Banana fiber/chemically functionalized polypropylene composites with in-situ fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion by Palsule process

Chemically functionalized maleic anhydride (MAH)-grafted polypropylene matrix has been used (in place of polypropylene as matrix with compatibilizer) to process banana fiber/chemically functionalized polypropylene (BF/CFPP) composites, without using any compatibilizer and without any fiber modification by Palsule process. Fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion generated, in-situ, due to interactions between BF and the MAH of the CFPP matrix has been established by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties of the BF/CFPP composites developed by Palsule process with in-situ fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion in this study have been found to be higher than those of the matrix and it increases with increasing amounts of fibers in composites, and are better than properties of literature reported BF/polypropylene composites processed with compatibilizers. Measured modulus of BF/CFPP composites compares well with values predicted by rule of mixtures, Hrisch model, Halpin-Tsai equations and its modified Nielsen version, and with Palsule equation. The feasibility of developing natural fiber/MAH grafted polyolefin composites by Palsule process without using any compatibilizer and without any fiber treatment is demonstrated.     

Correlation Between Structural and Dynamic‐Mechanical Transitions of Different Syndiotactic Polypropylene Polymorphs

Abstract

We prepared several well‐characterized syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) polymorphs so as to correlate their thermal and dynamic‐mechanical behaviors. A sample was crystallized in pure form I at 100°C; a second sample containing only the trans‐planar mesophase was prepared by directly drawing a quenched sample at 0°C; a third sample, drawn at room temperature, contained both the trans‐planar mesophase and a fraction of the helical form II. By annealing this sample at increasing temperatures, we obtained a series of samples containing either trans‐planar mesophase, or form II and form I crystallinities.

In the dynamic‐mechanical analysis, the sample containing form I crystallinity showed only the amorphous glass transition, at 19°C, before melting at a high temperature. The trans‐planar mesophase transformed, at temperatures higher than 50°C, into the helical forms, and this transition was completed at 80°C. The dynamic mechanical curve of the sample containing only the mesophase showed a peak, centered at 50°C, which could be clearly associated to this transition. The sample containing the trans‐planar mesophase and the helical form II, showed in the dynamic‐mechanical curve a third peak that can be associated with the melting recrystallization of form II into the most stable form I. These results are important, because it was possible to directly correlate the structural transitions of the sPP polymorphs to the dynamic‐mechanical behavior. Moreover, a dynamic‐mechanical analysis could help recognize the presence of the trans‐planar mesophase or of the helical form II in more complex structural organizations.     

ANALYSIS OF MEBENDAZOLE POLYMORPHS BY FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROMETRY USING CHEMOMETRIC METHODS

A Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometric method diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was developed for the rapid, direct measurement of mebendazole in drugs. Conventional KBr-spectra and DRIFTS-spectra were compared for best determination of active substance in drug formulations. Two chemometric approaches, partial least-squares (PLS2) and principal component regression (PCR+) methods were used in data procesing. The best results were obtained with the PLS2 method.     

VIBRATIONAL SPECTRA AND NORMAL COORDINATE ANALYSIS OF 1,2-BIS(2-FORMYLGLYCINEBENZENESULFENYL) ETHANE Pd(II) DICHLORIDE COMPLEX

The normal coordinate analysis of the title complex, 1,2-bis(2-formylglycinebenzenesulfenyl) ethane Pd(II) dichloride has been carried out by using the Urey-Bradley force field. According to the molecular structure determined by x-ray crystallographic analysis, 182 internal coordinates were established and 112 theoretical vibration frequencies agree well with the observed values with the average difference of 2.53 cm^?1 and the maximum deviation of 16.0 cm^?1.     

Numerical simulation of flat-tip micro-indentation of glassy polymers: Influence of loading speed and thermodynamic state

Flat-tip micro-indentation tests were performed on quenched and annealed polymer glasses at various loading speeds. The results were analyzed using an elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model that captures the intrinsic deformation characteristics of a polymer glass: a strain-rate dependent yield stress, strain softening and strain hardening. The advantage of this model is that changes in yield stress due to physical aging are captured in a single parameter. The two materials studied (polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) were both selected for the specific rate-dependence of the yield stress that they display at room temperature. Within the range of strain rates experimentally covered, the yield stress of PC increases linearly with the logarithm of strain rate, whereas, for PMMA, a characteristic change in slope can be observed at higher strain rates. We demonstrate that, given the proper definition of the viscosity function, the flat-tip indentation response at different indentation speeds can be described accurately for both materials. Moreover, it is shown that the model captures the mechanical response on the microscopic scale (indentation) as well as on the macroscopic scale with the same parameter set. This offers promising possibilities of extracting mechanical properties of polymer glasses directly from indentation experiments.     

