Melting process and melt structure of fly ash/magnesium slag blends for the production of inorganic fibers

Fiber production from inorganic industrial solid wastes is an effective waste management strategy. Because of cost considerations, most enterprises generally use local solid wastes as raw materials to produce fibers. In this study, we explored the feasibility of producing fibers using fly ash and magnesium slag. The results show that the melting temperature of the blends composed of fly ash, magnesium slag, and a small amount of calcined dolomite first decreased and then increased with an increase in acidity coefficient (M_k) from 1.0 to 2.4_. The samples could form a eutectic system in the M_k range of 1.4–1.8, and therefore have a relatively low melting temperature in this M_k range. Fly ash could react with magnesium slag and calcined dolomite to form akermanite, gehlenite-magnesium, and anorthite at temperatures close to the melting temperature; therefore, these crystalline phases were the main reaction products formed in the samples with M_k values lower than 1.80. Anorthite reacted further with some Na-containing and Si-containing spieces to produce labradorite. Thus, the content of anorthite and labradorite rapidly increased and they became the major crystal phases in the blend samples with M_k values greater than 1.80. MAS-NMR spectroscopic analysis revealed that the network structure of the melts depended on the ratio of bridging oxygen to non-bridging oxygen; a high ratio of bridging oxygen to non-bridging oxygen could lead to the formation of a dense network structure in the melt. The blends of fly ash and magnesium slag can be used to produce wool fibers and continuous fibers. In addition, the suitable temperature ranges for the production of both types of fibers were determined. The drawing temperature for continuous fiber production depended on the degree of polymerization and structure of the melt.     

Performance evaluation of basalt fiber-reinforced geopolymer composites with various contents of nano CaCO3

High carbon footprint of cement production is the major drawback of plain cement concrete resulting in environmental pollution. Geopolymer composites paste can be effectively used as an alternative to Portland cement in the construction industry for a sustainable environment. The demand for high-performance composites and sustainable construction is increasing day by day. Therefore, the present experimental program has endeavored to investigate the mechanical performance of basalt fiber-reinforced fly ash-based geopolymer pastes with various contents of nano CaCO₃. The content of basalt fibers was fixed at 2% by weight for all specimens while the studied contents of nano CaCO₃ were 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%, respectively. The compressive strength, compressive stress-strain response, flexural strength, bending stress-strain response, elastic modulus, toughness modulus, toughness indices, fracture toughness, impact strength, hardness, and microstructural analysis of all four geopolymer composite pastes with varying contents of nano CaCO₃ using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were evaluated. The results revealed that the use of 3% nano CaCO₃ in basalt fiber-reinforced geopolymer paste presented the highest values of compressive strength and hardness while the use of 2% nano CaCO₃ showed the highest values of flexural strength, impact strength, and fracture toughness of composite paste. The SEM results indicated that the addition of nano CaCO₃ improved the microstructure and provided a denser geopolymer paste by refining the interfacial zones and accelerating the geopolymerization reaction.     

Piezoelectric properties of PVDF-conjugated polymer nanofibers

This study presents the development and characterization of PVDF-conjugated polymer nanofiber-based systems. Five different conducting polymers (CPs) were synthesized successfully and used to create the nanofiber systems. The CPs used are polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPY), polyindole (PIN), polyanthranilic acid (PANA), and polycarbazole (PCZ). Nanofiber systems were produced utilizing the Forcespinning® technique. The nanofiber systems were developed by mechanical stretching. No electrical field or post-process poling was used in the nanofiber systems. The morphology, structure, electrochemical and piezoelectric performance was characterized. All of the nanofiber PVDF/CP systems displayed higher piezoelectric performance than the fine fiber PVDF systems. The PVDF/PPY nanofiber system displays the highest piezoelectric performance of 15.56 V. The piezoelectric performance of the PVDF/CP nanofiber systems favors potential for an attractive source of energy where highly flexible membranes could be used in power actuators, sensors and portable, and wireless devices to mention some.     

Novel silicon-contained lignin-based carbon fibers derived from bamboo pulping black liquor with improved electrochemical performance for supercapacitors

Carbon fibers (CFs) are a promising candidate as electrode materials for flexible supercapacitors given its light weight and moderate cost. In this study, the lignin used was partially separated from kraft bamboo pulping black liquor and the higher molecular weight fraction, unavoidably contains a small amount of silicon compounds, so named silicon-contained lignin. Novel CFs were prepared using commercial polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and the lignin by electrospinning and further carbonization. Even in the presence of silicon compounds, the fibrous morphology of precursor fibers was significantly good, and the CFs with uniform fiber diameter and high specific surface area up to 182 m²/g were obtained with an increase in silicon-contained lignin. The CFs fabricated from silicon-contained lignin and commercial PAN had higher specific capacitance (22.20 mF/cm² at 10 mA/cm²) and superb cycling stability (94.21%) than that from silicon-free lignin or pure PAN separately.     

Effects of corrosion in liquid fluoride salt on the tensile strength of domestic SiC fibers

The relationship between the tensile strength of corroded domestic second-generation (2ed-gen) SiC fibers at various temperatures for 500 h in 46.5LiF-11.5NaF-42.0KF (mol. %) eutectic salt and the typical microstructure was studied. Weibull theory was used to analyze the critical defects that caused the tensile fracture, and the microstructure of fibers before and after corrosion was characterized. It is concluded that the decrease of tensile strength after corrosion at 800 °C is caused by the surface injury of fibers, which led to the shift of critical defects from the internal defects of virgin fibers to surface defects. Moreover, corrosion at higher temperature accelerates the corrosion process and dissolve the surface O-contained layer thoroughly. This shifts the critical defects back to the internal defects and will be helpful for the recovery of tensile strength of corroded fibers at the higher temperature.     

