Exploring the effect of cooling rate on non-isothermal crystallization of copolymer polypropylene by fast scanning calorimetry

Polypropylene is commonly used as a binder for ceramic injection molding,and rapid cooling is often encountered during processing.However,the crystallization behavior of polypropylene shows a strong dependence on cooling rate due to its semi-crystalline characteristics.Therefore,the influence of cooling rate on the quality of final product cannot be ignored.In this study,the fast differential scanning calorimetry(FSC)test was performed to study the influence of cooling rate on the non-isothermal crystallization behavior and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of a copolymer polypropylene(PP BC03B).The results show that the crystallization temperatures and crystallinity decrease as the cooling rate increases.In addition,two exothermic peaks occur when cooling rate ranges from 30 to 300 K·s^(-1),indicating the formation of another crystal phase.Avrami,Ozawa and Mo equations were used to explore the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics,and it can be concluded that the Mo method is suitable for this study.

Characterization and Modeling of Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Coconut Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

In the face of the increased global campaign to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases and the need for sustainability in manufacturing, there is a great deal of research focusing on environmentally benign and renewable materials as a substitute for synthetic and petroleum-based products. Natural fiber-reinforced polymeric composites have recently been proposed as a viable alternative to synthetic materials. The current work investigates the suitability of coconut fiber-reinforced polypropylene as a structural material. The coconut fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites were developed. Samples of coconut fiber/polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared using Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Tests were then conducted on the mechanical properties of the composites for different proportions of coconut fibers. The results obtained indicate that the composites loaded with 2 wt% exhibited the highest tensile and flexural strength, while the ones loaded with 3 wt% had the highest compression strength. The ultimate tensile and flexural strength at 2 wt% were determined to be 34.13 MPa and 70.47 MPa respectively. The compression strength at 3 wt% was found to be 37.88 MPa. Compared to pure polypropylene, the addition of coconut fibers increased the tensile, flexural, and compression strength of the composite. In the study, an artificial neural network model was proposed to predict the mechanical properties of polymeric composites based on the proportion of fibers. The model was found to predict data with high accuracy.

Efficient and selective removal of Pb(Ⅱ) from landfill leachate using L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric synthesized via radiation grafting technique

In this study,to efficiently remove Pb(Ⅱ) from aqueous environments,a novel L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric sorbent(NWF-serine)was fabricated through the radiation grafting of glycidyl methacrylate and subsequent L-serine modification.The effect of the absorbed dose was investigated in the range of 5–50 kGy.NWF-serine was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis,and scanning electron microscopy.Batch adsorption tests were conducted to investigate the influences of pH,adsorption time,temperature,initial concentration,and sorbent dosage on the Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption performance of NWF-serine.The results indicated that Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption onto NWF-serine was an endothermic process,following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model.The saturated adsorption capacity was 198.1 mg/g.NWF-serine exhibited Pb(Ⅱ) removal rates of 99.8% for aqueous solutions with initial concentrations of 100 mg/L and 82.1% for landfill leachate containing competitive metal ions such as Cd,Cu,Ni,Mn,and Zn.Furthermore,NWF-serine maintained 86% of its Pb(Ⅱ) uptake after five use cycles.The coordination of the carboxyl and amino groups with Pb(Ⅱ) was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis.

Influence ofβ-nucleating Compound Agents on the Mechanical Properties and Crystallization Behavior of Polypropylene Random Copolymer

A novel polypropylene random(PPR)composite materials with optimized properties was developed by addingβ-nucleating compound agents(rare earth complex WBG-2 and aryl amide derivative TMB-5)and ternary compound modifier(TPE/WBG-2/CaCO_(3)).The effects of differentβ-nucleating agents and ternary compound modifier on the mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of PPR were analyzed.The results show that,compared with pure PPR materials,both WBG-2 and TMB-5 could significantly improve the impact strength of PPR.The crystallization temperature of PPR increased with the addition ofβ-nucleating agent.The modified PPR prepared with ternary compound modifier showed the most excellent comprehensive properties.