Effect of B2O3 on the structure and properties of tungsten–tellurite glasses

The elastic properties and Debye temperatures of xB₂O₃–70TeO₂–(30–x)WO₃, (0 ≤ x ≤ 30 mol%) glasses have been investigated using sound velocity measurements at 4 MHz. Ultrasonic and thermal parameters, combined with the results of IR spectroscopic analyses, were employed to explore the effect of B₂O₃ on the structure of tungsten–tellurite glasses. According to IR analysis, there is competition between WO₆ and TeO₄ units to form BO₄ units, and the vibrations of the tellurite structural units are shifted towards lower wavenumbers on the formation of non-bridging oxygens. It is assumed that B₂O₃ acts as a modifier by decreasing the glass-transition temperature T _g and increasing both the thermal stability and glass formation range of the tellurite glasses. The change in density and molar volume with B₂O₃ content reveals that the borate units are less dense than the tellurite structural units. The observed compositional dependence of elastic moduli is interpreted in terms of the effect of B₂O₃ on the coordination number of the tellurite units. A good correlation was observed between experimentally determined elastic moduli and those computed with the Makishima–Mackenzie model.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of the interaction between a mixed dislocation and a stacking fault tetrahedron

A high number-density of nanometer-sized stacking fault tetrahedra are commonly found during irradiation of low stacking fault energy metals. The stacking fault tetrahedra act as obstacles to dislocation motion leading to increased yield strength and decreased ductility. Thus, an improved understanding of the interaction between gliding dislocations and stacking fault tetrahedra are critical to reliably predict the mechanical properties of irradiated materials. Many studies have investigated the interaction of a screw or edge dislocation with a stacking fault tetrahedron (SFT). However, atomistic studies of a mixed dislocation interaction with an SFT are not available, even though mixed dislocations are the most common. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation results of the interaction between a mixed dislocation and an SFT in face-centered cubic copper are presented. The interaction results in shearing, partial absorption, destabilization or simple bypass of the SFT, depending on the interaction geometry. However, the SFT was not completely annihilated, absorbed or collapsed during a single interaction with a mixed dislocation. These observations, combined with simulation results of edge or screw dislocations, suggest that defect-free channel formation in irradiated copper is not likely by a single dislocation sweeping or destruction process, but rather by a complex mix of multiple shearing, partial absorption and defect cluster transportation that ultimately reduces the size of stacking fault tetrahedra within a localized region.     

Fundamental relationships between deformation-induced surface roughness,critical strain localisation and failure in AA5754-O

This research employs two approaches to characterise the apparent structure observed in localised strain maps constructed from surface topography data acquired from AA5754-O sheet stock that was deformed in three in-plane stretching modes. The first uses a conventional two-point autocorrelation function (ACF), while the second uses the combination of the eigenvalue spectrum associated with each map and information theory. The results from the ACF analysis are inconclusive, implying that this technique lacks the sensitivity necessary to quantify the relationships between multi-point clustering and strain localisation. The information theory-based approach reveals that the relative spectral entropy increases monotonically, attains a maximum and then decreases sharply to the failure strain. This behaviour occurs in all three strain modes and results from two competing processes: one where the formation of structure is favourable and one where it is not. The crossover point is a clear indicator of the onset of critical strain localisation and, therefore, can be regarded as a precursor to failure because once the dominant process shifts, additional strain results in the precipitate formation of a critical strain localisation event.     

用于ICF驱动器的取样光栅的矢量分析与计算

 在ICF的终端光学聚焦系统中，采用取样光栅(BSG)将透射的三倍频光按一定比例送入能量计中进行能量诊断。本文采用精确耦合波矢量分析方法分析了衍射效率与光栅周期、刻槽深度、占空比等的关系，为光栅的实际制作提供了一些有意义的结果。