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Surface Modification of Glass Fibers

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 15623

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Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF), Hohe Strasse 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Glass fibers are melt-spun silica-based inorganic materials, well known and comprehensively used for many years. Their main application is in glass fiber-reinforced composites, which account for more than 90% of all fiber-reinforced composites currently produced. In recent years, basalt fibers have also become the focus of application in polymer and concrete composites due to their remarkable mechanical properties and chemical and thermal resistance. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to improve fibers, interfaces, and composites in key points, so the objective of this Special Issue is to focus on actual research topics related to glass and basalt fibers.

Glass fiber sizings include lubricants, binders, and/or coupling agents that help to protect filaments from failure during processing and enable wetting with resin as well as strengthening of the adhesive bond at the fiber–matrix interface. The improvement of the compatibility of some size chemistries to the composites’ matrix is still a key issue. However, the selection of sizing raw materials, their formulation and amount on fibers does not only have to fulfill requirements of interphase formation. Furthermore, it depends on subsequent process routes, desired chemical or thermal resistance, and the application of additional coatings.

Glass but especially basalt fibers are considered for the development of green and biodegradable composites, e.g., in combination with polylactide acid or bio-epoxies; therefore, we should also be able to provide biocompatible approaches for surface modification in the near future. Finally, significant attention will be paid to recycling and re-use of glass fibers separated from composites at end-of-life.

Dr. Christina Scheffler
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Glass/basalt fiber manufacturing
  • Hybrid yarns with thermoplastic filaments
  • Development and application of sizings/coatings
  • Surface modification by wet-/dry-chemical treatments
  • Multifunctional nanostructured surfaces
  • Surface and interphase characterization methods
  • Corrosion/ ageing of glass and basalt fibers
  • Application in polymer and mineral-bonded composites
  • Biodegradable composites and medical application

