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Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization

Epoxy matrix composites reinforced with high-performance fibers, such as carbon, Kevlar, and glass, exhibit excellent specific stiffness and strength in many mechanical applications. However, these composites are disappointingly non-recyclable and are usually disposed of in landfill sites, with no r...

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Autores principales: Statnik, Eugene S., Cvjetinovic, Julijana, Ignatyev, Semen D., Wassouf, Loujain, Salimon, Alexey I., Korsunsky, Alexander M.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10675470/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38006172
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym15224448
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author Statnik, Eugene S.
Cvjetinovic, Julijana
Ignatyev, Semen D.
Wassouf, Loujain
Salimon, Alexey I.
Korsunsky, Alexander M.
author_facet Statnik, Eugene S.
Cvjetinovic, Julijana
Ignatyev, Semen D.
Wassouf, Loujain
Salimon, Alexey I.
Korsunsky, Alexander M.
author_sort Statnik, Eugene S.
collection PubMed
description Epoxy matrix composites reinforced with high-performance fibers, such as carbon, Kevlar, and glass, exhibit excellent specific stiffness and strength in many mechanical applications. However, these composites are disappointingly non-recyclable and are usually disposed of in landfill sites, with no realistic prospect for biodegradation in a reasonable time. In contrast, moldable composites with carbonized elastomeric matrices developed in the last decades possess attractive mechanical properties in final net-shape products and can also be incinerated or recycled. Many carbon and inorganic fillers have recently been evaluated to adjust the properties of carbonized elastomeric composites. Renewable organic fillers, such as human or animal hair, offer an attractive fibrous material with substantial potential for reinforcing composites with elastomeric matrices. Samples of unidirectional fiber composites (with hair volume fractions up to 7%) and quasi-isotropic short fiber composites (with hair volume fractions up to 20%) of human hair-reinforced nitrile butadiene rubbers (HH-NBRs) were produced in the peroxide-cured and carbonized states. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and photoacoustic microscopy. Mechanical tests were performed under tension using a miniature universal testing machine. The expected effect of fiber reinforcement on the overall mechanical performance was demonstrated for both cured and carbonized composites. Considerable enhancement of the elastic modulus (up to ten times), ultimate tensile strength (up to three times), and damage tolerance was achieved. The evidence of satisfactory interfacial bonding between hair and rubber was confirmed via SEM imaging of fracture surfaces. The suitability of photoacoustic microscopy was assessed for 3D reconstructions of the fiber sub-system’s spatial distribution and non-destructive testing.
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spelling pubmed-106754702023-11-17 Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization Statnik, Eugene S. Cvjetinovic, Julijana Ignatyev, Semen D. Wassouf, Loujain Salimon, Alexey I. Korsunsky, Alexander M. Polymers (Basel) Article Epoxy matrix composites reinforced with high-performance fibers, such as carbon, Kevlar, and glass, exhibit excellent specific stiffness and strength in many mechanical applications. However, these composites are disappointingly non-recyclable and are usually disposed of in landfill sites, with no realistic prospect for biodegradation in a reasonable time. In contrast, moldable composites with carbonized elastomeric matrices developed in the last decades possess attractive mechanical properties in final net-shape products and can also be incinerated or recycled. Many carbon and inorganic fillers have recently been evaluated to adjust the properties of carbonized elastomeric composites. Renewable organic fillers, such as human or animal hair, offer an attractive fibrous material with substantial potential for reinforcing composites with elastomeric matrices. Samples of unidirectional fiber composites (with hair volume fractions up to 7%) and quasi-isotropic short fiber composites (with hair volume fractions up to 20%) of human hair-reinforced nitrile butadiene rubbers (HH-NBRs) were produced in the peroxide-cured and carbonized states. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and photoacoustic microscopy. Mechanical tests were performed under tension using a miniature universal testing machine. The expected effect of fiber reinforcement on the overall mechanical performance was demonstrated for both cured and carbonized composites. Considerable enhancement of the elastic modulus (up to ten times), ultimate tensile strength (up to three times), and damage tolerance was achieved. The evidence of satisfactory interfacial bonding between hair and rubber was confirmed via SEM imaging of fracture surfaces. The suitability of photoacoustic microscopy was assessed for 3D reconstructions of the fiber sub-system’s spatial distribution and non-destructive testing. MDPI 2023-11-17 /pmc/articles/PMC10675470/ /pubmed/38006172 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym15224448 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Statnik, Eugene S.
Cvjetinovic, Julijana
Ignatyev, Semen D.
Wassouf, Loujain
Salimon, Alexey I.
Korsunsky, Alexander M.
Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title_full Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title_fullStr Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title_full_unstemmed Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title_short Hair-Reinforced Elastomer Matrix Composites: Formulation, Mechanical Testing, and Advanced Microstructural Characterization
title_sort hair-reinforced elastomer matrix composites: formulation, mechanical testing, and advanced microstructural characterization
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10675470/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38006172
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym15224448
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