Poly Arylene Ether Research Articles

Controlled Distribution of MXene on the Pore Walls of Polyarylene Ether Nitrile Porous Films for Absorption-Dominated Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials.

With the increasing application of electronic devices, absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference shielding materials (EMISM) have garnered significant attention for preventing secondary electromagnetic pollution. In this study, polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified MXene (PEI@MXene) is fabricated and achieved its controlled distribution on the pore walls of polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) porous films via the phase inversion method (PIM) to obtain a closed porous skeleton of MXene on the pore walls (CPS-MPW). The resulting PEI@MXene/PEN composite film (CFx) exhibited absorption-dominated EMIS efficiency (EMISE). Attributing to the strong interaction between PEI and the hydrophilic segment of amphiphilic Pluronic F127, with its hydrophobic segment anchored by the PEN matrix, PEI@MXene is directionally distributed on the pore walls of CFx. In addition, resulting from the cladding of MXene with PEI and isolating it with closed honeycomb pores, the obtained CFx are insulators without forming aconductive network. As a result, these CFx demonstrate absorption-dominated EMISE with the highest SET of 41.2 dB and coefficient A higher than 0.51. Further continuous hot pressing of CFx results in thinner and denser films with an impressive specific EMISE up to 750 dBcm-1. The successful fabrication of these CPS-MPW-type CFx with absorption-dominated EMISE provides a reference for developing and preparing novel EMISM.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polyaryl–Ether–Ether–Ketone (PEEK) Spinal Fixation System: Technical Features and Preliminary Clinical Trial

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polyaryl–Ether–Ether–Ketone (PEEK) Spinal Fixation System: Technical Features and Preliminary Clinical Trial

Distributing fluorinated carbon nanotube on pore walls of polyarylene ether nitrile porous films for advanced electromagnetic interference shielding

Distributing fluorinated carbon nanotube on pore walls of polyarylene ether nitrile porous films for advanced electromagnetic interference shielding

Improvement of wear resistance of polyarylene ether nitrile composites through synergistic effect of PTFE and ZnO

Semi-crystalline polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) has good thermal and mechanical properties, but its wear resistance needs to be improved, which limits its application in extreme environments. In this work, PEN was used as a matrix resin, disc-shaped zinc oxide (ZnO) was used as a wear-resistant reinforcing filler and nucleating agent, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) solid lubricating phase was introduced to fabricate the PEN/ZnO/PTFE composites. The lowest coefficient of friction and wear rate of PEN-based composites were observed when filled with 7.5 wt% of PTFE. To further improve the hardness and elastic modulus, the PEN/ZnO/PTFE composites were subjected to heat treatment, and the wear rate was decreased by 26.1 %. In addition, the properties of the composites were investigated under different loading conditions and the results showed a significant improvement in the tribological properties. This study further confirms that the synergistic effect of the rigid filler (ZnO) and solid lubricant (PTFE) can substantially reduce friction and wear. Thus, it is a significant advancement in the development of high-performance wear resistant PEN- based composites.

Enhancement of tribological performance of PTFE/aramid fabric liner under high-temperature and heavy-load through incorporation of microcapsule/CF multilayer composite structure

Liners suffer from low service life under high-temperature and heavy-load conditions, hindering their widespread use in aerospace applications. A novel strategy of incorporating polyaryl ether sulfone/polymethylphenlsiloxane (PES/PMPS) microcapsules and carbon fibers (CFs) into the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/aramid fabric liner was used. At the micro-scale level, the worn surface morphology and the transfer film morphology were analyzed to reveal the tribological mechanisms. At the nano-scale level, molecular dynamics simulation was used to analyze the formation mechanism of the transfer film. The results showed that the friction coefficient and wear rate of the liner with microcapsule/CF multilayer structure were reduced by 17 % and 24 %, respectively. The incorporation of microcapsule/CF multilayer structure can be effectively applied to enhance the tribological performance of liners in harsh operating conditions.

