Tensile and Interfacial Loading Characteristics of Boron Nitride-Carbon Nanosheet Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites

Exceptional piezocatalytic H2 production of nitrogen-doped TiO2@carbon nanosheets induced by engineered piezoelectricity

Piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution is a promising strategy to generate sustainable energy. In this report, nitrogen-doped (N-doped) TiO2@ carbon nanosheets (N-TiO2@C NSs) was successfully synthesized using C3N4 as a multifunctional template. During the synthesis, the two-dimensional (2D) architecture of C3N4 nanosheets directed the synthesis of TiO2 nanosheets. In addition, nitrogens of C3N4 were doped into the TiO2 lattice. Simultaneously, C3N4 was transformed into N-doped carbon nanosheets. N doping broke the crystal symmetry of TiO2, which endowed TiO2 with promising piezoelectric properties. The N-doped carbon nanosheets derived from C3N4 improved charge carrier separation efficiency and served as a flexible support to inhibit structural damage under sonication. Therefore, the N-TiO2@C NSs exhibited highly efficient activity for piezocatalytic H2 production (6.4 mmol·g-1·h-1) in the presence of methanol, much higher than those of the previously reported piezocatalysts. Our method is hoped to provide a new strategy for designing highly efficient piezocatalysts.

Dataset on tribological, characterization and thermal properties of Silicon carbide reinforced polyamide composites for industrial applications

This dataset comprises the characterizations, tribological and thermal properties of Silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced Nylon 6 (N6) or Polyamide 6 composites. The dataset illustrates the tribological properties such as coefficient of friction, wear and it also describes the characterizations and thermal stability of polyamide composites by varying the weight percentages from 5 - 30wt.% The composites samples were fabricated by injection moulding method. The tribological, characterization and thermal behaviors were determined by wear test, characterizations were carried out by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Thermal stability, degradation performed by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Derivative Thermogravimetry (DTG) of the polyamide composites. The dataset helps the readers to understand the significant characteristics of the SiC reinforced N6 composites. However, it is revealed that the addition of SIC can enhance the N6 properties. The preparation of N6 polymer composites findings were useful with good tribological (highly wear resistive) and thermal stability characteristics. This composite can be used for high impact stress parts of gears application.

Mechanical Properties and Shrinkage Behavior of Concrete-Containing Graphene-Oxide Nanosheets

Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used as an additive due to its numerous unique properties. In this study, the compressive strength, flexural strength and elasticity modulus of concrete containing 0.02 wt%, 0.05 wt % and 0.08 wt % GO, and its dry shrinkage performance have been experimentally investigated. After the sample preparation, apparatus for compression test and flexural test were used to test the relevant properties of concrete containing GO. The dial indicators were used to measure the shrinkage of samples. The results indicate that GO can considerably improve the compressive strength, flexural strength, and elasticity modulus of concrete at the concrete age of 28 days by 4.04–12.65%, 3.8–7.38%, and 3.92–10.97%, respectively, which are substantially smaller than the increment at the age of 3 d by 5.02–21.51%, 4.25–13.06%, and 6.07–27.45% under a water-cement ratio of 0.35. It was also found that GO can increase the shrinkage strain of concrete. For example, at the age of 60 days, 0.02 wt%, 0.05 wt% and 0.08 wt% GO can increase the shrinkage strain of ordinary concrete by 1.99%, 5.79% and 7.45% respectively under a water-cement ratio of 0.49. The study has advanced our understanding on mechanical and shrinkage behavior of concrete containing GO.

Facile Fabrication of PA66/GO/MWNTs-COOH Nanocomposites and Their Fibers

Good dispersion and interfacial compatibility are the key issues to realize the full potential of the physical–mechanical properties of nanocarbon-materials reinforced composites. Styrene–maleic-anhydride-copolymer (SMA)-treated graphene oxide (GO), carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs-COOH), and solid-state shear milling (S3M) were applied to further improve the physical–mechanical properties of the nanocomposite fibers. The results show that a mixture of GO/MWNTs-COOH exhibits good dispersion and interfacial compatibility in polyamide-66 (PA66) matrix. Consequently, the physical–mechanical properties of the fibers, which were spun from the nanocomposite of GO/MWNTs-COOH treated using SMA and S3M methods, show a significant enhancement compared to the untreated fibers as well as better crystallization and thermal properties. In particular, the tensile strength of the PA66/GO/MWNTs-COOH nanocomposite fibers with a loading of 0.3 wt % GO/MWNTs-COOH reaches a maximum (979 MPa), which is the highest among all of the reported literature values. Moreover, the fibers were fabricated by a facile process with efficiency, holding great potential for industrial applications.