scholarly journals Incorporation of Carbon Nanofillers Tunes Mechanical and Electrical Percolation in PHBV:PLA Blends

Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Arroyo ◽  
Cecily Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Percolation Threshold ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Peak Reduction ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Electrical Percolation ◽  
Mechanical And Electrical Properties ◽  
Electrical Conductivities

Biobased fillers, such as bio-derived cellulose, lignin byproducts, and biochar, can be used to modify the thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of polymer composites. Biochar (BioC), in particular, is of interest for enhancing thermal and electrical conductivities in composites, and can potentially serve as a bio-derived graphitic carbon alternative for certain composite applications. In this work, we investigate a blended biopolymer system: poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and addition of carbon black (CB), a commonly used functional filler as a comparison for Kraft lignin-derived BioC. We present calculations and experimental results for phase-separation and nanofiller phase affinity in this system, indicating that the CB localizes in the PHBV phase of the immiscible PHBV:PLA blends. The addition of BioC led to a deleterious reaction with the biopolymers, as indicated by blend morphology, differential scanning calorimetry showing significant melting peak reduction for the PLA phase, and a reduction in melt viscosity. For the CB nanofilled composites, electrical conductivity and dynamic mechanical analysis supported the ability to use phase separation in these blends to tune the percolation of mechanical and electrical properties, with a minimum percolation threshold found for the 80:20 blends of 1.6 wt.% CB. At 2% BioC (approximately the percolation threshold for CB), the 80:20 BioC nanocomposites had a resistance of 3.43 × 10 8 Ω as compared to 2.99 × 10 8 Ω for the CB, indicating that BioC could potentially perform comparably to CB as a conductive nanofiller if the processing challenges can be overcome for higher BioC loadings.

scholarly journals Thermal/Electrical Properties and Texture of Carbon Black PC Polymer Composites near the Electrical Percolation Threshold

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Valentina Brunella ◽  
Beatrice Gaia Rossatto ◽  
Chiara Mastropasqua ◽  
Federico Cesano ◽  
Domenica Scarano
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Carbon Black ◽  
Percolation Threshold ◽  
Textural Properties ◽  
Thermoplastic Polymer ◽  
Conductivity Measurements ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Electrical Percolation ◽  
Electrical Percolation Threshold ◽  
Dc Electrical Properties

Polycarbonate (PC), a thermoplastic polymer with excellent properties, is used in many advanced technological applications. When PC is blended with other polymers or additives, new properties, such as electrical properties, can be available. In this study, carbon black (CB) was melt-compounded with PC to produce polymer compounds with compositions (10–16 wt.% of CB), which are close to or above the electrical percolation threshold (13.5–14 wt.% of CB). Effects due to nanofiller dispersion/aggregation in the polymer matrix, together with phase composition, glass transition temperature, morphology and textural properties, were studied by using thermal analysis methods (thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry) and scanning electron microscopy. The DC electrical properties of these materials were also investigated by means of electrical conductivity measurements and correlated with the “structure” of the CB, to better explain the behaviour of the composites close to the percolation threshold.

scholarly journals FRACTAL APPROACH TO MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF GRAPHENE/SIC COMPOSITES

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Yu-Ting Zuo ◽  
Hong-Jun Liu
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Fractal Theory ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Fractal Dimensions ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
New Era ◽  
Fractal Approach ◽  
Mechanical And Electrical Properties ◽  
Sic Composites

Graphene and carbon nanotubes have a Steiner minimum tree structure, which endows them with extremely good mechanical and electronic properties. A modified Hall-Petch effect is proposed to reveal the enhanced mechanical strength of the SiC/graphene composites, and a fractal approach to its mechanical analysis is given.  Fractal laws for the electrical conductivity of graphene, carbon nanotubes and graphene/SiC composites are suggested using the two-scale fractal theory. The Steiner structure is considered as a cascade of a fractal pattern. The theoretical results show that the two-scale fractal dimensions and the graphene concentration play an important role in enhancing the mechanical and electrical properties of graphene/SiC composites. This paper sheds a bright light on a new era of the graphene-based materials.

