Filler Ratio Research Articles

MXene Hollow Spheres Supported by a C–Co Exoskeleton Grow MWCNTs for Efficient Microwave Absorption

HighlightsA hollow core–shell structure was constructed with C–Co as the exoskeleton to support the MXene and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) endoskeleton, with MWCNTs growing toward the center of the sphere.A reflection loss of − 70.70 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.67 GHz were obtained when the thickness was only 2.04 mm. The powder filler ratio was only 15 wt%.The unique hollow core–shell structure enhanced multiple reflection and scattering losses.

Enhanced fresh and hardened properties of foamed concrete modified with nano-silica

Nowadays, the application of nanotechnology has gained increased attention in the concrete technology field. Several applications of concrete require light weight; one such concrete used is foamed concrete (FC), which has more voids in the microstructure. In this study, nano-silica (NS) was utilized, which exhibits a pozzolanic nature, and it reacts with other pozzolanic compositions (like lime, alumina, etc.) to form hydrated compounds in concrete. Apart from these hydrated compounds, NS acts as a filler material and enhances properties of concrete such as the fresh and hardened properties. This research examines the fresh, hardened, and microstructural properties of FC blended with NS. The ratio of binder and filler used in this research is 1:1.5, with a water-to-binder ratio of 0.45 and a density of 880 kg/m3. A total of six different weight fractions of NS were added to FC mixes, namely 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. Properties assessed for FC blended with NS were the slump, bulk density, strength parameters (flexural, splitting tensile, and compressive strengths), morphological analysis, water absorption, and porosity. It was concluded from this study that the optimum NS utilized to improve the properties was 3%. Apart from this, the relationship between the mechanical properties and NS dosages was developed. The correlations between the compressive strength and other properties were analyzed, and relationships were developed based on the best statistical approach. This study helps academicians, researchers, and industrialists enhance the properties of FC blended with NS and their relationships to predict concrete properties from other properties.

Near‐infrared light response novel shape memory actuator based on photothermal rGO‐TiO2 filler

AbstractAs an efficient method to realize photoinduced shape memory, photothermal filler has the characteristics of economy and convenience. However, the aggregation of the photothermal filler in the matrix material will reduce the material's shape memory and mechanical properties. In this work, the photothermal filler of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)‐titanium dioxide (TiO2) was prepared by the solvothermal method and then introduced into the polycaprolactone (PCL) matrices to construct a photoresponsive actuator. Because of TiO2 is uniformly loaded on the rGO surface, rGO‐TiO2 disperses well in the composites. When the GO:TiO2 ratio of photothermal filler is 1:1, the mechanical properties of PCL‐GT‐3 are the best, and the tensile strength and elongation at break are 31.8 MPa and 239.5%, respectively, and the crosslinking material under near‐infrared light has a good photothermal effect. Due to the induced difference between the in‐plane stress of the surface and the volume layer, the shape transformation can be controlled by very low energy (808 nm, 700 mW near‐infrared laser). The scheme of controlling the properties of the photoinduced shape memory material by changing only the filler type is conducive to commercial application.

Tribological and mechanical properties of nanofilled glass fiber reinforced composites and analyzing the tribological behavior using artificial neural networks

AbstractThis study investigates the effects of filler content and type on the mechanical (tensile strength and impact resistance) and tribological properties of woven glass fiber‐reinforced composites (WGFC) produced using three different nanofillers (MgO, CuO, and Al2O3) at various loading levels (0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 wt%). Additionally, analyses of the artificial neural network algorithm were reported for the predictions of wear rate, mass loss, and coefficient of friction (COF) by given applied load, sliding distance, filler ratio, and filler type. The composites were fabricated using the hand lay‐up method. The filled composites were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the worn surfaces of the samples after the wear test were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The wear resistance of the composite samples improved at 0.7 wt% CuO and 1.4 wt% MgO filler contents. At 200 m sliding distance and 1.4 wt% filler ratio, the highest wear ratio was determined as 55 mm3/m × 10−3 in the Al2O3‐filled composite, and the lowest was determined as 31 mm3/m × 10−3 in the MgO‐filled composite. At 1.4% filler ratio and 15 N load, the lowest friction coefficient was determined as 0.45 μ in MgO‐filled composite, and the highest was 0.56 μ in Al2O3‐filled composite. Al2O3 filler increased the mass loss and wear rate of the composite material. In Charpy impact tests, the maximum impact energy of 13.9 J/m2 was obtained with a 2.8 wt% Al2O3 filler content. Tensile tests showed an increase in tensile strength for all filler contents compared to unfilled composites. The highest tensile strength of 242.1 MPa was achieved with 0.7 wt% CuO reinforcement.Highlights In all applied wear parameters and filler ratios, the Al2O3 filler adversely affected the wear resistance of the composite, while the MgO filler showed the best performance in terms of wear resistance. All types and ratios of fillers increased the tensile strength compared to the unfilled composite. Contrary to its negative effect on wear, the Al2O3‐filled composites exhibited the highest impact resistance. The prediction analysis of the tribological behavior of composite material using ANN reveals that the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm fits very well.

