Water absorption,residual mechanical and thermal properties of hydrothermally conditioned nano-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> enhanced glass fiber reinforced polymer composites

The durability of the nano-Al₂O₃ enhanced glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites in hydrothermal environment is necessary for hydro/hygro thermal applications. The present investigation emphasizes the effect of nano-Al₂O₃ filler concentration on moisture absorption kinetics, residual mechanical and thermal properties of hydrothermally treated GFRP nano-composites. Nano-Al₂O₃ particles were mixed with epoxy matrix through temperature assisted magnetic stirrer and followed by ultrasonic treatment. It has been observed that, the addition of 0.1 wt% of nano-Al₂O₃ into the GFRP nano-composites reduces the moisture diffusion coefficient by 10%, as well as improves the flexural residual strength by 16% and interlaminar residual shear strength by 17% as compared to the neat epoxy GFRP composites. However, the glass transition temperature has not been improved by the addition of nano-Al₂O₃ filler. Weibull design parameters have been determined for dry and hydrothermally conditioned nano-composites. A good agreement between the experimental and the simulated stress–strain results has been observed. The interface failure mechanism has been evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscope to support the new findings.     

Grafting of epoxy chains onto graphene oxide for epoxy composites with improved mechanical and thermal properties

Epoxy composites filled with both graphene oxide (GO) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A functionalized GO (DGEBA–f–GO) sheets were prepared at different filler loading levels. The correlations between surface modification, morphology, dispersion/exfoliation and interfacial interaction of sheets and the corresponding mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were systematically investigated. The surface functionalization of DGEBA layer was found to effectively improve the compatibility and dispersion of GO sheets in epoxy matrix. The tensile test indicated that the DGEBA–f–GO/epoxy composites showed higher tensile modulus and strength than either the neat epoxy or the GO/epoxy composites. For epoxy composite with 0.25 wt% DGEBA–f–GO, the tensile modulus and strength increased from 3.15 ± 0.11 to 3.56 ± 0.08 GPa (∼13%) and 52.98 ± 5.82 to 92.94 ± 5.03 MPa (∼75%), respectively, compared to the neat epoxy resin. Furthermore, enhanced quasi-static fracture toughness (K_IC) was measured in case of the surface functionalization. The GO and DGEBA–f–GO at 0.25 wt% loading produced ∼26% and ∼41% improvements in K_IC values of epoxy composites, respectively. Fracture surface analysis revealed improved interfacial interaction between DGEBA–f–GO and matrix. Moreover, increased glass transition temperature and thermal stability of the DGEBA–f–GO/epoxy composites were also observed in the dynamic mechanical properties and thermo-gravimetric analysis compared to those of the GO/epoxy composites.     

Retention of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hydrothermal Aged Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites

The combined effect of nano-Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ fillers on residual mechanical and thermal properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites has been evaluated. The results reveal that the addition of 0.1?wt% of Al₂O₃ and 0.1?wt% of TiO₂ into the epoxy matrix reduces the water diffusivity by 12%. The residual flexural and interlaminar shear strength of the nanocomposite have been increased by 19 and 21%, respectively, as compared to those of neat epoxy glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite. In spite of reduction in water diffusivity and increase in strength, there was no improvement in glass transition temperature of the nanocomposites.     

Synthesis of monolithic alumina-silica hollow microspheres and their heat-shielding performance for adiabatic materials

Al₂O₃ ceramic foams-based composites were firstly synthesized to be used as the thermal insulation material which has excellent mechanical properties of the substrate material and better thermal properties of hollow microspheres. In this research, by doping TEOS, the monolithic hollow microspheres were prepared via a novel and effective synthesis route using propylene oxide as the gelation initiator to induce the gelation of aluminum chloride hexahydrate solution. The influence of TEOS on the morphology and high-temperature stability of the monolithic hollow microspheres was clarified in detail. Based on the optimized additive amount of TEOS, Al₂O₃ ceramic foams were introduced as the substrate material of alumina-silica hollow microspheres to fabricate the final Al₂O₃ ceramic foams-based composites. Benefited from this special structure, the Al₂O₃ ceramic foams-based composites displayed excellent mechanical properties and thermal properties. The samples changed less in appearance and did not show significant shrinkage after heat-treatment at 1200 °C. The density, bending strength and thermal conductivity of the Al₂O₃ ceramic foams-based composite were 0.32 g/cm³, 1.8 MPa and 0.12 W/m K, respectively.     

