Renguo Lv

Effect of Heat Treatment on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Polyphenylene Sulfide Fiber Materials

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fiber materials, whose raw fibers had been heat treated previously for 1 to 5 days, were prepared by a hot-pressing method. The tribological properties of PPS resin and fiber materials against an AISI 1045 steel ring were evaluated using a block-on-ring wear tester. The results showed that the sample whose raw fibers had been heated at 240°C for 1 day (S1) exhibited the highest impact strength as well as the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate. The friction coefficient of S1 was 39% lower than that of the PPS resin material, and its wear rate was 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of the other samples. DSC analysis results indicated that the condensed structure of the samples gradually changed from the crystalline to the amorphous state with the increase of heat-treatment time of the raw fibers. DMA and DSC analysis results proved that severe, oxidative cross-linking reactions occurred when the raw fibers were heated over 3 days. It is concluded that proper heat treatment of the raw fibers is advantageous to improve the degree of crystallinity and appropriate oxidative cross-linking; therefore, the prepared PPS fiber material can exhibit better mechanical and tribological performances.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Fluorinated Phenolic Resin/phenolic Resin Blend

ABSTRACT Fluorine atoms were introduced into the molecular chain of a phenolic resin (PR) by a two-step acid synthesis process to improve its thermal and hydrophobic properties. The successful synthesis of a fluorinated phenolic resin/phenolic resin blend (F-PR/PR) was proven by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance 19F (19F-NMR). The thermal properties of F-PR/PR were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the results indicate that the F-PR/PR had good thermal stability. The hydrophobic properties of PR were effectively modified as demonstrated by the water drop contact angles. The flexural and tribological properties of F-PR/PR were also investigated. The fluorine atom, by virtue of its electronegativity, size and bond strength with carbon, can be used to create composites from F-PR/PR with remarkable properties. For comparison, two other resin blends were also synthesized.