Suheyla Kocaman

Chemical and plasma surface modification of lignocellulose coconut waste for the preparation of advanced biobased composite materials

In this study, surface-modified grinded coconut waste (CW) particles were used as bio-fillers to prepare polymeric composite materials with enhanced properties. Epoxy resin modified with acrylated and epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) was used as the polymer matrix. Two different strategies, namely chemical treatment and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were utilized to modify the surface of CW particles for using them as compatible bio-fillers in composite preparation. Chemical modification involved the treatment of CW particles in a highly alkali NaOH solution, while PECVD modification involved coating of a thin film of hydrophobic poly(hexafluorobutyl acrylate) (PHFBA) around individual CW particle surfaces. Untreated and surface-modified CW particles were used in 10-50wt% for preparation of epoxy composites. FTIR analysis was performed to study the effect of modification on the structures of particles and as-prepared composites. The composite morphologies were investigated by XRD and SE. TGA test was conducted to study the thermal behavior of the composites. Also, the effects of CW particle surface modification on the mechanical and water sorption properties of epoxy resin composites were investigated in detail. It was observed that PECVD-treated CW particles had much more positive effects on the thermal, mechanical, wettability and flammability properties of composites.

Effect of Modification with Various Epoxide Compounds on Mechanical, Thermal, and Coating Properties of Epoxy Resin

Epoxy resin (ER) was modified with four different epoxide compounds, 4,5-epoxy-4-methyl-pentane-2-on (EMP), 3-phenyl-1,2-epoxypropane (PhEP), 1-chloro-2,3-epoxy-5-(chloromethyl)-5-hexene (CEH), and a fatty acid glycidyl ester (FAGE), to improve its chemical and physical properties. The effects of the addition and amount of these modifiers on mechanical, thermal, and coating properties were investigated. Atomic force microscopy was used to observe the changes obtained with the modification. The influence of the modifying agents on the curing process was monitored through FTIR spectroscopy. The curing degrees of ER and modified ERs (M-ERs) were found to be over 91%. The results showed that tensile strength of ER improved till 30% (wt.) with addition of the modifier content. Modification with EMP and PhEP remarkably enhanced the thermal stability of ER to be highly resistant to the corrosive media.

Epoxy composites based on inexpensive tire waste filler

Tire waste (TW) was recycled as raw material for the preparation of DGEBA-type epoxy composite materials. The effects of filler amount and epoxy type on the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the composites with NPEL were generally higher than composites with NPEF. The appropriate mass level for TW in both type composites was found to be 20 wt%. The equilibrium water sorption of NPEL/TW and NPEF/TW composites for 14-day immersion was determined as 0.10 % and 0.21 %, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for characterization of the composites.

The influence of semiconductive binary Sb2S3–Yb3S4 system on electrical conductivity property of epoxy composites

The purpose of this study is to develop the semiconductive composites. Semiconducting glass (SG) binary system Sb2S3–Yb3S4 in mole ratio 1:1 was synthesized and was doped with I2. Next, electrically conductive DGEBA-type epoxy resin (ER)/SG-filled composites and epoxy toluene oligomer (ETO) modified epoxy resin-SG filled composites were developed with 3–10 wt. % of fillers and characterized. As a result, the effects of the modifier and amount of semiconductive filler on the electrical properties of commercial epoxy resin were examined. Percolation concentration was 7 wt. % for all composites. For the SG-reinforced composites, the dispersion of the fillers is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).