Processing and properties of 15–70 MHz 1–3 PZT fiber/polymer composites

This paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of fine scale piezoelectric composites with 1–3 connectivity using fibers derived from a metal alkoxide sol-gel process. Using this technique, pure thickness mode resonance for this type of composite has been increased from 15 MHz up to 70 MHz by maintaining pillar aspect ratio requirements. Piezoceramic fibers of Nb or La modified lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were produced with final diameters ranging from 15 to 50 μm. Composites having 1–3 connectivity were produced using the fibers as pillars. Composites could be fabricated with volume fractions from 10 to 45% allowing tailoring of both the dielectric constant and acoustic impedance without degrading coupling. Dielectric constant, polarization and coercive field values varied slightly from bulk values due to clamping by the polymer matrix, increasing as the fiber diameter decreased. Composites with resonance frequencies ranging from 15 to 70 MHz were studied. The thickness dependence of the properties gave indications to radial mode/thickness mode interactions at pillar aspect ratios near 1.7 to 1 thickness to diameter. Coupling coefficients (k_t) from 58% to 73% with mechanical quality factors <15 were detected. Received: 4 April 2000 / Reviewed and accepted: 8 June 2000     

Fabrication and properties of titanium–hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

Titanium–hydroxyapatite nanocomposites with different HA contents (3, 10, 20 vol%) were produced by the combination of mechanical alloying (MA) and powder metallurgical process. The structure, mechanical and corrosion properties of these materials were investigated. Microhardness test showed that the obtained material exhibits Vickers microhardness as high as 1030 and 1500 HV_0.2, which is more than 4–6 times higher than that of a conventional microcrystalline titanium. Titanium nanocomposite with 10 vol% of HA was more corrosion resistant (i_C = 1.19 × 10⁻⁷ A cm⁻², E_C = −0.41 V vs. SCE) than microcrystalline titanium (i_C = 1.31 × 10⁻⁵ A cm⁻², E_C = −0.36 V vs. SCE). Additionally, the electrochemical treatment in phosphoric acid electrolyte results in porous surface, attractive for tissue fixing and growth. Mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy process for the fabrication of titanium–ceramic nanocomposites with a unique microstructure are developed.     

Organic solvent treatment and physicochemical properties of nanoporous polymer–SBA-15 composite materials

Mesoporous polymer–silica composites are attractive new materials because these systems can combine the advantages of highly porous silica and the vast functional diversity of organic polymers in a single robust structure. This contribution deals with the effects of organic solvent treatment on the physicochemical properties of mesostructured polymer–SBA-15 silica nanocomposites. For this study, two distinct reference mesoporous nanocomposites were prepared using a previously reported surface-confined polymerization technique, e.g., poly(styrene)(PS)–SBA-15 composite and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)(PHEMA)–SBA-15 composite. The resulting materials are treated either with chloroform or toluene under heating for a prolonged period of time (24 h). Both materials are characterized prior and after solvent treatment by nitrogen physisorption at −196 °C, thermogravimetry and Attenuated Total Reflection Infra-Red (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. In general, solvent stability is excellent for both types of composite, even for low cross-linking degree of the polymer. Our data reveal that a treatment of mesoporous PHEMA–SBA-15 with chloroform or toluene has a minor, but reproducible, effect on the composite material in terms of porosity. Here, a reorganization of the polymer layer–silica interface seems to occur to some extent, which is leading to slight variation of the intrawall porosity. As a consequence, an increase of the thermal stability is clearly observed, with, however, no marked difference in the mean mesopore diameter. On the other hand, the PS–SBA-15 composite treated with the same solvents shows higher specific surface area values and an improved homogeneity in terms of polymer coating compared to untreated materials, especially for composites synthesized using benzoyle peroxide as the polymerization initiator. However, no increase in thermal stability is observed in this case.     

