How to break through the serious effect of hard and coarse primary Si on the properties of alloy matrix has become a major challenge for motivating the application of high-Si Al alloy piston in automobile lightweight. Herein, we proposed a novel in-situ Si reinforced Al-matrix functionally graded material with Si-rich◎Si-poor coating structure (Si-rich◎Si-poor FGM) by controlling the graded distribution

Low density, high strength, together with good thermal insulation are desirable but hard to achieve simultaneously for lightweight cementitious composites. This work addresses the preparation of a novel lightweight cementitious composite (HP-LWCC) by employing the hot-pressing method and optimizing the insulating particles packing. The main raw materials are glass microspheres (GB), fly ash cenospheres

Fiber reinforced polymer composite (FRPC) materials are extensively used in lightweight applications due to their high specific strength and other favorable properties including enhanced endurance and corrosion resistance. However, these materials are inevitably exposed to moisture, which is known to drastically reduce their mechanical properties caused by moisture absorption and often accompanied

The electrospun fibrous scaffold has shown a great potential due to an extracellular matrix-mimicking structure of nanofibers, however, a three-dimensional (3D) fibrous scaffold, much similar to in vivo environment, still remains challenging in fabrication. The magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been explored to promote bone-related cells activity under static magnetic field (SMF). Herein, via electrospinning

The beauty of nature is inexhaustible to human beings, and the process of human understanding and learning nature promotes the progress of science and technology. Inspired by the natural hierarchical spider-web structure, a biomimetic composite air filter with high filtration performance and good wet stability is prepared for the first time. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) generated from regenerable jute

Rational programming of double network hydrogel (DN gel) structure is an effective strategy to acquire satisfied mechanical properties and innovative functions. Herein, we report a novel electrochemically strategy for rational design of a DN gel from the blends of two stimuli-responsive self-assembling polysaccharides chitosan (CS, pH-responsive) and agarose (Agar, thermally responsive) by using externally

A three-dimensional composite carbon material (CNT@MPC) showing coaxial cable-like structure was prepared by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and glucose through hydrothermal method. The ternary composite (PTCDA/CNT@MPC) was synthesized by coating a layer of 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) molecules on the surface of CNT@MPC composite carbon material. The sodium ion battery was assembled

Herein, we report a facile yet efficient strategy for fabricating a carbonized kapok fiber aerogel (CKF) based composite PCM, by incorporating magnetic guest of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and encapsulating thermal energy guest of lauric acid (LA). The obtained LA/CKF@Fe3O4 composite PCMs (CPM) shows an ultrahigh latent heat of 97.5% that of LA. Besides, the integration of Fe3O4 contributes to the CPM with

In the present work, continuous carbon fibre (CCF) reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) composites were fabricated using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technique. The sliding friction and wear behaviour of the printed CCF/PA6 composites was investigated as a function of varying fibre orientations (i.e. normal, parallel, and anti-parallel) and layer deposition directions (i.e. parallel and

Auxetic materials exhibit interesting deformation characteristics and excellent mechanical properties. A novel combined tubular structure with tunable stiffness is proposed in this work, aiming to improve the bearing capacity and stability by length design of the central column. Specimens were fabricated via 3D printing technique. Experimental test was performed to study their mechanical property and

As HfO2-doped Si bond coat acts a pivotal part in application of progressive environmental barrier coating (EBC) system owing to improving the high-temperature capability and creep properties of bond coat, it is essential to control the doping content and to balance the mechanical and thermal properties of doped coatings challenge in terms of upgrading service life and operating temperature of EBC

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are widely employed in lightweight and high performance applications including supercars, aero-vehicles, and space components. However, although carbon fibers are thermally stable, the low thermal endurance of the matrix materials remains a critical problem in terms of the performance of the material. In this study, we proposed a new, Al2O3-based thermal