scholarly journals Mechanical and electrical properties of polylactic acid/carbon nanotube composites by rolling process

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 891-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijun Wang ◽  
Jianhui Qiu ◽  
Eiichi Sakai
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Carbon Nanotube ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Polylactic Acid ◽  
Molecular Orientation ◽  
Rolling Direction ◽  
Rolling Process ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Mechanical And Electrical Properties

AbstractIn this work, the rolling process was employed to fabricate polylactic acid/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PLA/MWCNT) composites at room temperature. The effects of the rolling conditions on the mechanical and electrical properties of the fabricated composites were investigated. The evolution processes of the internal molecular structures, i.e. changes in molecular orientation and crystallinity, were examined by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and density method. The results suggested that the molecular orientation improved; however, the crystallinity decreased when the rolling ratio increased. The analysis of the mechanical properties revealed that the rolled composites displayed anisotropy during the rolling process. In the rolling direction, after adding 1 wt.% MWCNTs, the tensile strength increased from 58.6 to 94.3 MPa with the rolling ratio, whereas the fracture strain sharply increased to 131.5% at the rolling ratio of 60%. In addition to the mechanical properties, electrical resistivity was also investigated; notably, this property was not significantly affected by the rolling process. Furthermore, the MWCNT dispersion and morphology were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. These findings offer a simple and effective method to fabricate conductive composites with excellent mechanical properties.

scholarly journals Bio-composites for Fused Filament Fabrication. Effects of Maleic Anhydride Grafting on Poly(Lactic Acid) and Microcellulose

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Rigotti ◽  
Luca Fambri ◽  
Alessandro Pegoretti
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Maleic Anhydride ◽  
Nucleating Agent ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Crystalline Cellulose ◽  
Fused Filament Fabrication ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Electron Microscopy Analysis ◽  
Reactive Mixing

Abstract Composite filaments consisting of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and micro crystalline cellulose (MCC) were successfully used for additive manufacturing (AM) by fused filament fabrication (FFF). PLA and MCC bio-composites were obtained by direct mixing in a melt compounder; maleic anhydride (MAH) was also grafted onto PLA in reactive mixing stage to evaluate its effect on the final properties of the printed material. Filaments with various concentrations of MCC (up to a maximum content of 10 wt%) were produced with a single screw extruder and used to feed a commercial desktop FFF printer. Upon grafting of PLA with MAH, a more coherent interfacial morphology between PLA and MCC was detected by electron microscopy analysis. The thermal degradation of the PLA was unaffected by the presence of MCC and MAH. According to differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis results, micro-cellulose acted as nucleating agent for PLA. In fact, the crystallization peak shifted towards lowers temperature and a synergistic effect when MCC was added to PLA grafted with MAH was observed possibly due to the increase of the chain mobility. Micro cellulose led to an increase in the stiffness of the material in both filaments and 3D printed specimen, however, a different fracture behavior was observed due to the peculiar structure of printed samples.

scholarly journals Influence of the Lignin Content on the Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid)/lignin-Containing Cellulose Nanofibrils Composite Films

Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Wang ◽  
Yuan Jia ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Jiaojiao Miao
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Cellulose Nanofibrils ◽  
Composite Films ◽  
Tensile Tests ◽  
Nucleating Agent ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Degree Of Crystallinity ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (L-CNFs) composite films with different lignin contents were produced bythe solution casting method. The effect of the lignin content on the mechanical, thermal, and crystallinity properties, and PLA/LCNFs interfacial adhesion wereinvestigated by tensile tests, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tensile strength and modulus of the PLA/9-LCNFs (9 wt % lignin LCNFs) composites are 37% and 61% higher than those of pure PLA, respectively. The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases from 61.2 for pure PLA to 52.6 °C for the PLA/14-LCNFs (14 wt % lignin LCNFs) composite, and the composites have higher thermal stability below 380 °C than pure PLA. The DSC results indicate that the LCNFs, containing different lignin contents, act as a nucleating agent to increase the degree of crystallinity of PLA. The effect of the LCNFs lignin content on the PLA/LCNFs compatibility/adhesion was confirmed by the FTIR, SEM, and Tg results. Increasing the LCNFs lignin content increases the storage modulus of the PLA/LCNFs composites to a maximum for the PLA/9-LCNFs composite. This study shows that the lignin content has a considerable effect on the strength and flexibility of PLA/LCNFs composites.