Promising Fluorine-Free Ion Exchange Membranes Based on a Poly(ether-block-amide) Copolymer and Sulfonated Montmorillonite: Influence of Different Copolymer Segment Ratios.

Novel composite membranes employing a poly(ether-block-amide) (PEBAX) copolymer and sulfonated montmorillonite (S-MMT) as a filler were developed. The ratio of polyether to polyamide blocks was investigated using PEBAX 2533 and PEBAX 4533 based on the membrane properties and performance. Additionally, the effect of the changing filler ratio was monitored. The interaction between the S-MMT as nanofiller and the polymer matrix of PEBAX2533 and PEBAX4533 as well as the crystalline nature and thermal and mechanical stability of the composite membranes were evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and tensile test. The composite membrane with 7 wt.% S-MMT showed the highest water uptake of 21% and 16% and an acceptable swelling degree of 16% and 9% for PEBAX 2533 and PEBAX 4533 composite membranes, respectively. In terms of water uptake and ion exchange capacity at room temperature, the new un-protonated membranes are superior to un-protonated Nafion. Meanwhile, with the same S-MMT content, the ion conductivity of PEBAX 2533 and PEBAX 4533 composite membranes is 2 and 1.6 mS/cm, and their ion exchange capacity is 0.9 and 1.10 meq/g.

Milling Time Effects on the Thermal Degradation, Density, and Porosity of Coconut Shell-Reinforced Epoxy Biocomposites

Polymer biocomposites are sustainable and environmentally friendly materials that can be applied to the building, furniture, aerospace, and automotive industries. In this study, biocomposites made of coconut shell-reinforced epoxy resin were prepared and characterised. Initially, the coconut shells were 200 mesh. Then, they were milled by using a ball mill for 10, 20, 30, and 40 h. The biocomposites were manufactured by using a compression method while keeping a constant ratio of filler and matrix at 85 vol.%: 15 vol.%. The effects of ball milling duration on the thermal degradation and physical properties of biocomposites were examined. The thermal degradation of coconut shell biocomposite occurred at 250 – 400 °C. Its thermal degradation temperature increased with the increasing milling times. The density of the coconut shell biocomposite was 1.087 g/cm3 for 0 h (without milling the fillers). Its density increased to 1.248 g/cm3 for 40 h of milling duration. Meanwhile, the porosity of coconut shell biocomposite decreased from 17.5% (0 h milling duration) to 12.1% (40 h milling duration). It was found that there was a correlation between thermal degradation and physical properties (density and porosity). This study revealed that the thermal degradation and physical properties of the biocomposites can be enhanced by decreasing the size of the fillers.

Evaluation of maleic anhydride-modified chitosan as filler reinforced PBAT composite film

In this article, maleic anhydride (MA) was used to graft-modify chitosan (CS) to obtain maleic anhydride-modified chitosan (MCS). Composite films with different ratios were prepared by melt blending-extrusion pelletizing-blown film using Poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) as the substrate and CS or MCS as the filler. These films can be utilized in a variety of ways, such as food packaging, agricultural mulching film, and more. The composite films were characterized and tested by a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and electronic universal testing machine, and the effects of different fillers and filler contents on the properties of the composite films were investigated. The results showed that the thermal stability of the composite films decreased slightly with the increase in filler ratio, the melt crystallization temperature increased and then decreased, and the tensile strength and elongation at break of the composite films decreased. Compared with unmodified CS, MCS had better dispersion and compatibility when blended with PBAT, and the interaction between MCS and PBAT was greater than that of CS. The optimal filler amount of MCS was 6% for the combination of film material cost and performance considerations.

