This paper reports on the synthesis of Cannabis indica fiber-reinforced composites using Urea-Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (URF) as a novel matrix through compression molding technique. The polycondensation between urea, resorcinol, and formaldehyde in different molar ratios was applied to the synthesis of the URF polymer matrix. A thermosetting matrix based composite, reinforced with lignocellulose...

This research describes the effects of shear flow-induced alignment of dispersed single-walled carbon nanotubes in viscous polymer solutions and the application of this alignment strategy to produce epoxy-based composites with superior mechanical properties. Previously, it was shown that the use of an anionic surfactant (i.e. sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, NaDDBS) in conjunction with a weakly...

Polypropylene (PP) has been one of the most widely used polymers due to the versatility and cost benefits obtained with this material. In this work, composites of PP modified with nanostructured ZSM-5 zeolite were prepared and their thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated. Zeolites were synthetized by hydrothermal method and the crystallization time was modified to evaluate the effect ...

With the increasing prevalence of polymer composites in engineering applications, invariably mechanical failures of these components are occurring. Key to addressing this is fractographic analysis; the examination of fracture surfaces to deduce information about the damage and failure of components. The fractography of isotropic materials, particularly metals, has been used as a tool for many y...

In this work, a coarse-grained (CG) model of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymer matrix composites is developed. A distinguishing feature of the CG model is the ability to capture interactions between polymer chains and nanotubes. The CG potentials for nanotubes and polymer chains are calibrated using the strain energy conservation between CG models and full atomistic systems. The applicab...

Polymer-inorganic nanocrystal composites offer an attractive means to combine the merits of organic and inorganic materials into novel electronic and photonic systems. However, many applications of these composites are limited by the solubility and distribution of the nanocrystals in the polymer matrices. Here we show that blending CdTe nanoparticles into a polymer-fullerene matrix followed by ...

Fiberglass-reinforced polymer composites were investigated for potential use as structural dielectrics in multifunctional capacitors that require simultaneous excellent mechanical properties and good energy storage characteristics. Composites were fabricated employing poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, as the structural matrix. While barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanopowder was added to the composites...

Here, we present a review of recent developments for an off-lattice Monte Carlo approach used to investigate the thermal transport properties of multiphase composites with complex structure. The thermal energy was quantified by a large number of randomly moving thermal walkers. Different modes of heat conduction were modeled in appropriate ways. The diffusive heat conduction in the polymer matr...

Particle reinforced polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are widely used in the military aviation industry as a stealth coating for incident radar attenuation. These coatings made up of many layers different materials with varying thicknesses. In this study, we terahertz (THz) spectral range by means time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) to examine thickness iron particle polyurethane absorbing paint (FE-...

A maximal product of stiffness and viscoelastic damping (E tan d), a figure of merit for damping layers, is desirable for structural damping applications. Particulate-reinforced metal–matrix composites were prepared by ultrasonic agitation of the melt and composed of the zinc–aluminum (ZnAl) alloy Zn80Al20 (in wt%) as the lossy matrix and SiC or BaTiO3 as the particulate reinforcements. ZnAl–Si...