Judy Martinez Skoltech takes a step towards the introduction of carbon nanocomposites in industrial applications
A group of researchers from the Skoltech Center for Design, Manufacturing Technologies and Materials (CDMM) has published the results of a study examining multifunctional materials obtained by adding carbon nanoparticles to polymer matrices. Scientists have studied a new, inexpensive method for self-diagnosis of materials. Such materials, capable of measuring themselves, could potentially replace sensors in aircraft structures and other systems where weight is a critical parameter.
The study, first authored by Skoltech PhD student Hassaan Ahmad Batt from a group of scientists led by Professor Sergei Abaimov, is published in the journal Composite Structures… It is part of a multi-step project aimed at producing self-diagnostic materials that can be implemented and manufactured using existing manufacturing processes.
All over the world, the requirements for the properties of polymer composites are growing every year. Recently, special attention has been paid to carbon nanoparticles, which can be introduced into systems of composite materials. Studies carried out in this direction have shown that the addition of relatively small amounts of such particles can improve the mechanical properties of the final material while at the same time achieving electrical conductivity and piezoresistivity.
However, the organization of full-scale production of materials using carbon nanoparticles is not an easy task that requires a radical modernization of technological processes and equipment. “It is for this reason that we decided to use concentrates as well as affordable and inexpensive production technologies.
Storage, transportation and introduction of concentrates into batch production processes do not require costly modernization of existing facilities, and a conventional mixer is available in almost any plant that produces thermosetting polymers, ”notes Hassaan.
In the course of the study, scientists tracked how the electrical conductivity of polymer matrices changes when carbon nanoparticles are added, and also analyzed the effect of mechanical stress on electrical conductivity, the ability to control electrical conductivity and its relationship with material deformation. This task is solved with the help of universal measuring devices and does not require the use of complex control methods.
Such materials, capable of measuring themselves, could potentially replace sensors in aircraft structures and other systems where weight is a critical parameter. In addition, using the same materials and processes, electrically conductive materials can be produced for a wide variety of applications, from electrical circuits and electromagnetic shields to special temperature and humidity sensors.
The concept of material production is not limited to one technology and allows the use of different methods, such as pultrusion and vacuum infusion. “Modern materials are used in a wide variety of fields – from aviation and space to specialized sensors. The uniqueness of these materials lies in the fact that they can be scaled to both entire structures and, conversely, to individual miniature sensors, ”adds Hassaan.
Popular
Per day
During the week
Per month
Elon Musk is right: no fusion is needed. The future we won’t have
Before mass thermonuclear power engineering 20 years – and always will be 20 years. This simple joke itself became old 20 years ago. Society is upset that thermonuclear still cannot be brought to an industrial level. And only Elon Musk believes that a thermonuclear reactor is not needed at all. A careful analysis shows that he is right. Even if all the technical problems of thermonuclear energy are miraculously resolved, it will have no chance of ousting competitors. How did it happen, and what then will save humanity from the energy crisis?
Dassault Rafale “knocked out” the Russian Su-35 during the exercise
The Egyptians conducted an exercise in which the French Rafale fighter jet overpowered the Russian Su-35. Both aircraft belong to the fourth generation.
In South Africa, discovered the remains of the oldest archaea on Earth
Fossils over 3.4 billion years old may be the remnants of archaeal microbes that lived and produced methane from hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the fossil sea.
Elon Musk is right: no fusion is needed. The future we won’t have
Before mass thermonuclear power engineering 20 years – and always will be 20 years. This simple joke itself became old 20 years ago. Society is upset that thermonuclear still cannot be brought to an industrial level. And only Elon Musk believes that a thermonuclear reactor is not needed at all. A careful analysis shows that he is right. Even if all the technical problems of thermonuclear energy are miraculously resolved, it will have no chance of ousting competitors. How did it happen, and what then will save humanity from the energy crisis?
Covid-19 patients showed a decrease in cognitive abilities
Scientists have confirmed the link between coronavirus infection and cognitive decline based on the analysis of data from more than 81 thousand people.
The Science module may have serious technical difficulties (Upd.)
According to media reports, the Science module ran into technical problems. They can significantly complicate docking with the International Space Station.
Elon Musk is right: no fusion is needed. The future we won’t have
Before mass thermonuclear power engineering 20 years – and always will be 20 years. This simple joke itself became old 20 years ago. Society is upset that thermonuclear still cannot be brought to an industrial level. And only Elon Musk believes that a thermonuclear reactor is not needed at all. A careful analysis shows that he is right. Even if all the technical problems of thermonuclear energy are miraculously resolved, it will have no chance of ousting competitors. How did it happen, and what then will save humanity from the energy crisis?
An ancient inhabitant of a cave in the Caucasus turned out to be a carrier of the gene of the modern Western Eurasian population
An international team of scientists identified DNA from soil in a Georgian cave. Thanks to this, the researchers managed to restore the human genome 25 thousand years old, without having any skeletal remains.
Eleven-year-old child prodigy decided to become immortal and received a bachelor’s degree in physics
A teenager from the Belgian city of Ostend became the second youngest holder of higher education in the foreseeable history. He graduated with honors from a physics course at the University of Antwerp and is now going to defend his master’s degree and then his doctoral dissertation in this field. His goal is simple and clear: increasing the life expectancy of a person up to complete immortality by replacing body parts and organs with mechanical or artificial ones.
Comments (1)