Effect of Filler to Bitumen Weight Ratio on Low-temperature Cracking Performance of Asphalt Mixture

The effect of mineral filler weight ratio on the low-temperature performance of hot asphalt mixtures with continuous gradation has been a subject of significant interest in the field of pavement engineering. This study focused on testing mastic, which is a bitumen mixture with mineral filler passing through a No. 200 sieve, using various tests, such as the bending beam rheometer test (BBR), direct tensile (DT) test, Infrared spectroscopy test (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) test, and semi-circular bending (SCB) test. Different weight ratios of mineral filler to useful bitumen ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 were investigated for PG 70-16 bitumen. According to the SHRP-A-407 standard, the weight ratio of mineral filler to useful bitumen plays a crucial role in determining the low-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures. The research findings confirm this fact, indicating that the weight ratio of mineral filler to bitumen plays a crucial role in determining the low-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures. As the filler-to-bitumen ratio increased, the stiffness of the bituminous mastic increased, leading to reduced fracture strain and decreased low-temperature cracking life. The optimal filler-to-bitumen ratio was recommended to be a maximum of 0.8 to balance performance and control low-temperature behavior. The results of this study underscore the importance of considering the rheological properties of bitumen mastic in addition to bitumen and asphalt mix when evaluating lowtemperature performance. Keywords: Asphalt mixing, Filler-to-bitumen ratio, Cracking performance, Lowtemperature, cracking.

Prospects of artificial soil substrate use for flower crops cultivation in protected ground

Harsh continental climate of Orenburg region is characterized by extremely low rates of precipitation at vegetation period, so the cultivation of flowers with protected root system has wide usage and is highly developed. The search for the optimal combined artificial soil in terms of physico-chemical composition is of great scientific and practical importance. In the short-term model experiment, variants of artificial soils are under exploration, with differing ratios of basic fillers that cover the physiological needs of flower crops when grown with a closed root system in greenhouse complexes. The results of laboratory study of artificially constructed soils based on essential materials (peat, coconut filler, river sand) and agricultural waste (horse manure, sunflower seed husk, raw fawl dung) are also presented. Combined soils are developed for the purpose of growing gerbera on “Bounty” soil and garden chrysanthemum on “Elysium” soil. These soils take into account the bioecological and agrotechnological features of greenhouse cultivation of these types of flower plants. The studied flower crops respond quite well to the physico-chemical composition of soils, showing stable growth of vegetative and generative organs.

Determination of mechanical performance of boric acid filled polypropylene based polymer composites

Polypropylene (PP) polymer, which is one of the indispensable materials of our daily life and stands out with its lightness, low cost and chemical resistance properties in the industry, was used. In industrial applications where the properties of polymers without additives are not sufficient, composite materials are produced by adding some additives to the polymer. In this experimental study, the mechanical properties of composites produced by adding boric acid (BA) to PP polymer at 5 wt.% (PP/5BA), 10 wt.% (PP/10BA) and 15 wt.% (PP/15BA) ratios were investigated. the effect of both BA filler and optimum BA filler ratio on mechanical properties were investigated. In the production of PP/BA composites, granules were first produced in an industrial twin screw extruder. Then, PP/BA composite tensile and impact test specimens were moulded on a conventional injection moulding machine. As a result, it was observed that the tensile modulus, tensile and yield strength of the composite materials decreased with increasing boric acid filler content in PP polymer. Depending on the boric acid filler content, the tensile strength decreased by an average of 18.3% and the breaking strength decreased by 14.8%. The lowest tensile modulus was obtained with a value of 2713 MPa at 10wt.% boric acid filler addition. The impact strength increased slightly at 5 wt.% boric acid filler addition and decreased at 10wt.% and 15wt.% boric acid filler addition.

