abstract: Polymer fibers have broad applications in wearable electronics, bulletproof vests, batteries, fuel cells, filters, electrodes, conductive wires, and biomedical materials. Polymer fibers display light density and flexibility but are mostly weak and compliant. The ceramic, metallic, and carbon nanoparticles have been frequently included in polymers for fabricating continuous, durable, and functional composite fibers. Nanoparticles display large specific areas, low defect density and can transfer their superior properties to polymer matrices. The main focus of this thesis is to design, fabricate and characterize the polymer/nanocarbon composite fibers with unique microstructures and improved mechanical/thermal performance. The dispersions and morphologies of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), the interactions with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) molecules and their influences on fiber properties are studied. The fibers were fabricated using a dry-jet wet spinning method with engineered spinneret design. Three different structured fibers were fabricated, namely, one-phase polymer fiber (1-phase), two-phase core-shell composite fiber (2-phase), and three-phase co-axial composite fiber (3-phase). These polymer or composite fibers were processed at three stages with drawing temperatures of 100˚C, 150˚C, and 200˚C. Different techniques including the mechanical tester, wide-angle X-Ray diffraction (WAXD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) have been used to characterize the fiber microstructures and properties. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2018

Heavy-metal contamination in soils has become a serious environmental problem. Among all metals, excessive amount of zinc was released to soils over the years. Zinc is not only toxic to human being, but also to plants. High concentration of zinc is extremely phytotoxic. Currently, the most popular method to remediate heavy-metal contaminated soils is stabilization/solidification (S/S) technique as it is cheaper, faster and more effective to remediate heavy metals than other remediation methods. Portland cement is the most-used binder in S/S technique. However, the production of Portland cement has released a significant amount of carbon dioxide, which strongly contributes to global warming. In addition, zinc retards the setting and hydration of Portland cement, which would require more Portland cement to remediate zinc-contaminated sites. Therefore, researchers are looking for new materials to improve the performance of Portland cement in zinc-contaminated soils. In recent years, the application of graphene-based materials in concrete had proved to be effective. Due to relative cost-effectiveness and comparable properties, multi-layer graphene, known as graphene nanoplatelets, may show a promising potential in construction. Moreover, research has reported that graphene nanoplatelets can be exfoliated from graphite and potentially scaled up for full-scale applications. At present, there is no application of graphene nanoplatelets in the S/S of contaminated soils and the roles of graphene nanoplatelets in cement-stabilized zinc-contaminated clay remained unknown. In this research, graphene nanoplatelets were dispersed in solution with a high-shear mixing apparatus. Dispersed graphene nanoplatelets solution was then applied to zinc-contaminated soil along with cement. To evaluate the efficacy of this S/S method, various influencing factors such as mixing sequence, graphene nanoplatelets content, zinc content, cement content, and curing time were studied. An optimum graphene nanoplatelets content was determined through the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the stabilized/solidified samples. It was found that at the optimum content, the unconfined compressive strength of cement-stabilized zinc-contaminated clay was improved by 22.3% with the addition of graphene nanoplatelets. Also, graphene nanoplatelets were effective at moderate zinc content and low cement content. Graphene nanoplatelets accelerated cement hydration effectively at early ages. Microstructural analyses indicated that more hydration products were developed in samples with graphene nanoplatelets. At current stage, it is still expensive to apply graphene nanoplatelets in S/S technique; however, it is possible to exfoliate graphite into graphene nanoplatelets in future research. / Graduate / 2022-05-12

No description available.

The objective of this research is to develop a scalable manufacturing process for high-volume production of low-cost graphene materials from lignin. The process includes preparation of catalyst-lignin precursors, pretreatment of precursors, and catalytic graphitization of kraft lignin to graphene materials. A growth concept, “catalytic thermal molecular welding (CTMW)” technique is proposed and validated to produce graphene materials from solid carbon resources. CTMW technique is a single process with two stages, i.e., the carbon-encapsulated metal nanostructures are first prepared. Then in the second stage these core-shell structures are opened by “scissoring molecules”, the cracked carbon shell units are welded and reconstructed to multilayer graphene materials under high temperature with selected “welding reagent gases” like light hydrocarbons (methane, natural gas, etc.) and hydrogen. Multi-layer nano-shell structure-based graphene materials, such as fluffy graphene, graphene chains, multi-layer graphene nanoplatelets, flatten or curved sheet-like graphene can be produced through altering fabrication conditions. The effects of transitional metal catalysts (Ni, Cu, Fe, and Mo) on the yields and structures of multi-layer nano-shell structure-based graphene materials from lignin are compared. The effects of the iron chemical resources (Fe(NO3)3, FeCl2, FeCl3, and Fe2O3 (nano)), iron loading on the yields and structures of multi-layer graphene materials from lignin are also examined. The influences of temperature, heating rate, heating time, metal-lignin precursor particle size, and welding reagent gas types on the yield of multi-layer graphene materials from lignin resources are investigated. Welding temperatures are optimized as1,000°C or above, with heating rates of 10°C or above. Welding gases including, argon (Ar), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), natural gas (NG), and mixed of these gases, are used at flow rates from 20 to 300 mL/min. Heating time is controlled between 0 to 5 hours. The effect of precursor particle size on final products is examined between 44 to 426 microns (Delta-m).