Rotator cuff repair with an interposition polypropylene mesh:A biomechanical ovine study

BACKGROUND Chronic large to massive rotator cuff tears are difficult to treat and re-tears are common even after surgical repair.We propose using a synthetic polypropylene mesh to increase the tensile strength of rotator cuff repairs.We hypothesize that using a polypropylene mesh to bridge the repair of large rotator cuff tears will increase the ultimate failure load of the repair.AIM To investigate the mechanical properties of rotator cuff tears repaired with a polypropylene interposition graft in an ovine ex-vivo model.METHODS A 20 mm length of infraspinatus tendon was resected from fifteen fresh sheep shoulders to simulate a large tear.We used a polypropylene mesh as an interposition graft between the ends of the tendon for repair.In seven specimens,the mesh was secured to remnant tendon by continuous stitching while mattress stitches were used for eight specimens.Five specimens with an intact tendon were tested.The specimens underwent cyclic loading to determine the ultimate failure load and gap formation.RESULTS The mean gap formation after 3000 cycles was 1.67 mm in the continuous group,and 4.16 mm in the mattress group(P=0.001).The mean ultimate failure load was significantly higher at 549.2 N in the continuous group,426.4 N in the mattress group and 370 N in the intact group(P=0.003).CONCLUSION The use of a polypropylene mesh is biomechanically suitable as an interposition graft for large irreparable rotator cuff tears.

A Circular Economy Use of Post-Consumer Polypropylene Packaging for Low Thermal Conductive and Fire-Retardant Building Material Applications

Wastes from polypropylene(PP)packages are accumulating every year because it is one of the most widely consumed and short lifecycle products.This paper aims to develop low thermal conductive and fire-retardant materials from post-consumer PP(pPP)packages.Ammonium polyphosphate(APP)and hollow glass microsphere(HGM)were further added to improve the fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP.The influence of APP and HGM on the mechanical and thermal properties,fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP were investigated and compared with that of virgin PP(vPP).HGM was constantly added at 5 wt%while the content of APP was varied from 5 to 20 wt%.Experimental results showed that the tensile and flexural strengths were reduced with increasing APP concentrations.A morphological study confirmed the poor interfacial adhesion and debonding of each component during the applied load.Formulations containing APP less than 10 wt%did not show a satisfying fire retardancy rating due to the long self-extinguishing time.Further flame dipping and cotton ignition were observed for these formulations.With 15 and 20 wt%APP,the fire rating was significantly improved from no rating to V-0.The conductive heat transfer coefficient(k)was reduced by the presence of HGM.Based on these results,the formulation with 15 and 20 wt%could be used as a low k,fire-retardant building material.

Effect of Polypropylene Fiber on the Unconfined Compressive Strength of Loess with Different Water Content

Fiber-reinforced soils have been of great interest to experimenters for building foundations’strength performance,time,and economy.This paper investigates the effects of water content and polypropylene fiber dosage and length on loess’s unconfined compressive strength(UCS)according to the central composite response surface design test procedure.The water content is 11%–25%,the mass ratio of fiber to soil is 0.1%–0.9%,and the fiber length ranges from 6–18 mm.The response surface method(RSM)developed full quadratic models of different variables with response values.After analysis of variance(ANOVA),the mathematical model developed in this study was statistically significant(p≤0.05)and applicable to the optimization process.The optimization results showed that the optimal water content values,fiber amount,and fiber length were 16.41%,0.579%,and 14.90 mm,respectively.The unconfined compressive strength of the optimized specimens was increased by 288.017 kPa.The research results can reference the design and construction of fiber-reinforced soil in practical projects such as road base engineering and foundation engineering.

