The ferroelectric properties of piezoelectric ceramic/polymer composites for acoustic emission sensors

Two different mixed connectivity composites, consisting of a ferroelectric ceramic powder of calcium modified lead titanate (PTCa) dispersed in a polymer matrix, have been fabricated and their ferroelectric properties have been investigated. Hysteresis measurements have been conducted on composites of PTCa with a polar polymer of polyvinylidene trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) and PTCa with a thermosetting epoxy resin to determine the coercive fields and remanent polarization of the two different composites. The composites show noticeable differences in their behavior during poling along with the values of their piezoelectric coefficients, with the composite of PTCa/P(VDF-TrFE) showing enhanced piezoelectric activity over that of PTCa/epoxy. This paper reports on the polarization properties and the microstructural nature of the composites.     

Bistable light scattering effects in a (side chain liquid crystalline polymer)/(low molecular weight liquid crystal) composite and in a ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymer

The electro-optical effects and aggregation states of liquid crystalline polymer (LCP)/ low molecular weight liquid crystal (LC) composite and ferroelectric liquid crystalline copolymer (FLCP) have been investigated. The nematic LCP was observed to be miscible with the nematic LC over wide ranges of concentration and temperature. The binary mixture showed an induced smectic phase in the range of 80/20-20/80 mol%. The electro-optical effects of the LCP/LC composite in an induced smectic phase could be classified into the turbid (light- scattering) and the transparent states upon application of AC and DC electric fields, respectively. The transient scattering mode was obtained by repeated voltage polarity reversal in the chiral smectic C phase of FLCP. The reversible transparent-opaque (light scattering) change was observed in the chiral smectic C state upon application of DC and AC electric fields, respectively. Both transparent and light-scattering states of the LCP/LC composite and the FLCP could be maintained, even after the electric field had been turned off (memory effect). The bistable effects of LCP/LC composite and FLCP are opposite under the same conditions. A novel type of electro-optical effect on light scattering was obtained for liquid crystalline polymer in the smectic states.     

Influence of polymer viscosity on the morphological and opto‐electronic behavior of polysiloxane dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal composite thin films

Poly(dimethyl)siloxanes of different viscosity have been synthesized by hydrolytic condensation of dimethyldichloro silane. Polysiloxane dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal (PDFLC) composite films were prepared simultaneously by solvent induced and polymer induced phase separation techniques (SIPS and PIPS, respectively). These composite films were prepared by mixing polymer and ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture in diethyl ether and then adding 0.2% of room temperature vulcanizer for crosslinking. Film morphology, droplet size, and electro‐optic parameters of PDFLC systems have been studied by using polysiloxanes of different viscosity. We show that the polymer viscosity affects the droplet size, morphological uniformity, electro‐optic properties, and also the extent to which the phase separation is complete. These composite systems show the switching time of few microseconds. Structure‐property correlation in these materials have been studied and explained on the basis of polysiloxane viscosity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 159–166, 2004     

Polymer‐induced improvements in ferroelectric liquid crystal

The chevron geometry in the SmC* phase of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLC) has been a major obstacle in the use of FLC in displays as it results in poor electro‐optical performance. The present paper reports a novel method to overcome this problem, by doping a small amount of polymer in the FLC matrix. In addition to the improvement in smectic ordering, polymer doping is also found to be useful in improving the vital electro‐optical properties. The various electro‐optical parameters like switching time, tilt angle, contrast ratio etc. show improvement in polymer mixed guest host mixture of FLC samples. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1776–1781, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Linear viscoelasticity of polymer melts filled with nano-sized fillers

The linear dynamic rheology of polymer melts filled with nano-sized fillers is investigated in relation to a proposed two phase model. A common principle is disclosed for nanofilled polymers exhibiting either fluid- or solid-like behaviors with increasing filler volume fraction. The bulky polymer phase far away from the filler inclusions in the nanocomposites behaves the same as in the unfilled case while its contribution to the composite modulus is enlarged due to strain amplification effect. The filler forms aggregates together with polymer chains absorbed on the filler surface, which is termed as the “filler phase” in the proposed model. The dynamics of the “filler phase” slow down with increasing filler concentration. The applicability of the proposed two phase model is discussed in relation to the well-known structural inhomogeneity of nanofilled polymers as well as the strain amplification and the filler clustering effects.     

