Jiakun Shi¹, Bizhu Zhang¹, Xin Zhou¹, Runxian Liu¹, Jun Hu^1,2,*, Huaan Zheng¹, Zhong Chen^3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.5, pp. 1239-1255, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018045

Abstract As a passive anti-icing strategy, properly designed superhydrophobic coatings can demonstrate outstanding performances. However, common preparation strategies for superhydrophobic coatings often lead to environmental pollution, high energy-consumption, high-cost and other undesirable issues. Besides, the durability of superhydrophobic coating also plagues its commercial application. In this paper, we introduced a facile and environment-friendly technique for fabricating abrasion-resistant superhydrophobic surfaces using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and modified SiO₂ particles (SH-SiO₂). Both materials are non-toxicity, low-cost, and commercial available. Our methodology has the following advantages: use of minimal amounts of formulation, take the most streamlined technical route, and no waste material. These advantages make… More > Graphic Abstract

Gaoge Zhao, Jianzhong Chen, Yong Lv^*, Xiaoyu Zhang, Li Huang

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.128, No.1, pp. 339-357, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2021.015388

Abstract The influence of different nanoparticle sizes on the elastic modulus and the fatigue properties of epoxy/SiO₂ nanocomposite is studied in this paper. Here, the cross-linked epoxy resins formed by the combination of DGEBA and 1,3-phenylenediamine are used as the matrix phase, and spherical SiO₂ particles are used as the reinforcement phase. In order to simulate the elastic modulus and long-term performance of the composite material at room temperature, the simulated temperature is set to 298 K and the mass fraction of SiO₂ particles is set to 28.9%. The applied strain rate is 10⁹/s during the simulation of the elastic modulus.… More >

Jiangyong Bao¹, Jianjun He^1,*, Biao Chen², Kaijun Yang¹, Jun Jie², Ruifeng Wang¹, Shihao Zhang²

Energy Engineering, Vol.118, No.4, pp. 947-959, 2021, DOI:10.32604/EE.2021.014535

Abstract As a surface functional material, super-hydrophobic coating has great application potential in wind turbine blade anti-icing, self-cleaning and drag reduction. In this study, ZnO and SiO₂ multi-scale superhydrophobic coatings with mechanical flexibility were prepared by embedding modified ZnO and SiO₂ nanoparticles in PDMS. The prepared coating has a higher static water contact angle (CA is 153°) and a lower rolling angle (SA is 3.3°), showing excellent super-hydrophobicity. Because of its excellent superhydrophobic ability and micro-nano structure, the coating has good anti-icing ability. Under the conditions of −10°C and 60% relative humidity, the coating can delay the freezing time by 1511S,… More >

Basharat Ullah¹, Umar Khan¹, Hafiz Abdul Wahab¹, Ilyas Khan^2,*, Dumitru Baleanu^3,4,5, Kottakkaran Sooppy Nisar⁶

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.66, No.1, pp. 947-960, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.012430

Abstract The investigation of Thermal performance in nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids over a curved stretching infinite region strengthens its roots in engineering and industry. Therefore, the comparative thermal analysis in SiO₂–H₂O and (MoS₂–SiO₂)–H₂O is conducted over curved stretching surface. The model is reduced in the dimensional version via similarity transformation and then treated numerically. The velocity and thermal behavior for both the fluids is decorated against the preeminent parameters. From the analysis, it is examined that the motion of under consideration fluids declines against Fr and λ. The thermal performance enhances for higher volumetric fraction and λ. Further, it is noticed… More >

Haiyang Zhou^1,2, Xiaoyu Wang³, Xiaolong Hao^1,2, Qingwen Wang^1,2,*, Rongxian Ou^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.5, pp. 485-498, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010263

Abstract The mechanical properties of wood flour/high-density polyethylene composites (WPC) were improved by adding a small amount of nano-SiO₂ to obtain a network-structured WPC with a continuous honeycomb-like nano-SiO₂ network. The wood flour was modified with a fire retardant (a mixture of sodium octabonate and amidine urea phosphate) to improve its fire retardancy. The flexural properties, creep resistance, thermal expansion, and fire retardancy of the WPC were compared to a control (WPC_CTRL) without nano-SiO₂ or fire retardant. The flexural strength and modulus of the WPC containing only 0.55 wt.% nano-SiO₂ were 6.6% and 9.1% higher than the control, respectively, while the… More >