Gypsum-based Silica Gel Humidity-controlling Composite Materials:Preparation,Characterization,and Performance

Gypsum was used as substrate,and silica gel was mixed into substrate at a certain mass ratio to prepare humidity-controlling composites;moreover,the moisture absorption and desorption properties of gypsum-based composites were compared with adding different silica gel particle size and proportion.The morphological characteristics,the isothermal equilibrium moisture content curve,moisture absorption and desorption rate,moisture absorption and desorption stability,and humidity-conditioning performance were tested and analyzed.The experimental results show that,compared with pure-gypsum,the surface structure of the gypsum-based composites is relatively loose,the quantity,density and aperture of the pores in the structure increase.The absorption and desorption capacity increase along with the increase of silica gel particle size and silica gel proportion.When 3 mm silica gel particle size is added with a mass ratio of 40%,the maximum equilibrium moisture content of humidity-controlling composites is 0.161 g/g at 98% relative humidity(RH),3.22 times that of pure-gypsum.The moisture absorption and desorption rates are increased,the equilibrium moisture absorption and desorption rates are 2.68 times and 1.61 times that of pure-gypsum at 58.5% RH,respectively.The gypsum-based composites have a good stability,which has better timely response to dynamic humidity changes and can effectively regulate indoor humidity under natural conditions.

The Evaluation of the Dietary Habits Influence on the Microhardness of Gingiva-Coloured Composite and Acrylic Denture Base Materials

Purpose: The study investigated the impact of dietary habits, specifically soda, milk kefir, water kefir, almond milk, and distilled water (control) consumption, on the microhardness of gingiva-coloured composite and acrylic denture bases. Methods: Materials included gingiva-coloured composite (Fusion Universal G1), acrylic (Imicryl), and subdivided Procryla group. Subgroups comprised 15 and 30-minute heat polymerized (Pro15, Pro30), and 1 wt% (Pro1Z) and 3 wt% (Pro3Z) zirconium added groups. Immersed in beverages for 1, 7, and 14 days, pH and microhardness were assessed. SEM examined random samples. Statistical analysis used repeated measures ANOVA, and post hoc tests (p Results: The gingiva-coloured composites displayed noteworthy time-associated microhardness changes (p 0.05). Despite variable pH levels in beverages, no substantial group interaction effects were observed (p > 0.05). Initial microhardness rankings shifted after a 14-day immersion. Conclusions: Gingiva-coloured composite exhibited the highest microhardness pre- and post-immersion, followed by Procryla30 and Imicryl groups. .

Effect of the Retarder on Initial Hydration and Mechanical Properties of the"one-step"Alkaliactivated Composite Cementitious Materials

This paper studied the effects of different retarders on the performance of the"one-step"alkali-activated composite cementitious material(ACCM)which is composed of ground granulated blast slag(GGBS)and fly ash(FA),and analyzed its mechanical properties,hydration mechanism,and retardation mechanism.The effects of retarders on the hydration products,mechanical properties,and hydration kinetics of ACCM were investigated using XRD,SEM,FTIR,EDS,and thermoactive microcalorimetry.The results showed that Na_(2)B_(4)O_(7)·10H_(2)O(B)delayed the exotherm during the alkali activation process and could effectively delay the setting time of ACCM,but the mechanical properties were slightly decreased.The setting time of ACCM increased with the increase in SG content,but the mechanical properties of ACCM decreased with the increase in SG content.C1_(2)H_(22)O_(11)(CHO)could effectively delay the hydration reaction of ACCM and weakly enhanced the compressive strength.H_(3)PO_(4)(HP)at a concentration of 0.05 mol/L had a certain effect on ACCM retardation,but HP at a concentration of 0.07 and 0.09 mol/L had an effect of promoting the setting and hardening time of ACCM.

