UV Resistibility of a Carbon Nanofiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

Authors: A. Evcin, N. Çiçek Bezir, R. Duman, N. Duman

Abstract:

Nowadays, a great concern is placed on the harmfulness of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) which attacks human bodies. Nanocarbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and graphene, have been considered promising alternatives to shielding materials because of their excellent electrical conductivities, very high surface areas and low densities. In the present work, carbon nanofibers have been synthesized from solutions of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/ N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) by electrospinning method. The carbon nanofibers have been stabilized by oxidation at 250 °C for 2 h in air and carbonized at 750 °C for 1 h in H2/N2. We present the fabrication and characterization of transparent and ultraviolet (UV) shielding CNF/polymer composites. The content of CNF filler has been varied from 0.2% to 0.6 % by weight. UV Spectroscopy has been performed to study the effect of composition on the transmittance of polymer composites.

Keywords: Electrospinning, carbon nanofiber, characterization, composites, nanofiber, ultraviolet radiation.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1474978

References:

[1] J. Hu, S. Wu, Q. Liu, M. I. G. Hernández, Z. Wang, S. Nie, G. Zhang, “Effect of ultraviolet radiation in different wavebands on bitumen”, Construction and Building Materials 159, pp 479–485, 2018.
[2] R. P. Gallaghera, T. K. Lee, “Adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation: A brief review”, Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 92, pp 119–131, 2006.
[3] http://www-eng.lbl.gov/~shuman/NEXT/MATERIALS&COMPONENTS/WLS_materials/Zeus_UV_Properties.pdf.
[4] M. S. Lowry, D. R. Hubble, A. L. Wressell, M. S. Vratsanos, F. R. Pepe, C. R. Hegedus,” Assessment of UV-permeability in nano-ZnO filled coatings via high throughput experimentation”, J. Coat. Technol. Res., 5, 2, pp 233–239, 2008.
[5] H. Lei, D. He, Y. Guo, Y. Tang, H. Huang. “Synthesis and characterization of UV-absorbing fluorine-silicone acrylic resin polymer”, Applied Surface Science, Volume 442, 1, pp 71-77, June 2018.
[6] M. Kutz, ” Handbook of Environmental Degradation of Materials”, William Andrew Publishing, New York, 2005, p 403.
[7] T. Wong , K. Lau, W. Tama, J. Leng, J. A. Etches, “UV resistibility of a nano-ZnO/glass fibre reinforced epoxy composite”, Materials and Design 56, pp 254–257, 2014.
[8] N. Abdelal, Y. Taamneh, “Enhancement of pyramid solar still productivity using absorber plates made of carbon fiber/CNT-modified epoxy composites”, Desalination 419, pp 117–124, 2017.
[9] W. Khan, R. Sharma, P. Saini, Mohamed Berber (Ed.), “Carbon Nanotube-Based Polymer Composites: Synthesis, Properties and Applications”, Carbon Nanotubes - Current Progress of their Polymer Composites, INTECH, 2016.
[10] A. Moisala, Q. Li, I.A. Kinloch, A.H. Windle, “Thermal and electrical conductivity of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotube-epoxy composites”, Compos. Sci. Technol. 66, pp 1285–1288, 2006.
[11] D.D.L. Chung, “Processing-structure-property relationships of continuous carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites”, Materials Science and Engineering R 113, pp 1–29, 2017.
[12] C. S. Cockell, and J. Knowland, “Ultraviolet radiation screening compounds”, Biol. Rev. 74, pp. 311-345, 1999.
[13] A. Evcin, N. Ç. Bezir, R. Kayalı, M. Arı, D. B. Kepekçi, Cryst. Res. Technol. 49, 303 (2014).
[14] Z.-M. Huang, Y.-Z. Zhang, M. Kotakic, S. Ramakrishna, “A review on polymer nanofibers by electrospinning and their applications in nanocomposites”, Composites Science and Technology 63 , pp 2223–2253, 2003.
[15] M. Inagaki, F. Kang, M. Toyoda, H. Konno, “Advanced Materials Science and Engineering of Carbon, Tsinghua University Press Limited, Elsevier, Oxford 2014 p 166.