• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.313-319
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• 2012

In this work, the electroplating of copper was introduced on PAN-based carbon fibers for the enhancement of mechanical interfacial strength of carbon fibers-reinforced composites. The surface properties of carbon fibers were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and contact angle measurements. Its mechanical interfacial properties of the composites were studied by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and critical stress intensity factor ($K_{IC}$). From the results, it was found that the mechanical interfacial properties of Cu-plated carbon fibers-reinforced composites (Cu-CFRPs) enhanced with increasing the Cu plating time, Cu content and COOH group up to Cu-CFRP-30. However, the mechanical interfacial properties of the Cu-CFRPs decreased dramatically in the excessively Cu-plated CFRPs sample. In conclusion, the presence of Cu particles on carbon fiber surfaces can be a key factor to determine the mechanical interfacial properties of the Cu-CFRPs, but the excessive Cu content can lead the failure due to the interfacial separation between fibers and matrices in this system.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.158-172
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• 2020

In the aspect of saving energy and water, facilitating the separation membrane for the water treatment has been rising recently as one of the possible solutions. However, microbial biofouling effect is the biggest obstacle that hinders reaching higher permeability over a prolonged period of nanofiltration operation. To solve this problem and fully utilize the filtration membranes with enhanced performance, largely two kinds of solutions are studied and the first and the most commonly mentioned type is the one using the silver nanoparticles. Since silver nanoparticles are important to be well tailored on membrane surface, various methods have been applied and suggested. Using silver nanoparticles however also has the drawbacks or possible toxicity risks, raising the need for other types of utilizing non silver particles to functionalize the membrane, such as copper, graphene or zinc oxides, and amine moieties. Each attempt included in either kind has produced some notable results in killing, preventing, or repelling the bacteria while at the same time, left some unsolved points to be evaluated. In this review, the effects of metal nanoparticles and other materials on the antifouling properties of water treatment membranes are summarized.