Jingjing Qiu

Bio: Jingjing Qiu is an academic researcher from Texas Tech University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Graphene & Self-healing hydrogels. The author has an hindex of 35, co-authored 96 publications receiving 4523 citations. Previous affiliations of Jingjing Qiu include Xiamen University & University of Florida.

Additive manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites using fused deposition modeling

Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been successfully applied in various applications. Fused deposition modeling (FDM), one of the most popular AM techniques, is the most widely used method for fabricating thermoplastic parts those are mainly used as rapid prototypes for functional testing with advantages of low cost, minimal wastage, and ease of material change. Due to the intrinsically limited mechanical properties of pure thermoplastic materials, there is a critical need to improve mechanical properties for FDM-fabricated pure thermoplastic parts. One of the possible methods is adding reinforced materials (such as carbon fibers) into plastic materials to form thermoplastic matrix carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites those could be directly used in the actual application areas, such as aerospace, automotive, and wind energy. This paper is going to present FDM of thermoplastic matrix CFRP composites and test if adding carbon fiber (different content and length) can improve the mechanical properties of FDM-fabricated parts. The CFRP feedstock filaments were fabricated from plastic pellets and carbon fiber powders for FDM process. After FDM fabrication, effects on the tensile properties (including tensile strength, Young's modulus, toughness, yield strength, and ductility) and flexural properties (including flexural stress, flexural modulus, flexural toughness, and flexural yield strength) of specimens were experimentally investigated. In order to explore the parts fracture reasons during tensile and flexural tests, fracture interface of CFRP composite specimens after tensile testing and flexural testing was observed and analyzed using SEM micrograph.

Thermal Expansion of Graphene Composites

Abstract: Isolated graphene sheets were achieved by graphite intercalation and charge-induced exfoliation. The resultant graphene oxide sheets were incorporated into polymer composites and thermal expansion was investigated by a thermo-mechanical analyzer. The test results indicated that inclusion of graphene into composites resulted in low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs), and increasing graphene fraction reduced CTEs more significantly. The 5 wt % graphene oxide-based composite shows 31.7% reduction below the glass transition temperature. Preliminary measurement of thermal conductivity also indicated that graphene composites significantly improved the thermal conductivity of polymer matrix. Thermal conductivity of 5% graphene composites showed about 4-fold increment in comparison to the polymer matrix. This finding will provide a solid foundation for graphene-enabled thermal management in microelectronics.

Surface Plasmon-Driven Water Reduction: Gold Nanoparticle Size Matters

Abstract: Water reduction under two different visible-light ranges (λ > 400 nm and λ > 435 nm) was investigated in gold-loaded titanium dioxide (Au-TiO2) heterostructures with different sizes of Au nanoparticles (NPs). Our study clearly demonstrates the essential role played by Au NP size in plasmon-driven H2O reduction and reveals two distinct mechanisms to clarify visible-light photocatalytic activity under different excitation conditions. The size of the Au NP governs the efficiency of plasmon-mediated electron transfer and plays a critical role in determining the reduction potentials of the electrons transferred to the TiO2 conduction band. Our discovery provides a facile method of manipulating photocatalytic activity simply by varying the Au NP size and is expected to greatly facilitate the design of suitable plasmonic photocatalysts for solar-to-fuel energy conversion.

A review of carbon dots in biological applications

Abstract: Luminescent carbon-based nanomaterials have inspired tremendous research interests due to their tunable optical properties as well as superior biocompatibility. In this review, distinct light emission properties of carbon dots (CDs) derived from different synthesis methods are summarized. The optical properties of as-synthesized CDs can be further controlled by element doping and surface functionalization of CDs for tunable band gap. Due to their low cytotoxicity and tunable optical behaviors, luminescent CDs have been extensively studied for their potential biomedical applications, such as analytical sensors, and bioimaging devices. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the emerging luminescent CDs and their applications as biosensors and bioimaging agents. The challenges and perspectives in the near future are also discussed.

Carbon nanotube integrated multifunctional multiscale composites

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) demonstrate extraordinary properties and show great promise in enhancing out-of-plane properties of traditional polymer composites and enabling functionality, but current manufacturing challenges hinder the realization of their potential. This paper presents a method to fabricate multifunctional multiscale composites through an effective infiltration-based vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were infused through and between glass-fibre tows along the through-thickness direction. Both pristine and functionalized MWNTs were used in fabricating multiscale glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy composites. It was demonstrated that the mechanical properties of multiscale composites were remarkably enhanced, especially in the functionalized MWNT multiscale composites. With only 1?wt% loading of functionalized MWNTs, tensile strength was increased by 14% and Young's modulus by 20%, in comparison with conventional fibre-reinforced composites. Moreover, the shear strength and short-beam modulus were increased by 5% and 8%, respectively, indicating the improved inter-laminar properties. The strain?stress tests also suggested noticeable enhancement in toughness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization confirmed an enhanced interfacial bonding when functionalized MWNTs were integrated into epoxy/glass-fibre composites. The coefficient thermal expansion (CTE) of functionalized nanocomposites indicated a reduction of 25.2% compared with epoxy/glass-fibre composites. The desired improvement of electrical conductivities was also achieved. The multiscale composites indicated a way to leverage the benefits of CNTs and opened up new opportunities for high-performance multifunctional multiscale composites.

Graphene and Graphene Oxide: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

Abstract: There is intense interest in graphene in fields such as physics, chemistry, and materials science, among others. Interest in graphene's exceptional physical properties, chemical tunability, and potential for applications has generated thousands of publications and an accelerating pace of research, making review of such research timely. Here is an overview of the synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene and related materials (primarily, graphite oxide and its colloidal suspensions and materials made from them), from a materials science perspective.

Thermal properties of graphene and nanostructured carbon materials

Abstract: Recent years have seen a rapid growth of interest by the scientific and engineering communities in the thermal properties of materials. Heat removal has become a crucial issue for continuing progress in the electronic industry, and thermal conduction in low-dimensional structures has revealed truly intriguing features. Carbon allotropes and their derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range--of over five orders of magnitude--from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. Here, I review the thermal properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. Special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe the prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications and challenges

Abstract: Freedom of design, mass customisation, waste minimisation and the ability to manufacture complex structures, as well as fast prototyping, are the main benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing. A comprehensive review of the main 3D printing methods, materials and their development in trending applications was carried out. In particular, the revolutionary applications of AM in biomedical, aerospace, buildings and protective structures were discussed. The current state of materials development, including metal alloys, polymer composites, ceramics and concrete, was presented. In addition, this paper discussed the main processing challenges with void formation, anisotropic behaviour, the limitation of computer design and layer-by-layer appearance. Overall, this paper gives an overview of 3D printing, including a survey on its benefits and drawbacks as a benchmark for future research and development.

Thermal Properties of Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanostructured Carbon Materials

Abstract: Recent years witnessed a rapid growth of interest of scientific and engineering communities to thermal properties of materials. Carbon allotropes and derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range – of over five orders of magnitude – from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. I review thermal and thermoelectric properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. A special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.