scholarly journals Effect of Extrusion Screw Speed and Plasticizer Proportions on the Rheological, Thermal, Mechanical, Morphological and Superficial Properties of PLA

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2111
Author(s):  
Jaime Gálvez ◽  
Juan Correa Aguirre ◽  
Miguel Hidalgo Salazar ◽  
Bairo Vera Mondragón ◽  
Elizabeth Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loss Modulus ◽  
Complex Viscosity ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Extrusion Process ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Residual Energy ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Rheological Analysis ◽  
Acetyl Tributyl Citrate

One of the critical processing parameters—the speed of the extrusion process for plasticized poly (lactic acid) (PLA)—was investigated in the presence of acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) as plasticizer. The mixtures were obtained by varying the content of plasticizer (ATBC, 10–30% by weight), using a twin screw extruder as a processing medium for which a temperature profile with peak was established that ended at 160 °C, two mixing zones and different screw rotation speeds (60 and 150 rpm). To evaluate the thermo-mechanical properties of the blend and hydrophilicity, the miscibility of the plasticizing and PLA matrix, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), oscillatory rheological analysis, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), mechanical analysis, as well as the contact angle were tested. The results derived from the oscillatory rheological analysis had a viscous behavior in the PLA samples with the presence of ATBC; the lower process speed promotes the transitions from viscous to elastic as well as higher values of loss modulus, storage modulus and complex viscosity, which means less loss of molecular weight and lower residual energy in the transition from the viscous state to the elastic state. The mechanical and thermal performance was optimized considering a greater capacity in the energy absorption and integration of the components.

Achieving electrical percolation in polymer-carbon nanotube composites

2003 ◽  
Vol 788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer S. Rahatekar ◽  
M. Hamm ◽  
Milo S. P. Shaffer ◽  
James A. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Polymer Matrix ◽  
Dissipative Particle Dynamics ◽  
Conductive Polymer ◽  
Process Variables ◽  
Electrically Conductive ◽  
Electrical Percolation ◽  
Mechanical And Electrical Properties ◽  
Nanotube Composites ◽  
Mesoscale Simulations

ABSTRACTThe addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to a polymer matrix is expected to yield improvements in both mechanical and electrical properties. The focus of this paper is to give a snapshot of our current work on CNT-filled thermoplastic polymer textile fibers and the enhancement of their electrical properties. The challenge is to determine the type and size of nanotubes that are most effective for a given application, and how they should be dispersed or modified to interact with the polymer. The objective of this work is to develop an understanding of how the processing methods and properties of nanotube polymer composites are related to the geometry of the nanotubes used, their orientation, and their loading fraction. It will then be possible to design desired composite properties by controlling the relevant process variables.The research described in this paper primarily involves mesoscale simulations (dissipative particle dynamics) of packed assemblies of oriented CNTs suspended in a polymer matrix. Computer simulations have been carried out to study the effect of processing conditions, aspect ratio of CNTs and effect of electric field on electrical conductivity. The percolation threshold required to achieve an electrically conductive polymer-CNT fiber can be predicted for given set of process variables. The model predictions are compared with the predictions of classical percolation theory, and with experimental data from measurements of bulk resistivity from CNTs dispersed in thermoplastic polymers.

