Supposition of graphene stacks to estimate the contact resistance and conductivity of nanocomposites

In this study,the effects of stacked nanosheets and the surrounding interphase zone on the resistance of the contact region between nanosheets and the tunneling conductivity of samples are evaluated with developed equations superior to those previously reported.The contact resistance and nanocomposite conductivity are modeled by several influencing factors,including stack properties,interphase depth,tunneling size,and contact diameter.The developed model's accuracy is verified through numerous experimental measurements.To further validate the models and establish correlations between parameters,the effects of all the variables on contact resistance and nanocomposite conductivity are analyzed.Notably,the contact resistance is primarily dependent on the polymer tunnel resistivity,contact area,and tunneling size.The dimensions of the graphene nanosheets significantly influence the conductivity,which ranges from 0 S/m to90 S/m.An increased number of nanosheets in stacks and a larger gap between them enhance the nanocomposite's conductivity.Furthermore,the thicker interphase and smaller tunneling size can lead to higher sample conductivity due to their optimistic effects on the percolation threshold and network efficacy.

Highly Elastic,Bioresorbable Polymeric Materials for Stretchable,Transient Electronic Systems

Substrates or encapsulants in soft and stretchable formats are key components for transient,bioresorbable electronic systems;however,elastomeric polymers with desired mechanical and biochemical properties are very limited compared to nontransient counterparts.Here,we introduce a bioresorbable elastomer,poly(glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone)(PGCL),that contains excellent material properties including high elongation-at-break(<1300%),resilience and toughness,and tunable dissolution behaviors.Exploitation of PGCLs as polymer matrices,in combination with conducing polymers,yields stretchable,conductive composites for degradable interconnects,sensors,and actuators,which can reliably function under external strains.Integration of device components with wireless modules demonstrates elastic,transient electronic suture system with on-demand drug delivery for rapid recovery of postsurgical wounds in soft,time-dynamic tissues.

A co-training style semi-supervised artificial neural network modeling and its application in thermal conductivity prediction of polymeric composites filled with BN sheets

Predicting the thermal conductivity of polymeric composites filled with BN sheets is helpful for fabricating ther-mal management material.In this study,a co-training style semi-supervised artificial neural network model(Co-ANN)was proposed to take advantage of unlabeled data to refine the prediction.The thermal conductivity of polymer matrix,the diameter,aspect ratio,and volume fraction of the BN sheets are considered as the input variables of the thermal conduction model.Two artificial neural network(ANN)learners with different archi-tecture will label the unlabeled examples.Through estimating the labeling confidence from the mathematical influence and thermal conductive behavior,the most confidently labeled example will be used to augment the training dataset.The lower limit of the labeling confidence is introduced to reduce the data noise.After learn-ing the augmented training information,a combination of two ANN regressors will construct the final Co-ANN thermal conduction model.Compared to other models,the newly developed Co-ANN thermal conduction model remarkably improves the thermal conductivity prediction and exhibits the best accuracy and generalization per-formance.The proposed method shows a vast potential in thermal conductive material design.

Inherent relationship between process parameters,crystallization and mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites

High-performance thermoplastic composites have been developed as significant structural materials for cutting-edge equipment in the aerospace and defence fields.However,the internal mechanism of processing parameters on mechanical properties in the manufacturing process of thermoplastic composite structures is still a serious challenge.The purpose of this study is to investigate the process/crystallization/property relationships for continuous carbon fiber(CF)reinforced polyether-ether-ketone(PEEK)composites.The composite laminates are fabricated according to orthogonal experiments via the thermoforming method.The mechanical performance is investigated in terms of crystallization properties and fracture morphology characterizations.Experimental results show that the mechanical performance and crystallization properties of thermoplastic composites are significantly affected by the coupling of processing parameters.The increased molding temperature,pressure,and holding time improve the degree of fiber/matrix infiltration and affect the crystallinity and crystalline morphology of the matrix,which further influences the mechanical properties of the composites.This is reflected in the test results that crystallinity has an approximately linear effect on mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness and transverse flexural modulus.As well as the higher molding temperature can destroy the pre-existent crystals to improve the toughness of the matrix,and the well-defined crystalline structures can be observed when fabricated at higher temperatures and longer periods of holding time.