Thermal conductivity of polymer filled with carbon materials: Effect of conductive particle chains on thermal conductivity

Thermal and electric conductivities of polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) filled with carbon materials over a wide range are measured in order to study the effect of formed conductive particle chains on thermal conductivities of the composites. With increase of content of carbon particles, the amount of formed conductive chains exponentially increases and the conductive chains tend largely to increase thermal conductivity of a composite. Some models proposed to predict thermal conductivity of a composite in a two-phase system could not be applied to the system with high volume content of particles. In this study, a new thermal conduction model is proposed to correctly predict thermal conductivity of a composite which contains various amounts of particles ranging from a small content, to the region in which conductive chains largely effect a thermal conductivity of a composite. Thermal conductivity of a polymer filled with high volume content of particles largely decreased with a rise in temperature. This phenomenon can be referred to as a PTC phenomenon in thermal resistance.     

Study of change in dispersion and orientation of clay platelets in a polymer nanocomposite during tensile test by variostage small-angle X-ray scattering

To understand the change in dispersion and orientation of clay platelets in three-dimensional space during tensile test, neat polymer and its nanocomposite samples were studied by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS). The samples after tensile tests were examined by tilting and rotating them with respect to the incident X-ray beam and also by scanning them at different positions. The tilt angle measurements provide better understanding on the dispersion and orientation of the clay platelets in nanocomposite. On the other hand, rotation and scanning measurements reveal details information on the orientation of polymer crystal planes due to the tensile stretching and percent crystallinity. Finally, the focussed ion beam electron tomography was employed to support the dispersion and orientation models of clay platelets proposed on the basis of SWAXS analyses.     

Flexural behavior of polyester polymer concrete

The effect of temperature, strain rate, resin content, void content and methods of preparation (vibration and compaction) on the overall flexural behavior of a polyester resin based polymer concrete is studied under three-point bending. The strength and modulus of polyester polymer concrete are relatively independent of strain rate but decrease at varying rates with increase in temperature. Compaction of polymer concrete during preparation reduces the void content and enhances both the flexural strength and modulus. Modifications to composite stiffness models have been proposed to include excess polymer and excess sand phases for systems other than the optimal system. Using a combination of parallel and series models, it is possible to predict the flexural modular ratio and flexural modulus of polymer concrete. Modified tensile strength models are effective in predicting the flexural strength ratio and flexural strength of polymer concrete.     

Electrospinning of polymer nanofibers with specific surface chemistry

Electrospinning is a process by which sub-micron polymer fibers can be produced using an electrostatically driven jet of polymer solution (or polymer melt). Electrospun textiles are of interest in a wide variety of applications including semi-permeable membranes, filters, composite applications, and as scaffolding for tissue engineering. The goal of the research presented here is to demonstrate that it is possible to produce sub-micron fibers with a specific surface chemistry through electrospinning. This has been accomplished by electrospinning a series of random copolymers of PMMA-r-TAN from a mixed solvent of toluene and dimethyl formamide. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that the atomic percentage of fluorine in the near surface region of the electrospun fibers is about double the atomic percentage of fluorine found in a bulk sample of the random copolymer, as determined by elemental analysis. These results are in good agreement with XPS and water contact angle results obtained from thin films of the same copolymer materials.     

Direct Scanning Electron Microscopy Imaging of Ferroelectric Domains After Ion Milling

A method for directly observing the ferroelectric domain structure by scanning electron microscopy after argon ion milling has been established. Its advantages are exemplified by exposing the domain structure in three widely used ferroelectric ceramics, BaTiO₃, (Na,K)NbO₃, and Pb(Ti,Zr)O₃. Stable high-resolution images revealing domains with widths <30 nm have been obtained. The domain contrast is caused by electron channeling and is strongly dependent on the sample tilt angle. Owing to a strain- and defect-free surface generated by gentle ion milling, pronounced orientation contrast is observed.     

