One of the most important challenges in polyurethane (PU) science is characterization of foam morphologies, which provides information to help understand material properties and improve synthesis conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a very useful technique to obtain such information. A key challenge is to apply this technique to PU foams without destroying their cell structure. In this ...

We report the formation of high aspect ratio nanoscale tree-shape silver networks in epoxy, at low temperatures (<150 °C) and atmospheric pressures, that are correlated to a ∼200 fold enhancement of thermal conductivity (κ) of the nanocomposite compared to the polymer matrix. The networks form through a three-step process comprising of self-assembly by diffusion limited aggregation of polyvinyl...

Functionalized carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons nanostructures, serving as the basis for the creation of physical pressure and temperature nanosensors, are considered as tools for ecological monitoring and medical applications. Fragments of nanocarbon inclusions with different morphologies, presenting a disordered system, are regarded as models for nanocomposite materials based on carb...

This paper examines the effect of surface treatment and filler shape factor on the fracture toughness and elastic modulus of epoxy-based nanocomposite. Two forms of nanofillers, polydopamine-coated montmorillonite clay (D-clay) and polydopamine-coated carbon nanofibres (D-CNF) were investigated. It was found that Young's modulus increases with increasing D-clay and D-CNF loading. However, the f...

We present a nanocomposite strain sensor (NCSS) to develop a novel structural health monitoring (SHM) sensor that can be easily installed in a composite structure. An NCSS made of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/epoxy composite was installed on a target structure with facile processing. We attempted to evaluate the NCSS sensing characteristics and benchmark compared to those of a conven...

N-vinylcarbazole (NVK) is proposed as an additive for acrylates thermal free radical polymerization (FRP) and epoxy thermal ring opening polymerization (ROP) at room temperature. The new initiating systems are based on a silane/silver salt/N-vinylcarbazole interaction, which ensures good to excellent polymerization. Moreover, the polymerization is much more efficient under air than under argon....

This paper deals with the effect of interface structures on the mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composite materials. First, the background of research, development and applications on hybrid composite materials is introduced. Second, metal/polymer composite bonded structures are discussed. Then, the rationale is given for nanostructuring the interface in composite materials and struct...

Mechanical property characterization including bending, tensile, and fracture properties for a new functionalized nanofiber/epoxy composite were conducted. Results show that there was only very little increase in mechanical properties of nanocomposites although we used GCNF-ODA reactive linkers to improve the interface. The interfacial stress level of nanocomposites should be much higher than t...