Advanced polymeric composites via commingling for critical engineering applications

The commingled technology is one of the most effective and alternative methodologies for producing more sustainable as well as uniformly distributed natural fiber reinforced composite without inflecting the shearing strength on yarns or reinforcing natural fiber. The term commingled encompasses the materials consisting of both polymer matrix and reinforcing materials over the same fabric cross-section used for the production of highly flexible, continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepregs. Nonetheless, the increased pathlength and high melt viscosity around 500–5000 Pa s of the molten thermoplastic makes the processing more difficult compared with other thermoset plastic (usually 100 Pa s). Where the commingled hybrid yarns can be considered as one of the promising preforms employed for long fiber reinforced composite because of low cost, ease of storage and manipulation, excellent flexibility, molding capacity, reduced pressure consolidation as well as impregnation time while processing and the ability to form complex-shaped reinforced composite parts. The parameters that affect the process of commingling controls the consolidation of hybrid yarns thermoplastic composite; the degree of commingling depends on the pressure, temperature, and production speed during a fixed period. Recently commingled thermoplastic composite has become one of the possible destines for a wide array of applications in aircrafts, automotive, and sporting goods. This paper reviews types of commingled plastic composite, various processing routes, and the influence of the processing parameters, their properties, and their application. The manufacturing and development of hybrid yarns through air-jet texturing, intermingling process, are also discussed concerning the attributes of advanced composites.     

Thermal transfer,interfacial, and mechanical properties of carbon fiber/polycarbonate-CNT composites using infrared thermography

Electrical resistance (ER) and thermogram measurements were used to evaluate thermal transfer, interfacial and mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polycarbonate composites. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fairly uniformly dispersed in polycarbonates using a solvent dispersion method. The CNTs were then further dispersed with an additional time using a twin screw extruder. The effect of CNT on the mechanical properties of polycarbonate was evaluated using a thin film tensile test. For thermogram to evaluate the transferring temperature the composite was placed on a hotplate and copper wires were inserted in the composite at uniform thickness intervals. Due to the different inherent thermal conductivity of CNT, ER was measured to detect thermal changes in the carbon fiber/CNT-polycarbonate composites. The comparison of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) was to investigate effects of CNT on mechanical and interfacial properties. The uniform distribution of CNTs affected all of these properties in carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite. Furthermore, heat transfer and heat release become more rapid with the addition of CNT than the without case.     

Enzymatic synthesis and properties of novel biodegradable and biobased thermoplastic elastomers

Novel biodegradable and biobased thermoplastic elastomers, poly[dodecanolide-12-hydroxystearate (12HS)], poly(pentadecanolide-12HS) and poly(hexadecanolide-12HS) with M_ws of 140,000-290,000 g mol⁻¹ were prepared by the enzymatic copolymerization of a macrolide as the hard segment and methyl 12HS as the soft segment. Their thermal properties, such as T_m and T_c, were measured by DSC. Physicochemical and mechanical properties, such as crystallinity, were also measured. The polymer structures were analyzed with respect to the sequence of the two monomers by ¹H NMR spectroscopy using an europium shift reagent. The randomness of the two monomer units in the polymer chain increased with the polymerization time. Both Young’s modulus and tensile strength decreased with increasing 12HS content in the copolymer. In contrast, elongation at break increased with increasing 12HS content, thus demonstrating the copolymers’ elastomeric properties. These copolymers showed biodegradabilities by activated sludge, which also increased with increasing 12HS content.     

Compression set of thermoplastic polyurethane under different thermal-mechanical-moisture conditions

Elastomeric materials are used in the manufacture of structural dampeners due to their high damping coefficient and ease of production. However, elastomers, and in particular thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), are susceptible to degradation from environmental conditions. Samples of TPU were investigated, in terms of their mechanical properties, under the influence of four factors; time (up to 10 weeks thermal exposure), temperature (20-80 °C), strain (10% and 25%) and moisture (pre-soak/testing in water). Compression, hardness and compression set tests were used to determine the major contributors to the degradation process. It was found that pure thermal loading at 70 °C for 10 weeks did not result in any changes in material properties, other than an initial drying phase causing an increase in hardness of 2-3 Shore D. The compression set values were found to be heavily dependent on the test temperature, with a significant increase in compression set being seen between 70 and 80 °C. The presence of water (introduced by testing in water) acted as a plasticiser and resulted in a larger amount of compression set, than testing in the absence of water. The level of compression set was shown to be insensitive to the strain level. Overall, it was found, for the conditions tested, that temperature was the major driving force behind the compression set of the TPU material.     

尿素和甲酰胺塑化热塑性淀粉

用甲酰胺和尿素作为塑化剂制备了热塑性淀粉 (TPS) .扫描电镜显示甲酰胺和尿素混合物可以使淀粉塑化 ,形成均一的连续相 ;根据FT IR谱图可以确定 ,与甘油相比 ,甲酰胺可以使热塑性淀粉体系在保存时更稳定 ,各基团的化学环境变化更小 ,这是由于甲酰胺可以和淀粉羟基形成更稳定的氢键 .X ray衍射说明甲酰胺和尿素 (重量比为 10 % 2 0 % )作为混合塑化剂可以有效抑制淀粉的回生 ,同时防止尿素结晶析出 .在RH=33%的湿度环境保存 1周 ,这种热塑性淀粉有良好的拉伸强度、伸长率和断裂能 ,分别达到 4 83MPa ,10 4 6 %和 2 17N·m .水含量对热塑性淀粉的力学性能的影响也被研究 .另外 ,热失重实验和吸水实验说明这种热塑性淀粉的热稳定性和耐水性也要优于常用的甘油塑化热塑性淀粉     

