Analysis of Spectral Signatures of Silicone-Based Sealant Materials Used in Residential and Commercial Buildings

In the construction industry, silicone is primarily used as sealant material to fill gaps and cracks providing water and air-tightness to vertical construction projects reducing energy usage bills and enhancing the integrity of construction materials. This paper reports the results of spectral analysis of commonly used building sealant materials used in residential and commercial buildings. A dozen commercially available silicone-based sealant materials composed of different ingredients representing three manufacturer brands are characterized using Raman and UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopic techniques. The characteristic vibrational fingerprints of the selected sealant materials are summarized, and the Raman and reflectance spectra of the samples are also presented. It is observed that most of the samples appear to have similar vibrational band assignments and reflectance spectra. However, analysis of the Raman spectral positions and the reflectance spectra reveals that there are distinct differences among the sealant materials.

Study on properties of tetrapod-like zinc oxide whisker/silicone rubber foam composites

In this paper, the microcellular silicone rubber foams, strengthened with tetrapod-like Zinc Oxide whisker（T-ZnOw） are prepared. Through further characterization, it can be seen that the average cell diameter size of the filled with T-ZnOw is reduced. The distribution uniformity of microcellulars is improved obviously with increasing T-ZnOw filler. The reason that introduction of T-ZnOw can greatly enhance mechanical properties of the microcellular silicone rubber foams is its good interfacial adhesion with the matrix contributes. It is also found that the reducing effects of T-ZnOw on the compressive stress relaxation ratio of microcellular silicone rubber foams, and the improvement is obvious with increasing T-ZnOw filler.

Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation,High Temperature and Alkaline Chemicals on Ageing of Silicone Sealants Used in Ballastless Track Expansion Joints

Expansion joints silicone sealants used in high speed railway construction suffer from ultraviolet radiation（UV）, high temperature combined with the alkaline environment. To evaluate the durability and analyse the ageing mechanism, six one-component silicone sealants from different companies were selected and subjected to accelerated ageing tests including UV, thermal and alkali ageing treatments. The ageing effects on the performance of the sealants were evaluated via the appearance and the mechanical property changes. The changes in molecular structure were studied by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and thermogravimetry（TG）. This study revealed that different materials displayed different sensibilities to the ageing methods, in which 15 %-20 % decreases of mechanical properties could be observed under UV radiation test, owning the most significant effects. Structure analysis showed that the physical changes of aggregative states were the principal factors to the performance, along with the chemical slight changes. The glossiness dropped significantly in ageing test, which could be used as one of the effective evaluation parameters for ageing conditions in the field.

Synergistic Effects of Gamma Irradiation,Tensile Stress and Moisture on the Radiolysis of Silicone Foam

The present work involves the investigation of the synergistic effects of gamma irradiation,tensile stress and absorbed moisture on the radiolysis behaviors of silicone foams by experiments and theoretical simulations.For both the pristine and dehydrated samples,the permanent tensile set increases with the initial tensile strain.Further analysis uncovers that the dehydrated samples exhibit greater permanent tensile sets,lower further elongation and higher Young’s modulus than the counterparts of the pristine samples with the same initial tensile strain and gamma dose,verifying the vital synergistic effects on crosslinking network and aggregation structures caused by moisture and gamma radiation.The synergistic effects unveiled by reactive molecular dynamics at the atomic scale are due to the moisture-induced neutralization and stabilization of the macromolecular radicals.The steric hindrance of moisture located at the interface of silica and polymer chains also conduces to the observed synergistic effects due to the inhibited crosslinking reactions.

Incorporation of liquid fillers into silicone foams to enhance the electro-mechanical properties

Silicone foams with and without liquid fillers(silicone oils of various types and glycerol,respectively)are synthesized and analyzed to be used as dielectric layers in capacitive sensors.A simple fabrication technique involving only four components i.e.Sylgard 184,glycerol,sodium hydroxide and ethanol is used to make these silicone foams after which they are filled with silicone oil or glycerol by soaking the foam in respective liquid.Mechanical and dielectric properties of the foams are examined.The oil reinforces the foam’s dielectric properties,softens the foam and improves its capacitive response,making it a very good dielectric material for fabricating capacitive pressure sensors.Compared to dry silicone foams,foams filled with-and swollen by-chloropropyl-functional silicone oil,show a low Young’smodulus(31 kPa),a high and stable relative dielectric permittivity of around 5,and a high capacitive response of 132%for an appliedpressureof 12 kPa.Thepresence of oil stabilizes the soft foam and ensures that it does not buckle under high pressure.

