TI: Cyclophosphazenes as polymer modifiers

The utilization of cyclophosphazenes as polymer modifiers is reviewed, with particular concern to their exploitation as versatile chain extenders, possibly for recycle problems, crosslinkers, to enhance mechanical properties of polymeric materials, branchers, to selectively introduce ramifications in linear polymers, and compatibilizers, to favor the formation of blends between originally incompatible organic macromolecules. The great versatility of the synthetic methods put forward for these substrates, together with the ease of controlling their modification, functionalization and reactivity are important parameters for the evaluation of which type of use is more feasible for these trimer…

Compatibilization of blends of polyethylene with a semirigid liquid crystalline polymer by PE-g-LCP copolymers

The blends of thermoplastics with liquid crystalline polymers show, in general, poor properties because of the lack of adherence between the two phases. The use of ad hoc synthesized copolymers containing the monomer units of the two polymers has been recently considered by some of us for blend compatibilization, and the results appear promising. In this work, new PE-g-LCP copolymers, prepared either by the synthesis of the LCP in the presence of a functionalized PE, or by reactive blending of the latter polymer with preformed LCP, have been employed as compatibilizing additives for blends of PE with a semirigid LCP. The morphology and the rheological and mechanical properties of the ternar…

Caratterizzazione e lavorabilità di nanocompositi a matrice poliestere

Poly(lactic acid)/carvacrol-based materials: preparation, physicochemical properties, and antimicrobial activity

The current demand for new antimicrobial systems has stimulated research for the development of poly(lactic acid)/carvacrol (PLA/CAR)-based materials able to hinder the growth and spread of microorganisms. The eco-friendly characteristics of PLA and cytocompatibility make it very promising in the perspective of green chemistry applications as material for food and biomedical employments. The broad-spectrum biological and pharmacological properties of CAR, including antimicrobial activity, make it an interesting bioactive molecule that can be easily compounded with PLA by adopting the same techniques as those commonly used for PLA manufacturing. This review critically discusses the most comm…

MODIFICA SUPERFICIALE DI FILM DI POLY(ETILENE-co-ACIDO ACRILICO) CON NANOPARTICELLE DI SILICE ATTIVATA

Synthesis of PP-LCP graft copolymers and their compatibilizing activity for PP/LCP blends

The aim of this work was the synthesis of new graft copolymers consisting of polypropylene (PP) backbones and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) branches, to be used as compatibilizing agents for PP/LCP blends. The PP-g-LCP copolymers have been prepared by polycondensation of the monomers of a semiflexible liquid crystalline polyester (SBH 1 : 1 : 2), that is, sebacic acid (S), 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl (B), and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (H) in the mole ratio of 1 : 1 : 2, carried out in the presence of appropriate amounts of a commercial acrylic-acid-functionalized polypropylene (PPAA). The polycondensation products, referred to as COPP50 and COPP70, having a calculated PPAA concentration of 50 and…

New Polylactic Acid Composites Reinforced with Artichoke Fibers

In this work, artichoke fibers were used for the first time to prepare poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based biocomposites. In particular, two PLA/artichoke composites with the same fiber loading (10% w/w) were prepared by the film-stacking method: the first one (UNID) reinforced with unidirectional long artichoke fibers, the second one (RANDOM) reinforced by randomly-oriented long artichoke fibers. Both composites were mechanically characterized in tensile mode by quasi-static and dynamic mechanical tests. The morphology of the fracture surfaces was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, a theoretical model, i.e., Hill's method, was used to fit the experimental Young's modu…

Functionalization of Graphene with Molecules and/or Nanoparticles for Advanced Applications

Graphene is considered the material of the third millennium, due to its extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties, and due to the possibility to modulate its conductivity, flexibility, elasticity, transparency, and biocompatibility by bottom-up approach. The possibility to gather the proper- ties of graphene and graphene oxide with those of functional moieties or nanoparticles is herein reviewed. The synthetic approaches proposed, either covalent or noncovalent, are aimed to tune appropriately graphene’s properties for the realization of materials for advanced uses, such as bio- medical applications, sensors, catalysis, and energy devices. In particular, methods based on covalent l…

New phosphazene-based chain extenders containing allyl and epoxide groups

In this paper we present the synthesis and the characterization of cyclophosphazenes substituted with allyl groups, their transformation in epoxide-containing cyclophosphazenes and the final utilization of these compounds as chain extenders in combination with polyamides. The reaction at high temperature of Nylon-6 with epoxy-functionalized cyclophosphazenes leads to the opening of the epoxy units by the action of both amino (--NH2) and carboxylic (--COOH) end-groups of the polymer to enhance the final molecular weight of this material. The consequences of this fact on the thermal, mechanical and visco-elastic properties of treated Nylon-6 have been also evaluated and compared to those of t…

Poly(ethylenglycol) mimics adhesive capability of the ECM treatment on 3D polylactide-based scaffolds to study in vitro human hepatocarcinoma processes

Influenza delle lavorazioni sulle proprietà di compositi a base di polimeri biodegradabili e farina di legno

Effect of temperature on the release of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde incorporated into polymeric systems to control growth and biofilms ofEscherichia coliandStaphylococcus aureus

This study assessed the effect of temperature on the release of essential oil components incorporated by melt compounding into polymeric films. Specifically, polyethylene-co-vinylacetate (EVA) films containing carvacrol (CAR) and cinnamaldehyde (ALD), alone and in combination, were prepared and their surface and mechanical properties and antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated. The addition of ALD and CAR did not provoke variation in the surface morphology of EVA and allowed their delivery. At 37°C, films containing CAR, ALD or their combination (25+75%) were found to have the strongest bactericidal effect, whereas at lower t…

Compatibilized Polyamide 6/Polyethylene Blends Clay Nanocomposites: Effect of the Degradation and Stabilization of the Clay Modifier

Abstract Blends of polyamide 6 (PA6) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were compatibilized using an already investigated method and a sample of Cloisite 15A, a montmorillonite modified with ammonium quaternary salts was added. The blends were prepared in a twin screw extruder and characterized from a morphological, rheological and mechanical point of view. The results indicated that, despite a good morphology achieved in the filled blends and a moderate intercalation of the clay, the mechanical properties are far from being good, especially the ultimate properties. In order to investigate the possible influence of the inhibition of the crystallization and of the degradation of the organi…

Wet electrospinning-aided self-assembly of multifunctional GO-CNT@PCL core-shell nanocomposites with spider leg bioinspired hierarchical architectures

We report a fast route enabling the multiscale design of nanohybrid structures comprising a 3D fibrous network of polycaprolactone (PCL) wrapped by graphene oxide (GO) sheets onto which carbon nanotube (CNT) brushes are anchored. The method relies on electrospinning PCL solutions onto a suspension of GO and CNTs in ethanol. Self-assembly is due to electrostatic wrapping of GO sheets around PCL fibers and 7C-7C stacking between GO and CNTs. Hierarchical architecture and nanopatterned surface allow gathering the starting properties of PCL, GO and CNTs into lightweight (99% porosity) yet robust (1575% stiffness improvement), amphiphilic monoliths that can remove methylene blue and/or methyl or…

Compatibilization of polymer blends by using a cyclophosphazene additive

Development and characterization of antimicrobial PCL fibres for surgical suture applications

Preparation and Recycling of Plasticized PLA

Film Nanocompositi Polimerici

Role of oxyegen on rheological response of polyethylene–clay nanocomposites to annealing

Bi-layer PCL/PLA scaffold prepared by melt for interface tissue engineering

The development of porous multilayer devices allow controlling chemical, physical and mechanical properties by tuning the properties of each single layer. For instance, this feature is of main concern for the production of porous devices designed to regenerate diseased zones at the interface of tissue presenting intrinsic anisotropic structures that gradually change from one tissue to another. In this context, synthetic biodegradable polymers commonly used biomedical applications include polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). In this work, a novel bi-layered multiphasic scaffold (BLS) is presented. It is composed by a PLA-layer presenting pore size in the range of 90-110 μm while…

Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets on the Physical and Antimicrobial Properties of Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposites

In this work, biopolymer-based nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties were prepared via melt-compounding. In particular, graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) as fillers and an antibiotic, i.e., ciprofloxacin (CFX), as biocide were incorporated in a commercial biodegradable polymer blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and a copolyester (BioFlex®). The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and rheological and mechanical measurements. Moreover, the effect of GnPs on the antimicrobial properties and release kinetics of CFX was evaluated. The results indicated that the incorporation of GnPs increased the stiffness of the biopolymeric matrix and allowed for the t…

Rapid One-Step Fabrication of Graphene Oxide-Decorated Polycaprolactone Three-Dimensional Templates for Water Treatment

Coating of flexible substrates is crucial to prepare versatile, multifunctional materials. However, exploration of effective fabrication approaches is still a challenging issue, because the pathways generally proposed require time-consuming, multistep protocols. Here, we developed a one-pot process for decorating either pearl necklace-like or fibrous fluffy-like structures of polycaprolactone (PCL) with graphene oxide (GO) skin. PCL solutions were dry jet-wet electrosprayed or electrospun into a stirred liquid collector constituted by ethanol-containing GO nanoparticles. The stirred liquid collector enables the formation of 3D-structures, whose microarchitecture can be designed by controlli…

ECOCOMPOSITI MATER-BI®/FARINA DI LEGNO: OTTIMIZZAZIONE DELLE PROPRIETA’ ATTRAVERSO ANALISI STATISTICA E BIODEGRADAZIONE

Impiego di poliidrossialcanoati in miscele polimeriche: properietà ed applicazioni

Enhancing the mechanical performance of polymer based nanocomposites by plasma-modification of nanoparticles

Abstract The possibility of enhancing the mechanical performance of two different polymer-based nanocomposites using polyamide 6 (PA6) and poly[ethylene-co-(vinyl acetate)] (EVA) as matrices was investigated. The nanofillers used were, respectively, either carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or an organically modified montmorillonite (Cloisite 15A), both previously modified by plasma treatment to introduce polar moieties. The nanofillers were fully characterized by Raman spectroscopy, XPS, FT-IR and XRD, demonstrating their effective modification with oxygenated groups. The nanocomposites were prepared by melt processing in order to obtain films and fibres. The mechanical tests carried out on the nanoc…

Influence of Different Environments and Temperatures on the Photo-Oxidation Behaviour of the Polypropylene.

The photo-oxidation of polypropylene at two different temperatures and in three different environments—air, distilled water and sea water—has been followed as a function of the irradiation time. The photo-oxidation kinetic is dramatically dependent on the amount of oxygen available for the oxidation reactions and on the temperature. While the photo-oxidation is very fast in air, the degradation is much slower in the two aqueous media. The degradation in sea water is slightly slower than in distilled water. In all cases, the degradation kinetic increases remarkably with the temperature. This behavior has been attributed to the lower oxygen availability for the oxidation reactions of the poly…

The performance of thin-film Li-ion batteries under flexural deflection

A method is introduced to study the effects of flexural deformation on the electrical performance of thin-film lithium-ion batteries. Flexural deformation of thin films is of interest to engineers for applications that can be effective in conformal spaces in conjunction with multi-functional composite laminates in structural members under mechanical deflections such as thin airfoils used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A test fixture was designed and built using rapid prototyping techniques. A baseline reference charge/discharge cycle was initially obtained with the device in its un-flexed state, in order to later contrast the performance of the thin-film battery when subjected to defle…

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND BIODEGRADABILITY OF MATER-BI®/WOOD FLOUR ECOCOMPOSITES

Polyethylene–clay nanocomposite: Effect of annealing under different atmospheres

Innovative ready to use carrier-bacteria devices for bioremediation of oil contaminated water

Bioremediation, that uses microorganisms to remove environmental pollutants, is the best way of restoring the environment due to its low cost and sustainability. Immobilization of microorganisms capable of degrading specific contaminants significantly promotes bioremediation processes. An innovative ready to use bioremediation system to clean up oil-contaminated water was developed immobilizing highly performant marine and soil HC degrading bacteria, on biodegradable oil-absorbing carriers. Two soil Actinobacteria (Gordonia sp. SoCg, Nocardia sp. SoB) and two marine Gammaproteobacteria (Alcanivorax sp. SK2, Oleibacter sp.5), were immobilized on biopolymeric membranes prepared by electrospin…

Facile and novel synthesis of Graphene oxide/Silica nanohybrids with tunable properties

Integrated ternary bionanocomposites with superior mechanical performance via the synergistic role of graphene and plasma treated carbon nanotubes

Abstract Herein, we prepared an integrated ternary bionanocomposite based on polylactic acid (PLA) as a host polymer and two different forms of carbon fillers, i.e. graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), used simultaneously at extremely low concentrations, relying on the synergistic effect of CNT and graphene nanoreinforcement and a novel, multi-step procedure to achieve a high level dispersion. The results indicated that this multi-step approach allows stiffness increments up to +66%, with simultaneous enhancement of tensile strength (up to +44%), and elongation at break (up to +36%) with respect to neat PLA, by adding an extremely low content (0.5 wt%) of a hybrid comb…

Use of PP-g-OXA in the Compatibilization of PP/LCP Blends

Abstract Adding small amounts of liquid crystalline polymers (LCP) to flexible thermoplastic matrices (FTP) allows to enhance the mechanical and thermomechanical properties. Therefore it is possible to obtain materials with new properties only by simple mixing. A strong shortcoming is the incompatibility between LCP and FTP that leads to materials with very poor properties unusable for commercial pourposes. The presence of a compatibilizer is therefore required. Oxazoline functionality is known to be highly reactive toward many other functional groups and then oxazoline functionalized polymers can be efficiently used as compatibilizer precursors. In this work the compatibilizazion of polypr…

An innovative route to prepare in situ graded crosslinked PVA graphene electrospun mats for drug release

We present a fast, one step method to obtain PVA/graphene/chlorhexidine nanofibrous membranes, with a crosslinking gradient along their cross-section. Briefly, polymeric solutions were electrospun onto a heated plate, enabling the in situ crosslinking of PVA macromolecules. Of course, the crosslinking degree of such structures was found to decrease upon the distance from the plate during deposition. The outcomes reveal the crucial role of graphene, capable of promoting heat transfer throughout the entire structure, thus leading to 70-80% crosslinking degrees and preventing delamination issues. Such membranes were compared to untreated and oven thermally treated ones, and a robust relationsh…

Effect of alkyl derivatization of gellan gum during the fabrication of electrospun membranes

Electrospun nanofibers based on polysaccharides represent a consolidated approach in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM) and nanomedicine as a drug delivery system (DDS). In this work, two chemical derivatives of a low molecular weight gellan gum (96.7 kDa) with aliphatic pendant tails were processed by electrospinning technique into non-woven nanofibrous mats. In order to generate spinnable blends, it was necessary to associate poly vinyl alcohol (PVA). The relationships between the physicochemical properties and the processability via electrospinning technique of gellan gum alkyl derivatives (GG-C8 and GG-C12 having a degree of alkyl chain derivatization of 17 mol % and 1…

Fibre antimicrobiche per applicazioni chirurgiche

Preparation of three-layered porous PLA/PEG scaffold: relationship between morphology, mechanical behavior and cell permeability.

