Article
Materials Science, Characterization & Testing
Sunil Manohar Maharana, Mihir Kumar Pandit, Arun Kumar Pradhan
Summary: The study investigates the influence of nanofiller content and stacking sequence on the interlaminar fracture properties of Jute-Kevlar hybrid nanocomposite. It is found that interlaminar fiber bridging and interlaminar friction are key factors affecting Mode I and Mode II fracture toughness. The presence of nanofiller plays a significant role in enhancing the fracture toughness of the composites, with JKKJ stacking sequence with 3% fumed silica showing the highest Mode II fracture toughness.
Article
Polymer Science
Ugochukwu Okoli, Kabir Rishi, Gregory Beaucage, Hendrik K. Kammler, Alex McGlasson, Michael Chauby, Vishak Narayanan, James Grammens, Vikram K. Kuppa
Summary: In polymer nanocomposites, surface modification of silica aggregates can hinder Coulombic interactions, allowing for better dispersion and network formation. Surface modification is typically done using silane coupling agents, but carbon-coating during silica production is also an option. This study explores the impact of flame synthesized silica with different surface carbon contents on dispersion, structure, and rheological response in rubber nanocomposites. The presence of silanol groups on the surface of pristine silica leads to poor network formation, while carbon monolayers on flame synthesized silica can mitigate charge repulsion and affect structural emergence. The rheological response depends on the surface density of both carbon and silanol groups.
Article
Polymer Science
Vincenzo Titone, Maria Chiara Mistretta, Luigi Botta, Francesco Paolo La Mantia
Summary: This study investigates the effects of adding very small amounts of fumed silica on the morphology, rheological and mechanical behavior of polypropylene nanocomposites, as well as their photo-oxidation behavior. The presence of silica nanoparticles reduces the viscosity of the matrix, improves mechanical properties, particularly the elastic modulus and tensile strength, and enhances the photostability of the polypropylene matrix. The difference in properties between the nanocomposites with different silica content is relatively small, suggesting a nonlinear relationship between the amount of silica and the measured properties.
Article
Polymer Science
Baoluo He, Qi Lu, Xiangyuan Zhao, Xiaozhi Zhang, Rong Mu, Wenbo Sheng, Bin Li, Shujuan Liu, Qian Ye, Feng Zhou
Summary: This study reports a facile method of gallium-based liquid metal (GLM) nanodroplets mediated surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for preparing polymer brushes on GLM surfaces. The feasibility of GLM surface modified SI-ATRP is confirmed by UV-vis spectra, which also indicates that the thickness and density of polymer brushes are crucial for successful ATRP on GLM nanodroplets surfaces. Polymer brushes modified GLM nanodroplets show potential applications such as friction reduction and oil-water emulsion separation.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Anne-Chantal Gouget-Laemmel, Nacim Zidelmal, Rafaela S. B. Soares, Nadine Barroca-Aubry, Diana Dragoe, Ludovic Costa, Benedicte Lepoittevin, Hanene Salmi-Mani, Mohamed Mellah, Catherine Henry-de-Villeneuve, Francois Ozanam, Emmanuelle Schulz, Philippe Roger
Summary: This study investigates the capacity of quantitative IR-FTIR spectroscopy to characterize the surface chemical modifications occurring during a surface-initiated controlled polymerization. The effects of different surface treatments on the density and degree of polymerization of the polymer chains are demonstrated through experiments.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Kyung-Min Kim, Hoon Kim, Hyun-Joong Kim
Summary: The thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy/fumed silica composite can be improved by different surface treatments of fumed silica. The addition of silica nanoparticles enhances the thermal stability and flexural strength of the composite, making it commercially promising.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sandra Wohlhauser, Chris Rader, Christoph Weder
Summary: This study proposes a method to approximate the molecular weight of poly(hexyl methacrylate) grafts grown from the surface of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) using H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The method utilizes H-1 NMR spectra to determine the monomer conversion and the initiator concentration, allowing for the estimation of the number-average molecular weight of the grafted polymer.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Artavazd Kirakosyan, Donghyun Lee, Yoonseong Choi, Namgee Jung, Jihoon Choi
