scholarly journals Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Heterogeneous Ceramic-Polymer Composite Using Interpenetrating Network

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Eun-Hee Kim ◽  
Yeon-Gil Jung ◽  
Chang-Yong Jo

Prepolymer, which can be polymerized by a photo, has been infiltrated into a porous ceramic to improve the addition effect of polymer into the ceramic, as a function of the functionality of prepolymer. It induces the increase in the mechanical properties of the ceramic. The porous alumina (Al2O3) and the polyurethane acrylate (PUA) with a network structure by photo-polymerization were used as the matrix and infiltration materials, respectively. The porous Al2O3matrix without the polymer shows lower values in fracture strength than the composites, since the stress is transmitted more quickly via propagation of cracks from intrinsic defects in the porous matrix. However, in the case of composites, the distribution of stress between heterophases results in the improved mechanical properties. In addition, the mechanical properties of composites, such as elastic modulus and fracture strength, are enhanced with increasing the functionality of prepolymer attributed to the crosslinking density of polymer.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufei Chen ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
Yulong Liu ◽  
Hongyue CHU

Purpose Bismaleimide (BMI) is a kind of thermosetting resin and its application is usually limited by low toughness. In this paper, two kinds of reinforcement intercalator amino-terminated polyoxypropylene (POP) and octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (OTAC) were designed and synthesized to toughen BMI resin and the toughening effect was compared and analyzed. The purpose of this paper is to toughen BMI resin and analyze the toughening effect of two reinforcements intercalator amino-terminated polyoxypropylene (POP) and octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (OTAC). Design/methodology/approach Sodium-based montmorillonite (Na-MMT) was modified by POP and OTAC, and the ion-exchange reaction obtained organic montmorillonite (POP-MMT and OTAC-MMT). The polymer matrix (MBAE) was synthesized, in which 4,4’-diamino diphenyl methane BMI was used as the monomer and 3,3’-diallyl bisphenol A and bisphenol A diallyl ether were used as active diluents. And then, POP-MMT/MBAE and OTAC-MMT/MBAE composites were prepared using MBAE as matrix and POP-MMT or OTAC-MMT as reinforcement. The Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the filler and microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were characterized to the better reinforcement. Findings POP-MMT and OTAC-MMT enhanced BMI-cured products’ toughness by generating microcracks in the polymer to absorb more fracture energy. Meanwhile, POP-MMT and OTAC-MMT were the main stress components and the enhancement of the interface interaction was beneficial to transfer the external force from the matrix to the reinforcement and improved the mechanical properties of the composite. Furthermore, with the intercalation rate increasing, the compatibility of the two phases was increased and the performance of MBAE was also elevated. Research limitations/implications BMI is generally used as aerospace structural materials, functional materials, impregnating paint and other fields. However, high crosslinking density leads to moulding material’s brittleness and limits a wider range of applications. Therefore, it has become an urgent priority to explore and improve the mechanical properties of BMI resin. Originality/value POP and OTAC have successfully intercalated Na-MMT layers to get POP-MMT and OTAC-MMT, and the interplanar crystal spacing and the intercalation rate were calculated, respectively. The results were corresponding with the SEM images of POP-MMT and OTAC-MMT. After that, the morphology of composites illustrated the compatibility was related to the intercalation rate. According to the mechanism of modified MMT toughening epoxy resin, when they were dispersed uniformly in the matrix, the composite’s mechanical properties had been significantly improved. Additionally, OTAC-MMT with a higher intercalation rate had better compatibility and interfacial force with the matrix, so that the mechanical properties of OTAC-MMT/MBAE were the best.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte E. Vorwald ◽  
Tomas Gonzalez-Fernandez ◽  
Shreeya Joshee ◽  
Pawel Sikorski ◽  
J. Kent Leach

