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Polymers
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Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites
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Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 August 2023) | Viewed by 7807

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bijender Kumar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Creative Research Center for Nanocellulose Future Composites, Inha University, 100, Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon 22212, Korea
Interests: cellulose-based polymers; hydrogels; grafted polymers; bio-based resins; cellulose nanofiber-reinforced composites
Prof. Dr. Jaehwan Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-ku, Incheon 22212, Korea
Interests: lignin-derived resins; nanocellulose multifunctional composites; smart materials and devices, including electroactive polymers; power harvesting; soft actuators; biosensors; flexible electronics; smart optics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anuj Kumar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Interests: biomaterials; polysaccharides; nanocellulose; hydrogels; tissue engineering; 3D bioprinting; microfluidics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The demand for bio-resources has been constantly increasing in terms of developing environmentally friendly sustainable and renewable cellulose-based polymers and composites to reduce the use of petroleum-based polymers and mitigate global warming. Cellulose is one of the most abundant and widely distributed renewable polymers derived from plant biomass and algae worldwide. Thus, due to growing ecological and human constraints, cellulose-based polymers are an active research area. Using cellulose fibers, cellulose derivatives, and nanocellulose as fillers or matrices in polysaccharides/bio-based polymers is an efficient, alternative approach for developing environmentally friendly cellulose-based polymers and composites with functional properties. Materials based on cellulose are not only those derived from fillers or matrices but also cross-linked cellulose-based polymers and cellulose-based grafted polymers, which can deliver specific properties for multifunctional applications.

This Special Issue will focus on recent progress related to “Advances in Cellulose Based Polymers and their Composites.” We will particularly focus on preparing cellulose-based polymers and their composites that can be employed in modern cellulose derivative reinforced composites, hydrogel, tissue engineering, porous material, 3D printing, packaging, and energy harvesting applications leading to specific properties. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews based on cellulose are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Dr. Bijender Kumar
Prof. Dr. Jaehwan Kim
Dr. Anuj Kumar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cellulose-based polymers
  • structure–property relationship
  • composites
  • nanocomposites
  • packaging
  • hydrogels
  • porous material
  • tissue engineering
  • 3D printing
  • energy-harvesting material

