Synergistic effects of expandable graphite and dimethyl methyl phosphonate on the mechanical properties, fire behavior, and thermal stability of a polyisocyanurate-polyurethane foam

In this study, a series of flame-retardant polyisocyanurate-polyurethane (PIR-PUR) foams were prepared using various concentrations (0-25% by weight) of expandable graphite (EG) and dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) (0-7% by weight). The effect of these additives on the properties of the PIR-PUR foams, including physico-mechanical, morphological, flame retardancy, and thermal stability, was studied. Increasing amounts of EG in the PIR-PUR foam caused a significant drop in the compression strength. However, DMMP caused the mechanical properties of PIR-PUR foam to improve compared to foam filled with EG alone. The flame retardancy of PIR-PUR foams containing both EG and DMMP was enhanced significantly compared to EG filled foams. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that EG enhances the thermal stability of PIR-PUR foams but that DMMP decreased it. The morphology of the residual char provided conclusive evidence for the weak thermal stability of foams filled with DMMP.

Effect of dosage of expandable graphite,dimethyl methylphosphonate,triethanolamine,and isocyanate on fluidity,mechanical,and flame retardant properties of polyurethane materials in coal reinforcement

In this study,orthogonal experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of expandable graphite(EG),dimethyl methylphosphonate(DMMP),triethanolamine(TEA),and isocyanate content on the compressive and bonding strengths,oxygen index,and fluidity of rigid polyurethane foam(RPUF).The results revealed that EG significantly increased the oxygen index of RPUF,enlarged the diameter of foam cells,and decreased the cell-closed content in foam;thus,leading to a pressure drop in RPUF.However,excessive EG was capable of reducing the fluidity of polyurethane slurry.TEA exhibited significant influence on the compressive strength of RPUF,which dropped initially,and then increased.DMMP had a remarkable effect on the flame retardant property and compressive strength of RPUF.Compressive strength of RPUF initially displayed an increase followed by a decrease with increasing dosage of DMMP,and achieved the maximum value at DMMP dosage of 4%.DMMP could effectively reduce the diameter of RPUF cells leading to an increase in the percentage of close area in foam.DMMP displayed the flame-retardation effects mainly in the gas phase leading to a significant enhancement in the oxygen index of RPUF.Moreover,the compressive strength and bonding strength of RPUF decrease significantly with the increase of isocyanate content due to the increased blowing efficiency by the CO_2.The oxygen index and flowing length of foam increased with the increase in isocyanate dosage.

Poly(lactic acid)-starch/Expandable Graphite (PLA-starch/EG) Flame Retardant Composites

This work reports on the effect of commercial expandable graphite(EG)on the flammability and thermal decomposition properties of PLA-starch blend.The PLA-starch/EG composites were prepared by melt-mixing and their thermal stability,volatile pyrolysis products and flammability characteristics were investigated.The char residues of the composites,after combustion in a cone calorimeter,were analyzed with environmental scanning electron microscopy(ESEM).The thermal decomposition stability of the composites improved in the presence of EG.However,the char content was less than expected as per the combination of the wt%EG added into PLA-starch and the%residue of PLA-starch.The flammability performance of the PLA-starch/EG composites improved,especially at 15 wt%EG content,due to a thick and strong worm-like char structure.The peak heat release rate(PHRR)improved by 74%,the total smoke production(TSP)by 40%and the specific extinction area(SEA)by 55%.The improvements are attributed to the ability of EG to exfoliate at increased temperatures during which time three effects occurred:(i)cooling due to an endothermic exfoliation process,(ii)dilution due to release of H2O,SO2 and CO2 gases,and (iii)formation of a protective intumescent char layer.However,the CO and CO2 yields were found to be unfavorably high due to the presence of EG.

