Characterization of Polypropylene Nanocomposite Structures

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kanny ◽  
V. K. Moodley

This study describes the synthesis, mechanical properties, and morphology of nanophased polypropylene structures. The structures were manufactured by melt-blending low weight percentages of montmorillonite nanoclays and polypropylene thermoplastic. Both virgin and infused polypropylene structures were then subjected to quasi-static tensile, flexural, hardness and impact tests. Analysis of test data show that the mechanical properties increase with an increase in nanoclay loading up to a threshold of 2wt.%; thereafter, the material properties degrade. At low weight nanoclay loadings the enhancement of properties is attributed to the lower percolation points created by the high aspect ratio nanoclays. The increase in properties may also be attributed to the formation of intercalated and exfoliated nanocomposite structures formed at these loadings of clay. At higher weight loading, degradation in mechanical properties may be attributed to the formation of agglomerated clay tactoids. Results of transmission electron microscopy studies and scanning electron microscopy studies of the fractured surface of tensile specimens verify these hypotheses.

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Vishnu Kribagaran Moodley

Polymer nanocomposites may be defined as structures that are formed by infusing layered-silicate clay into a thermosetting orthermoplastic polymer matrix. The nanocomposites are normally particle-filled polymers for which at least one dimension of the dispersed particles is in nanoscale. These clay-polymer nanocomposites have thus attracted great interest in industry and academia due to their exhibition of remarkable enhancements in material properties when compared to the virgin polymer or conventional micro and macro-composites. The present work describes the synthesis, mechanical properties and morphology of nano-phased polypropylene structures. The structures were manufactured by melt- blending low weight percentages of montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclays (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5 wt. %) and polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic. Both virgin and infused polypropylene structures were then subjected to quasi-static tensile tests, flexural tests, micro-hardness tests, impact testing, compression testing, fracture toughness analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, tribological testing. Scanning electron microscopy studies were then conducted to analyse the fracture surfaces of pristine PP and PP nanocomposite. X-ray diffraction studies were performed on closite 15A clay and polypropylene composites containing 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 5 wt. % closite 15A nanoclay to confirm the formation of nanocomposites on the addition of organo clays. Transmission electron miscopy studies were then performed on the PP nanocomposites to determine the formation of intercalated, exfoliated or agglomerated nanoclay structures. Analysis of test data show that the mechanical properties increase with an increase in nanoclay loading up to a threshold of 2 wt. %, thereafter the material properties degrade. At low weight nanoclay loadings the enhancement of properties is attributed to the lower percolation points created by the high aspect ratio nanoclays. The increase in properties may also be attributed to the formation of intercalated and exfoliated nanocomposite structures formed at these loadings of clay. At higher weight loading, degradation in mechanical properties may be attributed to the formation of agglomerated clay tactoids. Results of XRD, transmission electron microscopy studies and scanning electron microscopy studies of the fractured surface of tensile specimens verify these hypotheses.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 1637-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dworecka ◽  
E. Jezierska ◽  
K. Rozniatowski ◽  
W. Swiatnicki

Abstract The aim of the work was to produce a nanobainitic structure in the commercial bearing steel - 100CrMnSi6-4 and to characterize its structure and mechanical properties. In order to produce this structure the austempering heat treatment was performed, with parameters that have been selected on the basis of dilatometric measurements of phase transformation kinetics in steel. The heat treatment process was performed in laboratory as well as in industrial furnaces. The obtained structure was characterized using transmission electron microscopy. In order to investigate the effect of the microstructure parameters on the material’s mechanical properties, the hardness, impact strength and static tensile tests have been conducted.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 155892501400900
Author(s):  
Shima Shayestehfar ◽  
Mohammad Esmail Yazdanshenas ◽  
Ramin Khajavi ◽  
Abo-Saeed Rashidi

In this study, the effect of titanium dioxide particles (TiO2 micro and nano) on the physical and mechanical properties of Nylon 6–based multifilament yarns was investigated. For this reason, master-batches of Nylon 6/TiO2 micro and nano-particles were prepared by melt compounding before spinning and then multifilament composites incorporating 0.03, 0.33, 0.5 and 0.7% TiO2 micro and nano-particles were successfully spun in a melt-spinning machine. Characterization of these composite multifilament yarns was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Characterization of mechanical strength properties including tenacity and elongation at break of the resultant composites are discussed as a function of filler loading. Through the application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was found that incorporating micro titanium dioxide caused severe aggregation at the nylon fiber surface. By contrast, the diffusion of nano-particles within bulk of multifilament yarns was much more consistent, although aggregation of the titanium dioxide nano-particles still appeared. The results manifested the improvement of mechanical properties of the nano-composites containing TiO2 nano-particles.


Author(s):  
S. Fujishiro

The mechanical properties of three titanium alloys (Ti-7Mo-3Al, Ti-7Mo- 3Cu and Ti-7Mo-3Ta) were evaluated as function of: 1) Solutionizing in the beta field and aging, 2) Thermal Mechanical Processing in the beta field and aging, 3) Solutionizing in the alpha + beta field and aging. The samples were isothermally aged in the temperature range 300° to 700*C for 4 to 24 hours, followed by a water quench. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray method were used to identify the phase formed. All three alloys solutionized at 1050°C (beta field) transformed to martensitic alpha (alpha prime) upon being water quenched. Despite this heavily strained alpha prime, which is characterized by microtwins the tensile strength of the as-quenched alloys is relatively low and the elongation is as high as 30%.


Author(s):  
O. L. Shaffer ◽  
M.S. El-Aasser ◽  
C. L. Zhao ◽  
M. A. Winnik ◽  
R. R. Shivers

Transmission electron microscopy is an important approach to the characterization of the morphology of multiphase latices. Various sample preparation techniques have been applied to multiphase latices such as OsO4, RuO4 and CsOH stains to distinguish the polymer phases or domains. Radiation damage by an electron beam of latices imbedded in ice has also been used as a technique to study particle morphology. Further studies have been developed in the use of freeze-fracture and the effect of differential radiation damage at liquid nitrogen temperatures of the latex particles embedded in ice and not embedded.Two different series of two-stage latices were prepared with (1) a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) seed and poly(styrene) (PS) second stage; (2) a PS seed and PMMA second stage. Both series have varying amounts of second-stage monomer which was added to the seed latex semicontinuously. A drop of diluted latex was placed on a 200-mesh Formvar-carbon coated copper grid.


Author(s):  
L.E. Murr ◽  
A.B. Draper

The industrial characterization of the machinability of metals and alloys has always been a very arbitrarily defined property, subject to the selection of various reference or test materials; and the adoption of rather naive and misleading interpretations and standards. However, it seems reasonable to assume that with the present state of knowledge of materials properties, and the current theories of solid state physics, more basic guidelines for machinability characterization might be established on the basis of the residual machined microstructures. This approach was originally pursued by Draper; and our presentation here will simply reflect an exposition and extension of this research.The technique consists initially in the production of machined chips of a desired test material on a horizontal milling machine with the workpiece (specimen) mounted on a rotary table vice. A single cut of a specified depth is taken from the workpiece (0.25 in. wide) each at a new tool location.


Author(s):  
K. J. Morrissey

Grain boundaries and interfaces play an important role in determining both physical and mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials. To understand how the structure of interfaces can be controlled to optimize properties, it is necessary to understand and be able to predict their crystal chemistry. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), analytical electron microscopy (AEM,), and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) are essential tools for the characterization of the different types of interfaces which exist in ceramic systems. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate some specific areas in which understanding interface structure is important. Interfaces in sintered bodies, materials produced through phase transformation and electronic packaging are discussed.


Author(s):  
George Guthrie ◽  
David Veblen

The nature of a geologic fluid can often be inferred from fluid-filled cavities (generally <100 μm in size) that are trapped during the growth of a mineral. A variety of techniques enables the fluids and daughter crystals (any solid precipitated from the trapped fluid) to be identified from cavities greater than a few micrometers. Many minerals, however, contain fluid inclusions smaller than a micrometer. Though inclusions this small are difficult or impossible to study by conventional techniques, they are ideally suited for study by analytical/ transmission electron microscopy (A/TEM) and electron diffraction. We have used this technique to study fluid inclusions and daughter crystals in diamond and feldspar.Inclusion-rich samples of diamond and feldspar were ion-thinned to electron transparency and examined with a Philips 420T electron microscope (120 keV) equipped with an EDAX beryllium-windowed energy dispersive spectrometer. Thin edges of the sample were perforated in areas that appeared in light microscopy to be populated densely with inclusions. In a few cases, the perforations were bound polygonal sides to which crystals (structurally and compositionally different from the host mineral) were attached (Figure 1).


Author(s):  
G. M. Micha ◽  
L. Zhang

RENi5 (RE: rare earth) based alloys have been extensively evaluated for use as an electrode material for nickel-metal hydride batteries. A variety of alloys have been developed from the prototype intermetallic compound LaNi5. The use of mischmetal as a source of rare earth combined with transition metal and Al substitutions for Ni has caused the evolution of the alloy from a binary compound to one containing eight or more elements. This study evaluated the microstructural features of a complex commercial RENi5 based alloy using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.The alloy was evaluated in the as-cast condition. Its chemistry in at. pct. determined by bulk techniques was 12.1 La, 3.2 Ce, 1.5 Pr, 4.9 Nd, 50.2 Ni, 10.4 Co, 5.3 Mn and 2.0 Al. The as-cast material was of low strength, very brittle and contained a multitude of internal cracks. TEM foils could only be prepared by first embedding pieces of the alloy in epoxy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document