Polymer/Ceramic Composite Membranes and Their Application in Pervaporation Process

Pervaporation(PV),as an environmental friendly and energy-saving separation technology,has been received increasing attention in recent years.This article reviews the preparation and application of macroporous ceramic-supported polymer composite pervaporation membranes.The separation materials of polymer/ceramic composite membranes presented here include hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) and hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA),chitosan(CS) and polyelectrolytes.The effects of ceramic support treatment,polymer solution properties,interfacial adhesion and incorporating or blending modification on the membrane structure and PV performance are discussed.Two in-situ characterization methods developed for polymer/ceramic composite membranes are also covered in the discussion.The applications of these composite membranes in pervaporation process are summarized as well,which contain the bio-fuels recovery,gasoline desulfuration and PV coupled proc-ess using PDMS/ceramic composite membrane,and dehydration of alcohols and esters using ceramic-supported PVA or PVA-CS composite membrane.Finally,a brief conclusion remark on polymer/ceramic composite mem-branes is given and possible future research is outlined.

Stress-rupture measurements of cast magnesium strengthened by in-situ production of ceramic particles

We have introduced a polymer precursor into molten magnesium and then in-situ pyrolyzed to produce castings of metal matrix composites(P-MMCs)containing silicon-carbonitride(SiCNO)ceramic particles.Stress-rupture measurements of as-cast P-MMCs was performed at 350 ℃(0.69TM)to 450 ℃(0.78TM)under dead load condition corresponding to tensile stress of 2.5 MPa to 20 MPa.The time-to-fracture data were analyzed using the classical Monkman–Grant equation.The time-to-fracture is thermally activated and follows a power-law stress exponent exhibiting dislocation creep.Fractography analysis revealed that while pure magnesium appears to fracture by dislocation slip,the P-MMCs fail from the nucleation and growth of voids at the grain boundaries.

Moisture-proof and Enhanced Effect of Inorganic Coating on Porous Si_3N_4 Ceramic

Inorganic coating was fabricated on the surface of the porous Si3N4 ceramic by polymer derived（PD） and spraying technology, via using vinyl-polysilazane（PSN-1） as a preceramic polymer and Si3N4 and lithium aluminosilicate（LAS） powders as fillers. The phase and microstructure of the coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction（XRD） analysis and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, respectively. The effect of the coatings on mechanical property and humidity resistance of the porous Si3N4 ceramic was investigated. The experimental results showed that we successfully fabricated the uniform and dense coating which preferably combined with the substrate upon the addition of fillers. The bending strength of the porous Si3N4 ceramic sprayed the coating increased by more than 18%, and the surface hardness increased by 1.7 times. The apparent porosity of the materials reduced by an average of 97.7%, and water absorption was below 0.5%. Therefore, the prepared coating with preferable density had an obviously moisture-proof and enhanced effect on the porous Si3N4 ceramic.

Electromagnetic interference shielding properties of polymer derived SiC-Si3N4 composite ceramics

SiC-Si3N4 composite ceramics are successfully fabricated by pyrolysis of ferrocene-modified polycarbosilane(PCS) mixed with inert filler Si3N4 powders, followed by thermal treatment from 1100℃ to 1400℃ in Ar atmosphere. The porosity of SiC-Si3N4 ceramics decreases to 6.4% due to the addition of inert filler Si3N4. And the content and crystallization degree of free carbon and SiC derived from PCS are improved simultaneously with the increase of thermal treatment temperature. Finally, the free carbon and SiC interconnect, forming the conductive network. As a result, the electromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding performance of the as-prepared ceramic annealed at 1400℃ reaches up to 36 d B, meaning more than99.9% of EM energy is shielded. The low porosity and high EMI shielding performance enable SiC-Si3N4 composite ceramics to be a promising electromagnetic shielding and structural material.

Fabrication of BaTiO3/Epoxy Composites Exhibiting Large Dielectric Constant, Low Dielectric Loss and High Flexural Strength

BaTiO3/epoxy composites consisting of two three-dimensionally interpenetrating networks of BaTiO3 and epoxy phases were prepared using a new approach. The BaTiO3/epoxy composites exhibit a colossal dielectric constant, low dielectric loss and high flexural strength. In the BaTiO3 networks, chemically bonded grain boundaries between neighboring BaTiO3 grains were established, and they are responsible for the colossal dielectric constant and high flexural strength of the BaTiO3/epoxy composites. Furthermore, unlike the conventional ceramic/polymer composites, this approach also makes high loadings of BaTiO3 contents possible for the BaTiO3/epoxy composites without compromising their high flexural strength.

