Technology of modern composite materials with carbon fillers (Coursera)

Composite materials with carbon fillers allow you to make innovative technical decisions and create products, helping consumers in all industries to make their production more reliable, safe, cost-effective and competitive.
This course allows you to obtain the following knowledge about composite materials:

• Carbon nanostructures and composite materials based on them.
• Modern approaches to the creation of high-performance composite seals with carbon fillers.
• Industrial technologies for producing flexible graphite foil reinforced with carbon fibers. Areas of application for flexible graphite foil.
• Fireproof materials of thermally expanding type. Fire retardant materials based on intercalated graphites. Fire retardant materials based on high molecular weight ammonium polyphosphate.
• Flexible composite fire retardant materials.
• Thermal insulation materials on an organic and inorganic basis.
• Composite materials with a changing phase state.
• Thermal insulation materials for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy based on oxidized graphite.
• The scientific basis for the creation of heat and flame retardant materials.
• Key criteria for a modern approach to creating high performance seals.
• Analysis of the features of the use of the most common modern materials used for the production of industrial seals.
• Areas of application of materials based on polytetrafluoroethylene.
• Asbestos-free composite materials based on nitrile butadiene rubbers.
• High temperature sealing materials.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to composite materials with carbon fillers
The content of the module provides information on allotropic modifications of carbon, their diversity, and properties. This information is extremely important because the basis for carbon composites is thermally expanded graphite that has the same chemical composition as other allotropic compounds. Such information will help broaden one’s horizons, understand the chemistry of the processes described in the following materials.
The module also contains information about intercalated graphite compounds and materials based on them. The content of this part of the module overviews the very specifics of intercalation, explains what it is, describes the processes occurring during oxidation, intercalation and subsequent thermal expansion. Intercalated graphite compounds are the backbone of filled composite materials.

WEEK 2
Composite Materials Industrial Application
The module gives information about industrial technologies for producing composite materials with carbon fillers – graphite foil, materials based on multigraphenes, thermally expanding fire retardant materials (rolls; paints and varnishes). The module contains data about the unique properties of such materials, their importance in industry and everyday life. Of particular attention are fire retardant composites of the thermally expanding type, and their properties aimed at preventing the spread of fires.

WEEK 3
Polymer composite materials (PCM) and polymer matrices
The module discusses the basic concepts of polymer composites, their properties and main components – matrices and fillers. The history of composite materials, their influence on the progress in construction industry, everyday life, and the military industry are overviewed. Initial materials, such as polymer matrices, their types, fields of application and properties are considered.

WEEK 4
Product manufacturing technologies using reinforcing fillers and thermosetting plastics
The module examines the types of fillers, such as carbon and glass fibers, their influence on the properties of the resulting composites. The background for the transition to more advanced carbon fibers is considered, as well as the properties of the resulting composites. Special attention is paid to various molding processes, their distinctive features, and areas of application of the materials obtained. Of special interest are modern methods of composite construction, such as vacuum infusion and injection molding.