The effect of pulse voltage rise rate on the polypropylene surface hydrophilic modification by ns pulsed nitrogen DBD

The nanosecond(ns) pulsed nitrogen dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) is employed to enhance the hydrophilicity of polypropylene(PP) surface and improve its application effect.The discharge characteristics of the ns pulsed nitrogen DBD with different pulse rise times(from 50to 500 ns) are investigated by electrical and optical diagnostic methods and the discharge uniformity is quantitatively analyzed by image processing method.To characterize the surface hydrophilicity,the water contact angle(WCA) is measured,and the physical morphology and chemical composition of PP before and after modification are analyzed to explore the effect of plasma on PP surface.It is found that with increasing pulse rise time from 50 to 500 ns,DBD uniformity becomes worse,energy efficiency decreases from 20% to 10.8%,and electron density decrease from 6.6 × 10^(11)to 5.5 × 10^(11)cm^(-3).The tendency of electron temperature is characterized with the intensity ratio of N_(2)/N_(2)^(+)emission spectrum,which decreases from 17.4 to15.9 indicating the decreasing of T_(e) with increasing pulse rise time from 50 to 500 ns.The PP surface treated with 50 ns pulse rise time DBD has a lower WCA(~47°),while the WCA of PP treated with 100 to 500 ns pulse rise time DBD expands gradually(~50°–57°).According to the study of the fixed-point WCA values,the DBD-treated PP surface has superior uniformity under50 ns pulse rise time(3° variation) than under 300 ns pulse rise time(8° variation).After DBD treatment,the increased surface roughness from 2.0 to 9.8 nm and hydrophilic oxygencontaining groups on the surface,i.e.hydroxyl(-OH) and carbonyl(C=O) have played the significant role to improve the sample’s surface hydrophilicity.The short pulse voltage rise time enhances the reduced electric field strength(E/n) in the discharge space and improves the discharge uniformity,which makes relatively sufficient physical and chemical reactions have taken place on the PP surface,resulting in better treatment uniformity.

Effect of Synthetic Conditions and Thickener Formulation on the Rheological and Tribological Properties of Polypropylene Grease

Polypropylene(PP)grease holds great potential for special industrial applications.In this study,synthetic conditions,thickener content,and the ratio of two different molecular weight PPs were investigated systematically using a rheometer,scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,oscillating tribometer,and 3D surface profiler measurements.The results showed that suitable synthetic conditions are two quenching cycles,and the synthetic temperature and time is 240℃for 12 h.The rheological analysis showed that thickener content and different proportions of the two PP molecular weights have a significant influence on the rheological properties of PP grease.High molecular weight PP(H-PP)has a stronger thickening ability than low molecular weight PP(L-PP).The higher the amount of H-PP in the fixed thickener content or the higher the thickener content with a specific proportion,the higher the viscoelasticity of PP grease.The tribological performance is related to the rheological properties.The proportion of two different molecular weight PPs in the thickener content should be appropriate;excessive H-PP content leads to lubrication failure.

Experimental study on mechanical and frost heave behaviors of silty clay improved by polyvinyl alcohol and polypropylene fiber

Silty clay is widely used as subgrade filler in cold regions,which suffer from frost heave in winter and mud pumping in spring.In this study,polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)and polypropylene(PP)fiber were used to improve the mechanical and frost heave behavior of silty clay in cold regions,and the direct shear test and one-dimensional frost heave test were employed in studying improvement effects.Moreover,improvement mechanisms of PVA and PP fiber were analyzed based on test results.The main findings are as follows.(1)Both PP and PVA can heighten the strength of silty clay and suppress frost heave,but the PVA solution has a more decisive influence on improving mechanical properties than PP fiber.(2)The improvement mechanism of the PVA solution is cementing.The improvement effect of 2%PVA solution is the best,which can increase the shear strength by approximately 40%–60%at different stress levels and decrease the frost heave ratio from 0.89%to 0.16%at optimal water content.(3)For 2%PVA improved samples,0.25%PP fiber can further increase soil cohesion by approximately 20–30 kPa at different stress levels and further decrease the frost heave ratio from 0.16%to 0.07%at optimal water content.The improvement effect is neglectable when the PP fiber content exceeds 0.25%.Overall,2%PVA with 0.25%PP fiber is the optimum combination to improve silty clay in cold regions.

