Journal: Nanoscale

Article Title: Titanium diboride-derived nanosheets enhance the mechanical properties of polyurethane: experiments and simulation.

doi: 10.1039/d5nr01185j

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 2 Physicochemical characterization of TiB2-based fillers. FE-SEM images of (a) bulk TiB2 (b-TiB2), (b) pristine nanosheets (p-NS), and (c) func- tionalized nanosheets (f-NS) obtained using the powder form of nanosheets, depicting substantial differences in the lateral size of nanosheets because of different synthesis methods. TEM images of (d) b-TiB2, (e) p-NS, and (f) f-NS obtained by drop-casting the dispersion of these nanosheets on lacey carbon grids, which depict the planar nature of such nanosheets. (g) FTIR spectra of TiB2 based fillers – b-TiB2 and p-NS fillers, exhibiting featureless spectra, and those of f-NS indicate the extensive presence of oxy-functional groups. (h) XRD patterns of b-TiB2 and its nanos- caled counterpart displaying the varying range of intensities. The reduction in intensity signifies that exfoliation indeed happened.

Article Snippet: X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of TiB2-based fillers was performed using a D8 DISCOVER (Bruker) instrument, whereas a multipurpose X-ray diffractometer (SmartLab, Rigaku Corp., Japan) was used to measure composite films using Cu Kα-radiation (λ = 1.54 Å).

Techniques: Dispersion, Functional Assay

Journal: Nanoscale

Article Title: Titanium diboride-derived nanosheets enhance the mechanical properties of polyurethane: experiments and simulation.

doi: 10.1039/d5nr01185j

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 6 Chemical and thermal characterization of neat PU and its composites at 2 wt% addition of TiB2 based fillers. (a) FTIR spectra depict a reduction in intensity for b-TiB2 and p-NS-based composites compared with neat PU, reflecting an interaction between these fillers and PU, which is not evident in an f-NS-based composite. (b) XRD patterns exhibit no significant change in the crystal structure of native PU; (c) TGA and (d) DSC curves also demonstrate the changes in the thermal characteristics of composites compared with neat PU, representing an interaction between TiB2-based fillers and PU.

Article Snippet: X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of TiB2-based fillers was performed using a D8 DISCOVER (Bruker) instrument, whereas a multipurpose X-ray diffractometer (SmartLab, Rigaku Corp., Japan) was used to measure composite films using Cu Kα-radiation (λ = 1.54 Å).

Techniques: