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Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 40020

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chin-Lung Chiang

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Guest Editor

Green Flame Retardant Material Research Laboratory, Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, Hung-Kuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan
Interests: green flame retardant composites; bio-based flame-retardant composites; epoxy composites; polyurethane composites; graphene composites; carbon nanotube composites; thermal stability; thermal analysis; sol-gel technology; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ming-Yuan Shen

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan
Interests: carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites; carbon nanomaterials reinforced polymer composites; composite process and technology; mechanical properties of composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Shang-Hao Liu

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Taifeng St., Anhui 232001, China
Interests: chemical process safety; disaster prevention; thermal analysis of hazardous materials; firecracker safety management and amp; inspection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer composites (PC) are composite materials composed of a variety of additives bound together by an organic polymer matrix. PCs are designed to transfer loads between additives and a matrix. Some of the advantages of PCs include their light weight, high stiffness, and their high strength along the direction of their reinforcements. Being both strong and lightweight, polymer composites have already found wide-ranging uses in structural and engineering contexts. Through advancements in materials science and engineering, the potential for further applications of polymer composites can be achieved by introducing functionality. This Special Issue on advanced functional polymer composites (AFPC) focuses on this exciting new generation of materials. Sitting at the intersection of physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering, it welcomes contributions on all types of composite materials, the only caveat being that composite functionality must be clearly demonstrated.

We invite the research community to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting comprehensive reviews or original research articles. The topics of the Special Issue include but are not limited to:

Green flame retardant;
Bio-based flame retardant;
Substantial;
Thermal stability;
Mechanical properties;
Electrical and thermal conductivity/insulation;
Thermoelectric;
Magnetic;
Optical;
Shape memory;
Ferroelectric;
Energy harvesting and storage;
Phase change;
Antimicrobial and antiviral;
Structural health monitoring;
Sensing and actuation;
Self-healing;
Anti-aging.

Prof. Dr. Chin-Lung Chiang
Prof. Dr. Ming-Yuan Shen
Prof. Dr. Shang-Hao Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Polymer
Composite
Green flame retardant
Bio-based flame retardant
Graphene
Carbon nanotube
Thermal stability
Graphene
Carbon nanotube
Electrical and thermal conductivity/insulation
Thermoelectric
Magnetic
Optical
Shape memory
Ferroelectric
Energy harvesting and storage
Phase change
Antimicrobial and antiviral
Structural health monitoring
Sensing and actuation
Self-healing
Anti-aging

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 8452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ion-Imprinted Polymer Modified with Carbon Quantum Dots as a Highly Sensitive Copper(II) Ion Probe

by Zhiming Wang, Cuo Zhou, Shunwei Wu and Chunyan Sun

Polymers 2021, 13(9), 1376; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13091376 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2782

Abstract

Fluorescence analysis technology and ion imprinting technology are combined to prepare a copper ion fluorescence sensor. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), with a quantum yield of 79%, were synthesized by a hydrothermal process using citric acid as the carbon source. The prepared CQDs, acting as the fluorophore, were grafted onto the surface of an SBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieve by an amidation reaction. Then, the fluorescent sensor CQDs@Cu-IIP was prepared using a surface imprinting technique with the modified SBA-15 as the substrate, copper ions as a template, tetraethoxysilane as the crosslinker, and 3-aminopropyl-3-ethoxysilane as the functional monomers. The sensor showed strong fluorescence from CQDs and high selectivity due to the presence of Cu(II)-IIP. After the detection conditions were optimized, the fluorescence intensity of the sensor had good linearity with Cu(II) concentration in a linear range of 0.25–2 mg/L and 3–10 mg/L. This CQDs@Cu-IIP was applied to the determination of traces Cu(II) in real water samples and good recoveries of 99.29–105.42% were obtained. The present study provides a general strategy for fabricating materials based on CQDs for selective fluorescence detection of heavy metals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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11 pages, 1259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Nonlinear Fractional Viscoelastic-Plastic Creep Model of Asphalt Mixture

by Yongjun Zhang, Xiu Liu, Boyuan Yin and Wenbo Luo

Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13081278 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2149

