Now showing 1 - 10 of 21
  • Publication
    Short review: corrosion mitigation of AZ31 Magnesium alloy by superhydrophobic coatings
    (Springer, 2023)
    Nur Fatihah Mohd Fadzil
    ;
    ;
    Razif Muhammed Nordin
    ;
    ;
    Corrosion is a slow chemical process that protects metals from deterioration. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, one of which is coating protection. All such metals and their objects are usually coated with a protective coating. Due to their ability to resist corrosion, these protective coatings can provide a better esthetic as well as a longer lifespan than uncoated ones. Superhydrophobic coatings provide various applications, especially, in corrosion protection due to their water-repellent properties, which can be reflected by measuring the degree of water contact angle. In this short review, different fabrication methods of the superhydrophobic coating were discovered to give good water contact angles and at the same time enhance the anticorrosion performance of the AZ31 Mg alloy. Tafel polarization curve as well as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy is able to provide the necessary assessment of corrosion protection performance of AZ31 Mg alloy.
  • Publication
    Network Structure and Mechanical Properties of Flexible Electronic Interconnects based on Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) Conductive Polymer Composites
    Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) with the ability to maintain high conductivity whilst remaining flexible at various operating temperatures and conditions have gained interest as potential materials for electronic interconnect applications. The ability of a polymer matrix to conduct electricity is mainly dependent on the conductive filler loadings as well as the formation of network paths within the CPCs. The main aim of this research work was to establish and understand the correlation between the network structure formation and mechanical properties of linear low-density polyethylene/copper (LLDPE/Cu) and liquid silicone rubber/copper (LSR/Cu) CPCs. Various techniques such as electron microscopy, thermal studies, four-point probe, and tensile testing were employed in this study. Furthermore, selected samples were characterized and tested using synchrotron micro-x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was found that the electrical conductivity of the CPCs increased with increasing filler loadings. Addition of Cu filler had a marginal effect on the tensile strength of both LLDPE/Cu and LSR/Cu CPCs. Nevertheless, it was found that the elongation at break for LLDPE/Cu consistently increased with the addition of Cu whereas, for LSR/Cu samples, the elongation at break decreased with the addition of Cu at various loadings. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs obtained show that the particles of Cu were closer to one another at higher filler loadings. The data obtained revealed the potential for utilizing CPCs as flexible interconnects suitable for advanced electronic applications.
      1
  • Publication
    The effect of synthesis parameter On HKUST-1 nanocomposites studied by FTIR characterisation and mechanical testing
    ( 2024-12)
    Syazwana Ahmad
    ;
    ; ; ; ;
    E. M. Mahdi
    ;
    Hazizan Md Akil
    ;
    Muhammad Hafiz Hassan
    ;
    Norlin Nosbi
    ;
    Nurfina Yudasari
    In the present work, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST-1) has been synthesised at room temperature with 1:0, 1:1 and 0:1 ratio of ethanol and water and reinforced into polyurethane. In order to understand the impact of synthesis parameters on HKUST-1 nanocomposites, an investigation was conducted using FTIR characterisation and mechanical testing. The objective was to examine the potential improvement of the reinforced polymer. The mechanical testing results were shown to be significantly influenced by the presence of HKUST-1 with 1:0 ratio of ethanol and water (sample A) into polyurethane (PU). The samples underwent Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to determine the types of bonds within the polymer-MOF nanocomposites. It was observed that the reinforced nanoparticles did not undergo any chemical changes, as indicated by the recorded spectra, which can be related to the overlapping characteristics of HKUST-1 and PU. The findings indicate that the A/PU exhibited a notable impact in comparison to other materials, as evidenced by the results of the tensile test and nanoindentation study.
