Effects of Low-pressure Annealing on the Performance of 3D Printed CF/PEEK Composites

The interlayer bonding properties are normally unsatisfying for 3D printed composites owing to the layer-by-layer formation process.In this study,low-pressure annealing was performed on 3D printed carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone(CF/PEEK)to improve the interlayer bonding strength.The effects of annealing parameters on the mechanical properties and microstructure were studied.The results showed that the interlaminar shear strength(ILSS)of CF/PEEK improved by up to 55.4%after annealing.SEM and𝜇-CT were also applied to reveal the reinforcing mechanism.This improvement could mainly be attributed to the increased crystallinity of the CF/PEEK after annealing.Additionally,annealing reduced the porosity of the printed CF/PEEK and improved the fiber-resin interface.This resulted in a reduction in the stress concentration areas during loading,thereby enhancing the interlayer bonding strength of CF/PEEK.

Rapid removal of polyacrylamide from wastewater by plasma in the gas–liquid interface

Due to the severe restrictions imposed by legislative frameworks, the removal of polyacrylamide(PAM) rapidly and effectively from produced wastewater in offshore oilfields before discharge is becoming an urgent challenge. In this study, a novel advanced oxidation process based on plasma operated in the gas–liquid interface was used to rapidly decompose PAM, and multiple methods including viscometry, flow field-flow fractionation multi-angle light scattering, UV–visible spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflectanceFourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the changes of PAM.Under a discharge voltage of 25 kV and pH 7.0, the PAM concentration decreased from 100 to 0 mg/L within 20 min and the total organic carbon(TOC) decreased from 49.57 to1.23 mg/L within 240 min, following zero-order reaction kinetics. Even in the presence of background TOC as high as 152.2 mg/L, complete removal of PAM(100 mg/L) was also achieved within 30 min. The biodegradability of PAM improved following plasma treatment for 120 min. Active species(such as O3 and H2O2) were produced in the plasma. Hydroxyl radical was demonstrated to play an important role in the degradation of PAM due to the inhibitory effect observed after the addition of an ·OH scavenger, Na2CO3. Meanwhile, the release of ammonia and nitrate nitrogen confirmed the cleavage of the acylamino group.The results of this study demonstrated that plasma, with its high efficiency and chemicalfree features, is a promising technology for the rapid removal of PAM.