Adhesion characteristics of plasma surface treated carbon/epoxy composite

The load transmission capability of adhesive joints can be improved by increasing the surface free energy of the adherends with surface treatments. In this paper, suitable plasma surface treatment conditions for carbon/epoxy composite adherend were investigated to enhance the strength of carbon/epoxy composite adhesive joints using a capacitively coupled radio-frequency plasma system. Effects of plasma surface treatment parameters on the surface free energy and adhesion strength of carbon/epoxy composite were experimentally investigated with respect to gas flow rate, chamber pressure, power intensity, and surface treatment time. Quantitative chemical bonding analysis determined with XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was also performed to understand the load transmission capabilities of composite adhesive joints with respect to surface treatment time.     

Determination of dynamic contact angles in solid–liquid–liquid systems using the Wilhelmy plate apparatus

The purpose of this work was to carry out a systematic study of the effects of brine composition and rock mineralogy on rock-oil-brine interactions taking place in petroleum reservoirs. These terms are generally lumped into a single term called wettability in petroleum engineering. The extent of wetting of the rock surface by water or oil depends on the dynamic contact angles measured in such a mode as to enable movements of the three-phase contact line. The Wilhelmy plate technique has been used in this study to measure adhesion tension (which is the product of interfacial tension and cosine of the contact angle) at the solid-liquid interface. The water-advancing and water-receding contact angles have been calculated from the adhesion tensions by making independent measurements of the liquid-liquid interfacial tensions using a du Noüy ring tensiometer. The water-advancing and receding angles have been measured in this study for pure hydrocarbons against synthetic brines of different concentrations. Polished surfaces of glass slides and dolomite have been used to simulate the reservoir rock surfaces. A nonionic surfactant (ethoxy alcohol), which is being used in Yates reservoir in West Texas for enhancing oil recovery, was used to quantify its wettability effects. The results of the systematic experimental investigation of the effects of practical variables on wettability are presented. It is found that interactions between surface-active agents at the interface of two liquids have an effect on wettability alteration. The composition and concentrations of different organic and inorganic chemical species have a major effect in making a reservoir oil-wet or water-wet.     

Adhesion characteristics of carbon/epoxy composites treated with low- and atmospheric pressure plasmas

Although an adhesive joint can distribute load over a larger area than a mechanical joint, requires no holes, adds very little weight to structures and has superior fatigue resistance, it requires careful surface preparation of adherends for reliable joining and low susceptibility to service environments. The load transmission capability of adhesive joints can be improved by increasing the surface free energy of the adherends with suitable surface treatments. In this study, two types of surface treatment, namely the low pressure and the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment, were performed to enhance the mechanical load transmission capabilities of carbon/epoxy composite adhesive joints. The suitable surface treatment conditions for carbon/epoxy composite adhesive joints for both low and atmospheric pressure plasma systems were experimentally investigated with respect to chamber pressure, power intensity and surface treatment time by measuring the surface free energies of the specimens. The change in surface topography of carbon/epoxy composites was measured with AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) and quantitative surface atomic concentrations were determined with XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) to investigate the failure modes of composite adhesive joints with respect to surface treatment time. From the XPS investigation of carbon/epoxy composites, it was found that the ratio of oxygen concentration to carbon concentration for both low and atmospheric pressure plasma-treated carbon/epoxy composite surfaces was maximum after about 30 s treatment time, which corresponded with the maximum load transmission capability of the composite adhesive joint.     

Investigation of surface molecular orientation of poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) films using dynamic contact angle measurements,NEXAFS and XPS

Since poly(dimethylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) was not wetted by the photoresist, poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) was synthesized to improve the wettability of photoresist. From a study on dynamic contact angles of water, the initial advancing contact angles on poly(dimethylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) and those on poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenyl-siloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) are almost the same, but the equilibrium advancing contact angles on poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) are much smaller than those on poly(dimethylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid). The decrease in equilibrium advancing contact angles on poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane) appears to indicate migration of phenyl groups to the surface in the polar environment. Thus, photoresist could be wetted on the poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane)-modified poly(amic acid) film. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the orientation and surface migration of molecules in poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane).     

The multiple roles of interfacial tension in fluid phase equilibria and fluid–solid interactions

The tension at the interfaces separating the three phases of matter is a unique property in that it can reveal a great deal of information about the phases in contact, including the direction and extent of mass transfer of components, their proximity to equilibrium, the nature of fluids distribution relative to one another, the contact angle, and the spreading and adhesion behavior of liquids on solid surfaces. In this paper we examine, with supporting experimental data, the multitude of roles played by interfacial tension in establishing (1) the phase behavior characteristics of solubility, miscibility, and the associated mass transfer mechanisms in multicomponent fluid systems, (2) the nature of fluids distribution in gas–oil–water systems in porous solid substrates and (3) the spreading and adhesion characteristics in solid–liquid–liquid systems through dynamic contact angles.     

