Defined core–shell particles as the key to complex interfacial self-assembly

The two-dimensional self-assembly of colloidal particles serves as a model system for fundamental studies of structure formation and as a powerful tool to fabricate functional materials and surfaces. However, the prevalence of hexagonal symmetries in such self-assembling systems limits its structural versatility. More than two decades ago, Jagla demonstrated that core–shell particles with two interaction length scales can form complex, nonhexagonal minimum energy configurations. Based on such Jagla potentials, a wide variety of phases including cluster lattices, chains, and quasicrystals have been theoretically discovered. Despite the elegance of this approach, its experimental realization has remained largely elusive. Here, we capitalize on the distinct interfacial morphology of soft particles to design two-dimensional assemblies with structural complexity. We find that core–shell particles consisting of a silica core surface functionalized with a noncrosslinked polymer shell efficiently spread at a liquid interface to form a two-dimensional polymer corona surrounding the core. We controllably grow such shells by iniferter-type controlled radical polymerization. Upon interfacial compression, the resulting core–shell particles arrange in well-defined dimer, trimer, and tetramer lattices before transitioning into complex chain and cluster phases. The experimental phase behavior is accurately reproduced by Monte Carlo simulations and minimum energy calculations, suggesting that the interfacial assembly interacts via a pairwise-additive Jagla-type potential. By comparing theory, simulation, and experiment, we narrow the Jagla g-parameter of the system to between 0.9 and 2. The possibility to control the interaction potential via the interfacial morphology provides a framework to realize structural features with unprecedented complexity from a simple, one-component system.

Use of Organic Acids in Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: Mechanical Properties and Interfacial Morphology

In obtaining wood polymer composites (WPCs), a weak interfacial bonding can cause problems during the processing and affect the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. A coupling agent (CA) is commonly used to solving this limitation. To improve the interfacial bonding between bamboo fiber (BF) and a polypropylene matrix, the effect of three organic acids on the mechanical properties and interfacial morphology were investigated. The BF/PP composites were prepared in five families: the first without CA, the second using a maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene coupling agent, and the third, fourth, and fifth families with the addition of organic acids (OA) tricarboxylic acid (TRIA), hexadecanoic acid (HEXA), and dodecanoic acid (DODA), respectively. The use of OA in BF/PP improved the interfacial adhesion with the PP matrix, and it results in better mechanical performance than composites without CA. Composites coupled with MAPP, TRIA, DODA, and HEXA showed an increase in Young’s modulus of about 26%, 23%, 15%, and 16% respectively compared to the composite without CA incorporation. In tensile strength, the increase in composites with CA was about 190%, while in the flexural modulus, the coupled composites showed higher values, and the increase was more in composites with TRIA: about 46%. The improvement caused by tricarboxylic acid was similar to that promoted by the addition of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP).

Influence of Material Properties on Interfacial Morphology during Magnetic Pulse Welding of Al1100 to Copper Alloys and Commercially Pure Titanium

During magnetic pulsed welding (MPW), a wavy interface pattern can be observed. However, this depends on the specific material combination being joined. Some combinations, e.g., steel to aluminum, simply provide undulating waves, while others, e.g., titanium to copper, provide elegant vortices. These physical features can affect the strength of the joint produced, and thus a more comprehensive understanding of the material combination effects during MPW is required. To investigate the interfacial morphology and parent material properties dependency during MPW, tubular Al1100 and various copper alloy joints were fabricated. The influence of two material properties, i.e., yield strength and density, were studied, and the interface morphology features were visually investigated. Results showed that both material properties affected the interface morphology. Explicitly, decreasing yield strength (Cu101 and Cu110) led to a wavy interface, and decreasing density (Cu110 and CP-Ti) resulted in a wave interface with a larger wavelength. Numerical analyses were also conducted in LS-DYNA and validated the interface morphologies observed experimentally. These simulations show that the effect on shear stresses in the material is the cause of the interface morphology variations obtained. The results from this research provide a better fundamental understanding of MPW phenomena with respect to the effect of material properties and thus how to design an effective MPW application.

Interfacial Morphology and Bonding Mechanism of Explosive Weld Joints

Interfacial structure greatly affects the mechanical properties of laminated plates. However, the critical material properties that impact the interfacial morphology, appearance, and associated bonding mechanism of explosive welded plates are still unknown. In this paper, the same base plate (AZ31B alloy) and different flyer metals (aluminum alloy, copper, and stainless steel) were used to investigate interfacial morphology and structure. SEM and TEM results showed that typical sine wave, wave-like, and half-wave-like interfaces were found at the bonding interfaces of Al/Mg, Cu/Mg and SS/Mg clad plates, respectively. The different interfacial morphologies were mainly due to the differences in hardness and yield strength between the flyer and base metals. The results of the microstructural distribution at the bonding interface indicated metallurgical bonding, instead of the commonly believed solid-state bonding, in the explosive welded clad plate. In addition, the shear strength of the bonding interface of the explosive welded Al/Mg, Cu/Mg and SS/Mg clad plates can reach up to 201.2 MPa, 147.8 MPa, and 128.4 MPa, respectively. The proposed research provides the design basis for laminated composite metal plates fabrication by explosive welding technology.