      1  24
  • Publication
    The Influence of Compounding Parameters on the Electrical Conductivity of LDPE/Cu Conductive Polymer Composites (CPCs)
    ( 2021-11-12)
    Farah Badrul
    ;
    ; ; ;
    Nor Asiah Muhamad
    ;
    ;
    Nurul Afiqah Saad
    ;
    Syatirah Mohd Noor
    Low-linear density (LDPE) and copper (Cu) were used as main polymer matrix and conductive filler in order to produce electrically conductive polymer composites (CPC). The selection of the matrix and conductive filler were based on their due to its excellence properties, resistance to corrosion, low cost and electrically conductive. This research works is aimed to establish the effect of compounding parameter on the electrical conductivity of LDPE/Cu composites utilising the design of experiments (DOE). The CPCs was compounded using an internal mixer where all formulations were designed by statistical software. The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) revealed that the Cu conductive filler had a flake-like shape, and the electrical conductivity was found to be increased with increasing filler loading as measured using the four-point probe technique. The conductivity data obtained were then analysed by using the statistical software to establish the relationship between the compounding parameters and electrical conductivity where it was found based that the compounding parameters have had an effect on the conductivity of the CPC.
      1  27
  • Publication
    Micromechanical modeling of polyamide 11 nanocomposites properties using composite theories
    The use of organically modified clays as nano-reinforcement in polymer matrices is widely investigated owing to their remarkable reinforcement at low filler loading. In this body of work, the nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending nanoclay with polyamide 11 (PA 11) utilising a twin-screw extruder in order to maximise the dispersion of clay particles within the matrix during compounding. The main aim of the work was to study the reinforcing effect of nanoclay within PA 11 using two micromechanical model namely Halpin-Tsai and Mori-Tanaka composite theories. These theories were used to predict the effective tensile modulus of PA 11 nanocomposites and the results were compared to the experimental data. In addition, the Halpin-Tsai model was used to predict the storage modulus and heat distortion temperature (HDT) of PA 11 nanocomposites. It was found that the tensile modulus for nanocomposites with a high clay aspect ratio exhibits up to 10% higher when compared to the nanocomposites with lower clay aspect ratio. Thus, it is believed that the combination of clay aspect ratio and modulus contributes to the super reinforcing effect of nanoclay within the PA 11 matrix.
      1  20
  • Publication
    The use of ground & ultrasonicated dolomite (GUD) for improving the tensile performance of Poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) copolymer composite
    ( 2021-11-12)
    Fauzi A.A.A.
    ;
    ; ;
    Mustafa Z.
    ;
    Alakrach A.M.
    ;
    The combination of the organic and inorganic materials to fabricate a new form of material called 'composite' has been performed since several decades ago. However, the strategy to improve the homogeneity of the resultant composite system is still being the main focus of current research. In this study, dolomite and poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (PEVAc) were employed as filler and matrix, respectively. Dolomite was ground and ultrasonicated before being used as filler. It can be observed that the size of dolomite particles has been reduced significantly upon the grinding and ultrasonication processes. The effect of ground and ultrasonicated dolomite (GUD) addition on the mechanical performance of the PEVAc copolymer was investigated. Results indicate that the GUD filler has successfully increased the tensile strength, elongation at break, modulus of elasticity and tensile toughness of the PEVAc copolymer when being employed in 1 wt%. However, the use of higher content of GUD resulted in the decreasing trend of those properties. This shows that the ground and ultrasonicated dolomite with smaller and higher surface area particles than its pristine form could bring improvement to the mechanical performance of the copolymer when being used in low loading as it can be more easily dispersed in the copolymer matrix.
      40  1
  • Publication
    The Effects of Epoxidised Natural Rubber (ENR-50) on Cure Characteristics and Tensile Properties of Recycled Natural Rubber Catheter Filled Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) Vulcanizates
    ( 2020-11-24) ; ;
    Nordin R.M.