Fluorinated Graphene Fillers for High-Performance Solid-State Lithium Batteries

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are expected to revolutionize the field of energy storage due to their superior safety and high energy density, which result from the use of lithium metal as the negative electrode. However, the development of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs), the key component of SSBs, is quite crucial. SSEs have high thermal stability, high mechanical strength, and a wide electrochemical window but lack enough ionic conductivity; which is one of the most challenging aspects. Incorporating suitable active or inert fillers in the solid polymer electrolyte matrix is one of several methods adopted to improve the ionic conductivity of pure polymer SSEs. Two-dimensional graphene-based fillers are a promising option as they provide a high surface area for creating an abundant interface with the polymer matrix creating a continuous pathway for lithium-ion transport and simultaneously their robust nature improves the mechanical strength of the electrolyte. Pristine graphene is electronically conducting in nature owing to the continuous sp2 carbon linkages, but the electronic conductivity can be suppressed by disrupting the sp2 bonds by heteroatom functionalization on the graphene. This study investigates the heteroatom functionalization of graphene to obtain various graphene-based fillers such as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and fluorinated graphene oxide (FGO) and their effectiveness when introduced into a polymer SSE matrix for LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2-based SSBs. FGO filler outperforms others in terms of ionic conductivity, thermal stability, enhanced electrochemical potential window, and compatibility of the SSE. The optimized ratio of FGO fillers in SSE demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance, enabling long-term Li plating/stripping with small overpotential and stable cycling of Li/ LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 full cells. This work highlights the notable potential of FGO materials in improving the comprehensive properties of polymer SSEs and promoting the applications of polymer SSEs in high-performance SSBs.

Experimental investigation on triglycidyl isocyanurate‐based tribologically functional composites

AbstractThe aim of this study is to prepare epoxy/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/glass fiber (GF) composites (EPGs) with the unique characteristics of low friction and high wear resistance based on triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC). The tribological properties of composites with different filler ratios under different working conditions were systematically studied. At the maximum filler content of 40 wt% PTFE, the minimum coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate reached 0.079 and 0.45 × 10−6 mm3/N·m. The hardness decreased by 44.2% and the density increased by 18.3%. The worn surfaces and transfer films were observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The increasing tendency of velocity and amplitude is beneficial to reduce the carbon‐rich region and further enhance the formation of transfer films. It is proved that the tribological properties of TGIC‐based epoxy composites are higher than those of other types of epoxy composites. This study offers great insight into the tribological applications of TGIC‐based epoxy composites.Highlights Epoxy/PTFE/GF composites (EPGs) were prepared using TGIC as the base material. EPGs have good mechanical and tribological properties. The COF of EPG3 reaches 0.079 and the wear rate becomes 0.45 × 10−6 mm3/(N·m). The increasing tendency of velocity and amplitude is beneficial to reduce the carbon‐rich region and further enhance the formation of transfer films.

Research on the Proportion and Strength of Joint Filler Materials for External Wall Tiles

Tile is the main exterior material of reinforced concrete building in Taiwan. However, the tiles are peeled off due to the deterioration of the building or the force of the earthquake recently. The construction sequence of exterior wall tiles includes cement mortar, waterproof layer, adhesive layer, paste tile and caulk. Most of tiles peel off from the adhesive layer so there are many studies focusing on the construction of adhesive layers. If the adhesive is not applied during construction or deteriorates over the years, it will lose its adhesion, and the caulk plays an important role in fixing the tile to the wall. Therefore, it is necessary to study the joint filling of exterior wall tiles. In this study, the exterior wall construction problems are sorted out, workers often ignore the proper water-cement ratio due to rush work in the construction site. The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of the water-cement ratio of the tile joint filler on the strength by pull-off and shear experiments. Set the water-cement ratio of joint filler to 1:4, 1:2, 1:1.3, 1:1, and quantitatively use in the same area. The results showed that the caulk with a water-cement ratio of 1:4 showed the best pull-off strength, which is 4.5 times that of 1:2. The increase in water volume at the construction site due to rush would lead to a significant decrease in strength. We look forward to providing a reference for on-site construction in this study.

Implementation of the PECVD process to produce a novel range of filler-polymer-coated perlites for use in epoxy composites

This study examines the use of expanded perlite powder (ExP), a natural rock, as reinforcement in bisphenol-A type epoxy resin. The surface of ExP has been coated using the PECVD method with different polymers such as poly(hexafluorobutyl acrylate) (PHFBA) and poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA). ExPs before and after the coating process underwent characterization using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The effects of filler ratio and different polymer coatings on composite properties were investigated. The higher tensile strengths for uncoated, PHFBA-coated, and PGMA-coated ExP composites were determined as 109 MPa, 132 MPa, and 152 MPa, respectively. The surfaces of the polymer-coated ExP composites were found to be hydrophobic and water sorption was lower in these composites. ExPs have improved thermal stability and flammability properties. In addition, PHFBA-coated ExP composite was found more resistant to UV radiation and the hydrothermal environment.

