Synergistic Flame Retardant Effects of Carbon Nanotube-Based Multilayer Nanocoatings

In an effort to develop highly functionalized flame retardant materials, hybrid nanocoatings are prepared by alternately depositing a positively charged polyaniline (PANi) and negatively charged montmorillonite (MMT) using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are employed in polymer nanocomposites as effective reinforcement, where nanotubes are stabilized in MMT aqueous solution. The 3D structure and high density of CNTs deposited in the PANi/CNTs-MMT multilayers produce thicker and heavier coatings in comparison to the LbL assemblies without CNTs. Vertical and horizontal flame testing show that the incorporation of CNTs improves fire resistance. Additionally, cone calorimetry reveals that stacking two nanomaterials (MMT and CNTs) in a single coating shows a significant reduction in peak heat release rate (up to 51%), total smoke release (up to 47%), and total heat release (up to 37%) for the polyurethane foam. The enhancement of flame retardancy is attributed to a synergistic effect; MMT serves as a physical barrier that retards the diffusion of heat and gas. The addition of CNTs strengthens the thermal stability and high char yield. These results, coupled with the simplicity with which the LbL deposition is applied, present a viable alternative to halogen-free flame retardant nanocoatings to natural and synthetic fibers.     

A modified embedded-atom method interatomic potential for the Fe–H system

A modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) interatomic potential for the Fe–H binary system has been developed using previously developed MEAM potentials of Fe and H. The potential parameters were determined by fitting to experimental data on the dilute heat of solution of hydrogen in body-centered cubic (bcc) and face-centered cubic (fcc) Fe, the vacancy–hydrogen binding energy in bcc Fe, and to a first-principles calculation for the lattice parameter and bulk modulus of a hypothetical NaCl-type FeH. The potential accurately reproduces the known physical properties of hydrogen as an interstitial solute element in bcc and fcc Fe. The applicability of the potential to atomistic approaches for investigating interactions between hydrogen atoms and other defects such as vacancies, dislocations and grain boundaries, and also for investigating the effects of hydrogen on various deformation and mechanical behaviors of iron is demonstrated.     

降低玻璃钢产品的收缩及变形的实验研究

本文介绍了如何通过控制原材料的选用、玻璃钢产品的成型工艺、加入填料、模具结构设计来最大限度的减少铁路客车用玻璃钢(FRP)产品的收缩及变形。     

Effect of an hourglass-shaped sleeve on the performance of the fluid dynamic bearings of a HDD spindle motor

This research investigated the characteristics of fluid dynamic bearings (FDBs) in a HDD spindle motor with an hourglass-shaped sleeve. We demonstrated experimentally that the hourglass-shaped sleeve generated through the ball-sizing process is a major source of large repeatable runout and non-repeatable runout in a HDD spindle system. We also numerically proved the effect of hourglass-shaped sleeves on pressure, friction torque, stiffness and damping coefficients, critical mass, and shock response. Finally, we proposed a robust design for FDBs with hourglass-shaped groove depths to compensate for the decrease in the static and dynamic performance of FDBs with hourglass-shaped sleeves. The proposed hourglass-shaped groove depth improves the performance of FDBs with both straight and hourglass-shaped sleeves.     

An experimental investigation of mixing of carbon nanotube/polymer composite in a batch-type screw mixer

We develop a miniaturized batch-type screw mixer (BSM) for uniform mixing of polymer resin and nanoparticles, based on the stretching of material elements. This stretching is induced by the combination of recirculating cross-sectional flows in deep channels of the screw and high shear stress developed at flight regions. The BSM is used to produce a polymer nano-composite composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and polydimethylsiloxane resin. The mixing performance of the BSM is characterized quantitatively by estimating two different types of mixing efficiencies (i.e., dispersive mixing and distributive mixing) via transmitted light microscope images. The developed BSM highly improves the mixing performance rather than that of a conventional ultrasonic mixing device.     

