Preparation and properties of heat and ultraviolet‐induced bonding and debonding epoxy/epoxy acrylate adhesives

Heat and ultraviolet (UV)‐induced bonding and debonding (BDB) adhesives were designed and prepared through blending an epoxy resin, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with an epoxy acrylate resin, bisphenol‐A epoxy acrylate resin (BEA). The variation of the chemical structure of DGEBA and BEA in the sequential heat‐ and UV‐curing processes was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR results indicate that DGEBA and BEA successfully took part in both the heat‐curing and UV‐curing processes. The effects of the mass ratio of BEA to DGEBA, amount of heat‐curing agent, type of diluents, and UV irradiation time on the BDB properties of BDB adhesive were systematically investigated. The results show that the bonding strength increases with the decrease of the mass ratio of BEA to DGEBA and with the increase of the amount of heat‐curing agent in a certain range. The debonding strength decreases with the increase of the mass ratio of BEA to DGEBA. The mass ratio of BEA to DGEBA was set at 10 to ensure the ratio of the bonding strength to debonding strength greater than 10 times. The debonding strength of BDB adhesives also depends on the UV irradiation time, decreasing with the increase of UV irradiation time in a certain range. Based on the FTIR results and the dependence of the bonding and deboning strengths on the reaction conditions, a possible BDB mechanism of BDB adhesive was proposed. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46435.     

Electrical and mechanical behaviors of carbon nanotube‐filled polymer blends

Four carbon nanotube (CNT)‐filled polymer blends, i.e., CNT‐filled polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polyvinylidene fluoride, PET/nylon 6,6, PET/polypropylene, and PET/high‐density polyethylene blends, have been injection‐molded and characterized in terms of their microstructures, electrical conductivities, and mechanical properties. The distribution of CNTs in the polymer blends has been examined based on their wetting coefficients and minimization of the interfacial energy. The electrical conductivity and mechanical properties have been related to the cocontinuous polymer blends, the conductive path formed by CNTs, the CNT distribution, and the intrinsic properties of the constituent polymers. It is found that to obtain a CNT‐filled polymer composite with both high electrical conductivity and good mechanical properties, it is preferred that most CNTs distribute in one polymer phase, while the other polymer phase(s) remain neat. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 477–488, 2006     

The physical and mechanical properties of polymer composites filled with Fe‐powder

In this study, the effect of Fe powder on the physical and mechanical properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated experimentally. HDPE and HDPE containing 5, 10, and 15 vol % Fe metal–polymer composites were prepared with a twin screw extruder and injection molding. After this, fracture surface, the modulus of elasticity, yield and tensile strength, % elongation, Izod impact strength (notched), hardness (Shore D), Vicat softening point, heat deflection temperature (HDT), melt flow index (MFI), and melting temperature (T_m) were determined, for each sample. When the physical and mechanical properties of the composites were compared with the results of unfilled HDPE, it was found that the yield and tensile strength, % elongation, and Izod impact strength of HDPE decreased with the vol % of Fe. As compared with the tensile strength and % elongation of unfilled HDPE, tensile strength and % elongation of 15 vol % Fe filled HDPE were lower, about 17.40% and 94.75% respectively. On the other hand, addition of Fe into HDPE increased the modulus of elasticity, hardness, Vicat softening, MFI, and HDT values, such that 15 vol % Fe increased the modulus of elasticity to about 48%. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

New melamine–formaldehyde–ketone resins. VI. Preparation of filled molding compositions and compression‐molding materials from reactive solvents based on cyclohexanone

The conditions and a method of preparing new molding compositions and filled compression‐molding materials from melamine–formaldehyde–cyclohexanone resins are described. The resins were obtained from melamine solutions in a reactive solvent prepared by the reaction of 1 mol of cyclohexanone with 7 mol of formaldehyde. The fillers were wood powder and sulfite cellulose. The thermal properties of the samples prepared from the compositions were studied with dynamic thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. Selected mechanical properties [Brinell hardness, unnotched impact strength (Charpy method), and bending strength] of the cured resins were also measured. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effects of TMPTMA and silane on the compressive strength of low‐temperature cured acrylic polymer concrete