Structural evolution of plasma sprayed amorphous Li_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12) electrode and ceramic/polymer composite electrolyte during electrochemical cycle of quasi-solid-state lithium battery

A quasi-solid-state lithium battery is assembled by plasma sprayed amorphous Li_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12) to provide the outstanding electrochemical stability and better normal interface contact.Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM),Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy(STEM),Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM),and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer(EDS)were used to analyze the structural evolution and performance of plasma sprayed amorphous LTO electrode and ceramic/polymer composite electrolyte before and after electrochemical experiments.By comparing the electrochemical performance of the amorphous LTO electrode and the traditional LTO electrode,the electrochemical behavior of different electrodes is studied.The results show that plasma spraying can prepare an amorphous LTO electrode coating of about 8μm.After 200 electrochemical cycles,the structure of the electrode evolved,and the inside of the electrode fractured and cracks expanded,because of recrystallization at the interface between the rich fluorine compounds and the amorphous LTO electrode.Similarly,the ceramic/polymer composite electrolyte has undergone structural evolution after 200 test cycles.The electrochemical cycle results show that the cycle stability,capacity retention rate,coulomb efficiency,and internal impedance of amorphous LTO electrode are better than traditional LTO electrode.This innovative and facile quasi-solid-state strategy is aimed to promote the intrinsic safety and stability of working lithium battery,shedding light on the development of next-generation high-performance solid-state lithium batteries.

Electromagnetic wave absorbing ceramics composites made of polymer-derived SiC with BN@CNTs pyrolyzed higher than 1200℃

Polymer-derived ceramics(PDCs)pyrolyzed at high temperatures are promising electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption materials for aerodynamically heated parts of aircraft under harsh environments.Nev-ertheless,high-temperature pyrolysis results in a significant increase of electrical and dielectric proper-ties of the ceramics,causing extensive reflection of EMW.To address this challenge,boron nitride-coated carbon nanotubes(BN@CNTs)were fabricated and introduced into polymer-derived SiC(PDC-SiC)by py-rolyzing its precursor higher than 1200℃to form SiC-BN@CNT ceramic composites.The fabricated com-posites with 3 wt.%BN@CNTs pyrolyzed at 1200℃have an effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of 4.2 GHz(8.2-12.4 GHz)at a thickness of 3.4 mm and the minimum reflection loss(RL min)of-57.20 dB.The ultra-broad EAB of 12.62 GHz(5.38-18 GHz)is obtained by simulation through periodic structure design-ing.The RL of the metamaterials was also measured using an arch testing method at a frequency range of 2-18 GHz and an EAB of 11.52 GHz(6.48-18 GHz)is obtained.The excellent absorption is attributed to the BN layer that limits the electrical conduction of the ceramic composites while retaining the high loss of CNTs.The introduction of BN@CNTs causes the refinement of SiC grains,which provides plenty of interfaces and enhances the interface polarization loss.This work successfully solves the problem that PDCs pyrolyzed at elevated temperatures cannot be used as EMW absorption materials by applying BN coating on CNTs served as absorbers for PDC-SiC.The results of this work greatly broaden the application scope of the PDC systems for EMW absorption.

Composite materials ferropiezoelectric ceramics-polymer for hydroacoustic receivers

The purpose of this work is to study the processes of interfacial interactions,their influence on the piezoelectric properties in highly elastic composite structures,to establish the patterns that determine the volume-sensitive piezoelectric characteristics of composites and to create effective piezoelectric materials for hydroacoustic receiving devices.In the process of this work,the development of a method for obtaining anisotropic ferropiezoelectric ceramics,the development of methods for the preparation of perfect ceramic powders and composite materials based on thermoplastic fluoropolymers and the study of composite materials based on lead-calcium titanate were carried out.As a result of the study,the dependences of the hydrostatic parameters of the composites on the degree of filling,particle size distribution,piezoelectric anisotropy of the active phase and the elastic properties of the polymer matrix were established.Composite materials were based on ceramics of the PT-CT system and thermoplastic fluoropolymers F-2ME,F-62,F-2N with a degree of filling with a ceramic phase from 30 to 60%vol.The dependences of the hydrostatic piezoelectric moduli gh and dh,and the quality factor gh·dh on the degree of filling of the composite for polymers F-62 and F-2ME with different average sizes of ceramic particles are plotted.It has been established that the maximum values gh=119.1·10^(−3)V·m/N and the quality factor g_(h)·d_(h)=6074·10^(−15)m^(2)/N are achieved for a polymer with a higher elastic compliance(F-62)at a degree of filling of 60%vol.and the use of granular filler.