Effect of the sintering temperature on microstructure and properties of Al2O3–Cu–Ni hybrid composites obtained by PPS

In the present research, the influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of Al₂O₃–Cu–Ni hybrid composites prepared by the Pulse Plasma Sintering (PPS) technique were described. In this research, three temperatures have been selected: 1250°C, 1300°C, and 1350°C. SEM observations were carried out to determine the distribution of the metallic phase in the composite depending on the sintering temperature. The conducted experiments and microscopic observations enabled a better understanding of the phenomena occurring between the ceramic matrix and metallic phase in the obtained materials. The mechanical properties like a hardness and fracture toughness were measured. The technology applied allowed us to obtain ceramic-metal composites with a homogeneous microstructure. It was found that the sintering temperature influences the selected physical and mechanical properties of the composites produced. It was found that samples produced at 1300°C are characterized by the highest relative density and the mechanical properties.     

High‐performance printable paper‐like composites derived from plastic flexible film wastes

Owing to lack of proper recycling methods, plastic flexible film wastes are usually directly discarded or incinerated, which brings about severe environmental pollution. Therefore, converting plastic wastes into value‐added products has received more and more attention in recent years. In this work, paper‐like composites derived from plastic flexible film wastes were prepared via the thermally induced phase separation method by adding polyethylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MAH) as a compatibilizer and fumed silica as an additive. The resulting paper‐like composites were characterized by SEM and infrared spectroscopy. Other properties such as mechanical properties, thermal properties, whiteness, printability and adsorption performance were also tested in detail. It was found that remarkable enhancements in mechanical, thermal and printable properties of the paper‐like composites were obtained when nano‐SiO₂ loading was 2.5–3 wt%. Uniformly distributed holes that can endow good printability by providing space for ink or other functional molecules were observed by using SEM. Furthermore, the CIE whiteness value of the resulting composites can reach 91.6%–96.7% on adding nano‐SiO₂. Additionally, the paper‐like composites integrating nano‐SiO₂ and PE‐g‐MAH exhibited good solid ink affinity and high water or oil adsorption capacity. Thus, according to this research, high‐performance printable paper‐like composites used as major components of multifunctional papers can be prepared based on plastic flexible film wastes. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of polyimide composites with mixed fillers of BN flakes and SiC@SiO2 whiskers

Polyimide (PI) composites with mixed fillers of BN flakes and SiC whiskers exhibit enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. In order to improve dispersion and interaction of these mixed fillers within the PI matrix, BN flakes were modified by a titanate coupling agent while SiC whiskers were oxidized at 750°C for 60 minutes to produce SiC@SiO₂ followed by silane coupling agent modification. PI composites reached a maximum thermal conductivity of 0.95 W/m K at volume fraction of mixed fillers of 27.6 vol% when the weight ratio of BN flakes to SiC@SiO₂ whiskers was 1:4. The enhanced thermal conductivity is likely attributed to the formation of heat conductive networks constructed by BN flakes and SiC@SiO₂ whiskers and the improved interfacial affinity between fillers and matrix. The optimized Nielsen-mold confirms the distribution and morphology of fillers affect the thermal conductivity of PI composites. In addition, SiC whiskers enhanced the mechanical property of PI composites and the influence of fillers on the mechanical property was further elaborated.     

Liquid‐Filling Polydimethylsiloxane Composites with Enhanced Triboelectric Performance for Flexible Nanogenerators

Material functionalization of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) plays an important role in TENG's electric performance for sustainable energy harvesting. In this work, a method for improving polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites triboelectric performance has been proposed, via filling high dielectric constant liquid (instead of solids) into PDMS matrix. The improvement is attributed to the high dielectric constant liquid in PDMS matrix that reduced the effective thickness of PDMS and increased the dielectric constant of PDMS composite synchronously. At 50% filling ratio (PDMS‐HD50), the triboelectric performance exhibits an enhancement of 4.5‐fold in output voltage and 3.9‐fold in output current as compared to pure PDMS. The results, besides higher transparency, are superior to the results from traditional solid dielectric constant doping materials like BaTiO₃ nanoparticle in PDMS. This work has proved potentials of dielectric liquid filling materials in fabricating TENGs and could be a guidance for exploring new liquid filling materials.     

Effects of SiC content on the densification,microstructure, and mechanical properties of HfB2–SiC composites

To investigate the effects of SiC on microstructure, hardness, and fracture toughness, 0, 10, 20, and 30 vol% SiC were added to HfB₂ and sintered by SPS. Upon adding SiC to 30 vol%, relative density increased about 4%; but HfB₂ grain growth had a minimum at 20 vol% SiC. This may be due to grain boundary silicate glass, responsible for surface oxide wash out, enriched in SiO₂ with higher fraction of SiC. By SiO₂ enrichment, the glass viscosity increased and higher HfO₂ remained unsolved which subsequently lead to higher grain growth. Hardness has increased from about 13 to 15 GPa by SiC introduction with no sensible variation with SiC increase. Residual stress measurements by Rietveld method indicated high levels of tensile residual stresses in the HfB₂ Matrix. Despite the peak residual stress value at 20 vol% SiC, fracture toughness of this sample was the highest (6.43 MPa m^0.5) which implied that fracture toughness is mainly a grain size function. Tracking crack trajectory showed a mainly trans-granular fracture, but grain boundaries imposed a partial deflection on the crack pathway. SiC had a higher percentage in fracture surface images than the cross-section which implied a weak crack deflection.     

C/C-SiC component for metallic phase change materials

Thanks to their high energy density and thermal conductivity, metallic Phase Change Materials (mPCM) have shown great potential to improve the performance of thermal energy storage systems. However, the commercial application of mPCM is still limited due to their corrosion behavior with conventional container materials. This work first addresses on a fundamental level, whether carbon-based composite-ceramics are suitable for corrosion critical components in a thermal storage system. The compatibility between the mPCM AlSi₁₂ and the Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI)-based carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/C-SiC) composite is then investigated via contact angle measurements, microstructure analysis, and mechanical testing after exposure. The results reveal that the C/C-SiC composite maintains its mechanical properties and microstructure after exposure in the strongly corrosive mPCM. Based on these results, efforts were made to design and manufacture a container out of C/C-SiC for the housing of mPCM in vehicle application. The stability of the component filled with mPCM was proven nondestructively via computer tomography (CT). Successful thermal input- and output as well as thermal storage ability were demonstrated using a system calorimeter under conditions similar to the application. The investigated C/C-SiC composite has significant application potential as a structural material for thermal energy storage systems with mPCM.     

固溶处理对TiB2/6061复合材料硬度及耐磨性的影响

采用氟盐法制备了TiB₂质量分数为3%的原位合成TiB₂/6061复合材料,研究了固溶温度和固溶时间对复合材料硬度和耐磨性能的影响。结果表明:TiB₂颗粒弥散分布在6061铝合金基体中,明显细化6061铝合金基体晶粒。当固溶温度一定时,随固溶时间延长,复合材料的硬度和耐磨性可获得明显提高,但固溶时间在6~10 h时,复合材料的性能变化不显著。当固溶时间一定时,随固溶温度升高,复合材料硬度和耐磨性呈现先上升后下降的趋势。3wt%TiB₂/6061复合材料经530 ℃×10 h固溶处理后,硬度和耐磨性能最佳,相较于铸态硬度值提高了79.5％,磨损量减少了59.1%。固溶处理后复合材料的磨损表面犁沟变细变浅,材料脱落现象减少。