Interface tissue engineering (ITE) is used to repair or regenerate interface living tissue such as for instance bone and cartilage. This kind of tissues present natural different properties from a biological and mechanical point of view. With the aim to imitating the natural gradient occurring in the bone-cartilage tissue, several technologies and methods have been proposed over recent years in order to develop polymeric functionally graded scaffolds (FGS). In this study three-layered scaffolds with a pore size gradient were developed by melt mixing polylactic acid (PLA) and two water-soluble porogen agents: sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Pore dimensions were controll…

Prediction of the morphology of polymer-clay nanocomposites

Abstract Polymer nanocomposites have continually attracted increasing interest over the last decade, due to significant improvements they can offer compared to neat polymer matrices. However, the final morphology of a nanocomposite, determined by several variables, can significantly influence the macroscopic properties of the final product. Therefore, it is important to study the interactions between processing, morphology, structure and rheological properties, and the suitability of existing models in order to predict the system's behaviour with change of the main processing variables. In this work, the applicability of a predictive theory based on the Wu model was formulated and proposed …

Green composites for fertilizer controlled release produced by compression molding and FDM

Excessive fertilization causes ecological problems due to leaching issues. To solve this problem and promote agriculture sustainability an innovative green composite for controlled release fertilizers was produced by adding NPK fertilizer flour to a biodegradable polymer with or without Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI) particles. Six formulations were produced and employed for the fabrication of devices both for compression molding (CM) and fused deposition modeling (FDM). Both fillers displayed a good dispersion in the composites, excellent adhesion with the polymeric matrix and effectively acted as reinforcement. The decrease of NPK release rate (up to 30 days) was achieved using whole composit…

Recycling of dry and wet polyamide 6

Recycling of polycondensation polymers can give rise to secondary materials with good mechanical properties only if a careful drying is carried out before the melt reprocessing operations. The presence of humidity provokes the hydrolytic chain scission of the macromolecules and the consequent decrease of molecular weight and properties. In this work, the drying step was substituted by the addition of an antioxidant that is able to protect the macromolecules because it is the autioxidant is more prone to hydrolysis, thus removing the water from the melt. The mechanical properties of polyamide 6 reprocessed more times in wet conditions and in the presence of this stabilizer are even better th…

Functional biopolymer-based nanocomposites incorporating graphene nanoplatelets

The effectiveness of the antimicrobial activity over time is mainly determined by the release rate of the antimicrobial compounds. The rate of release depends on different factors such as preparation method, environmental conditions, interactions between antimicrobial and matrix. In this regard, nanoparticles can potentially be used to control the release of antimicrobial agents. Moreover, it is well known that the incorporation of nano-sized fillers into a biopolymeric matrix is an effective way to improve its properties. Aim of this work was to prepare and characterize biopolymer-based nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties. In particular, graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) as fillers an…

Control of biofilm formation by poly-ethylene-co-vinyl acetate films incorporating nisin.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of poly-ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVA) films incorporating different concentrations (0.1%, 0.5% and 1%) of nisin on the biofilm-forming ability of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Staphylococcus aureus 815 and Staphylococ-cus epidermidis ATCC 35984. Nisin was incorporated into two grades of EVA (EVA14 and EVA28) in the melt during a common film-blowing operation. The efficacy of EVA/nisin films was evaluated by biofilm biomass measurements and Live/Dead staining in combination with fluorescence microscopy. In order to evaluate whether the nisin incorporation could modify the film surface properties, contact angle measurements and scanning e…

Properties-morphology-processing relationships in polymer-based clay nanocomposites

Comportamento reologico di nanocompositi a base di miscele HDPE/PA6

La preparazione di sistemi nanocompositi a base di miscele polimeriche suscita notevole interesse perché offre potenzialmente l’opportunità di combinare in maniera sinergica in un unico materiale diverse proprietà non possedute singolarmente da nessun polimero. In generale, le caratteristiche di questi sistemi polifasici dipendono certamente dalla natura dei costituenti, ma anche dalla morfologia finale del materiale: il controllo della dispersione e della dimensione delle particelle nonché dell’adesione interfacciale tra fasi (polimero/polimero, polimero/carica) costituiscono perciò parametri critici per il successo di questi materiali. Scopo di questo lavoro è stato valutare l’influenza d…

Plasma Functionalization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Their Use in the Preparation of Nylon 6-Based Nanohybrids

The possibility to obtain carbon nanotubes (CNT)/polyamide 6 composites with excellent mechanical properties in a simple, industrially scalable way is investigated. Commercial CNTs are treated by plasma while changing some key parameters (exposure time, plasma power, type of gas) in order to optimize the process and to achieve a sufficient degree of functionalization. The treated samples are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The most interesting samples are selected to be used as reinforcing fillers, in different concentrations, in a polyamide 6 matrix. The mechanical tests show a dramatic increase of both tens…

Ag-composites with antimicrobial effects

Reprocessing of PLA/graphene nanoplatelets nanocomposites

This work reports a study on the effect of multiple reprocessing on the properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) compared to the melt reprocessed neat polymeric matrix. In particular, morphological, X-Ray Diffraction and Micro-Raman analyses, intrinsic viscosity measurements, thermal, rheological and mechanical tests were carried out on materials reprocessed up five times by means of a single screw extruder. The results indicated that the presence of GnP decreased the degradation rate as a function of the reprocessing cycles in comparison with the neat PLA that, on the contrary, showed a more drastic reduction of the molecular weight. Moreover, the repr…

Oxazoline-containing compatibilizers for polyamide/SAN and polyamide/ABS blends

Polyamide (PA) and acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene copolymer (ABS) may appear as a mixture in the recycled plastic stream. The incompatibility of these blends results in a blend with poor mechanical properties. The aim of this work is to partially convert the nitrile groups of the acrylonitrile/styrene copolymer (SAN) into oxazoline groups by reaction with aminoethanol (AE). Such modified SAN (SAN-m) can react with the amine or carboxylic acid end groups of PA, and therefore used as compatibilizers for blends of PA with ABS. SAN-m was found to reduce the SAN-domain size in the PA/SAN-blends. The initial acrylonitrile content of SAN-m had a strong influence on the degree of conversion into o…

Preparazione e caratterizzazione di fibre a base di PCL con proprietà antimicrobiche per applicazioni chirurgiche

Effetto dei metodi di lavorazione sulle proprietà di nanocompositi PLA/idrotalcite

Preparazione e caratterizzazione di polimeri biodegradabili caricati con riempitivi naturali

On the modification of the nitrile groups of acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene into oxazoline in the melt

Oxazoline functionality is well known to be highly reactive toward a lot of other functional groups like carboxyls, hydroxyls, mercaptans, and amines. In this work we report the possibility to modify the nitrile groups of an acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) copolymer into oxazoline in the molten state in the presence of aminoethanol as modifier agent and zinc acetate as a catalyst. The reaction has been carried out in a batch mixer and in a corotating twin screw extruder. The conversion of the nitrile groups into oxazoline has been verified by infrared spectroscopy, NMR analysis microanalysis and confirmed by thermomechanical characterization. The results indicate that the kinetic of g…

Composites from biodegradable polymers and wood flour

PLA based biocomposites reinforced with Arundo donax fillers

Abstract In this work, for the first time, a natural and almost inexpensive filler obtained by grinding the culms of Arundo donax was used to prepare PLA based biocomposites. The composites were prepared by melt compounding PLA with A. donax filler (ADF). The influence of the content and size of ADF on the morphology and on the mechanical and thermal properties of PLA–ADF composites was evaluated. Moreover, ADF was extracted from composites to evaluate the effect of processing on morphology and dimensions of the incorporated filler. Furthermore, the experimental elastic moduli of the biocomposites have been fitted, employing two theoretical models, i.e., Hill and Halpin–Tsai. The results sh…

Structure-property relationship of PLA-Opuntia Ficus Indica biocomposites

Abstract In this work, a lignocellulosic flour was achieved by grinding the cladodes of Opuntia Ficus Indica and then added to a poly-lactic acid (PLA) in order to prepare biocomposites by melt processing. The influence of filler content and size on the morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties of the green composites was assessed. Moreover, solvent-aided filler extraction enabled to evaluate the homogeneity of filler dispersion, as well as the effect of processing on the geometrical features of the fillers. The experimental data obtained by tensile tests proved to be remarkably higher than those predicted by Halpin–Tsai model, presumably due to the capability of the polymer to …

A Novel Graphene Oxide-Silica Nanohybrid, Highly Functionalized by Organic Fluorotails

GO-based composites have attracted increasing attention due to their improved properties: in this context Silica-GO nanohybrids are currently used in many fields, ranging from biomedicine to optoelectronics. In recent years growing interest of the materials community has been posed on the functionalization of graphene materials with fluorine: Fluorinated graphene oxide has been proven to be the first carbon material for Magnetic Resonance Imaging without the addition of magnetic nanoparticles,1 moreover, has proven to absorb NIR-laser energy and efficiently transform it into heat, so that fluorinated graphene oxide has been suggested as a contrast agent for MRI, ultrasound and photoacoustic…

The role of poly(ethylenglycol) molecular weight on viability and cell adhesion in polylactide based scaffolds

Morphology and Properties of Polyethylene/Clay Nanocomposite Drawn Fibers

The influence of an elongational flow on the morphology of PE/clay nanocomposite drawn fibers was studied. An increase of the elastic modulus and the tensile strength as well as a decrease of the elongation at break are observed with increasing draw ratio. The applied elongational gradient orients the polymer chains and the clay particles along the spinning direction. When the applied flow results in the formation and the orientation of exfoliated nanoparticles, a pronounced increase of the mechanical properties is observed. The dispersed clay particles can be broken and oriented by the extensional flow, which might indicate a flow induced intercalated/exfoliated morphology transition.

Reactive Compatibilization of PBT/EVA Blends with an Ethylene‐Acrylic Acid Copolymer and a Low Molar Mass Bis‐Oxazoline

The early plastisphere of biodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic films in marine environment

Introduction Plastic items are the most common form of marine debris and plastic accumulation in marine ecosystems is a serious environmental issue. One possible solution to reduce the amount of synthetic polymers released in the environment is to substitute them with bio-based polymers. When released in marine environments, plastics are readily colonized by biofilm-forming microorganisms, the so called “plastisphere community”, which may include pathogenic, invasive and plastic-degrading species; the composition and influence of the plastisphere on the fate of plastic is largely unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the early biofilm formation and the structure and diversity of …

GREEN COMPOSITES BASED ON BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS AND WOOD FLOUR

Effetto della Polarità dei Componenti sulle Proprietà di Nanocompositi

The effect of processing and molecular weight of poly(ethylenglycol) of polylactide-based scaffolds on viability and cell adhesion of SkHep1 cells

Recent Developments and Formulations for Hydrophobic Modification of Carrageenan Bionanocomposites

Versatility of the anionic algal polysaccharide carrageenan has long been discussed and explored, especially for their affinity towards water molecules. While this feature is advantageous in certain applications such as water remediation, wound healing, etc., the usefulness of this biopolymer is extremely limited when it comes to applications such as food packaging. Scientists around the globe are carrying out research works on venturing diverse methods to integrate hydrophobic nature into these polysaccharides without compromising their other functionalities. Considering these foregoing studies, this review is designed to have an in-depth understanding of diverse methods and techniques ado…

Competition between chain scission and branching formation in the processing of high-density polyethylene: effect of processing parameters and of stabilizers

Two samples of high-density polyethylene with different molecular weight were processed in a batch mixer and the rheological and structural properties were investigated. In particular, the effect of different processing parameters and the eventual presence of different stabilizers were evaluated. Actually, two reactions may occur during processing: branching/crosslinking or chain scission. The results indicate that when the processing conditions promote a scarce mobility of the macromolecular chains (lower temperatures, lower mixing speed, and higher molecular weight), branching is more favored than chain scission. On increasing the mobility of the chain (higher temperature, higher mixing s…

Effect of graphene and fabrication technique on the release kinetics of carvacrol from polylactic acid

Abstract Porous membranes and thin films containing poly-lactic acid (PLA), carvacrol (CRV) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were fabricated by electrospinning and solvent casting at different formulations. The systems were characterized from a mechanical, morphological, calorimetric and spectroscopic point of view. CRV release as a function of time was studied and a mathematical model was used to fit and interpret the data in order to investigate the release mechanism. The results indicate that the incorporation of GNP generally determined a simultaneous strengthening, stiffening and toughening effect, while preserving a good ductility. Furthermore, integrating GNP allowed tuning the amoun…

Reactive compatibilization of PA6/LDPE blends with an ethylene–acrylic acid copolymer and a low molar mass bis-oxazoline

Abstract A sample of polyamide-6 (PA) was blended with low density polyethylene (LDPE) in the 80/20 wt/wt ratio, either without and with 2 phr of an ethylene–acrylic acid copolymer (EAA), Which was known to behave as a compatibilizer precursor, and the effect of the addition of small amounts (0.2 or 0.35 phr) of a fourth component, 2,2′-(1,3-phenylene)-bis(2-oxazoline) (PBO), was investigated. The reactions of PBO with EAA, PA and their blends were studied by recording as a function of time the torque applied to the blending apparatuses and by studying the solubility behavior of the products in formic acid. The PALDPE blends were prepared in a co-rotating twin screw extruder and were charac…

Effect Of Adding An Organically Modified Clay To A Polyamide/Polyethylene Blend In The Presence Of Compatibilizing Agents

Biodegradation paths of Mater-Bi®/kenaf biodegradable composites

Composites obtained from biodegradable polymers and natural–organic fillers are attracting increasing interest, thanks to the environmental advantages they promise. On the other hand, the real biodegradation performance of a biodegradable polymer/natural organic filler composite should be assessed by performing specific biodegradation tests. These are often carried out under laboratory conditions, but more realistic conditions should be taken into account. In this work, a systematic study on the biodegradation of kenaf fiber-filled Mater-Bi® composites in different environments is presented, and some interesting parameters for the understanding of the optimum way to obtain a fast degradatio…

Graphene oxide-silica nanohybrids as fillers for PA6 based nanocomposites

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by oxidation of graphite flakes by a mixture of H2SO4/H3PO4 and KMnO4 based on Marcano's method. Two different masterbatches containing GO (33.3%) and polyamide-6 (PA6) (66.7%) were prepared both via solvent casting in formic acid and by melt mixing in a mini-extruder (Haake). The two masterbatches were then used to prepare PA6-based nanocomposites with a content of 2% in GO. For comparison, a nanocomposite by direct mixing of PA6 and GO (2%) and PA6/graphite nanocomposites were prepared, too. The oxidation of graphite into GO was assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Micro-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrosco…

EVA antimicrobial films prepared by melt processing

Electrical Performance of Thin-Film Li-ion Batteries Under Uniform Pressure

Integration of PCL and PLA in a monolithic porous scaffold for interface tissue engineering.

A novel bi-layered multiphasic scaffold (BLS) have been fabricated for the first time by combining melt mixing, compression molding and particulate leaching. One layer has been composed by polylactic acid (PLA) presenting pore size in the range of 90-110µm while the other layer has been made of polycaprolactone (PCL) with pores ranging from 5 to 40µm. The different chemo-physical properties of the two biopolymers combined with the tunable pore architecture permitted to realize monolithic functionally graded scaffolds engineered to be potentially used for interface tissues regenerations. BLS have been characterized from a morphological and a mechanical point of view. In particular, mechanica…

Annealing time dependent rheological properties of polyethylene based nanocomposites

Ultrasensitive and highly specific detection of iodine ions using zirconium (IV)-enhanced oxidation

Nuclear energy has significantly promoted the development of human society. However, nuclear pollution caused by nuclear accidents can lead to significant hazards to the environment and human health. As a major radioactive product, radioactive iodine (mainly existing as I−) detection has attracted significant attentions. In this study, zirconium(IV) is used to enhance the oxidation of environmental I− to form I2. Subsequently, the generated I2 oxidizes the chemical chromogenic substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine, which is used for I− detection and realizes an ultralow limit of detection (LoD) of 0.176 nM. The LoD of our method, to the best of our knowledge, is the lowest among those of…

Relazioni proprietà-morfologia-lavorazione in materiali nanocompositi a matrice polimerica

A NEW ROUTE TO OBTAIN PANI-EAA FLEXIBLE FILMS

A rapid and eco-friendly route to synthesize graphene-doped silica nanohybrids

International audience; In the present study, the possibility to synthesize graphene oxide (GO)-based nanohybrids with pure and O2-doped silica nanoparticles by a rapid and easy hydrothermal process has been explored. The nanohybrids were prepared by varying the type of silica nanoparticles (average diameter 7 nm or 40 nm) and the silica/GO weight ratio. All the materials were fully characterized by spectroscopic and morphological techniques.The experimental results revealed that it is possible to tune the characteristics of the obtained nanohybrids, such as morphology and amount of ester/ether linkages upon varying the preparation parameters, together with the nanosilica's typology and the…

Optimisation of the processing conditions in the recycling of polycondensation polymers

Characterization of a fiber-reinforced new fully aromatic liquid crystalline polymer

A new rigid liquid crystalline polymer that demonstrates good mechanical and thermomechanical properties and acceptable processing temperature has been recently synthesized and characterized. The melting temperature and some thermomechanical properties do not seem, however, suitable for use in some applications at high temperature or in the presence of aggressive fluids. The use of appropriate inorganic fillers can overcome these shortcomings. In this work the new LCP, polymerized in a bench-scale apparatus, and the same sample filled with carbon fibers are characterized. The properties of the carbon fiber filled LCP are compared with those of another filled wholly aromatic commercial LCP,…

Viabilità e adesione cellulare di cellule di epatocarcinoma umano su supporti 3D a base di poli(acido D,L lattico)

Processing and Properties of Biopolymer/Polyhydroxyalkanoates Blends

In this paper, the processability and the performance of a biodegradable polymer, Mater-Bi, and of its blends with either a sample of poly (hydroxy alkanoates) (PHA) or with bacterial biomass containing PHAs were compared. Adding PHA or directly the biomass containing it allows improving the processability of the matrix. Moreover, the mechanical behaviour of the systems was compared considering two different preparation methods, namely compression and injection moulding. The injection moulded samples show poorer mechanical performances than those of the compression moulded systems. The impact strength significantly improves when PHA is added while it reduces when bacterial biomass is used i…

A novel approach to prevent graphene oxide re-aggregation during the melt compounding with polymers

Abstract The technology for the preparation of polymer-GO nanocomposites was investigated by studying the structure-properties relationships of two different systems, based on PA6 and EVA, fabricated by using different preparation methods, i.e. melt mixing, wet phase inversion, and the combination of the two. The morphology of nanocomposites resulted dramatically influenced by the technique adopted and showed to be the critical variable affecting the physical properties of the materials. Finally, the mechanical and dynamic-mechanical of the nanocomposites were improved by using the hybrid technique combining the two procedures.