An effective strategy to enhance phosphoric acid retention and proton conductivity stability: Construction of proton transfer channels with starch rather than H3PO4

To enhance the phosphoric acid (PA) retention as well as maintain high proton conductivity of phosphoric acid doped proton exchange membranes at high temperature, we successfully design a series of phosphoric acid doped biobased composite membranes by incorporation of starch and graphene oxide (GO) into poly arylene ether ketones (PAEK). Proton transfer channels should be mainly built through dense hydrogen bonds formed from massive oxygen-containing groups of starch mainchain, which is confirmed by Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, FT-IR and XRD analysis. The dense hydrogen-bond structure could construct fast proton transfer channels with extreme low doping level (0.00484 molH3PO4). The excellent PA retention properties with almost unchanged proton conductivity at high temperature (200 °C) for 600 min indicates that PA molecules are firmly fixed into membranes. Thus, in this study, we suggest a novel strategy for stablizing proton conductivity at high temperature and improving PA retention properties of PA doped membranes, which is building dense hydrogen-bond structure with low PA doping level.Based on the results in this study and the Grotthuss proton transfer mechanism, dense hydrogen-bonds from oxygen-containing groups in polymer backbones should be more stable than hydrogen-bonds from massive H3PO4 molecules with high acid doping levels to promote proton conduction.

Polyarylene ether nitrile/boron nitride nanosheets thermally conductive films through heterogeneous multilayer electrostatic spinning

Thermal management materials with excellent thermal conductivity and electrical insulation are highly favorable in the modern integrated electronic areas. In present work, a novel polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) composite film, integrating thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and flexibility, was fabricated utilizing a hybrid approach combining heterogeneous multilayer electrostatic spinning with a subsequent hot pressing technique. BNNS acts as a thermally conductive filler which builds a good thermal conduction pathway, and PEN acts as a bonding agent which ensures the flexibility and insulation of the film. Heterogeneous multilayer electrostatic spinning ensures the formation of thermal conduction pathways. Compared to conventional composite film, heterogeneous multilayer film shows excellent thermal conductivity, increases by 83% in-plane, and 71% through-plane, respectively. Therefore, This work will provide a technological reserve for the preparation of thermally conductive and insulating flexible films.

Facile dual-functionalization of PEN nanofibrous membranes with solar evaporation and photocatalysis for efficient dye wastewater purification

Purification of dye wastewater by combining photocatalytic degradation with solar energy-driven interfacial water evaporation has emerged as a promising approach to address water pollution in recent years. In this work, a high-performance polymer, polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN), was electrostatically spun to construct a robust nanofibrous substrate, then dual-functionalized using polyaniline (PANI) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) via a facile polydopamine (PDA)-assisted vacuum self-assembly method. Moreover, the CA of the PEN membrane after PDA and PANI@TiO2 treatment changes from 20° to 0° within 0.4 s, showing superhydrophilic properties and providing rapid water supply for water evaporation. PANI and TiO2 were employed as the photo-thermal conversion component and photocatalytic component, respectively. The fabricated dual-functionalized PANI@TiO2/PEN composite nanofibrous membrane exhibited a high water evaporation rate of up to 3.23 kg m−2 h−1 under a simulated solar illumination of 1 KW m−2. Owing to the reduction in the photoelectron-hole recombination rate promoted by PANI, the composite nanofibrous membrane demonstrated a favorable dye removal rate of 92.18% in 6 h for methylene blue (MB). Furthermore, the robust PEN nanofibrous skeleton conferred the composite membrane with thermal resistance and corrosion resistance properties, ensuring long-term performance in harsh environments. The facile fabricated PANI@TiO2/PEN membrane achieved comprehensive performance, offering a promising strategy by combining solar-driven interfacial water evaporation and photocatalytic degradation for water purification.

Sandwich‐structured dielectrics constructed from carbon nanotube and polyarylene ether nitrile composite layers demonstrating positive and negative permittivity

Sandwich‐structured dielectrics constructed from carbon nanotube and polyarylene ether nitrile composite layers demonstrating positive and negative permittivity

Multifunctional basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites with in-situ damage self-sensing and temperature-sensitive behavior

In this work, a multifunctional basalt fiber reinforced polymer composite (BFRP) with damage self-sensing and temperature-sensitive behavior was developed. Firstly, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were deposited on basalt fibers (BF) by electrostatic self-assembly. Then, strong shear forces were applied during melt mixing with polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) to construct a structure of CNTs surrounding the BF (CSB). This CSB structure endowed the composite with a low percolation threshold (0.82 wt% CNTs), a high conductivity (1.53 × 10−2 S/m at 1.12 wt% CNTs) and enhanced mechanical properties. The combination of resistance and acoustic emission real-time measurements confirmed that the composite achieved an excellent damage self-sensing capability with a maximum gauge factor (GF) of 7.68. Moreover, the composite exhibited a temperature-sensitive behavior with a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of 0.542 %/°C. This study provides a significant guidance for the development of multifunctional BFRP with damage self-sensing and temperature sensitive behavior.

