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.

Flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor based on a graphene-carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane composite

Flexible sensors are used widely in wearable devices, specifically flexible piezoresistive sensors, which are common and easy to manipulate.However, fabricating such sensors is expensive and complex, so proposed here is a simple fabrication approach involving a sensor containing microstructures replicated from a sandpaper template onto which polydimethylsiloxane containing a mixture of graphene and carbon nanotubes is spin coated. The surface morphologies of three versions of the sensor made using different grades of sandpaper are observed, and the corresponding pressure sensitivities and linearity and hysteresis characteristics are assessed and analyzed. The results show that the sensor made using 80-mesh sandpaper has the best sensing performance. Its sensitivity is 0.341 kPa-1in the loading range of 0–1.6 kPa, it responds to small external loading of 100 Pa with a resistance change of 10%, its loading and unloading response times are 0.126 and 0.2 s, respectively,and its hysteresis characteristic is ~7%, indicating that the sensor has high sensitivity, fast response, and good stability. Thus, the presented piezoresistive sensor is promising for practical applications in flexible wearable electronics.

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.

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.

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.

Flexible Polydimethylsiloxane Composite with Multi-Scale Conductive Network for Ultra-Strong Electromagnetic Interference Protection

Highly conductive polymer composites(CPCs) with excellent mechanical flexibility are ideal materials for designing excellent electromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding materials,which can be used for the electromagnetic interference protection of flexible electronic devices.It is extremely urgent to fabricate ultra-strong EMI shielding CPCs with efficient conductive networks.In this paper,a novel silver-plated polylactide short fiber(Ag@PL ASF,AAF) was fabricated and was integrated with carbon nanotubes(CNT) to construct a multi-scale conductive network in polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) matrix.The multi-scale conductive network endowed the flexible PDMS/AAF/CNT composite with excellent electrical conductivity of 440 S m-1and ultra-strong EMI shielding effectiveness(EMI SE) of up to 113 dB,containing only 5.0 vol% of AAF and 3.0 vol% of CNT(11.1wt% conductive filler content).Due to its excellent flexibility,the composite still showed 94% and 90% retention rates of EMI SE even after subjected to a simulated aging strategy(60℃ for 7 days) and 10,000 bending-releasing cycles.This strategy provides an important guidance for designing excellent EMI shielding materials to protect the workspace,environment and sensitive circuits against radiation for flexible electronic devices.

The Critical Role of Fillers in Composite Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Battery

With excellent energy densities and highly safe performance,solidstate lithium batteries(SSLBs)have been hailed as promising energy storage devices.Solid-state electrolyte is the core component of SSLBs and plays an essential role in the safety and electrochemical performance of the cells.Composite polymer electrolytes(CPEs)are considered as one of the most promising candidates among all solid-state electrolytes due to their excellent comprehensive performance.In this review,we briefly introduce the components of CPEs,such as the polymer matrix and the species of fillers,as well as the integration of fillers in the polymers.In particular,we focus on the two major obstacles that affect the development of CPEs:the low ionic conductivity of the electrolyte and high interfacial impedance.We provide insight into the factors influencing ionic conductivity,in terms of macroscopic and microscopic aspects,including the aggregated structure of the polymer,ion migration rate and carrier concentration.In addition,we also discuss the electrode-electrolyte interface and summarize methods for improving this interface.It is expected that this review will provide feasible solutions for modifying CPEs through further understanding of the ion conduction mechanism in CPEs and for improving the compatibility of the electrode-electrolyte interface.

Measurement Module for Young for Thermal Insulation Composite Polymeric

To analyze the feasibility of application of composite material as the insulating material, it is necessary to have knowledge of some of its mechanical properties. An insulating material may suffer from the most different efforts, but the major applications suggest mechanical bending and compression tests because the insulation can be applied on roofs of homes, liners similar to, in the form of plates. Thus, the product is continually flexed. When the material is used on a floor, it suffers constant compressions over its use. For tests performed in this study, we used the ASTM D695-96 for compression, an example of literature. Using such a standard test, specimens were produced for compression test, with specimens made of cylindrical shapes, respecting the condition that the height of the specimen corresponds to twice the diameter of the base. Polyurethane castor without charge vermiculite and mass loads of 10%, 15% and 20% matrix： four specimens for each type of material were produced. The composites were tested in a universal testing machine at a speed of 2 mm/s. The results are average values of four test samples, and initially show the behavior of castor oil polyurethane during the compression test, which is detailed in the stress versus strain curve. The achieved results are promising, and detailed in this paper.

