MXenes, a new family of 2D materials, combine hydrophilic surfaces with metallic conductivity. Delamination of MXene produces single-layer nanosheets with thickness of about a nanometer and lateral size of the order of micrometers. The high aspect ratio of delaminated MXene renders it promising nanofiller in multifunctional polymer nanocomposites. Herein, Ti3C2T(x) MXene was mixed with either a...

The structural performance, reliability and durability of polymer composites can now be correlated with three generic classes of internal defects. The _first generic class of chemical structure defects (size 10-lOOA) that control critical design properties such as glass transition T 0 , moisture absorption, and dimensional changes can be controlled by chemical analysis of raw materials prior to...

Graphene/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites were prepared using in-situ solvothermal reduction of graphene oxide in the PVDF solution. The electrical conductivity of the composites was greatly improved by doping with graphene sheets. The percolation threshold of such composite was determined to be 0.31 vol.%, being much smaller than that of the composites prepared via blending reduced gr...

Incorporating moldability considerations during the design of thermally enhanced polymer heat exchangers. Recently, available formulations of thermally enhanced polymer composites are attractive in heat exchanger applications due to their low cost and improved corrosion resistance compared to the conventional metal options. This paper presents a systematic approach to the design of plate-fin he...

Inorganic nanometer-sized particles (nanoparticles) are attracting attention as reinforcing fillers for use in polymer-nanoparticle composites (nanocomposites) because they improve key characteristics of these composites at a relatively low content (Hussain et al., 2006, Jordan et al., 2005). For example, clay nanoparticles (Usuki et al, 2005), metal oxide nanoparticles such as silica (Rosso et...

Conductive polymer composites are manufactured by randomly dispersing conductive particles along an insulating polymer matrix. Several authors have attempted to model the piezoresistive response of conductive polymer composites. However, all the proposed models rely upon experimental measurements of the electrical resistance at rest state. Similarly, the models available in literature assume a ...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted much attention because of their unique structure and remarkable mechanical, electrical, thermal and chemical properties. In particular, it has been believed that CNTs are ideal fillers for polymers to enhance their mechanical properties. Numerous efforts have been devoted to the application of SWNTs and MWNTs to polymers for the last decade [1]. However, i...

The rising concerns in terms of environmental protection and the search for more versatile polymer-based materials have led to an increasing interest in the use of polymer composites filled with natural organic fillers (biodegradable and/or coming from renewable resources) as a replacement for traditional mineral inorganic fillers. At the same time, the recycling of polymers is still of fundame...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) State of Michigan/Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on Low-Cost, High-Speed Polymer Composites Processing at Michigan State University (MSU) is in its seventh year of operation. The objectives of the Center are the design, development and deployment of technology to reduce the cost of polymer composites processing by a) developing new high spe...

INVESTIGATION OF THE FRACTURE PHENOMENA DURING THE MILLING PROCESS OF INORGANIC PARTICULATES AND BRITTLE FRACTURE OF POLYMER COMPOSITES USING FRACTAL THEORY