Preparation of ketoprofen‐loaded high‐molecular‐weight poly(vinyl alcohol) gels

High‐molecular‐weight atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (a‐PVA) gels loaded with (R,S)‐2‐(3‐benzoylphenyl)propionic acid (ketoprofen) were prepared from 5, 6, 7, and 8 g/dL solutions of a‐PVA with a number‐average degree of polymerization of 4000 in an ethylene glycol/water mixture with an aging method to identify the effect of the initial polymer concentration on the swelling behavior, morphology, and thermal properties of a‐PVA gels. Then, the release behavior of ketoprofen from a‐PVA gels was investigated. As the polymer concentration decreased, the ability for network formation decreased, and the degree of swelling of the a‐PVA gels increased. In addition, the enthalpy increased with an increase in the a‐PVA concentration, but the melting temperatures of the gels prepared at different initial polymer concentrations were the same; this indicated that tighter gel networks would be formed by a higher polymer chain density. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Development of bond strength model for FRP plates using back‐propagation algorithm

For the flexural reinforcement of bridge and building structure, synthetic materials whose dynamic properties are superior and those containing the merit of corrosion‐proof are widely used as the substitute for a steel plate. Since FRP plate has improved bond strength owing to the fibers externally adhering to the plate, many researches regarding the bond strength improvement have been substantially performed. To search out such bond strength improvement, previous researchers had ever examined the bond strength of FRP plate through their experiment by setting up many variables. However, since the experiment for a research on the bond strength takes much of expenditure for setting up the equipment and is time‐consuming, also is difficult to be carried out, it is limitedly conducted. The purpose of this study was to develop the most suitable artificial neural network model by application of various neural network models and algorithm to the data of the bond strength experiment conducted by previous researchers. Many variables were used as input layers against bond strength: depth, width, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength of FRP plate and the compressive strength, tensile strength, and width of concrete. The developed artificial neural network model has been applied back‐propagation, and its error was learned to be converged within the range of 0.001. Besides, the process for the over‐fitting problem has been dissolved by Bayesian technique. The verification on the developed model was executed by comparison with the test results of bond strength made by other previous researchers, which was never been utilized to the learning as yet. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 5119–5127, 2006     

Mechanical properties and morphology of polymer blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and semiflexible thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters

Two thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters (TLCPs) with long flexible spacer groups in the main chain were prepared by melt polymerization: one was a homopolymer with only decane groups (LCPHO) and the other was a copolymer with hexane or decane groups (LCPCO) between mesogen units. These polyesters were blended with a matrix polymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the excellent interfacial adhesion between polyester and PET, and the large aspect ratio of polyester microfibrils in the blend fiber made by extruding and drawing the blend through a die. The aspect ratio was estimated by using the modified Halpin-Tsai equation. The fiber with LCPHO showed more extensive fibril formation than that with LCPCO.     

钒在陶瓷工业中的应用

本文通过钒的应用，阐述了金光釉和凹釉的形成机理。并说明了其在陶瓷釉料生产中所扮演的重要角色。     

Effect of hydrophobic hexafluoroisopropylidene group on the water sorption behaviors of rigid poly(p‐phenylene pyromellitimide) polyimide thin films

We prepared poly(p‐phenylene pyromellitimide) (PMDA–PDA), poly(p‐phenylene 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalimide), and their copolyimides with various compositions to explore the relationship between the water sorption and structure. The water sorption behaviors were gravimetrically investigated as a function of composition and temperature and interpreted with a Fickian diffusion model in films. Overall, the water sorption behaviors were strongly dependent on the changes in morphological structure, which originated from the variations in composition. When the content of the bulky hexafluoroisopropylidene group (6FDA) was increased, the water uptake decreased from 5.80 to 3.18 wt %, whereas the diffusion coefficient increased from 3.6 × 10^?10 to 11.3 × 10^?10 cm²/s. The relatively high water uptake in the PMDA–PDA polyimide film was successfully healed by the incorporation of 6FDA, which may have resulted from the increases in the intermolecular packing order and hydrophobicity. The degree of orientation and crystallinity, which are in‐plane characteristics, were directly correlated to the diffusion coefficient and activation energy in the polyimide film. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3442–3446, 2003