Establishment of Constitutive Model of Silicone Rubber Foams Based on Statistical Theory of Rubber Elasticity

In this study, a constitutive model based on microscopic physical mechanism of silicone rubber foams was established. A theoretical statistical model of rubber elasticity considering the effect of dangling chains was modified to build this model. When a strain amplification factor （X） was introduced, the theoretical model could fit the tensile stress-strain data of mono- and bi-modal foam matrix well （Adj. R-Square = 0.9989, 0.9983）. Parameters related to the polymer network, namely, average molecular weight （Me） and volume fraction （Ф） of chain segments between adjacent cross-linking points （network strands）, were calculated by probabilistic method from the number-average molecular weight （Mn）, vinyl content （wvi） of the primary polysiloxanes and percent conversion （q） of vinyl groups. The primary and infinite strain amplification factors （X0, X∞） and decay exponent （z）, introduced by X and related to the nanoparticles, were obtained by fitting. Inspired by the fact that the actual strain of matrix was lower than that of the foams＇, we introduced another item, strain hysteresis item （H, related with the foam porosity and cell structure）, into the statistical model as well. With the same above values of Mc, Ф, X0 and X∞, the model could also fit the compressive stress-strain data of mono- and bi-modal foams well （Adj. R-Square = 0.9948, 0.9985）. Interestingly, the strain hysteresis items of the mono- and bi-modal foams almost completely coincided under all experimental strains, which may be attributed to the almost equal porosity and similar cell structure of the two foams. This constitutive model may connect the macroscopic stress-strain behaviour to the parameters of microscopic molecular structures, promisingly providing a basis for the performance improvement and optimization of silicone rubber foams.

Exceptionally flame-retardant flexible polyurethane foam composites:synergistic effect of the silicone resin/graphene oxide coating

A facile strategy was developed to fabricate flexible polyurethane(PU)foam composites with exceptional flame retardancy.The approach involves the incorporation of graphene oxide(GO)into a silicone resin(SiR)solution,which is then deposited onto a PU foam surface via the dip-coating technique and cured.Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that the SiR and GO were successfully coated onto the PU skeleton and the intrinsic porous structure of the PU foam remained intact.The effects of SiR and GO on the mechanical and thermal stability and flame retardancy of PU composites were evaluated through compression tests,thermogravimetric analysis,vertical combustion tests,and the limiting oxygen index.The measurement results revealed that the composites(PU@SiR-GO)showed superior flame retardancy and thermal and mechanical stability compared to pristine PU or PU coated with SiR alone.The mechanical and thermal stability and the flame-retardant properties of the PU composites were enhanced significantly with increasing GO content.Based on the composition,microstructure,and surface morphology of PU@SiR-GO composites before and after combustion tests,a possible flame-retardance mechanism is proposed.This work provides a simple and effective strategy for fabricating flame retardant composites with improved mechanical performance.

Preparation and Properties of Conductive Foamed Silicone Rubber

The conductive foamed silicone rubber was prepared by Polymethylvinylsiloxane(PMVS)mixed with acetylene black,fumed silica,and AC foaming agent(azodicarbonamide).Influences of fillers on the microstructure,electrical conductivity and mechanical property were discussed.The results showed that the pore structure was affected by acetylene black.Acetylene black delayed the vulcanization speed of silicone rubbers,leading to bigger pores.Higher content of acetylene black decreased the mechanical properties and the electrical resistivity of rubbers.Fumed silica increased the mechanical properties and limited the aggregation of gas.Higher content of fumed silica led to small and obturator pores generated.Higher content of fumed silica increase the mechanical properties and the electrical resistivity of rubbers.AC foaming agents generated more gas,leading to bigger and irregular pores which affected the mechanical properties negatively,meanwhile AC foaming agents increased the conductivity of rubbers.

High Strength Silicon Carbide Foams and Their Deformation Behavior

Silicon carbide （SIC） foams with a continuously connected open-cell structure were prepared and characterized for their mechanical performance. The apparent densities of SiC foams were controlled between about 0.4 and 2.3 g/cm^3, with corresponding compressive strengths ranging from about 23 to 60 MPa and flexural strengths from about 8 to 30 MPa. Compressive testing of the SiC foams yielded stress-strain curves with only one linear-elastic region, which is different from those reported on ceramic foams in literature. This can possibly be attributed to the existence of filaments with fine, dense and high strength microstructures. The SiC and the filaments respond homogeneously to applied loading.

Effect of SiO_2/Na_2O mole ratio on the properties of foam geopolymers fabricated from circulating fluidized bed fly ash

Geopolymers are three-dimensional aluminosilicates formed in a short time at low temperature by geopolymerization. In this pa-per, alkali-activated foam geopolymers were fabricated from circulating fluidized bed fly ash （CFA）, and the effect of SiO2/Na2O mole ratio （0.91-1.68） on their properties was studied. Geopolymerization products were characterized by mechanical testing, scanning electron mi-croscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDX）, and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results show that SiO2/Na2O mole ratio plays an important role in the mechanical and morphological characteristics of geopolymers. Foam samples prepared in 28 d with a SiO2/Na2O mole ratio of 1.42 exhibit the greatest compressive strength of 2.52 MPa. Morphological analysis reveals that these foam geo-polymers appear the relatively optimized pore structure and distribution, which are beneficial to the structure stability. Moreover, a combina-tion of the Si/Al atomic ratio ranging between 1.47 and 1.94 with the Na/Al atomic ratio of about 1 produces the samples with high strength.

