TY - JOUR A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Emamverdi, Farnaz A1 - Cacua, K. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Carrier Fibers for the Safe Dosage of Nanoparticles in Nanocomposites: Nanomechanical and Thermomechanical Study on Polycarbonate/Boehmite Electrospun Fibers Embedded in Epoxy Resin N2 - The reinforcing effect of boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) in epoxy resins for fiber composite lightweight construction is related to the formation of a soft but bound interphase between filler and polymer. The interphase is able to dissipate crack propagation energy and consequently increases the fracture toughness of the epoxy resin. Usually, the nanoparticles are dispersed in the resin and then mixed with the hardener to form an applicable mixture to impregnate the fibers. If one wishes to locally increase the fracture toughness at particularly stressed positions of the fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC), this could be done by spraying nanoparticles from a suspension. However, this would entail high costs for removing the nanoparticles from the ambient air. We propose that a fiber fleece containing bound nanoparticles be inserted at exposed locations. For the present proof-of-concept study, an electrospun polycarbonate nonwoven and taurine modified BNP are proposed. After fabrication of suitable PC/EP/BNP composites, the thermomechanical properties were tested by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Comparatively, the local nanomechanical properties such as stiffness and elastic modulus were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). An additional investigation of the distribution of the nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix, which is a prerequisite for an effective nanocomposite, is carried out by scanning electron microscopy in transmission mode (TSEM). From the results it can be concluded that the concept of carrier fibers for nanoparticles is viable. KW - Advanced materials KW - Electrospun nanocomposite fiber KW - Nanomechanical charecteisation KW - Nanosafety KW - Epoxy nanocomposites PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528265 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - 1591 PB - MDPI CY - CH - 4020 Basel, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52826 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fankhänel, J. A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Daum, B. A1 - Kempe, A. A1 - Sturm, Heinz A1 - Rolfes, R. T1 - Mechanical properties of Boehmite evaluated by Atomic Force Microscopy experiments and Molecular Dynamic Finite Element simulations N2 - Boehmite nanoparticles show great potential in improving mechanical properties of fiber reinforced polymers. In order to predict the properties of nanocomposites, knowledge about the material parameters of the constituent phases, including the boehmite particles, is crucial. In this study, the mechanical behavior of boehmite is investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) experiments and Molecular Dynamic Finite Element Method (MDFEM) simulations. Young’s modulus of the perfect crystalline boehmite nanoparticles is derived from numerical AFM simulations. Results of AFM experiments on boehmite nanoparticles deviate significantly. Possible causes are identified by experiments on complementary types of boehmite, that is, geological and hydrothermally synthesized samples, and further simulations of imperfect crystals and combined boehmite/epoxy models. Under certain circumstances, the mechanical behavior of boehmite was found to be dominated by inelastic effects that are discussed in detail in the present work.The studies are substantiated with accompanying X-ray diffraction and Raman experiments. KW - AFM KW - MDFEM KW - Nanocomposite KW - Epoxy KW - X-ray diffraction KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Young’s modulus KW - Slippage of weakly linked layers PY - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-384230 UR - https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnm/2016/5017213/#B26 VL - 2016 IS - Article ID 5017213 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation AN - OPUS4-38423 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Cover image for the article "Nanomechanical study of polycarbonate/boehmite nanoparticles/epoxy ternary composite and their interphases" N2 - The image designed by Natalia Cano Murillo and colleagues shows the cross section of a ternary composite (boehmite/polycarbonate/epoxy, 80μm x 80μm). The surface was measured by AFM kelvin probe microscopy, yielding the surface potential which is shown as 3D‐surface and contour lines. The sample was further subjected to AFM force spectroscopy with a lateral resolution of 1μm², yielding the local Young's modulus, projected in false colors on the 3D surface. The ternary system, containing boehmite nanoparticles, shows a broad distribution of modulus, desirable for optimized macroscopic mechanical properties, such as high stiffness as well as toughness. KW - Boehmite KW - Epoxy KW - Polycarbonate KW - AFM KW - BNP PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50400 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 138 IS - 12 SP - 1 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-51831 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Nanomechanical study of polycarbonate/boehmite nanoparticles/epoxy ternary composite and their interphases N2 - Thermoplastic modified thermosets are of great interest especially due to their improved fracture toughness. Comparable enhancements have been achieved by adding different nanofillers including inorganic particles such as nanosized boehmite. Here, we present a nanomechanical study of two composite systems, the first comprising a polycarbonate (PC) layer in contact with epoxy resin (EP) and the second consisting of a PC layer containing boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) which is also in contact with an EP layer. The interaction between PC and EP monomer is tested by in situ Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) analysis, from which a reaction induced phase separation of the PC phase is inferred. Both systems are explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) force spectroscopy. AFM force-distance curves (FDC) show no alteration of the mechanical properties of EP at the interface to PC. However, when a PC phase loaded with BNP is put in contact with an epoxy system during curing, a considerable mechanical improvement exceeding the rule of mixture was detected. The trend of BNP to agglomerate preferentially around EP dominated regions and the stiffening effect of BNP on EP shown by spatial resolved measurements of Young's modulus, suggest the effective presence of BNP within the EP phase. KW - Composites KW - Mechanical properties KW - Nanoparticles KW - Thermoplastics KW - Thermosets PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515965 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 138 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-51596 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Sturm, Heinz ED - Glatzel, T. T1 - Bulk chemical composition contrast from attractive forces in AFM force spectroscopy N2 - A key application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the measurement of physical properties at sub-micrometer resolution. Methods such as force–distance curves (FDCs) or dynamic variants (such as intermodulation AFM (ImAFM)) are able to measure mechanical properties (such as the local stiffness, kr) of nanoscopic heterogeneous materials. For a complete structure–property correlation, these mechanical measurements are considered to lack the ability to identify the chemical structure of the materials. In this study, the measured attractive force, Fattr, acting between the AFM tip and the sample is shown to be an independent measurement for the local chemical composition and hence a complete structure–property correlation can be obtained. A proof of concept is provided by two model samples comprised of (1) epoxy/polycarbonate and (2) epoxy/boehmite. The preparation of the model samples allowed for the assignment of material phases based on AFM topography. Additional chemical characterization on the nanoscale is performed by an AFM/infrared-spectroscopy hybrid method. Mechanical properties (kr) and attractive forces (Fattr) are calculated and a structure–property correlation is obtained by a manual principle component analysis (mPCA) from a kr/Fattr diagram. A third sample comprised of (3) epoxy/polycarbonate/boehmite is measured by ImAFM. The measurement of a 2 × 2 µm cross section yields 128 × 128 force curves which are successfully evaluated by a kr/Fattr diagram and the nanoscopic heterogeneity of the sample is determined. KW - AFM force spectroscopy KW - Composites KW - Principle component analysis KW - Structure–property correlation KW - Van der Waals forces PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520175 SN - 2190-4286 VL - 12 IS - 5 SP - 58 EP - 71 PB - Beilstein Institute CY - Frankfurt am Main AN - OPUS4-52017 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Platz, D. A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Insights into Nano-Scale Physical and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy/Boehmite Nanocomposite Using Different AFM Modes N2 - Understanding the interaction between nanoparticles and the matrix and the properties of interphase is crucial to predict the macroscopic properties of a nanocomposite system. Here, we investigate the interaction between boehmite nanoparticles (BNPs) and epoxy using different atomic force microscopy (AFM) approaches. We demonstrate benefits of using multifrequency intermodulation AFM (ImAFM) to obtain information about conservative, dissipative and van der Waals tip-surface forces and probing local properties of nanoparticles, matrix and the interphase. We utilize scanning kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to probe surface potential as a tool to visualize material contrast with a physical parameter, which is independent from the mechanics of the surface. Combining the information from ImAFM stiffness and SKPM surface potential results in a precise characterization of interfacial region, demonstrating that the interphase is softer than epoxy and boehmite nanoparticles. Further, we investigated the effect of boehmite nanoparticles on the bulk properties of epoxy matrix. ImAFM stiffness maps revealed the significant stiffening effect of boehmite nanoparticles on anhydride-cured epoxy matrix. The energy Dissipation of epoxy Matrix locally measured by ImAFM shows a considerable increase compared to that of neat epoxy. These measurements suggest a substantial alteration of epoxy structure induced by the presence of boehmite. KW - Nanomechanics KW - Intermodulation-AFM KW - Interphase KW - Boehmite KW - Epoxy PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476040 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 235, 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-47604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - The effect of boehmite nanoparticles (gamma‐AlOOH) on nanomechanical and thermomechanical properties correlated to crosslinking density of epoxy N2 - We show that complex physical and chemical interactions between boehmite nanoparticles and epoxy drastically affect matrix properties, which in the future will provide tuning of material properties for further optimization in applications from automotive to aerospace. We utilize intermodulation atomic force microscopy (ImAFM) for probing local stiffness of both particles and polymer matrix. Stiff particles are expected to increase total stiffness of nanocomposites and the stiffness of polymer should remain unchanged. However, ImAFM revealed that stiffness of matrix in epoxy/boehmite nanocomposite is significantly higher than unfilled epoxy. The stiffening effect of the boehmite on epoxy also depends on the particle concentration. To understand the mechanism behind property alteration induced by boehmite nanoparticles, network architecture is investigated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). It was revealed that although with 15 wt% boehmite nanoparticles the modulus at glassy state increases, crosslinking density of epoxy for this composition is drastically low. KW - Crosslinking density KW - Epoxy KW - Intermodulation KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Nanomechanical properties KW - Boehmite nanoparticles PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-476050 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 164 SP - 174 EP - 182 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-47605 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Agudo Jácome, Leonardo A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Short- and long-range mechanical and chemical interphases caused by interaction of Boehmite (γ-AlOOH) with anhydride-cured epoxy resins N2 - Understanding the interaction between boehmite and epoxy and the formation of their interphases with different mechanical and chemical structures is crucial to predict and optimize the properties of epoxy-boehmite nanocomposites. Probing the interfacial properties with atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based methods, especially particle-matrix long-range interactions, is challenging. This is due to size limitations of various analytical methods in resolving nanoparticles and their interphases, the overlap of interphases, and the effect of buried particles that prevent the accurate interphase property measurement. Here, we develop a layered model system in which the epoxy is cured in contact with a thin layer of hydrothermally synthesized boehmite. Different microscopy methods are employed to evaluate the interfacial properties. With intermodulation atomic force microscopy (ImAFM) and amplitude dependence force spectroscopy (ADFS), which contain information about stiffness, electrostatic, and van der Waals forces, a soft interphase was detected between the epoxy and boehmite. Surface potential maps obtained by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) revealed another interphase about one order of magnitude larger than the mechanical interphase. The AFM-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) technique reveals that the soft interphase consists of unreacted curing agent. The long-range electrical interphase is attributed to the chemical alteration of the bulk epoxy and the formation of new absorption bands. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Interphase KW - Intermodulation AFM KW - Electron microscopy KW - Infrared nano AFM PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-483672 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/6/853/htm SN - 2079-4991 VL - 9 IS - 6 SP - 853, 1 EP - 20 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-48367 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -