維也納工業大學已開發出一種特殊的環氧樹脂配方，可用於航空航天、造船和汽車製造等領域的纖維增強複合材料，甚至可用於水下翻新。這是通過用光照射樹脂的任意部分來實現的。
在幾秒鐘內，新材料可以完全轉化。最初，材料是透明的，或者是液體，或者是糊狀；然後，當它的任何部分被適當的光照射時，整個樹脂開始凝固，並呈現出暗色。使之成為可能的特殊環氧樹脂配方已經獲得了TU Wien(維也納技術大學)的專利。現在，研究人員成功地在水下完成了這一過程。這意味著，新的環氧樹脂可以用於到目前為止一直很難進行的工作，如在橋柱或水壩中填充水下裂縫，或在持續作業期間修復管道。
作為進一步的新奇之處，該特殊配方可與碳纖維和碳纖維墊結合使用。在航空航天工程、風力渦輪機、造船或汽車工業中，出現了許多應用的可能性-在每一個需要將最高機械性能與輕量化設計相結合的領域。
環氧樹脂是用於工業領域的標準材料，用於許多不同的用途，如絕緣電子元件或固定機械部件。由RobertLiska教授(應用合成化學研究所，TU Wien)領導的研究小組開發了添加到普通環氧樹脂中的添加劑，以調整其性能，並使按下按鈕就能有針對性地固化。
羅伯特·李斯卡解釋說：「我們正在開發特殊的化合物，在其中光會引發化學反應。」「這可能是可見光的亮光，但我們也有一些化合物只對紫外光起反應。」
當光線照射樹脂時，就開始了釋放熱量的反應。這種熱在其他地方擴散並引發化學級聯，直到樹脂全部固化。
Liska解釋道：「這種方法的主要優點是不需要像其他光固化材料那樣照亮整個樹脂。」「光照射樹脂的任何部分就足夠了。其餘的，即使在你想要填補的黑暗裂縫中，也是可以治癒的。「
工業部門利益
工業界的合作夥伴公司已經詢問，如果存在「深色」填料或纖維，這一過程是否也是可能的，因為自固化環氧樹脂對於其中一些更困難的應用非常有用。
李斯卡認為，「從表面上看，這一觀點與所有理論相矛盾」。「光線對材料的穿透深度很低，因為它被碳纖維強吸收」，但在TU Wien的實驗中仍然令人印象深刻地顯示了工作過程。
有效的水下養護也違背了理論。
「最初我們認為這是不可能的。人們首先會認為水會與樹脂的成分發生化學反應，同時也會消除維持反應所需的熱量。「
然而，令人驚訝的是，光觸發的自固化過程仍有可能在水下發生.
羅伯特·李斯卡解釋說：「這其中的一個關鍵原因是化學反應會使水沸騰。」「然後在硬化樹脂和周圍的水之間形成一層薄的水蒸氣保護層。」
研究人員現在正在尋找更多的工業用戶，以探索這種特殊樹脂的潛力。除了玻璃和碳纖維增強複合材料在航空航天、造船和汽車製造業中的應用外，建築物的修復也是一個特別有趣的領域。例如，用戶可以用黏性樹脂填充在水中建造的建築物的裂縫，然後用閃光來治癒裂縫。管道的維護是另一項經常很難執行的工作-使用新樹脂在這裡也是合適的。
「有許多可能性，我們希望有一些有趣的新想法，」羅伯特李斯卡說。
原文如下：
A special formula for epoxy resins has been developed at Vienna Technical University, which can be used for fibre-reinforced composites in aerospace, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing, or even for underwater renovation. This is achieved by irradiating any part of the resin with light.
Within seconds the new material can be completely transformed. Initially, the material is transparent and either in liquid or paste form; then, when any part of it is irradiated with the appropriate light, the entire resin begins to solidify and takes on a dark colour. The special epoxy resin formula that makes this possible has been patented by TU Wien (Vienna Technical University). Now, researchers succeed in carrying out the process underwater. This means that the new epoxy resin can be used for jobs that, up until now, had been very difficult to carry out, such as filling underwater cracks in bridge pillars or dams, or repairing pipes during ongoing operation.
As a further novelty, the special formula can be applied in combination with carbon fibres and carbon fibre mats. Many possibilities arise for applications in aerospace engineering, wind turbines, shipbuilding or automotive industry - in every field wher highest mechanical properties need to be combined with lightweight design.
Epoxy resins are standard materials that are used in the industrial sector for many different purposes, such as insulating electronic components or securing mechanical parts. The research group headed up by Professor Robert Liska (Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien) develops additives that are added to ordinary epoxy resin in order to adjust its properties and enable targeted curing at the touch of a button.
「We are developing special compounds in which light triggers a chemical reaction」, explains Robert Liska. 「This can be a bright flash of visible light, but we also have compounds which only react to UV light.」
At the point wher the light strikes the resin, a reaction is started that releases heat. This heat spreads and initiates a chemical cascade elsewher until all the resin has been cured.
「The key advantage of this method is that it isn’t necessary to illuminate the entire resin as with other light-curing materials」, explains Liska. 「It’s sufficient to irradiate any part of the resin with light. The rest then cures even if it’s situated deep in a dark crack that you want to fill.」
Industrial sector interest
Partner companies from industry have enquired whether this process would also be possible in presence of 「dark」 fillers or fibres as self-curing epoxy resin would be extremely useful for some of these more difficult applications.
「On the surface, this idea contradicts all theories」, thinks Liska. 「The light has a very low penetration depth into the material because it is strongly absorbed by the carbon fibres」, still experiments at TU Wien impressively showed the working process.
Also the efficient underwater curing contradicts the theory.
「Initially we didn’t think it would be possible. One would first expect that the water would chemically react with the components of the resin, and also that it would remove the heat required to sustain the reaction.」
Surprisingly, however, it was still possible for the light-triggered self-curing process to take place underwater.
「A key reason for this is that the chemical reaction brings the water to the boil」, explains Robert Liska. 「A thin protective layer of water vapour then forms between the hardening resin and the surrounding water.」
Researchers are now looking for further users from industry to explore the potential of this special resin. Besides the application of glass- and carbon fibre-reinforced composites in aerospace, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing, the restoration of buildings is a particularly interesting area. For example, users could fill cracks in buildings that are built in water with viscous resin and then cure them with a flash of light. The maintenance of pipelines is another job that is often difficult to carry out – the use of the new resin could also be suitable here.
「There are many possibilities and we are hoping for some interesting new ideas」, says Robert Liska.
More information:
WWW.TUWIEN.AC.AT
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新聞來源:JEC
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