Journal Article•
Study on a Foamed Material from Plant Fibers
TL;DR: Theoretical and experimental research on a foamed material from plant fibers was conducted in this article, which showed that all the chemical and physical properties of the material were affected by the distribution and size of the bubbles.
Abstract: Theoretical and experimental research on a foamed material from plant fibers was conducted. Results showed that all the chemical and physical properties of the foamed material were affected by the distribution and size of the bubbles. Plant fibers freely joined each other forming a three dimensional structure as a result of the tension and force of the bubbles. At the same time, the tri dimensional structure was further strengthened by the action of an adhesive and a surface activating agent.
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TL;DR: In this article, Si-Al compounds were mixed together with fibers during preparation of ultra-low density fiberboards, forming a thin film on the surface of the fibers via hydrogen bonding.
Abstract: To improve mechanical properties of ultra-low density fiberboards (ULDFs), Si-Al compounds were mixed together with fibers during preparation of ULDFs, forming a thin film on the surface of the fibers via hydrogen bonding. This work mainly optimized two proposed methods in which the inorganic thin film was assembled on the surface of fibers, in terms of its effect on the mechanical properties of fibers. Microstructural characterization (such as micromorphology and elemental distribution, chemical bonding, and crystalline phase) of Si-Al compounds and ULDFs was done to evaluate the effects. The results revealed that an inorganic thin film (probably Al2O3-SiO2) covered the surface of the fibers. Compared with the control specimen, the modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond strength of the specimen treated by the sol-gel process increased from 3.87 MPa to 13.19 MPa, 0.05 MPa to 0.16 MPa, and 0.010 MPa to 0.025 MPa, respectively. Based on its higher mechanical properties, a combined sol-gel method was judged to be better for enhancement of fibers than a separate deposition method.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an ultra-low density fiberboard was made of plant fiber using a liquid frothing approach, and Si-Al compounds were introduced into the foaming system because of the high temperature resistance of Si and Al compounds.
Abstract: An ultra-low density fiberboard was made of plant fiber using a liquid frothing approach. The inflammability of the plant fiber limited its application as a candidate for building insulation materials and packaging buffering materials. Si-Al compounds were introduced into the foaming system because of the high temperature resistance of Si and Al compounds. The results from energy-dispersive spectroscopy suggested that the Si and Al relatively evenly covered the surface of the fibers, and their weight ratios in the material increased as a function of the amount of Si-Al compounds. The increasing weight ratios of Si and Al affected the fire properties of the material, reducing the released amount of heat, smoke, and off-gases such as CO and CO2, as well as decreasing the mass loss percentage, shown through the use of a Cone Calorimeter. It follows that Si-Al compounds have an evident collaborative effect on the halogen fire retardant. The system can effectively restrain the fire hazard intensity and the yields of solid and gas volatiles.
25 citations
Cites background from "Study on a Foamed Material from Pla..."
...A plant fiber-based ultra-low density fiberboard made by a liquid frothing approach is a new product different from the traditional fiberboard (Xie et al. 2003, 2008a,b)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors improved the thermostability and mechanical properties of ultra-low density fiberboard (ULDF) with the different content of silica sol and showed that the residual weight of ULDF was increased with the increasing content of Si sol.
Abstract: The thermostability and mechanical properties of ultra-low density fiberboard (ULDF) were improved with the different content of silica sol. Microstructure and properties of ULDF were tested using scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and microcomputer control electronic universal testing machine. The microstructures and the relative density of ULDFs were different with changes in Si sol content. The TGA results showed that the residual weight of ULDF was increased with the increasing content of silica sol and that the thermostability of ULDFs was improved. The modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and the internal bond strength (IB) of ULDF were significantly improved from 0.12, 10.86, and 0.020 MPa to their maximum values of 0.23, 23.36, and 0.031 MPa while 4% silica sol was added.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of Si-Al molar ratio on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of ultra-low density fiberboard (ULDFs) were examined. And the results showed that the micro structure and bulk density of ULDFs were affected by Si-al molar ratios.
Abstract: Si–Al compounds represent the substances having silicium (Si) and aluminum (Al) in the mixed aqueous solution of sodium silicate and aluminum silicate. Their chemical structure depends on Si–Al molar ratio. In this study, several Si–Al molar ratios were used to prepare different Si–Al compounds. These Si–Al compounds were added in the manufacturing process of ultra-low density fiberboards (ULDFs) to examine the effects of Si–Al molar ratio on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of ULDFs. Scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffractometer and electronic universal testing machine were used to analyze the microstructure and mechanical properties of ULDFs. The results showed that the microstructure and bulk density of ULDFs were affected by Si–Al molar ratios. The mechanical properties of ULDFs were also significantly affected because of Si and Al components being uniformly distributed on the fibers’ surface and formation of Si–O–C bond. When Si–Al molar ratio was 2:1, the modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and internal bond strength of the ULDF was up to 20.78, 0.17, and 0.025 MPa, respectively.
16 citations
Cites background from "Study on a Foamed Material from Pla..."
...It could be a substitute for petroleum-based polymers and be used for building insulation material and packaging buffer material (Niu et al. 2014; Xie et al. 2004, 2008a, b, 2011)....
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...These Si–Al compounds were added in the manufacturing process of ultra-low density fiberboards (ULDFs) to examine the effects of Si–Al molar ratio on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of ULDFs....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of fire resistance between Si-Al compounds and fire retardant (chlorinated paraffin) was evaluated by cone calorimetry, and the results indicated that the SiAl compounds had a significant effect on improving the fire resistance of ULDFs.
Abstract: To clarify how the fire resistance of ultra-low density fiberboards (ULDFs) was improved by the Si-Al compounds and to compare the effect of fire resistance between Si-Al compounds and fire retardant (chlorinated paraffin), the fire performance of ULDFs was evaluated by cone calorimetry. Comparing Si-Al compounds to chlorinated paraffin, the heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), mass loss, total smoke release, and off-gases (CO and CO2) release of ULDFs treated with Si-Al compounds significantly decreased. However, when Si-Al compounds and chlorinated paraffins were simultaneously added, the mixed fiberboards showed the best results for peak of HRR (100.76 kW m-2), time to flameout (336s), THR (21.36 MJ m-2), and residual mass (34.26%). These results indicated that the Si-Al compounds had a significant effect on improving the fire resistance of ULDFs, and the Si-Al compounds and chlorinated paraffins have a synergistic effect in ULDFs.
12 citations