A NEW METHOD TO SYNTHESIZE EXPANDABLE GRAPHITE WITH LESS POLLUTION

The paper deals with a new method to synthesize expand-able graphite with H2O2 as oxidizer. This method causes less environ ——mental pollution than the tradi——tional method using HNO3. Some, opti-mum technical conditions have been given here. It is shorvn that traditional method for manufacturing expandable graphite with HNO3 as oxidizer can be replaced completely with H2O2 as an oxidizer. Expandable graphite made, in this way has the same characteristics as that made in traditional way, but the pollution of NO2 to air decreases greatly.

A Novel Method for the Synthesis of Carboxylic Esters Catalyzed by Expandable Graphite

Esterification reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohol has been carried out in excellent yield with expandable graphite as a catalyst.

Preparation of Boron-coated Expandable Graphite and Its Application in Flame Retardant Rigid Polyurethane Foam

A novel boron-coated expandable graphite（BEG） material was prepared by first wrapping polyvinyl alco- hoI（PVA） onto expandable graphite（EG） and then condensing with boric acid. The obtained BEG was characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, Fourier transform infrared（FT1R） spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy（XPS）, and tbermogravimetric analysis（TGA）. The fire performance and mechanical properties of the rigid polyurethane foam（RPUF） filled with BEG were investigated by limiting oxygen index（LOl）, horizontal and vertical burning, cone calorimetry（CONE）, and electronic tensile tests. BEG shows an improved compactness of the char layers upon thermal expansion, which is effective for the flame retardancy of RPUF. With a loading of 10%, RPUF/BEG exhibited a higher LOI, 〉10% reduction in heat release rate and carbon monoxide release, as well as a decrease in smoke release during the beginning of combustion compared to RPUF/EG. Moreover, the compressive strength and modulus of RPUF/BEG were increased. The improved flame retardancy of BEG on RPUF can be attributed to the suppression of the ＂popcorn effect＂ of EG by PVA-boric acid, and the improved mechanical property can be attributed to the presence of PVA.

ZnO-Embedded Expanded Graphite Composite Anodes with Controlled Charge Storage Mechanism Enabling Operation of Lithium-Ion Batteries at Ultra-Low Temperatures

As lithium(Li)-ion batteries expand their applications,operating over a wide temperature range becomes increasingly important.However,the lowtemperature performance of conventional graphite anodes is severely hampered by the poor diffusion kinetics of Li ions(Li^(+)).Here,zinc oxide(ZnO) nanoparticles are incorporated into the expanded graphite to improve Li^(+)diffusion kinetics,resulting in a significant improvement in lowtemperature performance.The ZnO-embedded expanded graphite anodes are investigated with different amounts of ZnO to establish the structurecharge storage mechanism-performance relationship with a focus on lowtemperature applications.Electrochemical analysis reveals that the ZnOembedded expanded graphite anode with nano-sized ZnO maintains a large portion of the diffusion-controlled charge storage mechanism at an ultra-low temperature of-50℃ Due to this significantly enhanced Li^(+)diffusion rate,a full cell with the ZnO-embedded expanded graphite anode and a LiNi_(0.88)Co_(0.09)Al_(0.03)O_(2)cathode delivers high capacities of 176 mAh g^(-1)at20℃ and 86 mAh g^(-1)at-50℃ at a high rate of 1 C.The outstanding low-temperature performance of the composite anode by improving the Li^(+)diffusion kinetics provides important scientific insights into the fundamental design principles of anodes for low-temperature Li-ion battery operation.

Nanosheet-stacked flake graphite for high-performance Al storage in inorganic molten AlCl_(3)-NaCl salt

