The ban and restrictions on some of the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) has led to an increase in use and production of alternatives such as halogenated free flame retardants (HFFRs). Limited information is available on the occurrence and fate of inorganic HFFRs. Inorganic HFFRs such as aluminum polyphosphinate (AlPi), melamine polyphosphate (MPP) and zincstannate (ZS), dissociate into ions ...

The effects of polymerization kinetics and chemical miscibility on the crosslinking structure and mechanical properties of polymers cured by visible-light initiated free-radical/cationic ring-opening hybrid photopolymerization are determined. A three-component initiator system is used and the monomer system contains methacrylates and epoxides. The photopolymerization kinetics is monitored in si...

Polymers that respond in a productive fashion to their environment are under active development as they offer significant advantages over traditional materials. For example, polymers with the ability to self-heal and recover a significant fraction of their initial properties after being subjected to a damage event are of significant interest. Here we study the effect of healing agent viscosity ...

Polymers and polymer matrix composites are commonly used materials with applications extending from packaging to delicate electronic devices. Epoxy resins fiber-reinforced epoxy-based have been as adhesives construction parts. Fractal analysis has recognized in science a valuable tool for the microstructural characterization of by connecting fractal characteristics composites’ functional proper...

Composite materials, such as glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRPs), possess the advantages of high strength and stiffness, low density, as well as manufacturing flexibility; therefore, their potential in replacing conventional materials (such as concrete, aluminium and steel) in building construction has become attractive. One of the major issues that hinder the extensive use of composite str...

A computational model was developed to study the thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-polymer composites. A random walk simulation was used to model the effect of interfacial resistance on the heat flow in different orientations of SWNTs dispersed in the polymers. The simulation is a modification of a previous model taking into account the numerically determined thermal ...

Self-healing polymers composed of microencapsulated healing agents exhibit remarkable mechanical performance and regenerative ability, but are limited to autonomic repair of a single damage event in a given location. Self-healing is triggered by crack-induced rupture of the embedded capsules; thus, once a localized region is depleted of healing agent, further repair is precluded. Re-mendable po...

Whether used as structural components in design or matrix materials for composites, the mechanical properties of polymers are increasingly important. The compressive response of extruded polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) rod with aligned polymer chains and Al-Ni-PMMA particulate composites are investigated across a range of strain rates and temperatures. The particulate composites were prepared us...

A common repair procedures applied to damaged concrete is to fill cracks with an organic polymer. This operation is performed to increase the service life of the concrete by removing a preferential pathway for the ingress of water, chlorides, and other deleterious species. To effectively fulfill its mission of preventing chloride ingress, the polymer must not only fully fill the macro-crack, bu...

Polyimide is one of the most popular substrate materials for the microfabrication of flexible electronics, while polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used stretchable substrate/encapsulant material. These two polymers are essential in fabricating devices for microfluidics, bioelectronics, and the internet of things; bonding these materials together is a crucial challenge. In this work...