Polyester composite water uptake and organic contaminant release affected by carbon nanofiber reinforcements |
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| Authors: | Maryam Salehi Ajay Krishnamurthy Aaron M. Forster Kuang–Ting Hsiao Andrew J. Whelton |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Ecological and Environmental Engineering and Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana;2. Material and Structural Systems Division, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute for Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland;3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, 3130 Shelby Hall, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama |
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| Abstract: | The incorporation of carbon nanofiber (CNF) into glass fiber (GF) composites is a potential route to extend polymer composite service‐life and enhance mechanical properties. Under nonstatic conditions, only limited information concerning water uptake and contaminant release properties of nanocomposite materials is currently available. Polyester composites containing GF and oxidized CNF were immersed in water for 30 days under nominal pressure at 23 °C, below the polymer's glass‐transition temperature. Water was analyzed and changed every three days to simulate water chemistry regeneration similar to exposures in flowing systems. Composites with oxidized CNF had greater water sorption capacity and leaching rates than CNF‐free composites. The total mass of organic contaminant released correlated with the amount of water sorbed by each composite (r2 = 0.91), although CNF dispersion was found to vary greatly within composites. The greatest and least contaminant release rates were found for the polyester‐CNF and the polyester‐GF composites, respectively. While volatile aromatic resin solvents and stabilizer compounds were detected, their concentrations declined over the 30 day exposure period. We hypothesize that the hydrophilic nature of the oxidized CNF increased the water sorption capacity of the polyester composites. Additional studies are warranted that examine the impact of this phenomenon on composite mechanical and long‐term durability properties. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43724. |
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| Keywords: | ageing composites degradation fibers polyesters |
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