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    A Printable Paste Based on a Stable n-Type Poly[Ni-tto] Semiconducting Polymer
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Tkachov, Roman; Stepien, Lukas; Greifzu, Moritz; Kiriy, Anton; Kiriy, Nataliya; Schüler, Tilman; Schmiel, Tino; López, Elena; Brückner, Frank; Leyens, Christoph
    Polynickeltetrathiooxalate (poly[Ni-tto]) is an n-type semiconducting polymer having outstanding thermoelectric characteristics and exhibiting high stability under ambient conditions. However, its insolubility limits its use in organic electronics. This work is devoted to the production of a printable paste based on a poly[Ni-tto]/PVDF composite by thoroughly grinding the powder in a ball mill. The resulting paste has high homogeneity and is characterized by rheological properties that are well suited to the printing process. High-precision dispenser printing allows one to apply both narrow lines and films of poly[Ni-tto]-composite with a high degree of smoothness. The resulting films have slightly better thermoelectric properties compared to the original polymer powder. A flexible, fully organic double-leg thermoelectric generator with six thermocouples was printed by dispense printing using the poly[Ni-tto]-composite paste as n-type material and a commercial PEDOT-PSS paste as p-type material. A temperature gradient of 100 K produces a power output of about 20 nW. © 2019 by the authors.
  • Item
    Dynamic Single-Fiber Pull-Out of Polypropylene Fibers Produced with Different Mechanical and Surface Properties for Concrete Reinforcement
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021) Wölfel, Enrico; Brünig, Harald; Curosu, Iurie; Mechtcherine, Viktor; Scheffler, Christina
    In strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC), polypropylene (PP) fibers are often used to provide ductility through micro crack-bridging, in particular when subjected to high loading rates. For the purposeful material design of SHCC, fundamental research is required to understand the failure mechanisms depending on the mechanical properties of the fibers and the fiber–matrix interaction. Hence, PP fibers with diameters between 10 and 30 µm, differing tensile strength levels and Young’s moduli, but also circular and trilobal cross-sections were produced using melt-spinning equipment. The structural changes induced by the drawing parameters during the spinning process and surface modification by sizing were assessed in single-fiber tensile experiments and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the fiber material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements were applied to determine the topographical and wetting properties of the fiber surface. The fiber–matrix interaction under quasi-static and dynamic loading was studied in single-fiber pull-out experiments (SFPO). The main findings of microscale characterization showed that increased fiber tensile strength in combination with enhanced mechanical interlocking caused by high surface roughness led to improved energy absorption under dynamic loading. Further enhancement could be observed in the change from a circular to a trilobal fiber cross-section.