Low-frequency damping behavior of closed-cell Mg alloy foams reinforced with SiC particles

The damping properties of an Mg alloy foam and its composite foams were investigated using a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer. The results show that the loss factors of both the Mg alloy and its composite foams are insensitive to temperature and loading frequency when the temperature is less than a critical temperature Tcrit. However, it increases when the temperature exceeds the Tcrit values, which are 200 and 250°C for the Mg alloy foam and the Mg alloy/SiCp composite foams, respectively. The Mg alloy/SiCp composite foams exhibit a higher damping capacity than the Mg alloy foam when the temperature is below 200°C. By contrast, the Mg alloy foam exhibits a better damping capacity when the temperature exceeds 250°C. The variation in the damping capacity is attributed to differences in the internal friction sources, such as the characteristics of the matrix material, abundant interfaces, and interfacial slipping caused by SiC particles, as well as to macrodefects in the Mg alloy and its composite foams.

Evaluation of significant manufacturing parameters in lost foam casting of thin-wall Al-Si-Cu alloy using full factorial design of experiment

Controlling process parameters of lost foam casting （LFC） enables this process to produce defect-free complex shape castings. An experimental investigation on lost foam casting of an A1-Si-Cu cast alloy was carried out. The effects of pouting temperature, slurry viscosity, vibration time and sand size on surface finish, shrinkage porosity and eutectic silicon spacing of thin-wall casting were investigated. A full two-level factorial design of experimental technique was used to identify the significant manufacturing factors affecting the properties of casting. Pouring temperature was found as the most significant factor affecting A1-Si-Cu lost foam casting quality. It was shown that flask vibration time interacted with pouring temperature influenced euteetic silicon spacing and porosity percentage significantly. The results also revealed that the surface quality of the samples cast in fine sand moulds at higher pouring temperatures was almost unchanged, while those cast in coarse sand moulds possessed lower surface qualities. Furthermore, variation in slurry viscosity showed no significant effect on the evaluated properties compared to other parameters.

Analysis of RTV Silicone Sealant Sector

The room-temperature vulcanized (RTV)silicone sealant sector, which belongs tothe technology-intensive industry, startedearlier in developed countries in Europeand America, and RTV silicone sealant wascommercialized in early 1950s. In contrast,the commercialization of RTV silicone sealantstarted rather late in China, and RTVsilicone sealant has been used here mainlyin certain sectors such as aviation/spaceflight. During 1980s, domestic specializedresearch institutions led byChenguang Research Institute of ChemicalIndustry began to research its civilapplications. Then in the 1990s,

Effect of Silicon Carbide and Titanium Hydride on the Foamability of Aluminum Alloy (6061)

Aluminum foam is a light weight material with good mechanical and energy absorption properties. In this study, aluminum foam composite was fabricated using aluminum powder 6061 and silicon carbide (SiC) powder. Titanium hydride (TiH2) was used as the foaming agent. Cold compact followed by hot pressing (sintering) was used to produce the composite precursor. Foaming was carried out, following the sintering process, by heating the aluminum composite precursor to a temperature above the melting point of aluminum (Al). The linear expansion of the foam and the percent porosity were found to increase as the SiC percentage decreased from 10 to 4%, whereas the density got lower. The percent porosity and linear expansion were both found to increase as the percentage of the foaming agent was increased from 0.5 to 1.5%. Compression stress was evaluated for two different porosity values (40% and 47%), and found to be higher for the samples with lower percent porosity at the same strain value. Effect of shape memory alloy fiber, made of nickel and titanium (NiTi), on the mechanical properties was also investigated. The compression stress was higher, in the densification region, for the samples in which NiTi was used.

Lightweight Si_(3)N_(4)@SiO_(2) ceramic foam for thermal insulation and electromagnetic wave transparency

