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In this paper, boric acid was loaded on the surface of expandable graphite (EG), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and silane coupling agent (KH550) served as a bridge. The purpose of this study was to improve the flame retardant properties of semi-rigid polyurethane, meanwhile, the mechanical properties of the foam got ameliorated.

PVA was dissolved in hot water. EG was added to this solution. After stirring for 0.5 h at 85°C in ultrasonic agitation, the system was put at room temperature to cool. The silane coupling agent KH550 was added dropwise into the solution system, stirring to fully hydrolyze. Boric acid was added into the system, placing it in an oven at 90°C to dry after filtration. Changing of flame retardant properties and mechanical properties of semi-rigid polyurethane adding modified EG were characterized.

The flame retardant performance of the foam with EG has been improved, whereas the tensile strength decreased with an increase in the content of EG. After adding modified EG, compared to semi-rigid polyurethane with EG, flame retardant performance and tensile strength of the foam improved.

In the study reported here, the surface of EG was modified by boric acid. The modified EG was added into semi-rigid polyurethane foam. The flame retardant performance and tensile strength of the foam after adding modified EG were discussed. Results of this research could benefit in-depth study of the influence of adding modified EG to semi-rigid polyurethane. The study could promote the application of flame-retardant polyurethane foam.

The flame retardant performance and tensile strength of the semi-rigid polyurethane were improved by adding modified EG. The effects of modified EG on the flame retardant performance and tensile strength of semi-rigid polyurethane were discussed in detail.

The dispersity of graphene oxide (GO) has an important effect on the properties of epoxy resin (EP) composites. Many modification and dispersion methods require the use of inert solvents which do not participate in the modification reaction, although GO can be uniformly dispersed in water and alcohol solvents. Based on this requirement, several inert solvents were selected as dispersion solvents to find out the suitable inert solvent for GO dispersion into EP matrix.

Several inert solvents with different solubility parameters were selected as dispersion solvents to prepare GO/EP composite. The microstructure, mechanical properties, insulation properties, dielectric properties and thermal property of the composite were characterized, which was due to find suitable inert solvent for GO dispersion into EP matrix.

The dispersity of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was the best stable suspension state when it was used as solvent instead of occurring sedimentation and agglomeration. Moreover, DMF was further confirmed as a suitable inert solvent for the dispersion of GO into EP according to the mechanical properties, insulation properties and thermal conductivity characterization.

The dispersion of GO in solvents has already been researched, but the traditional solvents, such as alcohols and water, has shown their limitations with the increase of modification methods, which were not suitable for the modification environment such as cyanate graft modification. Therefore, it was very important to choose a kind of inert solvent for dissolving EP matrix and dispersing GO better.

Several inert solvents were used to disperse GO into EP, and the influence of different dispersing solvents on the adhesive was discussed through the analysis of the mechanical properties, insulation properties and thermal conductivity, which was due to explore the inert solvent suitable for GO dispersion.

The purpose of this paper was to comprehensively understand the effects of imidization process on the structure and properties of polyimide (PI) films through the preparation and characterization of a variety of PI/aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) nanocomposite films by using several imidization-based strategies.

Poly(amic acid) (PAA) containing different amounts of inorganic materials (namely, 0 Wt.%, 4 Wt.%, 8 Wt.%, 12 Wt.% and 16 Wt.%) was synthesized by using pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4-diaminodiphenyl ether as raw material and N,N-dimethylacetamide as solvent. Subsequently, the solution obtained was casted on a glass substrate and dried by the means of various curing processes. The micro-structure, Fourier transform–infrared spectral features, breakdown field strength, dielectric properties and the corona-resistant time parameters of films were achieved.

The imidization process influences substantially the properties of composite films. Therefore, as the imidization rate is increased, the corona-resistant time and the electrical breakdown strength of composite films are also improved, while the dielectric constant faces a+ decreasing.

In this paper, the impact of imidization process on the performance of PI/nano-Al₂O₃ three-layered composite film is reported. However, there are multiple factors governing these systems (such as, interlayer thickness ratio and humidity), which are not discussed herein.

The current study expounds the relationship between imidization ratios as well as the effect of imidization ratio on the performance of the film.

The effects of ultrasonication on the epoxy resin and its emulsion were investigated to find out the changes in the M_η and molecular structure of epoxy, as well as its room temperature storage stability, centrifugal stability, particle size and its distribution and particle morphology more importantly with the influence of different ultrasonic irradiation time, power and temperature.

The emulsion was prepared using an emulsifier with epoxy resin and by using phase inversion after subjecting to ultrasound irradiation with a power of 200 W at 50°C for 60 min. The changes in the epoxy resin and its emulsion induced by ultrasound were characterized by Ubbelohde viscometer, FT-IR, ¹³C-NMR, high-speed desktop centrifuge, laser particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope.

The molecular weight of the epoxy resin was initially decreased and then stabilized by the increasing of ultrasonic irradiation time. The mole rate of the epoxy groups in epoxy molecular were decreased by about 14 per cent, resulting from ultrasonic irradiation. The particle size of the emulsion was decreased, while the particle size distribution became uniform in a certain time. The narrow distribution, stable and uniform of waterborne epoxy resin emulsion with more than 60 days room temperature storage period, 80 per cent of the supernatant volume, about 220 nm average particle size was gained with a power of 200 W at 50°C for 60 min.

To overcome the problems commonly encountered with an epoxy emulsion, for example, short storage period and wider particle size, which limit its practical application, the effects of ultrasonic irradiation on the epoxy resin and its emulsion, were investigated. As the stability of emulsion was improved with the introduction of ultrasonic irradiation, the application of epoxy emulsion was improved.