Optimized CeO_(2) Nanowires with Rich Surface Oxygen Vacancies Enable Fast Li-Ion Conduction in Composite Polymer Electrolytes

Low-cost and flexible solid polymer electrolytes are promising in all-solid-state Li-metal batteries with high energy density and safety.However,both the low room-temperature ionic conductivities and the small Li^(+)transference number of these electrolytes significantly increase the internal resistance and overpotential of the battery.Here,we introduce Gd-doped CeO_(2) nanowires with large surface area and rich surface oxygen vacancies to the polymer electrolyte to increase the interaction between Gd-doped CeO_(2) nanowires and polymer electrolytes,which promotes the Li-salt dissociation and increases the concentration of mobile Li ions in the composite polymer electrolytes.The optimized composite polymer electrolyte has a high Li-ion conductivity of 5×10^(-4)4 S cm^(-1) at 30℃ and a large Li+transference number of 0.47.Moreover,the composite polymer electrolytes have excellent compatibility with the metallic lithium anode and high-voltage LiNi_(0.8)Mn _(0.1)Co_(0.1)O_(2)(NMC)cathode,providing the stable cycling of all-solid-state batteries at high current densities.

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.

Ultrathin poly(cyclocarbonate-ether)-based composite electrolyte reinforced with high-strength functional skeleton

Composite polymer electrolytes(CPEs)are considered to be the most promising to break through the performance and safety limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries because of their excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties.Aiming at the performance limitations of the most common polyether matrix such as poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO),a novel poly(cyclocarbonate-ether)polymer matrix was prepared by in-situ thermal curing,the weaker interaction between its C=O bond and Li^(+)can promote the rapid transport of Li^(+).Adding ionic liquid and active filler LLZTO to the matrix can synergistically reduce the crystallinity of matrix and promote the dissociation of lithium salts.In addition,a 3D functional skeleton made of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)and lithium fluoride(LiF)can greatly improve the mechanical strength of polymer matrix after cold pressing,and Li F is also conducive to interface stability.The thickness of the optimal sample(VP6L/CPL)was only 25μm,and its ionic conductivity,lithium ion transference number,and electrochemical stability window were as high as 7.17×10^(-4)S cm^(-1)(25℃),0.54 and 5.4 V,respectively,while the mechanical strength reaches 6.1 MPa,which can fully inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites.The excellent electrochemical performance and mechanical strength enable the assembled Li|VP6L/CPL|Li battery to be continuously charged for over 200 h and cycled stably for more than 2300 h,and Li|VP6L/CPL|LFP battery can be stably cycled for more than 400 and 550 cycles at 1 C(40℃)and 0.5 C(25℃),respectively.

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.

Shape Memory Polymer Composite Booms with Applications in Reel-Type Solar Arrays

Solar arrays are the primary energy source for spacecraft.Although traditional rigid solar arrays improve power supply,the quality increases proportionally.Hence,it is difficult to satisfy the requirements of high-power and low-cost space applications.In this study,a shape-memory polymer composite(SMPC)boom was designed,fabricated,and characterized for flexible reel-type solar arrays.The SMPC boom was fabricated from a smart material,a shape-memory polymer composite,whose mechanical properties were tested.Additionally,a mathematical model of the bending stiffness of the SMPC boom was developed,and the bending and buckling behaviors of the boom were further analyzed using the ABAQUS software.An SMPC boom was fabricated to demonstrate its shape memory characteristics,and the driving force of the booms with varying geometric parameters was investigated.We also designed and manufactured a reel-type solar array based on an SMPC boom and verified its self-deployment capability.The results indicated that the SMPC boom can be used as a deployable unit to roll out flexible solar arrays.

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.

A Decisive Study on Dielectric Response of Bi2O3/Polystyrene &Bi2O3/PVDF Composite as Flexible Electrodes for Energy Storage

In this manuscript a comparative study on Bi2O3/polystyrene and Bi2O3/PVDF composites has been executed via analysis of structural, bonding, surface morphology and dielectric response of composites for energy storage. The composites have been synthesized using solution cast method by varying concentrations of Bi2O3 (BO = 1 - 5 mw%) into polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymers respectively. X-ray diffraction confirms the generation of crystallinity, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirms bonding behavior and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms uniform distribution of Bi2O3 (BO) in PS and PVDF polymers. Impedance spectroscopy has been employed for determination of dielectric response of the fabricated composites. The dielectric constant has been found to be increased as 1.4 times of pristine PS to BO5%PS95% composites and 1.8 times of pristine PVDF to BO5%PVDF95% composites respectively. These high dielectric composite electrodes are useful for flexible energy storage devices.

Analysis of Vibrations of Roller of the Polymer Composite Coating Equipment on Stitches of Tarpaulin Materials

The article presents a structural diagram and the principle of operation of the installation of a sewing machine for applying a polymer composition to the stitch lines of tarpaulin materials. The calculation schemes and the mathematical model of oscillations of the axis of the composite roller during the application of the polymer composition along the lines of tarpaulin materials are presented. Based on the numerical solution of the problem, the regularities of roller oscillations are presented. The main parameters of the system are substantiated.

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.