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of asphalt mixture under high stresses presents nonlinear viscoelasticity and permanent deformation. In this paper, a nonlinear fractional viscoelastic plastic (NFVEP) creep model for asphalt mixture is proposed based on the Nishihara model, with a Koeller spring-pot replacing the Newton dashpot. The NFVEP model considers the instantaneous elasticity, viscoelasticity with damage and time-hardening viscoplasticity with damage concurrently, and the viscoelastic response is modeled by fractional derivative viscoelasticity. To verify the model, uniaxial compressive creep tests under various stresses ranging from 0.4 MPa to 0.8 MPa were carried out at room temperature. The NFVEP model predictions are in good agreement with the experiments. The comparison with the modified Nishihara model and the Burgers model reveals the advantages of the NFVEP model. The results show that the NFVEP model, with the same set of parameters, can not only describe the primary and steady-state creep stages of asphalt mixture under low stress levels but also the whole creep process, including the tertiary creep stage, of asphalt mixture under high stress levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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21 pages, 4471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation, Thermal, and Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of Polymeric Blends Based on Di(meth)acrylate Monomers

by Krystyna Wnuczek, Andrzej Puszka, Łukasz Klapiszewski and Beata Podkościelna

Polymers 2021, 13(6), 878; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13060878 - 12 Mar 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2522

Abstract

This study presents the preparation and the thermo-mechanical characteristics of polymeric blends based on di(meth)acrylates monomers. Bisphenol A glycerolate diacrylate (BPA.GDA) or ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) were used as crosslinking monomers. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was used as an active solvent in both copolymerization approaches. Commercial polycarbonate (PC) was used as a modifying soluble additive. The preparation of blends and method of polymerization by using UV initiator (Irqacure^® 651) was proposed. Two parallel sets of MMA-based materials were obtained. The first included more harmless linear hydrocarbons (EGDMA + MMA), whereas the second included the usually used aromatic copolymers (BPA.GDA + MMA). The influence of different amounts of PC on the physicochemical properties was discussed in detail. Chemical structures of the copolymers were confirmed by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermo-mechanical properties of the synthesized materials were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) analyses, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The hardness of the obtained materials was also tested. In order to evaluate the surface of the materials, their images were obtained with the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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15 pages, 4608 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication and Compressive Behavior of a Micro-Lattice Composite by High Resolution DLP Stereolithography

by Chow Shing Shin and Yu Chia Chang

Polymers 2021, 13(5), 785; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13050785 - 04 Mar 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2238

Abstract

Lattice structures are superior to stochastic foams in mechanical properties and are finding increasing applications. Their properties can be tailored in a wide range through adjusting the design and dimensions of the unit cell, changing the constituent materials as well as forming into hierarchical structures. In order to achieve more levels of hierarchy, the dimensions of the fundamental lattice have to be small enough. Although lattice size of several microns can be fabricated using the two-photon polymerization technique, sophisticated and costly equipment is required. To balance cost and performance, a low-cost high resolution micro-stereolithographic system has been developed in this work based on a commercial digital light processing (DLP) projector. Unit cell lengths as small as 100 μm have been successfully fabricated. Decreasing the unit cell size from 150 to 100 μm increased the compressive stiffness by 26%. Different pretreatments to facilitate the electroless plating of nickel on the lattice structure have been attempted. A pretreatment of dip coating in a graphene suspension is the most successful and increased the strength and stiffness by 5.3 and 3.6 times, respectively. Even a very light and incomplete nickel plating in the interior has increase the structural stiffness and strength by more than twofold. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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12 pages, 5366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Stability Analysis of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes Based on Lithium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-Lithium Difluoro(oxalato)Borate Dual-Salt

by Ya-Ping Yang, An-Chi Huang, Yan Tang, Ye-Cheng Liu, Zhi-Hao Wu, Hai-Lin Zhou, Zhi-Ping Li, Chi-Min Shu, Jun-Cheng Jiang and Zhi-Xiang Xing

Polymers 2021, 13(5), 707; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13050707 - 26 Feb 2021

