Plant-based epoxy enables recyclable carbon fibre!

 Plant-based epoxy enables recyclable carbon fibre!

"Thanks to recent advances in bio-based material design, recycling carbon fiber at an industrial scale could already be close at hand. Through a project supported by the US Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office, under the Composites Core Program, Rorrer and other NREL researchers have shown that making carbon-fiber composites with bio-based epoxies and anhydride hardeners makes the material fully recyclable by introducing linkages that are more easily degraded. In fact, the recycling process — called methanolysis — can be selectively triggered at room temperature without degrading the quality or orientation of the fibers. That could represent a strong step toward a circular material, which can make carbon fiber cheaper and greener when used across multiple lives."

"The thermoset-nature of the cured epoxy makes those superior products difficult to break apart, especially without severely damaging the carbon filaments. Products made from carbon fiber — despite their premium price — often head to the landfill at the end of their lives, along with any efficiency benefits they may have earned."

Rorrer and teammates began experimenting with the chemistry of biomass to understand if it could enable a new epoxy designed for recyclability. Compared to the hydrocarbons in petroleum, biomass contains higher levels of oxygen and nitrogen, offering a different set of chemical possibilities.

"We essentially redesigned the epoxy amine resins — today's thermosets in carbon fiber — with epoxy and anhydrides synthesized from biomass, predominantly from the biological and chemical conversion of sugars," Rorrer explained. "We have shown that [the] reformulated resin can maintain and/or exceed all the same properties as in today's epoxy amine resins, but also make them recyclable by design, and at room temperature."

"Using a special catalyst, the NREL team was able to break down the bio-based resin at room temperature, a process known as "depolymerization." That allowed them to recover the carbon filaments while maintaining their quality and alignment."

"We can actually maintain the fiber quality over at least three material lives," Rorrer said. "So not only are we able to recycle it, we are able to recycle it without any detriment to properties. We are not downcycling the material at all."

Source:#managingcomposites

The introduction of composite materials in tennis racquets!

 📣Composites Showcase!📣

Let's learn more about the introduction of composite materials in tennis racquets!

For many years, tennis was played with wooden rackets. There was some experimentation with laminating woods, but Bill Severa, Wilson’s global director of technology says the wood rackets remained pretty much the same from the early teens [in the 20th century] up until the mid-60s.

"The wood rackets were all based off natural wood and while we sold millions and millions of rackets in those years, there was no real definite evolution," he says.

That evolution took public shape in 1967. But it started in 1953, when Frenchman René Lacoste came up with a design for a metal racket, patenting it that same year. Wilson later acquired the rights to it and in 1967, players grew intrigued enough by the Wilson-made T2000 that it showed up in tournaments. It made its first appearance in the Wilson catalog in 1969.

And with wood finding a challenger in steel, the race for new materials was on. Aluminum, easier to mold than steel, made its debut in the 1970s. But there was more coming. The carbon fiber composite industry wasn’t new in the '80s, having been around since the '50s, Severa says. But at exorbitant prices, carbon fiber wasn’t plausible for sporting goods. As prices started to drop for carbon fiber, tennis companies could experiment.

The big convergence was in 1983 when the last Wilson catalog featured wood, steel, and composite rackets. Just one year later, the company that had been making wood rackets since 1917 was fully in the composite world for its high-end line. Developed as one of the first carbon tennis rackets, the Pro Staff line was actually our third venture into the carbon tennis racket space, following our “Galaxy” and “Sting” racket lines. In fact, when Pro Staff first debuted in 1983, we were selling wood, steel, and carbon tennis rackets. However, Pro Staff’s unique carbon and aramid fibers double braid instantly garnered the attention of serious players due to its combination of power, feel, and control. It’s safe to say that the success of this original Pro Staff line ensured carbon would be the premier material used in performance tennis rackets going forward.

Composite fiber has remained the key material now for over 30 years. With about five major manufacturers of the graphite material, every racket maker has their own tweak on the system, trying to bring out different attributes of the fiber, sometimes mixing and matching differing fiber types and resins within single rackets.

Source: Article "The history of rackets and why players experiment with head size, materials", written by Tim Newcomb.

Source:#thenativelab

GLOBAL SUICIDE RATE

 SUICIDE RATE:

More than 700 000 people die due to suicide every year.

For every suicide, there are many more people who attempt suicide. A prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population.
Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-19 year-olds.
77% of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Ingestion of pesticides, hanging, and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally.