Structure and properties of poly(lactic acid)/poly(lactic acid)-α-cyclodextrin inclusion compound composites

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 897-909
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Weijun Zhen ◽  
Yufang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Average Molecular Weight ◽  
Gel Permeation Chromatography ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Polymerization Temperature ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Synthesis Conditions ◽  
Cyclodextrin Inclusion ◽  
Comprehensive Performance

Abstract Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was synthesized using a green catalyst, nano-zinc oxide (ZnO). The optimum synthesis conditions of PLA were as follows: a stoichiometric amount of 0.5 wt% of nano-ZnO, polymerization time of 14 h, and polymerization temperature of 170°C. Gel permeation chromatography results showed that the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of PLA was 13,072 g/mol with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 1.7. Furthermore, PLA-α-cyclodextrin inclusion compounds (PLA-CD-ICs) were prepared by ultrasonic co-precipitation techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated the change in lattice of α-CD from a cage configuration to a tunnel structure and the existence of some physical interactions between α-CD and PLA in the PLA-CD-ICs. To enhance the crystallization properties of PLA, PLA/PLA-CD-IC composites were blended with different contents of PLA-CD-ICs as nucleating agents. The crystallization behavior and comprehensive performance were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Compared to PLA, the crystallinities of PLA/PLA-CD-IC composites were increased by 24.0%, 26.3%, 27.3%, and 31.8%. The results of all the analyses proved that PLA-CD-ICs were useful as green organic nucleators and improved the comprehensive performance of PLA materials.

Polyphenylene sulfide- expanded graphite nanocomposites

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1603-1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
BTS Ramanujam ◽  
S Radhakrishnan ◽  
SD Deshpande
Keyword(s):  
Percolation Threshold ◽  
In Situ Polymerization ◽  
Expanded Graphite ◽  
Polyphenylene Sulfide ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Graphite Nanosheets ◽  
Electrical Percolation ◽  
Scanning Electron Microcopy

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)-expanded graphite (ExGr) conducting nanocomposites have been prepared by powder mixing and in situ polymerization routes after sonicating ExGr particles in acetone. Synthesized PPS has been used to make powder mixed composites. The powder mixed composites exhibit a percolation threshold of 3 wt% due to the formation of graphite nanosheets. When PPS-ExGr composites are prepared by in situ polymerization route, very low electrical percolation threshold less than 0.5 wt% ExGr is obtained. The low percolation threshold obtained is attributed to better dispersion of ExGr nanosheets in the polymer matrix when compared to powder mixed composites. The synthesized PPS has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. The formation of graphite nanosheets has been confirmed by transmission and scanning electron microcopy analysis.

Poly(lactic acid) phase transitions in the presence of nano calcium carbonate: Opposing effect of nanofiller on static and dynamic measurements

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Yousefzade ◽  
Javad Jeddi ◽  
Elham Vazirinasab ◽  
Hamid Garmabi
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Glass Transition ◽  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Polymer Chains ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Modulated Dsc ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Chain Mobility ◽  
Dispersion State

The effect of stearic acid-coated nano calcium carbonate (NCC) on transitions and chain mobility of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was investigated. Dispersion state of NCC in polymeric matrix was explored using scanning electron microscopy and surface tension component measurements. Trends of PLA transitional phenomena were investigated using the results of dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the nanocomposite systems based on PLA and NCC. In addition, two types of crystal structures and decreasing the glass transition temperature were distinguished using temperature-modulated DSC (TMDSC). Higher melting points of polymer crystals were found in TMDSC experiments due to low and dynamic heating rate compared to the conventional DSC. Dynamics of polymer chains, affected by NCC, were quantified using cooperativity length, ξ α, and the number of relaxing structural units, Nα, in the glass transition region. NCC particles hindered the cooperative motion of polymer chains at glass transitions and crystallization in TMDSC measurements, whereas the DMA results indicated that NCC particles may act as lubricant and simplified chain mobility.

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