Thermo-mechanical behaviors and moisture absorption of silica nanoparticle reinforcement in epoxy resins

An investigation of the thermo-mechanical behavior of silica nanoparticle reinforcement in two epoxy systems consisting of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF) and cycloaliphatic epoxy resins was conducted. Silica nanoparticles with an average particle size of 20 nm were used. The mechanical and thermal properties, including coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), modulus (E), thermal stability, fracture toughness (K_IC), and moisture absorption, were measured and compared against theoretical models. It was revealed that the thermal properties of the epoxy resins improved with silica nanoparticles, indicative of a lower CTE due to the much lower CTE of the fillers, and furthermore, DGEBF achieved even lower CTE than the cycloaliphatic system at the same wt.% filler content. Equally as important, the moduli of the epoxy systems were increased by the addition of the fillers due to the large surface contact created by the silica nanoparticles and the much higher modulus of the filler than the bulk polymer. In general, the measured values of CTE and modulus were in good agreement with the theoretical model predictions. With the Kerner and Halpin-Tsai models, however, a slight deviation was observed at high wt.% of fillers. The addition of silica nanoparticles resulted in an undesirable reduction of glass transition temperature (T_g) of approximately 20 °C for the DGEBF system, however, the T_g was found to increase and improve for the cycloaliphatic system with silica nanoparticles by approximately 16 °C. Furthermore, the thermal stability improved with addition of silica nanoparticles where the decomposition temperature (T_d) increased by 10 °C for the DGEBF system and the char yield significantly improved at 600 °C. The moisture absorption was also reduced for both DGEBF and cycloaliphatic epoxies with filler content. Lastly, the highest fracture toughness was achieved with approximately 20 wt.% and 15 wt.% of silica nanoparticles in DGEBF and cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, respectively.     

Stabilized tialite–mullite composites with low thermal expansion and high strength for catalytic converters

Aluminium titanate (AT) is a potential candidate material for use in demanding high temperature applications, because it exhibits an excellent thermal shock resistance due to its low thermal expansion coefficient and high refractoriness.However, industrial applications of this material are hindered by two major limitations. Its decomposition to α-Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ between 800 and 1280 °C and its low mechanical strength.The present work aims to stabilize aluminium titanate with the addition of Fe₂O₃. The decomposition of aluminium titanate–iron oxide solid solutions when heated at 1100 °C for up to 1000 h was studied. The effect of iron oxide addition on pure aluminium titanate properties was investigated. Additionally, strengthening of the iron stabilized AT with mullite was considered adding mullite (M), 3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂ to tialite body at various amounts (5–50%, w/w). Properties like four point bending strength, thermal expansion coefficient (TEC), and porosity of the composites, were evaluated. Finally, the effect of mullite on the mechanical properties of AT–mullite composites was investigated.It was found that aluminium titanate (iron oxide stabilized)–mullite composites exhibit very good mechanical strength combined with excellent thermal stability.     

Interfacial origin of enhanced energy density in SrTiO3-based nanocomposite films

SrTiO₃-based films doped with different Al-precursors were prepared by sol-gel methods and the dielectric strengths and leakage currents of the materials were investigated. The best performance was found in SrTiO₃ films doped with Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (nano-Al₂O₃). When 5 mol% of nano-Al₂O₃ was added to SrTiO₃ films with Al electrodes, the dielectric strength was enhanced to 506.9 MV/m compared with a value of 233.5 MV/m for SrTiO₃ films. The energy density of the 5 mol% nano-Al₂O₃ doped SrTiO₃ films was 19.3 J/cm³, which was also far higher than that of the SrTiO₃ films (3.2 J/cm³). These results were attributed to interfacial anodic oxidation reactions, which were experimentally confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscope studies and theoretically modelled based on Faraday's laws. The films with added nano-Al₂O₃ featured many conducting paths at the interfaces between the host phase and the guest nano-Al₂O₃, which promoted ion transport and contributed to the strong anodic oxidation reaction capability of the 5 mol% nano-Al₂O₃ doped SrTiO₃ films.     

High temperature strength and thermal stability for melt growth composite

Melt growth composites (MGCs) have a microstructure, in which continuous networks of single-crystal Al₂O₃ phases and single-crystal oxide compounds (YAG (Y₃Al₅O₁₂), GAP (GdAlO₃)) interpenetrate without grain boundaries. Therefore, the MGCs have excellent high-temperature strength characteristics, creep resistance, superior oxidation resistance and thermal stability in the air atmosphere at very high temperature. To achieve ultra-high thermal efficiency and low NO_x emission for gas turbine systems, we produced turbine nozzle vanes that does not require cooling and heat shield panels for combustor liners. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of these parts have been studied. The high-temperature strength characteristics and the thermal stability of components were also no changes after heat treatment for 500 h at 1700 °C in an air atmosphere. The favorable properties of melt growth composite have been discussed for possible application in gas turbine system.     

