Cross‐linking and properties of rubber magnetic composites cured with different curing systems

Rubber magnetic composites were prepared by incorporation of strontium ferrite into rubber compounds based on acrylonitrile butadiene rubber and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. The sulfur, peroxide, and mixed sulfur/peroxide curing systems were introduced as cross‐linking agents for rubber matrices. The aim was to investigate the influence of curing system composition on curing process and cross‐link density of composite materials. Then, static and dynamic mechanical properties and thermal and magnetic characteristics were investigated in relation to the cross‐link density of rubber magnetic composites and structure of the formed cross‐links. The changes of dynamical and physicomechanical properties were in close correlation with the change of cross‐link density, whereas the tensile strength of magnetic composites showed increasing trend with increasing amount of peroxide in mixed curing systems. On the other hand, thermal conductivity and magnetic characteristics were found not to be dependent on the curing system composition.     

Effects of silica nanoparticle addition on polymer semiconductor wettability and carrier mobility in solution‐processable organic transistors on hydrophobic substrates

The effects of the addition of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) on wettability of regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) organic semiconductor solutions on hydrophobic substrates and the carrier mobility in organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) made of these films are investigated. The dewetting of films made from P3HT solutions on hydrophobic substrates modified with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) is markedly suppressed after the addition of SNPs with phenyl surfactants. This enables us to fabricate continuous P3HT/SNPs films with high crystallinity by the conventional spin‐coating technique, leading to higher mobility compared with P3HT FETs fabricated on non‐modified substrates. Moreover, the addition of SNPs with larger diameters compensates for the degradation of mobility associated with the increase in the concentration of SNPs. Solution‐processed P3HT/SNPs FETs on ODTS‐modified substrates exhibit a field‐effect mobility of 1.3 × 10^?2 cm² V^?1 s^?1, which is almost comparable to that of P3HT FETs without SNPs (2.1 × 10^?2 cm² V^?1 s^?1). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 509–516     

Where the rubber meets the hand: Unlocking the sensing potential of dielectric elastomers

Practice makes perfect to some extent. Research has shown that musicians who practice the piano for long periods of time can suffer a range of hand problems from loss of control to diminished speed. Now imagine a rubber keyboard that is springy, soft, and elastic. This is the new type of input device that dielectric elastomers (DE) can create. However their usage in large sensing systems is limited by a scalability challenge. Each DE sensor is married to a pair of connection cables and electronics, adding to the complexity of the background overheads. A new efficient multi‐frequency method is presented that is capable of detecting internal pressure changes from a difference in the DE's capacitance without the need for any additional wires or connections. This effectively segments the DE into smaller sections, achieving information from a single sensor equivalent to multiple sensors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 465–472     

Green solvent approach for printable large deformation thermoplastic elastomer based piezoresistive sensors and their suitability for biomedical applications

Composites based on biocompatible thermoplastic elastomer styrene‐ethylene/butylene‐styrene (SEBS) as matrix and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as nanofillers show excellent mechanical and piezoresistive properties from low to large deformations. The MWCNT/SEBS composites have been prepared following a green solvent approach, to extend their range of applicability to biomedical applications. The obtained composites with 2, 4, and 5 wt % MWCNT content provide suitable piezoresistive response up to 80% deformation with a piezoresistive sensibility near 2.7, depending on the applied strain and MWCNT content. Composite sensors were also developed by spray and screen printing and integrated with an electronic data acquisition system with RF communication. The possibility to accurately control the composites properties and performance by varying MWCNT content, viscosity, and mechanical properties of the polymer matrix, shows the large potential of the system for the development of large deformation printable piezoresistive sensors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2092–2103     

Structural,optical and microwave dielectric properties of Ba1−xSrxWO4 ceramics prepared by solid state reaction route

In this paper, Barium Strontium Tungstate (Ba_1−xSr_x)WO₄ crystals with (x = 0; 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0) were prepared by standard wet milling ceramic preparation method. These crystals were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic techniques. The shape, growth and average crystal size distribution of these crystals were investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Their optical properties were investigated by ultraviolet visible (UV–vis) absorption and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. XRD patterns, Rietveld refinements data, FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopies indicate that all the crystals present a scheelite-type tetragonal structure without deleterious phases. FT-Raman spectra exhibited 6 Raman active modes in range from 100 to 1000 cm⁻¹, while the FT-IR spectra presented 2 infrared active modes in range from 500 to 1000 cm⁻¹. SEM micrographs showed well sintered BaWO₄ grains, while the substitution of Sr induced modifications in the shape and reduction in the grain size. UV–vis absorption measurements evidenced an increase in the values of the optical band gap (from 4.36 to 4.53 eV) with the increase of Sr into BaWO₄ lattice. Dielectric constant, temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ_f), quality factors were measured with Hakki–Coleman technique. The value of τ_f found −43.68 ppm/°C for BaWO₄ which increased to −21.40 ppm/°C for the SrWO₄.     

Study of Electrical Conductivity of Para-Toluene Sulfonic Acid Doped Polyaniline/Polyester-Based Polyurethane Blends in the S-Band Frequency Range

Conducting polymer blends were prepared using polyaniline doped with para- toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA-PANI) and a polyester polyol-based polyurethane (PU). The morphological, thermal and dielectric properties of the PTSA-PANI/PU blends in the frequency range of 1–5 GHz (S band) were investigated. It was found that the morphology of the samples was affected by the PTSA-PANI loading, resulting in the formation of agglomerates and pathways when above 10 wt%. The thermal stability of the composites was improved with increased PTSA-PANI loading. The electrical conductivity percolation threshold was obtained at 2.5% of PTSA-PANI loading and the electrical conductivity reached the value of 0.13 S/m at a PTSA-PANI loading of 30 wt%. The obtained results for the PTSA-PANI/PU blends prepared indicate a high potential for their successful use in electrical and electromagnetic applications.     

Thermal,Raman and dielectric study of 0.5K0.5Bi0.5TiO3–0.5PbTiO3 ceramics

The 0.5K_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃–0.5PbTiO₃ ceramics were prepared by following a standard solid-state method. The Raman, thermal and dielectric properties of these ceramics were investigated. The X-ray measurements showed that samples have single perovskite-type structure with tetragonal symmetry. Dielectric study revealed that the dielectric behaviour of the investigated ceramics is rather of normal ferroelectrics with large thermal hysteresis. The transition temperature observed by means of differential scanning calorimetry measurements is in good agreement with that obtained from dielectric study.     

Effect of barium titanate nanoparticles of different particle sizes on electro-optic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal

A comparative study of two different particle sizes of ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO₃) nanoparticles as a dopant on the molecular structure, spontaneous polarization and dielectric behavior of a pure ferroelectric liquid crystal 6F₆T have been studied. It has been found that there is a remarkable decrease in isotropic temperature of both doped samples as compared to the pure 6F₆T sample. The spontaneous polarization also decreases for both the doped samples and the reduction is more pronounced in case of the dopant with large particle size. The dielectric spectroscopy confirms the presence of soft mode as well as Goldstone mode and also shows the decrease in the value of dielectric permittivity ?' as a function of frequency for both doped samples. The improvised properties of liquid crystal host doped with BaTiO₃ nanoparticles mainly depend upon the synthesis method of nanoparticles and also upon the particle size of dopant.