Paulo E. Lopes

Physical and mechanical characterization of nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes functionalized with the matrix polymer

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) are functionalized with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The functionalized nanotubes are homogeneously dispersed in a PVA solution. Nanocomposite films with low SWNT content (0.1 to 1%) are produced by the wet-casting method. X-ray diffraction shows that the PVA crystallinity was not affected by the presence of the SWNT. The improvement in tensile modulus and strength at such low reinforcement loadings is indicative of good interfacial bonding between the functionalized nanotubes and the polymer matrix.

Program and aspect metrics for MATLAB

In this paper we present the main concepts of a domain-specific aspect language for specifying cross-cutting concerns of MATLAB programs, together with a suite of metrics that is capable of assessing the overall advantage of introducing aspects in the development cycle of MATLAB software. We present the results of using our own suite to quantify the advantages of using aspect oriented programming, both in terms of programming effort and code quality. The results are promising and show a good potential for aspect oriented programming in MATLAB while our suite proves to be capable of analyzing the overall characteristics of MATLAB solutions and providing interesting results about them.

Self-Assembled Functionalized Graphene Nanoribbons from Carbon Nanotubes

Graphene nanoribbons (GNR) were generated in ethanol solution by unzipping pyrrolidine-functionalized carbon nanotubes under mild conditions. Evaporation of the solvent resulted in regular few-layer stacks of graphene nanoribbons observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction. The experimental interlayer distance (0.49-0.56 nm) was confirmed by computer modelling (0.51 nm). Computer modelling showed that the large interlayer spacing (compared with graphite) is due to the presence of the functional groups and depends on their concentration. Stacked nanoribbons were observed to redissolve upon solvent addition. This preparation method could allow the fine-tuning of the interlayer distances by controlling the number and/or the nature of the chemical groups in between the graphene layers.

Microinjection molding of polyamide 6/carbon nanotube composites

Abstract Microinjection molding of polymer composites with carbon nanotubes (CNT) requires previous production of the nanocomposites, often by melt extrusion. Each processing step has a thermo-mechanical effect on the polymer melt, conveying different properties to the final product. In this work, polyamide 6 and its composites with pristine and functionalized CNT (f-CNT) were processed by a mini twin-screw extrusion, followed by microinjection molding. The morphology induced on the polymer by each process was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X-ray diffraction. Calorimetric analysis showed a secondary crystallization for the microinjected materials, absent for the extruded materials. The characterization of microinjected polyamide 6 by X-ray diffraction revealed a large contribution of the γ phase to the total crystallinity, mainly in the skin region, while the nanocomposites and extruded materials were characterized by a larger contribution of the α phase. Functionalization of CNT did not affect significantly the polymer morphology compared to composites with pristine CNT.

Production of cellulose nanofibers from Alfa grass and application as reinforcement for polyvinyl alcohol

ABSTRACT The work reported demonstrates an simple method of extracting cellulose nanofibers (CNF) from cellulose microfibers (CMF) obtained from the plant Stipatenacissima. Here, a method for the production of CNF from CMF extracted from Alfa grass by exfoliation in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution, is demonstrated. The CMF were produced in powder form and exfoliated in PVA aqueous solution to produce composites with 2, 4, 5 and 10 wt-% of CNF. Scanning Electron Microscopy demonstrated exfoliation of CMF, dispersion of the CNF and wetting by the polymer. The composites were characterised by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and tensile testing. The addition of CNF to PVA reduced the crystallinity degree of PVA. The large increase of the Young’s modulus from 38 to 113% (relative to pure PVA) for composites with 2 to 10 wt-% of CNF incorporation is consistent with the extensive exfoliation of CMF into CNF and its excellent interface with PVA.

Water Dispersible Few-Layer Graphene Stabilized by a Novel Pyrene Derivative at Micromolar Concentration

The search for graphene or few-layer graphene production methods that are simple, allow mass production, and yield good quality material continues to provoke intense investigation. The present work contributes to this investigation through the study of the aqueous exfoliation of four types of graphene sources, which are namely graphite and graphite nanoflakes with different morphologies and geographical origins. The exfoliation was achieved in an aqueous solution of a soluble pyrene derivative that was synthesized to achieve maximum interaction with the graphene surface at low concentration (5 × 10−5 M). The yield of bilayer and few-layer graphene obtained was quantified by Raman spectroscopic analysis, and the adsorption of the pyrene derivative on the graphene surface was studied by thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The whole procedure was rationalized with the help of molecular modeling.

3-[1-(4-Methyl­phen­ylsulfon­yl)-1,4-di­hydro­pyridin-4-yl]-1H-indole

In the title compound, C(20)H(18)N(2)O(2)S, the indole mean plane and benzene ring form a dihedral angle of 65.0 (1)°. In the crystal structure, weak inter-molecular N-H⋯π and C-H⋯O inter-actions link the mol-ecules into ribbons propagated along [100].