skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: AC and DC Electrical properties of Graphene Nanoplatelets Reinforced Epoxy Syntactic Foam
Benefits of employing graphene nanopletlates (GNPLs) in composite structures include mechanical as well as multifunctional properties. Understanding the impedance behavior of GNPLs reinforced syntactic foams may open new applications for syntactic foam composites. In this work, GNPLs reinforced syntactic foams were fabricated and tested for DC and AC electrical properties. Four sets of syntactic foam samples containing 0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 vol% of GNPLs were fabricated and tested. Significant increase in conductivity of syntactic foams due to the addition of GNPLs was noted. AC impedance measurements indicated that the GNPLs syntactic foams become frequency dependent as the volume fraction of GNPLs increases. With addition of GNPLs, the characteristic of the syntactic foams are also observed to transition from dominant capacitive to dominant resistive behavior.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1736136
PAR ID:
10072939
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Materials research express
Volume:
5
Issue:
045605
ISSN:
2053-1591
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    Abstract The composite sandwich structures with foam core and fiber-reinforced polymer skin are prone to damage under local impact. The mechanical behavior of sandwich panels (glass fiber-reinforced polymer [GFRP] skin reinforced with lattice webs and syntactic foams core) is studied under crushing load. The crushing behavior, failure modes, and energy absorption are correlated with the number of GFRP layers in facesheets and webs, fiber volume fractions of facesheets in both longitudinal and transverse directions, and density and thickness of syntactic foam. The test results revealed that increasing the number of FRP layers of lattice webs was an effective way to enhance the energy absorption of sandwich panels without remarkable increase in the peak load. Moreover, a three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model was developed to simulate the mechanical behavior of the syntactic foam sandwich panels, and the numerical results were compared with the experimental results. Then, the verified FE model was applied to conduct extensive parametric studies. Finally, based on experimental and numerical results, the optimal design of syntactic foam sandwich structures as energy absorption members was obtained. This study provides theoretical basis and design reference of a novel syntactic foam sandwich structure for applications in bridge decks, ship decks, carriages, airframes, wall panels, anticollision guard rails and bumpers, and railway sleepers. 
    more » « less
  2. Syntactic foams are a promising candidate for applications in marine, oil and gas industries in underwater cables and pipelines due to their excellent insulation properties. The effective transmission of electrical energy through cables requires insulation materials with a low loss factor and low dielectric constant. Similarly, in transporting fluid through pipelines, thermal insulation is crucial. However, both applications are susceptible to potential environmental degradation from moisture exposure, which can significantly impact the material’s properties. This study addresses the knowledge gap by examining the implications of prolonged moisture exposure on thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) and TPU-derived syntactic foam via various multi-scale material characterization methods. This research investigates a flexible syntactic foam composed of TPU and glass microballoons (GMBs) fabricated through selective laser sintering. The study specifically examines the effects of moisture exposure over periods of 90 and 160 days, in conjunction with varying GMB volume fractions of 0%, 20%, and 40%. It aims to elucidate the resulting microphase morphological changes, their underlying mechanisms, and the subsequent impact on thermal transport and dielectric properties, all in comparison to unaged samples of the same material. Our findings reveal that increasing the volume fraction of GMB in TPU-based syntactic foam reduces its thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. However, moisture exposure did not significantly affect the foam’s thermal conductivity. Additionally, we found that the dielectric constant of the syntactic foams decreases with increasing volume fraction of GMB and decreasing frequency of the applied field, which is due to limited molecular orientation in response to the field. Finally, moisture exposure affects the dielectric loss factor of TPU-based syntactic foams with GMBs, possibly due to the distribution morphology of hard and soft segments in TPU. 
    more » « less
  3. This paper reports the study of hollow microballoon-filled epoxy composites also known as syntactic foams with various volume fractions of microballoons. Different mechanical and thermomechanical investigations were carried out to study the elastic and viscoelastic behavior of these foams. The density, void content, and microstructure of these materials were also studied for better characterization. In addition to the experimental testing, a representative 3D model of these syntactic foams was developed to further investigate their elastic behavior. The results indicate that changes in the volume percentage of the microballoons had a substantial impact on the elastic and viscoelastic behavior of these foams. These results will help in designing and optimizing custom-tailored syntactic foams for different engineering applications. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Hybrid nanocellulose-based foams are a desirable class of low-density and porous materials for their potential in many applications. This study aims at characterizing and understanding the structure-properties relationship of four foam formulations prepared from combinations of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and kaolin-microfibrillated cellulose composite. All the foams were crosslinked with a polyamide-epichlorohydrin crosslinker (Polycup) to impart stability under wet conditions without additional functionalization. Foams containing 25 wt% kaolin exhibited excellent shape recovery promoted by a higher load of crosslinker (5 wt%), and superior compressive properties. The addition of CNC at 33.3 wt% and 50 wt% did not seem to enhance the properties of the foam and also reduced the specific surface area. A preliminary comparative study between the four tested formulations was conducted to assess the feasibility of the foam as an adsorbent of methylene blue dye. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Interfacial rheology studies were conducted to establish a connection between the rheological characteristics of particle-laden interfaces and the stability of Pickering foams. The behavior of foams stabilized with fumed and spherical colloidal silica particles was investigated, focusing on foam properties such as bubble microstructure and liquid content. Compared to a sodium dodecyl sulfate-stabilized foam, Pickering foams exhibited a notable reduction in bubble coarsening. Drop shape tensiometry measurements on particle-coated interfaces indicated that the Gibbs stability criterion was satisfied for both particle types at various surface coverages, supporting the observed arrested bubble coarsening in particle-stabilized foams. However, although the overall foam height was similar for both particle types, foams stabilized with fumed silica particles demonstrated a higher resistance to liquid drainage. This difference was attributed to the higher yield strain of interfacial networks formed by fumed silica particles, as compared to those formed by spherical colloidal particles at similar surface pressures. Our findings highlight that while both particles can generate long-lasting foams, the resulting Pickering foams may exhibit variations in microstructure, liquid content, and resistance to destabilization mechanisms, stemming from the respective interfacial rheological properties in each case. 
    more » « less