Tunable release of Chlorhexidine from Polycaprolactone-based filaments containing graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) as fillers and Chlorhexidine (CHX), as an antibacterial agent, were incorporated in a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix and processed into filaments by melt spinning. The influence of both drawing and formulation on the processability, spinnability, mechanical properties and release behaviour of these materials were deeply investigated by performing rheological, morphological analysis, tensile tests, and by measuring the cumulative release of CHX in PBS at 37 °C. Furthermore, Korsmeyer–Peppas model was adopted to study the kinetics release mechanism. The results showed that adding GNP did not alter the processability and spinnability of the systems. Further…

Degradazione Di Argille Modificate Organicamente

Nanocarbons in electrospun polymeric nanomats for tissue engineering: A review

Electrospinning is a versatile process technology, exploited for the production of fibers with varying diameters, ranging from nano- to micro-scale, particularly useful for a wide range of applications. Among these, tissue engineering is particularly relevant to this technology since electrospun fibers offer topological structure features similar to the native extracellular matrix, thus providing an excellent environment for the growth of cells and tissues. Recently, nanocarbons have been emerging as promising fillers for biopolymeric nanofibrous scaffolds. In fact, they offer interesting physicochemical properties due to their small size, large surface area, high electrical conductivity an…

Sustained release of carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde from polymeric films to control the monospecies and dual-species biofilm development by E. coli and S. aureus

BIODEGRADING BIOFILMS ON INNOVATIVE BIOPOLYMERIC SUPPORTS

ABSTRACT Water bioremediation is traditionally carried out using ‘ free ’ bacterial cells, however, in recent years, utilization of ‘immobilized’ bacterial cells on adsorbing matrices, has gained attention as a promising technique due to biotechnological and economic benefits (Sonawane et al., 2022). Bacterial biofilms show greater resilience, survival and degradative activity for longer periods than cells in the planktonic state (Alessandrello et al., 2017); moreover immobilization reduces bioremediation costs, eliminate cell dilution and dispersion in the environment (Bayat et al., 2015). Possible applications of immobilized biodegrading bacteria require long-term survival and maintenance…

Polycaprolactone-based scaffold for oil-selective sorption and improvement of bacteria activity for bioremediation of polluted water

Abstract A novel floatable and biodegradable sponge for the selective absorption of oil from water and potentially useful as cell carrier for bioremediation treatments was prepared in polycaprolactone (PCL). The eco-friendly process for fabricating the PCL sponge does not involve either synthetic routes or organic solvents, thus minimizing environmental hazard. In particular, the 3D porous materials have been prepared by mixing in the melt the polymer matrix with two water-soluble porogen agents (NaCl and PEG) and thereafter leaching the obtained PCL/NaCl/PEG composites in water. The PCL sponges here proposed are capable to remove different types of oily pollutants (up to 500 wt%), and were…

Nuove prospettive di impiego degli oli essenziali incorporati in materiali polimerici: sviluppo di "packaging" antimicrobici

Le nuove prospettive di impiego degli oli essenziali e dei loro componenti incorporati in sistemi polimerici aprono nuovi orizzonti nella progettazione di superfici e imballaggi alimentari attivi finalizzati al controllo della crescita microbica. Film rivestiti o impregnati con oli essenziali, in grado di interfacciarsi con l'ambiente circostante e di rilasciare le molecole attive, potrebbero contribuire ad un sostanziale miglioramento del prodotto in termini di sicurezza, shelf-life e conservazione.

Effetto della presenza di piccoli quantitativi di PLA nel riciclo di contenitori in PET

Collapsible intact soil stabilisation using non-aqueous polymeric vehicle

Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental study that had the goal of understanding the effects of treatment with polyethylene glycol (PEG)/nanolime mixtures on collapsible soil behaviour. In a previous study, the use of pure PEG offered a good improvement in the stability of collapsible soil, but the stabilisation effect only lasted for a limited time. To investigate the stabilisation potential of PEG/nanolime systems for collapsible sand, different mixtures were prepared at increasing nanolime weight ratios. The suitability of the stabilised soil was examined on the basis of collapsibility, oedometer, shear, and water vapour permeability tests, and through optical microsc…

Effect of the processing techniques on the properties of ecocomposites based on vegetable oil-derived Mater-Bi® and wood flour

Polymer composites based on biodegradable polymers and natural-organic fillers are becoming more and more important because of their interesting properties in terms of environmental impact, manufacturing cost, and esthetic features. In particular, the use of biodegradable polymer matrices allows obtaining a full biodegradability. One of the most interesting biodegradable polymer families is the Mater-Bi® one. In this work, we investigated the processability, the influence of different processing techniques, and the influence of the filler particle size on the properties of Mater-Bi/wood flour composites. Injection molding caused a partial degradation of the macromolecular chains, whereas si…

The Effects of Nanoclay on the Mechanical Properties, Carvacrol Release and Degradation of a PLA/PBAT Blend

The formulation of polymeric films endowed with the abilities of controlled release of antimicrobials and biodegradability is the latest trend of food packaging. Biodegradable polymer (Bio-Flex&reg

Degradation of polymer blends: A brief review

Abstract The usefulness of any material, including polymer blends, depends on its degradability and durability. The blend composition can significantly affect the degradative behavior of a polymer blend and can differ from the degradation routes of the pure components since the interactions among different species in the blends during degradation, and among the degradation products, can occur. These reactions can lead either to an acceleration of the degradation rate or to a stabilizing effect in comparison with the pure components. Thus, the additive rule cannot be often applied in case of degradation of polymer blends and, therefore, it is difficult to predict the degradative behavior of …

PLA graphene nanoplatelets nanocomposites: Physical properties and release kinetics of an antimicrobial agent

Abstract Graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) as filler and ciprofloxacin (CFX) as biocide were incorporated via melt-compounding into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to obtain biopolymer-based nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties. GnP were added with the aim of improving the mechanical properties of the antimicrobial system and tuning the drug release. The obtained systems were mechanically characterized in tensile mode by quasi-static and dynamic mechanical tests. Furthermore, rheological measurements were performed. The morphology of the samples was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, a mathematical model, i.e. power law model, was used to fit the release data in order…

Prediction of the flow curves of thermoplastic polymer/clay systems from torque data

Abstract The aim of this work was to determine some relevant rheological parameters of polymer/clay systems using mixing torque and mixing speed data obtained during processing in an internal mixer. The method used was originally proposed by Marquez et al. for monophase polymers, and is here applied to polymer/clay systems for the first time. Several clay-containing composites based on different polymer matrices (i.e., LDPE, HDPE, PA6, EVA) were used to verify the effectiveness of the method for measuring the flow curves of these polymer/clay systems. The results indicated that, for all the systems at low clay level, the rheological curves calculated with the Marquez method fit quite well t…

Reactions Occurring during the Melt Mixing of Nylon 6 and Oxazoline−Cyclophosphazene Units

Specific reactions of amino and carboxyl end groups of Nylon 6 with the reactive oxazoline groups belonging to a cyclophosphazene compound (referred as CP20XA) were carried out at 240 °C for different times, under inert atmosphere. Ny6 polymers terminated with one specific reactive chain end (-COOH or NH2) were reacted with different amounts of CP20XA to study the kinetic order of the reactions. All Ny6-CP20XA reacted products soluble in trifluoroethanol (TFE) were well characterized by MALDI-TOF MS, FT-IR and ( 1H and 13C) NMR techniques. The MALDI-TOF results show that the oxazoline rings react with the carboxyl chain ends of Ny6 following second-order kinetics. The reactions with amino c…

Reliability and Fabrication of Molds for Nanoimprinting

During the last decade there has been a growing attention to nanoscaled materials and to the related technologies to produce them. The problems to overcome in the manufacturing of these kinds of items increase dramatically on decreasing the dimension of the devices. In this sense, the scientific research has been strongly stimulated to try to improve and optimize all the critical issues. One of the most attractive fields in nanomanufacturing is related to nanoimprinting, i.e. to the possibility to transfer a nanoscaled pattern from a mold to another substrate. In this technology, among the others, there are two main critical steps: the preparation of a good mold and the use of a correct rel…

Polymer-coated Nanolimes Dispersions for Reduction, Deacidification and Consolidation of Ancient Paper

Nanolimes have been widely explored as nanomaterial for cultural heritage preservation. In particular, they have shown interesting properties to contrast the ageing of manuscripts, books and artistic works, opening up the possibility to store such items in a good quality state for longer. In the present work we reported an innovative nanolime-based formulation for paper restoration, which includes in its composition a reducing agent and a fibers consolidator as well. To formulate an efficient product, we deeply investigated the cellulose oxidation process with a multi-technique approach. The here presented formulation consists in a hydroalcoholic ternary dispersion of nanolimes coated with …

Blue biotechnology: oil bioremediation using hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria immobilized on biodegradable membranes

A novel bioremediation system to clean up oil contaminated water was developed combining hydrocarbon (HC) degrading bacteria immobilized and polylactic acid (PLA) or polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes prepared by electrospinning. The bioremediation efficiency was tested on crude oil using highly performant HC degrading bacterial strains isolated from marine and soil environments. The membrane morphology, the microbial adhesion and proliferation were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM analysis highlighted that the fibers of the electrospun mats were in nanoscale with a similar diameter size distribution. The electrospun membranes exhibited high oil absorption capacity …

Polyamide 6/Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids

The role of aspect ration in the mechanical properties of lignocellulosic ecocomposites obtained from MaterBi(R)

IMPROVED STABILITY OF GRAPHENE OXIDE-SILICA NANOHYBRIDS AND RELATED POLYMER-BASED NANOCOMPOSITES

Although its promising properties make the graphene oxide (GO) very interesting as filler for polymer matrices, some problems related to its thermal stability in the region which ranges from 80 to 200 °C, are crucial for the possibility to melt process GO together with practically all the polymers [1,2]. Moreover, above 100 °C GO lamellae were found to become stacked. In this work, two different ways to preserve the GO structure and ensure its dispersion within different polymer matrices have been investigated and schematized in Fig. 1. Exfoliation plays a key-role in the achievement of good mechanical properties since it preserves the GO from both stacking phenomena. The capability of sili…

Modifica superficiale di film di polietilene–co–acido acrilico

SCAFFOLDS POLILATTIDICI PER APPLICAZIONI BIOMEDICHE

Synthesis and characterization of poly(L,L-lactide)-b-polyethylene glycol) diblock copolymers as plasticizers and their effect on the hydrophilicity of the polymer matrix to promote cellular affinity

Photo-oxidation Behaviour of EVA Antimicrobial Films

Relazione proprietà-morfologia-parametri di processo in materiali nanocompositi a matrice polimerica

Bio-polymeric based sponges for oily waste recovery

Over the last years, many efforts were dedicated to the development of sustainable sorbent materials. The interest concerns a wide range of applications. Oily products and utilization are increasing all over the world as far as the possibility of spill oily accidents. In this direction, production of sponges showing lipophilic properties allows for the proper disposal of oily waste and does not cause secondary pollution. In this work, it is proposed an eco-friendly technology to prepare a polycaprolactone (PCL) biodegradable sponge for the selective absorption of oil from water. PCL biopolymer matrix was melt mixed with water-soluble porogen agents and then leached in water to obtain a poro…

Antimicrobial activity of Ag based PVC composites

Performance of MaterBi(R) based ecocomposites

Melt Processed PCL/PEG Scaffold with Discrete Pore Size Gradient for Selective Cellular Infiltration

In order to develop scaffold able to mimic the natural gradient properties of tissues, biphasic and triphasic approaches were adopted. In this work, polycaprolactone/polyethylene glycol (PCL/PEG) scaffolds were prepared by using a combination of melt mixing and selective leaching without harmful solvents. The method permitted to develop three-layer scaffolds with high control of porosity and pore size. The mechanical properties were evaluated under physiological condition in order to simulate the real conditions of work. Co-culture of osteoblastic and fibroblastic mice cells were carried out in order to study the differential cellular permeation through the different pore size layers.

Plasma Modification of CNTs and Their Use in the Preparation of PA6/CNT Nanocomposites

Structural and thermal stability of graphene oxide-silica nanoparticles nanocomposites

Abstract The investigation of the thermal stability up to 400 °C of Graphene Oxide (GO) and GO-silica nanoparticles (n-SiO2) composites prepared by direct mixture of GO and n-SiO2 is reported. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis, Atomic Force Microscopy, Raman and Infrared absorption measurements a thorough characterization of the prepared materials is carried out. By deepening the changes induced in the 2D Raman spectral region of GO at about 2900 cm−1 the comprehension of an interplay, driven by the thermally induced changes of the material, between inter-valley and intra-valley vibrational transitions is elucidated. This …

Polysaccharide nanocrystals as fillers for PLA based nanocomposites

The development of green nanocomposites based on biopolymers and bio-based nanofillers has attracted over the recent years the attention of academic and industrial research. Indeed, these nanocomposites could replace some oil-derived polymers and thus helping to overcome environmental problems. In this regard, PLA as matrix and polysaccharide nanocrystals as fillers are the most promising components to obtain high-performance green bio-nanocomposites suitable for different applications, particularly for packaging and biomedical applications. Indeed, at present, due to its processability, mechanical and biological properties, as well as its commercial availability, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) po…

Effect of the processing on the properties of biopolymer based composites filled with wood flour

Wood-polymer composites (WPCs) are well known today in the field of industrial applications, because of several advantages they can grant if compared with mineral filler-polymer composites. These advantages regard the low cost of wood based fillers, the reduced specific weight, the lower hazards for production workers in case of inhalation, the special aesthetic features, environmental issues. The scientific literature reports studies regarding polymer matrices like, for instance, polyethylene and polypropylene, in combination with several natural-organic fillers. However, a limit of these composites is represented by the fact that there is not a full biodegradability: this, in fact, regard…

Hybrid biocomposites based on polylactic acid and natural fillers from Chamaerops humilis dwarf palm and Posidonia oceanica leaves

AbstractPlatelet-like and fibrous lignocellulosic fillers were achieved from the leaves of Chamaerops humilis (CHL) and Posidonia oceanica (POL) and used as a hybrid reinforcement for a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix at three different loading levels (from 5 to 20%). The materials were fully characterized from a morphological, physicochemical, mechanical, and dynamic-thermomechanical point of view. When compared to their counterpart containing either CHL or POL only, the resulting hybrid biocomposites showed the highest mechanical properties, with strengthening and stiffening effects respectively up to 120% and 50% higher than those expected from the linear combination of the two, and higher …

Surface modification of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) with amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles

In this work we studied the possibility to achieve a hybrid-surface through the modification, via a facile wet chemical process, of the surface of films of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (EAA) with amino-modified silica nanoparticles. Films of EAA were preliminarily activated by the introduction of -COCl groups on their surface. Silica nanoparticles were thereafter covalently bound on the polymeric surface as confirmed by FTIR, ATR-FTIR, XPS, NMR and SEM determinations. The nanoparticles formed a multilayer on the film surface and covered almost uniformly the whole film surface. Direct measurements of superficial amino groups by titration allowed us to detect a concentration of about 18 nmo…

CARATTERIZZAZIONE E LAVORABILITA DI NANOCOMPOSITI A MATRICE POLIESTERE

Blue biotechnology: enhancement of bioremediation using bacterial biofilms on biodegradable scaffolds

Petroleum hydrocarbons are still the most threatening environmental pollutants. A promising non invasive and low-cost technology for the treatment of contaminated sites is based on bioremediation by biodegrading microorganism endowed with catabolic ability towards oil and derivatives. New methods are needed to enhance and optimize natural biodegradation, such as the immobilization of hydrocarbons degraders in many types of supports. We developed a scaffold-bacteria bioremediation system to clean up oil contamination based on degradable 3D scaffolds. The polycaprolactone component is biodegradable, produced in the melt, i.e. at low cost and without the use of toxic solvents. The biofilm is m…

Effects of Organoclay on Morphology and Properties of Nanocomposites Based on LDPE/PA6 Blends without and with SEBS-g-MA

LDPE/PA-6 blends (75/25 wt/wt) were added with SEBS-g-MA (S) and/or an organoclay (20A) using different compounding sequences and the morphology and the properties of the blends or composites were investigated. An XRD study of the nanocomposites with pure polymers showed that 20A is intercalated by LDPE or PA-6 chains, whereas it is exfoliated by S if the clay concentration does not exceed 10 wt%. The SEM investigation showed that both S and 20A behave as efficient emulsifying agents for the LDPE/PA-6 blends. However, their effect on the mechanical properties was found to be opposite: S enhanced toughness but lowered the stiffness, whereas 20A improved the elastic modulus but impaired the i…

Scaffold con gradiente della dimensione dei pori per la migrazione selettiva di cellule eterotipiche

Nanofibrous Polymeric Membranes for Air Filtration Application: A Review of Progress after the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Air pollution is one of the major global problems causing around 7 million dead per year. In fact, a connection between infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19, and air pollution has been proved: COVID-19 consequences on human health are found to be more severe in areas characterized by high levels of particulate matter (PM). Therefore, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of air filtration devices with high filtration efficiency has gained more and more attention. Herein, a review of the post-COVID-19 pandemic progress in nanofibrous polymeric membranes for air filtration is provided. First, a brief discussion on the different types of filtration mechanism and the key pa…

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Fully Aromatic LCP

Abstract Liquid crystal polymers (LCP)are a relatively new class of polymers with very interesting and unusual properties. In particular, easy processability and outstanding mechanical and barrier properties make them very attractive. Unfortunately the high stiffness of their chains often leads to compounds having very high melting points and consequently to unprocessable materials. By adding a flexible segments in the chain backbone the LCPs become processable at lower temperatures but lower properties are displayed. A new rigid liquid crystalline polymer, having excellent physical properties, good processing temperature and a good cost/performance compromise, is described in this work. Th…

Modification of viscoelastic properties of polyethylene based nanocomposites after thermal treatment

Processing and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Filled Polymeric Nanocomposites

Polymer-based 'green' composites

Thermal treatment dependent rheological properties of polyethylene based nanocomposites

Influence of Drawing on the Antimicrobial and Physical Properties of Chlorhexidine-Compounded Poly(caprolactone) Monofilaments

In this work, we prepared poly(caprolactone) (PCL) monofilaments incorporating different amounts of the antiseptic chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) and evaluated the effect of “online” drawing during the melt spinning or of an “offline” cold drawing on the antimicrobial and physical properties of PCL/CHX monofilaments. The results showed that the drawing conditions strongly affected the properties of the threads. In particular, the filaments exhibited antimicrobial activity for all the draw ratios (DR) adopted, but on increasing DR the antibacterial efficiency reduced. These results were correlated with the CHX surface concentration and with the release kinetics.