Improving the interfacial properties of carbon fiber/low melting point PAEK composites by embellishing of bio-based PAEK sizing agent

In this study, a bio-based polyarylene ether ketone (bio-PAEK) was synthesized to prepare water-based sizing agents for enhancing the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber (CF) and matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the bio-PAEK exhibited good thermal properties. To improve the processability and reduce the processing temperature, PAEK with a low melting point (LMPAEK) was also used as the matrix resin. The glass-transition temperature (Tg) of LMPAEK was slightly higher than that of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), but its melting temperature (Tm) was lower 48.5 °C. A strong interface was created after introducing sizing agents onto the CF surface due to good compatibility between fibers and matrix. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and flexural strength of CF2/LMPAEK composites increased by 54.7 %, 56.0 % and 46.6 %, respectively, compared with the untreated composites. This study provided a novel approach to prepare water-based bio-PAEK sizing agents for CF composites with a low melting point matrix to be applied in additive manufacturing.

Poly (arylene ether ketone sulfone)s functionalized with diethylenetriamine-modified graphene oxide as proton exchange membranes for fuel cells

In this paper, composite proton exchange membranes (PEMs) based on functionalized graphene oxide (NGO) and carboxylated sulfonated poly aryl ether ketone sulfone (C-SPAEKS) were successfully synthesized. Functionalized graphene oxide was synthesized using graphene oxide as a substrate, and then diethylenetriamine (DETA) was chemically bound to the graphene oxide. The 1H NMR, FT-IR and XPS were used to characterize the NGO and composite membranes. The results show that the composite membranes have good proton conductivity, dimensional stability and electrochemical performance. The swelling rate of all the composite membranes was less than 18%, which indicates that they have good dimensional stability. Compared to C-SPAEKS membrane (34.8 mS cm-1 at 20 °C, 109.8 mS cm-1 at 90 °C), the proton conductivities of C-SPAEKS/GO-0.75 membrane (52.4 mS cm-1 at 20 °C, 171.1 mS cm-1 at 90 °C) were significantly improved. Meanwhile, the C-SPAEKS/NGO-0.75 achieved peak power density of 407.77 mW cm-2 at high OCV of 0.9576 V. Such a result is much superior to the C-SPAEKS membrane (0.8973 V, 190.72 mW cm-2) and the Nafion 117 (0.99 V, 302 mW cm-2), and demonstrated good single-fuel cell performance. In summary, it can be well concluded that functionalized GO as filler makes an significant contribution in improving the overall performance of the composite membranes.

Improving energy storage properties of polyarylene ether nitrile with coral-like CaCu3Ti4O12 nanorods

Film capacitors have attracted widespread attention in the field of power electronics due to their advantages of long service life, high-power density, rapid charging and discharging rates, operational safety, among others. Nonetheless, the persisting challenge regarding the dielectric capacitors’ insufficient energy storage density remains the primary obstacle impeding their advancement. Herein, one-dimensional (1D) coral-like calcium copper titanate (CaCu3Ti4O12) nanorod (CCTONR) is fabricated and interface modified to enhance energy storage properties of polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN). The CCTONR is fabricated through a two-step hydrothermal reaction followed by calcination, and then modified by KH550 and sulphonated PEN sequentially offering SPEN@CCTONR. Due to the 1D nature and the functionalization of SPEN on the surface of CCTONR, the compatibility and the distribution state of SPEN@CCTONR in the PEN matrix are conspicuously improved. Furthermore, a secondary dispersion of SPEN@CCTONR is achieved in the SPEN@CCTONR/PEN composite via uniaxial hot-stretching. As a result, the dielectric permittivity is increased to 17.96, while the breakdown strength remains 199.4 kV/mm for the stretched SPEN@CCTONR/PEN film with filler content of 15 wt%. Correspondingly, an energy storage density of 3.16 J/cm3, with an boosting of 320 % in comparing with that of PEN, is achieved. This stretched SPEN@CCTONR/PEN film with leaped energy storage density would be a promising candidate for future flexible dielectric materials.