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 20986 KiB  
Article
Spinning of Endless Bioactive Silicate Glass Fibres for Fibre Reinforcement Applications
by Julia Eichhorn, Cindy Elschner, Martin Groß, Rudi Reichenbächer, Aarón X. Herrera Martín, Ana Prates Soares, Heilwig Fischer, Julia Kulkova, Niko Moritz, Leena Hupa, Markus Stommel, Christina Scheffler and Martin Kilo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7927; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177927 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3160
Abstract
Bioactive glasses have been used for many years in the human body as bone substitute. Since bioactive glasses are not readily available in the form of endless thin fibres with diameters below 20 µm, their use is limited to mainly non-load-bearing applications in [...] Read more.
Bioactive glasses have been used for many years in the human body as bone substitute. Since bioactive glasses are not readily available in the form of endless thin fibres with diameters below 20 µm, their use is limited to mainly non-load-bearing applications in the form of particles or granules. In this study, the spinnability of four bioactive silicate glasses was evaluated in terms of crystallisation behaviour, characteristic processing temperatures and viscosity determined by thermal analysis. The glass melts were drawn into fibres and their mechanical strength was measured by single fibre tensile tests before and after the surface treatment with different silanes. The degradation of the bioactive glasses was observed in simulated body fluid and pure water by recording the changes of the pH value and the ion concentration by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry; further, the glass degradation process was monitored by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, first in vitro experiments using murine pre-osteoblast cell line MC3T3E1 were carried out in order to evaluate the interaction with the glass fibre surface. The results achieved in this work show up the potential of the manufacturing of endless bioactive glass fibres with appropriate mechanical strength to be applied as reinforcing fibres in new innovative medical implants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Glass Fibers)
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18 pages, 11123 KiB  
Article
Polymeric Coatings for AR-Glass Fibers in Cement-Based Matrices: Effect of Nanoclay on the Fiber-Matrix Interaction
by Francesca Bompadre, Christina Scheffler, Toni Utech and Jacopo Donnini
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5484; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125484 - 13 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
Polymeric coatings are widely used to enhance the load bearing capacity and chemical durability of alkali-resistant glass (AR-glass) textile in cement-based composites. The contact zone between coated yarns and concrete matrix plays a major role to enable the stress transfer and has still [...] Read more.
Polymeric coatings are widely used to enhance the load bearing capacity and chemical durability of alkali-resistant glass (AR-glass) textile in cement-based composites. The contact zone between coated yarns and concrete matrix plays a major role to enable the stress transfer and has still to be improved for the full exploitation of the mechanical behavior of the composite. As a new approach, this paper studies how the addition of nanoclay particles in the polymer coating formulation can increase the chemical bond between organic coating and inorganic matrix. This includes the description of the water-based coating preparation by dispersing sodium montmorillonites, whereby the resulting coating nanostructure is characterized by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Single glass fibers were treated by dip-coating. Atomic force microscopy was used to determine the surface roughness, and the effect on the fiber tensile properties was studied. Moreover, the morphological and chemical characteristics of the coatings were compared with the results obtained from single fiber pull-out (SFPO) tests. It was shown that the incorporation of nanoclays leads to increased interfacial shear strength arising from the ability of nanoclay particles to nucleate hydration products in the fiber-matrix contact zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Glass Fibers)
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12 pages, 20364 KiB  
Article
Graphene Deposition on Glass Fibers by Triboelectrification
by Haroon Mahmood, Laura Simonini, Andrea Dorigato and Alessandro Pegoretti
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3123; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073123 - 1 Apr 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2491
Abstract
In this work, a novel nanomaterial deposition technique involving the triboelectrification (TE) of glass fibers (GF) to create attractive charges on their surface was investigated. Through TE, continuous GF were positively charged thus, attracting negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles dispersed in a [...] Read more.
In this work, a novel nanomaterial deposition technique involving the triboelectrification (TE) of glass fibers (GF) to create attractive charges on their surface was investigated. Through TE, continuous GF were positively charged thus, attracting negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles dispersed in a solution. The electrical charges on the glass fibers surface increased with the intensity of the TE process. The deposited GO coating was then chemically treated to obtain reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on the surface of GFs. The amount of coating obtained increased with the GO solution concentration used during the deposition process, as revealed by FESEM analysis. However, the same increment could not be noticed as a function of the intensity of the process. Both uncoated and coated GF were used to obtain single fiber microcomposites by using a bicomponent epoxy matrix. The fiber/matrix interfacial shear strength was evaluated through micro debonding tests, which revealed an increment of fiber/matrix adhesion up to 45% for rGO coated GF in comparison to the uncoated ones. A slight improvement in the electrical conductivity of rGO coated fibers through TE compared to conventional dip coating was also observed in terms of volumetric resistivity by a four-point probe setup. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Glass Fibers)
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12 pages, 5239 KiB  
Article
Chemical Regeneration of Thermally Conditioned Basalt Fibres
by Matteo Lilli, Fabrizio Sarasini, Lorenzo Di Fausto, Carlos González, Andrea Fernández, Cláudio Saúl Lopes and Jacopo Tirillò
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(19), 6674; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196674 - 24 Sep 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
The disposal of fibre reinforced composite materials is a problem widely debated in the literature. This work explores the ability to restore the mechanical properties of thermally conditioned basalt fibres through chemical treatments. Inorganic acid (HF) and alkaline (NaOH) treatments proved to be [...] Read more.
The disposal of fibre reinforced composite materials is a problem widely debated in the literature. This work explores the ability to restore the mechanical properties of thermally conditioned basalt fibres through chemical treatments. Inorganic acid (HF) and alkaline (NaOH) treatments proved to be effective in regenerating the mechanical strength of recycled basalt fibres, with up to 94% recovery of the strength on treatment with NaOH. In particular, HF treatment proved to be less effective compared to NaOH, therefore pointing towards a more environmentally sustainable approach considering the disposal issues linked to the use of HF. Moreover, the strength regeneration was found to be dependent on the level of temperature experienced during the thermal treatment process, with decreasing effectiveness as a function of increasing temperature. SEM analysis of the fibres’ lateral surfaces suggests that surface defects removal induced by the etching reaction is the mechanism controlling recovery of fibre mechanical properties. In addition, studies on the fracture toughness of the regenerated single fibres were carried out, using focussed ion beam (FIB) milling technique, to investigate whether any structural change in the bulk fibre occurred after thermal exposure and chemical regeneration. A significant increase in the fracture toughness for the regenerated fibres, in comparison with the as-received and heat-treated basalt ones, was measured. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Glass Fibers)
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Review

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19 pages, 1939 KiB  
Review
Surface Modification of Glass Textile for the Reinforcement of a Cement-Based Composite: A Review
by Francesca Bompadre and Jacopo Donnini
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2028; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052028 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3083
Abstract
The mechanical properties of cement-based composites reinforced with glass textile are strongly affected by the low ability of the inorganic matrix to penetrate within the single filaments, and by the low durability of the fibers in an alkaline environment. Over the last decades, [...] Read more.
The mechanical properties of cement-based composites reinforced with glass textile are strongly affected by the low ability of the inorganic matrix to penetrate within the single filaments, and by the low durability of the fibers in an alkaline environment. Over the last decades, different studies have investigated the possibility to improve the mechanical properties and the durability of this class of composites by modifying the surface of the reinforcement, mainly using different types of organic or inorganic coatings. Although different solutions have been proposed, the feasibility of applying these techniques strictly depend on the final application of the composite. This review aims to give an overview of the different methods that have been proposed in the literature and to highlight advantages and drawbacks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification of Glass Fibers)
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