Composites Communications最新文献

{"title":"Efficient photocatalytic CO2 and Cr(VI) reduction on carbon spheres/g-C3N4 composites with enriched nitrogen vacancies","authors":"Yuyang Gong,&nbsp;Penghui Yang,&nbsp;Jiufu Chen,&nbsp;Junbo Zhong,&nbsp;Dongmei Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, carbon spheres (CS)/g-C₃N₄ composite materials were fabricated by a hydrothermal method, and the characterizations have confirmed the successful anchoring of CS onto the surface of g-C₃N₄, constructing enriched nitrogen vacancies during the synthesis process. The photocatalytic CO₂ reduction activity of g-C₃N₄ is enhanced by all of these advantageous factors. The significant enhancement can be attributed to the tight interfacial interaction between CS and g-C₃N₄, which endows with the photocatalyst a larger specific surface area, higher light utilization efficiency and stronger capability for photoinduced charges separation. Furthermore, the presence of nitrogen vacancies further accelerates the separation and migration efficiency of photogenerated charges, provides additional active sites to promote the adsorption and activation of CO₂ molecules, thereby effectively boosting the photocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction. The CO₂ conversion rate on CS/g-C₃N₄ composite materials is higher than that on the reference g-C₃N₄. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) is also superior to that of the reference g-C₃N₄ under three different monochromatic light irradiations. The stability of the catalyst was verified through cycling experiments, indicating promising potential practical industrial application. The CO₂ reduction mechanism and transformation pathways were elucidated using in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The photocatalytic reduction rate constant of Cr(VI) by 50CS/CN is 2.9 times higher than that by CN. This study introduces a facile approach for synthesizing g-C₃N₄-based photocatalytic materials, providing an interesting strategy to boost photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄ for photocatalytic CO₂ and Cr(VI) reduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermal insulating, flame retardant, and superhydrophobic polybenzoxazine/silica aerogels fabricated in water-ethanol solvent using eco-friendly method","authors":"Zeyu Li ,&nbsp;Yunyun Xiao ,&nbsp;Saihui Liu ,&nbsp;Jinlong Zhou ,&nbsp;Sizhao Zhang ,&nbsp;Liangjun Li ,&nbsp;Jian Feng ,&nbsp;Guihua Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102106","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polybenzoxazine (PBz) aerogels have garnered considerable attention as an innovative and excellent thermal insulation material, celebrated for its lightweight, low thermal conductivity, and outstanding mechanical properties. However, the use of high boiling point toxic solvents in the preparation process requires a cumbersome solvent exchange procedure coupled with insufficient flame-retardant properties, which hinder the potential application of PBz aerogels. Herein, we employed tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) into PBz using an easy, eco-friendly, and cost-less process to achieve hybrid structure polybenzoxazine/silica (PBz/SiO₂) aerogels, by thermal catalysis (72 °C) ring-opening polymerization and polycondensation in water-ethanol solvent without any catalysts. The resulting PBz/SiO₂ aerogels were characterized with low density (0.181 g/cm³), low thermal conductivity (0.0315 W/(m·K)), excellent flame-retardancy (PHRR value of 32.3 W/g and THR value of 6.3 kJ/g), and superhydrophobicity (the water contact angle up to 155°). Environment-friendly preparation strategy for the PBz/SiO₂ aerogels with excellent comprehensive performance, poised to play a pivotal role in energy-saving buildings and fire-resistant applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-healing, adhesive, antibacterial, and biocompatible hydrogel dressings using sialic acid substituted chitosan and oxidized pullulan with incorporation of epigallocatechin gallate","authors":"Lei Nie ,&nbsp;Xiaoyue Ding ,&nbsp;Yiran Lin ,&nbsp;Letian Yan ,&nbsp;Peng Ding ,&nbsp;Lizhao Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of innovative therapeutic strategies is highly desired for wound regeneration. In this study, sialic acid substituted chitosan (CS-SA) was reacted with oxidized pullulan (OPL) via Schiff base links to obtain functional CS-SA/OPL hydrogels, into which the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was <em>in situ</em> incorporated. The prepared hydrogels exhibited interconnected porous structure and good water absorption ability (over 37 g/g). Furthermore, the CS-SA/OPL hydrogels performed excellent self-healing and adhesive properties. With the incorporation of EGCG, the antibacterial effects against <em>E. coli</em> and <em>S. aureus</em>, as well as antioxidative activity, were significantly improved. In addition, <em>in vitro</em> L-929 cell experiments confirmed that cell viability and cell immigration could be significantly improved with the incorporation of EGCG in CS-SA/OPL hydrogels. Based on the above results, hydrogels possess a promising potential as wound dressings in wound healing applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142358036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-strength, self-healing waterborne polyurethane elastomers with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties","authors":"Xiu Xu,&nbsp;Hengheng Zhao,&nbsp;Shilong Ji,&nbsp;Sai Li,&nbsp;Liqun Zhang,&nbsp;Shipeng Wen,&nbsp;Jun Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing elastomers that exhibit both high strength and excellent self-healing efficiency has been a longstanding challenge, as enhancing strength typically compromises fracture elongation and self-healing capabilities. In this work, we balance the mechanical strength