Multifunctional characteristics of 3D printed polymer nanocomposites under monotonic and cyclic compression

This study presents the multifunctional characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotube(MWCNT)/polypropylene random copolymer(PPR) composites enabled via fused filament fabrication(FFF) under monotonic and quasi-static cyclic compression. Utilizing in-house MWCNT-engineered PPR filament feedstocks, both bulk and cellular composites were realized. The morphological features of nanocomposites were examined via scanning electron microscopy, which reveals that MWCNTs are uniformly dispersed. The uniformly dispersed MWCNTs forms an electrically conductive network within the PPR matrix, and the resulting nanocomposite shows good electrical conductivity(~10^(-1)S/cm), improved mechanical performance(modulus increases by 125% and compressive strength increases by 25% for 8 wt% MWCNT loading) and pronounced piezoresistive response(gauge factor of 27.9-8.5 for bulk samples)under compression. The influence of strain rate on the piezoresistive response of bulk samples(4 wt% of MWCNT) under compression was also measured. Under repeated cyclic compression(2% constant strain amplitude), the nanocomposite exhibited stable piezoresistive performance up to 100 cycles. The piezoresistive response under repeated cyclic loading with increasing strain amplitude of was also assessed.The gauge factor of BCC and FCC cellular composites(4 wt% of MWCNT) with a relative density of 30%was observed to be 46.4 and 30.2 respectively, under compression. The higher sensitivity of the BCC plate-lattice could be attributed to its higher degree of stretching-dominated deformation behavior than the FCC plate-lattice, which exhibits bending-dominated behavior. The 3D printed cellular PPR/MWCNT composites structures were found to show excellent piezoresistive self-sensing characteristics and open new avenues for in situ structural health monitoring in various applications.

A Comparative Investigation of the Biodegradation Behaviour of Linseed Oil-Based Cross-Linked Composites Filled with Industrial Waste Materials in Two Different Soils

The biodegradation of polymeric biocomposites formed from epoxidized linseed oil and various types of fillers(pine needles,pine bark,grain mill waste,rapeseed cake)and a control sample without filler was studied during 180 days of exposure to two types of forest soil:deciduous and coniferous.The weight loss,morphological,and structural changes of polymer composites were noticed after 180 days of the soil burial test.The greatest weight loss of all tested samples was observed in coniferous forest soil(41.8%–63.2%),while in deciduous forest soil,it ranged between 37.7%and 42.3%.The most significant changes in the intensities of the signals evaluated by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy,as well as morphological changes determined by scanning electron microscopy,were assessed for polymer composite with rapeseed cake and specimen without filler in coniferous forest soil and are in a good agreement with weight loss results.Whereas significantly lower changes in weight loss,morphology,and structure of polymeric film with pine bark were noticed in both soils.It was suggested that fungi of Trichoderma,Penicillium,Talaromyces and Clonostachys genera are the possible soil microorganisms that degrade linseed oil-based cross-linked polymer composites.Moreover,the novel polymer composites have the potential to be an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based mulching films.

Wearable and stretchable conductive polymer composites for strain sensors:How to design a superior one?

Wearable and stretchable strain sensors have potential values in the fields of human motion and health monitoring,flexible electronics,and soft robotic skin.The wearable and stretchable strain sensors can be directly attached to human skin,providing visualized detection for human motions and personal healthcare.Conductive polymer composites(CPC)composed of conductive fillers and flexible polymers have the advantages of high stretchability,good flexibility,superior durability,which can be used to prepare flexible strain sensors with large working strain and outstanding sensitivity.This review has put forward a comprehensive summary on the fabrication methods,advanced mechanisms and strain sensing abilities of CPC strain sensors reported in recent years,especially the sensors with superior performance.Finally,the structural design,bionic function,integration technology and further application of CPC strain sensors are prospected.