The room temperature storage stability and centrifugal stability of the emulsion were decreased by the mechanical method, and thus, the benefit of an in-depth understanding of the influence of ultrasonic treatment on epoxy resin and its emulsion could further promote the development of water-based coatings.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of two epoxy ratio and carboxyl-terminated butadiene solid rubber (CTBN) content on adhesive and flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL) performance. The epoxy adhesive used for FCCL was prepared with epoxy resin of 901 and 6128 as matrix and CTBN as toughener.

The epoxy adhesive was prepared with epoxy resin as matrix, CTBN as toughener and 4,4′-diamino diphenyl sulfone as curing agent in solvent of butanone by mechanical agitation. The adhesives were cast on the polyimide film; subsequently, the polyimide film was dried at 160°C for 3 min to remove the solvent. Then, it was laminated with copper foil at 180°C with the pressure of 12 MPa for 3 min. The FCCL was obtained after heating for 3 h in a vacuum oven at 160°C. The structure and dielectric properties of cured adhesive, surface morphology of peeling FCCL and mechanical properties of FCCL were determined.

CTBN was found to react with the epoxy resin during the curing process, with the rubber phase being precipitated and dispersed in the epoxy matrix. The relative dielectric constant and the dielectric loss tangent slightly increased with increasing CTBN content. The peeling strength of FCCL increased accompanied by a decrease of folding resistance with the increase of 901 content. Further, with the addition of XNBR, the peel strength of FCCL increased, as well as the folding resistance of FCCL, but at a higher XNBR level of 20 weight per cent, the folding resistance of FCCL tended to decrease.

In the study reported here, the effects of different epoxy resin molecular weight and CTBN content were investigated. Results of this research could benefit in-depth understanding of the influence of epoxy resin molecular weight and CTBN content on adhesive performance and could further promote the development of epoxy adhesive.

The adhesion of epoxy adhesive prepared from epoxy resin with different molecular weight and CTBN increased, leading to the increase in peeling strength and folding resistance of FCCL.

The peeling strength of FCCL increased as the adhesion strength of epoxy adhesive increased by adding CTBN, making FCCL widely applicable.

The mechanical properties of epoxy adhesive were increased by adding CTBN. The effects of CTBN on the microstructure and properties of FCCL were discussed in detail.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on clonal growth in a rhizome clonal plant, Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.

The study established seven N concentration gradients (0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 g N m⁻²) to simulate the continuous increase in N deposition for the cultivation of L. chinensis seedlings and assess the response mechanism of the cloned L. chinensis plant at different N levels by analyzing the aboveground and belowground plant appearance traits, parent ramets and daughter ramets of resource allocation and biomass allocation.

The results of this study showed that the different N treatment levels could promote clonal growth and had certain regularity under the seven treatments. The addition of N could significantly increase the ramet number, rhizome length, rhizome spacer length, biomass of mother ramets, daughter ramets and belowground L. chinensis population when the N addition was greater than 4 g m⁻²; however, the clonal growth ability of L. chinensis decreased and the rhizome length, ramet number, stem and leaf biomass of daughter ramets and stem biomass of mother ramets significantly decreased when the N addition was greater than 32 g N m⁻².

With global warming, atmospheric N deposition is increasing and it is of great significance to explore the response mechanism of different N levels for the growth of clone plants. This study provides basic data and a theoretical basis for the survival prediction of cloned plants under the background of a global climate change strategy and has important theoretical and practical significance for the scientific management of grasslands in the future.

Using resource-based theory and social cognitive theory, this study aimed to investigate crucial resources that new US fashion ventures need to survive the initial stage of business development. It also intended to discover the role and characteristics of founders that contribute to the success of a fashion business, as well as challenges and struggles that fashion entrepreneurs face.

For the study, a qualitative research method with in-depth personal interviews was conducted. Participants were recruited through purposeful sampling methods. Using a grounded theory approach, we analyzed the approximately 308 pages of primary source data, transcribed from the records of the interviews.

Findings were categorized into three major themes. First, financial resources and literacy, marketing, merchandising, as well as legal resources were identified as critical resources at the firm level. Second, at the individual level, four important human agency factors, including intentionality, forethought, reactiveness and reflectiveness were revealed as essential for the success of fashion entrepreneurs. Lastly, relationships and networks were highlighted at both firm and individual levels.

This study contributes to the understanding of fashion entrepreneurship, an understudied area. The study identified critical resources for the success of fashion startups, especially during the initial business development process. The findings also emphasized the importance of human agency factors and networks at both firm and individual levels.

This paper aims to discuss the low carbon supply chain practices in China’s textile industry. To curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Chinese government has launched restrict regulatory system and imposed the energy consumption constraint in the textile industry to guarantee the achievability of low carbon economy. The authors aim to examine how the energy consumption constraint affects the optimal decisions of the supply chain members and address the supply chain coordination issue.

The authors conduct two case studies from Chinese textile companies and examine the impact of energy consumption constraints on their production and operations management. Based on the real industrial practices, the authors then develop a simple analytical model for a low carbon supply chain in which it consists of one single retailer and one single manufacturer, and the manufacturer determines the choice of clean technology for energy efficiency improvement and emission reduction.

From the case studies, the authors find that the textile companies develop clean technologies to reduce carbon emission in production process under the energy consumption enforcement. In this analytical model, the authors derive the optimal decisions of the supply chain members and reveal that supply chain coordination can be achieved if the manufacturer properly sets the reservation wholesale price (WS) despite the production capacity can fulfill partial market demand under a WS (or cost sharing) contract. The authors also find that the cost-sharing contract may induce the manufacturer to increase the investment of clean technology and reduce the optimal WS.

This paper discusses low carbon supply chain practices in China’s textile industry and contributes toward green supply chain development. Managerial implications are identified, which are beneficial to the entire textile industry in the developing countries.