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The effect of molecular weights and hydrolysis degrees (HD) of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on thermal and mechanical properties and crystallinity of polylactic acid (PLA)/PVA blends was investigated. Blends were prepared by the melt blending method using PLA/PVA ratios: 80/20, 90/10 and 97/3 wt. %. A single glass transition temperatures was observed for all PLA/PVA blends, suggesting the formation of binary compatible blends at concentration range studied. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed a better thermal stability for PLA/PVA blends containing PVA of higher Mw and HD. According to mechanical properties, low quantities of PVA (3 wt. %) do not affect the tensile strength of blends (irrespective of Mw and HD). However, as the PVA content increases, tensile strength tends to lower values, especially for blends with 20 wt.% of PVA, with 98% of HD.

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The influence of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) content on the fiber/matrix interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in glass/fiber epoxy composites was measured by means of push-in and push-out tests. Both experimental methodologies provided equivalent values of the IFSS for each material. It was found that the dispersion of CNTs increased in IFSS by 19% in average with respect to the composite without CNTs. This improvement was reached with 0.3 wt.% of CNTs and increasing the CNT content up to 0.8 wt.% did not improve the interface strength.

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This article is focused on the study of the contribution of aramid fibers in a hybrid carbon-aramid fiber twill weave used to reinforce epoxy resin. To evaluate the influence of the aramid fibers, a comparative study between carbon and carbon-aramid woven-reinforced composites, considering the mechanical behavior of both materials under several loading conditions, is performed. The tests used in this study are meant to analyze the effect of aramid reinforcements on the composite stiffness, strength, impact, and fracture performance. Higher values of energy absorption and fracture toughness were exhibited by the carbon-aramid composite. The mechanical tests performed indicated that the aramid phase present in the hybrid carbon-aramid composite induced an important enhancement on the impact (37.9% in energy absorption) and fracture resistance (12.7% for fracture initiation and 43% for steady state regime), compared to small reductions on the material stiffness. In addition, the ultimate strain and the through thickness compression strength were favorably affected, with an increase up to 19.5% and 8.3%, respectively, by the presence of aramid fiber that presents a more ductile response with respect to the carbon reinforcement.

Nanocomposites and a composite based on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were synthesized using commercial copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs), copper/cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu|Cu 2 O-NPs), and copper sulfate (CuSO 4 ), respectively. The Cu|Cu 2 O-NPs were synthesized using chemical reduction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The synthesis of Cu|Cu 2 O-NPs yielded a mixture of Cu and Cu 2 O, with metal Cu having a spherical morphology of approximately 40 nm in diameter and Cu 2 O with a diameter of 150 nm. To prepare the nanocomposites (NCs) and the composite material (MC), the NPs and the CuSO 4 salt were incorporated into the PBAT matrix in concentrations of 1, 3, and 5% p/p via an ex situ method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a tensile test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and agar diffusion assays were used for structural, thermomechanical, and antimicrobial characterization. Results showed that the reinforcements did not modify the chemical structure of the PBAT and only slightly increased the percentage of crystallization. The mechanical and thermal properties of the PBAT did not change much with the addition of fillers, except for a slight increase in tensile strength and thermal stability, respectively. The agar diffusion antimicrobial assays showed that the NCs and MCs had good inhibitory responses against the nonresistant strains Enterococcus faecalis , Streptococcus mutans , and Staphylococcus aureus . The MCs based on CuSO 4 had the highest biocidal effect, even against the resistant bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii . Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s11671-019-2987-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Full range constant strain rate tests are required for accurately characterizing initial yield point, strength differential effect and direct identification of constitutive laws describing the plastic behavior of materials. These tests require the use of a closedloop control in order to achieve the constant strain rate, however this feature is not available in many laboratories. An alternative method is proposed here for full range constant strain rate with testing machines that can be configured for user-defined displacements of the cross head prior to testing. Tests performed at a constant die speed include a variable strain rate response for the specimen involved. Significant deformation rate variation occurs between the elastic and plastic range with consequences for initial yield point identification. To overcome this drawback, appropriate user-defined displacements can be computed and applied, allowing for both tensile and compression tests to be performed at a constant strain rate. The method is validated using a compression test of Ti6Al4V alloy at room temperature, as