and self-healing efficiency of waterborne polyurethane (WPU-SS) elastomers by introducing disulfide bonds as dynamic bonds. Disulfide bonds break and reorganize under external forces, inducing microphase separation in the polyurethane system, enhancing tensile strength and toughness, and promoting molecular chain flow to improve self-healing efficiency. The increased hydrogen bonding content further boosts both self-healing efficiency and mechanical strength. As a result, the maximum fracture strength of the WPU-SS elastomer achieves 26.6 MPa with an elongation at break of 664.6 %.and a self-healing efficiency of 83.4 % under mild heating conditions. By modifying liquid metal (LM) with dopamine and compounding it with WPU-SS, WPU-SS/LM composites are obtained. When the volume content of LM was 15 %, the composite exhibits the most significant improvements in mechanical properties and toughness, with a fracture strength of 43 MPa, which is 160 % times of that of WPU-SS. The thermal conductivity of WPU-SS/LM increases proportionally with the LM content, reaching 583.7 % of that of WPU-SS at 25 % LM content. Further, at 10 % LM content, WPU-SS/LM could be physically sintered to achieve permanent electrical conductivity. This enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance makes WPU-SS/LM composites promising for applications in conductive elastomers and dynamic switches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physical, mechanical and thermal properties of novel bamboo/kenaf fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) hybrid composites","authors":"Abir Khan ,&nbsp;S.M. Sapuan ,&nbsp;E.S. Zainudin ,&nbsp;M.Y.M. Zuhri","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of bamboo (BF) and kenaf (KF) fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) hybrid composites. Three hybrid (30BF-70KF, 50BF-50KF, and 70BF-30KF) and two non-hybrid (BF-PLA and KF-PLA) composites were developed through twin screw extrusion and compression molding techniques. The physical properties (density, void content, crystallinity via XRD, and chemical interactions via FTIR), mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, compressive, impact, and hardness), and thermal properties (Thermogravimetric analysis-TGA and Differential scanning calorimetry-DSC) were thoroughly analyzed. BF reinforcement reduced the composites’ density to 1.1826 g/cm³, while the inclusion of KF increased it to 1.2479 g/cm³. 50:50 blend of bamboo-kenaf reinforcement achieved the lowest void content of 0.27 %. The XRD patterns revealed heightened crystallinity in the BF-PLA composite. FTIR analysis showed stable functional groups, with O–H absorption bands indicative of cellulosic fibers. The BF-PLA non-hybrid composite exhibited the highest tensile strength at 25.95 MPa and compressive strength at 173.15 MPa, with the 30BF-70KF hybrid composite showing notable impact strength. Fractured morphology by FESEM revealed superior fiber-matrix adhesion for BF-PLA composite. TGA demonstrated a variation in thermal degradation temperatures, with the BF30-KF70 composite showing the highest onset of degradation at 484 °C. DSC analysis indicated a reduction in the glass transition temperature (T_g) across all fiber-reinforced samples and revealed significant adjustments in melting and crystallization temperatures. This research highlights the potential of BF-KF/PLA hybrid composites in the development of eco-friendly plastic furniture and consumer products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142358037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Smart tubular hinge with multi-environment adaptability for rapid elastic and gentle shape memory deployment","authors":"Qiankun Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiawei Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Dong ,&nbsp;Chao Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaofeng Liu ,&nbsp;Qiang Tao ,&nbsp;Bo Song ,&nbsp;Guochang Lin ,&nbsp;Zhongjun Cheng ,&nbsp;Yuyan Liu ,&nbsp;Dongjie Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smart deployable structures are a crucial solution for reducing spacecraft weight and enhancing rocket space utilization. Traditional deployable structures based on composite materials can only achieve either elastic deployment or shape memory deployment, failing to meet multi-condition, high-intelligence requirements. In this work, we developed a tubular hinge with dual-deformation deployability. For rapid deployment needs, the hinge can be deformed at room temperature and achieve quick elastic deployment within 0.3 s at room or low temperatures. For autonomous fixation and slow deployment, the hinge can be fixed at high temperatures and achieve a gentle shape memory deployment within 100 s. More significantly, the hinge exhibits excellent environmental stability, maintaining superior deployable characteristics even after exposure to high and low-temperature environments and long-term folding. This hinge has been used to the deployment of solar panels and solar sails.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Facile preparation of heptazine-covered Fe2O3 and its synergistic effect on the enhanced flame retardance of silicone rubber composite","authors":"Jaewon Lee ,&nbsp;Kyoungtae Park ,&nbsp;Su Min Oh ,&nbsp;Byeong Seok Kim ,&nbsp;Hye In Kang ,&nbsp;Sung-Hyeon Baeck ,&nbsp;Sang Eun Shim ,&nbsp;Yingjie Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The flammability of silicone rubber (SR) significantly limits its broad use in areas that require high flame retardancy. In this study, heptazine-covered Fe₂O₃, which exhibits effective flame retardancy, was prepared using simple ball milling and heat treatment, which are advantageous for large-scale production. The prepared filler was incorporated into SR. The addition of 7.02 wt% FM filler increased the thermal degradation onset temperature at 5 % weight loss from 492.5 °C for neat SR to 502.7 °C (FM 1:1 composite). Moreover, the peak heat release rate and peak smoke production rate of the FM 1:1 composite significantly decreased by 43.15 % and 68.42 %, respectively, indicating a significant enhancement in the fire safety and smoke suppression of the FM composites. The chemical, morphological, and electronic structures of the FM fillers, pyrolysis gas production, and char residue were thoroughly investigated to reveal the possible flame-retarding mechanisms of the SR composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142327947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Ti2AlC on the microstructure and properties of Cu-graphite composites","authors":"H. Wei ,&nbsp;G. Feng ,&nbsp;J. Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cu-graphite composites (CGCS) find extensive applications in electrical contact components. However, due to insufficient wetting between Cu and graphite, their bonding remains weak. Additionally, the Cu coating on the surface of graphite in Cu-coated graphite particles used to fabricate CGCS tends to segregate during sintering, which leads to defects such as porosity. To address these issues, this study incorporated Ti₂AlC into CGCS sintered at 980 °C using a pneumatic sintering process. Subsequently, the microstructure and properties of the composites were examined and analyzed. The findings indicated that incorporating Ti₂AlC prevented severe segregation of the Cu coating on the graphite surface during sintering, maintaining complete coverage of the graphite particles by the Cu matrix. In addition, the development of a TiC layer increased the interface bonding strength between the Cu matrix and graphite from 0.40 GPa to 5.00 GPa. Besides, CGCS with Ti₂AlC exhibits better mechanical properties and tribological properties; their hardness, compressive strength, and wear rate are 64.5 HV, 269 MPa, 1.378×10⁻⁵ mm³/N·m, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142311103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon fiber/boron nitride fillers for enhancing through-plane thermal conductivity of poly(vinylidene fluoride): Synergistic effect and mechanism","authors":"Guoqing Yi ,&nbsp;Jingliang Li ,&nbsp;Luke C. Henderson ,&nbsp;Weiwei Lei ,&nbsp;Boyuan Zhu ,&nbsp;Lian Du ,&nbsp;Shuaifei Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102090","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102090","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Two series of thermally conductive poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites were prepared by adding boron nitride (BN) and carbon fiber (CF) of different mass ratios via hot-pressing. The synergistic effects of the dual fillers on the thermal conductivity enhancement were investigated. The morphology, thermal conductivity, crystallinity, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and long-term chemical stability of the PVDF composites were characterized. The results demonstrated a significant synergistic effect between the BN and the CF on enhancing the thermal conductivity of the PVDF-based composites. The maximum thermal conductivity of 1.89 W/(m·K) with an improvement of 1014 % was achieved when 15 wt% BN and 15 wt% CF were added in the PVDF matrix. The synergistic effect resulted in the formation of efficient three-dimensional thermally conductive networks with a synergistic efficiency up to 113 %. The Agari model was employed to illustrate the thermal conduction mechanism, revealing the improved ability of the dual fillers to form conductive pathways. The PVDF composites showed good crystallinity, thermal stability, mechanical strength, and long-term chemical stability. This study highlights the potential of the PVDF/BN/CF composites for applications in membrane heat exchangers and provides significant insights into the design of high-performance thermally conductive polymer composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142318623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fire retardancy of epoxy composites: A comparative investigation on the influence of porous structure and transition metal of metal-organic framework","authors":"Rui Wang ,&nbsp;Xiuqin Zhang ,&nbsp;Mengfei Yuan ,&nbsp;De-Yi Wang ,&nbsp;Jing Zhang ,&nbsp;Ye-Tang Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coco.2024.102087","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous materials constructed by metal nodes and organic linkers. A series of key features such as high surface area, catalytic performance provide a platform for preparing MOF-based fire retardants (FRs). However, understanding the role of the porous structure and catalytic metal species remains a key issue towards the fire retardant mechanism of MOFs. This work systematically studied the difference between the performance of a zirconium based MOF(UiO-66), its derived porous zirconium oxide (U-ZrO₂), and commercial ZrO₂ (C-ZrO₂), in imparting fire retardancy, suppressing smoke and charring property towards epoxy. With the presence of 3 wt% porous U-ZrO₂, EP/3U-ZrO₂ sample showed better performance in suppressing heat (10 % reduction) and toxic carbon monoxide (14 % reduction) than that of EP/3C-ZrO₂ due to the “tortuous path” effect and formation of a compact char. Moreover, a greater number of exposed catalytic sites on MOF compared with thermally treated metal oxide significantly reduced total smoke production (TSP) of the EP/MOF sample by 38 %. Catalytic carbonization attributed to the great number of metal sites on MOF is crucial in providing compact char residue, thereby suppressing smoke for EP. In perspective, this work opens a window for understanding the fire retardant mechanism of MOF-based FR towards polymers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10533,"journal":{"name":"Composites Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}