Mapping Viscoelastic and Plastic Properties of Polymers and Polymer-Nanotube Composites using Instrumented Indentation

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IDENTIFIABILITY OF ELASTOMER MECHANICAL PROPERTIES BY NANO-INDENTATION AND SHAPE-MANIFOLD APPROACH

Various research is covering instrumented nano-indentation in the literature. However, studies on this characterization test remain limited when it comes to the local mechanical behavior of elastomeric materials. The application of nano-indentation on these materials is a difficult task given their complex mechanical and structural characteristics. We try to overcome these experimental limitations and find an effective numerical approach for local mechanical characterization of hyper-elastic materials. For such needs, we carried out a numerical study based on model reduction and shape manifold approach to investigate the parameters identification of different hyper-elastic constitutive laws by using instrumented indentation. Similarly, we studied the influence of the indenter geometry, the friction coefficient variation, and finally the indented material height effect. To this end, we constructed a reduced order model through a design of experiments by proper orthogonal decomposition combined with the kriging interpolation method.

Physical and Chemical Properties Characterization of 3D-Printed Substrates Loaded with Copper-Nickel Nanowires

This study deals with the laser stereolithography manufacturing feasibility of copper-nickel nanowire-loaded photosensitive resins. The addition of nanowires resulted in a novel resin suitable for additive manufacturing technologies based on layer-by-layer photopolymerization. The pure and nanowire-loaded resin samples were 3D printed in a similar way. Their morphological, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties were characterized. X-ray computed tomography revealed that 0.06 vol % of the composite resin was filled with nanowires forming randomly distributed aggregates. The increase of 57% in the storage modulus and 50% in the hardness when loading the resin with nanowire was attributed to the load transfer. Moreover, the decrease in the glass transition temperature from 57.9 °C to 52.8 °C in the polymeric matrix with nanowires evidenced a decrease in the cross-linking density, leading to a higher mobility of the polymer chains during glass transition. Consequently, this research demonstrates the successful dispersion and use of copper-nickel nanowires as a reinforcement material in a commercial resin for laser stereolithography.

Analysis of Viscoelastic Behavior of Polypropylene/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites by Instrumented Indentation

In this work, the viscoelastic behavior of polypropylene (PP)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites was investigated by indentation testing and phenomenological modeling. Firstly, indentation tests including two-cycle indentation were carried out on PP/MWCNT nanocomposite with three MWCNT loadings (1, 3 and 5 wt %). Next, the Maxwell-Voigt-Kelvin model coupled with two-cycle indentation tests was used to predict the shear creep compliance function and the equivalent indentation modulus. The indentation hardness and elastic modulus of the PP/MWCNT nanocomposites extracted based on the Oliver and Pharr method were compared with the equivalent indentation modulus predicted based on the Maxwell-Voigt-Kelvin mode. The experimental results indicated that the addition of nanotubes into the polypropylene has a positive effect on the micro-mechanical properties of PP/MWCNT nanocomposites. Indentation hardness and elastic modulus increased significantly with increasing MWCNT loading. The creep resistance at the micro-scale of the PP/MWCNT nanocomposites improved with the addition of MWCNTs, with creep displacement reduced by up to 20% by increasing the carbon nanotube loading from 1 to 5 wt %. The Maxwell-Voigt-Kelvin model with three and five Voigt-Kelvin units accurately predicted the shear creep function and its change with increasing MWCNT loading. However, the equivalent indentation modulus was found to be sensitive to the number of Voigt-Kelvin units: the more Voigt-Kelvin units, the better the model predicts the equivalent indentation modulus.

Film-Forming Sprays for Topical Drug Delivery

Film-forming sprays offer many advantages compared to conventional topical preparations because they can provide uniform drug distribution and dose, increased bioavailability, lower incidence of irritation, continuous drug release, and accelerated wound healing through moisture control. Film-forming sprays consist of polymers and excipients that improve the characteristics of preparations and enhance the stability of active substances. Each type of polymer and excipient will produce films with different features. Therefore, the various types of polymers and excipients and their evaluation standards need to be examined for the development of a more optimal form of film-forming spray. The selected literature included research on polymers as film-forming matrices and the application of these sprays for medical purposes or for potential medical use. This article discusses the types and concentrations of polymers and excipients, sprayer types, evaluations, and critical parameters in determining the sprayability and film characteristics. The review concludes that both natural and synthetic polymers that have in situ film or viscoelastic properties can be used to optimise topical drug delivery.

Effect of interface surface design on the fracture behavior of bilayered composites

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different interface designs on the load‐bearing capacity of bilayered composite structures (BLS). Cylindrical specimens of BLS were prepared from base composite of 3.5 mm thickness and surface composite of 1.5 mm thickness (n = 80). Two different base composites – flowable bulk‐fill (FBF) [smart dentin replacement (SDR)] and short fiber‐reinforced (FRC) (everX Posterior) – were evaluated, and conventional composite (G‐ænial Posterior) was used as the surface layer. Four different interface designs were used: (i) pyramidal; (ii) mesh; (iii) linear grooves; and (iv) flat surface (control). Three‐dimensional printed molds were fabricated to standardize the interface design between the surface and the base composites. The specimens were then statically loaded with a steel ball until fracture using a universal testing machine. Fracture types were classified into catastrophic, complete, and partial bulk. anova revealed that both the material and the interface design had a statistically significant effect on the load‐bearing capacity. Flowable bulk‐fill showed lower mean load‐bearing capacity than FRC in all the interface designs tested, except for the flat surface design. Fracture analysis showed that FRC demonstrated up to 100% partial bulk fractures with the pyramid interface design, but no incidence of catastrophic bulk fracture. By contrast, FBF demonstrated up to 84.6% and 40% catastrophic bulk fractures with the flat interface design but no incidence of partial bulk fracture. Consequently, the interface designs studied enhanced the fracture behavior of BLS.

Manufacturing of Polymeric Substrates with Copper Nanofillers through Laser Stereolithography Technique

This study presents the additive manufacture of objects using mass-functionalized photo-resins, which are additively photopolymerized using the laser stereolithography technique. The mass functionalization is based on the incorporation of copper nanowires used as fillers at different concentrations. Cylindrical and tensile test probes are designed and manufactured in a layer-by-layer approach using a low-cost laser stereolithography system working with a layer thickness of 100 µm. The morphological, mechanical, thermal and chemical results help to show the viability and potential that this combination of mass-functionalized resins and technological processes may have in the near future, once key challenges are solved. Finally, some potential applications are also discussed.