Sarrafan Siavash, Li Guoqiang
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.
ACS Appl Polym Mater. 2023 Dec 15;6(1):154-169. doi: 10.1021/acsapm.3c01749. eCollection 2024 Jan 12.
Lightweight materials are highly desired in many engineering applications. A popular approach to obtain lightweight polymers is to prepare polymeric syntactic foams by dispersing hollow particles, such as hollow glass microbubbles (HGMs), in a polymer matrix. Integrating shape memory vitrimers (SMVs) in fabricating these syntactic foams enhances their appeal due to the multifunctionality of SMVs. The SMV-based syntactic foams have many potential applications, including actuators, insulators, and sandwich cores. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding the effect of the HGM volume fraction on different material properties and behaviors. In this study, we prepared an SMV-based syntactic foam to investigate the influence of the HGM volume fractions on a broad set of properties. Four sample groups, containing 40, 50, 60, and 70% HGMs by volume, were tested and compared to a control pure SMV group. A series of analyses and various chemical, physical, mechanical, thermal, rheological, and functional experiments were conducted to explore the feasibility of ultralight foams. Notably, the effect of HGM volume fractions on the rheological properties was methodically evaluated. The self-healing capability of the syntactic foam was also assessed for healing at low and high temperatures. This study proves the viability of manufacturing multifunctional ultralightweight SMV-based syntactic foams, which are instrumental for designing ultralightweight engineering structures and devices.
轻质材料在许多工程应用中备受青睐。一种获得轻质聚合物的常用方法是通过在聚合物基体中分散空心颗粒，如空心玻璃微珠（HGMs），来制备聚合物复合泡沫材料。在制造这些复合泡沫材料时集成形状记忆玻璃体（SMV），由于SMV的多功能性而增强了它们的吸引力。基于SMV的复合泡沫材料有许多潜在应用，包括致动器、绝缘体和夹心结构芯材。然而，在理解HGM体积分数对不同材料性能和行为的影响方面存在知识空白。在本研究中，我们制备了一种基于SMV的复合泡沫材料，以研究HGM体积分数对一系列性能的影响。测试了四个样品组，其HGM的体积分数分别为40%、50%、60%和70%，并与一个纯SMV对照样品组进行了比较。进行了一系列分析以及各种化学、物理、机械、热学、流变学和功能实验，以探索超轻泡沫材料的可行性。值得注意的是，系统地评估了HGM体积分数对流变性能的影响。还评估了复合泡沫材料在低温和高温下的自修复能力。本研究证明了制造基于SMV的多功能超轻质复合泡沫材料的可行性，这对于设计超轻质工程结构和器件具有重要意义。
