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Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites
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Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecular Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 24226

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pietro Russo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
Interests: polymer-based composites; nanocomposites; polymer processing; mechanical properties; rheological behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, natural fibres reinforced polymer composites (NFPC) gained an increasing interest from both academic and industrial researchers because of their economic, ecological, and technical advantages. Furthermore, the increasingly widespread use of polymeric materials even in advanced industrial fields to replace conventional ones such as glass and metal, due to their high specific properties and the awareness of the significant environmental impact deriving from the indiscriminate management of end-of-life plastic products, have further accentuated this focus.

NFPC materials are intrinsically able to promote circular economy and sustainable development and current market analyses clearly indicate that their CAGR is set at 10.6% in the 2019-2025 period.

This trend, strongly supported by the observation that some natural fibres, especially plant- originated ones such as flax, sisal, hemp or jute, have good specific mechanical performances, competing with conventional glass and carbon fibres, is still partly limited by challenges linked to some intrinsic drawbacks as hydrophilicity and their poor wettability in many matrices. Furthermore, high complexities due to multiple natural hierarchical interfaces as fibre/matrix, fibre/fibre and fibre cell wall layers make the relationships between macroscopic properties of NFPCs, fibre specificity and interfaces difficult to ascertain.

In general, particular attention must be paid to the manufacturing processes to account for natural fibre thermo-mechanical sensitivity but also to their structural alterations reasonably induced by machining operations due to their multiscale heterogeneity from microscopic elementary fibre scale to the overall macroscopic NFPC scale through the fibre bundle.

With particular reference to the latter aspect, the use of an appropriate multiscale method to characterize natural fibre composites is greatly necessary because it may lead to a better understanding of machining performances of these eco-friendly materials and, consequently, may improve the ability to transfer the eco-friendly peculiarities of the natural fibres to novel industrial applications.

As Guest Editor of this Special Issue, it is a great pleasure to invite you to contribute to this issue with your most recent results in this topic. Reviews and research articles relevant to the reference topic are both accepted. The official deadline for submission is 28 February 2021. I look forward to receiving your contribution for the “Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites” Special Issue in Molecules.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Chemistry.

Dr. Pietro Russo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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

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

  • natural fibres
  • polymer composites
  • multiscale analysis
  • heterogeneous structures
  • complex interfaces