Synthesis and properties of light weight magnesium–cenosphere composite

Significantly light weight magnesium composite foams are synthesised by addition of fly ash cenosphere particles (waste from coal-fired power plants) in biocompatible pure magnesium using solidification-based disintegrated melt deposition technique. The density of the composite foams synthesised in this study approaches that of plastics- and polymer-based composites. Microstructure development of Mg/cenosphere composite foams was favourable as they exhibited better dimensional stability (reduced coefficient of thermal expansion) and remarkable improvements in tensile strengths, compressive strengths, compressive total strain and microhardness. The present study highlights the processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg/cenosphere composite foams which hold great potential as light weight metal-based green materials for diverse weight critical applications spanning from engineering to biomedical sector.     

Effects of PNN/PZT ratios on phase structure,electric properties and relaxation behavior of PZN–PNN–PZT ceramics

Pb(Zn_1/3Ni_2/3)_c(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)_a(Zr_xTi_y)_bO₃ (PZN–PNN–PZT, the ratios of PNN/PZT a/b were 0.88, 1 and 1.136) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by a traditional solid-state reaction method. The effects of PNN/PZT ratio on phase structure, microstructure and electric properties as well as the relaxation behaviors of PZN–PNN–PZT ceramics were investigated. The XRD patterns showed that all ceramics samples had a pure perovskite phase structure. Meanwhile, it was found that the phase structure undergoes a tetragonal, tetragonal-rhombohedral to rhombohedral transition as ratios of PNN/PZT increased. With the increasing of a/b from 0.88 to 1.136, the dielectric constant and diffusive phase coefficient decreases, it was indicated that relaxation behaviors also decreased. When ceramics with a/b was 1.136, the dielectric relaxation γ reached the minimum and electrical properties were poor. The electric properties of ceramics with a/b was 1.00 have an excellent properties, it was indicated that ceramics reached an optimization at the MPB structure.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of silicon carbide–silicon nitride nanocomposites

A powder mixture of ultrafine –SiC–35 wt% –Si₃N₄ containing 6 wt% Al₂O₃ and 4 wt% Y₂O₃ as sintering additives were liquid–phase sintered at 1800°C for 30 min by hot–pressing. The hot–pressed composites were subsequently annealed at 1920°C under nitrogen–gas–pressure to enhance grain growth. The average grain–size of the sintered bodies were ranged from 96 to 251 nm for SiC and from 202 to 407 nm for Si₃N₄, which were much finer than those of ordinary sintered SiC–Si₃N₄ composites. Both strength and fracture toughness of fine–grained SiC–Si₃N₄ composites increased with increasing grain size. Such results suggested that a small amount of grain growth in the fine–grained region (250 nm for SiC and 400 nm for Si₃N₄) was beneficial for mechanical properties of the composites. The room–temperature flexural strength and fracture toughness of the 8–h annealed composites were 698 MPa and 4.7 MPa · m^1/2, respectively.     

Enhanced dielectric and electrical properties of three-component PMMA–NaNbO3–starch percolative composite films

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Three-component PMMA–NaNbO3–starch percolative composites with starch and sodium niobate (NaNbO3; NN) particles embedded into...     

Fibrillar polymer–polymer composites: morphology, properties and applications

Micro- or nano-fibrillar composites (MFCs or NFCs) are created by blending two homopolymers (virgin or recycled) with different melting temperatures such as polyethylene (PE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and processing the blend under certain thermo-mechanical conditions to create in situ fibrils of the polymer that has the higher-melting temperature. These resulting fibrillar composites have been reported to possess excellent mechanical properties and can have wide ranging applications with suitable processing under controlled conditions. However, the properties and applications very much depend on the morphology of created polymer fibrils and their thermal stability. The present paper develops an understanding of the mechanism of micro-/nano-fibril formation in PE/PET and polypropylene (PP)/PET blends by studying their morphology at various stages of extrusion and drawing. It is revealed that this subsequent mechanical processing stretches the polymer chains and creates fibrils of very high aspect ratios, thus resulting in superior mechanical performance of the composites compared to the raw blends. The study also identifies the primary mechanical properties of the main types of MFCs, as well as quantifying their enhanced resistance to oxygen permeability. Furthermore, the failure phenomena of these composites are studied via application of the modified Tsai–Hill criterion. In addition to their usage as input materials in different manufacturing processes, possible applications of these fibrillar composites in two different areas are also discussed, namely food packaging with controlled oxygen barrier properties and biomedical tissue scaffolding. Results indicate a significant scope for using these materials in both areas.     

