Search results for "polymer composites"

Strength distribution of elementary flax fibres

2005

Abstract Flax fibres, along with a number of other natural fibres, are being considered as an environmentally friendly alternative of synthetic fibres in fibre-reinforced polymer composites. A common feature of natural fibres is a much higher variability of mechanical properties. This necessitates study of the flax fibre strength distribution and efficient experimental methods for its determination. Elementary flax fibres of different gauge lengths are tested by single fibre tension in order to obtain the stress–strain response and strength and failure strain distributions. The applicability of single fibre fragmentation test for flax fibre failure strain and strength characterization is co…

Alternating-Current Properties of Elastomer-Carbon Nanocomposites

2004

Orientation and Dynamics of ZnO Nanorod Liquid Crystals in Electric Fields.

2010

ZnO nanorod polymer hybrids (i.e., ZnO nanorods coated with a block copolymer with a short anchor block (dopamine) and a longer solubilizing block of polystyrene (PS)) form liquid crystalline (LC) phases if they are dispersed at high concentration e.g., in a PS oligomer matrix. Due to the high mobility of the low T(g)-matrix the nanorod polymer hybrids show a switching behavior under an applied AC electric field. Hence, the orientation of the nanorod mesogens can be changed from planar (parallel to the substrate) to homeotropic (perpendicular) in full analogy to the switching of low molecular liquid crystals in an electric field. Dielectric measurements show that such a switching is mainly …

Radiation curing of diacrylate glycerolate of bisphenol-A in the presence of an organically modified montmorillonite for the production of flame-resi…

2006

Polymerization of an acrylate derivative of bisphenol-A by ionizing radiation in the presence of an organically modified montmorillonite was carried out in order to produce a flame-retardant composite. The measurement of the thermal effect during irradiation indicates that radiation curing of pure resin and resin-clay mixtures occurred in both cases. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis showed that a curing completion can be obtained by thermal curing after irradiation with a significant increase of the glass transition temperature. The morphology was investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. These have indicated t…

Facile Fabrication of Natural Polyelectrolyte-Nanoclay Composites: Halloysite Nanotubes, Nucleotides and DNA Study

2020

Complexation of biopolymers with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) can greatly affect their applicability as materials building blocks. Here we have performed a systematic investigation of fabrication of halloysite nanotubes complexes with nucleotides and genomic DNA. The binding of DNA and various nucleotide species (polyAU, UMP Na2, ADP Na3, dATP Na, AMP, uridine, ATP Mg) by halloysite nanotubes was tested using UV-spectroscopy. The study revealed that binding of different nucleotides to the nanoclay varied but was low both in the presence and absence of MgCl2, while MgCl2 facilitated significantly the binding of longer molecules such as DNA and polyAU. Modification of the nanotubes with DNA an…

Functionalised poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide as polymer composite electrolyte membranes

2019

[EN] Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) based composite films were prepared as polyelectrolyte membranes for low temperature direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC). The membranes were functionalised by means of the addition of graphene oxide (GO) and sulfonated graphene oxide (SGO) and crosslinked with sulfosuccinic acid (SSA). The chemical structure was corroborated and suitable thermal properties were found. Although the addition of GO and SGO slightly decreased the proton conductivity of the membranes, a significant reduction of the ethanol solution swelling and crossover was encountered, more relevant for those functionalised with SGO. In general, the composite membranes were stable under …

Fast blue B functionalized silica-polymer composite to evaluate 3,5-dihy-droxyhydrocinnamic acid as biomarker of gluten intake

2021

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by gluten and related prolamines in genetically susceptible individuals. The current treatment is a strict and lifelong gluten-free diet. However, compliance with the gluten-free diet is not always adequate and many food products contain low concentrations of gluten. The determination of dietary transgressions is a challenge for patients, physicians and dietitians. Alkylresorcinols (AR) have been proposed as sensitive and specific biomarkers of gluten consumption. In this work silica-polymer composites doped with fast blue B reagent (FB) have been used to estimate alkylresorcinols in biological samples. The proposed colorimetri…

Creep Behavior of Poly(lactic acid) Based Biocomposites

2017

Polymer composites containing natural fibers are receiving growing attention as possible alternatives for composites containing synthetic fibers. The use of biodegradable matrices obtained from renewable sources in replacement for synthetic ones is also increasing. However, only limited information is available about the creep behavior of the obtained composites. In this work, the tensile creep behavior of PLA based composites, containing flax and jute twill weave woven fabrics, produced through compression molding, was investigated. Tensile creep tests were performed at different temperatures (i.e., 40 and 60 °C). The results showed that the creep behavior of the composites is strongly inf…

Recycling and Thermomechanical Degradation of LDPE/Modified Clay Nanocomposites

2013

The special features of polymer nanocomposites are continually gaining interest both in academia and in industry. The latter is especially experiencing an increase in interest towards this class of polymer composites, and this is leading to the first concerns about their reprocessing and reciclability. Here, a systematic study on the behavior of LDPE/Cloisite 15A systems upon reprocessing in a single-screw extruder is described, focusing on rheological, mechanical, and morphological properties changes. The investigated systems show a very complex thermomechanical degradation behavior, with the degradation of the clay modifier and different degradation paths involving the polymer matrix; all…

A Study of Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composite Membranes with Various Ionic Liquids at Elevated Temperatures

2019

This work was supported by Latvian Council of Science (Cooperation project No.666/2014.4).