and copolyesters. In the soil burial degradation polyester sample showed severe surface degradation by the attack of microorganism.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(butylene terephthalate) nanocomposites from thermally stable organic-modified montmorillonite

In this paper, cetyl pyridium chloride (CPC) was employed to modify the montmorillonite. TGA analysis shows that the organic modified clay has higher thermal stability than hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride modified montmorillonite and is suitable to be used for preparing poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/clay nanocomposites at the high temperature. And then PBT/clay nanocomposites were prepared by direct melt intercalation. The results of XRD, TEM and HREM experiments show the formation of exfoliated-intercalated structure. The thermal stability of the nanocomposites does not evidently decrease, but the char residue at 600 °C remarkably increase compared with pure PBT. DSC results indicate that clay improves the melting temperature, the crystallization rate and crystallinity of the PBT molecules in the nanocomposites.     

Melting behavior of poly(ether ether ketone) in its blends with poly(ether imide)

We detail the melting behavior of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and investigate its melting behavior in miscible blends with poly(ether imide) (PEI). The determination of the equilibrium melting point (T_m⁰) of PEEK is discussed by considering its inhomogeneous morphology. T_m⁰ is obtained by a long extrapolation of a Hoffman–Weeks plot to 384°C. Hindrance of PEEK crystal reorganization induced by PEI during heating is observed over the blend composition investigated (20–75 wt % PEEK). This behavior is correlated with the incorporation of PEI in the interlamellar zones of PEEK crystals. The interaction parameter χ of PEEK/PEI blends is estimated by the equilibrium melting point depression. This gives the interaction density B = ?1.2 cal/cm³, and x = ?0.40 at 400°C. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The effect of morphology on the transport of dichloromethane in poly(aryl-ether-ether-ketone)

A study of the transport of the dichloromethane in neat poly(aryl-ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) samples with thicknesses from 0.08 to 3.0 mm with different morphologies was conducted at 35°C. Both sorption and desorption of the solvent were studied. Thermal annealing was used to vary the sample morphology, and density measurements were used to determine the crystallinity of the samples. The equilibrium concentration of solvent and rate of solvent sorption were found to vary with sample morphology. The density of the dichloromethane when in the PEEK resin was found to be 1.65 g/cm³. Solvent desorption was independent of sample morphology or any previous sample treatment and depended only upon desorption temperature. Solvent sorption appears to alter the morphology of amorphous samples by increasing the crystallinity to about 20% after one sorption/desorption cycle. Small amounts of the solvent, less than 0.5 wt.%, remain trapped in fully desorbed samples. The micromorphology of solvent-induced crystallization appears to be different from that induced by thermal treatment.     

结晶／结晶共混体系聚苯硫酸／聚醚醚酮中聚醚醚酮组分的结晶熔融行为──熔融温度的影响

结晶／结晶共混体系聚苯硫酸／聚醚醚酮中聚醚醚酮组分的结晶熔融行为──熔融温度的影响麦堪成，许家瑞，梅震，曾汉民（中山大学材料科学研究所，广州，５１０２７５）关键词聚醚醚酮，聚苯硫醚，结晶／结晶共混物，结晶熔融行为近年来，高性能聚合物共混物如聚砜（ＰＳ...     

Mechanical and thermal properties of poly-ether ether ketone reinforced with CaCO3

CaCO₃/PEEK (poly-ether ether ketone) composites were prepared on a twin-screw extruder with different mass ratio of CaCO₃/PEEK from 0% to 30%. Four types of particles were used as filler in PEEK matrix. The influence of surface treatment with sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) of the particles on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites was studied. The experiments included tensile tests, flexural tests, notched Izod impact tests, TGA, DSC and SEM. The modulus and yield stress of the composites increased with CaCO₃ particles loadings. This increase was attributed to the bonding between the particles and the PEEK matrix, as can be proved by the SEM pictures of tensile fracture surface of the composites. The impact strength of the composites was modified by the SPEEK coated on the CaCO₃ particle surface. DSC experiments showed that the particle content and surface properties influenced the glass transition temperature (T_g) and melting temperature (T_m) of the composites. The T_g increased with the content of fillers while T_m decreased. In this study the fillers treated were found to give better combination properties, which indicated that SPEEK played a constructive role in the CaCO₃/PEEK composites.     

Crystallization and microstructure of Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 glass containing complex nucleating agent

The crystallization and microstructure of Li₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ (LAS) glass ceramic with complex nucleating agents (TiO₂ + ZrO₂ + P₂O₅ +/or F⁻) are investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the effects of P₂O₅ and F⁻ on the crystallization of LAS glass are also analyzed. The introduction of both P₂O₅ and F⁻ promotes the crystallization of LAS glass by decreasing the crystallization temperature and adjusting the crystallization kinetic parameters, allows a direct formation of β-spodumene without the transformation of LiAl(SiO₃)₂ into β-spodumene and as a result, increases the crystal size and crystallinity of LAS glass ceramic.