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4814 KiB  
Article
Crystallization Kinetics of Modified Nanocellulose/Monomer Casting Nylon Composites
by Xiaofeng He, Fuqiang Guo, Kaihong Tang and Tiejun Ge
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 719; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030719 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Polyisocyanate and caprolactone were used to chemically functionalize nanocellulose (CNF). Composites of CNF, caprolactone-modified nanocellulose (CNF–CL) and polyisocyanate-modified nanocellulose (CNF–JQ)/MC nylon were fabricated by anionic ring-opening polymerization. The effects of the crystal structure, crystal morphology and crystallization process of MC nylon composites have [...] Read more.
Polyisocyanate and caprolactone were used to chemically functionalize nanocellulose (CNF). Composites of CNF, caprolactone-modified nanocellulose (CNF–CL) and polyisocyanate-modified nanocellulose (CNF–JQ)/MC nylon were fabricated by anionic ring-opening polymerization. The effects of the crystal structure, crystal morphology and crystallization process of MC nylon composites have been characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), polarized optical microscopy(POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Isothermal crystallization kinetics were analyzed using the Avrami equation, and the crystallization rate, half-time, and Avrami exponent were calculated. The results show that the nucleation effects of CNF–JQ/MC nylon composites is increased with the CNF–JQ increase, and it is best compared with MC nylon, CNF/MC nylon and CNF–CL/MC nylon composites, so CNF–JQ can play the role of effective nucleating agent in MC nylon. We also discussed the non-isothermal crystallization of the composites. Analysis of the Jeziorny and Mo model demonstrates that the Zc values of CNF, CNF–CL, CNF–JQ/MC nylon composites increase, and the F(T) values decrease in order. This indicates that CNF–JQ can better promote the crystallization rate of non-isothermal crystallization of MC nylon. The results of this work demonstrate that CNF–JQ can be an effective nucleation agent and increase the crystallization rate of MC nylon compared with CNF–CL. The activation energy of the composites was studied using the kissing method, and the results showed that CNF–CL decreased the activation energy of MC nylon, and CNF and CNF–JQ increased the activation energy of MC nylon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites)
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13 pages, 3000 KiB  
Article
Additively-Manufactured High-Concentration Nanocellulose Composites: Structure and Mechanical Properties
by Muhammad Latif, Yangxiaozhe Jiang, Jongmin Song and Jaehwan Kim
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030669 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Additive manufacturing technology (AMT) has transformed polymer composites’ manufacturing process with its exceptional ability to construct complex products with unique materials, functions, and structures. Besides limiting studies of manufacturing arbitrarily shaped composites using AMT, printed structures with a high concentration of nanocellulose face [...] Read more.
Additive manufacturing technology (AMT) has transformed polymer composites’ manufacturing process with its exceptional ability to construct complex products with unique materials, functions, and structures. Besides limiting studies of manufacturing arbitrarily shaped composites using AMT, printed structures with a high concentration of nanocellulose face adhesion issues upon drying, resulting in shape fidelity issues and low mechanical strength. This research demonstrates an economical approach to printing a high-concentration (25.46 wt%) nanocellulose (NC) layer-wise pattern to fabricate structures. Two different composites are fabricated: (1) 3D-printed pure and high-concentration (10, 15, and 20 wt%) polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA)-blended NC structures followed by freeze-drying and impregnation of Epofix resin by varying hardener contents; (2) 3D-printed PVA-blended NC green composites dried at cleanroom conditions (Relative humidity 45%; Temperature 25 °C). Different contents (10, 15, and 20 wt%) of PVA as a crosslinker were blended with NC to assist the printed layers’ adhesions. An optimum PVA content of 15 wt% and an Epofix resin with 4 wt% hardener cases showed the highest bending strength of 55.41 ± 3.63 MPa and elastic modulus of 4.25 ± 0.37 GPa. In contrast, the 15 wt% PVA-blended NC cleanroom-dried green composites without resin infusion showed bending strength and elastic modulus of 94.78 ± 3.18 MPa and 9.00 ± 0.27 GPa, reflecting high interface adhesions as confirmed by scanning electron microscope. This study demonstrated that AMT-based nanocellulose composites could be scaled up for commercial use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites)
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13 pages, 2439 KiB  
Article
Reliability Study of Wood–Plastic Composites Based on Probabilistic Finite Elements
by Li Feng, Dejin Wang and Jun Yan
Polymers 2023, 15(2), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020312 - 7 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1423
Abstract
In order to further expand the application field of wood–plastic composites, it is necessary to study the reliability of this material in practical applications. Therefore, this work takes the maximum stress theory as the failure criterion and uses the finite element method to [...] Read more.
In order to further expand the application field of wood–plastic composites, it is necessary to study the reliability of this material in practical applications. Therefore, this work takes the maximum stress theory as the failure criterion and uses the finite element method to simulate the reliability of the WPC specimen. Based on the simulation results, the relationship between reliability and random variables such as geometric parameters and external load is analyzed. Finite element simulations are carried out for each group of specimens under the same operating environment to analyze the influence of process parameters such as the wood flour content, granulation temperature, coupling agent content and screw speed on the reliability of the specimens during the manufacturing process. The results show that the wood flour content has the greatest influence on the reliability of the specimens when the wood–plastic composites are used as building paving materials, followed by the granulation temperature, coupling agent content and screw speed, which provides a basis for the selection of the manufacturing process parameters of WPC based on reliability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites)
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13 pages, 2637 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Properties of Cellulose-Based Hydrogel for Biomedical Applications
by Sreeja Harikumar Aswathy, Uttamchand NarendraKumar and Inderchand Manjubala
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4669; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214669 - 2 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4055
Abstract
Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures of hydrophilic polymers, which have the capacity to take up an enormous amount of fluid/water. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a commercially available cellulose derivative that can be used for biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility. It has been [...] Read more.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures of hydrophilic polymers, which have the capacity to take up an enormous amount of fluid/water. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a commercially available cellulose derivative that can be used for biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility. It has been used as a major component to fabricate hydrogels because of its superabsorbent nature. In this study, we developed carboxylic acid crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels for biomedical applications. The physicochemical, morphological, and thermal properties were analyzed to confirm the crosslinking of carboxymethyl cellulose. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the crosslinking of carboxymethyl cellulose with the presence of peaks due to an esterification reaction. The distinct peak at 1718 cm−1 in hydrogel samples is due to the carbonyl group vibrations of the ester bond from the crosslinking reaction. The total carboxyl content of the sample was measured with crosslinker immersion time. The swelling of crosslinked hydrogels showed an excellent swelling capacity for CG02 that is much higher than CG01 in water and PBS. Morphological analysis of the hydrogel showed it has a rough surface. The thermal degradation of hydrogel showed stability with respect to temperature. However, the mechanical analysis showed that CG01 has a higher compressive strength than CG01. The optimum swelling ratio and higher compressive strength of CG01 hydrogels could give them the ability to be used in load-bearing tissue regeneration. These results inferred that the carboxylic acid crosslinked CMC hydrogels could be a suitable matrix for biomedical or tissue-engineering applications with improved stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cellulose-Based Polymers and Their Composites)
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