Cellulose nanofibers are one class of natural fibers that have resulted in structures with remarkable mechanical properties. In this study, the cellulose nanofibers are used as reinforcements in the forms of layered films in a bio-derived resin. Assessment of swelling behavior is performed together with an assessment of the tension and fracture behavior. Crack resistance behavior is compared to...

The mechanical properties of layered Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites with laminate and cellular morphologies have been investigated. The strength and toughness increase as the layer thickness decreases, and the amount of transformation in the Ce-TZP layer increases discontinuously at the laminate/cellular transition. Very high strengths (1.1 GPa) and toughnesses (16 MPa?m1/2) have been obtained in some...

The ability to control wave propagation in highly deformable layered media with elastic instability-induced wrinkling of interfacial layers is presented. The onset of a wrinkling instability in initially straight interfacial layers occurs when a critical compressive strain is achieved. Further compression beyond the critical strain leads to an increase in the wrinkle amplitude of the interfacia...

Layered (Bi1-xInx)2Te3-In2Te3 (x = 0.075) composites of pronounced anisotropy in structure and thermoelectric properties were produced by zone melting and subsequent coherent precipitation of In2Te3 from a (Bi1-xInx)2Te3 (x > 0.075) matrix. Employing solid state phase transformation, the Bi2Te3/In2Te3 interface density was tuned by modifying the driving force for In2Te3 precipitation. The struc...

Research and development of packaging materials and packaging technology have shown a clear and irreversible trend toward “green” and active packaging. Recent studies on packaging materials have emphasized the use of biobased materials in conjunction with nanotechnology. Hence, in present study we explored a concept of using bionanohybrids and their composites with biobased polymer for active p...

Materials that are strong, ultralightweight, and tough are in demand for a range of applications, requiring architectures and components carefully designed from the micrometer down to the nanometer scale. Nacre, a structure found in many molluscan shells, and bone are frequently used as examples for how nature achieves this through hybrid organic-inorganic composites. Unfortunately, it has prov...

Some recent developments in the modeling of composite materials using the boundary element method (BEM) are presented in this paper. The boundary integral equation for 3D multi-domain elasticity problems is reviewed. Difficulties in dealing with nearly-singular integrals, which arise in the BEM modeling of composite materials with closely packed fillers or of thin films, are discussed. New and ...

Alkyl carboxylate-modified layered double hydroxides (LDH) were prepared and used as nanofillers for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS). The LDH intercalated with long-chain linear alkyl carboxylates (CH3(CH2)nCOO , n 1⁄4 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20) were prepared via anionic exchange of MgAl–nitrate, showing a systematic increase in basal spacing with longer alkyls. MgAl–undecenoa...

A highly tough and transparent film material was prepared from synthetic saponite (SPN) nanoplatelets of low aspect ratios and nanofibrillar cellulose. The nanofibrillar cellulose was chemically modified by topological surface oxidation using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl (TEMPO) as a catalyst. Both synthetic SPN nanoplatelets and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNs) have abunda...

Composites of ethyleneevinyl acetate copolymer with two different layered double hydroxides have been obtained by melt blending and these have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis connected to mass spectroscopy and cone calorimetry. There is some small difference in dispersion between the zinc-containin...