SEREP-based reduced model of higher order viscoelastic propeller shaft considering various asymmetries

Engineering with Computers - The material damping of rotors causes instability by introducing tangential force to whirl orbit. Literature shows that the improvement of stability range is achieved...     

Microwave Effects in Lead Zirconium Titanate Synthesis: Enhanced Kinetics and Changed Mechanisms

A novel, simple, and fast solid-state procedure has been demonstrated for the synthesis of Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT), using microwave radiation. The process consists of starting with the respective oxides mixed in the required proportions and exposing the charge to the microwaves. By making one or more of the constituent oxides slightly nonstoichiometric, enormous enhancement in reaction rates has been achieved, and single-phase PZT can be synthesized at temperatures as low as 600°C. Moreover, it has been shown that the combined use of nonstoichiometric precursors and microwave irradiation leads to different reaction pathways for the formation of PZT. Further, the microwave method diminishes PbO loss.     

Salt‐leaching technique for the synthesis of porous poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) (ABPBI) membranes for fuel cell application

The first instance of synthesizing porous poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) (ABPBI) membranes for high‐temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT‐PEMFCs), using solvent evaporation/salt‐leaching technique, is reported herein. Various ratios of sodium chloride/ABPBI were dissolved in methanesulfonic acid and cast into membranes by solvent evaporation, followed by porogen (salt) leaching by water washing. The membranes were characterized using SEM, FTIR, TGA, and DSC. The proton conductivity, water and acid uptake of the membranes were measured and the chemical stability was determined by Fenton's test. SEM images revealed strong dependence of sizes and shapes of pores on the salt/polymer ratios. Surface porosities of membranes were estimated with Nis Elements‐D software; bulk porosities were measured by the fluid resaturation method. Thermogravimetric analysis showed enhanced dopant uptake with introduction of porosity, without the thermal stability of the membrane compromised. Incorporating pores enhanced solvent uptake and retention because of capillarity effects, enhancing proton conductivities of PEMs. Upon acid doping, a maximum conductivity of 0.0181 S/cm was achieved at 130 °C for a porous membrane compared with 0.0022 S/cm for the dense ABPBI membrane at the same temperature. Results indicated that with judicious optimization of porogen/polymer ratios, porous ABPBI membranes formed by salt‐leaching could be suitably used in HT‐PEMFCs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45773.     

Preparation and Properties of Halloysite Nanotubes/Poly(ethylene methyl acrylate)-Based Nanocomposites by Variation of Mixing Methods

Halloysite nanotube-based inorganic–organic polymer nanocomposite has been developed with improved mechanical strength in one direction by solution mixing followed by melt mixing. Melt mixing, solution mixing, and melt-cum-solution mixing were performed to optimize the mechanical strength of the nanocomposites. The field emission scanning electron microscopic images and small-angle X-ray scattering spectrum can support the unidirectional array of halloysite nanotubes in the matrix. The tensile properties revealed that solution–melt mixing is the most desired way to develop clay-based nanocomposites. Thermal characterizations implied that thermal stability was improved after nanoclay incorporation. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed the flow properties and the “Payne effect” of the nanocomposites.