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In situ polymerization and nano‐templating phenomenon in nylon fiber/PMMA composite laminates
Author(s) -
Caskey Terrence C.,
Lesser Alan J.,
McCarthy Thomas J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.11837
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , transfer molding , composite number , fiber , nylon 6 , molding (decorative) , polymerization , fabrication , in situ polymerization , monomer , supercritical carbon dioxide , wetting , nanofiber , synthetic fiber , polymer , supercritical fluid , chemistry , medicine , mold , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , pathology
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SC CO 2 ) is used as a reaction/processing medium in the fabrication of fiber‐reinforced composite materials. SC CO 2 allows resin (reactive monomer), to penetrate inside the fibers themselves, partitioning into the amorphous regions of the fiber. The crystal structure then templates polymerization of matrix within the fiber. This process produces a composite that exhibits ultralong‐range order from the nanoscale reinforcement of crystals to the macroscale fiber reinforcement of matrix. In addition, SC CO 2 lowers resin viscosity and aids in wetting out Nylon 6,6 fiber reinforcement in a process similar to reaction injection molding (RIM) or resin transfer molding (RTM). This article will discuss the fabrication technique in detail, including process parameters and the structure of resulting composites and morphology of modified fibers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1600–1607, 2003