Flame retardant synergy between interfacial and bulk carbonation in glass fiber reinforced polypropylene

Glass fiber reinforced polypropylene(GF-PP)composites have high flammability on account of wick effect which leads to accelerated flow of the polymer melt along the glass fibers(GF)surface to the flame zone.In this study,dipentaerythritol(DPER),a charring agent,was adsorbed on the GF surface through the hydrogen bond between silane coupling agent and DPER.DPER has a synergistic effect with the intumescent flame retardants(IFR)added in the composites,which can induce interfacial carbonization on the surface of GF,thus transforming the intrinsic smooth GF surface into roughness one.In this way,the negative effect of the wick effect in flame retardancy is weakened.Moreover,the char residues remained on the surface of GF can bring an improved adhesion between GF and char residues formed in the resin so that a more stable barrier char layer is formed.The PP composites with 20 wt%modified glass fiber(M-GF)and 30 wt%IFR can achieve the UL-94 V-0,and its limiting oxygen index(LOI)value increased from 16.5%to 29.5%.Simultaneously,the heat release rate(HRR),total heat release(THR)and total smoke release(TSR)decreased significantly,and the peak of heat release rate(PHRR)reduced60.6%compared with GF-PP.

Mechanical Properties and Fracture Mechanism of a Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

To study the effect of some parameters, such as, length and fraction of glass fiber (GF), and the fraction of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH), on the mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GF/PP) composites, tensile tests, bending tests and impact tests were conducted. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to characterize the fracture mechanisms of the composites. The results show that, compared with 3 mm GF, 9 mm GF can significantly improve the strength of the composite better. Addition of PP-g-MAH, a kind of grafting agent, into the PP-30% LGF composite can result in a better mechanical properties because of the strengthening of the bonding interface between the matrix and the fiber. When the mass fraction of GF is 30% and the PP-g-MAH fraction is 6%, the mechanical properties of the composite are the best.

Geochemistry of volcanic glass from Mahanadi offshore region,eastern continental margin of India:Constraints on the contribution of latest Toba super-eruption

The tephra layers in multiple sediment cores from the offshore region of the Mahanadi basin in the northern Bay of Bengal were investigated for possible volcanic sources. The glass shards from those tephra layers were studied for size distribution, texture, and elemental geochemistry to establish chronostratigraphic markers for regional and global Quaternary correlation. The textural features of fine-grained(silty) volcanic glasses suggest the distal source of these tephra deposits. Major element composition with elevated SiO_(2) contents ranging between75%–76% and dominance of K_(2)O(> 4.5%) over CaO(< 0.9%) suggest ashes have originated from siliceous rhyolitic melts, similar to the petrographic composition of tephra from the Toba volcano. The bulk trace element compositions of the same glass shards were comparable with those reported in the youngest Toba tephra reported elsewhere. Likewise, the LREE-dominated chondrite normalized REE profiles of tephra from the Mahanadi basin closely resemble the characteristic REE patterns in Toba ash from other parts of the Indian Ocean and thus confirmed the contribution of the youngest Toba super-eruption for this ash layers.

Solid-state NMR reveals that oxygen tri-clusters make glass highly crackresistant

In a recent paper,advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance(SSNMR)technology was employed to reveal the underlying mechanism contributing to the high hardness and exceptional resistance to fragmentation observed in certain special glasses[1].This study utilized SSNMR to analyze the atomic-scale internal structure of glass,enabling the quantification of the fraction of three-coordinated oxygen([^((3))O]).The research findings demonstrate a quantitative relationship between[^((3))O]and the resistance of glass to crack initiation.