Physical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Composite Materials Based on Raw Earth and Crushed Palm Leaf Fibers (Borassus aethiopum)

The objective of this study is to seek solutions to reduce the impact of buildings on climate change and to promote the use of local bio-sourced or geo-sourced materials for sustainable construction. Different samples of raw earth from 3 sites were taken in the commune of Mlomp. Geotechnical tests showed that the raw earth samples from sites 2 and 3 have more clay fraction while site 1 contains more sand. The fact of integrating fibers from crushed palm leaves (Borassus aethiopum) (2%, 4% and 6%) into the 3 raw earth samples reduced the mechanical resistance to compression and traction of the 3 raw earths. The experimental results of thermal tests on samples of earth mixtures with crushed Palma leaf fibers show a decrease in thermal conductivity as well as thermal effusivity as the percentages increase (2%, 4% and 6%) of fibers in raw earth for the 3 sites. This shows that this renewable composite material can help improve the thermal insulation of building envelopes.

Progress on the application of graphene-based composites toward energetic materials:A review

Carbon material is an important additive in energetic materials.Graphene is a monolayer carbon material in which carbon atoms are arranged in two-dimensional honeycomb structure,who has special optical,electrical,and mechanical properties.Recently,the application of graphene-based composites in energetic materials has received extensive attention.This review mainly summarizes the applications of graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials in energetic materials.The effects of these materials on the thermal stability,sensitivity,mechanical property,ignition and combustion of energetic materials were discussed.Furthermore,the progress of functionalized modification of graphene has been summarized,including covalent bonding modification and doping modification.These studies show that graphenebased materials exhibit excellent performances and might emerge as promising candidate for energetic materials.

Numerical study of directional heat transfer in composite materials via controllable carbon fiber distribution

Carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 12(CF/PA12),a new material renowned for its excellent mechanical and thermal properties,has drawn significant industry attention.Using the steady-state research to heat transfer,a series of simulations to investigate the heat transfer properties of CF/PA12 were conducted in this study.Firstly,by building two-and three-dimensional models,the effects of the porosity,carbon fiber content,and arrangement on the heat transfer of CF/PA12 were examined.A validation of the simulation model was carried out and the findings were consistent with those of the experiment.Then,the simulation results using the above models showed that within the volume fraction from 0% to 28%,the thermal conductivity of CF/PA12 increased greatly from 0.0242 W/(m·K)to 10.8848 W/(m·K).The increasing porosity had little influence on heat transfer characteristic of CF/PA12.The direction of the carbon fiber arrangement affects the heat transfer impact,and optimal outcomes were achieved when the heat flow direction was parallel to the carbon fiber.This research contributes to improving the production methods and broadening the application scenarios of composite materials.

Exploration on the Optimization Strategy for the Layup of Composite Material Pressure Vessels Based on Advanced Algorithms

This study aims to explore the influence of the laying angle on the pressure shell structure made of composite materials under the condition of a fixed shape. By using a composite material composed of a mixture of T800 carbon fiber and AG80 epoxy resin to design pressure vessels, this material combination can significantly improve the interlaminar shear strength and heat resistance. The article elaborates on the basic concepts and failure criteria of composite materials, such as the maximum stress criterion, the maximum strain criterion, the Tsai-Hill criterion, etc. With the help of the APDL parametric modeling language, the arc-shaped, parabolic, elliptical, and fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel models are accurately constructed, and the material property settings and mesh division are completed. Subsequently, APDL is used for static analysis, and the genetic algorithm toolbox built into Matlab is combined to carry out optimization calculations to determine the optimal laying angle. The research results show that the equivalent stress corresponding to the optimal laying angle of the arc-shaped pressure vessel is 5.3685e+08 Pa, the elliptical one is 5.1969e+08 Pa, the parabolic one is 5.8692e+08 Pa, and the fitting curve-shaped one is 5.36862e+08 Pa. Among them, the stress distribution of the fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel is relatively more uniform, with a deformation of 0.568E−03 m, a minimum equivalent stress value of 0.261E+09 Pa, a maximum equivalent stress value of 0.537E+09 Pa, and a ratio of 0.48, which conforms to the equivalent stress criterion. In addition, the fitting curve of this model can adapt to various models and has higher practical value. However, the stress distribution of the elliptical and parabolic pressure vessels is uneven, and their applicability is poor. In the future, further exploration can be conducted on the application of the fitting curve model in composite materials to optimize the design of pressure vessels. This study provides important theoretical support and practical guidance for the design of composite material pressure vessels.

