Modeling of the Mechanical Properties of Blend Based Polymer Nanocomposites Considering the Effects of Janus Nanoparticles on Polymer/Polymer Interface

The effects of morphological variation and polymer/polymer interface on the tensile modulus of binary polymer blends: a modeling approach

In this work, the effects of the morphological variation and the polymer/polymer interface on the tensile modulus of binary polymer blends were evaluated using a combined modeling method. The characteristics of the polymer/polymer interface region were evaluated using a neural network system and the results were used to improve the analytical model. The model accuracy was investigated by comparing its predictions with the tensile test results of some prepared iPP/PA blend samples and also some other data from literature which revealed an acceptable accuracy (error < 5%).

Epitaxial Crystallization of Poly(ε-caprolactone) on Reduced Graphene Oxide at a Low Shear Rate by In Situ SAXS/WAXD Methods

The interfacial interaction between polymers and reinforcements has a positive effect on the properties of polymer nanocomposites, and a further study on the evolution of this interfacial interaction under a shear field is conducive to reasonable regulation of the properties of polymer nanocomposites. For this purpose, epitaxial crystallization of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is investigated by shearing at the shear rate of 3 s-1 by in situ synchrotron radiation. In situ two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2D SAXS) results suggest that the imposed shear field promotes the orientation of the polymer chains, resulting in the formation of a large periodic structure of PCL on the RGO surface. In addition, higher shear temperatures facilitate the conformational adjustment of the PCL molecular chain on RGO at the shear rate of 3 s-1, resulting in the formation of thicker lamellae. In situ two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction (2D WAXD) results show that shear enhances the crystallinity of the PCL/RGO nanocomposite and promotes the oriented growth of epitaxial and bulk crystals. The current findings can improve the understanding of the structural evolution behavior of PCL/RGO nanocomposites after shear and especially enhance dramatically our understanding of the underlying mechanism of influence of shear on interfacial epitaxial crystallization in polymer/graphene nanocomposite systems.