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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 21136

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ralf Schledjewski

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Guest Editor

Department of Polymer Engineering and Science, Montanuniversitat Leoben, 8700 Leoben, Austria
Interests: fiber reinforced polymers; FRPC processing; process monitoring; automation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Composite materials are of special interest in many different fields of application due to their light-weight potential in combination with their high mechanical performance. However, the use of renewable resources and sustainable materials is becoming more and more important. The use of bio-based resin systems and natural fibres can result in composites with interesting property profiles.

For this Special Issue, we aim to present the most recent developments and give a critical overview of the sustainability of bio-based polymer composites. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Development of bio-based resin systems;
Characteristics of bio-based composite materials;
Process–structure–property relationship of bio-based materials;
Application-specific development of bio-based composites

Prof. Dr. Ralf Schledjewski

Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Ralf Schledjewski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

bio-based composites
process–structure–property relationship
sustainability
processing properties
mechanical properties
physical properties

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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18 pages, 7227 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metallic Nanoparticle Integrated Ternary Polymer Blend of PVA/Starch/Glycerol: A Promising Antimicrobial Food Packaging Material

by Dali Vilma Francis, Saurav Thaliyakattil, Lucy Cherian, Neeru Sood and Trupti Gokhale

Polymers 2022, 14(7), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14071379 - 29 Mar 2022

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4164

Abstract

Advances in food processing and food packaging play a major role in keeping food safe, increasing the shelf life, and maintaining the food supply chain. Good packaging materials that enable the safe travel of food are often non-degradable and tend to persist in the environment, thereby posing a hazard. One alternative is to synthesize biodegradable polymers with an antimicrobial property while maintaining their mechanical and thermal properties. In the present study, biodegradable composites of PVA–starch–glycerol (PSG) incorporated with CuO and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared as PSG, PSG–Cu, PSG–Zn, and PSG–CuZn films. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to study and characterize these films. The water barrier properties of the films improved significantly as the hydrophobicity of the PSG–CuZn film increased by 32.9% while the water absorptivity and solubility decreased by 51.49% and 60% compared to the PSG film. The Young’s modulus of the films incorporated with CuO and ZnO nanoparticles was lower than that reported for PVA, suggesting that the film possessed higher flexibility. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated high thermal stability for films. Biosynthesized CuO and ZnO nanoparticles exhibited antifungal activity against vegetable and fruit spoilage fungi, and hence the fabricated polymers incorporated with nanoparticles were anticipated to demonstrate an antifungal activity. The nanoparticle incorporated films exhibited fungicidal and bactericidal activity, suggesting their role in extending the shelf life of packaged food. The result of ICP-OES studies demonstrated the steady release of ions from the polymer films, however, EDX analysis demonstrated no leaching of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles from the films, thus ruling out the possibility of nanoparticles entering the packaged food. The strawberries wrapped with the fabricated films incorporated with nanoparticles demonstrated improved shelf life and retained the nutritional quality of the fruit. Among the four films, PSG–CuZn was the most promising for food wrapping since it exhibited better water-resistance, antimicrobial, thermal, and mechanical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymer Composites)

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13 pages, 3155 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil-Based Epoxy as an Adhesive in Oriented Strand Board Production

by Osei Asibe Asafu-Adjaye, Jason Street, Archana Bansode, Maria L. Auad, Maria Soledad Peresin, Sushil Adhikari, Terry Liles and Brian K. Via

Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1244; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14061244 - 19 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2951

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to utilize bio-oil-based epoxy resin in oriented strand board (OSB) production and investigate the effect of bio-oil substitution in epoxy resin as an adhesive for OSB production. Bio-oil was produced by the fast pyrolysis (FP) process using southern yellow pine (Pinus spp.). Bio-oil-based epoxy resin was synthesized by the modification of epoxy resin with FP bio-oil at various substitution levels. Acetone extraction using a Soxhlet process indicated a superior cured reaction of bio-oil and epoxy resin at 20% bio-oil substitution. FTIR spectra corroborated the Soxhlet extraction with the removal of the epoxide peak signature within the cross-linked polymer. Images from the scanning electron microscopy suggested bulk phase homogeneity. OSB panels were tested according to ASTM D1037-12. The modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), internal bond strength, and water resistance (thickness swell and water absorption) properties of the OSB panels were feasible at bio-oil substitution up to 30% in the epoxy resin system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymer Composites)