Multifunctional hydrogels have drawn much attention as functionalized materials, and the composites hydrogel concept is an effective approach to fabricate hydrogels that simultaneously possess multiple functions, such as long-lasting adhesiveness, toughness, excellent self-healing, conducting, ultraviolet-blocking and antibacterial properties. In this work, such hydrogels were fabricated by using functionalized

This work reports the utilization of natural Pisha sandstone (PS) as a new precursor to manufacture a novel alkali-activated cement. The rheological properties, compressive strength, drying shrinkage, hydration properties, CO2 emission and energy consumption of the alkali-activated uncalcined Pisha sandstone cement composites (AUPC) were investigated. AUPC mortar containing 1.0 wt% of sodium hexametaphosphate

Surface coating on metal substrates has remained a difficult challenge for researchers due to the conflicting requirements for different properties. In recent years, due to their mechanical, thermal, electrical, and tribological properties in many advanced engineering applications, functionally graded coatings (FGCs) have become fascinating materials for researchers worldwide to obtain coatings with

In this study, in situ-formed TiC/TC4 alloy nanocomposites were fabricated using the selective laser melting (SLM) process with TC4 and graphene nanoplates (GNPs) powders, and the deformation strengthening mechanism of the Ti matrix reinforced with TiC nanoparticles was investigated. The results from microstructure observation and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the appearance of nanoscale

Flexible surface protective coating in out-foldable devices should possess high elongation with high surface hardness. However, the two characteristics in conventional protecting materials are mutually exclusive. Here, we report a simple and effective composite design strategy to realize high elastic, yet still hard out-foldable and transparent surface protective coating material using molecular hybridization

Electrically conductive ceramic/polymer nanocomposites with universal percolation networks and varying contents of conductive nanoparticles were prepared herein; the effects of the dispersed state of the conductive nanoparticles on the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites were investigated. The conductive nanocomposites were prepared by coating carbon black (CB) nanoparticles with a silane

To predict fatigue-driven delamination growth in real structures, it is inevitable to understand delamination growth under real load spectra, also known as in-service loads, which most commonly are variable amplitude load patterns. In this work, delamination growth in glass fibre-reinforced polymer laminates subjected to two-level block amplitude loading is investigated using a pure moment loaded DCB

Herein, innovative use of vacuum filtration approach to modify the circumferential surface of structural carbon fiber is proposed for improving the interfacial adhesion of composites by constructing a synergistic hydrogen-bond network on fiber surface via the utilization of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The obtained hybrid reinforcement presents 123

The finite element (FE) simulation of industrial size composite structures under crush loading is a challenging task. Currently, the vast majority of these simulations employ non-physical “tweaking” parameters that are undesirable and limit the confidence in their predictive capabilities. This paper investigates three different material models based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM) within two commercial

Carbon fiber (CF) reinforced matrix composites have wide application prospect, however, the interfacial adhesion of composites is weak due to smooth and chemically inert of CF surface. To settle this problem, two kinds of synergistic hierarchical reinforcements with multiscale “rigid-flexible” structures [CF-graphene oxide (GO)-carbon nanotubes (CNTs)- polyamide (PA) and CF-CNTs-GO-PA] were fabricated

A heat shield called the thermal protection system (TPS) is an important structure in hypersonic vehicles as it prevents hot air from entering vehicles and potential impacts from space debris. With the increase in demand for low-cost reusable launch vehicles as well as for searching and exploration of new planets in both unmanned and manned missions, the need for developing an effective TPS has increased

The characteristics of a flexible write-once-read-many-times (WORM) memory fabricated with monolayered 0-dimensional (0D) CdSe–ZnS quantum dots (QDs) layers sandwiched between two insulating 2-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) multilayers were investigated by electrical measurement method. The hBN/QDs monolayer/hBN structure was fabricated in a vertical stacked structure using a technique