Fabrication of a Fluorocarbon Low Surface Energy Coating for Anti-Stain Applications.

In the long-term working state, stains such as dust, oil, and charged particles in the environment are prone to deposit on the surface of the power equipment, which has great security risks. To achieve anti-stain performance, fluorocarbon composite coating with a low surface energy was prepared and studied. In this paper, SiO2 nanoparticles were used as inorganic fillers and fluorocarbon resin was used as the substrate to form anti-stain coatings. By adjusting and optimizing the ratio of fillers and organic resins, coatings with different static contact angles were constructed. The optimum composite coating has a contact angle of 151 ± 2° and a surface energy of 9.6 mJ/m2. After high-temperature treatment (up to 200 °C), immersion in corrosive solutions (pH 3-11), and sandpaper abrasion (after 5 abrasion cycles), the coating has been proven to show good thermal, chemical and mechanical stability. Our study provides significant research and market opportunities for the anti-stain application of the fluorocarbon composite coating on power equipment.

Examining Automatic Generated Language Features of Chinese Spontaneous Speech for Early Detection of Cognitive Decline

AbstractBackgroundConnected speech is sensitive on detecting cognitive decline in early Alzheimer disease. In this study, we apply artificial intelligence to develop an automatic assessment for analyzing speech data.Method79 samples of picture description speech data were collected. All participants were native Chinese speakers including 31 normal controls (59‐88 yrs) and 49 patients (amnestic mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease) (58‐88 yrs). We extracted 16 linguistic features from the manually transcribed text. These linguistic features were generated by well‐trained linguists or automatically processed by the machine. We also trained decision tree models with those two sets of linguistic features. Seventy percent of the data was used for training and the remainder was used for testing. We also applied a cross‐validation method to avoid overfitting.ResultTotal words, unique words, and content words generated from linguists or machines were highly correlated (about r = 0.99, p < .001). However, the correlations between verb ratio, mean length of sentences, and filler ratio were relatively low (about r = 0.75, p < .001). With manually corrected features, the model could achieve 91.67% accuracy. Among them, the pronoun ratio and MLU (mean length of utterance) appeared to be equally crucial for model prediction. By contrast, with automatically generated features, the model achieved 83.33% accuracy only. MLU and MLS (mean length of sentences) were essential features for prediction.ConclusionAutomatic assessment could also achieve a good accuracy rate compared to humans (83.33% v.s. 91.67%). Some linguistic features such as fillers or sentences were still highly dependent on the expert’s judgment. Interestingly, MLU was critical in the prediction model of automatic or experts.

Physical, morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of polyester composites reinforced with orientation of purun fiber (Eleocharis dulcis) composition

Purun fiber (PF), which has been used as a raw material for handicrafts, can be used as a filler in composite materials. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of polyester composites with the addition of PF filler at concentrations (5, 10, and 15 %) with arrangements, namely parallel, random, and woven. In this study, the method used was the press molding method with a size of 20 × 20 × 0.3 cm. The resulting composite was analyzed for functional groups, physical properties, morphological properties, mechanical properties, and thermal properties. The functional group results of PF treatment showed a sharp absorption at wave numbers 1724–2983 cm−1, indicating the presence of C=C vibrations in the aromatic ring. For all fiber arrangements, the addition of 10 % PF resulted in the best composite structure. The results of the highest composite physical properties include density, water absorption, and thickness swelling of 0.958 g/cm−3, 10.079 %, and 24.57 × 10−3, respectively. The results of the highest composite mechanical properties are tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation, and flexural strength of 813.9519 MPa, 9345.737 MPa, 14.06 MPa, and 58.8399 MPa, respectively. While the results of the thermal properties that can be seen from the percent weight loss of the composite obtained the best results in random samples with a variation of 10 %, the effect of the PF filler ratio on composite heat flow obtained the best results, namely in samples parallel to 5 % with a temperature of 500.87 °C. It can be summarized that PF has the potential as a filler in the manufacture of composites.