Influence of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) Ratio on the Structure and Properties of Na^(+)/K^(+)Ion Exchange Na_(2)O-MgO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) Glasses

In this work,the structure,viscosity and ion-exchange process of Na_(2)O-MgO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) glasses with different Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) molar ratios were investigated.The results showed that,with increasing Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio,the simple structural units Q_(1) and Q_(2) transformed into highly aggregated structural units Q_(3) and Q_(4),indicating the increase of polymerization degree of glass network.Meanwhile,the coefficient of thermal expansion decreased from 9.23×10^(-6)℃^(-1) to 8.88×10^(-6)℃^(-1).The characteristic temperatures such as melting,forming,softening and glass transition temperatures increased with the increase of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio,while the glasses working temperature range became narrow.The increasing Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio and prolonging ion-exchange time enhanced the surface compressive stress(CS)and depth of stress layer(DOL).However,the increase of ion exchange temperature increased the DOL and decreased the CS affected by stress relaxation.There was a good linear relationship between stress relaxation and surface compressive stress.Chemical strengthening significantly improved the hardness of glasses,which reached the maximum value of(622.1±10)MPa for sample with Al_(2)O_(3)/SiO_(2) ratio of 0.27 after heat treated at 410℃for 2 h.

Influence of an Optimized Fibre Coating on Interfacial and Mechanical Properties of Glass Fibre/Polypropylene Composites

The influence of pretreatment of fibre on interfacial and mechanical properties of glass fibre/ polypropylene composites was investigated. Firstly, the glass fibres were coated with the blends of m-IPP (maleic anhydride grafting isotatic polypropylene ) and m-APP ( maleic anhydride grafting amorphous polypropylene) in different, ratios. Secondly, the interfaced reaction of the coated composites was analysed by FTIR, which shows that the interfacial chemical reaction between m-IPP/m-APP in the fibre coating and the fibre surface- bound coupling agent is in existence. Thirdly, the microstructure of the coated composites wax studied by SEM. The results indicate that the coating treatment is effective on improving interfacial adhesion of the, fibre-matrix and the right amount of m-APP added to the coal impels the plastic deformation surrounding the point of cracks , which makes cracks turn to region and prevents from further interface debonding. Lastly, the mechanical properties were evaluated by measurement, of the flexural strength and impact strength of the composites. It was found that, the flexural strength and impact strength of the composites with coating fibre are higher than those of uncoating fibre composite. The results of these investigations draw the conclusion that the pretreatment of fibre with m-IPP/m-APP blends can form an optimize interlayer between the fibre and the PP matrix, which improves both the strength and lough-ness of the composites.

Effect of Fe_(2)O_(3)on the Structure,Physical Properties and Crystallization of CaO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)Glass

The calcium aluminosilicate-based glasses(CaO-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2),CAS)with different Fe_(2)O_(3)content(0.10wt%,0.50wt%,0.90wt%,and 1.30wt%)were prepared by traditional melt-quenching method.The glass network structure,thermal and mechanical properties,and crystallization behavior changes were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer,Fourier-transform infrared spectro-photometer,X-ray diffractometer,differential scanning calorimetry and field emission scanning electron microscope measurements.The change of Q^(n)in glass structures reveals the glass network connectivity decreases due to the increasing content of Fe_(2)O_(3)addition,resulting in the increasing of non-bridging number in glass structure.The glass densities slightly rise from 2.644 to 2.681 g/cm^(3),while Vickers’s hardness increases at first,from 6.469 to 6.901 GPa,then slightly drops to 6.745 GPa,with Fe_(2)O_(3)content increase.There is almost no thermal expansion coefficient change from different Fe_(2)O_(3)content.The glass transmittance in visible range gradually decreases with higher Fe_(2)O_(3)content,resulting from the strong absorption of Fe^(2+)and Fe^(3+)ions.The calculated activation energy from thermal analysis results first decreases from 282.70 to 231.18 kJ/mol,and then increases to 244.02 kJ/mol,with the Fe_(2)O_(3)content increasing from 0.10wt%to 1.30wt%.Meanwhile,the maximum Avrami constant of 2.33 means the CAS glasses exhibit two-dimensional crystallization.All of the CAS glass-ceramics samples contain main crystal phase of anorthite,the microstructure appears lamellar and columnar crystals.