Metallic glass-strengthened thermoplastic elastomer composites

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and metallic glasses (MGs), both lack of long-range ordering structure, have different physical and mechanical properties. To combine unique viscoelasticity of elastomers and excellent wear resistance of MGs, we propose to introduce a Pd₄₀Ni₄₀Si₄P₁₆ MG into a commercial styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) TPE to form MG/TPE composites. Serving as a hard and strong second phase dispersed in the SBS matrix, the micrometer-sized MG particles can effectively improve the wear resistance of the matrix due to a strengthening effect. In particular, the MG/TPE composite with an addition of 60 wt% MG shows significantly enhanced wear resistance up to about three times that of the SBS matrix. The present results provide a new way to enhance the wear resistance of the widely used TPEs, which may generate immense economic value by extending their service life.     

纳米银的绿色合成: 丝胶蛋白作为还原剂和分散剂

利用基于天然生物高分子的绿色环保法制备纳米贵金属材料是当今纳米技术发展的一个重要方向之一. 利用丝胶蛋白(SS)为还原剂和分散剂合成了纳米银颗粒, 利用紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)等研究了反应温度、pH值、SS/Ag^＋物质的量比对反应速率和合成的纳米银粒子形貌的影响. 实验结果表明, 利用本方法可以合成尺寸均匀且分散性良好的球形纳米银粒子, 且随着反应温度和溶液pH值的逐渐升高, 反应速率随之加快, 合成的纳米银粒子的粒径逐渐变小, 而SS/Ag^＋物质的量比的变化主要对纳米银粒子的尺寸有影响.     

聚合物分散剂对氟虫脲水悬浮剂分散稳定性的影响

通过测定药物颗粒界面Zeta电位和平均粒径, 研究了聚合物分散剂苯乙烯磺酸聚合物钠盐(GY-D08)用量、pH和盐离子对氟虫脲水悬浮剂分散稳定性的影响, 研究结果表明, 分散剂GY-D08的加入量与水悬浮剂分散效果密切相关, 制备质量分数为5%氟虫脲水悬浮剂的GY-D08最佳用量为2%, GY-D08用量过多或过少都会使分散效果下降; pH影响分散剂GY-D08在水中的电离能力, 当pH=9时, GY-D08分子完全电离, 能为颗粒提供较大的静电位阻, 水悬浮剂分散稳定性最好; Mg²⁺或Ca²⁺压缩颗粒界面的双电层, 降低Zeta电位, 使颗粒因带电量减少而聚结, 导致水悬浮剂分散稳定性变差, 且Mg²⁺或Ca²⁺浓度愈大, 其分散稳定性愈差; 当离子浓度相同时, Ca²⁺压缩双电层的能力比Mg²⁺强, 添加Ca²⁺后的水悬浮剂的分散稳定性更差.     

新型CNBR/PP全交联型热塑性弹性体的制备与形态、结构及性能研究

将具有纳米尺度的全交联型羧基丁腈粉末橡胶(CNBR)与聚丙烯(PP)及用甲基丙烯酸环氧丙酯(GMA)官能化的聚丙烯(PP—g—GMA)进行反应共混，制备了一种新型CNBR／PP热塑性弹性体，用原子力显微镜(AFM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)研究了CNBR／PP热塑性弹性体的形态，加入PP—g—GMA增容剂后，CNBR分散相的粒子尺寸显著降低，分布也趋于均，与未增容体系相比，增容体系的拉仲强度和断裂仲长率均有大幅度的改善，如CNBR含量为75％时，拉仲强度提高了94％，断裂仲长率增加了136％，用差示扫描量热法(DSC)研究了热塑性弹性体中聚丙烯的结晶行为，在增容体系中，共混前后聚丙烯的结晶温度提高了10℃，表明橡胶粒子或两相界面处形成的反应产物起到了类似成核剂的作用。     

Synthesis and characterization of crystallizable aliphatic thermoplastic poly(ester urethane) elastomers through a non-isocyanate route

A simple non-isocyanate route is developed for synthesizing crystallizable aliphatic thermoplastic poly(ester urethane) elastomers(TPEURs) with good thermal and mechanical properties. Three prepolymers of1,6-bis(hydroxyethyloxycarbonylamino) hexane(BHCH), i.e. Pre PBHCHs, were prepared through the self-transurethane polycondensation of BHCH. A poly(butylene adipate) prepolymer(Pre PBA) with terminal HO― groups was prepared and used as a polyester glycol. A series of TPEURs were prepared by the co-polycondensation of the Pre PBHCHs with Pre PBA at 170 ℃ under a reduced pressure of 399 Pa. The TPEURs were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, FTIR,1H-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and tensile test. The TPEURs exhibited M_n up to 23300 g/mol, M_w up to 51100 g/mol, Tg ranging from-33.8 ℃ to-3.1 ℃, T_m from 94.3 ℃ to 111.9 ℃, initial decomposition temperature over 274.7 ℃, tensile strength up to18.8 MPa with a strain at break of 450.0%, and resilience up to 77.5%. TPU elastomers with good crystallization and mechanical properties were obtained through a non-isocyanate route.