Prevention:
limit access to the means of suicide (e.g. pesticides, firearms, certain medications);
interact with the media for responsible reporting of suicide;
foster socio-emotional life skills in adolescents;
early identify, assess, manage and follow up with anyone who is affected by suicidal behaviors

Post pandemic period has played a vital role in the increasing number of suicide. This generation leads to comfort life, learning and believing the news comes from social media only. Not finding time to go out to meet the people and stand in the sun and burn for a while.

The sad part is the numbers are increasing in recent years a lot as the younger generation is not being able to handle the situation in the proper way. Need counseling for those who are weak mentally.
Let us spread positive vibes to others as much as we can to lead a healthy lifestyle in the world.

Source: WHO

Hydrogen Type 4 Cylinder 700 bar 51L

 Hydrogen Type 4 Cylinder 700 bar 51L

Hyundai NEXO tank supplier – more than 60,000 tanks have been sold as of Q2 2021.

First Mover – ILJIN provided the world’s first hydrogen type 4 cylinders

Global No.1 – mass production of hydrogen fuel tanks with stellar sales

Tope-rate safety performance – about ten times more durable than regulation

Type4 cylinders for high pressure (700bar) hydrogen storage with 2.1kg capacity

Source:ILJIN HYSOLUS

classic recreations

 Composites Showcase!

"Classic Recreations, a builder of high-performance custom vehicles, including Shelby GT500CR continuation cars, has announced its latest innovation — an authentic, officially licensed 1965 carbon fiber bodied CSX Shelby Cobra race car. As the most recent achievement to emerge from Classic Recreations, the full carbon fiber body follows the company’s 1967 carbon fiber bodied GT500CR Mustang which was released in early 2021. Only 10 of the new Shelby Cobra race cars, dubbed the “Diamond Edition” in honor of Shelby American’s 60th anniversary, will be produced. Granted CSX serial numbering, CSX4521 through CSX4530, by Shelby Licensing, each will feature a specially designed custom diamond-encrusted badge, featuring Carroll Shelby’s commemorative signature on the dashboard, and be sold as a completed race car."

“What Classic Recreations has achieved with their carbon fiber program is the continuation of a dream Carroll Shelby himself envisioned for the future,” Shelby American president Gary Patterson says.

Similar sentiments were expressed by co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc., Neil Cummings. “Classic Recreation has been a licensee of Carroll Shelby Licensing for over 15 years and each year they continue to innovate and push the envelope just like Carroll did himself,” Cummings says.

"According to Classic Creations, the Cobra body has been completely engineered in autoclave-cured carbon fiber including the floor and doors, achieving a mere 88 pounds of body weight. A custom-designed, geometrically correct chassis and suspension were designed by Jason Engel, founder and vice president of design and engineering of Classic Recreations. Updated technology and more comfort also feature that was added to the vehicle."

Source:#thenativelab 

Europe's sources of uranium supply:

 Europe's sources of uranium supply:

uranium demand increases by approximately 27% over the next 10 years.

Still, nuclear capacities are being expanded in many countries.

Do we still depend on uranium for nuclear reactors or be more focused on sustainability?

Toyoda Gosei Develops CNF-reinforced plastic for automotive parts

 Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has developed* a cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced plastic with the aim of reducing CO2 over the lifecycle of automotive components, from raw material procurement and production to recycling and disposal.

In moving toward decarbonization and a circular economy, Toyoda Gosei is developing materials that raise the environmental performance of its products by leveraging the following features of CNF. First, CNF has one-fifth the weight and five times the strength of steel. When used as a reinforcing material in plastic or rubber, the product can be made thinner and foam molding becomes easier. This reduces weight and contributes to lower CO2 emissions during vehicle driving. Second, when the material is reused after vehicles are scrapped, little strength is lost from heating and melting, making recycling automotive components possible. Third, it is a material that does not increase the total amount of CO2. Even when CNF is incinerated, the only CO2 emitted is that which was absorbed by the plant during its growth.

The newly developed CNF-reinforced plastic combines 20% CNF in a general-purpose plastic (polypropylene) used in automobile interior and exterior components. For practical application, reduced impact resistance from the inclusion of CNF was initially an issue. Toyoda Gosei overcame this with its material mix design and kneading expertise to raise impact resistance to a level suitable for automotive components. The company will continue to lower costs in cooperation with CNF material manufacturers.

Part of the Ministry of the Environment Nano Cellulose Promotion project, which promotes efforts for the early social implementation of CNF-reinforced plastics that are the basis of various products, with the aim of reducing CO2.

Source: Toyoda Gosei