Influence of Mass Ratio of Resin and Stabilizer on Mechanical Properties of Mo Fiber-reinforced Granite Polymer Composite

Because inferior mechanical strength of granite polymer composite(GPC)has become the main drawback limiting its application and popularization,Mo fibers were added into(GPC)to improve its mechanical strength.Mechanical properties of matrix materials with different mass ratio of resin and stabilizer(MRRS)were investigated systematically.The influences of MRRS on interface bonding strength of Mo fiber-matrix,wettability and mechanical strength of GPC were discussed,respectively,and the theoretical calculation result of MRRS k was obtained,with the optimal value of k=4.When k=4,tensile strength,tensile strain and fracture stress of the cured resin achieve the maximum values.But for k=7,the corresponding values reach the minimum.With the increase of MRRS k,surface free energy of the cured resin first increases and then decreases,while contact angles between Mo sample and matrix have displayed the opposite trend.Wettability of resin to Mo fiber is the best at k=4.Pulling load of Mo fiber and interface bonding strength appear the maximum at k=4,followed by k=5,k=3 the third,and k=7 the minimum.When k=4,mechanical properties of Mo fiber-reinforced GPC are optimal,which is consistent with the result of theoretical calculation.This study is of great significance to get better component formulas of Mo fiber reinforced GPC and to improve its application in machine tools.

Regulatable Orthotropic 3D Hybrid Continuous Carbon Networks for Efficient Bi-Directional Thermal Conduction

Vertically oriented carbon structures constructed from low-dimen-sional carbon materials are ideal frameworks for high-performance thermal inter-face materials(TIMs).However,improving the interfacial heat-transfer efficiency of vertically oriented carbon structures is a challenging task.Herein,an orthotropic three-dimensional(3D)hybrid carbon network(VSCG)is fabricated by depositing vertically aligned carbon nanotubes(VACNTs)on the surface of a horizontally oriented graphene film(HOGF).The interfacial interaction between the VACNTs and HOGF is then optimized through an annealing strategy.After regulating the orientation structure of the VACNTs and filling the VSCG with polydimethylsi-loxane(PDMS),VSCG/PDMS composites with excellent 3D thermal conductive properties are obtained.The highest in-plane and through-plane thermal conduc-tivities of the composites are 113.61 and 24.37 W m^(-1)K^(-1),respectively.The high contact area of HOGF and good compressibility of VACNTs imbue the VSCG/PDMS composite with low thermal resistance.In addition,the interfacial heat-transfer efficiency of VSCG/PDMS composite in the TIM performance was improved by 71.3%compared to that of a state-of-the-art thermal pad.This new structural design can potentially realize high-performance TIMs that meet the need for high thermal conductivity and low contact thermal resistance in interfacial heat-transfer processes.

Influence of UVB-Irradiation on the Structures and Solid Particle Erosion Resistance for CF/PC Composites

The service life and properties of Carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate (CF/PC) composites are seriously affected by ultraviolet radiation from outdoor exposure during aging. In this work, the changes of structure and solid particle erosion resistance for CF/PC composites after ultraviolet irradiation were studied. It was shown that ultraviolet irradiation causes photo-oxygen aging and photo-fries re-arrangement of the composite, and the result was confirmed by FTIR. We correlated the solid particle erosion resistance with aging time, and found that the solid particle erosion resistance of CF/PC composites greatly decreased by UVB irradiation during 15 hours. Furthermore, the eroded material surface was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). It suggests that ultraviolet aging leads to plasticization and degradation, resulting in reduction of erosion resistance of the composite.

A Perspective for Developing Polymer-Based Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Composites

The rapid development of aerospace weapons and equipment,wireless base stations and 5G communication technologies has put forward newer and higher requirements for the comprehensive performances of polymer-based electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding composites.However,most of currently prepared polymer-based EMI shielding composites are still difficult to combine high performance and multi-functionality.In response to this,based on the research works of relevant researchers as well as our research group,three possible directions to break through the above bottlenecks are proposed,including construction of efficient conductive networks,optimization of multi-interfaces for lightweight and multifunction compatibility design.The future development trends in three directions are prospected,and it is hoped to provide certain theoretical basis and technical guidance for the preparation,research and development of polymer-based EMI shielding composites.

