Self-repair of structural and functional composites with intrinsically self-healing polymer matrices: A review

Self-healing is a smart and promising way to make materials more reliable and longer lasting. In the case of structural or functional composites based on a polymer matrix, very often mechanical damage in the polymer matrix or debonding at the matrix–filler interface is responsible for the decrease in intended properties. This review describes the healing behavior in structural and functional polymer composites with a so-called intrinsically self-healing polymer as the continuous matrix. A clear similarity in the healing of structural and functional properties is demonstrated which can ultimately lead to the design of polymer composites that autonomously restore multiple properties using the same self-healing mechanism.     

Thermal Bending Analysis of Doubly Curved Composite Laminated Shell Panels with General Boundary Conditions and Laminations

Thermal bending analysis of doubly curved laminated shell panels with general boundary conditions and laminations is presented. The equations of equilibrium are derived in the form of two coupled sets of ordinary differential equations based on a general shell theory and solved through the state-space approach in a repeated manner. It is depicted that the results of the present method are in great agreement with analytical solutions. Cylindrical shell panels with general boundary conditions and laminations, where no analytical solution is available, are solved. It is found that the present method exhibits a high convergence rate as well as presenting accurate results in all cases.     

Review of pulsed thermal NDT: Physical principles,theory and data processing

This paper summarizes the basics of pulsed thermal nondestructive testing (TNDT) including theoretical solutions, data processing algorithms and practical implementation. Typical defects are discussed along with 1D analytical and multi-dimensional numerical solutions. Special emphasis is focused on defect characterization by the use of inverse solutions. A list of TNDT terms is provided. Applications of active TNDT, mainly in the aerospace industry, are discussed briefly, and some trends in the further development of this technique are described.     

YSZ/MoS2 self-lubricating coating fabricated by thermal spraying and hydrothermal reaction

Thermal sprayed ceramic coatings have extensively been used in components to protect them against friction and wear. However, the poor lubricating ability severely limits their application. Herein, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/MoS₂ composite coatings were successfully fabricated on steel substrate with the combination of thermal spraying technology and hydrothermal reaction. Results show that the synthetic MoS₂ powders are composed of numbers of ultra-thin sheets (about 7 ~ 8?nm), and the sheet has obvious lamellar structure. After vacuum impregnation and hydrothermal reaction, numbers of MoS₂ powders, look like flowers, generate inside the plasma sprayed YSZ coating. Moreover, the growing point of the MoS₂ flower is the intrinsic micro-pores of YSZ coating. The friction and wear tests under high vacuum environment indicate that the composite coating has an extremely long lifetime (>?100,000 cycles) and possesses a low friction coefficient less than 0.1, which is lower by about 0.15 times than that of YSZ coating. Meanwhile, the composite shows an extremely low wear rate (2.30?×?10^?7 mm³ N^?1 m^?1) and causes slight wear damage to the counterpart. The excellent lubricant and wear-resistant ability are attributed to the formation of MoS₂ transfer films and the ultra-smooth of the worn surfaces of hybrid coatings.     

Novel electrospun polymer electrolytes incorporated with Keggin‐type hetero polyoxometalate fillers as solvent‐free electrolytes for lithium ion batteries

In this study, solvent‐free nanofibrous electrolytes were fabricated through an electrospinning method. Polyethylene oxide (PEO), lithium perchlorate and ethylene carbonate were used as polymer matrix, salt and plasticizer respectively in the electrolyte structures. Keggin‐type hetero polyoxometalate (Cu‐POM@Ru‐rGO, Ni‐POM@Ru‐rGO and Co‐POM@Ru‐rGO (POM, polyoxometalate; rGO, reduced graphene oxide)) nanoparticles were synthesized and inserted into the PEO‐based nanofibrous electrolytes. TEM and SEM analyses were carried out for further evaluation of the synthesized filler structures and the electrospun nanofibre morphologies. The fractions of free ions and crystalline phases of the as‐spun electrolytes were estimated by obtaining Fourier transform infrared and XRD spectra, respectively. The results showed a significant improvement in the ionic conductivity of the nanofibrous electrolytes by increasing filler concentrations. The highest ionic conductivity of 0.28 mS cm^?1 was obtained by the introduction of 0.49 wt% Co‐POM@Ru‐rGO into the electrospun electrolyte at ambient temperature. Compared with solution‐cast polymeric electrolytes, the electrospun electrolytes present superior ionic conductivity. Moreover, the cycle stability of the as‐spun electrolytes was clearly improved by the addition of fillers. Furthermore, the mechanical strength was enhanced with the insertion of 0.07 wt% fillers to the electrospun electrolytes. The results implied that the prepared nanofibres are good candidates as solvent‐free electrolytes for lithium ion batteries. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermal treatment of waste photovoltaic module for recovery and recycling: Experimental assessment of the presence of metals in the gas emissions and in the ashes

