A simple method was developed to fabricate magnetically and optically responsive actuators utilizing composites of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) loaded with iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles. An electrospinning technique enables to obtain Fe3O4 / PCL/PDMS composites with nanofiber structure. We demonstrate the self-folding ability of our developed composites upon exposing to external alternating magnetic field (AMF) or light. The self-folding behavior contributed to the structure change and stress relaxation of the composites, resulting from the temperature increase caused by the AMF and light absorption properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The findings in this work could provide new ideas to design advanced complex self-folding materials.
Titanium dioxide- carbon nanotube (TiO2-CNT) composites are promising for application of photocatalysis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a TiO2-CNTcomposite with reversible superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity for use in self-cleaning application.
The amount of TiO2 precursor, the added water, and the reaction time were systematically studied to obtain a TiO2 layer with desired thickness coated on the surface of CNT. In addition, the heat-treatment was utilized to control the crystalline structure of TiO2 and the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of resulting TiO2-CNT composites. The photocatalytic activity of the developed composites was evaluated by the photodegradation of a methylene blue (MB) solution under the illumination of ultraviolet (UV) light at ambient temperature.
Experimental results demonstrated that a layer of anatase TiO2 with thickness of 21nm, 27nm, or 65nm was successfully coated on the surface of CNT. The resulting TiO2-CNT composites are superhydrophobic, which the water contact angles ranged from 143o to126o based on the thickness of TiO2 layers. After subjected to a UV light, they became hydrophilic with a water contact angle less than 50o . Furthermore, the water contact angle of these TiO2-CNT composites restored to their original values without UV exposure, confirming they were with reversible superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity. Moreover, the developed TiO2-CNT composites also exhibited the capability of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB).
Thermoelectric materials are very effective in converting waste heat sources into useful electricity. Researchers are continuing to develop new polymeric thermoelectric materials. The segregated-network carbon nanotube (CNT)- polymer composites are most promising. Thus, the goal of this study is to develop novel porous CNT -polymer composites with improved thermoelectric properties. The research efforts focused on modifying the surface of the CNT with magnetic nanoparticles so that heat was released when subjecting to an AC magnetic field. Subsequently, polymers covered on the surface of the CNT were crosslinked. The porous CNT -polymer composites can be obtained by removing the un-crosslinked polymers. Polydimethylsiloxane polymer was utilized to investigate the effect of porosity and electrical conductivity on the thermoelectric properties of the composites. This AC magnetic field-assisted method to develop porous carbon nanotube/polymer composites for application in thermoelectric materials is introduced for the first time. The advantage of this method is that the electrical conductivity of the composites was high since we can easily to manipulate the CNT to form a conducting path. Another advantage is that the high porosity significantly reduced the thermal conductivity of the composites. These two advantages enable us to realize the polymer composites for thermoelectric applications. We are confident that this research will open a new avenue for developing polymer thermoelectric materials.
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