    ;
    ;
    Hanafi, Hafizuddin
    The effect of epoxidised natural rubber (ENR-50) on cure characteristics and tensile properties (tensile strength, modulus at 100% elongation and elongation at break) of recycled natural rubber catheter filled ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) vulcanizates were studied. The scorch time, t2 of EPDM/NRr blends with and without ENR-50 increased as NRr content increased while the cure time, t90 is decreased. However, with the presence of ENR-50 in EPDM/NRr blends, the t2 was longer and t90 was shorter than the uncompatibilized EPDM/NRr blends. The minimum torque, ML, of EPDM/NRr blend with and without ENR-50 relatively increased while maximum torque, MH, decreased with increasing NRr content. With the presence of ENR-50, the compatibilized EPDM/NRr blends exhibit a lower value of ML and MH compared with uncompatibilized blends. The incorporation of ENR-50 in EPDM/NRr blends enhanced the tensile strength and tensile modulus of compatibilized EPDM/NRr blends compared to uncompatibilized EPDM/NRr blends. The elongation at break (Eb) of compatibilized EPDM/NRr blends is lower than the uncompatibilized EPDM/NRr blends at all blend ratios. This indicated that ENR 50 improved the curing characteristics and tensile properties of the compound.
      5  39
  • Publication
    The effect of twin screw compounding parameters on the tensile properties of pineapple leaf/sea shell hybrid polymer composite using DOE approach
    Pineapple leaf and sea shell were used as natural fillers in this research due to its biodegradable nature, wide availability, continuous resources and low cost. This research work was carried out to investigate the effect of compounding process using twin screw extruder on the tensile performance of pineapple leaf / sea shell polymer composite using Design of Experiment (DOE) approach. A total of nine runs of were formulated and the resulitng hybrid composites were compounded using twin screw extruder. The short term tensile test was carried out to determine the tensile properties and the data were sunsequently analyse using DOE software. Pareto chart of the standardized effect and the main effect plot were employed to investigate the relationship between processing parameters and the tensile performance of the hybrid composite systems. Based on the initial DOE analysis, it is shown that compounding parameters had influenced the final mechanical behavior of the hybrid composites.
      1  34
  • Publication
    The effect of various nanoclay surface modifications on the thermal and mechanical properties of amorphous polyamide nanocomposites
    ( 2020-01-01) ;
    Kennedy J.E.
    ;
    Farrell J.B.
    ;
    The addition of nanoclay within polymer matrix is anticipate to enhance the properties of the polymer system. Nonetheless, one of the key elements in property enhancements of a polymer nanocomposites is the surface modifications of the nanoclay. This is due to the affinity between polymer matrix and nanoclay is of important factors should be considered. In this study, amorphous polyamide was melt blended with different nanoclay grades with different surface modifications in order to evaluate the best clay grade for the polymer system. The thermal analysis carried out on the amorphous polyamide nanocomposites were carried out by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) whereas the mechanical properties were investigated using tensile testing. It was observed that there were changes in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the nanocomposites due to clay additions. Further, the storage modulus was found to increase as a result of nanoclay incorporation. The type of clay grades significantly affects the mechanical properties of the amorphous polyamide nanocomposites.
      4  21
  • Publication
    Sugarcane Bagasse Reinforced Polyester Composites: Effects of Fiber Surface Treatment and Fiber Loading on the Tensile and Flexural Properties
    The effect of fiber surface treatment and fiber loading on the tensile and flexural properties of untreated and treated fiber-based sugarcane bagasse reinforced polyester (SBRP) composites have been investigated. Sugarcane bagasse fibers were alkalized with 1, 3 and 5% concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution combined with different fiber loading formulation 0, 20, 30 and 40 php, and hot-pressed to form natural fibers composite were prepared. The results indicated that the incorporation of bagasse fiber composites alkalized with 3% NaOH solution improved the tensile strength and modulus of reinforced composites meanwhile the untreated bagasse gave the lowest value. However, the elongation at break (Eb) indicated that treated bagasse fiber composites show a lower value compared to untreated composites. A similar trend also obtained for flexural strength and modulus.
      24  34