Numerous studies have reported that good adhesion and fluorination of carbon materials in a fluoropolymer matrix enhance their electrical and mechanical properties. However, a composite reinforced with oxyfluorinated graphite has not been reported for improving mechanical properties. This paper discusses the fabrication of conductive fluorinated ethylene–propylene (FEP)/oxyfluorinated graphite (f-graphite) composite bipolar plates (BPs) via compression molding. To investigate the effects of fluorinating graphite, graphite with a large particle size of 500 μm was mixed with FEP powder with a small particle size of 8 μm through ball milling. The FEP/graphite composites exhibited high anisotropic electrical conductivity with the in-plane conductivity much higher than the through-plane conductivity because of the planar orientation of the graphite sheets. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the composites such as flexural strength tended to deteriorate with increasing graphite content. In particular, the FEP/f-graphite composites exhibited excellent flexural strength of 12 MPa, much higher than that of FEP/graphite composites at 9 MPa with a graphite content of 80 wt%. The interfacial interaction between FEP and f-graphite led to improved physical compatibilization, which contributed to enhance the mechanical properties of these composites. Our results are a step toward developing BPs for use in high-temperature fuel cells and heat-sink components.

Carbon short fibers/copper composites with different carbon short fiber contents up to 15 wt.% as reinforcements are prepared to investigate the influence of the carbon short fiber surface coating on the microstructure, density, and electrical properties of the carbon short fibers/copper composites. The carbon short fibers were surface treated by acid functionalization followed by alkaline treatment before the coating process. It was observed from the results that coated type copper nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the carbon short fibers. The surface treated carbon short fibers were coated by copper using the electroless deposition technique in the alkaline tartrate bath by using formaldehyde as a reducing agent of the copper sulfate. The produced coated carbon short fibers/copper composite powders were cold compacted at 600 MPa, and then sintered at 875 °C for 2 h under (hydrogen/nitrogen 1:3) atmosphere. A reference copper sample was also prepared by the same method to compare between the properties of pure copper and the carbon short fibers/copper composites. The phase composition, morphology, and microstructure of the prepared carbon short fibers/copper composite powders as well as the corresponding carbon short fibers/copper composites were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. The density and the electrical resistivity of the sintered composites were measured. It was observed from the results that the density was decreased; however, the electrical resistivity was increased by increasing the carbon short fibers wt.%.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs), which are a combination of two or more constituents with different physical or chemical properties, are today receiving great attention in various areas, as they have high specific strength, corrosion resistance, fatigue strength, and good tribological properties. This paper presents a research review on the combination of matrix and reinforced materials, fabrication processes, and application status of metal matrix composites. In this paper, we aim to discuss and review the importance of metal composite materials as advanced materials that can be used in various applications such as transportation, defense, sports, and extreme environments. In addition, the applicability and technology development trends in new process technology fields such as additive manufacturing of metal composites will be described.

Recently, the amount of heat generated in devices has been increasing due to the miniaturization and high performance of electronic devices. Cu-graphite composites are emerging as a heat sink material, but its capability is limited due to the weak interface bonding between the two materials. To overcome these problems, Cu nanoparticles were deposited on a graphite flake surface by electroless plating to increase the interfacial bonds between Cu and graphite, and then composite materials were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The Cu content was varied from 20 wt.% to 60 wt.% to investigate the effect of the graphite fraction and microstructure on thermal conductivity of the Cu-graphite composites. The highest thermal conductivity of 692 W m−1K−1 was achieved for the composite with 40 wt.% Cu. The measured coefficients of thermal expansion of the composites ranged from 5.36 × 10−6 to 3.06 × 10−6 K−1. We anticipate that the Cu-graphite composites have remarkable potential for heat dissipation applications in energy storage and electronics owing to their high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient.

Small fishing vessels are manufactured using FRP. Various studies have been conducted to increase the strength of the composite material by mixing alumina powder with resin. Tensile tests and flexural strength tests are conducted to examine the effect of alumina powder on the strength of GFRP. In the current study, resin/alumina composites at different alumina contents (i.e., 0, 1, 5, and 10 vol%) have been prepared. The physical and mechanical properties of the prepared composites have been investigated. From the results, the tensile strength of the specimen with alumina powder mixed in at 10% shows the highest value of 155.66 MPa. The tensile strength of the specimen mixed with alumina powder increases with the amount of alumina powder impregnated. In the flexural strength test, the flexural strength of neat resin without alumina powder has a highest value of 257.7 MPa. The flexural modulus of ALMix-5 has a highest value of 12.06 GPa. Barcol hardness of ALMix- 10 has a highest value of 51. We show that alumina powder leads to decreasing cracks on the surface and decreasing length area of delamination.

To enhance mechanical properties through improvement of dispersion stability of carbon black (CB) in epoxy resins, fluorine functional groups were introduced on the CB surface by fluorination. The changes in the chemical properties and dispersion stabilities after fluorination were evaluated with different partial pressures of fluorine gas. The mechanical properties of the fluorinated CB/epoxy composites were evaluated by the test of tensile, impact strengths and creep behavior. The fluorinated CB/epoxy composites showed approximately 1.6 and 1.1 times enhancement in the tensile and impact strengths compared to that of neat epoxy, respectively. Moreover, when a constant load was applied at 323 K, the fluorinated CB/epoxy composites lasted longer and had smaller strain changes than those of the raw CB/epoxy composites. Thus, well-dispersed CB by fluorination in epoxy resins effectively transfers mechanical stress.

Interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and epoxy resin mostly determine the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber/ epoxy composites and the chemical structures of epoxy resin and hardener plays an important role. In this regard, stereoisomerism of epoxy hardeners, such as 3,3′ and 4,4′-DDS (diaminodiphenylsulfone), can have significant influence on the fracture toughness of the cured epoxy and related carbon fiber composites. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of stereoisomerism of epoxy hardeners on fracture toughness of the carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Triglycidyl aminophenol (TGAP) are selected as epoxy resin and 3,3′- and 4,4′-DDS are selected as epoxy hardener. Wetting behaviors and fiber matrix adhesion of TGAP/DDS mixtures onto carbon fiber are investigated and fracture toughness (KIC) of TGAP/ DDS mixtures are also investigated. Then, the mode II fracture toughness test of the carbon fiber/TGAP/DDS composites are carried out to investigate the influence of hardener stereoisomerism on fracture toughness of the resulting composites. Wetting and fiber matrix adhesion to carbon fiber of TGAP/3,3′-DDS was better than those of TGAP/4,4’-DDS and KIC of TGAP/3,3′-DDS was also better than that of TGAP/4,4′-DDS. As a result of the synergistic effect of better wetting, fiber matrix adhesion, and fracture toughness of TGAP/3,3′-DDS, the mode II fracture toughness of the carbon fiber/ TGAP/3,3’- DDS composites was almost twice of that of the carbon fiber/ TGAP/4,4′-DDS composites. Based on the results reported in this study, stereoisomerism of the epoxy hardeners can influence the fracture toughness of the resulting composites as well as that of the resin itself. In other words, only small difference, such as the spatial arrangement of the molecular structure of epoxy hardeners can cause huge difference in the mechanical properties of the resulting composites.

올레핀/파라핀 분리를 위해 silver nanoparticle을 운반체로 이용하는 촉진수송막이 최근 많은 관심을 받고 있다. 기존 연구에서는 silver nanoparticle의 전구체로서 AgBF4가 사용되어 왔다. 하지만 상대적으로 고가에 속하는 AgBF4는 상업화에 적합하지 않기 때문에 비교적 저렴한 AgClO4를 전구체로 이용해 제조된 silver nanopaticle를 활용해서 PEBAX-5513/AgNPs (전구체: AgClO4)/7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) 복합막이 제조되었다. 그러나 여러 조성의 복합막이 제조되었으 나 올레핀 분리성능은 관찰되지 않았다. FT-IR 분석 결과는 PEBAX-5513 고분자 내에서 silver nanoparticle이 형성되고 TCNQ에 의해 표면이 양극성화 되는 것을 확인하였지만 형성된 silver nanoparticle이 안정화 되지 못한 것으로 분석되었다. 이러한 결과들을 통해 은염 전구체의 음이온이 올레핀/파라핀 분리막에서 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 판단되었다.

The widespread use of automobiles has greatly increased energy demand and exhaust gas pollution. In order to save energy, reduce emissions and protect the environment, making lightweights automobiles is an effective measure. In this paper, carbon fiber composites and automobile B-pillars are briefly introduced, and then the mechanical properties and impact resistance of the DC590 steel B-pillars and carbon fiber composites B-pillars are simulated by the ABAQUS finite element software. The results show that the quality of compound B-pillars is reduced by 50.76 % under the same dimensions, and the mechanical property of unit mass is significantly better than that of metal B-pillars. In the course of a collision, the kinetic energy of the two B-pillars is converted into internal energy, but the total energy remains the same; the converted internal energy of the composite B-pillars is greater, the deformation is smaller and the maximum intrusion and intrusion speed is also smaller, indicating that the anti-collision performance of the composite B-pillars is excellent. In summary, the carbon fiber composites can not only reduce the quality of the B-pillars, but also improve their anti-collision performance..

To enhance the thermal properties of epoxy composites, expanded graphite (EG) was oxyfluorinated and embedded into epoxy resin as a reinforcement. The maximum thermal conductivity was obtained for epoxy composites with oxyfluorinated EG, representing a 62% increase compared to that of neat epoxy. Additionally, the glass transition temperature (Tg) and integral procedural decomposition temperature of epoxy composites with oxyfluorinated EG show the increase of 6% (4.4 °C) and 106% (264 °C), respectively, which indicated the improvement in thermal stability. These results can be attributed to the interfacial interaction between epoxy and oxyfluorinated EG, which formed strong interfacial interactions between the epoxy resin and EG due to the presence of oxygen- and fluorine-containing functional groups in oxyfluorinated EG.