Targeted Synthesis of Thermo- and Heat-Resistant Polyarylene Ether Ketones with a Complex of Valuable Functional Properties

Targeted Synthesis of Thermo- and Heat-Resistant Polyarylene Ether Ketones with a Complex of Valuable Functional Properties

Highly efficient thermal conductivity of polyarylene ether nitrile composites via the introduction of hybrid fillers and tailored cross-linked structure

Polymer dielectrics with high thermal conductivity (λ) and excellent insulating properties are of interest in miniaturized and integrated electronic devices. However, most polymers are unable to fulfill this need due to their inherent structure. In this work, a polymer alloy with balanced thermal conductive and dielectric properties was successfully prepared by polyarylene ether nitrile(PEN), bisphthalonitrile-microsphere@boron nitride nanosheets(Bm@BNNS), and silicon carbide whisker (SiCws) at different scales. Specifically, introduction of Bm@BNNS fillers with core-shell structure into PEN resins results in heterogeneous interfaces, which effectively reduces the agglomeration and dosage of BNNS and synergistically improves the λ and dielectric performance. Besides, it has high breakdown strength (Eb) and high energy storage density (242.26 kV/mm, 1.66J/cm3) when filled with only 4.37 vol% BNNS compared to pure PEN. Furthermore, effects of one-dimensional SiCws at different scales on formation of heat-conduction pathways and electrical insulation properties of PEN/Bm@BNNS composites were investigated. The findings display that PEN/Bm@BNNS/SiCws composites with large size SiCws (7.81 vol%) achieved a high λ of 2.376 W/m.K, which was 135.24 % and 87.09 % higher than pure PEN and PEN/Bm@BNNS composites, respectively. Thus, the thermal conductive pathways are constructed by line-plate structure (SiCws-BNNS), and insulating performance primarily on the core-shell structure (Bm@BNNS). Besides, the novel PEN/Bm@BNNS/SiCws hybrid materials are together with a low coefficient of thermal expansion of 38–89 ppm/°C and high Tg of 220 °C. Thus, it gives a promising insight to achieve highly λ polymer-based insulating film materials used for high-temperature-resistant fields.

Investigation of flame-retardant characteristics of a polyaryl ether containing phthalazinone moiety

The aerospace, automotive and other industries require very safe specialty engineered plastics that can be used for long times at high temperatures and produce few harmful fumes during combustion in the event of a safety accident, which is essential for protecting personal life and property in a confined environment. The twisted noncoplanar structures give poly (phthalazinone ether) resins excellent temperature resistance and solubility, but clarifying the flame retardancies of the resins is the key to broader application. Herein, a comprehensive comparison has been made between poly (phthalazinone ether) resins and the specialty engineered plastic polysulfone (PSF) based on flame resistance. In vertical burning test, the poly (phthalazinone ether) resin showed a very short flame self-extinguishing time (within 1 s), furthermore, the light transmittance of poly (phthalazinone ether) resin was 100 % at 300 s in the smoke density test, whereas, this value was 10 % for PSF. And the thermal decomposition process and flame retardancy mechanism were investigated by microscale combustion calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric-infrared spectra mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the introduction of phthalazinone moiety not only enhanced the glass transition temperature of the polyaryl ether, but also delayed the smoke generation. This work deepens our understanding of the effects of the molecular structure on the flame retardancy of polyaryl ether resins and provides useful guidance for the design and preparation of polyaryl ether resins with excellent comprehensive properties.

Polyarylene ether nitrile dielectric composites with good formability and processability

High dielectric constant polymer matrix composites are widely used in the domain of dielectric energy storage and electric field regulation depending on their high energy density, easy processing and light weight. Nevertheless, high dielectric constants are often achieved by adding fillers to the polymer, which increase the viscosity of the resin and make processing difficult. In this work, a novel filler GO coated with silicone powder (GO-silicone) was designed and prepared. The silicone powder on the surface of GO acts as a lubricant and improves the dispersion of GO in the polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) resin, thus enhancing the dielectric properties of the PEN-based composite. The dielectric constant of the PEN/GO-silicone composite film with 4 wt% filler loading reaches 15.9 at 1 kHz, which is 4.3 times greater than that of the pure PEN film and 1.1 times greater than that of PEN composite simply filled with GO and silicone powder. Besides, the incorporation of GO-silicone declines the viscosity, which is very favorable for the processing and shaping of high dielectric composites. This work provides a novel technical route for the large-scale production of high dielectric composites.