Increasing porosity is one of the most direct ways to improve the thermal insulation and dielectric properties of materials.Until now,many wet methods for preparing Si_(3)N_(4) ceramic foams usually face the problems of complex rheology,long period,and expensive cost,and the reported pore sizes of Si_(3)N_(4) ceramic foams are typically micron-grade,resulting in a lack of competitiveness in thermal insulation and wave-transparent applications.In this paper,the Si_(3)N_(4)@SiO_(2) ceramic foams were prepared using an efficient dry-method,which combined three processes of low temperature chemical vapor deposition(LTCVD),template,and isostatic pressing.The method has the advantages of simple operation and short preparation period,and can realize near-net size molding and mass production.In addition,the evolution mechanisms of honeycomb microstructure and composition of Si_(3)N_(4)@SiO_(2) ceramic foam during sintering were studied by chemical reaction thermodynamics.The as-prepared Si_(3)N_(4)@SiO_(2) ceramic foam possesses low density(0.377 g·cm^(-3)),high compressive strength(7.5 MPa),low thermal conductivity(0.0808 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)),and excellent dielectric properties(ε<1.32,tanδ<0.009)in the frequency range of 8-18 GHz,and its maximum working temperature in air can reach up to 1100℃.It will be recommended to be applied in the interlayer of Si_(3)N_(4) ceramic radome to improve its thermal insulation and electromagnetic wave transparency performances.

纳米银/有机硅密封胶的制备及性能研究

本文采用水热合成法成功合成了纳米银颗粒,然后以聚二甲基硅氧烷为硅油基质,采用物理共混法制备了纳米银/有机硅密封胶。研究了纳米银/有机硅密封胶的微观形貌结构、耐热性能、力学性能以及抗菌性能。结果表明,在纳米银颗粒的质量分数为10%时,所制备的密封胶显示了出色的拉伸强度(4.22 MPa)和高达157.1%的断裂伸长率。同时,该密封胶还表现出卓越的抗菌性能,并且在室温下放置40 d后仍具有良好的抗菌效果,表现出优异的耐久性能。该工作为绿色、健康和清洁的密封应用提供了一种新的思路。

计及时变演化特征的硅泡沫垫层非线性黏弹性模型研究

基于黏弹性基本理论,引入材料非线性特征,考虑了材料加载、保载应力松弛历史、老化效应以及黏弹性模型各运动单元退化的差异性,并从两种老化机制出发,获得了老化硅泡沫垫层力学模型以及长时应力松弛硅泡沫垫层接续加载力学模型.模型机理清晰,能够反映材料服役历史信息及其对力学效应的影响.

Economic evaluation of soft silicon foam dressings versus sterile gauze for the treatment of pressure ulcers in China

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of soft silicone foam dressings （SSFD, Mepilex） on the treatment of pressure ulcers. We searched electronic databases and retrieved articles to make a systematic evaluation, and then make a cost-effectiveness analysis by decision tree model combined with data from clinical treatments. The result shows that compared with the common sterile gauze, SSFD possesses an apparent advantage. The effective ratio is 96.3% versus 77.3%, although the cost of SSFD is much higher than that of sterile gauze, Mepilex appears to be more cost-effectiveness for preventive use.

网状孔壁碳化硅基多孔陶瓷的制备及其颗粒物过滤研究

为了提高碳化硅基多孔陶瓷的过滤性能,以碳化硅粉体、氧化铝粉体、聚醚多元醇、多亚甲基多苯基异氰酸酯、二月桂酸二丁基锡、三乙烯二胺、稳泡剂硅油(阿拉丁)为原料,通过聚氨酯发泡技术,研制了三维(3D)网状孔壁结构的碳化硅基多孔陶瓷试样,并探索了料浆固含量(固相质量分数分别为45%、50%、55%和60%)对试样显微结构、物理性能和颗粒物过滤性能的影响。结果表明:1)随着固含量的升高,试样体积密度和常温耐压强度提高,显气孔率降低;2)聚氨酯发泡过程中产生的微孔会分布在陶瓷孔壁上形成网状孔壁结构,增大颗粒物与孔壁碰撞概率,提高试样的过滤效率;同时,网状孔壁结构还可以提高试样气孔贯通性,降低其压降;3)当固含量为55%(w)时,试样体积密度约为0.57 g·cm^(-3),显气孔率为79.2%,常温耐压强度为3.7 MPa;且对颗粒物的去除率高达91.2%,具有良好的再生性能。

一种适用羽毛球拍的抗菌有机硅密封胶性能测试研究

为提升羽毛球拍专用有机硅密封胶的抗菌性能,提出了一种融合C18-QAS抗菌剂的抗菌功能性有机硅密封胶材料。在聚硅氧烷基材的基础上导入C18-QAS抗菌剂,再通过硫化处理的方式制备出抗菌功能性有机硅密封胶。为验证抗菌功能性有机硅密封胶的综合性能,运用邵氏硬度计、拉力材料试验仪以及测角仪等设备对该材料的力学性能和亲疏水性能进行测试,通过乙酰接触法和甲苯平衡溶胀法对该材料的表干性能和交联密度进行测试,并根据测试结果来确定C18-QAS抗菌剂的合理掺量。经试验研究发现,当C18-QAS抗菌剂掺量为3%时,抗菌性有机硅密封胶的综合性能最为理想,可满足羽毛球拍在粘接密封工艺阶段的使用需求。