A two-level full factorial design 22 with three replications was employed to assess the effect of the incorporation of PSF into the epoxy matrix and the surface treatment of carbon fibers on the work of adhesion (WA) and the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of carbon fiber–epoxy composites. The IFSS was determined using the microbond (or microdrop) micromechanical test, and the work of adhesion was estimated using two different procedures: (1) using the Owens and Wendt method, and (2) from the Dupre–Young expression using the contact angle θ of a cured epoxy resin on a single carbon fiber and the surface energy of the cured epoxy resin. It was found that the treatment of the carbon fiber with the silane-coupling agent appreciably increases its polar component because of the nitric acid oxidation and the chemisorption of the silane-coupling agent onto the carbon fiber surface. Also, the O=S=O group present in the polysulfone chain resin fairly increases the polar component of the epoxy–PSF blend. The results show that the wetting of the silane-treated carbon fiber by the thermoplastic-modified epoxy resin is better, thus increasing the fiber–matrix adhesion. It was also found that there is a similarity between the trends of both, the IFSS and the WA results. Also, from the ANOVA results it was also seen that both the incorporation of the PSF to the epoxy matrix and the surface treatment of the carbon fibers and their interaction were statistically significant to the IFSS and the WA.

본 연구에서는 내진성능향상을 목표로 CNT-복합소재로 보강된 콘크리트 구조물의 휨 인장 거동을 다루었다. 다양한 CNT 함유량에 따른 복합소재의 재료적 물성은 수정된 Halpin-Tasi 모델을 적용하여 멀티스케일해석 이론으로부터 도출하였다. 휨인장 시험은 복합소재의 종류, CNT 함유비율, 도포제의 유무, 그리고 보강 방법에 따라서 수행하였다. 변수 실험 결과는 CNT-복합재로 보강된 콘크리트 구조의 향상된 휨인장 거동에 대하여 CNT 함유량과 적절한 도포제의 적용 (부착)의 중요성을 보여주었다.

Epoxy resin, which demonstrates a shape memory effect, is reinforced by chopped carbon fibers (CCFs) to improve the thermal and mechanical properties. The interfacial interactions between 2-mm-long CCFs and epoxy make an impact on not only molecular motion but also the physical behaviors of CCFs/epoxy composites. In particular, shape recovery ability of CCFs/epoxy composites is enhanced with an increase in thermal conductivity generated by crossing CCFs in the epoxy system, although CCFs/epoxy composites containing small amounts of CCFs, such as 1 or 3 phr (parts per hundred rubber), show slower recovery rates than those of raw epoxy specimens due to the difficulty of making heat bridges in composites. With these results, it is confirmed that for specific time-dependent purpose, the shape recovery vector of CCFs/epoxy can be controlled using the amount of CCFs.

본 연구는 분쇄효율 향상과 더불어 최근 대두되고 있는 시멘트의 품질 문제 해결을 위하여 기능성 분쇄 조제 TIPA계의 대체 를 위해 Glycerine-co-MEA의 유기고분자를 합성하고 이를 적용하여 시멘트 클링커의 분쇄효율 및 압축 강도 향상을 기하고자 하였다. 시 멘트 클링커의 분쇄 효율 및 제조된 시멘트의 물리적 특성을 향상시키기 위하여 고분자 구조 내에 분쇄능을 향상시킬 수 있는 하이드록 실기(-OH)와 압축강도를 향상시키는 아민기(-NHx)를 동시에 가지는 유기 고분자를 합성하고 이를 적용한 시멘트의 분쇄능, 강도발현율 및 유동성 등 시멘트의 물리적 특성을 검토하였다. 실험결과 Glycerine-co-MEA의 최적 합성 조건은 몰비 1 : 1, 반응온도 80℃, pH 5.0, 점도 35 cPs일 때 가장 안정한 고분자의 합성이 가능 한 것으로 나타났으며, 분쇄능은 기존 DEG 및 TIPA계 보다 분말도는 약 150~310 ㎠/g 증가하였고, 45 ㎛체 잔사율은 1.6~2.0% 정도 감소 하여 분쇄효율이 향상되는 것으로 나타났다. 압축강도는 알카놀 아민계 유기 고분자의 하이드록실기에 의한 분쇄능 증진 및 아민기에 의한 시멘트 초기 강도 증진 현상으로 초기 재령 1일에서 DEG보다 약 31%, 기능성 분쇄조제인 TIPA계 보다 약 12%의 높은 강도 증진을 나타내었으며, 재령 28일에서는 DEG보다 19%, TIPA계 보다 약 12%의 강도 증진 결과를 나타내었다.