Dry sliding wear behavior of β-Sialon ceramics at wide range temperature from 25 to 800 °C

The β-Sialons are potential candidates for high temperature application because of their excellent comprehensive performances. However, there is little research about dry sliding wear behavior of β-Sialons at wide range temperature. This study aims at revealing the mechanisms of how temperature, microstructure and mechanical properties affect the tribological properties of such composites. Four kinds of β-Sialons are prepared and their wear properties are characterized from 25 to 800 °C. Results show that β-Sialons have a preferable tribological property at 25 °C, which is ascribed to its excellent mechanical properties. Whereas, with temperature increasing, the wear rate increases two orders of magnitudes compared to 25 °C, owing to the reduced hardness and increased thermal stress of the sample. At 800 °C, the wear rate of composites decreases with z values increasing, which is attributed to the tribo-chemical reaction and generate more Al₂O₃ in β-Sialons with higher z values during sliding process.     

Preparation and mechanical performance of ductile Csf/Al2O3–BN composites—Part 2: Effects of fiber contents and ablation properties

In this paper, ductile C_sf/Al₂O₃–BN composites were prepared by hot-press sintering. Effects of fiber contents on the mechanical performance and ablation behavior of the composites were investigated systematically. The results showed that all the composites fractured in non-brittle failure mode, exhibiting elastic region and non-linear region as shown in load–displacement curves. With the increase in fiber contents from 15 to 30 vol%, mechanical properties of the obtained composites first increased, reached the peak values at fiber content of 25 vol% and then decreased. When being exposed to high-speed oxyacetylene combustion flow for 60 s, the composites with fiber contents of 15, 20 and 25 vol% showed comparable ablation property and mass loss of 5.3, 7.2 and 8.4×10⁻⁴ g/s, respectively. The ablation mechanisms include fiber and ceramic matrix oxidation, decomposition of mullite, evaporation of both B₂O₃ and SiO₂, and mechanical exfoliation.     

Sintering behavior and characteristics study of BaTiO3 with 50 wt% of B2O3-Bi2O3-SiO2-ZnO glass

The thermal analysis of B₂O₃-Bi₂O₃-SiO₂-ZnO (BBSZ) glass with different particle sizes and LiF addition was researched to study its temperature behavior. Next the composites with 50 wt% BaTiO₃–50 wt% BBSZ glass were prepared for shrinkage, microstructures and dielectric properties investigations. The differently treated BBSZ glass showed that the smaller glass particles clearly decreased its softening and crystallization temperatures. LiF addition had the same but much weaker effect.The composites showed two-stage shrinkage related to the softening of the glass and new phase generation of Bi₂₄Si₂O₄₀ at 385–450 °C, and Bi₄BaTi₄O₁₅ over 680 °C. The microstructures of the composites sintered at 720 °C showed Bi₄BaTi₄O₁₅, BaTiO₃ and Bi₂₄Si₂O₄₀ with residual ZnO phase. LiF addition increased the amount of Bi₄BaTi₄O₁₅, thus increasing the loss value. However the particle size of the glass did not effect to the dielectric properties of the composites showing permittivity of 248–256 and loss of 0.013 at 100 kHz.     

Preparation and mechanical performance of ductile Csf/Al2O3-BN composites,Part 1: Effects of fiber length and sintering temperature

Since its invention, alumina ceramics have been extensively investigated for potential various applications. However, their intrinsic brittle nature is still an insurmountable obstacle when they are applied as structural components. This paper provides a simple routs to prepare ductile alumina based composites with the addition of chopped carbon fiber (C_sf/Al₂O₃-BN). Effects of fiber length and sintering temperature on the microstructure, phase composition, mechanical properties together with fracture behavior were systematically investigated. The results showed that composites with mixed fiber lengths of 12 mm and 1 mm exhibited homogeneous microstructure and striking enhancement in mechanical performances compared with composites with other fiber length. With the increase in sintering temperature from 1500 °C to 1650 °C, interfacial bonding strength increased and interface state converted from mechanical interlocking at 1500 °C into chemical bonding at 1650 °C. Chemical reaction in the composites degraded carbon fiber properties, which resulted in the decrease in mechanical performance of the composites.     