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13 pages, 3201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Usage of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Inline Monitoring the Degree of Curing in RTM Processes

by Moritz Salzmann, Yannick Blößl, Andrea Todorovic and Ralf Schledjewski

Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3145; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183145 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2677

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) was implemented in the resin transfer molding (RTM) process to inline monitor the degree of curing of a bio-based epoxy resin, which consists of epoxidized linseed oil (resin) and citric acid (hardener), respectively. A NIR micro-spectrometer was used for the development of robust calibration models using partial least squares (PLS) regression. Since the micro-spectrometer offers a smaller wavelength range compared with conventional NIR devices, and typical absorbance peaks are not directly involved in the captured data range, the results show new insights for the utilization of this technology. Different pre-treatments of the spectroscopic data have been tested, starting with different reference spectra, i.e., uncured resin and polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), and followed by chemometrical algorithms. As a reference method for the degree of curing, direct current (DC) supported by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used. The results show the potential of these cost-efficient and compact NIR micro-spectrometers for the intended inline monitoring purpose to gain relevant information feedback during the process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymer Composites)

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12 pages, 3161 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Esterification of Lignin Isolated by Deep Eutectic Solvent Using Fatty Acid Chloride, and Its Composite Film with Poly(lactic acid)

by Chan-Woo Park, Song-Yi Han, Rajkumar Bandi, Ramakrishna Dadigala, Eun-Ah Lee, Jeong-Ki Kim, Azelia Wulan Cindradewi, Gu-Joong Kwon and Seung-Hwan Lee

Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2149; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132149 - 29 Jun 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4015

Abstract

In this study, the effect of lignin esterification with fatty acid chloride on the properties of lignin and lignin/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites was investigated. Lignocellulose (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) was treated using a deep eutectic solvent (DES) with choline chloride (ChCl)/lactic acid (LA). From the DES-soluble fraction, DES-lignin (DL) was isolated by a regeneration process. Lignin esterification was conducted with palmitoyl chloride (PC). As the PC loading increased for DL esterification, the Mw of esterified DL (EDL) was increased, and the glass transition temperature (T_g) was decreased. In DL or EDL/PLA composite films, it was observed that EDL/PLA had cleaner and smoother morphological characteristics than DL/PLA. The addition of DL or EDL in a PLA matrix resulted in a deterioration of tensile properties as compared with neat PLA. The EDL/PLA composite film had a higher tensile strength and elastic modulus than the DL/PLA composite film. DL esterification decreased water absorption with lower water diffusion coefficients. The effect of lignin esterification on improving the compatibility of lignin and PLA was demonstrated. These results are expected to contribute to the development of high-strength lignin composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymer Composites)

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18 pages, 4781 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Alkali and Silane Treatment on Hemp/PLA Composites’ Performance: From Micro to Macro Scale

by Percy Festus Alao, Laetitia Marrot, Michael David Burnard, Gregor Lavrič, Mart Saarna and Jaan Kers

Polymers 2021, 13(6), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060851 - 10 Mar 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4412 | Correction

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of hemp fiber pretreatments (water and sodium hydroxide) combined with silane treatment, first on the fiber properties (microscale) and then on polylactide (PLA) composite properties (macroscale). At the microscale, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy investigations highlighted structural alterations in the fibers, with the removal of targeted components and rearrangement in the cell wall. These structural changes influenced unitary fiber properties. At the macroscale, both pretreatments increased the composites’ tensile properties, despite their negative impact on fiber performance. Additionally, silane treatment improved composite performance thanks to higher performance of the fibers themselves and improved fiber compatibility with the PLA matrix brought on by the silane couplings. PLA composites reinforced by 30 wt.% alkali and silane treated hemp fibers exhibited the highest tensile strength (62 MPa), flexural strength (113 MPa), and Young’s modulus (7.6 GPa). Overall, the paper demonstrates the applicability of locally grown, frost-retted hemp fibers for the development of bio-based composites with low density (1.13 to 1.23 g cm⁻³). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymer Composites)

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