Maobai Lai

Critical interparticle distance for the remarkably enhanced dielectric constant of BaTiO3-Ag hybrids filled polyvinylidene fluoride composites

Discrete nano Ag-deposited BaTiO3 (BT-Ag) hybrids with varied Ag content were synthesized, and the hybrids filled polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites were prepared. The effect of Ag content on the dielectric properties of the composites were analyzed based on the diffused electrical double layer theory. Results showed that with a higher Ag content in BT-Ag hybrids, the dielectric constant of BT-Ag/PVDF composites increases fast with the filler loading, while the dielectric loss and conductivity showed a suppressed and moderate increase. The dielectric constant of BT-0.61Ag/PVDF (61 wt. % of Ag in BT-Ag hybrid) composites reached 613, with the dielectric loss of 0.29 at 1 kHz. It was deduced that remarkably enhanced dielectric constant appeared when the interparticle distance decreased to a critical value of about 20 nm.

Tuning the mechanical properties of glass fiber-reinforced bismaleimide–triazine resin composites by constructing a flexible bridge at the interface

Abstract We demonstrate a new method that can simultaneously improve the strength and toughness of the glass fiber-reinforced bismaleimide–triazine (BT) resin composites by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) to construct a flexible bridge at the interface. The mechanical properties, including the elongation, ultimate tensile stress, Young’s modulus, toughness and dynamical mechanical properties were studied as a function of the length of PEG molecular chain. It was found that the PEG molecule acts as a bridge to link BT resin and glass fiber through covalent and non-covalent bondings, respectively, resulting in improved interfacial bonding. The incorporation of PEG produces an increase in elongation, ultimate tensile stress and toughness. The Young’s modulus and Tg were slightly reduced when the length of the PEG molecular chain was high. The elongation of the PEG-modified glass fiber-reinforced composites containing 5 wt% PEG-8000 increased by 67.1%, the ultimate tensile stress by 17.9% and the toughness by 78.2% compared to the unmodified one. This approach provides an efficient way to develop substrate material with improved strength and toughness for integrated circuit packaging applications.

The anti-supercooling effect of surface-modified nano-scaled SiO2 in hydrated salts phase transition system

Phase change characteristics of hydrate salt were analyzed for a system consisting of three types of SiO2 nano-particles doped phase change materials (PCMs). By using the three nano-particles of Aerosol SiO2, RNS-A SiO2 and Liquid phase SiO2, the surface effect of the interaction between nano-particles and hydrate salts was investigated. The time-temperature curves and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) testing results showed that Aerosol SiO2 had the most effective and stable performance as the nucleators for hydrate salts. The analysis of FT-IR showed that there were strong characteristic hydroxyl bonds on the surface of Aerosol SiO2. And the designed hydroxyl controllable silica gel system could prove the effect of hydroxyl bonds on suppressing supercooling of hydrate salts. It was concluded that supercooling of hydrate salts could be easily suppressed by the nano-additives with high specific surface area and strong polar hydroxyls in the surface. The ion-exchange attraction between hydroxyls and hydrate salts might mainly result in the supersaturation of hydrate salts in the interface of nano-particles. And then the supercooling of hydrate salts could be suppressed. The theoretical analysing model based on interionic attraction is a novel approach for investigating the nucleation of hydrate salts. And this result might provide a potential low-cost approach for the applications of nano-additivs in building energy storage and coolant.

Investigating the mechanism of catalytic reduction of silver nitrate on the surface of barium titanate at room temperature: oxygen vacancies play a key role

In this study, the formation mechanism of Ag nanoparticles deposited on Barium Titanate (BT) surface was investigated. The surface oxygen vacancies of BT linked with the hydroxyl oxygen of ethylene glycol and catalyzed the reduction of silver nitrate, leading to promoted deposition of Ag nano particles on the BT surface.

Preparation and evaluation of embedded capacitors with high permittivity BT/ER composites by graft modified method

Dielectric materials with high-K, low loss and high breakdown voltage are of great importance for a broad range of applications in modern electronics and electrical power systems. In this work, embedded capacitors were fabricated with BT/ER composites as the dielectric layer. The composites were modified with Cr Acac which reacted with epoxy matrix. The addition of PEG and Cr Acac enhanced the permittivity. The embedded capacitor samples showed higher capacitance density. The breakdown voltages, thermal stability, and moisture absorption of the samples were also measured and evaluated. The results indicated that these properties reached the industry requirement and the composites were suitable for the industrial application.

Preparation and energy-saving application of polyurethane/phase change composite materials for electrical water heaters

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in heat management because of the demand for developed energy conservation, and has applications in diverse areas, from buildings to textiles and clothings. In this study, we aimed to improve thermal characteristics of polyurethane rigid foams that have been widely used for thermal insulation in electrical water heaters. Through this work, paraffin waxes with melting point of 55~65°C act as phase change materials. Then the phase change materials were incorporated into the polyurethane foams at certain ratio. The polyurethane/phase change composite materials used as insulation layers in electrical water heaters performed the enthalpy value of 5~15 J/g. Energy efficiency of the electrical water heaters was tested according to the National Standard of China GB 21519-2008. Results show that 24 h energy consumption of the electrical water heaters manufactured by traditional polyurethane rigid foams and polyurethane/phase change material composites was 1.0612 kWh and 0.9833 kWh, respectively. The results further show that the energy-saving rate is 7.36%. These proved that polyurethane/phase change composite materials can be designed as thermal insulators equipped with electrical water heaters and have a significant effect on energy conservation.