• Composites Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2024

As global issues and interest in the environment increase, the transition to eco-friendly materials is accelerating in the automobile industry. In the automotive industry, eco-friendly composite materials are mainly used in various interior and exterior components, reducing the reliance on traditional petroleum-based materials. In particular, natural fiber composites help reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by making vehicles lighter. Additionally, they boast superior thermal properties and durability compared to non-recyclable composite materials, making them suitable for automotive interior parts. Furthermore, reduced production costs and sustainability are key advantages of natural fiber composites. The eco-friendly composites market is expected to grow to $86.43 billion at a CAGR of 15.3% from 2022 to 2030, and the natural fiber composites market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2023 to 2028 to $424 million. In this review paper, we explore research trends in nextgeneration natural fiber composite materials for automobiles and their application in the actual automobile industry.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.4
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• pp.431-441
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• 2023

The aim of this paper is to present a new sustainable ternary and quaternary binder by partially replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with different percentages of supplementary cementitious materials. The motivation is to reduce our dependency on OPC to reduce CO₂ emission and carbon foot print. As the main substitute for the OPC, siliceous fly ash was used. Moreover, silica fume and nanosilica were also used. During examinations the main mechanical parameters of concrete composites, i.e., compressive strength (f_cm) and splitting tensile strength (f_ctm) were assed. The microstructure of these materials was also analysed. It was found that the concrete incorporating pozzolanic materials is characterized by a well-developed structure and has high values of mechanical parameters. The quaternary concrete containing: 80% OPC, 5% FA, 10% SF, and 5% nS have shown the best results in terms of good strength parameters as well as the most favourable microstructure, whereas the worst mechanical parameters with microstructure containing microcracks at phase interfaces were characterized by concrete with more content of FA additive in the concrete mix, i.e., 15%. Nevertheless, all concretes made on quaternary binders had better parameters than the reference one. It can be stated that sustainable concrete incorporating pozzolanic materials could be good substitute of ordinary concretes.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.53-69
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• 2024

Advancements in the technology of building materials has led to diverse applications of nanomaterials with the aim to monitor concrete structures. While there are myriad instances of the use of nanoparticles in building materials, the production of smart nano cement-composites is often expensive. Thereupon, this research aims to discover a sustainable nanomaterial from tyre waste using the pyrolysis process as part of the green manufacturing circle. Here, Nano Structure Tyre-Char (NSTC) is introduced as a zero-dimension carbon-based nanoparticle. The NSTC particles were characterized using various standard characterization techniques. Several salient results for the NSTC particles were obtained using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The size of the particles as well as that of the agglomerates were reduced significantly using the milling process and the results were validated through a scanning electron microscope. The crystallite size and crystallinity were found to be ~35nm and 10.42%, respectively. The direct bandgap value of 5.93eV and good optical conductivity at 786 nm were obtained from the ultra violet visible spectroscopy measurements. The thermal analysis reveals the presence of a substantial amount of carbon, the rate of maximum weight loss, and the two stages of phase transformation. The FT-Raman confirms the presence of carboxyl groups and a ID/IG ratio of 0.83. Water contact angle around 140° on the surface implies the highly hydrophobic nature of the material and its low surface energy. This characteristic process assists to obtain a sustainable nanomaterial from waste tyres, contributing to the development of a smart building material.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2023

Recently, as global environmental issues for sustainable development, such as carbon neutrality, have emerged, disposal methods of glass fiber composites, a material of existing wind turbines, have become a problem. To solve this problem, in this study, 30kW wind turbine blades were manufactured using flax fiber-based composites, which are eco-friendly natural fiber composites that can replace existing glass fiber composites, and their suitability was evaluated. First, mechanical strength tests were conducted to verify the feasibility of using eco-friendly natural flax fiber composites as a wind turbine blade material, and as a result, better strength were confirmed compared to previous studies on the properties of flax fiber composites. In addition, the suitability was confirmed through a static strength performance evaluation test to measure the static strength of the flax fiber composite blade using the manufactured 30kW class flax fiber composite blade.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2014

Mg hydride has a high hydrogen capacity (7.6%), at high temperature, and is a lightweight and low cost material, thus it a promising hydrogen storage material. However, its high operation temperature and very slow reaction kinetics are obstacles to practical application. In order to overcome these disadvantages of Mg hydride, graphene powder was added to it. The addition of graphene has been shown to reduce the operating temperature of dehydrogenation. Moreover, in this report the environmental aspects of $MgH_x$-Graphene composites are investigated by means of the environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) method. $MgH_x$-Graphene mixture was prepared by hydrogen induced mechanical alloy (HIMA). The synthesized powder was characterized by XRD(X-ray Diffraction). The hydrogenation behaviors were evaluated by using a Sievert's type automatic PCT apparatus. Such evaluation of Materials also conducted in the LCA. From the result of P-C-T(Pressure-Composition-Temperature) curves, the $MgH_x$-3wt.% graphene composite was evaluated as having a 5.86wt.% maximum hydrogen storage capacity, at 523K. From absorption kinetic testing, the $MgH_x$-7wt.% graphene composite was evaluated as having a maximum 6.94wt.%/ms hydrogen absorption rate, at 573K. Environment evaluation results for the $MgH_x$-graphene composites and other materials indicated environmental impact from the electric power used and from the materials themselves.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-270
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• 2010