Summary: Due to their excellent electrical conductivity and robust mechanical properties, carbon-based nanocomposites are widely used in various applications and devices. A new strategy for synthesizing sulfonated polystyrene (PSS)-grafted carbon black nanoparticles (NPs) has been reported, which allows for controlled formation of PSS brushes. The high processability and desirable mechanical properties of the PSS-grafted carbon black NPs make them suitable for use in fuel cells.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zeynep Dasdelen, Ayca Atilir Ozcan, Ali Ozcan
Summary: In this study, fumed silica, reduced graphene oxide, and their hybrid were tested as support materials for Au nanoparticles to prepare anode catalysts for sorbitol fuel cells. Among the different supports, Au@FS-rGO catalyst showed the highest current density for sorbitol oxidation, indicating a synergistic effect between FS and rGO.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Characterization & Testing
Tae Gon Kim, Jung Mock Kim, Keon-Soo Jang, Seong Jae Lee
Summary: By optimally embedding silica nanoparticles on the surface of silver nanowires, epoxy/silver nanowire nanocomposites with excellent dispersibility and electrical conductivity were prepared. Improved electrical properties were achieved due to superb dispersion, enhanced by interfacial interactions between the epoxy matrix and SNP-AgNWs. The nanocomposites with tailored surface modification showed superior results compared to those with untreated and highly treated surfaces.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jimmy Castillo, Michelina Arcuri, Vicmary Vargas, Vincent Piscitelli
Summary: In this study, two methodologies were used to prepare nano compounds derived from a mixture of metal oxides supported in biogenic silica nanoparticles. The composition and optical properties of the samples were characterized, and the effect of metal oxide confinement within the nanoparticle structure was studied.
APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Tingting Zhang, Xuhui Chen, Zhenyou Guo, Youbo Zhao, Hao Xiu, Hongwei Bai, Qin Zhang, Qiang Fu
Summary: This study demonstrates a novel route to control the distribution of hydrophilic silica in polymer blends by tailoring the silanol number of the silica, resulting in improved impact toughness and maintained strength and modulus of the blends.
COMPOSITES COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shaolan Zhong, Weilong Jing, Hui Lei, Xiaoxiao Yu, Zhiheng Zheng, Siyuan Li, Haitao Zhu, Wei Yu
Summary: In this work, a daytime radiative cooling film (DRCF) was developed by electrostatic spinning technology, which consisted of polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) and hydrophobic fumed silica (SiO2). The addition of SiO2 enhanced the hydrophobicity and spectral properties of the PVDF-HFP film. The 6 wt% PVDF-HFP/SiO2 film exhibited high reflectivity and emissivity, as well as significant sub-ambient temperature drop, making it a promising technology for daytime cooling.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Andres B. Sanchez-Alvarado, Jackeline Iturbe-Ek, Narsimha Mamidi, Alan O. Sustaita
Summary: Nanomaterial-based hybrid devices have shown potential in environmental contaminant sensing, where polymer thin films are exploited as functional sensing materials. Covalently functionalized polymer films, produced through surface-initiated polymerizations, offer stability and the ability to tailor thickness. Copper-mediated CRP is a rapid technique that enhances the characteristics of surface-grafting polymer films for hybrid sensor devices.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zunbin Duan, Yanfang Wang, Shi Bian, Danni Liu, Yanli Zhang, Xue Zhang, Rui He, Jiahong Wang, Guangbo Qu, Paul K. Chu, Xue-Feng Yu
Summary: This study explores the effects of different sizes of two-dimensional black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets embedded in epoxy resin (EP) on flame retardancy. It is found that smaller nanosheets demonstrate better flame-retardant properties, providing insights into the size dependent effects of other two-dimensional materials.