Sustainable Polymeric Composites: Fabrication and Application II

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 3997

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Clothing Technology and Garment Engineering, Berlin University of Applied Sciences-HTW Berlin, 12459 Berlin, Germany
Interests: carbon nanomaterials; Mycelium Pleurotus ostreatus polymer nanomaterials; pattern design; smart textiles
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L.S.T.E. Laboratory, University Mustapha Stambouli of Mascara, Mascara 29000, Algeria
Interests: nanomaterials; conducting polymers; nanohybrid materials; adsorption; supercapacitors; activated carbon
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Berlin School of Culture and Design, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), 12459 Berlin, Germany
Interests: sustainable manufacturing; recycling; sustainable innovation; circular economy

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Co-Guest Editor
Berlin School of Culture and Design, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), 12459 Berlin, Germany
Interests: technical product development; global apparel sourcing; ergonomics in apparel production; laundry care in households; smart textiles and filtering of microsplastic particles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable polymer composites of biomass and hybrid materials from biobased and artificial sources are an actively developing area of modern research. A wide spectrum of applications of such composites ranges from filtration, catalysts, and adsorption to nanomedicine, and from protective clothing and smart textiles to energy storage or information technology.

Advanced polymers and nanocomposites, battery materials and multifunctional hybrid materials, and bio-inspired and hybrid nanomaterials, are just a few examples of research areas where advanced polymer materials play an essential role.

We would like to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Sustainable Polymer Composites: Fabrication and Application”. Here, we will highlight recent advances in the synthesis and fabrication of new polymer materials, structure–property relationships of polymer composites, materials science, and fundamental research for various applications. 

Prof. Dr. Lilia Sabantina
Prof. Dr. Abdelghani Benyoucef
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Eppinger
Prof. Monika Fuchs
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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

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

Keywords

  • hybrid materials
  • biomass
  • nanofibers
  • carbon materials
  • adsorption of organic pollutants
  • biodegradable polymers
  • electronic materials
  • smart textiles
  • energy storage
  • clothing

