This work addresses the development of composite materials that contain metallic load-bearing cords with the aim of combining outstanding mechanical performance with added functionality, including electrical conductivity, data transmission, and temperature ...
The overall aim of this thesis has been to assess the potential of latex-based technologies for the preparation of polymer/clay nanocomposites. The key feature of latex-based technologies is that they offer the possibility of improved control of the final ...
The understanding of the fundamental behaviour of clays subjected to high temperatures is essential when working with clay barriers in nuclear waste storage, drilling of deep offshore wells or using clay liners on landfills. The effect of temperature on th ...
The focus of this thesis was on the mechanisms of release of volatile molecules from smectite clay minerals. The weight loss was monitored by thermogravimetry, differential calorimetry, and mass spectrometry under isothermal conditions and under ramp tempe ...
We present a study of the adsorption of single molecules of volatiles, such as water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, pyridine, toluene, and n-octane, on the dry surface of a smectite clay using a series of calculations based on density functional theory. Our clay ...
Using calculations based on density-functional theory, we explore the configurations that water molecules (2,3,4;6) assume on the surface a sodium 2:1 smectite clay with isomorphic substitutions both on octahedral and tetrahedral sheets. The hydrophilicity ...
Desorption isotherms for water, ethanol, ethyl acetate and toluene from a sodium smectite clay have been determined by both dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) measurements and Knudsen thermogravimetry (KTGA), at the exception of toluene that was measured only by ...
The effect of the small fraction of clays on the rheological behaviour of alpine debris flow is poorly understood. This is partly due to the complexity of the debris flow mineralogy and the broad particle size distribution. This study has investigated this ...
The aim of this thesis has been to assess the potential of branched polymers as novel exfoliants for layered silicates and their application in polyurethanes. Three different types of –OH functional branched polymers have been studied: dendrimers, hyperbra ...
