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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Influence of isothermal omega precipitation aging on deformation mechanisms and mechanical properties of a β-type Ti-Nb alloy
    (Lausanne : Elsevier, 2022) Pilz, S.; Hariharan, A.; Günther, F.; Zimmermann, M.; Gebert, A.
    In this study, the influence of ωiso precipitates on the active deformation mechanisms and the mechanical properties of the biomedical β-type Ti-40Nb alloy are revealed. Low temperature heat treatments (aging) at 573 K for durations up to 108.0 ks were carried out for a cold-rolled and recrystallized sample state. After an aging time of 3.6 ks the ωiso phase was determined by means of synchrotron XRD and the fraction and the crystallite size of ωiso increased progressively with increasing aging time. Due to the high intrinsic Young's modulus of the ωiso phase, the Young's modulus increased gradually with the aging time from 63 GPa, for the recrystallized reference condition, to values of 70 GPa (3.6 ks), 73 GPa (14.4 ks), 81 GPa (28.8 ks) and 96 GPa (108.0 ks). Depending on the aging time, also a change of the active deformation mechanisms occurred, resulting in significantly altered mechanical properties. For the single β-phase reference microstructure, stress-induced martensite (SIM) formation, {332} <113> twinning and dislocation slip were observed under tensile loading, resulting in a low 0.2% proof stress of around 315 MPa but a high elongation at fracture of 26.2%. With increasing aging time, SIM formation and mechanical twinning are progressively hindered under tensile loading. SIM formation could not be detected for samples aged longer than 3.6 ks. The amount and thickness of deformation twins is clearly reduced with increasing aging time and for samples aged longer than 14.4 ks deformation twinning is completely suppressed. As a result of the changed deformation mechanisms and the increase of the critical stress for slip caused by ωiso, the 0.2% proof stress of the aged samples increased gradually from 410 MPa (3.6 ks) to around 910 MPa (108.0 ks). With regard to application as new bone implant material, a balanced ratio of a low Young's modulus of E = 73 GPa and higher 0.2% proof stress of 640 MPa was achieved after an aging time of 14.4 ks.
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    Nanofiller dispersion, morphology, mechanical behavior, and electrical properties of nanostructured styrene-butadiene-based triblock copolymer/CNT composites
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Staudinger, Ulrike; Satapathy, Bhabani K.; Jehnichen, Dieter
    A nanostructured linear triblock copolymer based on styrene and butadiene with lamellar morphology is filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of up to 1 wt% by melt compounding. This study deals with the dispersability of the MWCNTs within the nanostructured matrix and its consequent impact on block copolymer (BCP) morphology, deformation behavior, and the electrical conductivity of composites. By adjusting the processing parameters during melt mixing, the dispersion of the MWCNTs within the BCP matrix are optimized. In this study, the morphology and glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the hard and soft phase are not significantly influenced by the incorporation of MWCNTs. However, processing-induced orientation effects of the BCP structure are reduced by the addition of MWCNT accompanied by a decrease in lamella size. The stress-strain behavior of the triblock copolymer/MWCNT composites indicate higher Young’s modulus and pronounced yield point while retaining high ductility (strain at break ~ 400%). At a MWCNT content of 1 wt%, the nanocomposites are electrically conductive, exhibiting a volume resistivity below 3 × 103 Ω·cm. Accordingly, the study offers approaches for the development of mechanically flexible functional materials while maintaining a remarkable structural property profile.
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    Melt mixed SWCNT-polypropylene composites with very low electrical percolation
    (Oxford : Elsevier Science, 2016) Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra; Ilin, Evgeniy; Predtechenskiy, Mikhail
    Singlewalled carbon nanotube material of the type TUBALL™ (OCSiAl) was used to prepare composites with polypropylene by melt mixing using a conical twin screw micro-compounder. The compression moulded composites showed electrical percolation between 0.075 and 0.1 wt % and achieved volume resistivity values lower than 1 kOhm-cm already at 0.8 wt % loading. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed good distribution and dispersion into small diameter bundles as well as retained high nanotube length. In connection with the very low percolation threshold this indicates that the SWCNT material shows an exceptionally good dispersibility which may be due to relatively high nanotube diameters with a mean value of 1.6 nm. In tensile tests already 0.1 wt % nanotube additions resulted in slight increase in Young's modulus and maximum stress. Tuball™ SWCNT material seems to be very promising for conductivity enhancement.
