In this paper, we have developed an analytical model based on the mean-field theory, to predict the effective electrical conductivity of polymer-graphene nanocomposites (PGNs). The graphene layers are considered as rectangular nanoplatelets randomly distributed in the polymer. Graphene geometry, interphase layer properties, and tunneling effect between graphene surfaces have been taken into account

The viscoelastic behavior of fabric under compaction is of crucial importance to the preforming process of fabric reinforced composites. Here, a viscoelastic model was originally proposed to characterize the compression and relaxation behavior for the 3D stitched carbon fabric with different stitching parameters. The compaction experiments were conducted to validate the proposed model. The established

In the present work, the effect of stacking sequence on tensile and flexural properties of carbon-glass/epoxy hybrid composite laminates are reported. The composite laminates fabricated using resin infusion technique were subjected to tensile and flexural test as per ASTM D-3039 and ASTM D-790 standards respectively. The fracture surfaces after each test were studied using scanning electron microscope

The toughness mechanisms of epoxy-based nanocomposites reinforced by double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNT) are investigated using Raman microscopy mapping. Maps of the residual strain of the carbon nanotubes were generated for the fracture surfaces obtained after tensile loading. By imaging through different microscope objectives, Raman mapping allowed to determine the distribution of the nanotube

Here we demonstrated a remarkable improvement in the dielectric performance of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based composites via incorporating distinguished hybrid nanofibers, namely, Ag nanoparticles-embedded BaTiO3 ([email protected]3, [email protected]) nanofibers, which were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning technology followed by calcination. The Ag nanoparticles on BaTiO3 nanofibers

The results of low-energy high-dose implantation of single-crystal c-Si by Cu+ ions at energy 40 keV, current density 8 μA/cm2 and doses of 3.1·1016 and 1.25·1017 ion/cm2 are presented. It was shown that if the dose is low Cu nanoparticles with average diameter of 10 nm are formed in a near-surface implanted Si layer. When the dose is higher Cu ions chemically interact with the Si atoms and the synthesis

Using biomass as raw materials to fabricate porous carbon (PC) absorbing materials has become a hotspot. However, the effective medium to regulate the porous structure is often limited to control the heat treatment conditions including heating temperature, insulation time and heating rate. In this work, the pinecone was decided as raw materials and four different activators (KOH, NaOH, K2CO3 and ZnCl2)

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most commonly utilized low-cost 3D printing technology, which employs the hot-melt and adhesive properties of thermoplastic materials. As one of the most important classes of engineering thermoplastic polymer materials, polyamide (PA) possesses excellent comprehensive performance. However, the FDM fabricated products based on pure PA are seriously warped

With the miniaturization, integration and functionalization of electronic devices and the emergence of some new applications including lighting components, wearable electronics, and energy storage systems, extensive efforts have been dedicated to developing highly thermally conductive polymer-based composites. Especially, the nanohybrids constructed with various geometrically dissimilar thermally conductive

Sustainable composites of poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC) and carbon fiber (CF) were prepared by melt mixing. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that when the CF content was less than 20 wt%, CF was uniformly dispersed in the PPC matrix. Incorporation of CF greatly improved the rheological properties of PPC/CF composites. Once the CF content was increased to 20 wt%, a percolation network

This study examined cantala fiber (CF) that was subjected to fumigation treatment to increase interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and fiber mechanical properties. The CF was fumigated for 0 h, 5 h, 10 h, and 15 h using coconut skin for fumigation at a temperature of ±60 °C. X-ray diffraction was performed, and the crystallinity index (Cr.I) increased after fumigation. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Rubber-based conductive polymer composites are deformable and flexible, which have been demonstrated tremendous applications in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Here, we filled different dimensional carbonaceous fillers, including zero-dimensional carbon black (0D CB), one-dimensional carbon nanotubes (1D CNTs), two-dimensional graphene (2D GP), and their combinations, into isoprene

A two-step method as follows of preparing thermoplastic polyurethane/graphene aerogel (TPU/GA) composite foams with multi-stage network were used for the first time. TPU/GA composites with 3D network were obtained through the vacuum assisted impregnation using the GA as template firstly, and the cellular structure was then introduced by scCO2 foaming. It was revealed that the electrical conductivity

The mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites are time-dependent, in which both strength and stiffness are time-dependent due to the inherited nature of polymers, i.e. viscoelasticity. This study covers the creep/recovery and dynamic mechanical properties of high-performance composites under low-stress loading. Flat unidirectional 6-layer laminates were manufactured by dry-filament winding

Low interlaminar mechanical properties is the foremost drawback of glass fiber reinforced composites (GFRPs). Hierarchical nanoparticles on fibers (e.g. carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) can improve interlaminar properties of composites with negligible weight increase because of excellent mechanical properties, and low density. Interlaminar properties of composites can be enhanced with the well-dispersed CNTs

Absorbing materials with high hydrophobicity, porosity and mechanical resilience are urgently needed for oil/water separation. In this work, three dimensional (3D) porous thermoplastic polyurethane-based (TPU) composite monoliths with hierarchical porous structure were prepared by a feasible thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method. The morphology analysis revealed the hierarchical porous structure

Microfiltration membrane with antifouling surface for efficient sterilization is of significance to improve the service performance of membrane system in water treatment engineering. Antibacterial property is beneficial for improving the anti-biofouling performance of membrane. Hence, in this work, citrate-capped Ag NPs were decorated on the surface of PVA-co-PE nanofibrous membrane through charge

High efficient MIL-53(Fe) derived γ-Fe2O3 coated by carbon framework (MCC for short) and compound with reduced graphene oxide for broadband microwave absorption is prepared by facile hydrothermal method and gradient temperature calcination. The sheets/bowknot-shaped nanoparticles structure have better microwave absorption performance via uniting magnetic γ-Fe2O3 core, carbon skeleton and rGO sheets

Future space exploration requires easy-to-transport, easy-to-build and deployable space habitats. One of the biggest threats faced by the habitat structures is the impact damage caused by micrometeoroid orbital debris (MMOD) traveling at high velocities of few km/s. This work presents fabrication and testing of hybrid nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) as

In the current research, the static indentation properties of composite laminates toughened by the addition of core-shell (C/SH) particles at the interfaces of non-crimp carbon fibre (NCCF)/Elium® composite laminate is investigated. NCCF/Elium® composite exhibited improved static indentation performance with an increase in the feed rate. There is a 19.6% and 13.5% increase in peak load with no particle

A novel lignin-based flame retardant (LMD) is synthesized in this work via the in-situ reactions of lignin, diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). Flame-retardant polyurethane (FLPU) is prepared by the co-curing of LMD and prepolymer synthesized by lignin, MDI, and polyether polyol 204. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 2000 is also added to adjust

Herein, the solution-melt blended multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/isotactic polypropylene composites are molded by an overflow microinjection molding. All parts exhibit the highly oriented structures, and the number of oriented shish-kebab structures progressively increase with increasing MWCNTs content. More importantly, small amount of MWCNTs (i.e., 0.1 wt%) can significantly improves crystallization

High strength and good thermal dissipation become the inevitable requirements for the next generation of insulation materials. Here, we report a facile method to prepare composite insulating papers by incorporating two-dimensional layered boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) into aramid nanofibers and aramid pulp. Their layer-by-layer structure fabricated by a vacuum-assisted filtration of their mixture

To meet the requirements of applications, the viscoelasticity of hydrogels is usually improved by some ways, such as incorporating nanoparticles, designing network nanostructure and regulating cross-linking density. However, it is rare to improve the viscoelasticity by designing pore microstructure for hydrogels. In this work, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/collagen hydrogels with different pore structures

Surface engineering of one-dimensional (1D) TiO2-based heterostructures is extremely vital to the development of new photocatalysts with superior performances. Herein, the Al2O3 heterojunctions onto TiO2 nanofibers were facilely fabricated by a surfactant-free approach, via employing graphene oxide (GO) sheets as a reliable catalyst of regulating the growth kinetics of heterojunctions. Through adjusting

In this research, stereocomplex poly(lactide acid) (scPLA) microsphere with complete sc-PLA crystal was prepared from poly(L-lactide acid) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide acid) (PDLA) with different molecular weight using common dimethylacetamide solvent. Size of the scPLA microsphere is closely associated with the molecular weight, which determines the number of crystal nuclei and the mobility of macromolecules

Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blends traditionally show low ductility because of the immiscibility between PLLA and PCL. In this study, this ductility challenge was addressed by modifying the compatibility between PLLA and PCL using poly(d-lactide)-poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(d-lactide) (PDLA-PCL-PDLA or PCDL) tri-block copolymer. PLLA/PCL and PLLA/PCL blends with 0.7 phr and 3.5

In this study, a 3D printing technology, selective laser sintering (SLS), and infiltration techniques were used to prepare a complex three-dimensional metamaterial absorber with high performance. The raw carbonyl iron (CI) powders were coated by polyamide12 (PA12), where the dissolution-precipitation method was used to improve their uniformity. The coated powders were then printed by SLS. The influence

Surface icing and delamination damage have been tough problems of outdoor devices and equipment in many fields including aerospace, new energy and electronics. Herein, one new thermally resistant tri-layered composites with superhydrophobic surface and great self-healing after complete fracture were fabricated based on self-healable epoxy resin (hEP), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and superhydrophobic

In this paper, a series of hard carbon was firstly fluorinated via gas-phase fluorination and their electrochemical performances were adjusted by varying fluorination temperature. It is found that the F/C ratios of fluorinated hard carbon increased with rising temperature consecutively, whereas the discharge plateau decreased due to the lowered content of semi-ionic C–F bond. The fluorinated hard carbon

This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of a novel silver modified buckypaper-carbon fiber/phenol-formaldehyde (SMBP-CF/PF) composite for lightning strike protection (LSP). The composite not only provides electrical protection with the SMBP, but also effectively reduces the lightning strike (LS) damage with the CF/PF layer for thermal dissipation. Residual strength rate of the SMBP-CF/PF-CFRP

Owing to their superior physical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNT) films are excellent candidates of next-generation multifunctional textile. To integrate functionalities, guest materials can be introduced onto or inside CNT films. Here an ultra-thin, soft, and strong textile with superior abilities of dual-mode thermal regulation and electromagnetic interference shielding is prepared by depositing

Fiber-reinforced polymers combine the aspects of stiff fibers and light polymer matrix. The arrangement of fibers on the microstructural level significantly affects the mechanical properties on the macroscopic scale, such as stiffness and fracture toughness. Micro-computed tomography systems (μCT) enables a detailed volumetric view into microstructures in a none-destructive way. By performing mechanical

Microwave curing has a tremendous potential to be used as an alternative to other thermal curing processes due to its shorter curing time and lower consumption of energy. Current research investigates the damping and dynamic mechanical characteristics of core-shell polymer (C/SH) particle modified glass fibre prepreg (GFRP) manufactured using microwave irradiations. The addition of C/SH particles has

In this work, low content of polyetherimide (PEI) and amino groups grafted MWCNTs (NH2-MWCNTs) were simultaneously employed in order to toughen epoxy resin without scarifying the thermal properties. The grafted NH2 groups on the surface of MWCNTs leads to outstanding dispersibility. The influence of PEI and NH2-MWCNTs on the epoxy resin including the curing behaviors, mechanical properties, phase structures

Azobenzene (azo) has attracted tremendous attention on solar thermal fuels on account of controllable energy storage and release. However, it remains great challenge to realize the light-induced rapid heat output due to the limited structure transformation. Herein, we synthesized two kinds of azo compounds (T-Azo, F-Azo) with different alkyl chains. The compounds combine multiple functions, reversible

To improve the high-temperature resistance and inhibit the secondary disasters (such as explosion/radiation leakage attributing to power failure or short circuit) after fire, polymer-based ceramifiable composites (PCCs) have grown significantly in fire protection field caused by strong self-supporting and water spraying ceramic layer at 600–1000 °C. Generally, PCCs are fabricated through incorporating

Polymer syntactic foams are a class of polymer composites prepared by incorporation of hollow microballoons in a polymer matrix. The advantageous feature of this class of foams is their tailor-made properties by changing the volume fraction of hollow fillers and matrix. The present study deals with the preparation and properties of epoxy-glass microballoon syntactic foams containing 40–60% (v/v) of

The change in the critical strain energy release rate as damage evolves, known as the R-curve, is of crucial importance to the understanding of fracture behaviour. The examination of damage evolution ahead of the crack tip in order to determine accurately the crack increment is key for the determination of the R-curve. Conventional in situ methods such as optical measurements only examine the specimen