Mechanical and thermal behavior of non-crimp glass fiber reinforced layered clay/epoxy nanocomposites

Mechanical and thermal properties of non-crimp glass fiber reinforced clay/epoxy nanocomposites were investigated. Clay/epoxy nanocomposite systems were prepared to use as the matrix material for composite laminates. X-ray diffraction results obtained from natural and modified clays indicated that intergallery spacing of the layered clay increases with surface treatment. Tensile tests indicated that clay loading has minor effect on the tensile properties. Flexural properties of laminates were improved by clay addition due to the improved interface between glass fibers and epoxy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the modified clay particles affected the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the nanocomposites. Incorporation of surface treated clay particles increased the dynamic mechanical properties of nanocomposite laminates. It was found that the flame resistance of composites was improved significantly by clay addition into the epoxy matrix.     

UV-curable fluorine-containing hybrid coatings via thiol-ene “click” reaction and an in situ sol–gel method

In this study, photocurable fluorine-containing coatings were prepared via thiol-ene click chemistry and an in situ sol–gel method. MPTMS was used as a coupling agent to perform both the thiol-ene click reaction and the sol–gel reactions. PFOTES was utilized for the preparation of fluorine-containing coatings. The addition of fluorine and silica showed a significant impact on the properties of the coatings. The addition of silica greatly enhanced the mechanical properties of the coatings. As the fluorine and silica contents were increased in the formulations, flame retardancy, hydrophobicity, and oleophobicity of the coatings increased. High char yields were obtained for the silica- and fluorine-containing samples. Furthermore, the effect of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles on the properties of the hybrid coatings was investigated.     

Improvement of dewatering capacity of a petrochemical sludge

Oily sludge produced from a petrochemical industry was used to investigate the improvement of its dewatering properties. The oil content (OC) and the dry solid content (DS) of the raw sludge were respectively, 15% and 3.6% by weight. The capillary suction time (CST) and the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) of the raw petrochemical industrial sludge were found to be 2000s and approximately 5.5x10(16)m/kg, respectively. Conventional chemical conditioners such as alum, lime, and polyelectrolyte, and less conventional ones like fly ash, gypsum, and bentonite were used in the sludge conditioning studies. Conventional chemical conditioners gave better results for the enhancement of the dewatering capacity of the sludge. The best result was obtained by using 0.9% cationic polyelectrolyte by weight, and a decrease of 99%-95% were achieved for CST and SRF, respectively, when this dosage of cationic polyelectrolyte was used.     

Rapid synthesis of aligned zinc oxide nanowires

A solution growth approach for zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires is highly appealing because of the low growth temperature and possibility for large area synthesis. Reported reaction times for ZnO nanowire synthesis, however, are long, spanning from several hours to days. In this work, we report on the rapid synthesis of ZnO nanowires on various substrates (such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), silicon and glass) using a commercially available microwave oven. The average growth rate of our nanowires is determined to be as high as 100?nm?min(-1), depending on the microwave power. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a defect-free single-crystalline lattice of the nanowires. A detailed analysis of the growth characteristics of ZnO nanowires as functions of growth time and microwave power is reported. Our work demonstrates the possibility of a fast synthesis route using microwave heating for nanomaterials synthesis.     

Design criteria for transparent single-wall carbon nanotube thin-film transistors

A study based on two-dimensional percolation theory yielding quantitative parameters for optimum connectivity of transparent single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films is reported. Optimum SWNT concentration in the filtrated solution was found to be 0.1 mg/L with a volume of 30 mL. Such parameters lead to SWNT fractions in the films of approximately Phi = 1.8 x 10(-3), much below the metallic percolation threshold, which is found to be approximately PhiC = 5.5 x 10(-3). Therefore, the performance of transparent carbon nanotube thin-film transistors is limited by the metallic SWNTs, even below their percolation threshold. We show how this effect is related to hopping or tunneling between neighboring metallic tubes.     

Anaerobic acidification of sugar-beet processing wastes: Effect of operational parameters

The objective of this study was to maximize the hydrolysis and acidification of sugar-beet processing wastewater and beet pulp for volatile fatty acid (VFA) production through acidogenic anaerobic metabolism. Experiments were conducted to determine the optimum operational conditions (HRT, waste-mixing ratio and pH) for effective acidification in daily-fed, continuously mixed anaerobic reactors. For this purpose, reactors were operated at 35 ± 1 °C with different combinations of HRT (2-4 days), wastewater-pulp mixing ratios (1:0-1:1, in terms of COD) and pH ranges (5.7-7.5). Increased OLRs, resulting from pulp addition, increased the amount of acidification products (VFAs) which led to relatively low operational pH values (5.7-6.8). In this pH range, methanogenic activity was successfully inhibited and the lowest methane percentages (5.6-16.3%) were observed in the produced biogas. The optimum operational conditions were determined to be 2-day HRT and 1:1 waste mixing ratio (in terms of COD) without external alkalinity addition. These operational conditions led to the highest tVFA concentration (3635 ± 209 mg/L as H-Ac) with the acidification degree of 46.9 ± 2.1%.