CoFe@C composites decorated with residual carbon as an ultrathin microwave absorber in the X and Ku bands

Achieving a wide effective absorption bandwidth in 8.0–18.0 GHz under ultrathin thickness (d < 2.0 mm) with a low filler ratio is difficult. Herein, Co/Fe metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived CoFe@C composite-decorated residual carbon (CoFe@C/RC) hybrids collected from coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) by removing the inorganic oxide components were synthesized via a technology by modulating the molar ratio of Co/Fe. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized CoFe@C/RC with different molar ratios of Co/Fe were studied via various analytical techniques, and then the electromagnetic parameters associated with the above research results were analyzed. The defects, microstructure and electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) performance of CoFe@C/RC changed with the change in the Co/Fe molar ratio. Impressively, the Co1Fe3@C/RC hybrids exhibited excellent EMWA capacity. Under a filler content of 20 %, the ternary hybrid with a molar ratio of Co/Fe of 1:3 showed a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −20.0 dB and a broad absorption bandwidth (fe,RL ≤ −10 dB) of 3.95 GHz at a thickness of 1.7 mm. Importantly, the ultrabroad fe reached 10.0 GHz (8.0–18.0 GHz); it covered the whole Ku and X bands by simply adjusting the thicknesses of the CoFe@C/RC absorber in 1.5–3.0 mm. The CoFe@C/RC hybrids possessed outstanding EMWA because of the excellent effective synergy of magnetic and dielectric losses. This work realizes the high-value application of coal gasification solid waste and offers an efficacious strategy for creating novel CGFS residual carbon-based ultrathin EMW absorbing materials at 8–18 GHz.

Enhancement of the flame retardant properties of PPS-based composites via the addition of melamine-coated CaAl-LDH fire-retardant filler

Addressing the global energy crisis and its environmental implications has become a critical challenge, prompting a growing interest in electric vehicles (EVs) as an alternative to fossil fuel-dependent vehicles. Engineering plastics (EPs), with their lightweight and cost-effective properties, are attractive candidates for various applications, including automotive components. However, certain drawbacks, such as poor thermal conductivity and fire resistance, have limited their widespread adoption. In this study, we focus on polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as a promising super-engineering plastic with high thermal stability and mechanical properties but low thermal conductivity. To enhance its properties, we explore the incorporation of CaAl layered double hydroxide (CaAl-LDH) as a fire-retardant filler, with melamine coating to improve thermal stability. When fabricating composites at high filler ratio (over 30 %), the CaAl-LDH filler thermally decomposes and loses its flame retardant performance. To prevent this, our group attempted to provide thermal stability through melamine coating. The resulting PPS/GF/40 m-CaAl-LDH composites exhibited improved thermal conductivity of 0.37 W/m•K which is almost twice that of the PPS/GF composite, and mechanical properties, along with exceptional flame-retardant behavior, achieving a UL94 V-0 rating and limited oxygen index of 52.74 %. After a fire test, PPS/GF/40 m-CaAl-LDH composites shows improved tensile strength due to the molten m-CaAl-LDH wrapped the entire surfaces protecting from the flames. This research presents a promising strategy for developing high-performance PPS-based materials with applications in diverse industrial fields, including the automotive industry.

Enhanced organic matter degradation in shale gas wastewater treatment using Biofilm-Membrane bioreactors with varied filler Types, Pre-ozonation, and filler ratios

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a promising technology for the treatment of shale gas wastewater (SGW); however, there exists an urgent need for improvement in the degradation of organic matter. This study delves comprehensively into the impact of different filler types within a biofilm-membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) for the treatment of SGW. Furthermore, the impact of pre-ozonation and filler ratios on the performance of BF-MBR is explored. Through the synergistic implementation of pre-ozonation and meticulously optimized filler ratios, a significant enhancement in removing dissolved organic carbon is achieved, notably reaching 36.0%-38.3% as opposed to the initial values of 14.4%-14.9%. Remarkably, groups subjected to pre-ozonized display membrane flux levels 42.2%-53.4% higher than non-pre-ozonated group. In the pre-ozonation phase, aerogel fillers (AF) demonstrate exceptional effectiveness. AF achieves the highest DOC removal (33.3%) and UV254 removal (70.6%). At the same time, AF group has a better effect of ameliorating membrane fouling. In addition, Pseudomonas and Constrictibacter are unveiled to be significantly correlated with the organic matter removal. In essence, this study provides practical insights that serve to optimize the treatment of SGW through the BF-MBR approach, effectively addressing its inherent challenges.