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4331

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries with conventional LiPF₆ carbonate electrolytes are prone to failure at high temperature. In this work, the thermal stability of a dual-salt electrolyte of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiODFB) in carbonate solvents was analyzed by accelerated rate calorimetry (ARC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). LiTFSI-LiODFB dual-salt carbonate electrolyte decomposed when the temperature exceeded 138.5 °C in the DSC test and decomposed at 271.0 °C in the ARC test. The former is the onset decomposition temperature of the solvents in the electrolyte, and the latter is the LiTFSI-LiODFB dual salts. Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, Starink, and autocatalytic models were applied to determine pyrolysis kinetic parameters. The average apparent activation energy of the dual-salt electrolyte was 53.25 kJ/mol. According to the various model fitting, the thermal decomposition process of the dual-salt electrolyte followed the autocatalytic model. The results showed that the LiTFSI-LiODFB dual-salt electrolyte is significantly better than the LiPF₆ electrolyte in terms of thermal stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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8 pages, 2239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Hazard Characteristics of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Mixed with Hardeners

by Kewei Ren and Yunting Tsai

Polymers 2021, 13(4), 522; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13040522 - 10 Feb 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2859

Abstract

Unsaturated polyester resin (UP) is a critical polymer material in applications of many fields, such as the chemical industry, military, and architecture. For improving the mechanical properties, some hardeners, such as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) or tert-butyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanoate (TBPO), can trigger the curing reaction in UP polymerization, which causes that UP changes the structure from monomer to polymer. However, polymerization is a strong exothermic reaction, which can increase the risk of thermal runaway reaction in UP. Therefore, the mechanisms and characteristics in the thermal runaway reaction of UP mixed with hardeners should be studied for preventing and controlling UP explosion. The thermal hazards of UP mixed with hardeners were determined by thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. According to the results, UP mixed with MEKPO exhibited a more violent mass loss and exothermic reaction than UP mixed with TBPO. Furthermore, the thermal runaway reactions of UP mixed with MEKPO or TBPO with different mixing proportions of 1:1, 3:1, and 5:1 were determined. Irrespective of MEKPO or TBPO, the mixing proportions of 3:1 exhibited a high onset temperature and low enthalpy of curing reaction (ΔH_exo). This demonstrated that this proportion was safer during UP polymerization. The results of this study can provide useful information for preventing UP explosion and developing polymerization technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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12 pages, 3674 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conductive PEDOT:PSS-Based Organic/Inorganic Flexible Thermoelectric Films and Power Generators

by Dabin Park, Minsu Kim and Jooheon Kim

Polymers 2021, 13(2), 210; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13020210 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4106

Abstract

We present a simple thermoelectric device that consists of a conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)-based inorganic/organic thermoelectric film with high thermoelectric performance. The PEDOT:PSS-coated Se NWs were first chemically synthesized in situ, and then mixed with an Ag precursor solution to produce the PEDOT:PSS-coated Ag₂Se NWs. The PEDOT:PSS matrix was then treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) prior to the production of flexible PEDOT:PSS-coated Ag₂Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite films with various weight fractions of Ag₂Se via a simple drop-casting method. The thermoelectric properties (Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and power factor) of the composite films were then analyzed. The composite film with 50 wt.% NWs exhibited the highest power factor of 327.15 μW/m·K² at room temperature. The excellent flexibility of this composite film was verified by bending tests, in which the thermoelectric properties were reduced by only ~5.9% after 1000 bending cycles. Finally, a simple thermoelectric device consisting of five strips of the proposed composite film was constructed and was shown to generate a voltage of 7.6 mV when the temperature difference was 20 K. Thus, the present study demonstrates that that the combination of a chalcogenide and a conductive composite film can produce a high-performance flexible thermoelectric composite film. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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25 pages, 11328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temperature-Dependent Synergistic Effect of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoplatelets on the Tensile Quasi-Static and Fatigue Properties of Epoxy Nanocomposites

by Yi-Ming Jen, Hao-Huai Chang, Chien-Min Lu and Shin-Yu Liang

Polymers 2021, 13(1), 84; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13010084 - 28 Dec 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2455