Breaking Through Bottlenecks for Thermally Conductive Polymer Composites:A Perspective for Intrinsic Thermal Conductivity,Interfacial Thermal Resistance and Theoretics

Rapid development of energy,electrical and electronic technologies has put forward higher requirements for the thermal conductivities of polymers and their composites.However,the thermal conductivity coefficient(λ)values of prepared thermally conductive polymer composites are still difficult to achieve expectations,which has become the bottleneck in the fields of thermally conductive polymer composites.Aimed at that,based on the accumulation of the previous research works by related researchers and our research group,this paper proposes three possible directions for breaking through the bottlenecks:(1)preparing and synthesizing intrinsically thermally conductive polymers,(2)reducing the interfacial thermal resistance in thermally conductive polymer composites,and(3)establishing suitable thermal conduction models and studying inner thermal conduction mechanism to guide experimental optimization.Also,the future development trends of the three above-mentioned directions are foreseen,hoping to provide certain basis and guidance for the preparation,researches and development of thermally conductive polymers and their composites.

Structural Design Strategies of Polymer Matrix Composites for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding:A Review

With the widespread application of electronic communication technology,the resulting electromagnetic radiation pollution has been significantly increased.Metal matrix electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials have disadvantages such as high density,easy corrosion,difficult processing and high price,etc.Polymer matrix EMI shielding composites possess light weight,corrosion resistance and easy processing.However,the current polymer matrix composites present relatively low electrical conductivity and poor EMI shielding performance.This review firstly discusses the key concept,loss mechanism and test method of EMI shielding.Then the current development status of EMI shielding materials is summarized,and the research progress of polymer matrix EMI shielding composites with different structures is illustrated,especially for their preparation methods and evaluation.Finally,the corresponding key scientific and technical problems are proposed,and their development trend is also prospected.

Thermal conductivity model of filled polymer composites

Theoretical and empirical models for predicting the thermal conductivity of polymer composites were summarized since the 1920s.The effects of particle shape,filler amount,dispersion state of fillers,and interfacial thermal barrier on the thermal conductivity of filled polymer composites were investigated,and the agreement of experimental data with theoretical models in literatures was discussed.Silica with high thermal conductivity was chosen to mix with polyvinyl-acetate （EVA） copolymer to prepare SiO2/EVA co-films.Experimental data of the co-films＇ thermal conductivity were compared with some classical theoretical and empirical models.The results show that Agari＇s model,the mixed model,and the percolation model can predict well the thermal conductivity of SiO2/EVA co-films.

Photoconductive Properties of MEH-PPV/CuS-Nanoparticle Composites

Photoconductive properties of photodiodes based on composites of CuS nanoparticles and Poly[2-methoxy,5- （2＇-ethylhexyloxy）-p-phenylenevlnylene] （MEH-PPV） are investigated. By comparing composite devices with different MEH-PPV：CuS weight ratios of l：l （D2-1）, 1：1.25 （D2-2）, 1：2.5 （132-3） and 1：5 （D2-4）, it is found that the device D2 3 exhibited the best performance： the short-circuit current density of 17μA/cm^2 with the light intensity of 16.7mW/cm^2, the highest open-circuit voltage of 0,83 V, and the photosensitivity of 132 at reverse bias of - 1 V. The photosensitivity is improved by a factor of 5 compared with the undoped MEH-PPV device.

Preliminary Study on Tensile and Impact Properties of Kenaf/Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

The application of natural fibers as reinforcement in composite material has increased due to environmental concerns,low cost,degradability and health concerns.The purpose of this study is to identify the best type of bamboo fibers to be used as reinforcement for kenaf(K)/bamboo hybrid composite.There were three types of bamboo fibers evaluated in this study which include bamboo mat(B),bamboo fabric(BF)and bamboo powder(BP).Chemical composition of B,BF,BP and K fibers were analyzed in this study.The effect of different types of bamboo fibers on tensile,impact,and morphological properties were investigated.The B/epoxy composites displayed the highest tensile strength(53.03 MPa)while K/epoxy composite had the highest tensile modulus(4.71 GPa).Scanning electron micrographs of B/epoxy composites displayed better fiber/matrix interfacial bonding in comparison to other studied composites.Results showed that impact strength of BF-based composite was highest(45.70 J/m).In conclusion,the tensile strength of B/epoxy composite is superior to the other bamboo reinforced composites and will be further evaluated in the next study.