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3698 KiB  
Article
Structure–Property Correlation in Natural Rubber Nanocomposite Foams: A Comparison between Nanoclay and Cellulose Nanofiber Used as Nanofillers
by Bunsita Wongvasana, Bencha Thongnuanchan, Abdulhakim Masa, Hiromu Saito, Tadamoto Sakai and Natinee Lopattananon
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4223; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214223 - 25 Oct 2023
Viewed by 825
Abstract
Nanocomposite foams of natural rubber (NR) with 5 phr of two kinds of nanofillers, nanoclay (NC) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF), were produced using the latex mixing method and foaming with azodicarbonamide. The effect of the nanofiller on the structure and mechanical properties of [...] Read more.
Nanocomposite foams of natural rubber (NR) with 5 phr of two kinds of nanofillers, nanoclay (NC) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF), were produced using the latex mixing method and foaming with azodicarbonamide. The effect of the nanofiller on the structure and mechanical properties of NR foams was investigated through SEM, TEM, tensile tests, WAXD, and compression set measurements. Smaller cells with a narrower distribution were attained in the NC/NR foam when compared to the NR and CNF/NR foams, and the expansion ratio was larger due to the suppression of the shrinkage in the NC/NR foam. The foaming of the NR nanocomposites reduced the size of the filler aggregates and improved the dispersion and alignment of nanofillers in the cell walls. The addition of NC and CNF enhanced the tensile strength of the NR foam by 139% and 62%, respectively, without sacrificing the excellent strain of the NR, due to the acceleration of the strain-induced crystallization and small size of the filler aggregates. The compression set of the NR foam could also be reduced in the NC/NR foam compared with the NR and CNF/NR foams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Composites: Fabrication and Application II)
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17 pages, 5173 KiB  
Article
Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye by Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide Intercalated Polyaniline-Functionalized Montmorillonite Clay Nanocomposite: Kinetics, Isotherms, and Mechanism Study
by Naima Mennas, Saadia Lahreche, Faiza Chouli, Lilia Sabantina and Abdelghani Benyoucef
Polymers 2023, 15(17), 3518; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15173518 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1310
Abstract
In this study, new adsorbents were prepared by modifying a montmorillonite clay (Mt) with cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) to form CTAB-Mt, followed by a second modification process with polyaniline (PAni) to form PAni@CTAB-Mt by in situ polymerization of aniline. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray [...] Read more.
In this study, new adsorbents were prepared by modifying a montmorillonite clay (Mt) with cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) to form CTAB-Mt, followed by a second modification process with polyaniline (PAni) to form PAni@CTAB-Mt by in situ polymerization of aniline. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique were used to characterize the samples. These adsorbents were used in a batch process to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. Factors investigated included initial pH of the solution, contact time and temperature. The adsorption data fit the Freundlich isotherm better than the Langmuir and Temkin isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacities (qeq) obtained were 108.82 mg·g−1, 71.20 mg·g−1 and 57.36 mg·g−1 for PAni@CTAB-Mt, CTAB-Mt and Mt, respectively. The enhanced adsorption capability of the hybrid material is due to increase in surface area and pore volume of the PAni@CTAB-Mt adsorbent. The adsorption results were found to fit well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model, with highest correlation coefficient (R2) values of 0.954, 0.942 and 0.958 for Mt, CTAB-Mt and PAni@CTAB-Mt adsorbents, respectively. The pH and temperature had a significant effect on the adsorption process, and the negative values of ΔG suggest that the adsorption process was spontaneous and feasible. The desorption and reusability experiment indicated that PAni@CTAB-Mt has the potential to be a reusable adsorbent for MB removal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Composites: Fabrication and Application II)
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14 pages, 1901 KiB  
Article
Utilization of Recycled Egg Carton Pulp for Nitrocellulose as an Accelerant in Briquette Production
by Amena Andok, Seng Hua Lee, Melissa Sharmah Gilbert Jesuet and Ismawati Palle
Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2866; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132866 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1335
Abstract
Nitrocellulose (NC) is a conservative material that is used in a variety of applications, such as coating agents, biodegradable plastics, and propellant main charge. Nitrocellulose raw materials are easily obtained from lignocellulose sources, most notably cotton and wood pulp. The egg carton, a [...] Read more.
Nitrocellulose (NC) is a conservative material that is used in a variety of applications, such as coating agents, biodegradable plastics, and propellant main charge. Nitrocellulose raw materials are easily obtained from lignocellulose sources, most notably cotton and wood pulp. The egg carton, a recycled paper waste designed for packaging and transporting eggs, is used in this study to make nitrocellulose in pulp form. The effects of different nitration durations (40, 50, and 60 min) from egg carton pulp bleached with various KOH concentrations (0.6 M, 1.0 M, and 1.5 M) on NC properties were evaluated. The accelerant properties of the NC of nitration time in 50 min were studied in a rice husk charcoal briquette. Rice husk charcoal briquettes are made in various ratios with nitrocellulose as an accelerant (97:3, 96:4, and 95:5). The NC was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (IR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. 1.0 M of bleached egg carton pulp has the highest cellulose content (86.94%) with the presence of crystalline structure of cellulose at peak 1430 cm−1 after the bleaching process. Meanwhile, different nitration times revealed that 50 min had the highest nitrogen content (7.97%) with a 1.23 degree of substitution (DS) value. Based on its TG analysis, NC 50 has met the requirements for use as an accelerant for briquettes, with an onset temperature of 91.60 °C and a weight loss of 62.60%. Infrared at peak 1640 cm−1 confirmed the presence of NO2 groups in nitrocellulose successfully formed by nitration. After the addition of nitrocellulose, the calorific value of the briquette increased from 13.54% to 15.47%. Fixed carbon and volatile matter showed the same pattern. The combustion of nitrocellulose-briquette has also been demonstrated by Td10% of degradation, which degraded between 310 and 345 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymeric Composites: Fabrication and Application II)
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