Abstract

Even though the characteristics of polymer materials are sensitive to temperature, the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites have rarely been studied before, especially for the fatigue behavior of hybrid polymer nanocomposites. Hence, the tensile quasi-static and fatigue tests for the epoxy nanocomposites reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were performed at different temperatures in the study to investigate the temperature-dependent synergistic effect of hybrid nano-fillers on the studied properties. The temperature and the filler ratio were the main variables considered in the experimental program. A synergistic index was employed to quantify and evaluate the synergistic effect of hybrid fillers on the studied properties. Experimental results show that both the monotonic and fatigue strength decrease with increasing temperature significantly. The nanocomposites with a MWCNT (multi-walled CNT): GNP ratio of 9:1 display higher monotonic modulus/strength and fatigue strength than those with other filler ratios. The tensile strengths of the nanocomposite specimens with a MWCNT:GNP ratio of 9:1 are 10.0, 5.5, 12.9, 23.4, and 58.9% higher than those of neat epoxy at −28, 2, 22, 52, and 82 °C, respectively. The endurance limits of the nanocomposites with this specific filler ratio are increased by 7.7, 26.7, 5.6, 30.6, and 42.4% from those of pristine epoxy under the identical temperature conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the synergistic effect for this optimal nanocomposite increases with temperature. The CNTs bridge the adjacent GNPs to constitute the 3-D network of nano-filler and prevent the agglomeration of GNPs, further improve the studied strength. Observing the fracture surfaces reveals that crack deflect effect and the bridging effect of nano-fillers are the main reinforcement mechanisms to improve the studied properties. The pullout of nano-fillers from polymer matrix at high temperatures reduces the monotonic and fatigue strengths. However, high temperature is beneficial to the synergistic effect of hybrid fillers because the nano-fillers dispersed in the softened matrix are easy to align toward the directions favorable to load transfer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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9 pages, 3313 KiB

Open AccessArticle

RGO-Coated Polyurethane Foam/Segmented Polyurethane Composites as Solid–Solid Phase Change Thermal Interface Material

by Cong Zhang, Zhe Shi, An Li and Yang-Fei Zhang

Polymers 2020, 12(12), 3004; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12123004 - 16 Dec 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3278

Abstract

Thermal interface material (TIM) is crucial for heat transfer from a heat source to a heat sink. A high-performance thermal interface material with solid–solid phase change properties was prepared to improve both thermal conductivity and interfacial wettability by using reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-coated polyurethane (PU) foam as a filler, and segmented polyurethane (SPU) as a matrix. The rGO-coated foam (rGOF) was fabricated by a self-assembling method and the SPU was synthesized by an in situ polymerization method. The pure SPU and rGOF/SPU composite exhibited obvious solid–solid phase change properties with proper phase change temperature, high latent heat, good wettability, and no leakage. It was found that the SPU had better heat transfer performance than the PU without phase change properties in a practical application as a TIM, while the thermal conductivity of the rGOF/SPU composite was 63% higher than that of the pure SPU at an ultra-low rGO content of 0.8 wt.%, showing great potential for thermal management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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18 pages, 10073 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Constitutive Model of High-Early-Strength Cement with Perlite Powder as a Thermal-Insulating Material Confined by Caron Fiber Reinforced Plastics at Elevated Temperatures

by Yeou-Fong Li, Wai-Keong Sio, Tzu-Hsien Yang and Ying-Kuan Tsai

Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2369; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12102369 - 15 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1979

Abstract

A parabolic stress–strain constitutive model for inorganic thermal-insulating material confined by carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) exposed to a surrounding elevated temperature was proposed in this paper. The thermal-insulating material used in this study was composed of high-early-strength cement (HESC) and perlite powder. The compression strengths of four kinds of perlite powder composition ratios of thermal-insulating materials cylindrical specimens which were confined by one, two, and three-layer CFRP composite materials were acquired. The experimental results showed that the compression strength was enhanced as the amount of perlite substitute decreased or as the number of CFRP wrapping layers increased. The Mohr–Columb failure criteria were adopted to predict the maximum compressive strength of CFRP-confined inorganic thermal-insulating material. The strain at the maximum compressive strength was found from the experimental results, and the corresponding axial strain at the maximum compressive strength in the constitutive model was determined from the regression analysis. Furthermore, the compressive strengths of the four different perlite composites of thermal-insulating materials were obtained when heating the specimens from ambient temperature to 300 °C. The compressive strength decreased with an increase in temperature, and a thermal softening parameter model was proposed; the thermal softening parameter was determined from the experimental maximum compressive strength at an elevated temperature. Combining the above two models, the constitutive model of HESC with perlite powder additive as a thermal-insulating material confined by CFRP under elevated temperature was proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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18 pages, 3497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of PP-g-(AA-MAH) Fibers Using Suspension Grafting and Melt-Blown Spinning and its Adsorption for Aniline

by Zhouyang Lian, Yiyang Xu, Jie Zuo, Hui Qian, Zhengwei Luo and Wuji Wei

Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2157; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12092157 - 22 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2451