ABSTRACTHydrogels are effective platforms for use as artificial extracellular matrices, cell carriers, and to present bioactive cues. Two common natural polymers, fibrin and alginate, are broadly used to form hydrogels and have numerous advantages over synthetic materials. Fibrin is a provisional matrix containing native adhesion motifs for cell engagement, yet the interplay between mechanical properties, degradation, and gelation rate is difficult to decouple. Conversely, alginate is highly tunable yet bioinert and requires modification to present necessary adhesion ligands. To address these challenges, we developed a fibrin-alginate interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel to combine the desirable adhesion and stimulatory characteristics of fibrin with the tunable mechanical properties of alginate. We tested its efficacy by examining capillary network formation with entrapped co-cultures of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and endothelial cells (ECs). We manipulated thrombin concentration and alginate crosslinking density independently to modulate the fibrin structure, mesh size, degradation, and biomechanical properties of these constructs. In IPNs of lower stiffness, we observed a significant increase in total cell area (1.72×105 ± 7.9×104 μm2) and circularity (0.56 ± 0.03) compared to cells encapsulated in stiffer IPNs (3.98×104 ± 1.49×104 μm2 and 0.77 ± 0.09, respectively). Fibrinogen content did not influence capillary network formation. However, higher fibrinogen content led to greater retention of these networks confirmed via increased spreading and presence of F-actin at 7 days. This is an elegant platform to decouple cell adhesion and hydrogel bulk stiffness that will be broadly useful for cell instruction and delivery.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Huazheng Sai ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Zhiqiang Jin ◽  
Rui Fu ◽  
Meijuan Wang ◽  
...  

Silica aerogels can be strengthened by forming a nanoscale interpenetrating network (IPN) comprising a silica gel skeleton and a cellulose nanofiber network. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method for improving the mechanical properties and drying of aerogels. However, the preparation process is generally tedious and time-consuming. This study aims to streamline the preparation process of these composite aerogels. Silica alcosols were directly diffused into cellulose wet gels with loose, web-like microstructures, and an IPN structure was gradually formed by regulating the gelation rate. Supercritical CO2 drying followed to obtain composite aerogels. The mechanical properties were further enhanced by a simple secondary regulation process that increased the quantity of bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers per unit volume of the matrix. This led to the production of aerogels with excellent bendability and a high tensile strength. A maximum breaking stress and tensile modulus of 3.06 MPa and 46.07 MPa, respectively, were achieved. This method can be implemented to produce robust and bendable silica-based composite aerogels (CAs).


2012 ◽  
Vol 512-515 ◽  
pp. 1746-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z.J. Shou ◽  
H.R. Le ◽  
S.Y. Qu ◽  
R.A. Rothwell ◽  
R.E. Mackay

Chitosan has found various applications in gastrointestinal stent, biomedical implants as well as an effective absorbent in waste water treatment. However, the material suffers from low strength and large shrinkage upon dehydration. The current project is aimed to develop a process to fabricate chitosan composites with the addition of functionalised montmorillonite nanoparticles and to examine the effect of ceramic content on the mechanical behavior of the composites. This paper describes the fabrication of chitosan with montmorrillonite composites and the mechanical testing of the samples and the mechanical behaviour of the composites, as well as the observations of the microstructure. The effects of composition and microstructure on the mechanical properties of the composite are investigated. The results indicate that the nanoparticles are dispersed uniformly in the matrix up to 40wt% using high speed homogeniser. The elastic modulus increases monotonically with the addition of nanoparticles, but the fracture strength drops due to the defects introduced by the nanoparticles.


2015 ◽  
Vol 815 ◽  
pp. 367-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Fei Tang ◽  
Qian Miao ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Zi Xiang Wu ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
...  