TiO2-PES Fibrous Composite Material for Ammonia Removal Using UV-A Photocatalyst

This study focused on the development and characterization of TiO2-PES composite fibers with varying TiO2 loading amounts using a phase inversion process. The resulting composite fibers exhibited a sponge-like structure with embedded TiO2 nanoparticles within a polymer matrix. Their photocatalytic performance for ammonia removal from aqueous solutions under UV-A light exposure was thoroughly investigated. The findings revealed that PeTi8 composite fibers displayed superior adsorption capacity compared to other samples. Moreover, the study explored the impact of pH, light intensity, and catalyst dosage on the photocatalytic degradation of ammonia. Adsorption equilibrium isotherms closely followed the Langmuir model, with the results indicating a correlation between qm values of 2.49 mg/g and the porous structure of the adsorbents. The research underscored the efficacy of TiO2 composite fibers in the photocatalytic removal of aqueous under UV-A light. Notably, increasing the distance between the photocatalyst and the light source resulted in de-creased hydroxyl radical concentration, influencing photocatalytic efficiency. These findings contribute to our understanding of TiO2 composite fibers as promising photocatalysts for ammonia removal in water treatment applications.

Research Progress of Carbon-Silicone Composite Materials

Silicone is a kind of polymer material with high cross-linked structure,which is com-posed by Si-O-Si main chain.Due to the special molecular chain structure,silicone mate-rials are characterized by oxidation resistance,aging resistance,high and low temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance.Moreover,silicone materials have process-able properties,simple forming process,good mechanical property,non-toxic and pollution-free.Therefore,silicone has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad.In this paper,the main research progress and application directions of carbon-silicone composite at home and abroad in recent years are reviewed.

Multi-scale design of silicon/carbon composite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries:A review

Silicon/carbon composites,which integrate the high lithium storage performance of silicon with the exceptional mechanical strength and conductivity of carbon,will replace the traditional graphite electrodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries.Various strategies have been designed to synthesize silicon/carbon composites for tackling the issues of anode pulverization and poor stability in the anodes,thereby improving the lithium storage ability.The effect of the regulation method at each scale on the final negative electrode performance remains unclear.However,it has not been fully clarified how the regulation methods at each scale influence the final anode performance.This review will categorize the materials structure into three scales:molecular scale,nanoscale,and microscale.First,the review will examine modification methods at the molecular scale,focusing on the interfacial bonding force between silicon and carbon.Next,it will summarize various nanostructures and special shapes in the nanoscale to explore the construction of silicon/carbon composites.Lastly,the review will provide an analysis of microscale control approaches,focusing on the formation of composite particle with micron size and the utilization of micro-Si.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the multi-scale design of silicon/carbon composite anode materials and their optimization strategies to enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Copper-Free Resin-Based Braking Materials:A New Approach for Substituting Copper with Fly-Ash Cenospheres in Composites

Copper particles emitted from braking have become a significant source of environmental pollution.However,copper plays a crucial role in resin-based braking materials.Developing high-performance braking materials without copper has become a significant challenge.In this paper,the resin-based braking materials were filled with flyash cenospheres to develop copper-free braking materials.The effects of fly-ash cenospheres on the physical properties,mechanical and friction and wear properties of braking materials were studied.Furthermore,the wear mechanism of copper-free resin-based braking materials filled with fly-ash cenospheres was discussed.The results indicate that the inclusion of fly-ash cenospheres in the braking materials improved their thermal stability,hardness and impact strength,reduced their density,effectively increased the friction coefficient at medium and high temperatures,and enhanced the heat-fade resistance of the braking materials.The inclusion of fly-ash cenospheres contributed to the formation of surface friction film during the friction process of the braking materials,and facilitated the transition of form from abrasive wear to adhesive wear.At 100-350℃,the friction coefficient of the optimal formulation is in the range of 0.57-0.61,and the wear rate is in the range(0.29-0.65)×10^(-7) cm^(3)·N^(-1)·m^(-1),demonstrating excellent resistance to heat-fade and stability in friction coefficient.This research proposes the use of fly-ash cenospheres as a substitute for environmentally harmful and expensive copper in brake materials,which not only improves the performance of braking materials but also reduces their costs.

