Search results for "plastics"
showing 10 items of 2724 documents
Taking advantage of the functional synergism between carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets to obtain polypropylene-based nanocomposites with en…
2020
Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) and Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNP) were incorporated in Polypropylene (PP) as single filler (CNT=1, 2 and 4 %wt. and GNP=2, 4, and 6 %wt.) and in hybrid form (CNT:GNP weight ratio 2:2, 2:4 and 4:2) using a prototype miniature Twin Screw Extruder (TSE) coupled with a double slit rheological die, in order to assess in-line the extent of nanofiller dispersion and to deliver PP-based nanocomposites with enhanced thermo-oxidative stability. The morphological, electrical and mechanical properties, as well as the resistance to thermal and photo degradation of the composites containing single nanofillers (PP/CNT and PP/GNP) were compared with those of hybrid PP based nanocompos…
A new route for the preparation of flexible skin–core poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid)/polyaniline functional hybrids
2011
Abstract Surface modification of polymeric films is a way to obtain final products with high performance for many specific and ad hoc tailored applications, e.g. in functional packaging, tissue engineering or (bio)sensing. The present work reports, for the first time, on the design and development of surface modified ethylene–acrylic acid copolymer (EAA) films with polyaniline (PANI), with the aim of inducing electrical conductivity and potentially enable the electronic control of a range of physical and chemical properties of the film surface, via a new “grafting from” approach. In particular, we demonstrate that PANI was successfully polymerized and covalently grafted onto flexible EAA su…
Influence of resin viscosity and vacuum level on mechanical performance of sandwich structures manufactured by vacuum bagging
2010
The choice of process parameters is critical in optimizing the mechanical properties of sandwich structures produced using the vacuum bagging technique. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the viscosity of the resin/curing agent system and the vacuum level influence the morphology and the mechanical behavior of sandwich beams with composite faces (epoxy resin and glass fiber fabric named COMBI 900) and a PVC foam core. Four different sandwich structures were produced by varying the viscosity of the epoxy resin/curing agent at constant maximum vacuum pressure. Three further structures were manufactured by varying the strength of the vacuum with the resin viscosity maintained constant at …
Micro‐tomographic characterization of composite recycled glass‐silicone foams for applications in civil engineering
2019
Noninvasive X‐ray micro‐computed tomography was applied for a complete quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cellular structure of composite foams constituted by a silicone matrix and a glass production waste filler. Composite foams with different glass filler weight content in the range 0–80% were synthesized and characterized. The tomographic analysis was employed in order to assess the structural heterogeneities, void fraction values, and bubble size distribution for all composite foams. The 3D micro‐CT images analysis, performed at different cross‐sections, highlighted heterogeneous cell growth or more elongated cells in the case of low and high filler content foams, respectively…
Morphology and mechanical properties of extruded ribbons of LDPE/PA6 blends compatibilized with an ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer
2003
Two grades of low density polyethylene (LDPE) were blended with polyamide-6 (PA) in the 75/25 and 25/75 wt/wt ratios and shaped into ribbons with a Brabender single screw extruder. An ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer (EAA) was used in the 2 phr concentration as a compatibilizer precursor (CP). The morphology of the ribbons and its evolution during high temperature annealing were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results confirmed that EAA does actually behave as a reactive compatibilizer for the LDPE/PA blends. In fact, in the presence of EAA, the interfacial adhesion is improved, the dispersion of the minor phase particles is enhanced and their tendency toward fibrilla…
Phase separation of polymer blends in solution: A case study
2016
Abstract The phase behavior and phase separation features of the quaternary system poly- l -lactide (PLLA)/poly-rac-lactide (PLA)/dioxane/water were investigated. Experiments were performed with fixed total polymer concentration of 6 wt%, by varying the PLLA/PLA weight ratio. Blend weight compositions examined were 100/0, 80/20, 50/50, 20/80 and 0/100, at fixed dioxane/water weight ratio (87/13). Cloud point measurements reported that the demixing temperatures of blends are close to PLLA in the same mixed solvent, in line with the calculated spinodals. As regards to foam preparation, above the PLA cloud point, morphology is similar to pure PLLA foams; conversely, below PLA cloud point, the …
Effect of the nanotube aspect ratio and surface functionalization on the morphology and properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube polyamide-based fib…
2013
In this study, the effect of the carbon nanotube (CNT) aspect ratio and surface functionalization on the mechanical behavior and morphological changes of polyamide (PA)-based fibers was investigated. Composites were prepared by the melt blending of CNTs with PA, and at a later time, the fibers were prepared by melt spinning and cold drawing. A reinforcement effect was noticed for all of the CNTs samples, and the increase in the mechanical properties and dimensional stability was more pronounced for highly oriented filaments. When the elongational flow was increased, the orientation of CNTs along the fiber direction was observed, but the nanotube alignment was much more difficult for CNTs wi…
Morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA-zirconia nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding
2012
Zirconia nanoparticles were synthesized by means of a sol-gel method and embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by melt compounding. The zirconia was well dispersed in the PMMA matrix, with only a few clusters, especially for the highest investigated zirconia content. NMR results showed heteronuclear dipolar interactions involving the carbons and the surrounding hydrogen nuclei. The effect of the amount of zirconia, in the range of 1–5!wt%, on the thermomechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA was also investigated by means of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The presenc…
Determining suitable fish to monitor plastic ingestion trends in the Mediterranean Sea
2019
The presence of marine litter is a complex, yet persistent, threat to the health and biodiversity of the marine environment, and plastic is the most abundant, and ubiquitous type of marine litter. To monitor the level of plastic waste in an area, and the prospect of it entering the food chain, bioindicator species are used extensively throughout Northern European Seas, however due to their distribution ranges many are not applicable to the Mediterranean Sea. Guidance published for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive suggests that the contents of fish stomachs may be analyzed to determine trends of marine plastic ingestion. In order to equate transnational trends in marine plastic ingest…
Pressure induced changes in the Raman spectra of liquidn-alkanes and perfluoro-n-alkanes
1982
The main effect of pressures up to 6 kbar on the Raman spectra of liquidn-alkanes and perfluoro-n-alkanes is a reduction of line widths indicative for a slowing-down of rotational motions about the long axes. There is no evidence for a change in the conformer populations.