| 1. |
- Carmeli, Enrico, et al.
(författare)
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Crystallization kinetics of melt-mixed 3D hierarchical graphene/polypropylene nanocomposites at processing-relevant cooling rates
- 2022
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Ingår i: Composites Part B: Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-8368. ; 247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Knowledge of the solidification behaviour of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composites with reduced graphene oxide nanoplatelets is key to open the possibility to widespread use of these high performing nanocomposites. The crystallization behaviour of these systems, with filler content in the range of 0.2–3.5 wt% has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (up to 100 °C/min) and ex-situ structural and morphological characterization of samples prepared at processing-relevant cooling conditions (up to 2000 °C/s). Compared to the self-nucleated neat iPP, the nucleation efficiency was estimated to vary from 44 to 93% when increasing the filler content. Such a high nucleating efficiency has not been reported yet for a nanocomposite with iPP matrix. This result is due to the very good dispersion of the filler in these melt-mixed graphene-based polypropylene systems. The nucleation ability of the graphene filler does not reach a saturation in the concentration range studied. The gap between laboratory and industrial cooling rate scale is here reduced thanks to the information achieved from the fast-cooling experiments. By varying the filler amount in the investigated range, a significant shift of the cooling rate window in which the transition from α-to mesophase dominated crystallization takes place was detected. Notably, with 3.5 wt% graphene platelets, α-phase crystals are predominantly present in the material even after quenching at 1000 °C/s, similar to highly nucleated commercial iPP grades.
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| 2. |
- Gaska, Karolina, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanical Behavior of Melt‐Mixed 3D Hierarchical Graphene/Polypropylene Nanocomposites
- 2020
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Ingår i: Polymers. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4360. ; 12:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mechanical properties of novel low percolation melt-mixed 3D hierarchical graphene/polypropylene nanocomposites are analyzed in this study. The analysis spans a broad range of techniques and time scales, from impact to tensile, dynamic mechanical behavior, and creep. The applicability of the time–temperature superposition principle and its limitations in the construction of the master curve for the isotactic polypropylene (iPP)-based graphene nanocomposites has been verified and presented. The Williams–Landel–Ferry method has been used to evaluate the dynamics and also Cole–Cole curves were presented to verify the thermorheological character of the nanocomposites. Short term (quasi-static) tensile tests, creep, and impact strength measurements were used to evaluate the load transfer efficiency. A significant increase of Young’s modulus with increasing filler content indicates reasonably good dispersion and adhesion between the iPP and the filler. The Young’s modulus results were compared with predicted modulus values using Halpin–Tsai model. An increase in brittleness resulting in lower impact strength values has also been recorded.
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| 3. |
- Gkourmpis, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Melt-Mixed 3D Hierarchical Graphene/Polypropylene Nanocomposites with Low Electrical Percolation Threshold
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-4991. ; 9:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene-based materials are a family of carbonaceous structures that can be produced using a variety of processes either from graphite or other precursors. These materials are typically a few layered sheets of graphene in the form of platelets and maintain some of the properties of pristine graphene (such as two-dimensional platelet shape, aspect ratio, and graphitic bonding). In this work we present melt mixed graphene-based polypropylene systems with significantly reduced percolation threshold. Traditionally melt-mixed systems suffer from poor dispersion that leads to high electrical percolation values. In contrast in our work, graphene was added into an isotactic polypropylene matrix, achieving an electrical percolation threshold of similar to 1 wt.%. This indicates that the filler dispersion process has been highly efficient, something that leads to the suppression of the beta phase that have a strong influence on the crystallization behavior and subsequent thermal and mechanical performance. The electrical percolation values obtained are comparable with reported solution mixed systems, despite the use of simple melt mixing protocols and the lack of any pre or post-treatment of the final compositions. The latter is of particular importance as the preparation method used in this work is industrially relevant and is readily scalable.
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| 4. |
- Mauri, Massimiliano, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Byproduct-free curing of a highly insulating polyethylene copolymer blend: An alternative to peroxide crosslinking
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7534 .- 2050-7526. ; 6:42, s. 11292-11302
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables are a critical component of tomorrow's power grids that seamlessly integrate renewable sources of energy. The most advanced power cable technology uses crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation, which is produced by peroxide crosslinking of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Peroxide crosslinking gives rise to hazardous byproducts that compromise the initially excellent purity and cleanliness of LDPE, and hence increase the electrical conductivity of the insulation material. Therefore, a byproduct-free curing process, which maintains the processing advantages and high electrical resistivity of LDPE, is in high demand. Here, we demonstrate a viable alternative to peroxide crosslinking that fulfils these requirements. Click chemistry reactions between two polyethylene copolymers allow the design of a curing process that is additive-free and does not result in the release of any byproducts. The thermoplastic copolymer blend offers a broad processing window up to 140 °C, where compounding and shaping can be carried out without curing. At more elevated temperatures, epoxy and acrylic acid functional groups rapidly react without byproduct formation to form an infusible network. Strikingly, the crosslinked copolymer blend exhibits a very low direct-current (DC) electrical conductivity of 2 × 10-16 S cm-1 at a typical cable operating temperature of 70 °C, which is on par with values measured for both ultra-clean LDPE and commercial XLPE. Hence, the use of polyethylene copolymer blends opens up the possibility to replace peroxide crosslinking with click chemistry type reactions, which may considerably expand the versatility of the most common type of plastic used today.
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| 5. |
- Stalmann, Gertrud, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Crystallisation Kinetics and Associated Electrical Conductivity Dynamics of Poly(Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) Nanocomposites in the Melt State
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-4991. ; 12:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nanocomposite systems comprised of a poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) (EVA) matrix and carbon black (CB) or graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were used to investigate conductivity and crystallisation dynamics using a commercially relevant melt-state mixing process. Crystallisation kinetics and morphology, as investigated by DSC and SEM, turn out to depend on the interplay of (i) the interphase interactions between matrix and filler, and (ii) the degree of filler agglomeration. For the GNP-based systems, an almost constant conductivity value was observed for all compositions upon cooling, something not observed for the CB-based compositions. These conductivity changes reflect structural and morphological changes that can be associated with positive and negative thermal expansion coefficients. GNP-based systems were observed to exhibit a percolation threshold of approximately 2.2 vol%, lower than the 4.4 vol% observed for the CB-based systems.
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