Fabrication of ultrafast temperature-responsive nanofibrous hydrogel with superelasticity and its 'on–off' switchable drug releasing capacity

The temperature-responsive bulky hydrogel with fast response rate and satisfactory mechanical property has fascinating application potential in many aspects, such as the implantable macroscale controlled drug release carrier for post-surgical therapy; however, creating such a smart hydrogel was proven extremely challenging. Here a novel type of temperature-responsive bulky hydrogel with ultrafast response rate and super compressible elasticity was fabricated by the fibrous freeze-shaping technique using shortened temperature-responsive polymer based electrospun hollow nanofibers as building blocks, followed by heat treatment for endowing the hydrogel with high stability in water. Because the hydrogel has hierarchical porous structure and its constituent nanofibers have hollow structure, which are beneficial to diffusion of its embodied water during temperature-induced volume phase transition, its temperature-response time is less than 30 s. In addition, the hierarchical porous structure benefits dissipation of the compression stress exerted on the hydrogel. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran as a model biomacromolecular drug, was loaded into the shells of the hollow nanofibers during coaxial electrospinning, and the ultimately obtained nanofibrous hydrogel can release its loaded FITC-dextran in a 'on–off' switchable fashion in response to temperature alternation between 15 and 47°C. Cell cytotoxicity test results demonstrate that the temperature-responsive nanofibrous hydrogel is biocompatible.     

Zirconia-alumina multiphase ceramic fibers with exceptional thermal stability by melt-spinning from solid ceramic precursor

Zirconia-alumina multiphase ceramic fibers with 80 wt% (Z80A20 fiber) and 10 wt% (Z10A90 fiber) proportions of zirconia were prepared via melt-spinning and calcination from solid ceramic precursors synthesized by controllable hydrolysis of metallorganics. The zirconia-alumina multiphase fibers had a diameter of about 10 µm and were evenly distributed with alumina and zirconia grains. The Z80A20 and Z10A90 ceramic fibers had the highest filament tensile strength of 1.78 GPa and 1.87 GPa, respectively, with a peak value of 2.62 GPa and 2.71 GPa. The Z80A20 ceramic fiber has superior thermal stability compared to the Z10A90 ceramic fiber and a higher rate of filament strength retention due to the stability in grain size. After heat treatment at 1100 °C, 1200 °C, and 1300 °C for 1 h respectively, the filament tensile strength retention rate of Z80A20 ceramic fibers was 87 %, 80 %, and 40 %. While Z10A90 ceramic fiber was fragile after being heated at 1300 °C. The results showed that the high zirconia content facilitated the fiber's thermal stability.     

Electrospun curcumin/polycaprolactone/copolymer F-108 fibers as a new therapy for wound healing

The application of fibers associated with drugs is a promising alternative to meet the clinical needs of tissue repair. Curcumin exhibits great cicatricial potential because it has numerous pharmacological properties. This research aimed to produce fibers of polycaprolactone and copolymer F-108 associated with curcumin and to evaluate in vivo their action on the process of wound healing. The fibers were produced by electrospinning technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and fluorescence microscopy. They were applied in cutaneous wounds of rats for the analysis of photoacoustic permeation and histological study. The characterization showed that the electrospinning allowed the preparation of homogeneous material with curcumin. The fibers benefited healing of the wounds and allowed the permeation of curcumin at all stages. The use of PCL/F-108 fibers allowed the elaboration of a new curcumin delivery system, improving its bioavailability and action in the healing of excisional wound. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48415.     

Ultrafine porous boron nitride nanofiber-toughened WC composites

Porous fibers are widely used in catalysis chemistry and hydrogen storage but are rarely used in structural ceramics. In this study, spark plasma sintering was used to prepare an ultrafine porous boron nitride nanofiber-toughened WC composite for the first time. The obtained WC-0.05 wt% ultrafine porous boron nitride nanofiber composites exhibited better properties (ie, a 2.3% increase in hardness and a 19.6% increase in fracture toughness) compared to those of the pure WC specimen. The fiber porosity improved the second phase-WC matrix microstructural combination. The described approach is a novel preparation method for the WC composites. Furthermore, a new toughening mechanism, which is based on “pinning and stretching”, was determined. These findings suggest that porous boron nitride fibers can be considered to be second phases for toughening the WC composites.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Highly Oriented Composite Nanofibers with Excellent Mechanical Strength and Thermal Stability

Here, highly‐oriented poly(m‐phenylene isophthalamide)/polyacrylonitrile multi‐walled carbon nanotube (PMIA/PAN‐MWCNT) composite nanofiber membranes with excellent mechanical strength and thermal stability are successfully produced using electrospinning. It is demonstrated that the cooperation of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and high‐speed rotating collection is beneficial to the acquisition of highly oriented fibers and effectively improves the mechanical strength of the membrane along the orientation direction. Specifically, the tensile stress of poly(m‐phenylene isophthalamide)/polyacrylonitrile (PMIA/PAN) membrane is enhanced significantly from 10.6 to 20.7 MPa, benefiting from the highly oriented alignment of the fibers as well as the reinforcing effect of MWCNTs on the fibers. Furthermore, the stressing process of single fiber and fiber aggregates is carefully simulated, and the influence of MWCNTs on the mechanical properties of PMIA/PAN‐MWCNT membranes is analyzed comprehensively, providing a meaningful auxiliary means for the study of mechanical properties. In addition, the composite nanofiber membrane has the advantages of both PMIA and PAN, possessing high temperature resistance, flame‐retardancy, and chemical stability, for an ideal high‐temperature material. In short, the as‐prepared PMIA/PAN‐MWCNT composite membrane with excellent comprehensive property emerges a promising application in many fields, especially in high‐tech.