Carbon-based materials, such as graphene and carbon fibers, have good prospects for applications in reinforcements of polymers as advanced structural composites. Hence, the study of the mechanical properties of the constituents and the composites is becoming increasingly popular in both academia and industry.', 'Graphene has been shown to have a...
In recent times, there has been a transition away from traditional engineering materials to more advanced materials that are multi-functional and exhibit improved thermomechanical properties. Much of the inspiration for these advanced materials comes from natural biological systems that fulfill the needs of diverse organisms through clever material organization and...
Time-resolved in situ synchrotron x-ray scattering studies of particle orientation in polymer-clay nanocomposites under simple shear and complex flow were performed. Shear flow experiments used an annular cone and plate x-ray shear cell to allow measurement of platelet orientation within the flow-gradient plane.
Intercalated nanocomposites were made by dispersing organically...
High performance polymers and their composites have wide ranging application in advanced and emerging material systems. The macroscale performance of these advanced materials is often defined by interfaces that induce nanoscale changes in the microstructure or molecular conformations (termed the ‘interphase’) of the polymer. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an...