Thermal conductivity of a polymer composite filled with mixtures of particles

A new thermal conduction model is proposed for a polymer system filled with a mixture of several types of particles. Predicted values by the new model are compared with experimental data. The model is derived by extending a model that was previously proposed for a two-phase system. The following equation is derived from the new model: log λ = V · (X₂ · C₂ · log λ₂ + X₃ · C₃ · log λ₃ + (1 ? V) log (C₁ · λ₁. When the thermal conductivities of polymer and particles (λ₁, λ₂, λ₃, …) and a mixing ratio of particles (X₂, X₃, …) are known, thermal conductivity of the filled polymer (λ) with several types of particles can be estimated from the equation, with any volume content of particles (V). Furthermore, from each polymer–filler composite (two-phase system) data, the thermal conductivity of a composite filled with different filler particles can be estimated.     

Papillae mimetic hairy composite spheres towards lotus leaf effect coatings

An effective approach is proposed to fabricate a robust superhydrophobic coating constructed from hairy composite spheres. The hairy spheres mimic structure of the papillae on the surface of lotus leaf. The synthesis is based on template method and the corresponding PANi hairy spheres are prepared by polymerization induced diffusion growth via nanosized channels of a polymer cage. The composite spheres become more robust by coating a layer of inorganic materials onto the PANi hairy spheres. By using a middle adhesive layer of epoxy resin, the hairy spheres can be tightly attached to the substrate. The superhydrophobic coating is achieved with a contact angle of 159.9 ± 1.9° and tilt angle below 2° by a post hydrophobic modification with octadecyltrichlorosilane. Such coating is robust enough to resist water flushing and organic solvents. This method can be scaled up for almost all kinds of substrates.     

Elastic modulus of in-situ composites of a liquid crystalline polymer and polycarbonate

In this paper, we model the elastic modulus of in-situ composite fibers from polymer blends where a fibrous liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) phase is induced by drawing. We propose a composite model to account for the change of the elastic moduli of the reinforcing LCP phase with the draw ratio of the composite fibers. We envisage the LCP phase as a composite of a perfectly oriented chain aggregate and a randomly oriented chain aggregate which are connected in series. We then derive equations for the longitudinal and the transverse elastic moduli of the composite fibers based on the well-known Halpin-Tsai equation and the composite model of the reinforcing LCP phase. Using this approach, we are able to make a number of predictions including the transverse elastic modulus and mechanical anisotropy. Our results show that theoretical predictions of the longitudinal elastic modulus agree fairly well with experimental results for polycarbonate/Vectra composites. The proposed modulus equations will be useful in providing guidelines for fabrication and applications of this new class of polymeric materials.     

Properties of electrochemically synthesized polymer electrodes Part VIII: Kinetics of polypyrrole in polymer electrolyte cells

Results obtained by cyclic voltammetry and frequency response analysis show that the electrochemical behaviour of solid state cells based on the combination of polymer electrolytes and polymer electrodes is crucially affected by the morphology of the electrode interfaces. Fast kinetics and good interfacial contacts can be obtained using composite electrodes electrosynthesized from solutions containing a polymer electrolyte and large surfactant anions.     

Spatial and temporal control of the degree of cure in polymer composite structures

This paper describes current efforts to apply spatially and temporally localized microwave processing techniques to ensure uniformity of material properties in polymer composite materials. In large polymer composite structures, high temperatures caused by exothermic resin cure can degrade the mechanical properties of the composite. In this work, resin cure temperature data was obtained during microwave processing from a series of thermocouples embedded at various lateral locations relative to the microwave source and uniformly through the thickness of the composite structure. Using this temperature information, the potential for localized microwave‐accelerated cure to reduce the occurrence of material degradation from resin over‐temperature was evaluated. In addition, a theoretical model is presented that helps elucidate the influence of the microwave parameters on the temperature profile.     