Synthesis,morphology and physical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube/biphenyl liquid crystalline epoxy composites

We have developed multi-walled carbon nanotube/liquid crystalline epoxy composites and studied the effects of incorporation carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. The CNTs are functionalized by liquid crystalline (LC) 4,4′-bis(2,3-epoxypropoxy) biphenyl (BP) epoxy resin for the ease of dispersion and the formation of long range ordered structure. The epoxy functionalized CNT (ef-CNT) were dispersed in the LC BP epoxy resin that can be thermal cured with an equivalent of 4,4′-diamino-diphenylsulfone to form composite. The curing process was monitored by polarized optical microscopy. The results indicate the LC resin was aligned along the CNTs to form fiber with dendritic structure initially then further on to obtain micro-sized spherical crystalline along with fibrous crystalline. With homogeneous dispersion and strong interaction between nanotubes and matrix, the composite containing 2.00 wt.% ef-CNT exhibits excellent thermal and mechanical properties. When the amount of ef-CNT exceeds 2.00 wt.%, vitrification stage of curing is fast reached, which lowers the degree of conversion. As compared with the neat resin, the composite containing 2.00 wt.% ef-CNT increases the glass transition temperature by 70.0 °C, the decomposition temperature by 13.8 °C, the storage modulus by 40.9%, and the microhardness by 63.3%.     

MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF NANO-AL2O3/NYLON 6 COMPOSITES

Nano-Al₂O₃-reinforced monomer casting nylon (NA/MCN) composites were prepared by using in situ polymerization. The average molecular weight of the matrix nylon was measured using gel permeation chromatography. The thermal-mechanical properties of the NA/MCN composites were characterized by thermo-dynamic mechanical analysis, and the results were compared with micro-Al₂O₃-reinforced nylon (MA/MCN) composites. A tensile property test was conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of neat nylon and composites. Experimental results showed that the average molecular weight of the matrix nylon filled with nano-alumina had little change and was higher than that with micro-alumina. The glass transition temperature (T_g) and storage moduli of NA/MCN composites were higher than that of neat nylon. During the experiment, it was also found that the tensile strength increased up to 52% when 3 wt.% of nano-Al₂O₃ particles were added. The thermal and tensile properties of NA/MCN composites were better than those of the MA/MCN composites when the same weight percentage of Al₂O₃ particles was used.     

Effect of graphite nanoplatelets on the mechanical properties of alumina-based composites

Al₂O₃-based composites using exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs) have been developed by powder metallurgy (PM) route using both conventional as well as spark plasma sintering (SPS) processes. Al₂O₃-0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 3 and 5 vol% xGnP composites have been developed, and the effect of the addition of xGnP on the density, hardness, fracture toughness and wear behaviour of the various Al₂O₃-xGnP composites have been analyzed. Conventional sintering was done at a temperature of 1650 °C for 2, 3 and 4 h in inert atmosphere, whereas SPS was carried out at 1450 °C under 50 MPa pressure for 5 min. A uniform dispersion of the xGnP in the Al₂O₃ matrix was observed in the composites upto the addition of 3 vol% xGnP. Results indicate that a significant improvement in hardness, wear resistance and fracture toughness of the composites could be achieved by using xGnP as nanofiller. The hardness and fracture toughness of the composites developed by both conventional sintering and SPS show an increase upto the addition of 3 and 0.8 vol% xGnP respectively. The wear resistance of the composites also shows significant improvement upto the addition of 3 vol% xGnP. The composites developed by SPS have been found to possess superior mechanical properties as compared to the composites developed by conventional sintering. The improvement in the mechanical properties can be attributed to the strong interaction between the xGnP and the Al₂O₃ matrix at the interfaces and to the toughening mechanisms such as crack bridging and crack deflection.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of short ZrO2 fiber reinforced NiFe2O4 matrix composites

Short ZrO₂ fibers (ZrO_2(f)) reinforced NiFe₂O₄ ceramic composites were fabricated by cold pressing process. The phase composition, microstructure, mechanical properties and fiber/matrix interface of the composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and mechanical testing machines. ZrO_2(f) show good thermodynamic and chemical compatibility with NiFe₂O₄ ceramic matrix and effectively enhanced the mechanical properties. The toughening mechanisms are fiber bridging, interfacial debonding, fiber pullout, phase transformation and the matrix constraint effect. By incorporation of 3 wt% fibers with the average length of 5～6 mm, the bending strength and fracture toughness of the composites reached 88.92 MPa and 4.62 MPa m^1/2, respectively, while the strength conservation ratio after thermal shock increased from 48.85% to 75.86%. The weak interface bonding built up between ZrO_2(f) and NiFe₂O₄ facilitates the reinforcing effects of the fibers to operate.     

