Influence of the reaction stoichiometry on the mechanical and thermal properties of SWCNT-modified epoxy composites

Previous studies suggest that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have a considerable influence on the curing behavior and crosslink density of epoxy resins. This invariably has an important effect on different thermal and mechanical properties of the epoxy network. This work focuses on the important role of the epoxy/hardener mixing ratio on the mechanical and thermal properties of a high temperature aerospace-grade epoxy (MY0510 Araldite as an epoxy and 4,4\u2032-diaminodiphenylsulfone as an aromatic hardener) modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The effects of three different stoichiometries (stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric) on various mechanical and thermal properties (fracture toughness, tensile properties, glass transition temperature) of the epoxy resin and its SWCNT-modified composites were obtained. The results were also supported by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For the neat resin, it was found that an epoxy/hardener molar ratio of 1:0.8 provides the best overall properties. In contrast, the pattern in property changes with the reaction stoichiometry was considerably different for composites reinforced with unfunctionalized SWCNTs and reduced SWCNTs. A comparison among composites suggests that a 1:1 molar ratio considerably outperforms the other two ratios examined in this work (1:0.8 and 1:1.1). This composition at 0.2 wt% SWCNT loading provides the highest overall mechanical properties by improving fracture toughness, ultimate tensile strength and ultimate tensile strain of the epoxy resin by 40%, 34%, 54%, respectively. \ua9 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Characterization and optical properties of mechanochemically synthesized molybdenum-doped rutile nanoparticles and their electronic structure studies by density functional theory

The optical and electronic properties of molybdenum (Mo) doped rutile TiO2 prepared by the mechanochemical method were studied both experimentally and using density functional theory (DFT). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TEM, EDS-MAP, and XPS. The XRD results showed the successful incorporation of Mo in the rutile crystal lattice. High-resolution TEM images illustrated a decreasing trend in the (110) d-spacing for samples doped up to 3 at%. The shift toward higher binding energies in the XPS spectra was due to the higher oxidization tendencies of Mo5+ and Mo6+ substituted in Ti4+ sites. The optical behavior of samples was examined by UV–Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The bandgap energy value of rutile was reduced from 3.0 eV to 2.4 eV by 2 at% Mo doping. The DFT calculations showed a reduction of bandgap energy value of rutile to 2.35 eV with 2 at% Mo, which is in harmony with the experimental results. The creation of energy states below the conduction band because of Mo doping was identified as the reason for reducing the bandgap energy and photoluminescence emission of rutile

Investigation on the effects of milling atmosphere on synthesis of barium ferrite/magnetite nanocomposite

In this research, barium ferrite /magnetite nanocomposites synthesized via a mechano-chemical route. Graphite was used in order to reduce hematite content of barium ferrite to magnetite to produce a magnetic nanocomposite. The effects of processing conditions on the powder characteristics were investigated by XRD, VSM, and HRTEM techniques. XRD results revealed that milling under air and argon atmospheres resulted in the appearance of Fe3O4 peaks beside BaFe12O19 peaks after 15 and 20 hrs milling, respectively. The intensity of Fe3O4 peaks in the XRD patterns increased by increasing the milling time. VSM studies revealed that saturation magnetization of the 40-hrs milled samples under air and argon atmospheres was 31.25 and 36.42 emu/g, respectively. This difference might be due to more Fe3O4 content in the latter sample. By annealing of the 40-hrs milled sample in air, saturation magnetization increased to 139.12 emu/g.Nanostructured MaterialsApplied Science