Preparation and Recycling of Plasticized PLA

Poly(lacticacid)(PLA)hasbeengainingarisinginterestoverthe last years as a biodegradable and environmental-friendly substitute of traditional non-biodegradable poly-mers.Several ways exist to synthesize PLA, however, poly-merization through lactide formation is the most used onindustrial scale, allowing to obtain optimum results interms of mechanical and thermal properties.

Effetto della preparativa sulle proprietà di nanocompositi a base di ossido di grafene

Carbon nanotubes modification by plasma treatment

Electrochemical Nanolithography (ENL)

Antibacterial biopolymeric foams: Structure–property relationship and carvacrol release kinetics

Abstract In this work, the feasibility of antibacterial biopolymeric foams containing carvacrol (CRV) for potential food packaging applications was investigated. Sodium bicarbonate (SB) was chosen as foaming agent and a commercial biodegradable polymer, Mater-Bi® (MB), as a matrix. MB/SB and MB/SB/CRV systems were prepared by melt mixing and the foaming process was conducted in a laboratory press. The influence of foaming agent and antibacterial additive content was investigated. The foamed samples were characterized through morphological analysis, mechanical tests and measurements of CRV release kinetics. Moreover, a mathematical model, i.e. power law model, was used to fit the release dat…

Modification of carboxyl groups of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) via facile wet chemistry method: A kinetic study

Abstract In this work, we present the results of a kinetic study of the surface modification of the carboxyl group of poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) into acyl chloride. Reaction temperature and time, concentration of the reactants, kind of agitation have been changed in order to understand their effect on the conversion. A study on the penetration of the reaction inside the sample bulk was also performed. The results indicate that, when short reaction times are adopted, the reaction limits to the outer layers of the samples and, in this case, on increasing the temperature, the concentration of the reactants and the stirring allows having a faster kinetic. At longer reaction times, the react…

Rheological Behaviour of polyolefin based nanocomposites in isothermal and non-isothermal elongational flow

Influence of Nisin on Photo-stability of EVA Antimicrobial Films

Advanced piezoresistive sensor achieved by amphiphilic nanointerfaces of graphene oxide and biodegradable polymer blends

This work focuses on the preparation of a piezoresistive sensor device, by exploiting an amphiphilic sample of graphene oxide (GO) as a compatibilizer for poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-Poly (ethylene-glycol) (PEG) blends. The presence of GO determined a high stiffening and strengthening effect, without affecting toughness, and allowed a good stability of mechanical properties up to 40 days. Moreover, GO endowed the materials with electrical properties highly sensitive to pressure and strain variations: the biodegradable pressure sensor showed a responsivity of 35 μA/MPa from 0.6 to 8.5 MPa, a responsivity around 19 μA/MPa from 8.5 to 25 MPa. For lower pressure values (around 0.16–0.45 MPa), inst…

Recycling polymer blends

On The Use Of Polyolefins Based Nanocomposites For Film Blowing Applications

EFFETTO DI TIPOLOGIA E FUNZIONALIZZAZIONE DI NANOTUBI DI CARBONIO SULLE PROPRIETA’ DI FIBRE A MATRICE POLIAMMIDICA

Si riportano i risultati relativi all'utilizzo di due campioni di CNT: uno commerciale (purezza 90%, L/D ≈ 50) ed uno sintetizzato e purificato ad hoc (purezza 99%, L/D ≈ 500) come filler per la realizzazione di fibre a matrice poliammidica. In particolare, si è investigato l’effetto della funzionalizzazione mediante plasma sulle proprietà reologiche, meccaniche ed elettriche delle fibre ottenute. La quantità di carica (2%) e le condizioni operative di trattamento al plasma sono state ricavate da studi precedenti. Le misure di viscosità elongazionale condotte sui campioni a base di CNT tal quali e funzionalizzati hanno messo in luce come l’introduzione della carica comporti un netto increme…

Apparecchiatura per la misura della deformazione sotto carico

Multilayer porous PLA scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Structure-properties relationships in melt reprocessed PLA/hydrotalcites nanocomposites

In this work the effect of multiple reprocessing was studied on molecular structure, morphology and properties of poly(lactic acid)/hydrotalcites (PLA/HT) nanocomposites compared to neat PLA. In addition, the influence of two different kinds of HT – organically modified (OM-HT) and unmodified (U-HT) – was evaluated. Thermo-mechanical degradation was induced by means of five subsequent extrusion cycles. The performance of the recycled materials was investigated by mechanical and rheological tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), intrinsic viscosity measurements and SEM observation. The results indicated that the best morphology was achieved in the systems incorporating OM-HT. On inc…

Cyclophosphazenes as versatile substrates in polymer chemistry

In this article we present the synthesis of new cyclophosphazenes and their use as chain extenders, polymers compatibilizers, and monomers.

Mechanical behavior of polylactic acid/polycaprolactone porous layered functional composites

Abstract Biopolymeric porous devices exhibiting graded properties can play a crucial role in several fields, such as tissue engineering or controlled drugs release. In this context, the gradient of a specific property can be achieved by developing porous laminates composed by different types of materials. This work presents for the first time a multi-phasic porous laminate based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) prepared by combining melt mixing, compression molding and particle leaching. All the materials were characterized from a morphological and a mechanical point of view. The results put into evidence the possibility to tune and to predict the mechanical properties by…

Statistical analysis of mechanical and dynamic-mechanical properties of PC/CNTs nanocomposites.

Rapid and eco-friendly synthesis of graphene oxide-silica nanohybrids

Controllo del tenore superficiale di PEG per potenziare l'affinità cellulare di scaffold a matrice polilattidica

Characterization of a fiber reinforced semirigid liquid crystalline polymer

In this work, samples of a semirigid Liquid crystalline polymer reinforced with carbon and glass fibers has been characterized. Semirigid liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) show some advantages with respect to rigid LCPs: in particular lower processing temperatures, and better compatibility with flexible thermoplastics, but also some disadvantages: lower mechanical properties and poor thermomechanical resistance. Both properties can be improved by adding inorganic fillers. Although elastic modulus and tensile strength of the glass fiber filled LCP improve remarkably with increasing the filler content, the same properties for the carbon fiber-filled samples do not increase with increasing ti…

Modelling the structure-property relationships of high performance PBAT-based biocomposites with natural fibers obtained from Chamaerops humilis dwarf palm

Two fibrous fillers were achieved from stalks and leaves of Chamaerops humilis dwarf palm and tested as reinforcing agents for poly(butylene adipate co-terephthalate) (PBAT)-based composites. The influence of filler type and content on the morphomechanical properties of the green composites was assessed. The outcomes of tensile tests pointed out that both fillers are strong candidates to overcome the two main limiting aspects of PBAT, that is, the lack of both stiffness and cost-effectiveness, while preserving its stretchability and environmental sustainability. The remarkable stiffness increments (up to 300%), combined with fair retention of stretchability (33%) and doubled resistance, led…

Physical properties of virgin-recycled ABS blends: Effect of post-consumer content and of reprocessing cycles

Abstract Virgin/post-consumer ABS (pc-ABS) blends were re-processed and re-formed up to three times. The effect of pc-ABS content and of reprocessing cycles on the physical properties of the prepared blends was evaluated by mechanical tests (tensile, flexural and impact tests) and by rheological and thermo-mechanical measurements. The processability of pc-ABS blends was not substantially different by that of virgin ABS up to two recycling steps even if the third one induced a slightly decrease of viscosity, more remarkable on increasing the pc-ABS content. The mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of the samples worsened on increasing the level of pc-ABS and after each reprocessing op…

Physical properties of green composites based on poly-lactic acid or Mater-Bi® filled with Posidonia Oceanica leaves

Abstract This work focuses on the evaluation of Posidonia Oceanica leaves as effective reinforcing agent for ecofriendly, fully biodegradable polymer composites. Posidonia leaves were washed, ground and sieved in order to achieve two different size distributions and aspect ratios. They were then added to either a stiff or a ductile biodegradable polymer matrix, respectively poly-lactic acid (PLA) and MaterBi® (MB), at two different filler contents (10 wt% and 20 wt%). The materials were fully characterized from a spectroscopic, morphological, rheological, and mechanical point of view. In particular, the outcomes of tensile tests were statistically analyzed by using a Full Factorial Design i…

Processing and characterization of blends of fluoroelastomers with semirigid liquid crystal polymers

Fluoroelastomers (FEs) usually have working temperatures above 150°C and a great resistance to aggressive agents such as oils, fuels, aliphatic and aromatic solvents, steam, moderate acid, and basic environments. Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) can be effective processing aids and reinforcing agents for elastomers. These characteristics are very attractive to lower melt viscosity and to stiffen and strengthen the final product through a simple blending. Among the LCPs, the semirigid LCPs seem the most appealing for blending with flexible thermoplastics (FTs) because their processing temperatures can be arranged to be in the same processing temperature range of FTs and because the presence of…

Antimicrobial additives for poly(lactic acid) materials and their applications: current state and perspectives

Poly(lactic acid)-based antimicrobial materials received considerable attention as promising systems to control microbial growth. The remarkable physicochemical properties of PLA such as renewability, biodegradability, and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for clinical use open up interesting perspectives for application in food packaging and biomedical materials. Nowadays, there is an increasing consumer demands for fresh, high-quality, and natural foods packaged with environmentally friendly materials that prolong the shelf life. The incorporation of antimicrobial agents into PLA-based polymers is likely to lead to the next generation of packaging materials. The development o…

Preparazione e caratterizzazione di film a base di EVA con proprietà antimicrobiche

Mechanism of formation of char coating in LDPE/organoclay nanocomposites

PVC silver zeolite composites with antimicrobial properties

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) composites containing increasing amounts (2-20%, w/w) of silver zeolite (SZ) were prepared by melt mixing and characterized by thermal, mechanical and rheological analyses. The addition of large amount of SZ did not influence the processability and the formability of the composites, if compared to neat plasticized PVC. The antibacterial activity of PVC SZ composites was tested on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis and resulted promising both in culture broth and on agar plate and also in sterile urine seeded with these strains, for simulation purposes. In sterile urine, composites induced a significant reduction (4-6 log units) of viability of both st…

Influence of Drawing on the Antimicrobial and Physical Properties of Chlorhexidine-Compounded Poly(caprolactone) Monofilaments

In this work, we prepared poly(caprolactone) (PCL) monofilaments incorporating different amounts of the antiseptic chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) and evaluated the effect of "online" drawing during the melt spinning or of an "offline" cold drawing on the antimicrobial and physical properties of PCL/CHX monofilaments. The results showed that the drawing conditions strongly affected the properties of the threads. In particular, the filaments exhibited antimicrobial activity for all the draw ratios (DR) adopted, but on increasing DR the antibacterial efficiency reduced. These results were correlated with the CHX surface concentration and with the release kinetics.

Effect of adding an organically modified clay to a polyethylene/polyamide blend in the presence of compatibilizing agents

Manufatti da polietilene e gomme di automobile post-consumo

Preparation, characterization and hydrolytic degradation of PLA/PCL co-mingled nanofibrous mats prepared via dual-jet electrospinning

Abstract PLA/PCL co-mingled nanofibrous mats were prepared via multi-jet electrospinning. The concentration of PLA and PCL in the co-mingled mats were controlled by changing the flow rate of the two polymer solutions. The amount of PLA and PCL in the co-mingled nanofibrous mats was monitored by UV–Vis measurements through a colored dye added to PLA and by FTIR-ATR analysis. Morphology and mechanical properties of the nanofibrous mats were respectively examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and tensile tests. Water contact angles measurements were also carried out in order to investigate the wettability of the materials. Finally, the hydrolytic degradation of the mats in buffer solut…

On the use of PET-LCP copolymers as compatibilizers for PET/LCP blends

Copolyesters of poly[ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), SBH 1:1:2, have been synthesized by the polycondensation, carried out in the melt at temperatures up to 300 degrees C of sebacic acid (S), 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl (B), and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (H) in the presence of PET. The PET-SBH copolyesters have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, etc., and the relationships between properties and preparation conditions are discussed. The copolyesters show a biphasic nature, which is more evident for the products synthesized with a thermal profile comprising relatively lower temperatures (220-…

Modifica superficiale di film di poli(etilene-co-acido acrilico) con nanoparticelle di silice attivata

In-process material characterization at constant extrusion conditions: application to clay/PLA bionanocomposites

The authors developed a prototype modular small-scale single / twin-screw extrusion system, with outputs in the range of grams/hour, coupled to a rheo-optical slit die. This experimental set-up is adequate to measure shear viscosity and normal-stress differences and perform optical measurements

Arundo Donax particles as reinforcement for PLA based composites

Aim of this work was to use particles obtained by grinding the culms of Arundo Donax used as reinforcement for PLA based composites. The influence of the content (10 wt% and 20 wt%) and size (150-300 μm and 300-500 μm) of Arundo Donax filler (ADF) on the morphology and on the properties of PLA-ADF composites was evaluated. The composites were prepared by melt compounding the PLA with ADF using a co-rotating modular twin screw extruder. For comparison, neat PLA was processed under the same conditions. Both the neat PLA and the composites were characterized by SEM, DSC, tensile and flexural measurements.

Effetto di differenti metodi di preparazione sulle proprietà morfologiche e fisiche di nanocompositi a base di miscele HDPE/PA6

Melt development of biphasic functionally graded scaffold

Interface tissue engineering requires scaffolds that temporary replace the mechanical function of transition regions between two adjacent tissues. The presence of multi-phasic bio-structures that gradually change are typical features of interface tissues such as ligament-to-bone, tendon-to-bone and cartilage-to-bone. In this work, bi-layered scaffolds (BLS) composed by PLA with pores in the range of 90-110 µm and PCL with pores ranging from 5 to 40 µm were prepared by combining melt mixing, compression molding and particulate leaching. The principal advantages of this method lay in the absence of organic solvent during the preparation and in the easy control and high predictability of poros…

Properties-morphology relationships in electrospun mats based on polylactic acid and graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract Aligned and randomly oriented polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposite nanofiber mats filled with Graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) were prepared by electrospinning. The morphological analysis revealed the successful alignment of the fibers achieved by collecting the mats on a high-speed rotary drum. Furthermore, GnP addition on the polymeric solution leads to an increase of the viscosity with a consequent increment of the fiber diameter. Tensile tests demonstrated that the reinforcing effect of GnP when added to the PLA matrix was more than three times higher in the aligned systems if compared with the respective randomly oriented mats. DSC analysis showed that GnPs were able to slightly inc…

High performance PA6/CNTs nanohybrid fibers prepared in the melt

Commercial and home-made carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were plasma treated under oxygen atmosphere and then added to polyamide 6 (PA6) in order to prepare fibres by melt spinning. For comparison, pristine nanofillers were used too. The effect of functionalization and of filler characteristics on the morphological, rheological, mechanical and electrical properties of the fibres was studied by TEM and SEM, rheological measurements, tensile and electrical conductivity tests. The results demonstrated that the functionalization led to a better mechanical performance and the morphological analysis confirmed that the adhesion, the dispersion and the alignment of the nanotubes within the polymer matrix w…

A facile method to determine pore size distribution in porous scaffold by using image processing

Abstract Image processing permits scientists to investigate morphological properties of three-dimensional structures starting from their bi-dimensional gray-scale representation. In many cases porous structure with complex architecture has to be designed in order to attempt specific properties such in the case of scaffold for tissue engineering. Traditional morphological characterization, like scanning electron microscopy, should be coupled with quantitative information such as pore size distribution (PSD) in order to get a deeper understanding of the influence of the porous structure on tissue regeneration processes and on other related applications, it is remarkable to study a quantitativ…

Surface Treatment and nanofiller effect on the polymeric nanocomposites

Preparation and Characterization of PLA-Hydrotalcite Nanocomposites

Processing-structure-property relationships of electrospun PLA-PEO membranes reinforced with enzymatic cellulose nanofibers

Abstract Three different solvent mixtures were used to prepare electrospun membranes based on polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene oxide (PEO) and enzymatic cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The materials were characterized from a morphological, spectroscopic, mechanical and rheological point of view. Furthermore, swelling test were performed in order to assess the water uptake of each sample. The results put into evidence that the choice of the solvents affects the structure and the properties of the membranes. Among the protocols tested, using chloroform/acetone/ethanol mixture was found to allow a high degree of CNF dispersion and a good electrospinnability of polymer solutions. These features …

Film di EVA con attività antibatterica

Preparazione e caratterizzazione di film poliolefinici nanocompositi per applicazioni in agricoltura

Preparation and characterization of polyolefin- based nanocomposite blown films for agricultural applications

Polyolefin-based films were prepared in the presence of two different organo-modified clays and characterized. The influence of organo-modifier and matrix composition on film morphology and properties were investigated using SEM, XRD, UV-Vis, FT-IR, contact-angle measurements and mechanical tests. The filler increased the films' rigidity and tear strength. Transparencies were almost unchanged in the visible range, but were reduced for harmful radiation. The presence of the clay increases the greenhouse effect, i.e. it hinders the passage of thermal emission from the soil to the outer part of the greenhouse during the night. The wettability of the materials was not influenced by the presence…

Rheological and Mechanical Behavior of LDPE/Calcium Carbonate Nanocomposites and Microcomposites

The increase of the interest in polymer nanocomposites has been leading to continuous growing search toward nanofillers alternative to the widely known clay-based ones. One of these possible alternatives is represented by calcium carbonate nanoparticles, which have not been widely investigated in such context. In this article, a study on the rheological and morphological behavior of dif- ferent low density polyethylene-calcium carbonate nanocomposites, compared with a reference calcium carbonate microcomposite, is presented. Several different nanosized calcium carbonates at different amounts were used. The results from the rheological and me- chanical tests outlined that only minor changes …

Processability and biodegradation of wood/biopolymer composites

Hedysarum coronarium-Based Green Composites Prepared by Compression Molding and Fused Deposition Modeling

In this work, an innovative green composite was produced by adding Hedysarum coronarium (HC) flour to a starch-based biodegradable polymer (Mater-Bi®, MB). The flour was obtained by grinding together stems, leaves and flowers and subsequently sieving it, selecting a fraction from 75 μm to 300 μm. Four formulations have been produced by compression molding (CM) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) by adding 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of HC to MB. The influence of filler content on the processability was tested, and rheological, morphological and mechanical properties of composites were also assessed. Through CM, it was possible to obtain easily homogeneous samples with all filler amounts.…

Preparation and mechanical characterization of polycaprolactone/graphene oxide biocomposite nanofibers

Biocomposite nanofiber scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) filled with graphene oxide (GO) were prepared using electrospinning technology. Morphological and mechanical properties of the scaffolds were characterized in dry and wet environment. The results showed that the successful incorporation of GO nanosheets into PCL polymer nanofibers improved their mechanical properties. Furthermore it was demonstrated the higher performance achieved when GO is filled at low concentration in the nanofibers.