Properties of compression-densified wood,Part II: surface energy

Surface energy of yellow-poplar wood from three wood treatment groups was studied using sessile-drop contact-angle measurements and the Chang acid–base model for surface energy calculation. Water, glycerol, formamide, ethylene glycol and α-bromonaphthalene were used as probe liquids. Wood treatments were control, hygro-thermal treatment and densification. Contact angle trends for densified and hygro-thermally treated wood were found to be the same. Total surface energy decreased with both hygro-thermal treatment and densification.     

Development of a model for thin-film stability and spreading in solid–liquid–liquid systems

The presence of thin aqueous films and their stability has a profound effect on reservoir rock–fluids interactions involved in spreading and adhesion. The stability of thin wetting aqueous films on rock surfaces is governed by several variables including pH, brine and crude oil compositions, and capillary pressure. These variables govern the wetting states in the solid–liquid–liquid systems. The wetting states influence the residual oil saturation and the oil-water relative permeabilities and, consequently, the oil recovery. The objective of this study was to deduce a functional dependence of thin-film stability on the above parameters by considering intermolecular and surface interactions in rock–crude oil–brine systems. The surface forces are manifested as disjoining pressure in thin films. The disjoining pressure isotherms for the selected solid–liquid–liquid systems have been computed in terms of the bulk properties of the media. The equilibrium contact angles have also been computed from the integration of the Young–Laplace equation, which relates contact angle to the capillary pressure and disjoining pressure isotherm of the system. The contact-angle data obtained from sessile-drop experiments have been compared with the calculated results, as well as with other published results. Adhesion maps, which relate the film stability to brine pH and molarity, have been developed. The rock–fluids systems considered for this study consisted of smooth glass, quartz and Yates reservoir fluids. The DLVO theory has been used to model the intermolecular forces. The structural forces are incorporated to overcome the limitations of the DLVO theory. A charge regulation model has been used to analyze the crude oil–brine and glass–brine interfaces. The effects of multivalent ions have been incorporated using an equivalent molarity concept. The overall computational model developed in this study is aimed at providing a priori prediction capability of rock-fluids interactions in petroleum reservoirs for inclusion in reservoir simulators.     

Influence of erroneous data on the results of calculations from acid–base surface free energy theories. II. Why are negative values of square roots obtained?

The occurrence of negative square roots of the Lifshitz–van der Waals (LW) component and acid and base (A and B) parameters calculated from the van Oss–Chaudhury–Good theory was checked for a small artificial set of the work of adhesion input data calculated for 9 solids and 7 liquids. Taking from the literature the data for the LW component and A and B parameters for 7 liquids and the values of such component and parameters for 9 solids (close to those in the literature), the work of adhesion was calculated and its value was assumed to be error-free (un-biased). Next, new values of the work of adhesion were obtained by adding a random error having normal distribution belonging to 8 distributions of a mean value equal to the error-free work of adhesion value and standard deviations of 1, 5, 7, 10, 20, 25, 30 and 40% of the mean value. The LW components and A and B parameters for the nine solids were back-calculated for each solid and the error (bias) level by solving the overdetermined system of equations (of matrix 7 × 3) for 7 liquids. These 9 solids were grouped in 3 sets of 3 solids in each. It was found that an experimental error caused the work of adhesion data for real systems to be biased. This bias caused the solution of the equation system also to be biased and both biases were linearly dependent. This paper confirms that the appearance of negative roots of A and B parameters is caused by a specific bias in the components of the work of adhesion matrix. If the work of adhesion matrix is negatively biased there is a greater possibility of obtaining a negative value of the square root of γ ⁺, and the smaller the value of this parameter the greater is the possibility of obtaining a negative square root for it. Both the negative and positive biases in the work of adhesion matrix almost equally influence the bias in γ ^?. The smaller this parameter the greater is its bias and greater the possibility of obtaining its negative square root.     

Cyclic voltammetric study of the corrosion protection of metal surfaces by plasma-polymerized coatings

The corrosion-protective performance of plasma-polymerized (PP) films on metal substrates has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface potential measurements. A PP film from cyclohexane was deposited on Fe, Ni, and Cu substrates using a radiofrequency generator. A PP film-coated metal substrate was employed as the working electrode in aerated NaCl aqueous solution and the cyclic voltammogram was measured repeatedly ten times upon application of a triangular potential between -1 and 1 V vs. the initial corrosion potential of the sample. The cyclic voltammogram depended strongly on the metal substrate: with Fe and Ni, only an anodic current was observed; with Cu, an anodic and subsequently a cathodic current appeared. For all the metals, the anodic current level in the voltammograms at the same potential sweep number decreased with increasing film deposition time. The anodic current level for Fe and Cu increased with increasing potential sweep number, but that for Ni exhibited a maximum, followed by a decrease. The anodic current level for the metal substrates decreased in the order Fe > Ni > Cu. The cathodic current for Cu decreased with an increase in the deposition time and increased with an increase in the potential sweep number. The dependence of the cyclic voltammogram on the metal substrate is discussed in terms of the PP film thickness and the positive charge on the film surface, as well as the standard reduction potential of the metal. The corrosion potential for PP film-coated metal substrates also changed with the deposition time; this change is suggested to be related to the increase in the positive charge on the surfaces.