Fabrication, Mechanical and Dielectric Characterization of 3D Orthogonal Woven Basalt Reinforced Thermoplastic Polyimide Composites
The 3D orthogonal woven basalt fiber reinforced polyimide (PI) composites were fabricated and characterized in this study. The PI film was firstly prepared to determine PI processing parameters. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that 300°C was the suitable imidization temperature. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed relatively good thermal properties of the PI film. In the fabrication of composites, the multi-step impregnation method was applied. The bending properties of 3 mm-thick composite showed increasing trend in all and the second-time impregnated composite had much higher value than the first-time impregnated composite. Moreover, the bending fracture mode photos showed obvious creases except for the first-time impregnated materials, which agreed well with the bending property values. The dielectric constants for the composites were complex because they had not regular value following the mixing rule of the composites, which was mainly due to the interfacial polarization and other effects in the fabrication processing.
Recent development of polyimides: Synthesis, processing, and application in gas separation
High-performance polymers have been concomitant with advanced technology for half a century. With the advancement of synthetic chemistry, the recent development of high-performance polymers has provided superior properties and enabled wide applications. This article reviews recent research progress in aromatic high-performance polymers. Particularly, we focus on the synthesis and processing of polyimides, as well as the application in gas separation membranes. We begin with a brief introduction to highlight important history and physiochemical characteristics of polyimides. Then, we review the various synthesis methods, followed by recent advances for improving processability. Finally, we evaluate the use of high-performance polymers in gas separation membranes with focus given to the key issues of plasticization and aging. Overall, the information presented herein provides an up-to-date overview of high-performance polymers, polyimides particularly, and serves as a guide for further research involving the applications in membrane technologies.
The Area of Freedom, Security and Justice ten years on: Successes and future challenges under the Stockholm Programme. CEPS Paperbacks. June 2010
This book celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) by bringing together the views of key practitioners and policy-makers who have played an outstanding role in thinking about and shaping EU policies on freedom, security and justice. 
 
Ten years ago, the member states transferred competences to the EU for law and policy-making in the fields of immigration, asylum and border controls, and began the transfer process for criminal justice and policing. This decade of European cooperation on AFSJ policies has experienced very dynamic convergence, the enactment of a large body of European law and the setting-up of numerous EU agencies working in these domains. Such dynamism in policy-making has not been without challenges and vulnerabilities, however. As this collective volume shows, the main dilemmas that lie ahead relate to an effective (while more plural) institutional framework under the Treaty of Lisbon, stronger judicial scrutiny through a greater role for national courts and the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, better mechanisms for evaluating and monitoring the implementation of EU AFSJ law and a more solid fundamental rights strategy. The contributions in this volume address the progress achieved so far in these policy areas, identify the challenges for future European cooperation in the AFSJ and put forward possible paths for making more progress in the next generation of the EU’s AFSJ.