Aluminum storage systems with graphite cathode have been greatly promoting the development of state-of-the-art rechargeable aluminum batteries over the last five years;this is due to the ultra-stable cycling,high capacity,and good safety of the systems.This study discussed the change of electrochemical behaviors caused by the structural difference between flake graphite and expandable graphite,the effects of temperature on the electrochemical performance of graphite in low-cost AlCl_(3)-NaCl inorganic molten salt,and the reaction mechanisms of aluminum complex ions in both graphite materials by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,Raman spectroscopy,cyclic voltammetry,and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements.It was found that flake graphite stacked with noticeably small and thin graphene nanosheets exhibited high capacity and fairly good rate capability.The battery could achieve a high capacity of^219 mA·h·g^(-1) over 1200 cycles at a high current density of 5 A·g^(-1),with Coulombic efficiency of 94.1%.Moreover,the reaction mechanisms are clarified:For the flake graphite with small and thin graphene nanosheets and high mesopore structures,the reaction mechanism consisted of not only the intercalation of AlCl4^-anions between graphene layers but also the adsorption of Al Cl4^-anions within mesopores;however,for the well-stacked and highly parallel layered large-size expandable graphite,the reaction mechanism mainly involved the intercalation of AlCl4^-anions.

Formation of NiFe_2O_4/Expanded Graphite Nanocomposites with Superior Lithium Storage Properties

A Ni Fe_2O_4/expanded graphite(Ni Fe_2O_4/EG)nanocomposite was prepared via a simple and inexpensive synthesis method. Its lithium storage properties were studied with the goal of applying it as an anode in a lithium-ion battery. The obtained nanocomposite exhibited a good cycle performance, with a capacity of 601 m Ah g^(-1)at a current of 1 A g^(-1)after 800 cycles. This good performance may beattributed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and layered structure of the EG. Its high mechanical strength could postpone the disintegration of the nanocomposite structure,efficiently accommodate volume changes in the Ni Fe_2O_4-based anodes, and alleviate aggregation of Ni Fe_2O_4 nanoparticles.

Preparation of Expanded Graphite-based Composites by One Step Impregnation

A new method for preparing expanded graphite-based composites （EGCs） was developed.The obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）,transmission electron microscope （TEM） and nitrogen adsorption.The experimental results indicated that the EGCs was not simply mechanical mixture of EG and activated carbon,instead the activated carbon was coated on the surface of interior and external pores of the EG in the form of thin carbon layer.The thickness of the activated carbon layer was nearly one hundred nanometers by calculation.It was shown that the higher the impregnation ratio and the activation temperature were,the easier the porosity development would be.And the BET surface area and the total pore volume were as high as 1978 m2/g and 0.9917 cm3/g respectively at 350℃ with an impregnation ratio of 0.9.

Multiple structure graphite stabilized stearic acid as composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage

This paper used 3 types of graphite with different physical structures as the porous matrix to prepare composite phase change materials(PCMs),and investigated their photo-thermal conversion performance and application in battery thermal management.Multiple structure graphite minerals,including microcrystalline graphite(MG),scale graphite(SG),and expanded graphite(EG)were used as porous matrix,while stearic acid(SA)acts as the phase change material.The vacuum impregnation method was applied to prepare SA/MG,SA/SG,SA/EG,and SA/MG1,and SA/EG1was/were prepared by the ethyl alcohol method.Results show that the thermal conductivities of all composite phase change materials were 10.82 to 22.06 times higher than that of the pure SA.Thermogravimetric(TG)analysis showed that the loadages of SA were 43.61%,18.74%,and 92.66%for SA/MG,SA/SG,and SA/EG respectively.The load rates of SA were 18.98%and 18.88%for SA/MG1 and SA/EG1,respectively.For the 3 types of graphite materials of different dimensions,the BET(Brunauer,Emmett,and Teller)surface area determines the maximum load of SA.The Fourier-transform infrared(FTIR)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)results indicated that there was good compatibility between the SA and the supports.The SA/EG1 has better thermophysical properties in heat energy storage and release process.The thermal infrared images show that SA/EG1 has higher sensitivity to the temperature changes.SA/EG1 has better photo-heat conversion performance than SA/SG and SA/MG1 attributed to the multilayer structure of EG.SA/EG has better thermal management performance in the Li-ion batteries discharge process.