Fabrication and Excellent Properties of Polyvinylidene fluoride/Graphene Composite Films as Thermal Interface Materials

The growing concern about thermal conductivityand electromagnetic shielding inelectronic equipment has promoted the development of interfacial film materials.In this work,polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)/graphene composite films with different graphene contents were fabricated by high-energy ball milling,cold isostatic pressing,scraping and coating,successively.High-energy ball milling is beneficial to the dispersion of graphene powder,while cold isostatic pressing can greatly enhance thermal conductivity and mechanical strength by reducing the voids in the film and increasing the contact area of graphene sheets.The thermal conductivity,tensile strength and electromagnetic shielding properties of the films were carefully investigated and compared.It was demonstrated that the thermal conductivity increased from 0.19 Wm-1.K-1 for pure PVDF to 103.9 W-m-1.K-1 for the composite film with PVDF:graphene=1:3.Meanwhile the electromagnetic shielding efficiency can reach 36.55 dB.The prepared PVDF/graphene composite films exhibit outstanding overall performance and have the potential for practical applications.

Research Progress on the Preparation of Inorganic/Natural Materials Composite Microspheres

Microspheres are a new type of drug carrier with great potential for development and application.Natural polymers have good biocompatibility,biodegradability,and are easily dispersed in living organisms,making them suitable for preparing microspheres.Inorganic materials(mainly inorganic minerals)have excellent mechanical properties and are inexpensive and easy to obtain.Through the coupling and hybridization of natural polymers and inorganic materials,they can complement each other's advantages and synergistically enhance efficiency,resulting in many excellent physical and chemical properties.Inorganic materials/natural polymer composite microspheres can be prepared by modifying natural polymers with inorganic materials through various methods such as emulsification crosslinking,solution mixing,in-situ synthesis,extrusion,etc.The application of inorganic materials/natural polymer composite microspheres in drug delivery systems has significant sustained-release effects,is safe and non-toxic,and the cost of carrier materials is relatively low,which has certain significance for the development of new drug carriers.This article reviews the recent research on the preparation,drug loading and release properties of inorganic material/natural polymer composite microspheres,analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used preparation methods,and looks forward to the development direction of composite microspheres.

Enhanced properties of stone coal-based composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials (PCMs) can be incorporated with low-cost minerals to synthesize composites for thermal energy storage in building applications.Stone coal (SC) after vanadium extraction treatment shows potential for secondary utilization in composite preparation.We prepared SC-based composite PCMs with SC as a matrix,stearic acid (SA) as a PCM,and expanded graphite (EG) as an additive.The combined roasting and acid leaching treatment of raw SC was conducted to understand the effect of vanadium extraction on promoting loading capacity.Results showed that the combined treatment of roasting at 900℃ and leaching increased the SC loading of the composite by 6.2%by improving the specific surface area.The loading capacity and thermal conductivity of the composite obviously increased by 127%and 48.19%,respectively,due to the contribution of 3wt% EG.These data were supported by the high load of 66.69%and thermal conductivity of 0.59 W·m^(-1)·K-1of the designed composite.The obtained composite exhibited a phase change temperature of 52.17℃,melting latent heat of 121.5 J·g^(-1),and good chemical compatibility.The SC-based composite has prospects in building applications exploiting the secondary utilization of minerals.

Sustainable Biocomposites Materials for Automotive Brake Pad Application:An Overview

Research into converting waste into viable eco-friendly products has gained global concern.Using natural fibres and pulverized metallic waste becomes necessary to reduce noxious environmental emissions due to indiscriminately occupying the land.This study reviews the literature in the broad area of green composites in search of materials that can be used in automotive brake pads.Materials made by biocomposite,rather than fossil fuels,will be favoured.A database containing the tribo-mechanical performance of numerous potential components for the future green composite was established using the technical details of bio-polymers and natural reinforcements.The development of materials with diverse compositions and varying proportions is now conceivable,and these materials can be permanently connected in fully regulated processes.This explanation demonstrates that all of these variables affect friction coefficient,resistance to wear from friction and high temperatures,and the operating life of brake pads to varying degrees.In this study,renewable materials for the matrix and reinforcement are screened to determine which have sufficient strength,coefficient of friction,wear resistance properties,and reasonable costs,making them a feasible option for a green composite.The most significant,intriguing,and unusual materials used in manufacturing brake pads are gathered in this review,which also analyzes how they affect the tribological characteristics of the pads.