No description available.

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is the main constituent of concrete works as a principal binder for aggregates and intrinsically transmits the brittleness into concrete through the formation of hydration crystals in the cement microstructure. A number of nano cementitious composites were developed in recent years to offset the brittleness with newly discovered nanomaterials and the most prevalent among those is the graphene oxide (GO). The main objective of this PhD research work is to develop nano graphene cementitious composites (NGCC) using low cost, two dimensional (2D) graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and one dimensional (1D) graphited carbon nanofibres (GCNFs) with unique conical surface morphology. The GNPs were sourced synthesised in an environmental friendly way via plasma exfoliation whereas, GCNFs were manufactured through catalytic vapour grown method. The project further investigated the effect of these nanomaterials in regulating the distinctive microstructure of cement matrix leading to enhance its mechanical properties. Three different types of high-performance NGCC namely NGCC-Dot, NGCC-Fnt and NGCC-CNF, are developed by activating pristine GNPs (G-Dot), functionalised GNPs (G-Fnt) and graphited nanofibers (G-CNFs) into the cement matrix respectively. It is found through various characterization and experimental techniques that both GNPs and GCNFs regulated the cement microstructure and influenced the mechanical properties of NGCC uniquely. A remarkable increase in the flexural and the tensile strength of newly developed NGCC has been achieved and that could be attributed to the formation of distinctive microstructure regulated by catalytic activation of these nanomaterials. The shape (1D, 2D) and unique morphology of these nanomaterials played a vital role in the mechanism of crystal formation to regulate the cement microstructure. Based on the observations of test results and comprehensive characterization, the possible mechanisms of crystal formation and development of distinctive microstructure of NGCC has been established which has then proceeded to the development of a physical model for NGCC development.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:19:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ROGER HOEL BELLO.pdf: 5998739 bytes, checksum: 0b20c26be8ef42194c531db9839d0937 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Enhancing the thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of epoxy resin with use of carbon-based nanoparticles there must be a good dispersion in the resin and interfacial interaction with the polymer matrix. Thus, the chemical functionalization incorporates functional groups on their surface which can improve both problems. The silanization has been preferred in the process of functionalization of nanoparticles, succeeding in enhancing the properties of nanocomposites. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of the silanization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes MWCNT and graphene nanoplatelets with organosilane (3-APTES) in the final properties of epoxy nanocomposites. Thus, both nanoparticles were oxidized with a sulfonitric mixture (3:1 by volume) and silanized with the organosilane (3-APTES). To evaluate the effects of the chemical functionalization in thermal, mechanical and electrical properties, nanocomposites containing MWCNT or graphene nanoplatelets at two different concentrations of pristine, oxidized and silanized nanoparticles (0.15 and 0.5% v/v) were prepared by polymerization in situ, without using solvents. The functionalizations were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The thermal properties were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), the mechanical by instrumented nanoindentation and the electrical Impedance Spectroscopy. The XPS technique showed the successfully silanization on the the nanoparticles surface that was studied. Regarding the thermal properties, the addition of pristine and functionalized MWCNT or graphene nanoplatelets did not show significant variations, but increased the mobility of polymer chains in the matrix decreasing the values for the glass transition temperature (Tg) compared to pure resin. Increases in stiffness and ductility of the material were obtained when oxidized graphene nanoplatelets were added in the matrix. When was added 0.15% by volume of oxidized graphene nanoplateletes, the modulus of elasticity increased approximately 83%, whereas 0.50% by volume increased greater than 88% compared to the pure resin. Increasing of ductility was reached increasing volume fraction of 0.15 to 0.50% by volume when those nanoparticles were added into the resin, due to the approximately 10% of decreasing the values of nanohardness. The formation of percolating networks has been achieved only by pristine MWCNT with at a concentration of 0.50% by volume. As for the graphene nanoplatelets were added only when silanized graphene nanoplateletes at a concentration of 0.15% by volume, but for both nanoparticles were observed conductivities on the order of 10-7 S/m for frequencies near 100 Hz. / A alteração de propriedades térmicas, mecânicas e elétricas de uma resina epoxídica após a adição de nanopartículas alotrópicas de carbono depende da concentração, orientação, tipo de partícula, seu estado de dispersão e interação destas com a matriz. A funcionalização química pode auxiliar na melhoria de ambos os problemas, com a incorporação de grupos funcionais na superfície, paredes e pontas das nanopartículas. Assim, a silanização tem sido usada em processos de funcionalização química dos nanoreforços, tendo êxito no auxílio à melhoria das propriedades finais dos nanocompósitos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da silanização com o organosilano 3-APTES em nanotubos de carbono de paredes múltiplas (NTCPM) e nanoplateletes de grafeno nas propriedades finais dos nanocompósitos produzidos com a matriz epoxídica. Para isto, ambas as nanopartículas foram oxidadas com uma mistura sulfonítrica (3:1 em volume) e silanizadas com o organosilano (3-APTES). Para avaliar os efeitos das funcionalizações nas propriedades térmicas, mecânicas e elétricas, nanocompósitos contendo NTCPM ou nanoplateletes de grafeno em duas diferentes concentrações das nanopartículas pristine, oxidadas e silanizadas (0,15 e 0,5% v/v) foram preparados pela técnica de polimerização in situ, sem a utilização de solventes. As nanopartículas funcionalizadas foram caracterizadas pelas técnicas de infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), espectroscopia de energia dispersa (EDS), difração de raios-X (DRX), espectroscopia de fotoelétrons por raios-X (XPS) e espectroscopia Raman. As propriedades térmicas foram analisadas por calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC), as mecânicas por nanoindentação instrumentada e, as elétricas por espectroscopia de impedância. A técnica de caracterização por XPS comprovou o êxito da silanização na superfície das nanopartículas estudadas. Em relação às propriedades térmicas, a adição de NTCPM ou nanoplateletes de grafeno pristine e funcionalizadas não apresentaram variações significativas, porém aumentaram a mobilidade das cadeias poliméricas da matriz, resultando no decréscimo da temperatura de transição vítrea (Tg) em relação à resina pura. Aumentos na rigidez e ductilidade do nanocompósito foram alcançados quando foram adicionados nanoplateletes de grafeno oxidados na matriz. A adição de 0,15% v/v desta nanopartícula foi observado um aumento de aproximadamente 83% para o módulo de elasticidade, enquanto que 0,50% v/v este aumento foi maior que 88% em relação à resina pura. Foi alcançado aumento da ductilidade com o incremento da fração volumétrica de 0,15 para 0,50% v/v destas nanopartículas, devido ao decréscimo dos valores da nanodureza em aproximadamente 10%. A formação de redes de percolação foi alcançada apenas com a adição de NTCPM pristine para concentração de 0,50% em volume. Enquanto que para os nanoplateletes de grafeno, este fenômeno foi observado apenas quando foram adicionados nanoplateletes de grafeno silanizadas na concentração de 0,15% em volume. Entretanto, para ambas as nanopartículas foram observados valores de condutividade na ordem de 10-7 S/m para frequências próximas a 100Hz.

