Comparison of the efficiency of the most effective heterogeneous nucleating agents for Poly(lactic acid)

We selected the thirteen most effective nucleating agents for Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) from the literature, and synthesized and compounded them with two different PLA grades: 3001D (1.4% D-lactide content) and 3100HP (0.5% D-lactide content, considered PLLA). We determined the crystallinity and crystallization of PLA with different nucleating agents in identical conditions (same nucleating agent content, same cooling rate) with the help of differential scanning calorimetry. We compared the efficiency of each nucleating agent and found that for both PLA grades, Zinc PhenylPhosphonate was the most effective. However, even when nucleated PLA was injection molded into a cold mold (25 °C), it still could not fully crystallize during cooling and the heat deflection temperature did not increase significantly. The maximum achieved crystallinity, in this case, was between 32.4 and 35.7%. On the contrary, when a 90 °C “hot mold” and in-mold crystallization together were applied, the specimens achieved full crystallization during the injection molding cycle (crystallinity was between 44.5 and 50.0%), and the heat deflection temperature increased to an average of 88.8 °C. We also examined the mechanical properties of the nucleated PLA and found that the usage of nucleating agents together with a hot mold improved tensile strength, tensile modulus, and Charpy impact strength but decreased elongation at break.

The Impact of Artificial Marble Wastes on Heat Deflection Temperature, Crystallization, and Impact Properties of Polybutylene Terephthalate

As artificial marble is abundant and widely used in residential and commercial fields, the resource utilization of artificial marble wastes (AMWs) has become extremely important in order to protect the environment. In this paper, polybutylene terephthalate/artificial marble wastes (PBT/AMWs) composites were prepared by melt blending to maximize resource utilization and increase PBT performance. The research results showed that the filling of AMWs was beneficial to the improvement of PBT-related performance. X-ray diffraction analysis results indicated that after filling AMWs into the PBT matrix, the crystal structure of PBT was not changed. Heat deflection temperature (HDT) analysis results indicated that the HDT of PBT composites with 20 wt% AMWs reached 66.68 °C, which was 9.12 °C higher than that of neat PBT. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis results showed that heterogeneous nucleation could be well achieved when the filling content was 15 wt%; impact and scanning electron microscope analysis results showed that due to the partial core-shell structure of the AMWs, the impact strength of PBT was significantly improved after filling. When the filling amount was 20 wt%, the impact strength of the PBT composites reached 23.20 kJ/m2, which was 17.94 kJ/m2 higher than that of neat PBT. This research will not only provide new insights into the efficient and high-value utilization of AMWs, but also provide a good reference for improved applications of other polymers.

Thermal and Flame Retardant Behavior of Neem and Banyan Fibers When Reinforced with a Bran Particulate Epoxy Hybrid Composite

Awareness of environmental concerns influences researchers to develop an alternative method of developing natural fiber composite materials, to reduce the consumption of synthetic fibers. This research attempted testing the neem (Azadirachta indica) fiber and the banyan (Ficus benghalensis) fiber at different weight fractions, under flame retardant and thermal testing, in the interest of manufacturing efficient products and parts in real-time applications. The hybrid composite consists of 25% fiber reinforcement, 70% matrix material, and 5% bran filler. Their thermal properties—short-term heat deflection, temperature, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion—were used to quantify the effect of potential epoxy composites. Although natural composite materials are widely utilized, their uses are limited since many of them are combustible. As a result, there has been a lot of focus on making them flame resistant. The thermal analysis revealed the sample B was given 26% more short-term heat resistance when the presence of banyan fiber loading is maximum. The maximum heat deflection temperature occurred in sample A (104.5 °C) and sample B (99.2 °C), which shows a 36% greater thermal expansion compared with chopped neem fiber loading. In sample F, an increased chopped neem fiber weight fraction gave a 40% higher thermal conductivity, when compared to increasing the bidirectional banyan mat of this hybrid composite. The maximum flame retardant capacity occurred in samples A and B, with endurance up to 12.9 and 11.8 min during the flame test of the hybrid composites.

