• Carbon letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2014

In this work, nanocomposites of epoxy resin and chemically reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were prepared by thermal curing process. X-ray diffractions confirmed the microstructural properties of RGO. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to evaluate the curing behaviors of RGO/epoxy nanocomposites with different RGO loading amounts. We investigated the effect of RGO loading amounts on the mechanical properties of the epoxy nanocomposites. It was found that the presence of RGO improved both flexural strength and modulus of the epoxy nanocomposites till the RGO loading reached 0.4 wt%, and then decreased. The optimum loading achieved about 24.5 and 25.7% improvements, respectively, compared to the neat-epoxy composites. The observed mechanical reinforcement might be an enhancement of mechanical interlocking between the epoxy matrix and RGO due to the unique planar structures.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.668-676
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• 1997

Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites are fabricated through intensive ball milling to mix fine SiC particles uniformly with the Al2O3 powder. Another role of milling is to reduce particle sizes by crushing particles as well as agglomerates. However, balls are worn during ball milling and the sample powder mixtures pick up to weight loss of the balls. In this study, pressureless sintering was performed to obtain Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites. It was found that the wear rate of zirconia balls during milling was considerable, and the zirconia addition after even a few hours of ball milling could increase the sintering rates of the nanocomposites significantly. Thus, addition of ZrO2 changed the sintering behaviors as well as mechanical properties of Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites.

• Carbon letters
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• v.25
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

Gold functionalized graphene oxide (GOAu) nanoparticles were reinforced in acrylonitrile-butadiene rubbers (NBR) via solution and melt mixing methods. The synthesized NBR-GOAu nanocomposites have shown significant improvements in their rate of curing, mechanical strength, thermal stability and electrical properties. The homogeneous dispersion of GOAu nanoparticles in NBR has been considered responsible for the enhanced thermal conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of NBR nanocomposites. In addition, the NBR-GOAu nanocomposites were able to show a decreasing trend in their dielectric constant (${\varepsilon}^{\prime}$) and electrical resistance on straining within a range of 10-70%. The decreasing trend in ${\varepsilon}^{\prime}$ is attributed to the decrease in electrode and interfacial polarization on straining the nanocomposites. The decreasing trend in electrical resistance in the nanocomposites is likely due to the attachment of Au nanoparticles to the surface of GO sheets which act as electrical interconnects. The Au nanoparticles have been proposed to function as ball rollers in-between GO nanosheets to improve their sliding on each other and to improve contacts with neighboring GO nanosheets, especially on straining the nanocomposites. The NBR-GOAu nanocomposites have exhibited piezoelectric gauge factor (${GF_{\varepsilon}}^{\prime}$) of ~0.5, and piezo-resistive gauge factor ($GF_R$) of ~0.9 which clearly indicated that GOAu reinforced NBR nanocomposites are potentially useful in fabrication of structural, high temperature responsive, and stretchable strain-sensitive sensors.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2008

Polymer-clay nanocomposites, a novel organic-inorganic hybrid, attract much attention from both scientific fields and engineering fields due to their balanced improvements in mechanical properties as well as diffusion behaviors, including flame-retarding and barrier properties, with small amounts of clay. Preparation of polymer-clay nanocomposites, summarized as a process for uniform dispersion of hydrophilic layered clays in hydrophobic polymer matrixes, includes several technologies and scientific phenomena, such as surface-modifications of clay layers, physical properties of clays in liquids and dried states, polymer synthesis, polymer rheology, behaviors of polymer solutions/or monomers in the confined geometry, mechanical properties of polymers and clays. To comprehend complicated physical/chemical phenomena involved in the fabrication of nanocomposites, we reviewed physical properties of clays, structures of clays in nanocomposites, characterization of nanocomposites, the relation between morphology and physical property of nanocomposites, surveyed recent research trends, and then suggested a few strategies or methods for fabrication of nanocomposites reflecting future research directions.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.156-162
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• 2012

Polyurethane (PU)/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by mixing UV curable urethane acrylate oligomer with organoclay, and a subsequent curing by UV irradiation. As organoclays, commercially available Cloisite 20A (C20A) and acrylsilane modified C20A were used. XRD and TEM analyses revealed that the UV cured PU/clay nanocomposites formed intercalated nanocomposites, and acrylsilane modified C20A are dispersed more finely than unmodified C20A in PU matrix. DMTA, pencil hardness and adhesion test onto PET substrate showed that the clay nanolayers induced an increase in the properties, and the enhancement in the properties was more pronounced in the PU/acrylsilane modified C20A nanocomposites than in the PU/unmodified C20A nanocomposites. It was also observed that the PU/surface modified clay nanocomposites showed remarkably lower shrinkage upon UV curing than the unfilled PU. The nanocomposites showed excellent optical transparency but lower gloss as compared to unfilled PU.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.235-240
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• 2014