Optimization of two-step techniques engineered for the preparation of polyamide 6 graphene oxide nanocomposites

Abstract Different processing conditions to achieve polyamide 6 (PA6)-graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites were investigated. GO was pre-dispersed in PA6 by three different solvent-based methods and, further, melt processed to prepare nanocomposites at two different loading levels, namely 2 and 5 wt.%. The evolution of rheological and mechanical properties was analyzed by investigating eventual changes in the microstructure and polymer crystallinity, aiming at providing a detailed processing-structure-properties relationship for these systems.

On the Preparation and the Characterization of Polyethylene/Polyamide Blends by Melt Processing in the Presence of an Ethylene(co)acrylic Acid Copolymer and of New Phosphazene Compounds

Samples of HDPE and PA6 have been meltprocessed in the presence of two new phosphazene compounds, CP-2EPOX and CP-2OXA together with an ethylene/ acrylic acid copolymer. The blends have been prepared in an industrial twin-screw extruder by using PA6 and PE in weight ratios of 25/75 and 75/25. When used, 5 phr of EAA and 0.2 phr of CP have been added. The materials have been completely characterized from a rheological, morphological, and mechanical point of view. The results indicate that the additives used caused an increase in the rupture tensile properties, of the impact strength and viscosity especially in the PE-rich blend in the presence of CP-2EPOX. This result can be attributed both …

MULTIFUNCTIONAL FIBERS BASED ON POLYAMIDE 6 AND PLASMA FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOTUBES MoDeSt 2012 Conference, Praga, 2-6 Settembre 2012.

Commercial (CNT 1) and ad hoc synthesized carbon nanotubes (CNT 2) were plasma treated under oxygen atmosphere and then added to polyamide 6 (PA 6) in order to prepare multifunctional fibres by melt spinning. For comparison, pristine nanofillers were used too. The effect of functionalization and of filler characteristics on the morphological, rheological, mechanical and electrical properties of the fibers was studied by TEM and SEM, rheological measurements, tensile tests and electrical conductivity tests. The amalysis of Raman spectra put into evidence that the intensity of D-band (correlated with the degree of functionalization by the different vibration mode of carbon atoms in the presen…

Effect of the adding of a functionalized nanoclay in polyethylene/polyamide blends

PLA-based functionally graded laminates for tunable controlled release of carvacrol obtained by combining electrospinning with solvent casting

Abstract A novel approach was designed to fabricate high-added value manufacts, starting from cost-effective materials and combining well-known processing techniques. Bi- and three-layered, functionally graded laminates were achieved by direct electrospinning onto dense substrates. The architecture of each multilayer comprises a dense layer formed by solvent casting, which is constituted by polylactic acid (PLA) and carvacrol, and one or two electrospun fibrous skin layers, consisting of PLA only. Processing-structure-properties relationships of such materials were investigated. As regards mechanical behavior, the amount of fibrous PLA layers determined an increase of stiffness from 20 to 3…

Effetto della degradazione di un'argilla organicamente modificata sulle proprietà di nanocompositi a base di miscele PA6/HDPE

Effect of the Orientation on the Properties of Compatibilized Polypropylene/Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends

Abstract Blends of polypropylene and a semirigid liquid crystal polymer have been compatibilized with an acrylic acid modified polypropylene and with an ad-hoc synthesized graft copolymer made from polypropylene and from the monomers of the liquid crystal polymer. The two compatibilizers improve the adhesion and the mechanical properties of the two incompatible phases. The two compatibilizers give about the same results. The effect of the compatibilization improve also the orientation of the liquid crystalline polymer particles and the mechanical properties.

Nanolimes-based ternary formulations for paper reduction, deacidification and consolidation

Compositi polimerici biodegradabili con fibre di kenaf

Statistical analysis of the performances of PC/CNTs nanocomposites

On the Preparation and Characterization of Polyethylene/Polyamide Blends by Melt Processing in the Presence of an Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer and of New Phosphazene Compounds

Samples of HDPE and PA6 have been melt-processed in the presence of two new phosphazene compounds, CP-2EPOX and CP-20XA together with an ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer. The blends have been prepared in an industrial twin-screw extruder by using PA6 and PE in weight ratios of 25/75 and 75/25. When used, 5 phr of EAA and 0.2 phr of CP have been added. The materials have been completely characterized from a rheological, morphological, and mechanical point of view. The results indicate that the additives used caused an increase in the rupture tensile properties, of the impact strength and viscosity especially in the PE-rich blend in the presence of CP-2EPOX. This result can be attributed both …

Recycling of a starch-based biodegradable polymer

A new starch-based polymeric system, ZI1OU from Novamont, mainly composed of starch and polycaprolactone, was reprocessed several times in an extruder to investigate the recyclability of this biodegradable polymer. A previous investigation of the thermomechanical degradation in a mixer has been also done. The degradation is mostly due to the thermal stress but the presence of the mechanical stress strongly increases the degradation kinetic. During melt processing two concurrent processes take place: the first is the degradation, i.e. the breaking and shortening of polymeric chains, mostly occurring in the PCL phase; the second is the formation of some crosslinked structure in the starch pha…

Photo-oxidative degradation of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)/nisin antimicrobial films

The photo-oxidative behaviour of different antimicrobial blown films based on poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) was studied. In particular, two samples of EVA containing different level of vinyl acetate comonomer (namely 14% and 28%) were used as matrices while nisin at different concentrations was used as antimicrobial agent. The degradation was followed by analyzing the changes in the spectroscopic behaviour and of the elongation at break measured in tensile tests. Moreover, changes in the antimicrobial activity of the films were followed by measuring the inhibition halo in agar diffusion tests. The results indicate that nisin acts as an excellent UV stabilizer for both samples of EV…

Mechanical properties of Macadamia nutshell powder and PLA bio-composites

AbstractA study on the mechanical properties of Macadamia nutshell powder/PLA bio-composites is presented in this paper. The effects of powder weight content, powder condition and processing methods are investigated with the aid of Design of Experiments. It is shown from the results that both the stiffness and strength are dependent on the weight content of Macadamia nutshell powders. The elastic modulus increases 9.8% when the Macadamia nutshell powder content is 40%. Both flexural and tensile strengths decrease with increasing Macadamia nutshell powder content. On average, when the Macadamia nutshell powder content is 40%, the decreases in the flexural and tensile strengths are 42 and 63%…

CuO nanoparticle filled vinyl-ester resin nanocomposites: Fabrication, characterization and property analysis

Abstract Both unmodified cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles and those functionalized with a bi-functional coupling agent methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPS) were used to fabricate vinyl-ester resin polymeric nanocomposites. The nanoparticle functionalization was observed to have a significant effect on the physical properties of the cupric oxide filled vinyl-ester resin nanocomposite. Thermal degradation study by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed the increased thermo-stability in the functionalized-nanoparticle-filled vinyl-ester resin nanocomposites as compared with the unmodified-nanoparticle-filled counterparts. The more uniform particle dispersion and the chemical bond betwee…

Kenaf-filled biodegradable composites: rheological and mechanical behaviour

DEGRADATION OF MATER-BI /WOOD FLOUR BIOCOMPOSITES IN ACTIVE SEWAGE SLUDGE

The mechanical properties of Mater-Bi® are, in general, not adequate for certain applications and the addition of a filler is therefore necessary. Among the different fillers, natural fibres are particularly interesting because they potentially allow improving the performance of the material without compromising its biodegradability. In order to improve the basic mechanical properties of a Mater-Bi grade and to obtain a new, fully biodegradable material, wood flour based composites were prepared by different processing methods. To simulate actual and not laboratory bacterial attack on the prepared materials, in this work we studied the biodegradation of the composites in a real active sewag…

Un nuovo strumento per misurare il comportamento al creep in condizioni reali di sistemi polimerici

Development and characterization of essential oil component-based polymer films: a potential approach to reduce bacterial biofilm

The development of new polymeric materials aimed to control the bacterial biofilm appears to be an important practical approach. The goal of the present study was to prepare and characterize poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) copolymer (EVA) films containing citronellol, eugenol, and linalool and evaluate their efficiency on growth and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in monospecies and dual species. The results showed that the addition of oil components influenced the elastic modulus (15 % decrease), the tensile stress (30 % decrease), the elongation at break (10 % increase), and the co…

Incorporation of an antibiotic in poly(lactic acid) and polypropylene by melt processing

Purpose In this work an antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (CFX), was incorporated into 2 different polymeric matrices, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polypropylene (PP), to provide them with antimicrobial properties. The influence of CFX content on release kinetics and on antimicrobial and mechanical properties was evaluated. Methods CFX was incorporated into both the polymers by melt mixing. Results The effect of CFX incorporation was found to strongly depend on which polymer matrix was used. In particular, the antimicrobial tests revealed that PLA samples containing CFX produced no inhibition zone and only a slight antibacterial activity was observed when the highest concentration of CFX was added t…

Electrospun PCL/GO-g-PEG structures: Processing-morphology-properties relationships

Abstract Polycaprolactone (PCL) biocomposite nanofiber scaffolds with different concentrations of graphene oxide (GO) and GO surface grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (GO-g-PEG) were prepared by electrospinning. Morphological, mechanical as well as wettability characterizations of electrospun nanofibers were carried out. Results showed that the average diameter of PLA/GO electrospun nanofibers decreased upon increasing the filler content. Differently, the diameter increased while using GO-g-PEG. Both nanofillers enhanced the electrospun PCL hydrophilicity even if PCL/GO-g-PEG samples exhibited improved wettability. The Young moduli of the composite nanofiber mats were improved by adding GO…

CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPOLYMER BASED COMPOSITES FILLED WITH WOOD FLOUR.

Effetto dello stiro sulle proprietà fisiche e antimicrobiche di fibre a base di PCL contenenti clorexidina

Caratterizzazione di nanocompositi polietilene/carbonato di calcio

3D polylactide-based scaffolds for studying human hepatocarcinoma processes in vitro

We evaluated the combination of leaching techniques and melt blending of polymers and particles for the preparation of highly interconnected three-dimensional polymeric porous scaffolds for in vitro studies of human hepatocarcinoma processes. More specifically, sodium chloride and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were used as water-soluble porogens to form porous and solvent-free poly(L,D-lactide) (PLA)-based scaffolds. Several characterization techniques, including porosimetry, image analysis and thermogravimetry, were combined to improve the reliability of measurements and mapping of the size, distribution and microarchitecture of pores. We also investigated the effect of processing, in PLA-ba…

PEGylated graphene oxide (GO-PEG) as new carrier for chemotherapeutic agent delivery

Graphene, a single layer of sp2 -hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb two-dimensional (2-D) crystal lattice, has evoked enormous interest throughout the scientific community since its first appearance in 2004. Due to its unique structure and geometry, graphene possesses remarkable physical–chemical properties (including large specific surface area and biocompatibility) that enable it to be an ideal material for several of applications, ranging from quantum physics, nanoelectronics, energy research, catalysis and engineering of nanocomposites and biomaterials. In the area of nanomedicine, graphene and its derivatives can be exploited for a broad range of applications, including a …

Effects of filler type and mixing method on the physical properties of a reinforced semirigid liquid crystal polymer

Semirigid liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) show some advantages with respect to rigid LCP: in particular lower processing temperatures, better compatibility with flexible thermoplastics, but also some disadvantages. Thermal resistance of rigid LCPs is much better and the maximum working temperature is, in general, very high. The thermomechanical properties can be improved by adding inorganic fillers. In this work processing, mechanical and thermomechanical properties of a filled semirigid liquid crystal copolyester are reported. Several inorganic fillers have been used in order to put in evidence the influence of shape and dimensions of the particles on the properties of the filled materi…

On the use of hydrotalcite in PLA based composites

Preparazione e lavorabilità per estrusione e stampaggio ad iniezione di PLA

Using Taguchi method for the optimization of processing variables to prepare porous scaffolds by combined melt mixing/particulate leaching

Synthetic biopolymers have made significant inroads into the development of devices for tissue regeneration. In this context, a challenge is the achievement of appropriate properties mimicking the natural extracellular matrix by fabricating scaffolds presenting mechanical properties, specific surface, porosity and pore interconnection adequate for the final application. This study involved a systematic procedure based on Taguchi method for parameters optimization of melt mixing/particulate leaching combined processes aiming to enhance the performance of the scaffolds. In particular, it was evaluated the effect of time and temperature of melt mixing of the poly(lactic acid) matrix with two w…

Comparison of Different Processing Methods to Prepare Poly(lactid acid)–Hydrotalcite Composites

The effect of the compounding method on the morphology and on the properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-hydrotalcite (HT) composites was studied. Moreover, the influence of two different kinds of HT - organically modified (OM-HT) and unmodified (U-HT) - and their concentration was evaluated. The composites were prepared using either a single screw extruder (SSE), a counter rotating twin-screw compounder (TSC) or a corotating twin-screw extruder (TSE). The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis, mechanical and rheological measurements. The results indicated that the best morphology, i.e., particles dimension and dis…

Reactivity of cyclophosphazenes with end functionalised Ny6 samples and EAA copolyme

Nanocompositi a base di miscele compatibilizate PA6/PE: effetto della degradazione del modificante organico dell'argilla

Processing and characterization of highly oriented fibres of biodegradable nanocomposites

Abstract Biodegradable polymeric materials are becoming day by day ever more important in packaging, agriculture, single-use cutleries and other large consumer applications. The major part of those materials is used under the form of film, i.e. subjected to elongational flow, but the main problem is that they often offer poor mechanical properties. Adding nanofillers, like Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) may solve this problem but only if there is a full control of their orientation inside the material. Aim of this work is to investigate the processing-properties-morphology relationships for a system prepared under elongation flow of MaterBi and commercial MWCNTs. The materials were …

Matrix and Filler Recycling of Carbon and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: A Review

Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are low-density, high-performance composite materials, which find important applications in the automotive, aerospace, and energy industry, to only cite a few. With the increasing concerns about sustainability and environment risks, the problem of the recycling of such complex composite systems has been emerging in politics, industry, and academia. The issue is exacerbated by the increased use of FRPs in the automotive industry and by the expected decommissioning of airplanes and wind turbines amounting to thousands of metric tons of composite materials. Currently, the recycling of FRPs downcycles the entire composite to some form of reinforcement material (…

Mechanical behaviour of Mater-Bi/wood flour composites: a statistical approach

Interest in biocomposites (lignocellulosic filled biopolymers) started in the 90s, due to environmental advantages, related to the full biodegradability of both matrix and filler, economical issues (organic fillers usually come from sawmill or agriculture wastes) and aesthetical issues (wood filled biopolymers could be particularly pleasant if used for indoor furnishing and automotive interior). In this work, a method for a systematic study of the properties of Mater-Bi®/wood flour composites is presented. A two-level full factorial model was built. It allows investigating the effects of multiple operative variables on the observed properties, their contributions, their optimal combinations…

Effect of the Components Molar Mass and of the Mixing Conditions on the Compatibilization of PE/LCP Blends by PE-g-LCP Copolymers

The rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties of blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a semiflexible liquid crystalline copolyester (SBH) were studied in order to assess the compatibilizing ability of added PE-g-SBH copolymers, and its dependence on the molar mass of the PE matrix, and on the technique used for blend preparation. The PE-g-SBH copolymers were synthesized as described in previous articles, either by the polycondensation of the SBH monomers in the presence of a functionalized PE sample containing free carboxyl groups, or by reactive blending of the latter polymer with preformed SBH. Two samples of HDPE having different molar masses, and two samples of SBH with…

Implication of the biofilm ageing for the settlement of the vermetid gastropod Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi 1857)

Dendropoma cristatumreefs are key-intertidal habitats of the central Mediterranean. Knowledge onD. cristatumbiology is presently scant, particularly on its early life stage. The development of embryos occurs inside the maternal shell, and the crawling larvae settle on hard substrates shortly after hatching. Epilithic biofilm is known to have implications in the settlement of many marine invertebrates; however whether biofilm plays a role in driving the vermetid settlement is unknown. In this study the microbial assemblage ageing is tested as apotentialtriggerforD. cristatumsettlement. A field experiment was set-up to compare the larval settlement rate on removable limestone cubes (5x5x2 cm)…

Thermo-oxidative ageing of an organo-modified clay and effects on the properties of PA6 based nanocomposites

a b s t r a c t In this work a careful investigation on the degradation of an organically modified montmorillonite sample (Cloisite 15A) thermal treated under different atmospheres, namely nitrogen, air and oxygen enriched atmosphere was performed. The exposure time of the thermal treatment ranged between 5 and 300 min. The chemical composition evolution as function of the thermal treatment conditions of the clay organic modifier was monitored by means of combined thermogravimetry/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR). Moreover, the morphological behaviour of treated Cloisite 15A sam- ples as function of the time and of the decomposition atmosphere was investigated by X-ray dif…

An Overview of Functionalized Graphene Nanomaterials for Advanced Applications

Interest in the development of graphene-based materials for advanced applications is growing, because of the unique features of such nanomaterials and, above all, of their outstanding versatility, which enables several functionalization pathways that lead to materials with extremely tunable properties and architectures. This review is focused on the careful examination of relationships between synthetic approaches currently used to derivatize graphene, main properties achieved, and target applications proposed. Use of functionalized graphene nanomaterials in six engineering areas (materials with enhanced mechanical and thermal performance, energy, sensors, biomedical, water treatment, and c…

Evolution of the morphology and characterzation of compatibilized PBT/EVA blends prepared by reactive extrusion

In this work, the possibility of preparing compatibilized blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer by reactive extrusion in the presence of an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer (EAA) and a bisoxazoline compound (PBO) as compatibilization promoters has been studied. In addition, the evolution of the morphology of the blends under different annealing conditions in the presence and absence of the compatibilizing promoters has been studied. Binary blends of PBT and EVA showed behavior typical of incompatible blends with a gross morphology and bad mechanical performance. The situation was however different for ternary PBT/EVA/EAA and especially for…

Effetto della temperatura sull’attività antimicrobica e antibiofilm di aldeide cinnamica e carvacrolo incorporati in film polimerici

Effect of kind and content of organo-modified clay on properties of PET nanocomposites

In this work we report the properties of nanocomposite based on PET with two different samples of organically modified montmorillonites. In particular, we studied the effect of the filler concentration on morphology, rheology, and mechanical performance, focusing our attention on the effect of the degradation phenomena of the clay modifiers. The results indicate that at low clay level the morphology achieved is mainly intercalated. On increasing the filler level, coalescence and/or bad defragmentation phenomena induce a coarser morphology, as confirmed by XRD, SEM, and TEM observations. When a more polar organic modifier is used to modify the clay, the particle adhesion and distribution is …

Recycling of RPE/ Ground Tire Rubber Blends: Properties and Applications

Effect of thermal cycles on the rheological behaviour of polymerclay nanocomposites

Presenza di PLA nel riciclo di PET

Graphene Oxide Carboxymethylcellulose Nanocomposite for Dressing Materials.

Sore, infected wounds are a major clinical issue, and there is thus an urgent need for novel biomaterials as multifunctional constituents for dressings. A set of biocomposites was prepared by solvent casting using different concentrations of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and exfoliated graphene oxide (Exf-GO) as a filler. Exf-GO was first obtained by the strong oxidation and exfoliation of graphite. The structural, morphological and mechanical properties of the composites (CMCx/Exf-GO) were evaluated, and the obtained composites were homogenous, transparent and brownish in color. The results confirmed that Exf-GO may be homogeneously dispersed in CMC. It was found that the composite has an i…

Effects of organoclay on morphology and properties of nanocomposites based on LDPE/PA-6 blends without and with SEBS-g-MA compatibilizer

LDPE/PA-6 blends (75/25 wt/wt) were added with SEBS-g-MA (S) and/or an organoclay (20A) using different compounding sequences and the morphology and the properties of the blends or composites were investigated. An XRD study of the nanocomposites with pure polymers showed that 20A is intercalated by LDPE or PA-6 chains, whereas it is exfoliated by S if the clay concentration does not exceed 10 wt%. The SEM investigation showed that both S and 20A behave as efficient emulsifying agents for the LDPE/PA-6 blends. However, their effect on the mechanical properties was found to be opposite: S enhanced toughness but lowered the stiffness, whereas 20A improved the elastic modulus but impaired the i…

Bending test for capturing the vivid behavior of giant reeds, returned through a proper fractional visco-elastic model

Abstract This paper presents results of experimental investigations made to evaluate the vivid behavior of giant reed Arundo donax. In particular, attention was paid to the relationship between visco-elastic properties and moisture content, which is widely recognized as one of the key factor that influences the mechanical properties of all wood-based materials. To this aim, after a controlled drying treatment on samples of reed, stress relaxation tests in three point bending configuration were performed to evaluate the effects of moisture content on visco-elastic behavior of the giant reed. Further, the novel aspect of this paper is that of using an Euler–Bernoulli model embedded with an ad…

Green Composites of Biodegradable Polymers and Natural Organic Fillers

Effect of thermal treatment time on the rheological behaviour of PE based nanocomposites

Synchronizing the release rates of salicylate and indomethacin from degradable chitosan hydrogel and its optimization by definitive screening design.

Abstract Three types of ionically crosslinked (with citric acid) chitosan discs were loaded with the highly water- soluble drug, sodium salicylate (SS) and the poorly water-soluble drug, indomethacin (Ind). In separate experiments the hydrated discs were immersed in a de-crosslinking solution comprising of different concentrations of calcium chloride, which induced a controlled erosion of the discs, a process which was optimized to synchronize the release rates of the two drugs over a predetermined period of time. The optimization was accomplished by manipulating six factors: chitosan MW, its amount in the formulation, the concentration of the crosslinker agent, the concentration of the de-…

Preparazione e caratterizzazione di polimeri biodegradabili caricati con riempitivi organico-naturali

Effect of PCL/PEG-Based Membranes on Actinorhodin Production in Streptomyces coelicolor Cultivations

The actinomycetes, Gram-positive filamentous bacteria, are the most prolific source of natural occurring antibiotics. At an industrial level, antibiotics from actinomycete strains are produced by means of submerged fermentations, where one of the major factors negatively affecting bioproductivity is the pellet-shaped biomass growth. The immobilization of microorganisms on properly chosen supports prevents cell-cell aggregation resulting in improving the biosynthetic capability. Thus, novel porous biopolymer-based devices are developed by combining melt mixing and particulate leaching. In particular, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and sodium chloride (NaCl) with different…

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES BASED ON COMPATIBILIZED POLYAMMIDE6/POLYETHYLENE BLENDS

Multifunctional fibers based on polyamide 6 and plasma functionalized carbon nanotubes.

Preparation and characterization of 3D PLA porous scaffolds

Effect of small amounts of poly(lactic acid) on the recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles

Abstract Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most used commodity polymers, especially for food and beverage applications, and its recycling is of great importance because of the possible use in the textile and construction industries. On the other hand, the interest in biodegradable polymers has led, in recent years, to the use of materials such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) also in the food and beverage industry. The presence of small amounts of PLA in the PET waste can significantly affect the post-consumer recycling process. In this work, the effect of the presence of small amounts of PLA on the recycling of PET bottles is investigated by rheological, mechanical, morphological …

PREPARATION OF POROUS POLYLACTIDE MATERIALS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Flexible mats as promising antimicrobial systems via integration of Thymus capitatus (L.) essential oil into PLA

Aim: To develop electrospun mats loaded with Thymus capitatus (L.) essential oil ( ThymEO) and to study their morpho-mechanical and antimicrobial properties. Materials & methods: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) mats containing ThymEO were prepared by electrospinning. The effect of ThymEO on the morpho-mechanical properties of fibers was assayed by scanning electron microscopy and dynamometer measurements. The antimicrobial activity of ThymEO delivered either in liquid or vapor phase was assessed through killing curves and invert Petri dishes method. The cytotoxicity was also investigated. Results: The mechanical properties were enhanced by integrating ThymEO into PLA. Both liquid and vapors of…

Nanohybrid surface based on covalent linkage of amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles on EAA polymeric substrate

Chemical Modification of Nitrile to Oxazoline Functionality on a Styrene-Acrylonitrile Copolymer in the Melt

Oxazoline is a very interesting functionality for reactive extrusion and other applications. In this paper, we report the possibility of chemically transforming nitrile group attached to a copolymer of styrene and acrylonitrile (SAN) to oxazoline group using 2-amino-ethanol (AE). The chemical modification of SAN with AE was done in the molten state. Among various catalysts tested, zinc acetate turned out to be the most efficient. The effects of the catalyst concentration, temperature and mixing on the overall kinetics were studied. The formation of the expected oxazoline functionality was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and by reacting with 1-naphthylacetic acid. The reaction between the…

Role of oxygen on rheological response of polyethylene–clay nanocomposites to annealing

Effect of heating of organo-montmorillonites under different atmospheres

Abstract We studied the influence of heating on the behaviour of two organo-montmorillonites paying particular attention to the possible degradation effects of the organic modifier under different atmospheres. Hoffmann elimination and anucleophilic substitution on the nitrogen led to rapid degradation of the modifier. As confirmed by deconvoluted FTIR spectra, the presence of oxygen accelerated the degradation rate. The degradation products of the modifier (α-olefins transforming into various carboxyl compounds if oxygen is present) initially increased the basal spacing, followed by a collapse of the particle layers when the decomposition products migrated toward the surface and eventually …

Synthesis and self-assembly of a PEGylated-graphene aerogel

Abstract In the frame of this work, we present, for the first time, the synthesis and self-assembly of an aerogel built by graphene oxide-polyethylene glycol. The synthetic route involves at first the coupling of GO with an amino-terminated polyethylene glycol sample by carbodiimide in aqueous environment, and the subsequent conversion of the hydrogel achieved into an aerogel via freeze-drying. The 3D PEGylated graphene-based aerogel, characterized by spectroscopic, morphological, structural and mechanical analyses, displays an ultralight and highly porous (99.7%) network and possesses high mechanical properties together with a good biocompatibility.

Nanopiattaforme di Ossido di Grafene perfluorurate: materiali biocompatibili con affinità per l'ossigeno

L’attacco covalente di molecule perfluorurate su ossido di graphene (GO) via sostituzione nucleofila aromatica ha consentito una facile funzionalizzazione delle lamelle di GO.1,2 La performance delle nanopiattaforme perluorurate (GOF) nell’uptake e rilascio di ossigeno è stata valutata in condizioni di pH fisiologico a differenti concentrazioni e temperature, dimostrando una maggiore affinità del materiale perfluorurato GOF rispetto al GO pristino. Anche a basse concentrazioni GOF ha mostrato valori di uptake di ossigeno a saturazione e velocità di diffusione superiori ad altri materiali proposti in letteratura per ingegneria tissutale, per l’ossigenazione cellulare durante la rigenerazione…

Antimicrobial activity of EVA blown films containing nisin

Surface Functionalization and Nanofiller Effect on Poymeric Nanocomposites

A green method to prepare nanosilica modified graphene oxide to inhibit nanoparticles re-aggregation during melt processing

Abstract A graphene oxide-silica nanohybrid (GOS), self-assembled into a lasagna -like structure, was prepared in water and used as a filler for the melt preparation of polyamide 6 (PA6)-based nanocomposites. For sake of comparison, PA6-based materials were prepared under the same processing conditions by adding GO only or a physical mixture of GO and silica (GO+S). All the materials were characterized from a morphological, spectroscopic, thermal, dynamic-mechanical (DMA) and mechanical point of view. For all the nanocomposites, the interphase was studied either by analyzing loss factor plots coming from DMA measurements and by implementing a novel approach, i.e. combining solvent extractio…

Influence Of Clay Thermal Degradation On Polyethylene Based Nanocomposite

Imballaggi antimicrobici estrusi

Green Nanocomposites-Based on PLA and Natural Organic Fillers

Over the past decades, many efforts have been carried out for the development of novel green nanocomposites based on biopolymers and natural organic nanofillers. Indeed, these nanocomposites could replace some oil-derived polymers and thus helping to overcome environmental problems. In this regard, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) as matrix and polysaccharide nanocrystals (cellulose, chitin, and starch) as bio-based nanoreinforcements are the most promising components to obtain high-performance green nanocomposites. This chapter covers the basic features of PLA and polysaccharide nanocrystals derived from biomass-based raw materials such as cellulose, chitin, and starch. In particular, this chapter…

Plasma modified PLA electrospun membranes for actinorhodin production intensification in Streptomyces coelicolor immobilized-cell cultivations

Most of industrially relevant bioproducts are produced by submerged cultivations of actinomycetes. The immobilization of these Gram-positive filamentous bacteria on suitable porous supports may prevent mycelial cell-cell aggregation and pellet formation which usually negatively affect actinomycete submerged cultivations, thus, resulting in an improved biosynthetic capability. In this work, electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) membranes, subjected or not to O2-plasma treatment (PLA-plasma), were used as support for immobilized-cell submerged cultivations of Streptomyces coelicolor M145. This strain produces different bioactive compounds, including the blue-pigmented actinorhodin (ACT) and red-p…

Electrical Performance of Thin-Film Li-ion Batteries Under Flexural Deflection

Processing – morphology – property relationships of polyamide 6/polyethylene blend–clay nanocomposites

In this work, we studied the effect of the method of preparation and of reprocessing on the morphology and, con- sequently, on the physical properties of polyamide 6 (PA6)/ high density polyethylene (HDPE)-clay nanocomposite blends in the presence of different compatibilizers. In particular, the nanocomposites were obtained by melt mixing using a co- rotating twin screw extruder (E1). The blends thus obtained were re-extruded (E2) under the same operating conditions. Moreover, blends with the same final composition were produced using a masterbatch of the compatibilizer with the clay prepared in a separated stage in a batch mixer (MB). All the materials were characterized by scanning electr…

Perfluorocarbons–graphene oxide nanoplatforms as biocompatible oxygen reservoirs

Abstract 3-Pentadecafluoroheptyl,5-perfluorophenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (FOX) molecules were attached onto a graphene oxide (GO) via a facile aromatic substitution in alkaline environment. This approach allows achieving high degree of functionalization under mild conditions. The covalent attachment of perfluoromoieties onto GO lamellae was confirmed by spectroscopic analyses. The performance of these nanoplatforms (GOF) as oxygen reservoirs was assessed at different concentrations and temperature. The results revealed that under physiologic conditions GO and FOX synergistically operate for increasing oxygen uptake and release, either from a thermodynamic and a kinetic point of view. Even at low…

UN NUOVO METODO PER OTTENERE FILM FLESSIBILI EAA-PANI

Influence of oxidation level of graphene oxide on the mechanical performance and photo-oxidation resistance of a polyamide 6

The aim of this work is to study the relationship between the chemical-physical properties of graphene oxide (GO) and the performance of a polyamide 6 (PA6) in terms of mechanical reinforcement and resistance to UV-exposure. For this purpose, two samples of GO possessing different oxidation degrees were added (0.75 wt.%) to PA6 by way of a two-step technique and the materials achieved were carefully analysed from a morphological, chemical-physical, mechanical point of view. Photo-oxidation tests were carried out to assess the performance of this class of nanohybrids after 240 h of UV-exposure. The results reveal that both nanocomposites exhibit enhanced mechanical performance and durability…

Compositi di PVC-Ag con proprietà antimicrobiche

CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CHEMICAL-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CNT AND MACROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF RELATED NANOCOMPOSITES: A STATISTICAL APPROACH

In the frame of this work, two different samples of CNTs, namely CNT 1 and CNT 2, were synthesized [1] with different degree of purity and aspect ratio and used as fillers either without any treatment or after a plasma-oxidation, to prepare polycarbonate (PC)-based nanocomposites by melt mixing. The influence of plasma treatment, filler content and type of CNTs on the mechanical, dynamic-mechanical, and electrical properties of the materials was assessed by a two level full factorial design. The morphological analysis carried out by SEM and TEM evidenced the formation of a nanohybrid structure when oxidized CNTs were used as filler. Generally speaking, CNT 2 showed the best dispersion and t…

Realizzazione di nanocompositi a base di PA6 e CNT funzionalizzato al plasma

Compatibilization of PBT/EVA blends

PLA based biocomposites reinforced with Posidonia oceanica leaves

Abstract Biocomposites can valorize some natural products related to natural processes or crop and waste industries. In this work, leaves of Posidonia oceanica (PO), dominant sea grass in the Mediterranean Sea, were used to prepare PLA based biocomposites. Materials were prepared by melt mixing PLA with PO as filler. The morphology as well as the mechanical and thermal properties of PLA/PO composites were evaluated and related with the influence of the content and size of PO. Moreover, the experimental elastic moduli of the biocomposites was modelled employing the Halpin–Tsai (HT) model. Furthermore, in order to take into consideration the high porosity of PO leaves, the HT parameters relat…

Characterization of monopolymer blend of virgin and recycled polyamide 6

It is a common industrial practice to blend virgin polymer with the same recycled polymer coming from plastic scraps that, in general, has not undergone relevant degradation. In this work, the characteristics of blends of virgin and recycled polyamide have been considered by changing the amount of recycled polymer and the presence of humidity and a stabilizer. Neither dry nor wet stabilized recycled polyamide samples show significant variations of the molecular weight, but the melt Newtonian viscosity of the blends are slightly different from that predicted by an additive rule, despite the same chemical nature of the two components. This holds true even more for the humid unstabilized sampl…

Antimicrobial thermoplastic materials for biomedical applications prepared by melt processing

In this work thermoplastic polymers with antimicrobial properties were prepared by incorporating an antibiotic, i.e., ciprofloxacin (CFX), by melt processing. Two different polymers were used as matrices, i.e., polypropylene (PP) and poly(lactid acid) (PLA) and different concentrations of CFX have been incorporated. The antimicrobial properties, the release kinetic and the mechanical performances of the prepared materials were evaluated.

