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Minerals
Special Issues
Synthesis and Characterization of Layered Minerals/Polymer Nanocomposites
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Synthesis and Characterization of Layered Minerals/Polymer Nanocomposites

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals & Nanominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2021) | Viewed by 11124

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jude O. Iroh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Interests: advanced materials; hybrid materials; coatings and corrosion prevention; electrochemical synthesis; high-temperature polymers; polymer nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocomposites are highly desired in a wide range of technologies, including energy storage, sensors, aerospace, automotive, construction, and civil infrastructure. Because of their nanoscale dimension and high aspect ratio, they are the ideal reinforcing material, capable of improving toughness, impact energy, and fatigue resistance. They are known to foster corrosion resistance because of their permeation resistance to gases and electrolytes. Electrically conducting nanomaterials, such as graphene and multilayered graphite sheets can be used to produce antennas and coatings for electromagnetic interference, EMI shielding. More importantly, the use of nanomaterials such as graphene, graphene oxide, and multilayered graphite sheets as electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors and batteries, is impactful in energy sustainability, as well as environmental sustainability. However, because of their small size and difficulty of handling neat nanomaterials, they must be encapsulated into appropriate matrix material to form nanocomposites. Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites are, therefore, the important initial steps in the integration of nanofillers into the matrix material and assessment of their distribution and structure before the manufacture and deployment of devices.

Professor Jude O. Iroh
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • organoclays
  • graphene
  • graphene oxide
  • zirconium phosphates
  • nanocomposites
  • energy storage
  • sustainability
  • synthesis
  • characterization

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4462 KiB  
Article
Decomposition and Flammability of Polyimide Graphene Composites
by Caroline Akinyi, Jimmy Longun, Siqi Chen and Jude O. Iroh
Minerals 2021, 11(2), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020168 - 5 Feb 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2566
Abstract
Polyimide-graphene composites were synthesized by in-situ condensation polymerization and the thermal stability and decomposition behavior of the composites were studied. Polyimides, because of their aromatic backbone, are a class of fire-retardant polymers. Their high char retention ≥50% at testing temperatures ≥600 °C makes [...] Read more.
Polyimide-graphene composites were synthesized by in-situ condensation polymerization and the thermal stability and decomposition behavior of the composites were studied. Polyimides, because of their aromatic backbone, are a class of fire-retardant polymers. Their high char retention ≥50% at testing temperatures ≥600 °C makes them thermally stable polymers. The effect of nanographene sheets on the decomposition behavior of polyimide is presented in this paper. It is shown that the reinforcement of polyimide with nanographene sheets significantly decreased the rate of decomposition of polyimide and increased the char retention of the composite. Thermogravimetric analysis data were used to assess the thermal stability, rate of mass loss and predicted limiting oxygen index of the neat polyimide and composites. Results obtained showed around a 43% decrease in the rate of polyimide degradation at 50 wt.% graphene loading. The limiting oxygen index of the polyimide nanocomposite was calculated by using the char retention, and it was found to increase by up to 24% at 50 wt.% graphene loading over that for the neat matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Characterization of Layered Minerals/Polymer Nanocomposites)
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20 pages, 4401 KiB  
Article
Improving Colloidal Stability of Sepiolite Suspensions: Effect of the Mechanical Disperser and Chemical Dispersant
by Luís Alves, Eduardo Ferraz, Julio Santarén, Maria G. Rasteiro and José A. F. Gamelas
Minerals 2020, 10(9), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10090779 - 2 Sep 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4770
Abstract
To allow the use of fibrous-like clays, as sepiolite, in different applications, their disaggregation and the formation of stable suspensions are crucial steps to enhance their performance significantly, e.g., in cellulose nanofibrils/clay composite formulations, enabling an adequate mixture of the matrix and filler [...] Read more.
To allow the use of fibrous-like clays, as sepiolite, in different applications, their disaggregation and the formation of stable suspensions are crucial steps to enhance their performance significantly, e.g., in cellulose nanofibrils/clay composite formulations, enabling an adequate mixture of the matrix and filler individual components. Three distinct physical treatments of dispersion (magnetic stirring, high-speed shearing, and ultrasonication) and four different chemical dispersants (polyacrylate, polyphosphate, carboxymethylcellulose, and alginate, all in the form of sodium salts) were tested to improve the dispersibility and the formation of stable suspensions of sepiolite. Two sepiolite samples from the same origin but with different pre-treatments were evaluated. The particle size and suspension stability were evaluated by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements and optical microscopy. Additionally, the sepiolite samples were initially characterized for their mineralogical, chemical, and morphologic properties. Of the three physical dispersion treatments tested, the ultrasonicator typically produced more stable suspensions; on the other hand, the biopolymer carboxymethylcellulose showed a higher ability to produce stable suspensions, being, however, a smaller particle size obtained when polyphosphate was used. Remarkably, 47 out of 90 prepared suspensions of sepiolite stayed homogeneous for at least three months after their preparation. In sum, the combination of a high energy dispersing equipment with an appropriate dispersing agent led to stable suspensions with optimal properties to be used in different applications, like in the composite production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Characterization of Layered Minerals/Polymer Nanocomposites)
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8 pages, 1909 KiB  
Communication
Comparative Study of the Hydrophobicity of Organo-Montmorillonite Modified with Cationic, Amphoteric and Nonionic Surfactants
by Georgy Lazorenko, Anton Kasprzhitskii and Victor Yavna
Minerals 2020, 10(9), 732; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10090732 - 19 Aug 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3282
Abstract
In this work, a series of comparative studies for the effect of the nine commercially available cationic, amphoteric and nonionic surfactants on the structure and wettability of the montmorillonite based organoclays were performed. The pristine and modified clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction [...] Read more.
In this work, a series of comparative studies for the effect of the nine commercially available cationic, amphoteric and nonionic surfactants on the structure and wettability of the montmorillonite based organoclays were performed. The pristine and modified clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and water contact angle (CA) measurements. It has been observed that the maximum basal spacing and the hydrophobicity of the organoclays increased with the alkyl chain length and chain number of the surfactant. It was found out that this effect is most pronounced when using cationic surfactants. The maximum value of contact angle corresponded to the organoclay obtained using di(hydrogenated tallow) ammonium chloride (DDA). The outcomes of this study are important and relevant to the preparation of effective organoclays for geotechnical, petroleum and polymer nanocomposite applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Characterization of Layered Minerals/Polymer Nanocomposites)
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