The rapid expansion of the photovoltaic (PV) module market in the last years will determine in the near future a remarkable growth of corresponding waste. Then, the hazardous materials contained in the modules, such as Cd, Pb and Cr, could be released in the environment if the waste panels will not be handled adequately. Recycling processes of silicon crystalline panels, finalized to separate PV cells from the glass, involve the removal of the EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) layer through different methods, as the thermal treatment. During this treatment, some hazardous components can be released due to thermal degradation process. In this paper the metals released in the gas emissions and in the ashes due to the thermal treatment of modules were evaluated. For this purpose, three samples of crystalline panels were heated in furnace up to 600 °C and the complete degradation of the EVA was obtained. A mass balance between the sample and its components, before and after treatment, was performed in order to assess the weight loss percentage. Finally, after thermal treatment a qualitative analysis on the separated PV cell surface was performed by SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer).     

A Constitutive Equation of Thermoelasticity for Solid Materials

A new constitutive equation of thermoelasticity for crystals is presented based on the interatomic potential and solid mechanics at finite temperature. Using the new constitutive equation, the calculations for crystal copper and graphene are carried out under different loading paths at different temperatures. The calculated results are in good agreement with those of the previous thermoelasticity constitutive equation based on quantum mechanics, which clearly indicates that our new constitutive equation of thermoelasticity is correct. A lot of comparisons also show that the present theory is more concise and efficient than the previous thermal stress theory in the practical application.     

Hygrothermal deformation of orthotropic nanoplates based on the state-space concept

This paper deals with the investigation of the effect of hygrothermal conditions on the bending of nanoplates using Levy type solution model employing the state-space concept. The nanoplates are assumed to be subjected to a hygrothermal environment. The two-unknown function plate theory is used to derive the governing differential equations on the basis of Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory. The governing equations contain the small scale effect as well as hygrothermal and mechanical effects. These equations are converted into a set of first-order linear ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients. Analytical solution of bending response for nanoplates under combinations of simply supported, clamped and free boundary conditions is obtained. Comparison of the results with those being in the open literature is made. The influences played by small scale parameter, temperature rise, the degree of moisture concentration, boundary conditions, plate aspect ratio and side-to-thickness ratio are studied.     

Annealing effects on structural and electrical properties of fluorinated amorphous carbon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The annealing effects on the structural and electrical properties of fluorinated amorphous carbon (a-C:F) thin films prepared from C₆F₆ and Ar plasma are investigated in a N₂ environment at 200 mTorr. The a-C:F films deposited at room temperature are thermally stable up to 250 °C, but as the annealing temperature is increased beyond 300 °C, the fluorine incorporation in the film is reduced, and the degree of crosslinking and graphitization in the film appears to be enhanced. At the annealing temperature of 250 °C, the chemical bond structures of the film are unchanged noticeably, but the interface trapped charges between the film and the silicon substrate are reduced significantly. The increased annealing temperature contributes the decrease of both the interface charges and the effective charge density in the a-C:F film. Higher self-bias voltage is shown to reduce the charge density in the film.     

Oligo(ethylene oxide) side‐chain steric screening effects on conductimetric properties of grafted poly(4‐vinylpyridinium) salts in aqueous solutions

A set of poly[N‐oligo(ethylene oxide)yl 4‐vinylpyridinium tosylate] (P4VOEOOTs) has been prepared by spontaneous polymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine. This method gives a grafted polyelectrolyte having a positive charge on every backbone pyridinic moiety. The P4VP15Ts, P4VP164Ts, P4VP350Ts and P4VP750Ts aqueous solution conductivities were determined in the concentration range from 6 × 10^?4 to 10^?2 M at 25 °C. The variation of the conductivity versus concentration of the investigated system exhibits typical polyelectrolyte behaviour. The polyelectrolyte mobility was found to be dependent on the oligo(ethylene oxide) (OEO) side‐chain length. Manning's rod‐like model fails to describe these results. A simple steric effect is proposed to explain the influence of the OEO length. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry