Preparation and properties of polyimide/chopped carbon fiber composite foams

Abstract

In this study, a series of reinforced polyimide (PI)/carbon fiber (CF) composite foams were fabricated through thermal foaming of polyester ammonium salt (PEAS) precursor powders. The PEAS precursor powders containing different contents of chopped CF were synthesized from benzophenone‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA). The effects of different CF loadings on foaming behavior of PEAS/CF composite precursor powders, final cellular morphology, and physical properties of PI composite foams were investigated. The results revealed that the chopped CF acted as nucleation agent in the foaming process. The dispersion of CF can be evaluated using digital microscope. It is interesting to find that the chopped CF were highly oriented along the direction of cell arrises. As a result, the mechanical properties of PI foams were significantly enhanced owing to the incorporation of chopped CF. Furthermore, the thermal stability of PI composite foams were also slightly improved owing to fine dispersion of CF. In addition, the PI/CF composite foam shows uniform cell size distribution and the best comprehensive physical properties as chopped CF loading at around 6 wt%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether on the structures and properties of isocyanate‐based polyimide foams

“…The molecular structure of the used PAPI is shown in Scheme 1 (5). The molecular structure of the used PAPI is shown in Scheme 1 (5).…”

“…The special rigid structure of imide rings provides numerous excellent properties to PI foams, including lightweight, flame retardant, thermal insulation, acoustic absorption, and wide operating temperature, which make PI foams possess wide applications in the fields of aerospace craft, airplane, marine, cars, and so on. [5][6][7] Compared with two-step method, one-pot method has a lot of advantages, such as simple production technology, efficient production cycle, and low cost, which is suitable for the preparation of low density PI foams. 4 For one-pot method, aromatic dianhydride and its derivatives react with polyaryl polymethylene isocyanate (PAPI), foaming with CO 2 produced by itself, and the foaming process is also impacted by various kinds of assistants together.…”

Effect of Organic Cage Nucleating Agent Structure on Nucleating Efficiency and the Structure-Property Relationship

“…Research has shown that adding nano-inorganic particles to a polymer as a heterogeneous nucleating agent can effectively improve the quality of the cell morphology, as well as the impact toughness and heat insulation performance of microfoaming materials [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. However, the nucleation efficiency of nano-inorganic powders is reduced because of their high surface density and easy agglomeration [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Uniaxial tensile investigation of a porous compound nonwoven fabric

“…Therefore, the introduction of ESFs into CF nonwoven fabrics can admirably remedy the shortcomings of conventional polymer binders. Additionally, CFs and ESFs can both be applied to selected severe domains, such as fuel cells and lithium batteries, due to their good chemical resistance . In recent years, with the advent of portable and wearable electronics, such potential flexible‐structured conductive fabrics have gained promising application prospects.…”