Physical and Chemical Properties of Horns Sheaths Particles for the Manufacture of Composite Materials

Salvaged cow horns from slaughterhouses have been transformed into fine particles for a physical characterization that has led us to determine the humidity rate (2.34% ± 0.054%), the actual density situated between 0.586 g/cm3 and 0.732 g/cm3, the swelling rate (12%), and one chemical characterization that permitted us to determine the rate of dry matters (97.05%), of mineral matters (2.5%), of protein matters (94.52%). From these weak values, it can easily be seen that cow horn case doesn’t absorb much water and improve the mechanical characteristics of the composite;the high rate of protein shows that keratin which is the structural molecule favors its gripping as reinforcing element in the manufacturing of composite materials.

Performance of Thermal Insulation of Different Composite Walls and Roofs Materials Used for Energy Efficient Building Construction in Iraq

This study numerically involves the performance of thermal insulation of different types of composite walls and roofs to demonstrate the best model that can be used for energy-efficient building construction in Iraq.The mathematical model is solved by building its code using the Transmission Matrix Method in MATLAB software.The weather data of 21st July 2022 in Baghdad City/Iraq is selected as a test day.The wall types are selected:the first type consists of cement mortar,brick,and gypsum,the second type consists of cement mortar,brick,gypsum,and plaster and the third type consists of cement mortar,brick,gypsum,air cavity,and sheathing timber.The roof types are chosen:the first type consists of reinforced concrete,gypsum,and plaster,and the second type consists of the precast concrete flag,river sand,tar,reinforced concrete,gypsum,and plaster.The obtained solutions are compared with previous studies for the same city but with different types of walls and roofs.The findings display that the second and third types of walls reduce the entry heat flux by 4%and 10%as compared to the first type of wall.Also,the results indicate that the second type of roof reduces the entry heat flux by 21%as compared to the first type of roof.The results confirm that the best models of walls and roofs in Iraq are the third and second types,respectively,as compared to other models and hence,the performance of insulation material strongly depends on the materials used while building them.

Wear behavior of SiC/PyC composite materials prepared by electromagnetic-field-assisted CVI

Silicon carbide/pyrolytic carbon (SiC/PyC) composite materials with excellent performance of self-lubrication and wear resistance were prepared on SiC substrates by electromagnetic-field-assisted chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). The composition and microstructure of the SiC/PyC materials were investigated in detail by XRD, SEM and EDS, etc. The effects of the deposition temperature on the section features and wear resistance of the SiC/PyC were studied. The results show that the PyC layers were deposited onto SiC substrates spontaneously at a lower deposition temperature. The SiC substrates deposited with PyC can significantly reduce the wear rate of the self-dual composite materials under dry sliding condition. The wear tests suggest that the SiC/PyC composite materials own a better wear resistance property when the deposition temperature is 800 °C, and the wear rate is about 64.6% of that without the deposition of PyC.

Electrochemical performance of LiFePO_(4)-Li_(3)V_(2)(PO_4)_3 composite material prepared by solid-hydrothermal method

LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3 composites were synthesized by solid-hydrothermal method and by ball milling,respectively.The electrochemical performance of the solid-hydrothermally obtained materials（C-LFVP） was significantly improved compared with LiFePO4（LFP） and Li3V2（PO4）3（LVP）,and it was also much better than that of the ball-milled LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3（P-LFVP）.C-LFVP and P-LFVP both had four REDOX peaks（voltage plateaus）,which coincided with that of LFP and LVP.Some new trace substances were found in C-LFVP which had more perfect morphology,this was responsible for the better electrochemical performance of C-LFVP than P-LFVP.

STUDY OF THE PERFORMANCE ON THE WEAR AND FRICTION OF THE C/Cu COMPOSITE MATERIAL

The friction and wear properties of the C/Cu composite material were investigated. The experiments were conducted on a block on ring type friction machine. It has been found that the friction coefficient and the wear rate of the composite material increase slowly as the pressure is increased in a mild wear state. Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe X ray micro analyzer observations indicate that the low values of μ and W L are due to the formation of a film that impedes adhesion and confers some degree of self lubrication.