Sized PAN-based carbon fibers were treated with hydrochloric and nitric acids, as well as argon and oxygen cold plasmas, and the changes on their surfaces evaluated. The physicochemical properties and morphological changes were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), tensile strength tests and Raman spectroscopy. The nitric acid treatment was found to cause the most significant chemical changes on the carbon fiber surface, introducing the largest number of chemical groups and augmenting the roughness. The oxygen plasma treatments caused ablation of the carbon fiber surface, removing carbon atoms such as CO and CO 2 molecules. In addition, the argon plasma treatment eliminated defects on the fiber surface, reducing the size of critical flaws and thus increasing the fiber's tensile strength.

It is a known fact that the adequate combination of components and experimental conditions may produce materials with specific requirements. This study presents the effect of carbon fiber fabric impregnation with polyaniline conducting polymer aiming at the radar absorbing material processing. The experiments consider the sample preparation with one and two impregnations. The prepared samples were evaluated by reflectivity measurements, in the frequency range of 8-12 GHz and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The correlation of the results shows that the quantity of impregnated material influences the performance of the processed microwave absorber. This study shows that the proposed experimental route provides flexible absorbers with absorption values of the incident radiation close to 87%

The choice of the mould powder for slab casting is a difficult task because mould powders have many important functions during the continuous casting of steel. CaF 2 is a key ingredient in conventional mould slags since it reduces the viscosity, the liquidus temperature and the break temperature. Fluorine in mould powders is undesirable from the environmental and health points of view due to the following reasons: (i) evolves easily from slags, producing health-injurious gaseous substances, such as hydrofluoric acid; (ii) creates problems for storage and utilisation of solid waste and (iii) causes machinery corrosion. Aim of the present work is to describe the development of a new F-free mould powder for low carbon steel slab casting replacing CaF 2 with B 2 O 3 . Laboratory tests and industrial trials were performed considering the technological parameters viscosity, break temperature and crystallisation tendency. From laboratory tests it was concluded that important technological parameters are similar when comparing the Fbearing mould powder (reference) and the new F-free B-bearing mould powder for low carbon steel slab casting: viscosity at 1300°C, break temperature, and crystallisation tendency. It was observed during industrial trials that a significant decrease of the submerged entry nozzle erosion was observed. The results were similar when comparing the F-bearing and the F-free performance: slag pool thickness measurements, melting behaviour, Al 2 O 3 absorption, mould powder consumption and slabs superficial quality.

Poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) is an engineering thermoplastic polymer that presents high temperature resistance (glass transition temperature around 85 ºC and melting point at 285 ºC). These properties combined with its mechanical properties and its high chemical resistance allows its use in technological applications such as molding resins and as matrix for structural thermoplastic composites. During the manufacture of thermoplastic composites, the polymer is exposed to repeated melting, quenching and crystallization processes. The properties of semicrystalline polymers, such as PPS, depend on its crystallization behavior. This work deals with the PPS crystallization kinetics under different thermal cycles. This study was performed under isothermal conditions in a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), coupled to Perkin Elmer crystallization software referred to as Pyris Kinetics -Crystallization. The results were correlated with microscopic analyses carried out in a polarized light microscope, equipped with a controlled heating and cooling accessory. In this case, the experimental conditions were the same adopted for the DSC analyses. From the results, parameters could be established to be used in the composite manufacture.

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