Preparation and properties of antibacterial TiO2@C/Ag core–shell composite

Abstract

An environment-friendly hydrothermal method was used to prepare TiO₂@C core–shell composite using TiO₂ as core and sucrose as carbon source. TiO₂@C served as a support for the immobilization of Ag by impregnation in silver nitrate aqueous solution. The chemical structures and morphologies of TiO₂@C and TiO₂@C/Ag composite were characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The antibacterial properties of the TiO₂@C/Ag core–shell composite against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were examined by the viable cell counting method. The results indicate that silver supported on the surface of TiO₂@C shows excellent antibacterial activity.     

Directional solidification and magnetic properties of MnSb–Sb eutectic composite

The microstructures, solidification behaviour, crystal orientation and magnetic properties of MnSb–Sb eutectic with a high entropy of solution have been studied systematically. The present approach reveals the inherent correlations between them. MnSb–Sb eutectic is characterized by a non-faceted–non-faceted type of growth and well-distributed aligned MnSb rods embedded in a Sb matrix on a micron scale, an ideal composite structure, during directional solidification. The scaling laws of the variation in interrod spacing (or rod diameter d) with growth velocity are quantitatively developed. A parallel orientation relation between [001] of MnSb and rod axis is identified through electron diffraction patterns, indicating that the highly anisotropic composite has been fabricated successfully. The hysteresis loops of directionally solidified MnSb–Sb composites are determined along the MnSb rod axis. The saturation magnetization and constant permeability have been evaluated by considering the alignment, size and magnetocrystalline anisotropy.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of ZrO2–SiO2 composite

ZrO2–SiO2 composite powder has been prepared by a wet chemical route using zirconyl chloride and fumed silica as starting materials and subsequently sintered by the hot-pressing method to obtain a ZrO2–SiO2 ceramic. The mechanical properties of the silica matrix have been much increased by the addition of 20 vol% zirconia. The microstructural features of the composite are observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The stabilibity of tetragonal zirconia in the matrix is attributed to the particle-size effect, and to the constraint effect of the silica matrix and that of the interphasic reaction layer. The increase in mechanical properties is discussed in relation to the residual stress and the enhanced elastic modulus caused by the incorporated ZrO2 particles.     

Mechanical alloying process and mechanical properties of Cu–SiCp composite

Abstract

A composite of copper powder and SiC particle reinforcement was prepared by mechanical ball milling and subsequent sintering. Proper choice of processing parameters ensured a homogenous distribution of SiC particles in the copper matrix. Microstructure, powder morphology and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated as a function of milling time. With increasing milling time, the dentritic copper powder became flattened, which subsequently became spherical shaped. Mechanical properties of the composites change with the distribution of SiC.     

Preparation and properties of cast aluminium alloy–sillimanite particle composite

An attempt has been made to explore the possibility of using natural mineral namely sillimanite for synthesizing aluminium alloy composite through a solidification technique. The sillimanite particles were characterized in terms of X-ray, differential thermal analysis in order to examine their suitability for preparing the composite. An aluminium alloy (BS:LM6) was used as the matrix alloy. The sillimanite particles of mean size 140 μm (major axis) were used as reinforcement. The sillimanite particles were added into the matrix melt by creating a vortex with the help of a mechanical stirrer and the melt temperature was maintained between 750 and 800°C. The cast composite was characterized in terms of microstructural, mechanical and abrasive wear properties. It was noted that the sillimanite particles were reasonably uniformly distributed within the matrix and exhibited good mechanical bonding with the matrix. The strength of the composite was noted to be marginally lower than that of the base alloy but the hardness and the wear resistance of the composite were found to be significantly higher than those of the base alloy.     