Preparation and characterization of multilayer porous PLA scaffolds

OPUNTIA FICUS INDICA/MATER-BI® BASED GREEN COMPOSITES FOR FERTILIZER CONTROLLED RELEASE DEVICES PRODUCTION

Preparation and Characterization of Polyolefin-Based Nanocomposite Blown Films for Agricultural Applications

These kinds of filmshave,asaprimaryaim,tocreateafavorablemicro-climateto accelerate the plant growth.Thematerialsfortheseapplicationsmustpossessseveralspecificandpeculiarcharacteristics,suchastheabilitytobeshaped into films (even with wide dimensions and largethickness ranges), good deformability and tear resistancetogetherwithasufficientrigidity,transparencyforUVandIR radiation in particular regions of the spectrum, a goodresistance to photo-oxidative phenomena and for someapplications to provide a barrier for certain gases.Moreover, an important property requested for thematerials used for greenhouse covering is the capabilityto diffuse the light. In fact, according to some studies,diffused l…

Ecocompositi MaterBi (R)/Farina di legno: ottimizzazione delle proprietà attraverso analisi statistica

3D PRINTED GREEN COMPOSITES BASED ON POLYMERIC MATRICES AND ANCHOVY FISHBONE WASTES

Chemical Reactions occurring in the molten state between Ny6 and Oxazoline groups linked to a Cyclophosphazene moiety

Particle surface engineering effect on the mechanical, optical and photoluminescent properties of ZnO/vinyl-ester resin nanocomposites

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles functionalized with a bi-functional coupling agent methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPS) were used to fabricate a vinyl-ester resin polymeric nanocomposite, which shows an improved interfacial interaction between the particle and matrix. As a result, in comparison to the unmodified particle-filled nanocomposites, the functionalized particle-filled composites possessed higher resistance to thermal degradation, and demonstrated improved UV shielding and enhanced photoluminescent properties. The more uniform particle dispersion, passivation of the particle surface with MPS and increased oxygen vacancies were justified to contribute to the increased thermal st…

Biodegradable polymer-wood flour composites: main properties and biodegradability

During the last years, a considerably increasing rate of attention has arisen on biodegradable polymers. In the meanwhile, the use of wood-plastic composites (WPC) has grown in importance, especially in the United States. The combination of biodegradable polymers and wood-based fillers allows obtaining the typical advantages achievable with the use of WPCs, with the further advantage of the biodegradability and compostability of the matrix (and not only of the filler). In this work, the characterization and the biodegradability assessment of Mater-Bi®-wood flour composites have been carried out.

Morphology and properties of LDPE/PA-6 blends compatibilized with SEBS-g-MA and/or organoclay

Ionic tactile sensors as promising biomaterials for artificial skin: Review of latest advances and future perspectives

Abstract Ionic tactile sensors (ITS) are an emerging subfield of wearable electronics, capable of mimicking the human skin, including not only the typical anisotropic structure, mechanical behaviour, and tactile functions but even the mechanosensitive ionic channels that are crucial for the human sense of touch. With the rapid development of intelligent technology, such bioinspired materials constitute the core foundation of intelligent systems and are a candidate to be the next generation e-skins, offering a more accurate and evolved biointerface. In the latest years, a wealth of novel ultra-stretchable ITS was proposed, progressively refining the choice of soft materials, including ion ge…

Biopolymer based nanocomposites reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets

In this work, biopolymer based nanocomposites filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) were prepared by melt compounding in a batch mixer. The polymer used as matrix was a commercial biodegradable polymer-blend of PLA and a copolyester (BioFlex®). The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheological and mechanical measurements. Moreover, the effect of the GnP amount on the investigated properties was evaluated. The results indicated that the incorporation of GnP increased the stiffness of the biopolymeric matrix.

Synthesis of a fluorinated graphene oxide-silica nanohybrid: Improving oxygen affinity

An easy method to achieve a fluorinated graphene oxide–silica nanohybrid (GOSF) is presented. Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by Hummer's modified method, the GO–silica nanohybrid (GOS) was obtained via Fischer esterification, the fluorinated moiety (3-pentadecafluoroheptyl-5-perfluorophenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole) was introduced by nucleophilic substitution operated by the hydroxyl functionalities onto the GOS surface. Full characterization of the new materials confirmed the formation of covalent bonds between the graphene oxide/silica hybrid matrix and the fluorinated moieties. The proposed methodology offers an easy way to get fluorinated carbon/silica hybrid nanomaterials avoiding the har…

Photovoltaic performance of amorphous silicon flexible solar modules under mechanical loading

The applications of photovoltaic devices can be significantly expanded by directly integrating them into structures. Solar cells integrated into structures can help to power a variety of devices such as structural monitoring sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, little work has been reported in the literature on the performance of solar cells under deformation. Thus, a thorough investigation on the photovoltaic behavior of solar modules under mechanical loading is necessary in order to provide the optimal integration conditions for practical applications. The photovoltaic performance of commercially available amorphous silicon solar modules was tested under applied mechanica…

Nuovi fili da sutura multifunzionali a rilascio controllato di sostanze antimicrobiche, antibiotiche, cicatrizzanti.

Oggetto di questa invenzione è un metodo e la relativa tecnologia di produzione per la preparazione di fili da sutura multifunzionali che possiedono proprietà antibiotiche e/o cicatrizzanti e/o antimicrobiche modulabili in funzione delle condizioni di preparazione. I fili possono avere tali proprietà singolarmente o contemporaneamente. In particolare è stata messa a punto una tecnologia che prevede l’incorporazione da fuso di un agente antibiotico e/o cicatrizzante e/o antimicrobico durante la preparazione dei fili da sutura. Il processo di filatura è in linea e tramite una modulazione della quantità di sostanza, delle condizioni di stiro (isotermo e non isotermo), è possibile regolare il d…

Performance of Thin-Film Lithium Energy Cells under Uniaxial Pressure

The objective of this study was two-fold. The first objective was to determine if the all-solid-state thin-film lithium energy cells could withstand the minimal 550 kPa uniaxial pressure required for composite manufacturing, which both specimens successfully did. The second objective was to determine the upper boundary uniaxial pressure limit of operation for the all-solid-state thin-film lithium energy cells. The two all-solid- state thin-film lithium energy cells tested in the present study under uniaxial pressure performed well even when subjected to uniaxial pressures up to about 2.0 MPa. However, pressures higher than this value led to their degradation. The observed degradation was du…

Combining in the melt physical and biological properties of poly(caprolactone) and chlorhexidine to obtain antimicrobial surgical monofilaments.

Bacterial infections on a sutured wound represent a critical problem, and the preparation of suture threads possessing antimicrobial properties is valuable. In this work, poly(caprolactone) (PCL) monofilaments were compounded at the concentration of 1, 2 and 4 % (w/w), respectively, to the antiseptic chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX). The incorporation was carried out in the melt by a single-step methodology, i.e. “online” approach. Mechanical tests revealed that the incorporation of CHX does not significantly change tensile properties of PCL fibres as the thermal profile adopted to prepare the compounded fibres does not compromise the antibacterial activity of CHX. In fact, CHX confers to comp…

Effect of surface PEG content on the viability and cell adhesion in PLA/PEG porous scaffolds

SURFACE MODIFICATION OF EAA WITH FUNCTIONALIZED SILICA NANOPARTICLES

A facile and eco-friendly route to fabricate poly(Lactic acid) scaffolds with graded pore size

Over the recent years, functionally graded scaffolds (FGS) gaineda crucial role for manufacturing of devices for tissue engineering. The importance of this new field of biomaterials research is due to the necessity to develop implants capable of mimicking the complex functionality of the various tissues, including a continuous change from one structure or composition to another. In this latter context, one topic of main interest concerns the design of appropriate scaffolds for bone-cartilage interface tissue. In this study, three-layered scaffolds with graded pore size were achieved by melt mixing poly(lactic acid) (PLA), sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Pore size distr…

Effects Of Adding New Low Molecular Weight Phosphazene Compounds To PBT/Ny Blends

Biocompositi a base di PLA rinforzati con cariche lignocellulosiche ricavate dalla canna comune

Green composites based on biodegradable polymers and anchovy (Engraulis Encrasicolus) waste suitable for 3D printing applications

Every day large amounts of fish waste are produced and grossly discarded in markets around the world causing environmental and hygiene issue. The use of these scraps for the production of materials with higher added value can definitely contributed to solve this problem. In this work, 10% and 20% of anchovy fishbone powder (EE), obtained by market waste, were microbiological and mechanical tested and subsequently added to polylactic acid (PLA) and to a commercial blend of biodegradable co-polyesters (Mater-Bi®). Rheological characterization suggests the potential printability of all prepared composites filaments. 10% EE filled composites showed outstanding printability. Morphological analys…

An investigation of polymeric nanocomposite: Surface functionalization and nanofiller effect

Effect of adding new phosphazene compounds in polybutyleneterephthalate/polyamide blends. II: Effect of difefrent polyamides on the properties of extruded samples

A new scaffold-bacteria-based system for bioremediation of oil contaminated water

Bioremediation is a promising non-invasive and cost-effective technology that uses (micro)organisms to degrade or remove hazardous environmental pollutants. New methods are needed to enhance and optimize natural biodegradation, such as the use of carrier materials that could improve survival and catalytic activity of the biodegraders. In this study, we developed a bioremediation system based on a new 3D polycaprolactone-based scaffold and hydrocarbon(HC)-degrading bacteria to clean (sea)water contaminated by crude oil and its derivatives. Scaffold biopolymers are biodegradable, produced in the melt, i.e. at low cost and without the use of toxic solvents. They can be available in large quant…

Proprietà meccaniche di miscele poliammide/poliolefine in presenza di ciclofosfazeni

Bilayer biodegradable films prepared by co-extrusion film blowing: Mechanical performance, release kinetics of an antimicrobial agent and hydrolytic degradation

Abstract Bilayer biodegradable, eco-friendly films were prepared by co-extrusion film blowing, coupling polylactic acid (PLA) and Bio-flex ® (BIO). Furthermore, in the PLA layer, carvacrol (CRV) was added as a natural antimicrobial additive, whereas a nanoclay (D72T) was integrated to protect CRV from volatilization and to modulate release. The materials were analyzed by morphological, chemical-physical, mechanical testing. Furthermore, CRV release and degradation tests were performed. The results pointed out that coupling the two matrices allows gathering the stiffness of PLA with the ductility of BIO. Furthermore, the interlayer adhesion is promoted by CRV. D72T exerts a key-role in avoid…

Characterization of polyethylene/calcium carbonate nanocomposites

Effect of cold drawing on the antimicrobial and physical properties of PCL/CHX monofilaments

Oli essenziali: progressi scientifico-tecnologici per il controllo della crescita microbica

La contaminazione microbica degli alimenti e l'elevata diffusione di ceppi antibiotico resistenti abili a produrre biofilm rappresentano un serio problema di carattere igienico-sanitario. La ricerca è oggi finalizzata allo sviluppo di alternative antimicrobiche, sicure ed efficaci. Tra i composti più promettenti vi sono i prodotti naturali come gli oli essenziali ed i loro componenti. Un’ampia letteratura ne descrive l’efficacia nei confronti di batteri, virus, lieviti e muffe e ne suggerisce un possibile ruolo nella conservazione degli alimenti. In tale contesto, il progresso scientifico-tecnologico del settore ha consentito lo sviluppo di nuove soluzioni finalizzate alla progettazione di …

Potenziamento dell’attività antimicrobica di aldeide cinnamica e carvacrolo incorporati in film a base di etilen- vinil- acetato

PHOTO-OXIDATION OF PA6/GRAPHENE OXIDE FILMS

Graphene oxide (GrO) was synthesized with Marcano’s method [1] and added at 0.5 and 1 wt% loading content to a polyamide 6 (PA6). In particular, three different techniques have been used for the preparation of the nanocomposites: (i) melt blending in a batch mixer, (ii) solvent casting in formic acid, (iii) preparation of a masterbatch by solvent casting and further melt processing. The films (80 m) were photo-oxidized in a QU-V chamber up to about 100 hours. The effect of filler content and preparation technique on the photo-stability of the nanocomposites has been followed by monitoring the change of the mechanical and spectroscopic properties undergone upon artificial exposure to UV-B l…

Characterization and biodegradability of biodegradable polymer-wood flour composites

Processing, structure, property relationships and release kinetics of electrospun PLA/Carvacrol membranes

Abstract In this work, polylactic acid (PLA) membranes at two different carvacrol (CRV) nominal concentration (i.e. 14 wt% and 28 wt%) were prepared via electrospinning technology. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, ATR-FTIR and calorimetric measurements as well as tensile tests. Moreover, the release kinetics of CRV in phosphate buffered solution at 37 °C was monitored through UV–Vis measurements and the data were fitted with a power law model. Results indicated that the successful incorporation of CRV in the polymer matrix damaged the fibers morphology but increased all the mechanical parameters investigated (i.e. elastic modulus, tensile strength and elonga…

Processing-property relationships of polypropylene/ciprofloxacin fibers

In this work we prepared polypropylene (PP) fibers incorporating an antibiotic, i.e. ciprofloxacin (CFX), by melt spinning. In particular, PP has been compounded with CFX at different concentrations by using a counter-rotating twin screw compounder. The PP/CFX fibers have been spun by using a capillary rheometer operating under a constant extrusion speed. The effect of “online” hot drawing during the melt spinning or of an “offline” cold drawing on the properties of PP/CFX fibers were evaluated. In particular, the influence of the drawing conditions on the mechanical properties and the release kinetics were studied. Moreover, the rheological behavior in non-isothermal elongation flow has be…

Development of polymeric functionally graded scaffolds: a brief review.

Over recent years, there has been a growing interest in multilayer scaffolds fabrication approaches. In fact, functionally graded scaffolds (FGSs) provide biological and mechanical functions potentially similar to those of native tissues. Based on the final application of the scaffold, there are different properties (physical, mechanical, biochemical, etc.) which need to gradually change in space. Therefore, a number of different technologies have been investigated, and often combined, to customize each region of the scaffolds as much as possible, aiming at achieving the best regenerative performance. In general, FGSs can be categorized as bilayered or multilayered, depending on the number…

Biopolymeric bilayer films produced by co-extrusion film blowing

Abstract Biodegradable packaging promises a more environmentally friendly future. Nevertheless, a single biopolymer often lacks of some important properties. In order to contribute to this challenge, biodegradable bilayer films from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and MaterBi® were prepared in this work and compared with monolayer films obtained with both the polymers. The prepared films were fully characterized through morphological, mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical and water contact angle analyses. Furthermore, the hydrolytic degradation of monolayer and bilayer films was studied by performing tests at three different pH. The morphological analysis revealed that PLA/MaterBi bilayer films sh…

Effetto della filatura di un sistema polimerico biodegradabile nanocomposito

VALORIZATION OF ANCHOVY FISHBONE WASTES FOR THE PREPARATION OF BIOPOLYMERIC BASED GREEN COMPOSITES FOR FOOD PACKAGING APPLICATIONS

Influence of PLA on the recycling of PET bottles

Preparation and characterization of PCL/GO-g-PEG biocomposite nanofiber scaffolds

Biocomposite nanofiber scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) with different graphene oxide surface grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (GO-g-PEG) concentrations were prepared by electrospinning. Morphological, mechanical as well as wettability characterization were carried out. Results showed that the average diameter of PLA/GO-g-PEG electrospun nanofibers increased by increasing the filler content. GO-g-PEG enhanced the electrospun PCL hydrophilicity as well as the Young modulus, in particular at low GO-g-PEG concentrations.