Evaluating the Performance of a Semiaromatic/Aliphatic Polyamide Blend: The Case for Polyphthalamide (PPA) and Polyamide 4,10 (PA410)

This paper studies the structure–property–processing relationship of polyphthalamide (PPA) PPA/polyamide 4,10 (PA410) blends, via co-relating their thermal-mechanical properties with their morphology, crystallization, and viscoelastic properties. When compared to neat PPA, the blends show improved processability with a lower processing temperature (20 °C lower than neat PPA) along with a higher modulus/strength and heat deflection temperature (HDT). The maximum tensile modulus is that of the 25PPA/75PA410 blend, ~3 GPa, 25% higher than neat PPA (~2.4 GPa). 25PPA/75PA410 also exhibits the highest HDT (136 °C) among all the blends, being 11% more than PPA (122 °C). The increase in the thermo-mechanical properties of the blends is explained by the partial miscibility between the two polymers. The blends improve the processing performance of PPA and broaden its applicability.

Dual-Sizing Effects of Carbon Fiber on the Thermal, Mechanical, and Impact Properties of Carbon Fiber/ABS Composites

Dual-sizing effects with either epoxy or polyurethane (PU) on the thermal, mechanical, and impact properties of carbon fiber/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) composites produced by extrusion and injection molding processes were investigated. The heat deflection temperature, dynamic mechanical, tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the composites reinforced with either (epoxy + epoxy) or (epoxy + PU) dual-sized carbon fiber were higher than those commercially single-sized with epoxy. The result indicated that the dual-sized carbon fiber significantly contributed not only to improving the heat deflection temperature and the storage modulus, but also to improving the tensile, flexural, and impact properties of carbon fiber/ABS composites. The highest improvement of the composite properties was obtained from the composite with (epoxy + PU) dual-sized carbon fiber. The improvement of the mechanical and impact properties was explained by the enhanced interfacial bonding between carbon fiber and ABS matrix and by the length distribution analysis of carbon fibers present in the resulting composites. The fiber–matrix interfacial behavior was qualitatively well-supported in terms of fiber pull-out, fiber breaking pattern, and debonding gaps between the fiber and the matrix, as observed from the fracture surface topography. This study revealed that the properties of carbon fiber/ABS composites prepared by extrusion and injection molding processes were improved by dual-sizing carbon fiber, which was performed after a commercial epoxy sizing process, and further improved by using PU as an additional sizing material.

Effect of Kevlar Fiber and Nano Sio2 on Mechanical Andthermal Properties of Hybrid Composites

The aim of the current investigation is an analysis of the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy/ nano-silica/ Kevlar fiber hybrid composites. The ultrasonic vibration-assisted hand layup process was used for the preparation of composite with different weight percentages (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) of Nano SiO2 particles and 2 layers of the Kevlar fiber. For the evolution of mechanical properties tensile tests, hardness tests, impact tests, and flexural tests were done. For evaluation of morphological analysis Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-RD, and FT-IR tests were performed. A heat deflection temperature test was performed for the evaluation of the thermal characteristic of the hybrid composite. The results show the improvement of mechanical and thermal properties of the hybrid composite with increasing wt.% of nano SiO2 particles in the hybrid composites. As per the observation of experimental results, the Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy,Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction test also show the enhancement of surface morphology and chemical structure of hybrid composites. The heat diffraction test shows the improvement of thermal resistance and heat absorption capability.As per the observation of experimental results, the tensile strength, hardness, and impact strength increased up to 98%, 16%, and 42% respectively. The flexural test shows the improvement of flexural modulus and stresses 46% and 35% respectively. The heat deflection temperature of hybrid composite improves up to 30%.

From Waste to Reuse: Manufacture of Ecological Composites Based on Biopolyethylene/Wood Powder with PE-g-MA and Macaíba oil

This work aimed to investigate the biopolyethylene (BioPE)/wood powder (WP) composites compatibilized with polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA), using macaíba oil (OM) as a processing aid. The composites were prepared, initially, in an internal mixer and, later, the crushed flakes were molded by injection. Mechanical properties (impact, tensile, flexural and Shore D hardness), heat deflection temperature (HDT), Vicat softening temperature, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), water absorption, torque rheometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were evaluated. The addition of 30% wood powder to the BioPE matrix increased the elastic modulus (tensile and flexural), Shore D hardness and heat deflection temperature (HDT), compared to neat BioPE. These properties were improved when 10% of the PE-g-MA compatibilizer was added, compared to neat BioPE and the non-compatibilized composite. There was a significant reduction in the torque of the composites with the addition of macaíba oil, indicating that it improved the processability. In addition, the incorporation of macaíba oil into the composites helped to reduce water absorption, as well as to increase impact strength. SEM micrographs illustrated a greater degree of interfacial adhesion when PE-g-MA and macaiba oil were added.