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Materials composed of a polymer matrix reinforced with carbon/glass fibres providing lightweight and superior mechanical properties are widely used as structural components for automotive and aerospace applications. However, such parts need to be joined with various metal alloys to obtain better mechanical performance in many structural elements. Many studies have reported enhancements in polymer–metal bonding using adhesives, adhesive/rivet combined joints, and different surface treatments. This study investigated the influences of various surface treatments on the adhesion between glass-reinforced poly(phenylene) sulphide (PPS) and aluminium alloy during the injection over-moulding process. Adhesion strength was evaluated via the shear test. Correlations for the shear strength of the polymer–metal with different metal–substrate treatments were studied. Since the strongest bonding was attained in the treatment with the highest roughness, this value, as it determines the level of micromechanical interlocking of connected materials, seems to be a critical factor affecting the adhesion strength. Three-dimensional (3D) topographic images characterized with a 3D optical microscope indicated that there was a meaningful influence exerted by the interface topologies of the aluminium substrates used for the over-moulding process. The results further indicated that increases in a substrate's surface energy in connection with atmospheric plasma treatments negatively influence the final level of the bonding mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encapsulated polypyrrole (PPy) with different amount in the channels of mesoporous silica (SBA-15) was synthesized. The XRD and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms analysis show that PPy with different loadings in the channels does not affect the ordered hexagonal structure of resultant PPy/SBA-15 nanocomposites. Further, the electrorheological (ER) properties of the nanocomposites with different PPy loadings were investigated by steady and oscillatory shear experiments. The results reveal that PPy/SBA-15 fluids exhibit typical ER and viscoelastic behavior under the applied electric field and ER response depends mainly on PPy loadings and there is an optimum PPy loading for strong ER effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses on a new type of anhydrous electrorheological fluid based on conducting polypyrrole confined in mesoporous silica (MCM-41) channels is prepared and its electrorheological behavior is also investigated. The preparation of MCM-41 followed the method described in literature. Incorporation of polypyrrole in the pores of mesoporous silica is worth investigating, as it can be beneficial for further exploring electronic characteristics and applications of the resultant composite.