Electrical Properties of Expanded Graphite Intercalation Compounds

The intercalation compounds of CuCl2 were synthesized with expanded graphite, whose magnitude of the electrical conductivity is about 10(3)S(.)cm(-1). Their electrical conductivity is 3 similar to6 times as high as that of the expanded graphite, and about 10 times as high as that of GIC made of the non-expanded graphite. The microanalysis results of chemical compounds by X-ray energy spectrum scanning of TEM testified that the atomic ratio of chloride and cupric is nonstoichoimetric. The multivalence and exchange of electrovalence of the cupric ion was confirmed by the XPS-ESCA. Vacancy of chlorine anion increases the concentration of charge carrier. The special stage structure, made of graphite and chloride, produces a weak chemical bond belt and provides a carrier space in the direction of GIC layer. These factors develop the electrical properties.

A graphitized expanded graphite cathode for aluminum-ion battery with excellent rate capability

Aluminum-ion battery(AIB)is very promising for its safety and large current charge–discharge.However,it is challenging to build a high-performance AIB system based on low-cost materials especially cathode&electrolyte.Despite the low-cost expanded graphite-triethylaminehydrochloride(EG-ET)system has been improved in cycle performance,its rate capability still remains a gap with the expensive graphene-alkylimidazoliumchloride AIB system.In this work,we treated the cheap EG appropriately through an industrial high-temperature process,employed the obtained EG3K(treated at 3000℃)cathode with AlCl_(3)-ET electrolyte,and built a novel,high-rate capability and double-cheap AIB system.The new EG3K-ET system achieved the cathode capacity of average 110 m Ah g^(-1)at 1 A g^(-1)with 18,000cycles,and retained the cathode capacity of 100 m Ah g^(-1)at 5 A g^(-1)with 27,500 cycles(fast charging of 72 s).Impressively,we demonstrated that a battery pack(EG3K-ET system,12 m Ah)had successfully driven the Model car running 100 m long.In addition,it was confirmed that the improvement of rate capability in the EG3K-ET system was mainly derived by deposition,and its capacity contribution ratio was about 53.7%.This work further promoted the application potential of the low-cost EG-ET AIB system.

Mechanism of Fume Suppression and Performance on Asphalt of Expanded Graphite for Pavement under High Temperature Condition

Fume suppression mechanisms and the effect of expanded graphite on the performance of asphalt were studied by applying infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and comprehensive thermal analysis（TG, DSC）. The experimental results confirm that asphalt which is mixed with expandable graphite will expand in the process of hot mix, and the expanded graphite layer will swell by the light component in the asphalt. The light component in the asphalt and PAHs adsorption on expanded graphite surface or part of the plug in the expanded graphite layer between plates made nucleation crystallization growth. And the Van der Waals force and the bonding of the lattice can effectively restrain the asphalt fume release. Meanwhile, the expanding agent with oxidative can spread into the asphalt, leading to asphalt oxygenated and plastic abate, while the ductility decreases. Expanded graphite, SBS modifier and environment- friendly plasticizers are used to composite modified asphalt. According to asphalt fume release experiment, normal test of asphalt performance, Brookfield viscosity test, RTFOT test and asphalt mixture tests（high temperature stability, low temperature stability, water stability）, it has been proven that the modified asphalt’s performance is better than that of matrix asphalt and equivalent to that of SBS modified asphalt. Furthermore, it has good fume suppression effect.

Insights on the mechanism of Na-ion storage in expanded graphite anode

Currently,Na-ion battery(NIB) has become one of the most potential alternatives for Li-ion batteries due to the safety and low cost.As a promising anode for Na-ion storage,expanded graphite has attracted considerable attention.However,the sodiation-desodiation process is still unclear.In our work,we obtain expanded graphite through slight modified Hummer's method and subsequent thermal treatment,which exhibits excellent cycling stability.Even at a high current density of 1 A g^(-1),our expanded graphite still remains a high reversible capacity of 100 mA h g^(-1) after 2600 cycles.Furthermore,we also investigate the electrochemical mechanism of our expanded graphite for Na-ion storage by operando Raman technique,which illuminate the electrochemical reaction during different sodiation-desodiation processes.