Surfactant-free synthesis and electromagnetic properties of Co–Ni–B composite particles

The Co–Ni–B composite particles with different mol ratio of Co to Ni were composited of spheres, spheres in-pair, hierarchical assemblies of dentrites, which were surfactant-free synthesized by chemical reduction method in aqueous solution. The complex permeability of the Co–Ni–B composite particles indicated reverse resonant peak at the frequency range of 8–16 GHz, where the complex permittivity showed the positive resonant peak and the μ_r″ of particles showed negative values, caused by the transformation between electric and magnetic energy. The imaginary parts of relative permeability (μ_r″) of Co–Ni–B composite particles indicated one broad resonant peak over the 2–8 GHz range for the high effective anisotropy. A slight decrease in complex permittivity resulted in an excellent impedance matching property. The Co–Ni–B composite alloy particles with mol ratio of 7:3 exhibited reflection loss less than ?20 dB in frequency range of 4.0–14.5 GHz for the absorber thickness of 1.1–3.2 mm, and an optimal RL of ?32.4 dB was obtained at 12.8 GHz with thickness of 1.2 mm. The broadest bandwidth of reflection loss less than ?10 dB from 13.0 to 17.0 GHz, covering almost the whole Ku-band, was obtained for a thickness of 1.1 mm layer.     

Processability and mechanical properties of surface-modified glass-fibres/phthalonitrile composite and Al–Li alloy fibre-metal-laminates

In this study, newly developed fibre-metal laminates (Al-LiFMLs) were prepared by a lay-up process of a high-performance surface-modified glass fibres/phthalonitrile (GFs/PN) composite and Al–Li alloy. The results showed that varying the composite considerably affected the tensile properties of the Al-LiFMLs, as well as exhibiting enhancements over the properties of both the individual Al–Li alloys and GFs/PN composite constituents. For instance, when the number of composite layers varied from 6 to 14, the ultimate tensile strength of the Al-LiFMLs increased from 315 to 611?MPa. It was revealed that the failure mode displayed a more ductile behaviour (up to 20%) for all the developed Al-LiFMLs affected by the ductile fracture mode of the Al–Li alloy.     

Fabrication and characterization of bioactive composite coatings on Mg–Zn–Ca alloy by MAO/sol–gel

High corrosion rate and accumulation of hydrogen gas upon degradation impede magnesium alloys’ clinical application as implants. In this work, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) was used to fabricate a porous coating on magnesium alloys as an intermediate layer to enhance the bonding strength of propolis layer. Then the composite coatings were fabricated using sol–gel method by dipping sample into the solution containing propolis and polylactic acid at 40°C. The corrosion resistance of the samples was determined based on potentiodynamic polarization experiments and immersion tests. Biocompatibility was designed by observing the attachment and growth of wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJCs) on substrates with MAO coating and substrates with composite coatings. The results showed that, compared with that of Mg–Zn–Ca alloy, the corrosion current density of the samples with composite coatings decreased from 5.37 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.10 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm² and the corrosion potential increased by 240 mV. Composite coatings exhibit homogeneous corrosion behavior and can promote WJCs cell adhesion and proliferation. In the meantime, pH value was relatively stable during the immersion tests, which may be significant for cellular survival. In conclusion, our results indicate that composite coatings on Mg–Zn–Ca alloy fabricated by MAO/sol–gel method provide a new type bioactive material.     

