PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to experimentally analyze the flexural strength characteristics of cement mortar mixtures simultaneously incorporated with graphene oxide (GO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, and to understand the composite effect of those on enhancing resistance against the initiation and progression of micro-cracks, as well as the control of macro-cracks in flexural behavior. METHODS : Cement mortar(w/c=0.5) specimens for flexural strength test, mixing 6 mm and 12 mm PVA fibers at 1% and 2% volume ratios, were fabricated. Additionally, specimens incorporating GO at a cement weight ratio of 0.05% were prepared for each mixture to analyze the effect of GO. Therefore total eight types of mixture were prepared. The fabricated specimens were subjected to flexural strength tests after curing in waterbath for 7 and 28 days. Concurrently, digital images for analyzing deformation in accordance with loading history were obtained at a rate of 20 Hz using the DIC technique. Through displacement and strain calculation via DIC, the flexural behavior characteristics of the mixtures combined with GO and PVA fibers were precisely analyzed. Furthermore, the composite effect on flexural behavior characteristics when GO and PVA fibers are incorporated was discussed. RESULTS : For the PVA fiber-reinforced cement mortar mixture, the incorporation of 0.05% GO increased the crack initiation load by up to 23%, and the maximum resistive load after cracking by up to 24%. Moreover, introducing GO into the PVA fiber-reinforced mixture increased the flexural strain just before cracking by approximately 30 to 50%, while the maximum resistive load after cracking exhibited similar strain levels with or without GO incorporation. Therefore, under flexural behavior, the integration of GO might delay crack initiation by increasing the strain concurrent with the rise in flexural stress before crack occurrence. It also seems to contribute to reducing crack expansion by synergistically interacting with PVA fibers after crack occurrence. CONCLUSIONS : It was experimentally examined that the flexural strength of PVA fiber reinforced cement mortar is improved by incorporating GO. Moreover, GO enhances resistance of crack occurrance and reduces crack propagation in combination with PVA fibers. This study suggests that simultaneous incorporation of GO and PVA fibers can synergistically improve the performance of cement composites.

With a strive to develop light-weight material for automotive and aerospace applications, aluminum-based hybrid nanocomposites (AHNCs) were manufactured utilizing the compocasting approach in this study. Chopped carbon fibers (CFs) are reinforced along with different weight fractions of nanoclay (1–5%) in the matrix of AA6026 forming AHNCs. The AHNCs specimens were examined by microstructural analysis, mechanical characterization, fatigue, and corrosion strength as per ASTM guidelines. Electroless plating method is adopted for coating CFs with copper to improve the wettability with matrix. SEM pictures of manufactured composites reveal thin inter-dendritic aluminum grains with precipitate particle of eutectic at intergranular junctions, as well as nanoclay particles that have precipitated in the matrix. Tensile strength (TS) rises with inclusion of nanoclay up to a maximum of 212.46 MPa for 3% nanoclay reinforcement, after which the TS is reduced due to non-homogeneity in distribution, agglomeration and de-bonding of nanoparticles. Similarly, micro-hardness increases with addition of 3% nanoclay after which it decreases. Higher energy absorption was achieved with 3% nanoclay reinforced hybrid and a significant improvement in flexural strength was obtained. With addition of both CFs and nanoclay, the fatigue strength of the hybrid composite tends to increase due to flexible CFs and high surface area nanoclays which strengthen the grain boundaries until 3% addition. Addition of nanoclay lowers the corrosion rate with nanoclays filling the crevices and voids in the matrix.

In this study, we have fabricated the phenolic resin (PR)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blend-derived core-sheath nanostructured carbon nanofibers (CNFs) via one-pot solution electrospinning. The obtained core-sheath nanostructured carbon nanofibers were further treated by mixed salt activation process to develop the activated porous CNFs (CNF-A). Compared to pure PAN-based CNFs, the activated PR/PAN blend with PR 20% (CNF28-A)-derived core-sheath nanostructured CNFs showed enhanced specific capacitance of ~ 223 F g− 1 under a three-electrode configuration. Besides, the assembled symmetric CNF28-A//CNF28-A device possessed a specific capacitance of 76.7 F g− 1 at a current density of 1 A g− 1 and exhibited good stability of 111% after 5,000 galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) cycles, which verifies the outstanding long-term cycle stability of the device. Moreover, the fabricated supercapacitor device delivered an energy density of 8.63 Wh kg− 1 at a power density of 450 W kg− 1.

