Abstract:In this work, typical high-performance yarns are oxy-fluorinated, such as carbon fibers, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, poly(p-phenylene sulfide) and poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide). The focus is on the property changes of the fiber surface, especially the wetting behavior, structure and chemical composition. Therefore, contact angle, XPS and tensile strength measurements are performed on treated and untreated fibers, while SEM is utilized to evaluate the surface structure. Different results for the fiber materials are observed. While polyethylene exhibits a relevant impact on both surface and bulk properties, polyphenylene terephthalamide and polyphenylene sulfide are only affected slightly by (oxy-)fluorination. The wetting of carbon fiber needs higher treatment intensities, but in contrast to the organic fibers, even its textile-physical properties are enhanced by the treatment. Based on these findings, the capability of (oxy-)fluorination to improve the adhesion of textiles in fiber-reinforced composite materials can be derived.

No abstract

Nondestructive flaw detection in polymeric materials is important but difficult to achieve. In this research, the application of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) in nondestructive flaw detection is studied and realized, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. Superparamagnetic and highly magnetic (up to 63 emu/g) magnetite core-shell nanoparticles are prepared by grafting bromo-end-group-functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (Br-PGMA) onto surface-modified FeO NPs. These FeO-PGMA NPs are blended into bisphenol A diglycidylether (BADGE)-based epoxy to form homogeneously distributed magnetic epoxy nanocomposites (MENCs) after curing. The core FeO of the FeO-PGMA NPs endows the MENCs with magnetic property, which is crucial for nondestructive flaw detection of the materials, while the shell PGMA promotes colloidal stability and prevents NP aggregation during curing. The eddy current testing (ET) technique is first applied to detect flaws in the MENCs. Through the brightness contrast of the ET image, surficial and subsurficial flaws in MENCs can be detected, even for MENCs with low content of FeO-PGMA NPs (1 wt %). The incorporation of FeO-PGMA NPs can be easily extended to other polymer and polymer-based composite systems and opens a new and very promising pathway toward MNP-based nondestructive flaw detection in polymeric materials.

A novel way for destruction‐free, volume‐oriented component diagnostics is reported. Surface‐modified magnetic nanoparticles are applied for impregnation of plasma‐activated UHMW PE textiles, which are embedded into an epoxy matrix. Supported by simulations, this comprehensive study from single molecules to composites extends the knowledge of molecular interactions at polymer interfaces and broadens the application of non‐destructive methods.

Der Botanische Garten Dresden ist eine öffentliche Einrichtung, die Aus- und Weiterbildungsangebote vielfältigster Art anbietet. Von der eher zufälligen Beschäftigung mit einzelnen Aspekten von Pflanzen während eines Sonntagsspaziergangs bis zur Spezialausbildung von Gärtnern und Studierenden wird die gesamte Spannbreite der Möglichkeiten ausgeschöpft, wie dieser Beitrag darlegt.