This study addresses the effects of additives on the compressive strength of low‐temperature cured acrylic polymer concrete (PC). Three curing temperatures (0°C, ?10°C, and ?20°C) and five ages (6, 12, 24, 72, and 168 h) with two different types of additives [trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) and silane] were investigated. As a result, the compressive strength tended to decrease as the curing temperature decreased. The compressive strengths at 24 h were approximately 90% of those at 168 h at both curing temperatures of 0°C and ?20°C, indicating that the rate of early age strength development was quite high even at a very low curing temperature range. The results of two‐way variance analysis revealed that silane had a greater impact on the compressive strength than TMPTMA. About 13%–23% strength improvements with a 168‐h compressive strength of over 80 MPa could be obtained at ?20°C by adding silane. Furthermore, this study proposed optimum mixture proportions of acrylic PC that generate a working life of 50–70 minutes with a compressive strength of 80 MPa at subzero temperatures. The findings of this study are expected to be effectively used in field applications of acrylic PC, especially in the cold regions during winter season. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40939.     

Comparison of the thermo‐mechanical properties of chemically synthesized PMMA and PTEGDMA polymer

The acrylic monomeric couple, methyl methacrylate (MMA)‐triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was mixed and polymerized through bulk polymerization in open test tubes using three different routes. The simplest one was a monomer mixture of 70 wt % of MMA and 30 wt % of TEGDMA. The polymerization reaction was initiated by benzoil peroxide (BPO). The second route used a casting syrup composed of 20 wt % polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) dissolved in 80 wt % MMA. This casting syrup was mixed with 30 wt % TEGDMA to initiate the polymerization with BPO. The final synthesis route was carried out using the aforementioned chemical composition with a polymerization initiated with a mixture of BPO and N,N dimethyl p‐toluidine (DMT) at a ratio of 10 : 1. The three synthesis routes produced different types of polymers which have remarkable differences in morphology, thermal behavior, and tensile properties. Several thermal transitions were found in each type of polymer by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Gas chromatography and Fourier transform infrared were employed to determine the cause of each thermal transition revealed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effects of postcure temperature variation on hygrothermal‐mechanical properties of an out‐of‐autoclave polymer composite

The effects of cure temperature variation on the properties of an out‐of‐autoclave polymer composite manufactured using Cycom 5320 8HS prepreg were investigated using different postcure temperatures of a two‐stage cure cycle. In addition, the effects of adverse environmental conditions on the cure temperature variation were studied by conditioning the samples in an environmental chamber until they reached moisture equilibrium. The state of cure was obtained using a differential scanning calorimeter and dynamic mechanical analyzer. The mechanical properties were obtained using short‐beam shear (SBS) and combined loading compression (CLC) test methods. The state of cure obtained showed increases in total heat of reaction, degree of cure, and glass transition temperature as the postcure temperature increased. The SBS and CLC strengths showed an increasing trend as postcure temperature increased. Good correlations were obtained between the material's cure temperatures, state of cure, and mechanical properties for room temperature dry and hot wet conditions. The study showed that the state of cure can be used to define, monitor, and verify the cure quality. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3090–3097, 2013     

Mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6

The mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6 were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, Izod impact, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests. DMA results showed that the incorporation of glass beads could lead to a substantial increase of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the blend, indicating that there existed strong interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix. Results of further calculation revealed that the average interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix deceased with increasing glass bead content as a result of the coalescence of glass beads. This conclusion was supported by SEM observations. Impact testing revealed that the notch Izod impact strength of nylon‐6/glass bead blends substantially decreased with increasing glass bead content. Moreover, static tensile measurements implied that the Young's modulus of the nylon‐6/glass bead blends increased considerably, whereas the tensile strength clearly decreased with increasing glass bead content. Finally, TGA and DSC measurements indicated that the thermal stability of the blend was obviously improved by incorporation of glass beads, whereas the melting behavior of the nylon‐6 remained relatively unchanged with increasing glass bead content. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1885–1890, 2004     

Mechanical properties of films prepared from model high‐glass‐transition‐temperature/low‐glass‐transition‐temperature latex blends