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    Influence of Controlled Epoxidation of an Asymmetric Styrene/Butadiene Star Block Copolymer on Structural and Mechanical Properties
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Khatiwada, Shankar P.; Staudinger, Ulrike; Jehnichen, Dieter; Heinrich, Gert; Adhikari, Rameshwar
    The chemical modification (namely the epoxidation) of a star shaped block copolymer (BCP) based on polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB) and its effect on structural and mechanical properties of the polymer were investigated. Epoxidation degrees of 37 mol%, 58 mol%, and 82 mol% were achieved by the reaction of the copolymer with meta-chloroperoxy benzoic acid (m-CPBA) under controlled conditions. The BCP structure was found to change from lamellae-like to mixed-type morphologies for intermediate epoxidation level while leading to quite ordered cylindrical structures for the higher level of chemical modification. As a consequence, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the soft PB component of the BCP shifted towards significantly higher temperature. A clear increase in tensile modulus and tensile strength with a moderate decrease in elongation at break was observed. The epoxidized BCPs are suitable as reactive templates for the fabrication of nanostructured thermosetting resins.
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    Characterization of highly filled PP/graphite composites for adhesive joining in fuel cell applications
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Rzeczkowski, Piotr; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra
    In order to evaluate the suitability of graphite composite materials for use as bipolar plates in fuel cells, polypropylene (PP) was melt compounded with expanded graphite as conductive filler to form composites with different filler contents of 10–80 wt %. Electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties were measured and evaluated as a function of filler content. The electrical and thermal conductivities increased with filler content. Tensile and flexural strengths decreased with the incorporation of expanded graphite in PP. With higher graphite contents, however, both strength values remained more or less unchanged and were below the values of pure PP. Young’s-modulus and flexural modulus increased almost linearly with increasing filler content. The results of the thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the actual filler content in the composite materials. In order to evaluate the wettability and suitability for adhesive joining of graphite composites, contact angle measurements were conducted and surface tensions of composite surfaces were calculated. The results showed a significant increase in the surface tension of graphite composites with increasing filler content. Furthermore, graphite composites were adhesively joined and the strength of the joints was evaluated in the lap-shear test. Increasing filler content in the substrate material resulted in higher tensile lap-shear strength. Additionally, the influence of surface treatment (plasma and chemical) on surface tension and tensile lap-shear strength was investigated. The surface treatment led to a significant improvement of both properties.
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    Renewable vanillin based flame retardant for poly(lactic acid): A way to enhance flame retardancy and toughness simultaneously
    (London : RSC Publishing, 2018) Zhao, Pengcheng; Liu, Zhiqi; Wang, Xueyi; Pan, Ye-Tang; Kuehnert, Ines; Gehde, Michael; Wang, De-Yi; Leuteritz, Andreas
    In this study, a novel bio-based flame retardant material consisting of modified vanillin and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was developed by incorporation of newly discovered additive, bis(5-formyl-2-methoxyphenyl) phenylphosphonate (VP), into the PLA matrix. The chemical structure of VP was confirmed by 1 H-, 13 C- and 31 P NMR and FTIR. The flame retardancy, thermal behavior as well as the mechanical properties of PLA/VP composites were evaluated. With 5 wt% of VP, the LOI of PLA increased from 21.4 to 25.8 and passed the UL-94 V-0 classification. Additionally, the elongation at break was improved from 3% to 11% without sacrificing tensile strength. In an effort to understand the mechanisms, TGA-FTIR, TGA and SEM were performed. This paper suggests a new possibility to prepare polymeric composites with enhanced flame retardancy from sustainable resources.