Optimisation of Additives to Maximise Performance of Expandable Graphite-Based Intumescent-Flame-Retardant Polyurethane Composites.

The effect of varying the weight percentage composition (wt.%) of low-cost expandable graphite (EG), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), fibreglass (FG), and vermiculite (VMT) in polyurethane (PU) polymer was studied using a traditional intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system. The synergistic effect between EG, APP, FG, and VMT on the flame retardant properties of the PU composites was investigated using SEM, TGA, tensile strength tests, and cone calorimetry.

Structure evolution of nanodiamond aggregates: a SANS and USANS study.

Ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements, covering length scales from micrometres to nanometres, were made to investigate the structure of nanodiamonds (NDs) and their suspensions. These nanodiamonds were produced by two different techniques, namely by the detonation method and by the laser ablation of a carbon-hydro-carbon mixture. The (U)SANS results indicated the presence of structures four orders of magnitude larger than the dimensions of a single ND particle, consisting of aggregations of ND particles.