Synthesis and properties of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-containing high-performance bismaleimide resins

Two novel bismaleimide (BMI) monomers containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole, i.e., 5-tert-butyl-1,3-di[5-(4-maleimidophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl]benzene (Buoxd) and 4,4′-[5-(4-maleimidophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl]diphenyldimethylsilane (Sioxd), were designed, synthesized and copolymerized with 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BMDM) to yield a new series of high-performance bismaleimide resins. Both monomers obtained are readily soluble in common organic solvents, such as dichloromethane and chloroform, enabling an easy solution processing. The thermal properties of the two monomers were carefully studied by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, simultaneous DSC). The BMI resins based on a mixture of Buoxd (or Sioxd) and BMDM in a weight ratio of 10% were prepared. DSC investigations showed that the thermal curing of the BMI resins could be accomplished at a lower temperature than the thermal curing temperatures of Buoxd and Sioxd, and the thermal processing window, i.e., the temperature range between the melting transition and thermal curing process, was over 26 °C. The thermal properties and thermal mechanical properties of the resulting BMI resins were investigated by DSC, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). No glass transition temperature was found in the range of 50–350 °C, and very good thermal stability (T_d > 490 °C in nitrogen) and high thermo-oxidative stability (T_d > 460 °C in air) were revealed. Composites composed of the above BMI resins and glass cloth were also prepared, which showed high bending modulus (>1.6 GPa) at a very high temperature (e.g., 400 °C).     

Thermal emission properties of Al2O3/Er3Al5O12 eutectic ceramics

The mechanical properties and thermal stability of the Al₂O₃/Er₃Al₅O₁₂ (EAG) eutectic ceramics have been investigated at very high temperature. The emissive properties of this eutectic ceramics have also been measured and its possibilities of application to an emitter have been discussed. The present eutectic ceramic has excellent high-temperature strength characteristics, showing that tensile yielding stress is approximately 300 MPa at 1650 °C and superior thermal stability at 1700 °C in an air atmosphere. The present material shows strong selective emission bands at wavelength 1.5 μm due to Er³⁺ ion. The emission bands of this material are nearly coincident with the sensitive region of GaSb PV cell, therefore, the Al₂O₃/EAG eutectic ceramic can be regarded as one of the promising emitter materials in TPV systems.     

Development of ZrO2–WC composites by pulsed electric current sintering

ZrO₂–WC ceramic composites with 40 vol% WC were consolidated by pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) for 4 min at 1450 °C under a pressure of 60 MPa. The effect of ZrO₂ stabilizers and the source of WC powder on the densification, phase constitution, microstructure and mechanical properties of the ZrO₂–WC composites were investigated and analyzed. The experimental results revealed that the amount and type of ZrO₂ stabilizers played a primary role on the phase constitution and mechanical properties of the composites in comparison to the morphology and size of the WC powder. The 2 mol% Y₂O₃-stabilized composites exhibited much better mechanical properties than that of 1.75 mol% Y₂O₃-stabilized or 1 mol% Y₂O₃ + 6 or 8 mol% CeO₂ co-stabilized composites. A Vickers hardness of 16.2 GPa, fracture toughness of 6.9 MPa m^1/2, and flexural strength of 1982 MPa were obtained for the composites PECS from a mixture of nanometer sized WC and 2 mol% Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ powder.     

Effect of zirconia on ablation mechanism of asbestos fiber/phenolic composites in oxyacetylene torch environment

Micron-size zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) was used to improve the thermal stability and ablation properties of asbestos fiber/phenolic composites and to reduce their final cost. ZrO₂/asbestos/phenolic composites were prepared in an autoclave by the curing cycle process. The densities of the composites were in the range of 1.64–1.82 g/cm³. The ablation properties of composites were determined by oxyacetylene torch environment and burn-through time, erosion rates and back surface temperature in the first required 20 s. To understand the ablation mechanism, the morphology and phase composition of the composites were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Thermal stability of the produced materials was estimated by means of thermal gravimetric analysis, in air which consisted of dynamic scans at a heating rate of 10 °C/min from 30 to 1000 °C with bulk samples of about 23±2 mg. The thermal stability of the composites was enhanced by adding ZrO₂. The results showed that the linear and mass ablation rates of the composites after adding 14 wt% ZrO₂ decreased by 58% and 92%, respectively. The back surface temperature of a sample with 14% zirconia was 49% lower than that of pure composite. The SEM studies showed that, modified composites displayed much lower porosity than that of non-modified composite and the destruction of asbestos fibers was very low. On the other hand, it appeared that a thin melted layer of ZrO₂ covered the surfaces of zirconia-containing composites.