Browsing by Author "Cumbo, Eric"

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    Carbon and cellulose based nanofillers reinforcement to strengthen carbon fiber-epoxy composites: Processing, characterizations, and applications
    (Frontiers, 2023-01-10) Biswas, Pias Kumar; Omole, Oluwaseun; Peterson, Garrett; Cumbo, Eric; Agarwal, Mangilal; Dalir, Hamid; Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
    Since the inception of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, different nanofillers have been investigated to strengthen their mechanical and physical properties. To date, the majority of research has focused on enhancing fiber/matrix interface characteristics and/or optimizing nanofiller dispersion within the matrix, both of which improve the performance of carbon fiber-epoxy composite structures. Nanofillers can be dispersed into the polymer matrix by different techniques or nanofillers are chemically bonded to fiber, polymer, or both via multiple reaction steps. However, a few studies were conducted showing the effects of different nanofillers on the performance of carbon fiber-epoxy composites. Here a critical study has been done to explore different carbon and cellulose-based nanofillers which are used to enhance the mechanical and physical properties of carbon fiber-epoxy composites. After giving a short history of carbon fiber production, the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, cellulose-based nanofillers (cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibers), their dispersion in the polymer matrix, and chemical/physical bonding with the fiber or polymer have been extensively described here along with their processing techniques, characterizations, and applications in various fields.
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    Multi-nozzle electrospinning optimization of carbon nanotube/epoxy submicron filaments – A numerical study
    (American Chemical Society, 2021-08-26) Liyanage, Asel Habarakada; Biswas, Pias Kumar; Cumbo, Eric; Siegel, Amanda P.; Agarwal, Mangilal; Dalir, Hamid
    Electrospinning is the process of spinning a polymer melt or solution through a nozzle in the presence of a high-voltage electric field, which causes it to coalesce into a continuous filament. Diameter of the filament is anywhere from tens of nanometers to a few microns, depending on the materials being spun, viscosity, electric field, and other experimental conditions. This process has gained attention because of its versatility, low cost, and ease of processing for many polymers. Thermosetting reinforced epoxy is particularly challenging because of the variability in viscosity caused by temperature changes and induced by the electrospinning process itself. Nevertheless, our research group previously developed the fabrication and characterization of submicron carbon nanotube (CNT)–epoxy nanocomposite filaments through an electrospinning process via a single nozzle, horizontal spray process. In this study, electric fields and other parameters were simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics® software to understand the induced surface charges that cause the Taylor cone of the CNT-epoxy solution.. Optimization of the simulation results coupled with those of experiments enabled us to achieve stability and fabricate smaller but more uniform diameter fibers with enhanced structural, electrical, and thermal properties. The main challenge addressed in this paper is the use of the COMSOL models to understand the effect of different geometries on the electric field in the presence of multi-nozzle systems.