In order to solve the problem that low pore connectivity of the spherical porous ceramic, bionic structure porous alumina ceramics with spherical/lamellar pores were fabricated combining the adding pore-forming agent and two step freeze casting. The effects of fabrication parameters of the samples on morphologies, porosity and pore connectivity are investigated. The mechanical and biological properties of bionic structure porous alumina ceramics are also characterized. Results show that porous alumina ceramics with spherical/lamellar pores are obtained, and the lamellar pores pass through the spherical pores, which prove the pore connectivity reach 86.2 %. The mechanical properties are improved by porosity gradient from the inside (highly porous) to the outside (less porous) of porous alumina. Bionic structure porous alumina ceramics with spherical/lamellar pores have better cell growth and absorbance than those with spherical or lamellar pores only since its high pore connectivity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-259
Author(s):  
Baifen Liu ◽  
Mohammad Mirjalili ◽  
Peiman Valipour ◽  
Sajad Porzal ◽  
shirin Nourbakhsh

This research deals with the mechanical properties, microstructure, and interrelations of triple nanocomposite based on PET/EPDM/Nanoclay. These properties were examined in different percentages of PET/EPDM blend with compatibilizer (Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene)-G-(Maleic anhydrate) (SEBS-g-MAH). Results showed that the addition of 15% SEBS-g-MAH improved the toughness and impact strength of this nanocomposite. SEM micrographs indicated the most stable fuzzy microstructure in a 50/50 mixture of scattered phases of EPDM/SEBS-g-MAH. The effects of percentages of 1, 3, 5, 7 nanoclay Cloisite 30B (C30B) on the improvement of the properties were evaluated. With the addition of nano clay, the toughness and impact strength was reduced. Thermal destruction of nanoclay in processing temperature led to the decreasing dispersion of clay plates in the matrix and a reduction in the distances of nano clay plates in the composite compared to pure nano clay. XRD and TEM analysis was used to demonstrate the results. By adding 1% of nanoclay to the optimal sample, maximum stiffness, and Impact strength, among other nanocomposites, was achieved.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Zhifang Liang ◽  
Hongwu Wu ◽  
Ruipu Liu ◽  
Caiquan Wu

Green biodegradable plastics have come into focus as an alternative to restricted plastic products. In this paper, continuous long sisal fiber (SF)/polylactic acid (PLA) premixes were prepared by an extrusion-rolling blending process, and then unidirectional continuous long sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (LSFCs) were prepared by compression molding to explore the effect of long fiber on the mechanical properties of sisal fiber-reinforced composites. As a comparison, random short sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (SSFCs) were prepared by open milling and molding. The experimental results show that continuous long sisal fiber/PLA premixes could be successfully obtained from this pre-blending process. It was found that the presence of long sisal fibers could greatly improve the tensile strength of LSFC material along the fiber extension direction and slightly increase its tensile elongation. Continuous long fibers in LSFCs could greatly participate in supporting the load applied to the composite material. However, when comparing the mechanical properties of the two composite materials, the poor compatibility between the fiber and the matrix made fiber’s reinforcement effect not well reflected in SSFCs. Similarly, the flexural performance and impact performance of LSFCs had been improved considerably versus SSFCs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunwu Yu ◽  
Wenhao Pan ◽  
Xiaoman Guo ◽  
Lili Gao ◽  
Yaxin Gu ◽  
...  

Poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PES)–titanium dioxide (TiO2) hybrid membranes were prepared via solution blending method using TiO2 nanoparticles as inorganic filler. The chemical structure and thermal stability of the matrix polymer were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The crystal structure, morphology, mechanical properties, and gas separation performance of hybrid membranes were characterized in detail. As shown in scanning electron microscopic images, TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed homogeneously in the matrix. Although the mechanical properties of hybrid membranes decreased certainly compared to the pure PES membranes, they are strong enough for gas separation in this study. All gas permeability coefficients of PES-TiO2 hybrid membranes were higher than pure PES membranes, attributed to the nanogap caused by TiO2 nanoparticles, for instance, oxygen and nitrogen permeability coefficients of Hybrid-3 (consists of PES with 4-amino-phenyl pendant group and hexafluoroisopropyl (Am-PES)-20 and TiO2 nanoparticles, 5 wt%) increased from 2.57 and 0.33 to 5.88 and 0.63, respectively. In addition, the separation factor increased at the same time attributed to the stimulative transfer effect caused by the interaction of hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 nanoparticle and polar carbon dioxide molecules.


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