Preparation and Characterization of TiO_2/Expanded Graphite

In order to obtain anatase TiO2/expanded graphite with high expansion volume, titania gel was introduced to expandable graphite surface by sol-gel process, and then the composite was expanded and calcined at high tempera- ture. The samples were analysed by using scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, energy disperse spectroscopy （EDS）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The optimal conditions for preparation are as follows： the molar ratio of tetrabutyl orthotitanate to triethanolamine is 1 ： 0.4, and the calcination and expansion temperature is in the range of 650--750 ~C. Under such conditions, the expansion volume of composites could reach 98 mE/g, and the mass loss ratio is less than 5%. The analysis shows that lower temperature and smaller particle size of graphite are helpful to the formation of anatase-type of TiO2, but larger particle size will lead to lower mass loss ratio, and higher temperature and larger particle size will lead to higher expansion volume.

Adsorption mechanism of expanded graphite for oil and dyes

Expanded graphite （r-;G） shows higher adsorption capacity for oils than for dyes. To illustrate the different adsorption mechanism of EG for these pollutants, adsorption capacities of dyes and oil on EG were firstly studied. And then stepwise adsorption for oils was carried out with EG which has been saturated firstly by dyes, the difference between adsorbance of oil on EG was checked with deviation analysis. Scanning electronic microscopy （SEM） analysis was used to show structure difference of EG adsorbed different adsorbates. These used adsorbates were SD300 oil, basic fuchsine, Auramine lake yellow O and acid brilliant red 3B. The adsorption isotherm of dyes on EG is type 11 or type 1, and their equilibrium adsorbances are less than 1.0 g/g. While, adsorbance for SD300 oil can reach 104.5 g/g. Deviation analysis for stepwise adsorbances of oil shows no statistical significance. EG saturated firstly by dyes, still has an average adsorption capacity of 35 g/g for SD300 oil, and it does not change with the initial dyes concentration. SEM photos illustrate the adsorption of oil on EG is mainly filling, In the adsorption of dyes, there is severe breakage of the V-type pore and shrinkage of the particle. Kinetic difference is analyzed also.

A novel approach for synthesis of expanded graphite and its enhanced lithium storage properties

Relying on the great success in portable and smart devices,lithium ion batteries(LIBs)have been considered as one of the leading technologies in electric vehicles(EVs)and stationary energy storage systems(ESSs).With the rapid development of EVs and ESSs,the technology upgrading of LIBs is highly demanded.As expected,it requires LIBs with improved power and energy densities[1].

Research on Complex Refraction Indices of Expanded Graphite

The expanded graphite (EG) with a low density and better extinction performance can be used in military as passive jamming material in IR and MMW bands. Its complex refractive index is a significant parameter for the extinction property. This paper presents a method to calculate the complex refractive index of EG. The reflection spectra of EG pellets were measured in the 0.24-2.6μm and 2.5-25μm bands, respectively. Based on the measurement results, the complex refractive index of EG in 5-10μm band was calculated by using Kramers-Kronig(K-K) relation and Bruggeman effective medium theory, and then the errors were analyzed. The results indicate that it is feasible to calculate the complex refractive index of EG based on its IR reflection spectra data.

Preparation of graphite nanosheets in different solvents by sand milling and their enhancement on tribological properties of lithium-based grease

Graphite nanosheets with the average thicknesses ranging from 24.4 to 48.9 nm were prepared with the use of expanded graphite as the raw material by sand milling in deionized water,anhydrous ethanol,glycerol,and 1,4-butanediol,respectively.Anhydrous ethanol favored the formation of graphite nanosheets with a smaller average thickness.When the graphite nanosheets with the content of 2 wt%were added in lithium-based grease,the average friction coefficient decreased by 27%as compared with the pure lithium-based grease.The weld point and load wear index were 1.6 and 1.4 times those of the pure lithium-based grease,respectively.The tribological properties of the graphite nanosheet-containing lithium-based grease were comparable with those of the graphene-containing lithium-based grease.