Modulus development in oriented short-glass-fiber-reinforced polymer composites

The increase in modulus obtained in a short-glass-fiber-reinforced polymer composite as a result of uniaxial deformation may be related to the observed increase in both fiber and matrix orientation. Quantitative measurements of both fiber and matrix orientation are presented for a series of samples of short-glass-fiber-reinforced polyoxymethylene copolymer, processed to various substantial deformation ratios by solid-phase hydrostatic extrusion. The polymer matrix becomes highly oriented at modest deformations, but the glass fibers orient in a slower pseudo-affine manner and dominate the development of modulus in the composite. A simple “law-of-mixtures” model is used to demonstrate that perfect uniaxial orientation of the fibers is not achieved, but a better fit to measured modulus data is obtained by using an “aggregate” model applied to oriented fibers in an oriented matrix. The development of modulus with deformation ratio may be predicted very well if it is assumed that:

• the composite consists of a series-coupled array of sub-units, each containing continuous and fully oriented fibers in a fully oriented matrix; and
• orientation of the sub-units develops with deformation in a pseudo-affine manner.

     

Fracture behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymer composite

Chopped strand glass fiber reinforced particle-filled polymer composite beams with varying notch-to-depth ratios and different volume fractions of glass fibers were investigated in Mode I fracture using three-point bending tests. Effects of polyester resin content and glass fiber content on fracture behavior was also studied. Polyester resin contents were used 13.00%%, 14.75%, 16.50%, 18.00% and 19.50%, and glass fiber contents were 1% and 1.5% of the total weight of the polymer composite system. Flexural strength of the polymer composite increases with increase in polyester and fiber content. The critical stress intensity factor was determined by using several methods such as initial notch depth method, compliance method and J-integral method. The values of K_IC obtained from these methods were compared.     

Comparative study of dielectric and electro-optical properties of pure and polymer ferroelectric liquid crystal composites

The ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) displays normally suffer from less contrast ratio and vision angle. To produce high optical contrast and colors in FLC displays, Guest-host mode is widely used. Addition of a small amount of polymer in the pure FLC results in considerable change in its dielectric and electro-optical properties. In the present paper we have investigated the effect of adding polymer (PMMA) on the FLC material (Felix 17/100). Polymer doped FLC composites (FLCPC) has been prepared by the dispersion of 1% wt/wt concentration of polymer in pure FLC. Planar aligned cells have been used to study dielectric and electro-optical properties in SmC* phase of both the samples i.e. pure FLC and FLCPC. Considerable change in various properties like spontaneous polarization, anchoring parameters, Goldstone mode relaxation time and relaxation strength have been noticed for both the samples. These changes have been explained by considering polymer network formed in the FLC matrix.     

Ferroelectric liquid crystal models of ion channels and gating phenomena in biological membranes

Ferroelectric liquid crystal models of voltage-dependent ion channels are discussed quantitatively. The consequences of the hypothesis that the gating mechanism of ion channels is a transition of a ferroelectric liquid crystal component of a biomembrane, in which the tilt angle of the S4 segments decreases to zero, are analyzed.     

Effect of surface modified porous inorganic-organic hybrid polyphosphazene nanotubes on the properties of polyethylene oxide based solid polymer electrolytes

2-(2-methyloxyethoxy)ethanol modified poly (cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-sufonyldiphenol) (PZS) nanotubes were synthesized and solid composite polymer electrolytes based on the surface modified polyphosphazene nanotubes added to PEO/LiClO₄ model system were prepared. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the characteristics of the composite polymer electrolytes (CPE). The ionic conductivity, lithium ion transference number and electrochemical stability window can be enhanced after the addition of surface modified PZS nanotubes. The electrochemical investigation shows that the solid composite polymer electrolytes incorporated with PZS nanotubes have higher ionic conductivity and lithium ion transference number than the filler SiO₂. Maximum ionic conductivity values of 4.95 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at ambient temperature and 1.64 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 80 °C with 10 wt % content of surface modified PZS nanotubes were obtained and the lithium ion transference number was 0.41. The good chemical properties of the solid state composite polymer electrolytes suggested that the inorganic-organic hybrid polyphosphazene nanotubes had a promising use as fillers in solid composite polymer electrolytes and the PEO₁₀-LiClO₄-PZS nanotubes solid composite polymer electrolyte can be used as a candidate material for lithium polymer batteries.