Investigation of corrosion and mechanical properties of Al–Cu–SiC–xNi composite alloys

In this study, dry sliding wear behavior and corrosion resistance of Al–Cu–SiC–xNi (x: 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 wt.%) composites were investigated. Effect of nickel content on the microstructure and hardness of the alloys was also studied. Wear tests were conducted using a ball on disc wear test device. Corrosion behavior of Al–Cu–SiC–xNi composite alloys in 3.5% NaCl solution was investigated by using potentiodynamic polarization, impedance spectroscopy and cronoamperometric methods. The results showed that the hardness of the composite alloy increases with increasing nickel content. Maximum wear resistance is reported with the addition of 1 wt.%Ni. It was determined that corrosion resistance of Al–Cu–SiC composite alloys improved with increasing nickel content in the alloy.     

Fabrication and properties of novel composites in the system Al–Zr–C

Composite bodies in the system Al–Zr–C, with about 95% relative density, were obtained by heating the compact body of powder mixture consisting of Al and ZrC (5 : 1 mol %) in Ar at 1100–1500°C for various lengths of time. Components of the material heated at more than 1200°C were Al, Al3Zr, ZrC and AlZrC2. The Al3Zr exhibited plate-like aggregation, and its size increased with increasing temperature. In the material heated at 1500°C for 1 h, the largest plate-like Al3Zr aggregation was 2000 m long and 133 m thick. Then the AlZrC2 was present as well-proportioned hexagonal platelet particles with a 8–9 m diameter and a 1–2 m thickness in the interior of the plate-like Al3Zr aggregation and Al matrix phase. The average three-point bending strength of the bodies was 140–190 MPa, and the maximum strength was 203 MPa in the body heated at 1300°C for 1 h. The body heated at 1500°C for 1 h showed high oxidation resistivity to air up to 1000°C.     

Fabrication of multilayered Au/silica/gadolinium compound core–shell particles and their imaging properties

The present work proposes a preparation method for multilayered Au nanoparticle/silica/gadolinium compound core–shell (Au/SiO₂/GdC) particles. Silica-coated Au core–shell (Au/SiO₂) particles with a size of 38.0?nm were prepared by a sol-gel reaction in the presence of the Au nanoparticles with a size of 15.5?nm. Multilayered Au/SiO₂/GdC particles with sizes of ca. 35–52?nm were prepared by a homogeneous precipitation reaction in the presence of Au/SiO₂ particles. The computed tomography (CT) value of the Au/SiO₂/GdC colloid solution containing 4.3?×?10^?2?M Au was 344.1?HU: Its converted CT value (CT divided by Au concentration) was as large as 8.0?×?10³?HU/M. The r₁ value of the Au/SiO₂/GdC colloid solution was as large as 3.5?mM^?1?s^?1.     

Hydrogel–elastomer composite biomaterials: 1. Preparation of interpenetrating polymer networks and in vitro characterization of swelling stability and mechanical properties

We prepared interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) composed of a gelatin hydrogel and a HydroThane^TM elastomer to combine the advantages of both polymers into one biomaterial. Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) confirmed the co-existence of the two polymers in the IPNs. Optical light microscopy confirmed hydrogel domains were interspaced into an elastomer network. Hydration and stability studies in aqueous solution showed that, although the IPN biomaterials exhibited stable swelling for more than 30 days, approximately 10% and 50% loss of the hydrogel component were confirmed at room temperature and 37 °C, respectively, using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The swelling study in the serum-containing medium indicated the biomaterials maintained their swelling stability for different periods, depending on the extent of gelatin methacrylation, photoinitiator concentration and incubation temperature. Lastly, the biomaterials exhibited higher failure stress and lower failure strain in a dry state than in a swollen state, and showed limited changes in both stress and strain at room temperature and at 37 °C, in contrast with a decrease at 50 °C. No significant effects of gelatin methacrylation on mechanical properties were noticed. The preparation and characterization methods were well established and formed the basis of further developing the biomaterials.