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High-performance polyethylene fibers, renowned for their superior attributes encompassing a high strength, modulus, and lightness, are conventionally manufactured through the gel spinning method. However, this method is encumbered by several drawbacks, including the requisite application of a separate process to eliminate solvents from the fibers and the utilization of chemicals deleterious to both the environment and human health. Alternatively, the adoption of the melt spinning method presents a cleaner and environmentally friendly approach to attain high-performance fibers. In the present investigation, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fibers were produced employing the melt spinning method. After the spinning process, strategic orientation procedures were implemented to enhance the crystallinity of the spun fibers. As a concluding step, seeking to elevate the overall performance of the oriented spun HDPE fibers, a cross-linking treatment was applied via UV irradiation. Notably, this study pioneers the incorporation of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) hybrid nanoparticles into HDPE during melt spinning, presenting a novel advancement aimed at further enhancing the mechanical properties of oriented HDPE fibers during UV irradiation. For this purpose, two distinct types of POSS, namely octavinyl POSS (OVPOSS) and methacryl POSS (MACPOSS), both having unsaturated double bonds capable of participating in the network structure of oriented HDPE spun during UV cross-linking, were used. The thermal, morphological, and mechanical properties, as well as the crystal structure of samples with and without POSS molecules, were investigated. The mechanical properties of the fibers exhibited higher values in the presence of OVPOSS. The incorporation of OVPOSS and MACPOSS resulted in a noteworthy improvement in the material's tensile strength, exhibiting a marked increase of 12.5 and 70.8%, respectively. This improvement can be attributed to the more homogeneous dispersion of OVPOSS in HDPE, actively participating in the three-dimensional network structure. After orientation and UV irradiation, the tensile strength of HDPE fibers incorporating OVPOSS increased to 293 MPa, accompanied by a concurrent increase in the modulus to 2.8 GPa. The addition of POSS nanoparticles thus yielded a substantial improvement in the overall performance of HDPE fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of thermally conductive rubber nanocomposites for heat management poses a formidable challenge in numerous applications, notably within the realm of tire technology. Notably, rubber materials are characterized by their inherently low thermal conductivity. Consequently, it becomes imperative to incorporate diverse conductive fillers to mitigate the propensity for heat build-up. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), as reinforcement agents within the tire tread compounds, have gained considerable attention owing to their extraordinary attributes. The attainment of high-performance rubber nanocomposites hinges significantly on the uniform distribution of MWCNT. This study presents the influence of MWCNTs on the performance of carbon black (CB)-reinforced natural rubber (NR)/styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) tire compounds prepared via high shear melt mixing. Morphological analysis showed a good distribution of MWCNTs in the NR/SBR/CB compound. The vulcanization parameters, such as the maximum and minimum torque, cross-linking density, hardness, abrasion resistance, tensile strength, and Young modulus, exhibited a progressive improvement with the addition of MWCNT. Remarkably, adding MWCNT into CB improved the heat conductivity of the NR/SBR/CB compounds, hence decreasing the heat build-up. A percolation mode was also proposed for the hybrid carbon fillers based on the data obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overmolding of short fiber reinforced polymer compounds onto continuous fiber reinforced composite substrates provides design flexibility and the ability to tailor stiffness, strength, and damage tolerance for structural applications. In this work, a novel molding approach that enhances the bonding strength by mechanical interlocking is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was validated by characterization of the bonding strength between a short glass fiber PP (SGFPP) composite overmolded onto a continuous glass fiber reinforced PP (CGFRPP) prepreg. Enhancement of the bonding strength was achieved by judiciously drilling tapered holes on the CGFRPP substrate before molding, which facilitated better interlocking with the injection molded SGFPP composite. The overmolding of preheated composites with tapered holes yielded up to 60% improvement in bonding strength. In general, having multiple holes helped improve bonding up to certain hole diameter. Similarly, preheating of the substrate over a short time improved the interfacial adhesion, while extended preheating resulted in a reduction of bonding quality. SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces after the tensile debonding test revealed that the SGFPP filled the holes on the substrate during overmolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to produce crosslinked low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites using peroxide and octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OvPOSS) and to examine the shape memory behavior. The strategy was to use OvPOSS as a coagent to increase the crosslinking density and crosslinking efficiency while improving the mechanical and shape memory properties as well. The peroxide concentration, from 0.5 phr to 3.0 phr, was taken as the experimental parameter, with 4 phr OvPOSS added to all composites. The melt mixing route was applied similar to that which would be used industrially. The thermo-responsive shape memory properties near the melting point were examined in tension mode. The dispersion of OvPOSS in the LDPE matrix was observed via scanning electron microscopy and Si-mapping. In addition, the thermal, mechanical, structural, and rheological features of the novel LDPE/OvPOSS and LDPE/peroxide/OvPOSS systems were investigated. It was observed that the crosslinking density of LDPE increased in the presence of OvPOSS, which affected the mechanical, rheological and thermal properties and increased the shape recovery ratio of the LDPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally friendly, biodegradable composites were prepared via overmolding of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) onto PLA/jute‐mat, named as "ecosheets," reinforced continuous fiber composite sheets. Film stacking procedure was used to prepare ecosheets via using a hot‐press. The fiber orientation was changed as −45°/+45° and 0°/0°. −45°/+45° orientation exhibited higher properties as compared to 0°/0° for ecosheets; therefore, this construction was used to produce overmolded composites (OMCs). The mechanical tests showed that flexural modulus and strength of OMCs were improved in comparison to neat PLA. The dynamic mechanical analysis exhibited that the thermomechanical resistance of PLA was enhanced for OMCs. Scanning electron microscopy investigation showed that the jute/PLA interphase needs to be improved to further increase the properties. It was concluded that one of the biggest advantages of this novel technique was the increase of mechanical properties of PLA without altering the density. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 137, 48692. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Polymer precoated and chemically modified short flax fiber (SFF)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were successfully produced. The main focus of this study was to investigate the effects of the combinatorial use of chemical modification methods of flax fiber, such as alkaline treatment and silane coupling agents, together with polymer precoating as the film former on the physical and mechanical properties for PLA/SFF composites. The chemically modified flax fibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy. It was revealed from XRD analysis that alkaline treatment resulted in change in the cellulose I structure to the cellulose II structure because of the removal of the cementing non-cellulosic components. The XPS analysis showed that the silane groups were successfully bonded to the surface of the flax fiber. As the film-former application, PLA was coated on the surface of alkaline or silane-treated flax fiber surfaces via a solution dipping process. The SFF content was kept constant at 25 wt % in the composites that were prepared by means of a 15 mL Xplore Instruments twin-screw compounder. After melt processing, the positive effect of the sizing application on both the alkaline- and silane-treated SFF was observed from the enhanced fiber length distribution. The mechanical properties were examined by means of tensile and impact tests and dynamic mechanical analysis. In addition, the thermal properties obtained from differential scanning calorimetry were discussed as a function of the fiber treatment method. The hydrolysis rate was determined by a weight loss test in a phosphate buffer solution. The results showed that in addition to the positive single influence of the silane coupling agent, the synergetic effect of the film former (i.e., precoated polymer) and silane treatment was observed to improve the performance of the composites. The hydrolysis rate of the polymer-coated flax-based composites was lower than that of uncoated flax fiber composites. In addition, polymer-coated flax fibers could be easily processed like conventional chopped short-glass-fiber composites. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42564. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]