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the mechanical performance of the continuous carbon fiber reinforced PLA composites (CFRPCs) printed in vacuum. A novel 3D printer which is used to manufacture CFRPCs in vacuum and a continuous carbon fiber prepreg filament production equipment which is used to produce the raw materials needed for 3D printing are first proposed. Compared with the printing

A systematic investigation was carried out in this work to evaluate the effect of seawater ageing on the mechanical properties of different composites manufactured with three types of unidirectional carbon fibres, based on a novel powder epoxy system. The flexural behaviour of the samples with and without accelerated seawater ageing was evaluated. A significant strength reduction due to seawater ageing

Resin-rich areas (a.k.a. resin-rich zones or resin pockets) are a common phenomenon in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites that significantly impact composite material properties and failure initiation. Although resin-rich areas can be intuitively observed from composite cross-sectional images, it is challenging to automate identifying them due to the absence of an explicit definition of their

An exceptional combination of mechanical properties such as high stiffness, high strength, and high toughness makes nacre one of the most remarkable natural materials. It has been shown that these outstanding properties arise from the multilayered brick-and-mortar structure of the nacre and the vital nanoscale features in its structure. Moreover, problem-solving strategies of naturally growing composites

To achieve a high thermal conductivity, thermally conductive polymer composites have been recently exploited, focusing on connecting a 3D network of thermally conductive fillers by applying external pressure or constructing a pre-made 3D filler framework to reduce phonon scattering within the polymer matrix. However, these approaches severely restrict the use of polymers, particularly epoxy composites

Nanomaterial additives have been broadly used in cement and concrete-based sensors to measure the stress and strain in the structure. Most of the studies focused on measuring the resistivity of sensors with Direct Current (DC) or relatively low-frequency. In this work, the impedance responses of enhanced Carbon Nano-Fiber Aggregates (CNFAs) at different frequencies are rigorously studied and utilized

In this study, the resistance to accelerated aging of composites with a matrix of two-component aromatic polyurea (PUA) reinforced with inorganic fillers was assessed. Polyurea composites with various contents of 5–20 wt% of three types of fillers, i.e., basalt powder (BP), basalt milled fibers (BMF), and halloysite nanoclay (HNC), produced in the spray-forming process, were subjected to laboratory

A novel method to predict the mechanical responses of arbitrary microstructures from the deep learning of microstructures and their stress-strain response is presented in this work. Two-phase microstructural images that consist of different grain sizes and compositions are generated and quantified using the two-point statistical homogenisation scheme. Finite element (FE) simulations are used to predict

In this paper an analytical prediction model for the heat transfer analysis of two-phase composite materials is developed. Formulations for the effective density, effective specific heat and effective thermal conductivity of the composite materials are derived. The present model considers not only the effect of interfacial thermal resistance between CNTs and polymer matrix but also the influence of

Although bone tissue with remarkable healing capabilities, the rapid and successful bone regeneration continues to present a challenge because that the influence factors for bone healing are multifaceted, especially for massive bone defects. From a cell/material interactions point of view, integrating multiple cues into one biomaterial is considered as a promising approach in the clinical treatment

Improving the dissatisfactory interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber (CF)/polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites in some specific conditions is an extremely urgent demand. In this work, a series of soluble phenolphthalein polyaryl-ether-ketone polymers with different carboxyl contents (PEKC-COOH) were synthesized and employed to prepare water-based sizing agents. PEKC-COOH showed high solubility and

This paper investigates the processing-induced residual strains developed in the adhesive layer of a single lap joint consisting of glass-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) adherends bonded with a thermoplastic adhesive, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). High-resolution optical fiber sensors were embedded inside the adhesive for in-situ monitoring of strains and temperature during the processing

A novel strategy of powder assembly & alloying was used to achieve trimodal grain structure in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced aluminum matrix composites. The soft pure Al and hard 2024Al powders were firstly ball milled with CNTs for CNT/Al and CNT/2024Al flakes with different thicknesses, then were assembled with coarse-grained pure Al powders. Under the confinement of CNTs, these three building