Surface segregation of rigid polyarylene ether amidoxime on polyurethane nanofiber into hierarchical membranes as substrate of flexible SERS nanosensor for sulfamethoxazole detection

Electrospun polymeric nanofibrous membranes are emerging as the promising substrates for preparation of flexible SERS nanosensors due to their intrinsic nanoscale surface roughness, easy scalability as well as rich surface reactivity. Although the nanofiber membranes prepared from high performance thermoplastics exhibit good mechanical stability, the SERS nanosensors based on these substrates normally have lower signal-to-noise ratio because of the interference from background Raman signals of aromatic moieties. Herein, we synthesized an optically transparent polyurethane (PU) and rigid polyarylene ether amidoxime (PEA), which were electrospun into core-shell nanofibers membranes with a “beads-on-web” morphology. Furthermore, the PU-PEA membranes were coated with ultra-thin silver layer and thermally annealed to prepare the flexible SERS nanosensor without any background noises. In addition, the Raman enhancement of SERS nanosensor can be readily improved by tuning of PU-PEA composition, silver thickness as well as thermal annealing temperature. Finally, the optimized SERS nanosensor enables label-free detection of sulfamethoxazole as low as 0.1 nM with a good reproducibility and detection performance in real water sample. Meanwhile, the optimized SERS nanosensor shows long term anti-biofouling capacity. Thanks to its facile fabrication, competitive analytical performance and resistance to biofouling, the current work basically open new way for design of flexible SERS nanosensors for biomedical applications.

Characteristics of in-situ automated fiber placement carbon-fiber-reinforced low-melt polyaryl ether ketone laminates part 1: Manufacturing influences

This study presents an investigation into mechanical and thermal properties, as well as the microstructure of Automated Fiber Placement-manufactured laminates using a novel carbon fiber-reinforced low-melt polyaryl ether ketone polymer material. The material’s lower melting temperature and lower melt viscosity as compared to established high-temperature thermoplastic materials as PEEK, promises favourable characteristics for the Automated Fiber Placement process. This work aims at in-situ consolidation and the influence of a heated tooling and a post process tempering step, which both turned out to be promising in previous investigations. Laminates were manufactured using a cold tooling, a heated tooling configuration, a cold tooling with a subsequent tempering process step and a hot-pressed reference laminate. Differential Scanning Calorimetry showed that crystallinity values more than doubled for the heated tooling and post process tempering configurations, compared to the cold tooling, reaching 24% and 30%, respectively. Mechanical strength values showed an increase in interlaminar shear strength and compression strength but did not increase to the same extent as was expected from the increase in crystallinity. With Scanning Electron Microscopy differences in the microscopic structure of the polymer matrix could be detected. While the post process tempering step leads to a mostly lamellar crystalline structure, the heated tooling configuration and the post process hot pressing induce a predominance of crystalline spherulites, which might positively affect the mechanical performance. Computed Tomography scans revealed a high amount of porosity in the in-situ-manufactured samples and unprocessed tape material, which likely mitigated the positive effect of increased crystallinity.

Biomimetic polyaryl ether-based aerogels for efficient interfacial solar water vapor generation

There is an urgent need to design efficient photothermal layer, continuous water migration pathways, and stable insulation layer to simultaneously achieve ideal water and heat management in solar-powered interfacial evaporation systems. Here, we assemble into a biomimetic aerogel with down-feather-like shape by first introducing rigid polyaryl ether material of sulphonated poly (phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (SPPESK) for highly efficient and multifunctional solar interfacial evaporation drawing inspiration from the cavity structure and insulation strategy of the eagle wings. The biomimetic aerogel has an evaporation rate of 2.34 kg m−2h−1 at one solar irradiance, an energy efficiency of 91.7 %, and an output voltage of 316.7 mV when coated. The insights provided by this work into biomimetic structure displayed by chitosan/SPPESK/Mxene aerogels promise to translate photothermal conversion performance benefits measured in laboratories into real-world applications for continuous desalination and wastewater purification. We anticipate that our work is a starting point to utilize the full potential of photothermal properties of polyaryl ether-based materials.