Recently, the most promising methods for high purity hydrogen production are membranes separation such as polymer, metal, ceramic and composites. It is well known that Pd and Pd-alloys membranes have excellent properties for hydrogen separation. However, it has hydrogen embrittlement and high cost for practical applications. Therefore, most scientists have studied new materials instead of Pd and Pd-alloys. On the other hand, TiN powders are great in resistance to acids and chemically stable under high operating temperature. In order to get specimens for hydrogen permeation, the TiN powders synthesized were consolidated together with Co, Ni powders by hot press sintering (HPS). During the consolidation of powders at HPS, heating rate was 10 K/min and the pressure was 10 MPa. It was characterized by XRD, SEM. Also, we estimated the hydrogen permeability by Sievert's type hydrogen permeation membrane equipment.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.62-72
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• 2022

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is attracting increasing attention as an eco-friendly technology that can save cooling energy by not requiring an external power supply. An ideal PDRC structure should improve solar reflectance and emissivity within the atmospheric spectral window. Early designs of photonic crystal materials demonstrated the benefits of PDRC. Since then, functional arrangements of polymer-based radiative cooling materials have played an important role and are rapidly expanding. This review summarizes the known inorganic, organic, and hybrid materials for PDRC. The review also provides a complete understanding of PDRC and highlights its practical applications.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2010

The extensive use of fossil resources over the past century resulted in dwindling supply and surging price of oil and it is strongly suspected that irreversible global climate change might be due to carbon dioxide emitted from combustion of fossil carbons. With this regard, much attention is recently paid to renewable and sustainable resources as alternatives to petroleum. In this review, we considered a range of efforts to replace petroleum-derived chemicals, particularly adhesive materials with renewable and sustainable plant-based biomass feedstock.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.471-483
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• 2023

This paper presents an analytical hyperbolic theory based on the refined shear deformation theory for mechanical stability analysis of the simply supported advanced composites plates (exponentially, sigmoidal and power-law graded) under triangular, trapezoidal and uniform uniaxial and biaxial loading. The developed model ensures the boundary condition of the zero transverse stresses at the top and bottom surfaces without using the correction factor as first order shear deformation theory. The mathematical formulation of displacement contains only four unknowns in which the transverse deflection is divided to shear and bending components. The current study includes the effect of the geometric imperfection of the material. The modeling of the micro-void presence in the structure is based on the both true and apparent density formulas in which the porosity will be dense in the mid-plane and zero in the upper and lower surfaces (free surface) according to a logarithmic function. The analytical solutions of the uniaxial and biaxial critical buckling load are determined by solving the differential equilibrium equations of the system with the help of the Navier's method. The correctness and the effectiveness of the proposed HyRPT is confirmed by comparing the results with those found in the open literature which shows the high performance of this model to predict the stability characteristics of the FG structures employed in various fields. Several parametric analyses are performed to extract the most influenced parameters on the mechanical stability of this type of advanced composites plates.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.126-131
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• 2023

Growing environmental concerns regarding pollution caused by conventional plastics have increased interest in biodegradable polymers as alternative materials. The purpose of this study is to develop a 100% biodegradable nanocomposite material by introducing organic nucleating agents into the biodegradable and thermoplastic resin, poly(lactic acid), to improve its properties. Accordingly, cellulose nanofibers, an eco-friendly material, were adopted as a substitute for inorganic nucleating agents. To achieve a uniform dispersion of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) within PLA, the aqueous solution of nanofibers was lyophilized to maintain their fibrous shape. Then, they were subjected to primary mixing using a twin-screw extruder. Test specimens with double mixing were then produced by injection molding. Differential scanning calorimetry was employed to confirm the reinforced physical properties, and it was found that the addition of 1 wt% CNFs acted as a reinforcing material and nucleating agent, reducing the cold crystallization temperature by approximately 14℃ and increasing the degree of crystallization. This study provides an environmentally friendly alternative for developing plastic materials with enhanced properties, which can contribute to a sustainable future without consuming inorganic nucleating agents. It serves as a basis for developing 100% biodegradable green nanocomposites.