Hypersonic aerospace vehicles are severely limited by the lack of adequate high temperature materials that can withstand the harsh hypersonic environment. Tantalum carbide (TaC), with a melting point of 3880°C, is an ultrahigh temperature ceramic (UHTC) with potential applications such as scramjet engines, leading edges, and zero erosion nozzles. However, consolidation of TaC to a dense structure and its low fracture toughness are major challenges that make it currently unviable for hypersonic applications. In this study, Graphene NanoPlatelets (GNP) reinforced TaC composites are synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at extreme conditions of 1850˚C and 80-100 MPa. The addition of GNP improves densification and enhances fracture toughness of TaC by up to ~100% through mechanisms such as GNP bending, sliding, pull-out, grain wrapping, crack bridging, and crack deflection. Also, TaC-GNP composites display improved oxidation behavior over TaC when exposed to a high temperature plasma flow exceeding 2500 ˚C.

The main goal of this thesis is to deposit metal particles on the surface of 2D nanoplatelets using a controlled cementation process. As a proof of concept, copper (Cu) and Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNP) were chosen as the representative metal and 2D nanoplatelets, respectively. Specific goals of this study include depositing nanometer scale Cu particles on the surface of GNP at a low concentration (approximately 5 vol.%) while maintaining clustering and impurities at a minimum. Parametric studies were done to attain these goals by investigating various metallic reducer types and morphologies, GNP surface activation process, acid volume % and copper (II) sulfate concentrations. Optimal conditions were obtained with Mg ribbon as a reducer, 3 minutes of activation, 1 vol.% of acetic acid and 0.01 M CuSO4. The GNP-Cu powder synthesized in this work is a precursor material to be consolidated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) to make a nacre-like, layered structure for future studies.

No description available.