Nanocomposites made of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and organo-modified montmorillonite (O-MMT) were processed by melt compounding from a commercially available premixed LLDPE/nanoclay masterbatch, at different nanoclay loadings, by co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The morphological and dielectric properties of LLDPE/O-MMT nanocomposites were investigated to understand the structure-dielectric properties relationship in the nanocomposites. The microstructures of the materials were characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Initial findings by FTIR spectroscopy characterization indicated the absence of any chemical interaction between LLDPE and nanoclay during the extrusion process, while DSC showed that a 1% wt loading of nanoclay particles increased the degree of crystallinity of the nanocomposites samples. On the other hand, XRD, SEM, TEM and AFM indicated that nanoclay layers were intercalated or exfoliated in the LLDPE matrix. A correlation between the structure and dielectric properties of LLDPE/O-MMT nanocomposites was found and discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.1085-1103
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• 2016

The present paper is aimed to evaluate and compare the effective elastic properties of CNT- and graphene-based nanocomposites using 3-D nanoscale representative volume element (RVE) based on continuum mechanics using finite element method (FEM). Different periodic displacement boundary conditions are applied to the FEM model of the RVE to evaluate various elastic constants. The effects of the matrix material, the volume fraction and the length of reinforcements on the elastic properties are also studied. Results predicted are validated with the analytical and/or semiempirical results and the available results in the literature. Although all elastic stiffness properties of CNT- and graphene-based nanocomposites are found to be improved compared to the matrix material, but out-of-plane and in-plane stiffness properties are better improved in CNT- and graphene-based nanocomposites, respectively. It is also concluded that long nanofillers (graphene as well as CNT) are more effective in increasing the normal elastic moduli of the resulting nanocomposites as compared to the short length, but the values of shear moduli, except $G_{23}$ of CNT nanocomposite, of nanocomposites are slightly improved in the case of short length nanofillers (i.e., CNT and graphene).

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2003

In this study, two types of biodegradable resins-based clay nanocomposites, in which organic montmorillonite clay was filled, were prepared by the direct melt blending method. In order to characterize the nanocomposite structure, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and TEM observation were performed. Characterization of the nanocomposites shows that intercalated and partially exfoliated structures were generated by the melt blending method. Mechanical and rheological properties of the nanocomposites were measured respectively. For the mechanical properties, there were improvements in tensile strength and Young's modulus of the nanocomposites due to the reinforcement of nanoparticles. The rheological behaviors of the nanocomposites were significantly affected by the degree of the dispersion of the organoclay. The storage modulus of the nanocomposites was measured and the degree of the dispersion of the organoclay was evaluated from the value of the terminal slope of the storage modulus. In addition, the quantity of the shear necessary for making the nanocomposite for melt intercalation method was estimated from the relationship between the value of the terminal slope of the storage modulus and the applied shear.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2002

$Al_{2}O_{3}/SiC$ nanocomposites were made by infiltrating partially sintered alumina bodies with polycarbosilane (PCS) solutions, which is a SiC polymer precursor, with pressureless sintering. The SiC content, densification, phases, strength, and microstructure were investigated with the processing parameters such as PCS solution concentration and heat treatment condition for PCS pyrolysis and sintering. The results were compared with those for pure alumina and nanocomposite samples made by the existing polymer precursor route (i.e. the PCS addition process). The SiC contents of up to 1.5 vol% were obtained by the PCS infiltration. PCS pyrolysis, followed by air heat treatment, was needed before sintering to avoid a cracking problem and to attain a densification as high as 98 % of theoretical. The nanocomposites exhibited significantly higher strength than pure alumina and those prepared by the PCS addition process despite larger grain size. Besides $\alpha-Al_{2}O_{3}/SiC$ and $\beta-SiC$ phases, mullite was present a little in the nanocomposites, which resulted from the reaction of $SiO_{2}$ in the pyrolysis product of PCS with the $Al_{2}O_{3}$ matrix during sintering. The nanocomposites had intagranular particles believed to be SiC, which is a typical feature of $Al_{2}O_{3}/SiC$ nanocomposites.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.191-214
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• 2008

Polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposites containing maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene were prepared by melt compounding and their rheological behavior was investigated in shear flow. Transient and steady shear flows were simulated numerically by using the K-BKZ integral constitutive equation along with experimentally determined damping functions under dynamic oscillatory and step strain shear flows. Nonlinear shear responses were predicted with the K-BKZ constitutive equation using two different damping functions such as the Wagner and PSM models. It was observed that PP-g-MAH compatibilized PP/layered silicate nanocomposites have stronger and earlier shear thinning and higher steady shear viscosity than pure PP resin or uncompatibilized nanocomposites at low shear rate regions. Strong damping behavior of the PP/layered silicate nanocomposite was predicted under large step shear strain and considered as a result of the strain-induced orientation of the organoclay in the shear flow. Steady shear viscosity of the pure PP and uncompatibilized nanocomposite predicted by the K-BKZ model was in good agreement with the experimental results at all shear rate regions. However, the model was inadequate to predict the steady shear viscosity of PP-g-MAH compatibilized nanocomposites quantitatively because the K-BKZ model overestimates strain-softening damping behavior for PP/layered silicate nanocomposites.