Elastic moduli and structure of low density polyethylene

Summary Low density polyethylene film is drawn at room temperature four times the original length and subjected to thermal annealing at 60, 80, and 100 °C keeping the film length constant. Long spacing measured by SAXS increased with increasing temperature of annealing; the increase of the long spacing is presumed to be due to the decrease of the number of micelles through relaxation during the annealing. Simultaneous measurement of the changes of the long spacing and the film length by stretching is carried out and stress-extension curves are obtained. The values of the initial moduli of the long spacingE ₁ and the film lengthY are very near to each other. Elastic modulus of the crystal latticeE _c is known to be 235 GN/m² and that of the amorphous regionE _a is found to be 0.15 GN/m². When higher stress is applied than in the case of the initial modulus, the percentage of extension of film is much greater than that of the long spacing. The discrepancy is explained by the increase of the number of micelles through stress crystallization.Dedicated to Professor Dr. K. Ueberreiter on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

POLYMER NETWORK-POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)COMPLEXES WITH SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT

The complexes of poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) network with poly(ethylene glycol) stabilized byhydrogen bonds were prepared. By introducing the poly(ethylene glycol), a large difference in storage modulus below andabove the glass transition temperature occurred and the complexes exhibited shape memory behaviors. The morphology ofcomplexes was studied by using DSC, WAXD, and DMA. The results indicate that the fixed phase of this kind of novelshape memory materials is the network, and the reversible phase is the amorphous state of PEG:PMAA complex phase. Theshape recoverability almost reaches 100%. This type of complexes can be regarded as a novel shape memory network.     

Preparation and Characterization of Microencapsulated Hexadecane Used for Thermal Energy Storage

Polyurea microcapsules about 2.5μm in diameter containing phase change material for thermal energy storage application were synthesized and characterized by interfacial polycondensation method with toluene-2,4-diisocyanate and ethylenediamine as monomers in an emulsion system. Hexadecane was used as a phase change material and OP, which is nonionic surfactant, and used as an emulsifier. The chemical structure and thermal behavior of the microcapsules were investigated by FTIR and thermal analysis respectively. The results show encapsulated hexadecane has a good potential as a solar energy storage material.     

Structural Efficiency and Microstructural Modeling of Wet Gels and Aerogels

We present a microstructural model of aerogels that includes the effect of particle necks, tortuosity and dangling ends on the scaling of elastic moduli with density. Relative neck radii can be determined for sintering series of silica aerogels and for Resorcinol Formaldehyde (RF) aerogels produced with different catalyst concentrations. The density of elastically ineffective dangling ends and the tortuosity can be estimated using information from thermal conductivity and elastic modulus measurements in silica aerogels. Typical values for the load bearing mass range from >50% for high density and heat treated aerogels to <10% of the total mass for low density wet-gels.     

Interplay of Electronic Structure and Bulk Properties in 2D and 3D Ternary Carbonitrides from First Principles

The changes in electronic structure and hardness as inferred from the bulk modulus are investigated for model structures of ternary compounds XC₃N₃ (X = B, Al, P, As, Ga) within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). The optimisations of the proposed two‐ (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) structures and the calculations of the bulk moduli are performed by a pseudo potential method. The electronic structures are calculated with the augmented sphere wave method (ASW). The obtained hardness for 2D BC₃N₃ system (B₀ ～ 220 GPa) points to a magnitude close to that of graphitic C₃N₄. For heavier X atoms it decreases rapidly. This is equally observed for the 3D systems examined in the β‐C₃N₄ structure for which B₀(β‐BC₃N₃) amounts to ～330 GPa. Within the magnitude of the well known hard material cubic BN, the BC₃N₃ phases can be predicted as candidates for ultra hard materials. The electronic effect induced by the chemical nature of the X substitutional was examined according to its position in the periodic table i.e. X_III or X_V. Both, band structures and the electron localisation function (ELF) were used for this analysis. The ELF plots show a decreasing covalency with heavier X‐atoms. Potential applications of the devised systems are proposed such as dopings with atoms (Li, rare gas) and molecules (N₂).     

Aging effect on the mechanical properties of hybrid gels

Sol-gel derived unsupported films and thin rods have been obtained from co-hydrolysis of triethoxysilane and methyldiethoxysilane. The materials are flexible, dense and transparent. Films and rods have been aged for different periods of time in air at room temperature. The elastic modulus has been measured by means of tensile or flexural tests. Measurements showed an increase of elastic modulus with aging time and showed different values for films and rods. The observed evolution of mechanical properties has been related to a corresponding structural modification as highlighted mainly by MAS-NMR studies. Analyses pointed out the crucial role of condensation processes and showed that the stiffness increase arises from the formation of relatively few bonds which link and constrain pre-existing mobile network regions.     