Abstract

This paper uses polypropylene (PP) as the matrix and acrylic acid (AA) and maleic anhydride (MAH) as functional monomers to prepare PP-g-(AA-MAH) fibers by suspension grafting and melt-blown spinning technology that are easy to industrially scale-up. The fibers can be used to adsorb aniline. Results showed that the grafting ratio reached the maximum of 12.47%. The corresponding optimal conditions were grafting time of 3 h, AA: MAH = 0.75, total monomer content of 55%, benzoyl peroxide 1.4%, xylene concentration of 6 mL/g PP, and deionized water content of 8 mL/g PP. Owing to its good fluidity and thermal stability, the product of suspension grafting can be used for melt-blown spinning. Infrared spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analyses indicated that AA and MAH were successfully grafted onto PP fibers. After grafting, the hydrophilicity of PP-g-(AA-MAH) fiber increased. Therefore, it had higher absorptivity for aniline and the adsorption capacity could reach 42.2 mg/g at 45 min and pH = 7. Moreover, the PP-g-(AA-MAH) fibers showed good regeneration performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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12 pages, 38343 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of Red Clay Binder with Epoxy Emulsion for Autonomous Rammed Earth Construction

by Jinsung Kim, Hyeonggil Choi, Keun-Byoung Yoon and Dong-Eun Lee

Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2050; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12092050 - 08 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5170

Abstract

Existing rammed earth construction methods have disadvantages such as increased initial costs for manufacturing the large formwork and increased labor costs owing to the labor-intensive construction techniques involved. To address the limitations of the existing rammed earth construction methods, an autonomous rammed earth construction method was introduced herein. When constructing an autonomous rammed-earth construction method, an alternative means of assuring the performance at the initial age of the binder in terms of materials is needed. In this study, in order to satisfy the performance of the red clay binder, epoxy emulsion was added to analyze the compressive strength, water loosening, shrinkage, rate of mass change, and microstructure in the range of the initial age. As a result of the analysis, the applicability of the epoxy emulsion was confirmed as a new additive for application to an autonomous rammed-earth construction method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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14 pages, 4368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation and Thermomechanical Properties of Ketone Mesogenic Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Resin Composites with Functionalized Boron Nitride

by Yi-Sheng Lin, Steve Lien-Chung Hsu, Tsung-Han Ho, Li-Cheng Jheng and Yu-Hsiang Hsiao

Polymers 2020, 12(9), 1913; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12091913 - 25 Aug 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2533

Abstract

In order to enhance the thermomechanical behaviors of epoxy molding compounds, the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) fillers were incorporated in a ketone mesogenic liquid crystalline epoxy (K–LCE) matrix to prepare a high-performance epoxy composites. The h-BN was modified by surface coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). The grafting of silane molecules onto the surface of BN fillers improved the compatibility and homogeneous dispersion state of BN fillers in the K–LCE matrix with a strong interface interaction. The surface-modified BN fillers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermomechanical properties and morphologies of K–LCE/BN composites loading with different contents of modified BN fillers, ranging from 0.50 to 5.00 wt%, were investigated. These results show that modified BN fillers uniformly dispersed in K–LCE matrix, contributing to the enhancement in storage modulus, glass transition temperatures, impact strength and reduction in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The thermal stability and char yield of the K–LCE/BN composites were increased by increasing the amount of modified BN fillers and the thermal decomposition temperatures of composites were over 370 °C. The thermal conductivity of the K–LCE/BN composites was up to 0.6 W/m·K, for LC epoxy filled with 5.00-wt%-modified BN fillers. Furthermore, the K–LCE/BN composites have excellent thermal and mechanical properties compared to those of the DGEBA/BN composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Polymer Composites: Preparation, Processing and Properties)

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