Ecocomposites obtained from MaterBi(R) and lignocellulosic fillers

Effect of Different Matrices and Nanofillers on the Rheological Behavior of Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites

In this work, a comprehensive study of the rheologi-cal behavior under shear and isothermal and nonisothermal elongational flow of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) based nanocomposites was reported to evaluate their "filmability", that is, the ability of these material to be processed for film forming applications. The influence of two different kinds of organoclay - namely Cloisite 15A and Cloisite 30B - and their concentration was evaluated. The presence of filler clearly affects the rheological behavior in oscil-latory state of polyolefin-based nanocomposites but the increase of complex viscosity and the shear thinning are not dramatic. A larger …

Melt-spun conductive fibers containing functionalized CNTs

Plasma Modification of MWCNTs and Their Use in the Preparation of PA6/MWCNT Nanocomposites

Chemical design of flexible skin-core poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid)/nanostructured polyaniline hybrids

Micro-architecture of three-dimensional porous scaffolds evaluated via image processing technique

Synthesis and characterization of PEGylated graphene oxide for sorafenib modified release

Concept Graphene, a single layer of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb two-dimensional (2-D) crystal lattice, has evoked enormous interest throughout the scientific community since its first appearance in 2004. Due to its unique structure and geometry, graphene possesses remarkable physical-chemical properties (including large specific surface area and biocompatibility) that enable it to be an ideal material for several applications, ranging from quantum physics, nanoelectronics, energy research, catalysis and engineering of nanocomposites and biomaterials. In the area of nanomedicine, graphene and its derivatives can be exploited for a broad range of applications, includin…

Formulation, Characterization and Optimization of the Processing Conditions of Blends of Recycled Polyethylene and Ground Tyre Rubbers: Mechanical and Rheological Analysis

Abstract Recycling represents a valid alternative to the disposal of post-consumer plastics in common landfills if it is possible to obtain new materials with good final properties compatible with practical application and, above all, by using cheap methods. In this work the possibility to produce secondary materials by blending recycled polyethylene (RPE) coming from greenhouses and post-consumer ground tyre rubber (GTR) has been studied. In particular, the preparation of these blends has been carried out in a common industrial twin screw extruder. RPE pellets and GTR powder were fed to the extruder without any other additive. Temperature, processing speed, mixing procedure and composition…

PLA-hydrotalcite nanocomposites: effect of processing methods

Comparison of the Recycling Behavior of a Polypropylene Sample Aged in Air and in Marine Water

During the processing and during their lifetime, polymers are subjected to several environmental stresses—thermomechanical, photo-oxidative, etc.—that can strongly modify their chemical and molecular structure and, consequently, their morphology. Reduction of the molecular weight and formation of double bonds and oxygenated groups are the main changes observed as a consequence of the degradation. As a result of these changes, the macroscopic properties are dramatically modified. These changes can have a relevant effect if the post-consumer plastic manufacts are recycled. In this work, a sample of polypropylene subjected to two different degradation histories—photo-oxidatio…

Effect of adding new phosphazene compounds to poly(butylene terephthalate)/polyamide blends. I: Preliminary study in a batch mixer

Abstract Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and a sample of polyamide have been melt processed in the presence of two new phosphazene compounds, namely 2,2-dichloro-4,4,6,6-bis[spiro(2′,2″dioxy-1′,1″biphenyl)]cyclotriphosphazene (2Cl-CP) and 2,2-bis-(2-methoxy-4-methyleneoxy-phenoxy)-4,4,6,6,-bis[spiro(2′,2″dioxy-1′,1″biphenyl)]cyclophosphazene (CP-2EPOX). The blends were prepared by using polyamide 6 (PA6) at 25/75 w/w and 75/25 w/w composition. In order to perform a preliminary analysis on the behaviour of the blends, the materials were prepared in a batch mixer. The materials have been completely characterized from a rheological, morphological, mechanical point of view. The results indic…

Properties-morphology-processing relationships in polymer based clay nanocomposites

BIODEGRADABLE BILAYER FILMS PREPARED BY CO-EXTRUSION

The sensitivity for reducing packaging waste drove academic and industrial efforts to search compostable or biodegradable bio-sourced polymeric materials. Multilayer systems represent a suitable strategy to obtain the required properties and to improve biopolymer performance. The aim of the current work is the coextrusion film blowing of a biodegradable bilayer film PLA/MaterBi with the purpose to overcome the drawbacks of the individual components.

A simple method to interpret the rheological behaviour of intercalated polymer nanocomposites

Abstract Nanocomposites are a new class of polymer composites that exhibit an interesting combination of chemical, physical, thermal and mechanical properties. Only small amounts of nanofiller are sufficient to generate great variations of many properties. This work focuses on the rheological behaviour of the intercalated polymer nanocomposites in shear flow. The increase of the viscosity and the more pronounced non-Newtonian behaviour is interpreted simply considering the increase of volume of the inert phase caused by the intercalation of the macromolecules. Indeed, the volume of the intercalated tactoids increases with increasing the interlayer distance. On the other hand, the interlayer…

Mechanical and rheological analyses of recycled polyethylene and ground tyre rubber

CHARACTERIZATION AND PROCESSABILITY NOF POLYESTER BASED NANOCOMPOSITES

Effect of adding new phosphazene compounds to poly(butylene terephthalate)/polyamide blends. II: Effect of different polyamides on the properties of extruded samples

Poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and a sample of polyamide have been melt processed in the presence of two new phosphazene compounds, namely 2,2-dichloro-4,4,6,6-bis[spyro(2',2"-dioxy-1',1"-biphenyl)]cyclotriphosphazene (2Cl-CP) and 2,2-bis(2-methoxy-4-methyleneoxy-phenoxy)-4,4,6,6-bis[spyro(2',2"-dioxy-1',1"-biphenyl)]cyclophosphazene (CP-2EPOX). The blends were prepared by using polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyamide 6,6 (PA66) in 25/75 and 75/25 w/w compositions by using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The materials have been completely characterized from a mechanical, rheological, and morphological point of view. The results indicate that the additives used cause an increase of the ruptur…

Pore size graded scaffold for selective cellular permeation

On the mechanism of compatibilization of polyolefin/liquid crystalline polymer blends with graft copolymers

The compatibilization mechanism of some compatibilizers for blends of polyolefins with a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) was studied. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were blended with a semirigid LCP (SBH) in a batch mixer, either with and without compatibilizers. The latter were two commercially available samples of functionalized polyolefins, that is, a PE-g-MA (HDM) and a PP-g-AA (Polybond 1001) copolymer and some purposely synthesized PE-g-LCP and PP-g-LCP copolymers. Microtomed films of the binary and the ternary blends were annealed at 240°C on the hot stage of a polarizing microscope and the changes undergone by their morphology were recorded as a function of time. The resu…

Degradation od Mater-Bi/wood flour biocomposites in active sewage sludge

Polycaprolactone-based scaffold for oil-selective sorption and improvement of bacteria activity for bioremediation of polluted water: Porous PCL system obtained by leaching melt mixed PCL/PEG/NaCl composites: Oil uptake performance and bioremediation efficiency

A novel floatable and biodegradable sponge for the selective absorption of oil from water and potentially useful as cell carrier for bioremediation treatments was prepared in polycaprolactone (PCL). The eco-friendly process for fabricating the PCL sponge does not involve either synthetic routes or organic solvents, thus minimizing environmental hazard. In particular, the 3D porous materials have been prepared by mixing in the melt the polymer matrix with two water-soluble porogen agents (NaCl and PEG) and thereafter leaching the obtained PCL/NaCl/PEG composites in water. The PCL sponges here proposed are capable to remove different types of oily pollutants (up to 500 wt%), and were successf…

Hydrolytic degradation of PLA/Posidonia Oceanica green composites: A simple model based on starting morpho-chemical properties

Abstract In this work, we studied the degradability of PLA-based biocomposites containing Posidonia Oceanica flour at different loading levels and aspect ratios. Hydrolytic tests were carried out in neutral (pH = 7.4) and alkaline (pH = 10) environment. Time-dependent evolution of some key features, including residual mass and solution uptake, was monitored, and correlated with the changes observed in both morphology and chemical structure of the matrix. The results pointed out that biocomposites degraded much faster than neat PLA in both conditions, up to lose 70% of their initial weight after 1000 h immersion. A complex mechanism was unveiled, evidencing the crucial role of the fillers, c…

Lignocellulosic fillers and graphene nanoplatelets as hybrid reinforcement for polylactic acid: Effect on mechanical properties and degradability

Abstract This work investigates the effect of adding relatively low amounts of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) to a biocomposite based on polylactic acid (PLA) and a lignocellulosic filler achieved by grinding Posidonia Oceanica leaves (Posidonia flour, PF). The ternary composites were prepared by melt extrusion and characterized from a morphological and mechanical point of view. Furthermore, hydrolytic degradation tests were performed under acidic, neutral and alkaline environment up to 900 h. Density measurements enabled to assess the degree of intraphase, i.e. the capability of polymer macromolecules to enter the voids of PF and a modified Halpin-Tsai model was presented and used to fit exp…

Proprietà di film antimicrobici a base di EVA preparati tramite filmatura in bolla

Effect of adding new phosphazene compounds in polybutylenetherephtalate/polyamide blends

Characterization of green composites from biodegradable polymers and wood flour.

ANALISI DEL COMPORTAMENTO MECCANICO DI SANDWICH ECO-COMPATIBILI RINFORZATI CON FIBRE NATURALI

The increasing environmental sensitivity in many industrial fields, from automotive to aeronautics to naval field, has led to an increasing demand of new bio-materials or renewable structural materials. In order to give a contribution to the design of eco-compatible structural materials, in this work new sandwich materials constituted by a core made by balsa and skins made by a composite material made by a “green” epoxy reinforced by agave fibers extracted from striated and americana agave obtained in Sicily by a proper research program financed by European founds. Previous theoretical analysis followed by systematical experimental analysis of the core, of the skins and the of the sandwich,…

Morphology of Polyamide/Polyethylene Blends in Presence of Nanoclay

Effect of annealing under different atmospheres on polyethylene-clay nanocomposites

Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial polymeric films based on poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)

Nanoimprinting Reliability

Use of carbon nanotubes functionalized via plasma for the preparation of PA6-based nanohybrids

Processing-morphology-properties relationships in HDPE/PA6/Clay nanocomposites

Effect of an organoclay on the photochemical transformations of a PBAT/PLA blend and morpho-chemical features of crosslinked networks

Abstract In this work, we report the effect of an organoclay on the photochemical weathering of nanocomposites based on a poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend. The evolution of physicochemical properties was monitored by integrating spectroscopic, mechanical, and morphological analyses. A robust relationship was found between the molecular transformations of the polymer macromolecules and the morpho-mechanical properties of irradiated films. Moreover, the analysis of insoluble fractions extracted from nanocomposites pointed out that free-standing, porous structures, displaying an unprecedented thickness as great as 100 µm, were formed, thus unambiguou…

A model for the prediction of the flow curves from interlayer distance and vice versa for intercalated polymer and polymer blend nanocomposites

In this work was proposed a simple model to predict the viscosity and the power law index from the interlayer distance and, vice versa, the interlayer distance from a single flow curve for intercalated polymer nanocomposites. This model cannot be applied to exfoliated nanocomposites or when other interactions are present in the systems.

Characterization of biobased composites filled with wood flour

Efficacy of poly(lactic acid)/carvacrol electrospun membranes against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in single and mixed cultures

Carvacrol (CAR) is one of the most promising essential oil components with antimicrobial activity. New technologies aimed to incorporate this active molecule into carrier matrix to improve the stability and prolong the biological activity. The goal of this study was to investigate the feasibility of incorporating CAR into electrospun membranes of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for potential applications as active antimicrobial system. To this end, PLA membranes containing homogeneously dispersed CAR were successfully prepared and a series of systematic tests including morpho-mechanical properties, in vitro release rate, and antimicrobial/antibiofilm activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Can…

Plastica in mare: biodiversità della plastisfera

La plastica costituisce la componente più abbondante dei rifiuti in ambiente marino. Le plastiche in mare sono colonizzate da biofilm microbici, denominati plastisfera, che possono comprendere patogeni, specie algali tossiche e invasive e, potenzialmente, organismi in grado di biodeteriorare e degradare le plastiche (Zettler et al. 2013). Lo scopo di questo lavoro è studiare e confrontare le comunità microbiche che colonizzano plastiche biodegradabili e non biodegradabili in ambiente marino. Un esperimento di esposizione di film plastici in ambiente marino portuale è stato allestito per studiare la diversità della plastisfera di alcune plastiche biodegradabili (Mater Bi e PLA-acido polilatt…

Utilisation of polyhydroxyalkanoates for biodegradable polymer blends: properties and application

Clay nanocomposites based on compatibilized PA6/HDPE blends

Biodegradable Membrane with High Porosity and Hollow Structure Obtained via Electrospinning for Oil Spill Clean-up Application

The use of biodegradable polymers for the production of membranes to be used in wastewater treatment has attracted increasing interest considering the possibility of reducing the risk of second pollution. In this work, porous fibrous membranes based on polylactic acid and polyethylene oxide (PEO) blends were prepared. The solutions were electrospun using two approaches: (i) conventional coaxial electrospinning followed by leaching treatment (double-step, DS); (ii) coaxial wet electrospinning with in situ leaching (single-step, SS). By varying PEO type and processing method it was possible to control membranes structure and porosity. DS leaching treatment lead to surface porosity (i.e. shell…

Reprocessing and restabilization of greenhouse films

From the ecological and economical points of view, reprocessing of polyethylene greenhouse films is a promising solution to reduce discarded materials and to produce useful, or potentially useful, objects for service. Films exposed outdoors, however, show inferior mechanical properties and the melt processing worsens these properties. The addition of stabilizers and antioxidants to recycled plastic products prevents inherent thermal instabilities from occurring within the time frame of proper processing. In this study, we attempt to explore ways for improving product performance by the addition of four different additives when the recycled films undergo intensive shear processing. The proce…

Study on carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde polymeric films: mechanical properties, release kinetics and antibacterial and antibiofilm activities.

Polyethylene-co-vinylacetate (EVA) films with different concentrations (3.5 wt% and 7 wt%) of essential oil constituents, carvacrol or cinnamaldehyde, were prepared and characterized by mechanical, antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. The incorporation of the compounds into copolymer films affected their elastic modulus, tensile stress and elongation at break. Carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde act as plasticizers which reduce the intermolecular forces of polymer chains, thus improving the flexibility and extensibility of the film. The analysis of the surface characteristics demonstrated that essential oil constituents lowered the contact angle values without causing any remarkable variation…

Flexible nanoskin-core poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) polyaniline hybrids

Comportamento di nanocompositi PA6/CNT in flusso elongazionale non isotermo

Si sono preparate fibre a matrice poliammidica caricate con CNT. Sono state utilizzate due diverse tipologie di CNT a differente fattore di forma e grado di purezza, ossidate mediante plasma di ossigeno. Le misure di viscosità elongazionale hanno evidenziato che l’introduzione della carica comporta un incremento della MS a fronte di una diminuzione della BSR per tutti i materiali caricati. La tipologia e la funzionalizzazione dei CNT hanno delle notevoli ricadute sul diverso comportamento reologico. Studi morfologici hanno evidenziato che dopo la funzionalizzazione si registrano livelli di dispersione, allineamento e adesione interfacciale più alti. La natura delle interazioni matrice-caric…

Controllo della crescita e formazione di biofilm su film polimerici contenenti nisina

Nanofilled Thermoplastic-Thermoplastic Polymer Blends

Effect of annealing under different atmospheres on polyethylene-clay nanocomposite

Ibridi flessibili e conduttivi di poly(etilene-co-acido acrilico)/polianilina con struttura "nanoskin-core"

Opuntia Ficus Indica based green composites for NPK fertilizer controlled release produced by compression molding and fused deposition modeling

Excessive fertilization causes ecological problems due to leaching issues. To solve this problem and promote agriculture sustainability an innovative green composite for controlled release fertilizers was produced by adding NPK fertilizer flour to a biodegradable polymer with or without Opuntia Ficus Indica (OFI) particles. Six for- mulations were produced and employed for the fabrication of devices both for compression molding and fused deposition modeling (FDM). Both fillers displayed a good dispersion in the composites, excellent adhesion with the polymeric matrix and effectively acted as reinforcement. The decrease of NPK release rate (up to 30 days) was achieved using whole composites …

Antimicrobial properties and release profile of monofilaments incorporating chlorhexidine for surgical applications

Regradation of Photooxidized Post-Consumer Greenhouse Films

Synthesis of a biocompatible aerogel based on graphene oxide and a modified polyethylene glycol

The synthesis and self-assembly of a 3D aerogel built by graphene oxide (GO) and a modified polyethylene glycol (PEG) was achieved by a multi-step synthetic procedure, involving the preparation of an amino-terminated PEG (PEG-NH2) and the subsequent coupling with GO by carbodiimide in water, exploiting the carboxyl and epoxy moieties of GO and –NH2 terminations of the biopolymer. The resulting nanohybrid hydrogel was successively converted into an aerogel via dialysis plus freeze-drying [1] and fully characterized. FTIR, Raman, XPS, XRD and BET measurements were performed to confirm the successful modification for each reaction step, while morphological, mechanical and hemolytic tests were …

Characterization of annealed LDPE/clay nanocomposites