Effect of overheating-induced minor addition on Zr-based metallic glasses

Melt treatment is well known to have an important influence on the properties of metallic glasses(MGs).However,for the MGs quenched from different melt temperatures with a quartz tube,the underlying physical origin responsible for the variation of properties remains poorly understood.In the present work,we systematically studied the influence of melt treatment on the thermal properties of a Zr50Cu36Al14 glass-forming alloy and unveiled the microscopic origins.Specifically,we quenched the melt at different temperatures ranging from 1.1Tl to 1.5Tl(Tl is the liquidus temperature)to obtain melt-spun MG ribbons and investigated the variation of thermal properties of the MGs upon heating.We found that glass transition temperature,Tg,increases by as much as 36 K,and the supercooled liquid region disappears in the curve of differential scanning calorimetry when the melt is quenched at a high temperature up to 1.5Tl.The careful chemical analyses indicate that the change in glass transition behavior originates from the incorporation of oxygen and silicon in the molten alloys.The incorporated oxygen and silicon can both enhance the interactions between atoms,which renders the cooperative rearrangements of atoms difficult,and thus enhances the kinetic stability of the MGs.

Corrosion and in vitro cytocompatibility investigation on the designed Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for biomedical application

In the present work,seven Mg-Zn-Ag alloys with the nominal composition of Mg_(96-x)Zn_(x)Ag_(4)(x=17,20,23,26,29,32,35 in at.%)were prepared by induction melting and single-roller melt-spinning.The X-ray diffraction(XRD)analyses indicate the metallic glasses with three composition of Mg_(73)Zn_(23)Ag_(4),Mg_(70)Zn_(26)Ag_(4),and Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)were obtained successfully.The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)measurement was used to obtain the characteristic temperature of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for the glass-forming ability analysis.The maximum glass transition temperature(Trg)was found to be 0.525 with a composition close to Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4),which results in the best glass-forming ability.Moreover,the immersion test in simulated body fluid(SBF)demonstrate the relative homogeneous corrosion behavior of the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses.The corrosion rate of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses in SBF solution decreases with the increase of Zn content.The sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)has the lowest corrosion rate of 0.19mm/yr,which could meet the clinical application requirement well.The in vitro cell experiments show that the Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK)cells cultured in sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)and its extraction medium have higher activity.However,the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses exhibit obvious inhibitory effect on human rhabdomyosarcoma(RD)tumor cells.The present investigations on the glass-forming ability,corrosion behavior,cytocompatibility and tumor inhibition function of the Mg-Zn-Ag based metallic glass could reveal their biomedical application possibility.

Low-frequency hybridized excess vibrations of two-dimensional glasses

One hallmark of glasses is the existence of excess vibrational modes at low frequenciesωbeyond Debye’s prediction.Numerous studies suggest that understanding low-frequency excess vibrations could help gain insight into the anomalous mechanical and thermodynamic properties of glasses.However,there is still intensive debate as to the frequency dependence of the population of low-frequency excess vibrations.In particular,excess modes could hybridize with phonon-like modes and the density of hybridized excess modes has been reported to follow D_(exc)(ω)~ω^(2)in 2D glasses with an inverse power law potential.Yet,the universality of the quadratic scaling remains unknown,since recent work suggested that interaction potentials could influence the scaling of the vibrational spectrum.Here,we extend the universality of the quadratic scaling for hybridized excess modes in 2D to glasses with potentials ranging from the purely repulsive soft-core interaction to the hard-core one with both repulsion and attraction as well as to glasses with significant differences in density or interparticle repulsion.Moreover,we observe that the number of hybridized excess modes exhibits a decrease in glasses with higher density or steeper interparticle repulsion,which is accompanied by a suppression of the strength of the sound attenuation.Our results indicate that the density bears some resemblance to the repulsive steepness of the interaction in influencing low-frequency properties.