Preparation and Characterization of Furan-Matrix Composites Blended with Modified Hollow Glass Microsphere

Recent advances in the development of green furan ring-containing polymeric materials based on renewable plant biomass

Fossil resources are rapidly depleting, forcing researchers in various fields of chemistry and materials science to switch to the use of renewable sources and the development of corresponding technologies. In this regard, the field of sustainable materials science is experiencing an extraordinary surge of interest in recent times due to the significant advances made in the development of new polymers with desired and controllable properties. This review summarizes important scientific reports in recent times dedicated to the synthesis, construction and computational studies of novel sustainable polymeric materials containing unchanged (pseudo)aromatic furan cores in their structure. Linear polymers for thermoplastics, branched polymers for thermosets and other crosslinked materials are emerging materials to highlight. Various polymer blends and composites based on sustainable polyfurans are also considered as pathways to achieve high-value-added products.

Multiscale Simulation on the Thermal Response of Woven Composites with Hollow Reinforcements

In this paper, we established a progressive multiscale model for a plain-woven composite with hollow microfibers and beads and investigated the general conductive thermal response. Micromechanic techniques were employed to predict the effective conductivity coefficients of the extracted representative volume elements (RVEs) at different scales, which were then transferred to higher scales for progressive homogenization. A structural RVE was finally established to study the influence of microscale parameters, such as phase volume fraction, the thickness of the fibers/beads, etc., on the effective and localized behavior of the composite system It was concluded that the volume fraction of the hollow glass beads (HGBs) and the thickness of the hollow fibers (HFs) had a significant effect on the effective thermal coefficients of the plain-woven composites. Furthermore, it was found that an increasing HGB volume fraction had a more significant effect in reducing the thermal conductivity of composite. The present simulations provide guidance to future experimental testing.