The mechanical properties of films prepared from model high‐glass‐transition‐temperature (T_g)/low‐T_g latex blends were investigated with tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis. Polystyrene (PS; carboxylated and noncarboxylated) and poly(n‐butyl methacrylate‐co‐n‐butyl acrylate) [P(BMA/BA); noncarboxylated] were used as the model high‐T_g and low‐T_g latexes, respectively. Carboxyl groups were incorporated into the PS latex particles to alter their surface properties. It was found that the presence of carboxyl groups on the high‐T_g latex particles enhanced the Young's moduli and the yield strength of the PS/P(BMA/BA) latex blend films but did not influence ultimate properties, such as the stress at break and maximum elongation. These phenomena could be explained by the maximum packing density of the PS latex particles, the particle–particle interfacial adhesion, and the formation of a “glassy” interphase. The dynamic mechanical properties of the latex blend films were also investigated in terms of the carboxyl group coverage on the PS latex particles; these results confirmed that the carboxyl groups significantly influenced the modulus through the mechanism of a glassy interphase formation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2788–2801, 2002     

Isotropy of mechanical properties and environmental stress crack sensitivity in injection- and injection-compression molding of polystyrene with different mold temperature

In addition to conventional injection-compression molding and injection molding with dynamic process temperature control, a synergistic combination of both processes has recently been applied in dynamic temperature-controlled injection-compression molding. The two-dimensional holding pressure effect in combination with the long maintenance of the flowability of the melt due to high mold temperature enables particularly large flow path to wall thickness ratios. In the most cases, only the optimized molding of microstructures and aspect ratios is considered without including the changed internal structure of such manufactured components. In the course of this investigation, the influence of different process strategies under variation of the mold temperature on production-related anisotropies in the mechanical properties and stress crack sensitivity of thin-walled polystyrene components was examined. The determined mechanical properties are significantly below the values given in the data sheet of the material in the adapted process variant of injection-compression molding with high mold temperature. However, the results also show a clear homogenization of the direction- and flow path-dependent mechanical properties. In contrast, components produced in this way tend to show increased environmental stress crack sensitivity. This could be attributed to significantly reduced orientations as a result of the favorably proceeding orientation relaxation.     

Film‐forming behavior and mechanical properties of colloidal silica/polymer latex blends with high silica load

In this article, silica sol (diameter: 8–100 nm) and polymer latex (T_g < 25°C) were mixed and dried at room temperature to prepare nanocomposite films with high silica load (≥50 wt %). Effects of silica size, silica load, and the T_g of the polymer on the film‐forming behavior of the silica/polymer latex blend were investigated. The transparency, morphology, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films were examined by UV–Vis spectroscopy, SEM, and nanoindentation tests, respectively. Transparent and crack‐free films were produced with silica loads as high as 70 wt %. Thirty nanometers was found to be the critical silica size for the evolution of film‐forming behavior, surface morphology, and mechanical properties. Colloidal silica particles smaller than this critical size act as binders to form strong silica skeleton. This gives the final silica/polymer nanocomposite film its porous surface and high mechanical strength. However, silica particles with sizes of 30 nm or larger tend to work as nanofillers rather than binders, causing poor mechanical strength. We also determined the critical silica load appeared for the mechanical strength of silica/polymer film at high silica load. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Morphology and mechanical properties of injection‐molded ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene/polypropylene blends and comparison with compression molding

The mechanical properties and morphology of UHMWPE/PP(80/20) blend molded by injection and compression‐molding were investigated comparatively. The results showed that the injection‐molded part had obviously higher Young's modulus and yield strength, and much lower elongation at break and impact strength, than compression‐molded one. A skin‐core structure was formed during injection molding in which UHMWPE particles elongated highly in the skin and the orientation was much weakened in the core. In the compression‐molded part, the phase morphology was isotropic from the skin to the core section. The difference in consolidation degree between two molded parts that the compression molded part consolidated better than the injection one was also clearly shown. In addition, compositional analysis revealed that there was more PP in the skin than core for the injection‐molded part, whereas opposite case occurred to the compression‐molded one. All these factors together accounted for the different behavior in mechanical properties for two molded parts. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

A study on the effects of SEBS‐g‐MAH on the phase morphology and mechanical properties of polypropylene/polycarbonate/SEBS ternary polymer blends

In this work, five ternary blends based on 70% by weight (wt %) of polypropylene (PP) with 30% wt of polycarbonate (PC)/poly(styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐styrene)(SEBS) dispersed phase consists of 15 wt % PC and 15 wt % reactive (maleic anhydride grafted) and nonreactive SEBS mixtures at various ratios were prepared in a co‐rotating twin screw extruder. scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed that the blends containing only nonreactive SEBS exhibited a fine dispersion of core‐shell particles. With decreasing the SEBS/SEBS‐g‐Maleic Anhydride (MAH) weight ratio, the morphology changed from the core‐shell particles to a mixed of core‐shell, rod‐like and individual particles. This variation in phase morphology affected the thermal and mechanical properties of the blends. DSC results showed that the blends containing only nonreactive SEBS exhibited a minimum in degree of crystallinity due to the homogeneous nucleation of core‐shell particles. Mechanical testing showed that in the SEBS/SEBS‐g‐MAH weight ratio of 50/50, the modulus and impact strength increased compared with the PP matrix while the yield stress had minimum difference with that of PP matrix. These effects could be attributed to the formation of those especial microstructures revealed by the SEM studies. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Porosity,mechanical properties,and damping ratio of particulate‐filled polymer composite for precision machine tools

Particulate‐filled polymer composites (PFPC) have received a great deal of attention in the field of precision machine tools because of their excellent vibration‐alleviating property. However, applications of PFPC in the field of precision machine tools are restricted by its limited mechanical strength. The pores in PFPC are one of the key influences on its mechanical properties, such that the porosity determines the overall mechanical properties of the PFPC directly. In this paper, the relationship between porosity and mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, elasticity modulus) and damping ratio of PFPC was studied systematically. A strong correlation between the porosity and the mechanical properties and damping ratio of PFPC was found. The results show that the mechanical properties (damping ratio) of PFPC deteriorated (increased) dramatically with increasing porosity. An empirical formula was proposed for the relation between the porosity and the mechanical properties (and damping ratio) of PFPC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44435.     

Effects of different interphases on the mechanical properties of cured silanized silica‐filled styrene–butadiene/polybutadiene rubber blends for use in passenger car tire treads

Polybutadiene (BR) and styrene–butadiene (SBR) rubbers containing the same loading of precipitated silica nanofiller were prepared. The silica surfaces were pretreated with bis(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide to chemically bond the silica to the rubber. The rubber compounds were mixed together for different times and at different temperatures to produce SBR/BR blends. The mass fraction and composition values of the interphases in the blends were subsequently determined with modulated‐temperature differential scanning calorimetry. These properties changed substantially as a function of mixing temperature and mixing time. The hardness, tensile strength, elongation at break, stored energy density at break, tear strength, modulus, abrasion resistance, heat buildup, and loss tangent of the cured blends were measured over a wide range of test conditions. Elongation at break, stored energy density at break, tearing energy, and abrasion resistance benefited from increases in the mass fraction of the interphase. The remaining properties were influenced mainly by the filler loading and mixing time of the two rubber compounds. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Static and dynamic mechanical properties of flame‐retardant copolyester/nano‐ZnCO3 Composites

Novel phosphorus‐containing copolyester nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization with 2‐carboxyethyl(phenylphosphinic) acid (CEPPA) and nano‐ZnCO₃. The flame retardancy and static and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/nano‐ZnCO₃ composites and phosphorus‐containing copolyester/nano‐ZnCO₃ composites were evaluated with limiting oxygen index measurements, vertical burning testing (UL‐94), a universal tensile machine, and a dynamic mechanical analysis thermal analyzer. The phosphorus‐containing copolyester nanocomposites had higher limiting oxygen indices (ca. 32%) and a V0 rating according to the UL‐94 test; this indicated that nano‐ZnCO₃ and CEPPA greatly improved the flame retardancy of PET. The static mechanical test results showed that the breaking strength, modulus, and yield stress of the composites tended to increase with increasing nano‐ZnCO₃ content; when 3 wt % nano‐ZnCO₃ was added to PET and the phosphorus‐containing copolyester, the breaking strength of the composites was higher than that of pure PET. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the dynamic storage modulus and loss modulus of the PET composites increased markedly in comparison with those of pure PET. However, the glass‐transition temperatures associated with the peaks of the storage modulus, mechanical loss factor, and loss modulus significantly decreased with the addition of ZnCO₃ and CEPPA. The morphologies of the composites were also investigated with scanning electron microscopy, which revealed that nano‐ZnCO₃ was dispersed homogeneously in the PET and copolyester matrix without the formation of large aggregates. In addition, the interfacial adhesion of nano‐ZnCO₃ and the matrix was perfect, and this might have significantly affected the mechanical properties of the composites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Structure and mechanical properties of polysulfone‐based in situ composites