Highly Flexible Fabrics/Epoxy Composites with Hybrid Carbon Nanofillers for Absorption-Dominated Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Epoxy-based nano-composites can be ideal electromagnetic interference(EMI)-shielding materials owing to their lightness,chemical inertness,and mechanical durability.However,poor conductivity and brittleness of the epoxy resin are challenges for fast-growing portable and flexible EMI-shielding applications,such as smart wristband,medical cloth,aerospace,and military equipment.In this study,we explored hybrid nanofillers of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNT)/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)as conductive inks and polyester fabrics(PFs)as a substrate for flexible EMI-shielding composites.The highest electrical conductivity and fracture toughness of the SWCNT/rGO/PF/epoxy composites were 30.2 S m^(−1)and 38.5 MPa m^(1/2),which are~270 and 65%enhancement over those of the composites without SWCNTs,respectively.Excellent mechanical durability was demonstrated by stable electrical conductivity retention during 1000 cycles of bending test.An EMI-shielding effectiveness of~41 dB in the X-band frequency of 8.2-12.4 GHz with a thickness of 0.6 mm was obtained with an EM absorption-dominant behavior over a 0.7 absorption coefficient.These results are attributed to the hierarchical architecture of the macroscale PF skeleton and nanoscale SWCNT/rGO networks,leading to superior EMI-shielding performance.We believe that this approach provides highly flexible and robust EMI-shielding composites for next-generation wearable electronic devices.

Dynamic Mechanical Behavior of a Novel Polymeric Composite Damping Material

The dynamic mechanical behavior of a novel polymeric composite damping material has been investigated in this article. The composite consists of chlorinated polyethylene （CPE）, N,N-dicyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolylsufenamide （DZ）, 4,4＇-thio-bis（3-methyl-6-tert-buthylphenol） （BPSR） and vapor-grown carbon fiber （VGCF）. It is found that either the position or the intensity of damping peak can be controlled by changing the composition of CPE/DZ/BPSR composite. Within a certain composition region, damping peak maximum depends on CPE/DZ ratio, whereas damping peak position is controlled by BPSR content. Moreover, the improvement of storage modulus can be achieved by incorporation of VGCF. These results may imply that a damping material possessing both good damping properties and high strength can be designed and obtained.

Tailoring polymeric composite gel beads-encapsulated microorganism for efficient degradation of phenolic compounds

Phenol and its derivatives are highly toxic pollutants in industrial wastewater for the ecological environments,so there is essential attention to develop effective means of removing these harmful substances from water.In this work,the microorganism was immobilized into polymeric composite gel beads prepared by the effective recombination of natural abundant chitosan(CS)and industrial polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)for treating phenolic compounds.The degradation rate of 99.5%can be achieved to treat 100 mg·L^(1)of phenol at 30℃using the fresh resultant immobilized microorganism,where only 21.1%degradation rate was obtained by the free microorganism under the identical conditions.The recycling experiments of repeated 90 times to treat 100 mg·L^(1)of phenol displayed that the degradation rate of phenol was stable to 99%with the appearance of beads unchanged significantly,indicating the immobilized microorganism possessed excellent operating stability.Moreover,while the phenol derivatives of 100 mg·L^(1)were treated catalytically including pmethylphenol,catechol,and oaminophenol for 24 h by the immobilized microorganism,the degradation rates were all above 95%.The immobilized microorganism into PVACS polymeric composite with excellent operating stability and degradation activity would provide a feasible solution for treating phenolic compounds in water in industrial applications.

A comprehensive review on material selection for polymer matrix composites subjected to impact load

Polymer matrix composites(PMC)are extensively been used in many engineering applications.Various natural fibers have emerged as potential replacements to synthetic fibers as reinforcing materials composites owing to their fairly better mechanical properties,low cost,environment friendliness and biodegradability.Selection of appropriate constituents of composites for a particular application is a tedious task for a designer/engineer.Impact loading has emerged as the serious threat for the composites used in structural or secondary structural application and demands the usage of appropriate fiber and matrix combination to enhance the energy absorption and mitigate the failure.The objective of the present review is to explore the composite with various fiber and matrix combination used for impact applications,identify the gap in the literature and suggest the potential naturally available fiber and matrix combination of composites for future work in the field of impact loading.The novelty of the present study lies in exploring the combination of naturally available fiber and matrix combination which can help in better energy absorption and mitigate the failure when subjected to impact loading.In addition,the application of multi attributes decision making(MADM)tools is demonstrated for selection of fiber and matrix materials which can serve as a benchmark study for the researchers in future.