In this study, a new type of composite material combined with carbonyl iron, a relatively strong ferromagnetic material, was prepared to overcome the current application limitations of Prussian blue, which is effective in removing radioactive cesium. The surface of the prepared composite was analyzed using SEM and XRD, and it was confirmed that nano-sized Prussian Blue was synthesized on the particle surface. In order to evaluate the cesium removal ability, 0.2 g of the composite prepared for raw cesium aquatic solution at a concentration of 5 μg was added and reacted, resulting in a cesium removal rate of 99.5 %. The complex follows Langmuir’s adsorption model and has a maximum adsorption amount (qe) of 79.3 mg/g. The Central Composite Design (CCD) of the Response Surface Method (RSM) was used to derive the optimal application conditions of the prepared composite. The optimal application conditions achieved using Response optimization appeared at a stirring speed of pH 7, 17.6 RPM. The composite manufactured through this research is a material that overcomes the Prussian Blue limit in powder form and is considered to be excellent economically and environmentally when applied to a cesium removal site.

This article reported a simple method for preparing diamond/SiC composites by polymer impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) process, and the advantages of this method were discussed. Only diamond and SiC were contained in the diamond/SiC composite prepared by PIP process, and the diamond particles remained thermally stable up until the pyrolysis temperature was increased to 1600 °C. The pyrolysis temperature has a significant impact on the thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of composites. The thermal conductivity of the composite reaches a maximum value of 63.9 W/mK when the pyrolysis temperature is 1600 °C, and the minimum values of the real and imaginary part of the complex permittivity are 19.5 and 0.77, respectively. The PIP process is a quick and easy method to prepare diamond/SiC composites without needing expensive equipment, and it is of importance for promoting its application in the field of electric packaging substrate.

Renewed interest in the reinforced carbon graphite composites has intrigued the community in the advanced materials fields. In this work, we present a simple carbon nanofibers reinforced carbon graphite composites synthetic method by incorporating mixture of coal tar pitch, synthetic graphite, pitch coke and the dispersion liquid of carbon nanofibers via liquid-phase mixing process. The impact of carbon nanofiber utilization on the microstructures and mechanical properties of carbon graphite composites are studied systematically. The covalent surface modification of carbon nanofibers effectively improves its microstructure and thereby promotes the carbon graphite composites’ dispersion behavior. We propose that a small amount of carbon nanofibers could promote the carbonization process of carbon graphite composites, facilitating the densification of carbon graphite composites and reducing the undesired open porosity. The amount of 0.7 wt % of carbon nanofiber concentration allows the enhancement of bend and compressive strength of carbon graphite composites up to 36.50 MPa and 60.46 MPa, increased by 167.9% and 146.9% compared with the pure carbon graphite composite, respectively. Our findings can be rationalized due to the improvement in the mechanical strength of carbon graphite composites could be attributed due to pull-out of carbon nanofibers from the matrix and bridging effect across the crack pores within the matrix.

In this paper, the mechanical properties according to the rCF weight percent(10, 20, 30, 40, 50wt%) of the rCFRP specimen were evaluated and analyzed. First, to prepare rCFRP specimens, pellets were prepared according to the type of weight percent, and rCFRP tensile specimens according to ASTM D638 were prepared using an injection molding machine. Tensile tests were performed on each of 10 specimens according to weight percent conditions, and tensile strength and modulus of elasticity were calculated. For a detailed analysis of the correlation between the internal structure of the specimen and the mechanical properties, the weight percent to the constituent materials of the rCFRP specimen was calculated using mCT and used for the analysis of mechanical properties. For a more detailed analysis, a detailed analysis of the mechanical properties of rCFRP was performed through the fracture surface analysis of the specimen using FE-SEM.

N-doped Na2Ti6O13@TiO2 (denoted as N-NTO@TiO2) composites are successfully synthesized using a simple two-step process: 1) ball-milling of TiO2 with Na2CO3 followed by heat treatment at 900oC; 2) mixing of the prepared Na2Ti6O13 with titanium isopropoxide and calcining with urea at 500oC. The prepared composites are characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and BET. The N-NTO@TiO2 composites exhibit well-defined crystalline and anatase TiO2 with exposed {101} facets on the external surface. Moreover, dopant N atoms are uniformly distributed over a relatively large area in the lattice of the composites. Under visible light irradiation, ~51% of the aqueous methylene blue is photodegraded by N-NTO@TiO2 composites, which is higher than the values shown by other samples because of the coupling effects of the hybridization of NTO and TiO2, N-doping, and presence of anatase TiO2 with exposed {101} facets.