Composites based on the polysulfone of bisfenol A (PSF) and a liquid‐crystalline copolyester (Rodrun 5000) were obtained by two processing methods, (1) direct injection moulding (DI) and (2) extrusion followed by injection moulding (PI), across the whole composition range. The blends were immiscible and showed two pure amorphous phases. The inferior mechanical properties of PI blends, and their more difficult processing, meant that the PI procedure is not suitable in these blends. The generally linear relationship of the Young's modulus of the DI blends is due to the counteracting effects of the large orientation of the skin and its low thickness. The improvement in notched impact strength of PSF on the addition of small amounts of LCP indicated an important reduction in its notch sensibility. The tensile strength behaviour was close to linearity, with the exception of the 20/80 blend in which it was synergistic. This had been seen in previous thermoplastic/LCP blends, and depicts a behaviour reminiscent of rubber‐toughened blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tribological and mechanical properties of carbon‐nanofiber‐filled polytetrafluoroethylene composites

The effects of various filler concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 wt %) on the tribological and mechanical properties of carbon‐nanofiber (CNF)‐filled polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites were studied. Moreover, the influence of various loads (50, 100, 150, and 200 N) and sliding velocities (0.692 and 1.39 m/s) on the friction and wear behaviors of the PTFE composites was investigated. The results showed that the friction coefficients of the PTFE composites decreased initially up to a 0.5 wt % filler concentration and then increased, whereas the antiwear properties of the PTFE composites increased by 1–2 orders of magnitude in comparison with those of pure PTFE. The composite with a 2 wt % filler concentration had the best antiwear properties under all friction conditions. The friction coefficients of the CNF/PTFE composites decreased with increases in the load and sliding velocity, whereas the wear volume loss of the PTFE composites increased. At the same time, the results also indicated that the mechanical properties of the PTFE composites increased first up to a 1 wt % filler concentration and then decreased as the filler concentration was increased above 1 wt %. In comparison with pure PTFE, the impact strength, tensile strength, and elongation to break of the PTFE composites increased by 40, 20, and 70%, respectively, at a 1 wt % filler concentration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2430–2437, 2007     

Viscoelastic properties and characterization of inorganic particulate‐filled polymer composites

To identify effects of glass bead (GB) content on the dynamic mechanical properties of filled low‐density‐polyethylene (LDPE) composites, the storage modulus, loss modulus, glass transition temperature, and mechanical damping of these composites were measured using a Du Pont dynamical mechanical analysis instrument in temperature range from ?150 to 100°C. It was found that the storage modulus increased nonlinearly with an increase of the GB volume fraction. On the basis of Eshelby's method and Mori's work, an equation describing the relationship between the relative storage modulus (E′_R) and filler volume fraction for polymeric composites was proposed, and the E′_R of LDPE/GB composites were estimated by means of this equation at temperatures of ?25, 0, and 25°C, and the calculations were compared with the experimental data, good agreement was showed between the predictions and the measured data. Furthermore, this equation was verified by the experimental from Al(OH)₃ filled EPDM composites at glassy state reported in a reference. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Investigation of mechanical properties of alumina nanoparticle‐loaded hybrid glass/carbon‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy composites

This research work investigates the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the alumina nanoparticles, glass fiber, and carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. The first type composites were made by adding 1–5 wt % (in the interval of 1%) of alumina to the epoxy matrix, whereas the second and third categories of composites were made by adding 1–5 wt % short glass, carbon fibers to the matrix. A fourth type of composite has also been synthesized by incorporating both alumina particles (2 wt %) and fibers to the epoxy. Results showed that the longitudinal modulus has significantly improved because of the filler additions. Both tensile strength and modulus are further better for hybrid composites consisting both alumina particles and glass fibers or carbon fibers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39749.