Charge storage mechanism of copper hexacyanoferrate nanocubes for supercapacitors

The widely accepted theory concerning the electrochemical energy storage mechanism of copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) for supercapacitors is that CuHCF stores charge by the reversible redox processes of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ couple and Cu cations are electrochemically inactive. In this work, CuHCF nanocubes (CuHCF-NC) were synthesized in the presence of potassium citrate and its electrochemical properties were tentatively studied in 1 mol/L Na₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. Good supercapacitive performance was exhibited. The combined analyses of cyclic voltammogram (CV) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) disclosed that the CuHCF nanocubes underwent the redox reactions of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ couples to store charges. The Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ redox couple was activated due to the strong coordination interaction between the carboxylate groups of citrate ions and surface Cu cations.     

Quantitative evaluation of stress distribution in bulk polymer samples through the comparison of mechanical behaviors between giant single‐crystal and semicrystalline samples of poly(trans‐1,4‐diethyl muconate)

The Raman shift and crystallite modulus were measured under the application of tensile force for a giant single crystal and a series of uniaxially oriented semicrystalline samples of poly(trans‐1,4‐diethyl muconate) (polyEMU). The apparent Raman shift factor α^app or a vibrational frequency shift per 1 GPa tensile stress was higher for the semicrystalline samples with lower crystallinity or lower bulk modulus. The apparent crystallite modulus E or Young's modulus along the chain axis in the crystalline region was not constant but varied remarkably between the giant single crystal and semicrystalline samples. A systematic change in α^app and E among the polyEMU samples with different preparation history could be interpreted quantitatively on the basis of a mechanical series parallel model consisting of crystalline and amorphous phases. The origin of different E and α^app was speculated to be a stress concentration on the taut‐tie chain contained as a parallel crystalline component in the mechanical model. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 444–453, 2003     

络合氢化物Ti-NaAlH4的制备与储氢特性

采用Ti粉为催化剂前驱体、预处理Al粉和NaH为合成原料, 通过机械球磨-加氢方法合成出络合氢化物Ti-NaAlH4, 系统研究了球磨保护气氛、球磨时间和氢化加氢压力等制备参数对其储氢性能的影响. 结果表明, 制备方法对Ti-NaAlH4储氢特性有很大影响. 与氩气保护气氛相比, 在氢气气氛中球磨制备的复合物具有更高的吸放氢性能. 在氢气保护气氛下, 随着球磨时间从6 h增至24 h, 复合物的吸氢容量和吸氢速率先增后减, 12 h时达到最佳值, 而复合物的放氢容量和放氢速率则逐渐增高; 进一步延长球磨时间会使颗粒发生团聚, 从而导致吸氢性能下降. 随着氢化加氢压力从7.5 MPa升至13.5 MPa, 复合物的吸氢容量(质量分数)由2.83%逐渐增至4.21%. 复合物球磨后出现的Na3AlH6中间氢化物相表明, 在氢气下掺Ti球磨对NaH和Al的氢化反应起到很好的促进作用.     

Influence of Cycle Temperatures on the Thermochemical Heat Storage Densities in the Systems Water/Microporous and Water/Mesoporous Adsorbents

The adsorption equilibrium of water on microporous adsorbents (zeolites of NaA-, NaY- and NaX-type as well as their ion exchanged forms) and on mesoporous adsorbents (different silica gels and composite material i.e. silica gel + salt hydrate) has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Using the Dubinin theory of pore filling the characteristic curves of the adsorption systems and other relevant dependences such as isotherms, isobars, isosteres and the curve of the differential heat of adsorption were calculated. For all systems investigated the adsorption were calculated. A_ads and the desorption potential A_des of the closed heat storage system were estimated. These values define the working range of the adsorption/desorption cycle and allow to calculate the specific heat storage density Δ h_sp. On the basis of Δ h_sp the different adsorbents were compared in order to select the optimal porous storage material for a given application. The presented experimental and theoretical investigations show that the adsorption systems water-zeolite and water-composites are promising working pairs for thermochemical heat storage processes for hot tap water supply and space heating of single family dwellings. The advantage of the water-composite system is the low desorption temperature (solar energy) the main shortcoming the low temperature lift. The advantage of the water zeolite system is the high temperature lift, the shortcoming are the relative high desorption temperatures.