Sliding wear, mechanical, flammability, and water intake properties of banana short fiber/Al(OH)3/epoxy composites

Banana short fiber/Al(OH)3/epoxy composite laminates were prepared by dispersing short banana fiber and Al(OH)3 particulates in an epoxy matrix and investigated for their specific wear rate, water intake, flammability and mechanical properties. The sliding wear results showed that due to the synergistic effect of both fiber and filler in epoxy matrix enhanced the wear resistant in the composites. Similarly, the tensile stress and hardness improved significantly due to the addition of banana fiber in the composite material. Also, it is found that the composite becomes more fire resistant due to the addition of Al(OH)3. However, the higher percentage of fiber and filler increases the water absorption rate due to voids in the composite. The results of this study provide the insights of solid–solid interface leading to different bulk properties

Bio-Based Epoxies: Mechanical Characterization and Their Applicability in the Development of Eco-Friendly Composites

The combination of awareness of harmful industrial processes, environmental concerns, and depleting petroleum-based resources has spurred research in developing sustainable materials from renewable sources. Natural bio-based polymers have replaced synthetic polymers because of growing concern about environmental sustainability. As a result of heating and distilling cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), cardanol has emerged as a promising bio-retrieved component that can be used to make bio-based epoxy. The current work intends to investigate the mechanical properties of three kinds of cardanol-based bio-based epoxies in anticipation of widespread use. Vickers hardness, tensile and flexural strength are used to characterize mechanical properties. Additionally, a water absorption test is carried out to examine the weight gain properties of all the bio-based epoxy variants selected. FormuLITE 2 (FormuLITE 2501A + FormuLITE 2401B) exhibited the highest Vickers hardness, tensile and flexural strength among the three variants. Moreover, it exhibited a water absorption rate nearly equivalent to that of the conventional LY556/HY951, and thus, FormuLITE 2, the bio-based epoxy resin having 34% of bio-content blended with conventional epoxy, proves to be the best option out of the selected bio-based epoxies to be used further as the matrix material for the fabrication of biocomposites

Amorphous Alloy Thin Films from Molecular Precursors. Evidence of Structure and Stoichiometry from Crystallization and Effects of Precursor Ligand Structure on Stoichiometry

The crystallization at 400°C of amorphous thin films formed by the thermal decomposition of HFe3-(CO)9BH4 at low low pressure has been studied by using the techniques of X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results unambiguously show that the films are iron rich in terms of the ideal stoichiometry of Fe/B = 3, signifying some loss of boron during film formation. The iron-main group atom phase that crystallizes from the amorphous film is orthorhombic Fe3B1-xCx, with x for the specific film examined lying between 0.3 and 0.4. The cleavage of CO is postulated to account for the overall Fe/B ratio of 3, formation of the mixed boride/carbide phase and the presence of B2O3 in the film. That is, the boron sequesters the oxygen atom as B2O3, whereas the carbon atom replaces boron so lost in Fe3B to form the Fe3B1-xCx phase. Deposition of films from a closely related precursor, HFe3(CO)10BH2, have also been examined. Most of the boron is lost during deposition even at the lowest substrate temperature. Crystallization of these amorphous films requires higher temperatures and yields α-Fe and a phase indistinguishable from orthorhombic Fe3C. Decomposition during sublimation with the production of Fe(CO)5 accounts for the qualitatively different behavior of HFe3(CO)10BH2. © 1991 American Chemical Society