PURPOSES : The effects of strontium cations on the strength of hydrated cement composites as well as the morphology and chemical composition changes of cement hydrates due to strontium treatment are investigated in this study. Subsequently, the potential of a strontiumbased aqueous solution as a near-surface treatment method for hydrated cement composites is evaluated. METHODS : To supply strontium cations to a hydrated cement composite, a 30% strontium nitrate aqueous solution was used. Cement paste (w/c = 0.4) specimens were prepared and cured in the 30% strontium nitrate aqueous solution, which allows the strontium ions to penetrate into the specimen and treat the near-surface region. Compressive and flexural strength tests were performed on both specimens treated by the strontium ions and untreated specimens cured in deionized water, and the test results were compared. To investigate the changes in the morphology and chemical compositions of the cement hydrates due to the treatment, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analyses were performed. RESULTS : The results of the strength tests indicate that both the compressive and flexural strengths of the specimens cured in the 30% strontium nitrate aqueous solution improved significantly compared with the specimens cured in deionized water for the same duration. In particular, the strontium nitrate aqueous solution shows greater improvement in terms of the flexural strength compared with the compressive strength. The maximum penetration depth of strontium into the hydrated cement composite is 5 mm during the first 7 d of immersion and increases to 6.5 mm during the subsequent 14 d. The SEM results show that the microstructure of the hydrated cement composite is densified by the strontium nitrate aqueous solution treatment. The EDS results show that morphology and chemical compositions of the cement hydrates are altered. This implies that the strontium cations can be combined with C–S–H and C–S–A–H phases to form new types of hydrates. CONCLUSIONS : The experimentally results show that the strength of hydrated cement composites can be improved by modifying their near-surface regions via the strontium cation penetration technique. This implies that the strontium-based aqueous solution exhibits high potential for the maintenance and rehabilitation of concrete structures.

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) have garnered significant attention in the field of thermal management materials due to their unique morphology and remarkable thermal conductive properties. Their impressive thermal properties make them an interesting choice of nanofillers with which to produce multifunctional composite materials and a host of other applications whilst their structural and thermal properties significantly improve their target materials or composites. Therefore, this present study reviewed recent advances in the use of GNPs as nanofillers to enhance the thermal conductivity of various materials or composites. The improved thermal conductivity that GNPs impart in composites is also comprehensively compared and discussed. Therefore, this review may reveal hitherto unknown opportunities and pave the way for the production of materials with enhanced thermal applications including electronics, aerospace devices, batteries, and structural reinforcement.

There is ongoing research to develop lithium ion batteries as sustainable energy sources. Because of safety problems, solid state batteries, where electrolytes are replaced with solids, are attracting attention. Sulfide electrolytes, with a high ion conductivity of 103 S/cm or more, have the highest potential performance, but the price of the main materials is high. This study investigated lithium hydride materials, which offer economic advantages and low density. To analyze the change in ion conductivity in polymer electrolyte composites, PVDF, a representative polymer substance was used at a certain mass ratio. XRD, SEM, and BET were performed for metallurgical analyses of the materials, and ion conductivity was calculated through the EIS method. In addition, thermal conductivity was measured to analyze thermal stability, which is a major parameter of lithium ion batteries. As a result, the ion conductivity of LiH was found to be 106 S/cm, and the ion conductivity further decreased as the PVDF ratio increased when the composite was formed.

3Y-TZP ceramics obtained by doping 3 mol.% of Y2O3 to ZrO2 to stabilize the phase transition are widely used in the engineering ceramic industry due to their excellent mechanical properties such as high strength, fracture toughness, and wear resistance. An additional increase in mechanical properties is possible by manufacturing a composite in which a high-hardness material such as oxide or carbide is added to the 3Y-TZP matrix. In this study, composite powder was prepared by dispersing a designated percentage of WC in the 3Y-TZP matrix, and the results were compared after manufacturing the composite using the different processes of spark plasma sintering and HP. The difference between the densification behavior and porosity with the process mechanism was investigated. The correlation between the process conditions and phase formation was examined based on the crystalline phase formation behavior. Changes to the microstructure according to the process conditions were compared using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The toughness-strengthening mechanism of the composite with densification and phase formation was also investigated.

B4C/Al composite is mainly used for neutron absorbing materials, which is one of the components of equipment that manages spent nuclear fuel. There are various processes for manufacturing neutron absorbing materials, but most of them are based on the powder metallurgy. In this study, B4C/Al composite in which the reinforcement was uniformly dispersed was manufactured by using the stir casting process. The microstructure, thermal neutron absorption rate, mechanical properties and dispersibility of the reinforcement of the prepared B4C/Al composite were analyzed.