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 19517 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Herbaceous and Woody Cell Wall Digestibility by Pathogenic Fungi
by Yanhua Dou, Yan Yang, Nitesh Kumar Mund, Yanping Wei, Yisong Liu, Linfang Wei, Yifan Wang, Panpan Du, Yunheng Zhou, Johannes Liesche, Lili Huang, Hao Fang, Chen Zhao, Jisheng Li, Yahong Wei and Shaolin Chen
Molecules 2021, 26(23), 7220; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26237220 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2281
Abstract
Fungal pathogens have evolved combinations of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) to deconstruct host plant cell walls (PCWs). An understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for improving plant biomass conversion efficiency into sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Here, an approach integrating [...] Read more.
Fungal pathogens have evolved combinations of plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) to deconstruct host plant cell walls (PCWs). An understanding of this process is hoped to create a basis for improving plant biomass conversion efficiency into sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. Here, an approach integrating enzyme activity assay, biomass pretreatment, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and genomic analysis of PCWDEs were applied to examine digestibility or degradability of selected woody and herbaceous biomass by pathogenic fungi. Preferred hydrolysis of apple tree branch, rapeseed straw, or wheat straw were observed by the apple-tree-specific pathogen Valsa mali, the rapeseed pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and the wheat pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis, respectively. Delignification by peracetic acid (PAA) pretreatment increased PCW digestibility, and the increase was generally more profound with non-host than host PCW substrates. Hemicellulase pretreatment slightly reduced or had no effect on hemicellulose content in the PCW substrates tested; however, the pretreatment significantly changed hydrolytic preferences of the selected pathogens, indicating a role of hemicellulose branching in PCW digestibility. Cellulose organization appears to also impact digestibility of host PCWs, as reflected by differences in cellulose microfibril organization in woody and herbaceous PCWs and variation in cellulose-binding domain organization in cellulases of pathogenic fungi, which is known to influence enzyme access to cellulose. Taken together, this study highlighted the importance of chemical structure of both hemicelluloses and cellulose in host PCW digestibility by fungal pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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17 pages, 3396 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and Mechanical Performance of Non-Crimp Unidirectional Jute-Yarn Preform-Based Composites
by Yeasin Ali, Atik Faisal, Abu Saifullah, Hom N. Dhakal, Shah Alimuzzaman and Forkan Sarker
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6664; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216664 - 3 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2964
Abstract
This work developed novel jute-yarn, non-crimp, unidirectional (UD) preforms and their composites, with three different types of warp jute yarns of varying linear densities and twists in the dry UD preforms, in order to present a possible solution to the detrimental effects of [...] Read more.
This work developed novel jute-yarn, non-crimp, unidirectional (UD) preforms and their composites, with three different types of warp jute yarns of varying linear densities and twists in the dry UD preforms, in order to present a possible solution to the detrimental effects of higher yarn twists and crimp at the warp–weft yarn interlacements of traditional, woven, preform-based composites on their mechanical properties. In the developed UD preforms, warp jute yarns were placed in parallel by using a wooden picture-frame pin board, with the minimal number of glass weft yarns to avoid crimp at the warp–weft yarns interlacements, which can significantly enhance the load-bearing ability of UD composites compared to traditional, woven, preform composites. It was found that an optimal combination of jute warp yarn linear densities and twists in the UD preforms is important to achieve the best possible mechanical properties of newly developed UD composites, because it encourages a proper polymer-matrix impregnation on jute fibres, leading to excellent fibre–matrix interface bonding. Composites made from the 25 lb/spindle jute warp yarn linear density (UD25) exhibited higher tensile and flexural properties than other UD composites (UD20, UD30). All the UD composites showed a much better performance compared to the traditional woven preform composites (W20), which were obviously related to the higher crimp and yarn interlacements, less load-carrying capacity, and poor fiber–matrix interfaces of W20 composites. UD25 composites exhibited a significant enhancement in tensile modulus by ~232% and strength by ~146%; flexural modulus by 138.5% and strength by 145% compared to W20 composites. This reveals that newly developed, non-crimp, UD preform composites can effectively replace the traditional woven composites in lightweight, load-bearing, complex-shaped composite applications, and hence, this warrants further investigations of the developed composites, especially on long-term and dynamic-loading mechanical characterizations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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14 pages, 4337 KiB  
Article
Statistical Design of Biocarbon Reinforced Sustainable Composites from Blends of Polyphthalamide (PPA) and Polyamide 4,10 (PA410)
by Mateo Gonzalez de Gortari, Manjusri Misra, Stefano Gregori and Amar K. Mohanty
Molecules 2021, 26(17), 5387; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26175387 - 4 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2067
Abstract
A full factorial design with four factors (the ratio of polyphthalamide (PPA) and polyamide 4,10 (PA410) in the polymer matrix, content percent of biocarbon (BioC), the temperature at which it was pyrolyzed and the presence of a chain extender (CE)), each factor with [...] Read more.
A full factorial design with four factors (the ratio of polyphthalamide (PPA) and polyamide 4,10 (PA410) in the polymer matrix, content percent of biocarbon (BioC), the temperature at which it was pyrolyzed and the presence of a chain extender (CE)), each factor with two levels (high and low), was carried out to optimize the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. After applying a linear model, changes in tensile strength, elongation at break and impact energy were not statistically significant within the considered material space, while the ones in the flexural modulus, the tensile modulus, density and heat deflection temperature (HDT) were. The two most influential factors were the content of BioC and its pyrolysis temperature, followed by the content of PPA. The affinity of PPA with a high-temperature biocarbon and the affinity of PA410 with a lower-temperature biocarbon, appear to explain the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. The study also revealed that the addition of CE hindered the mechanical properties. By maximizing the flexural modulus, tensile modulus and HDT, while minimizing the density, the optimal composite predicted is an 80 [PPA:PA410 (25:75)] wt% polymer composite, with 20 wt% of a BioC, pyrolyzed at a calculated 823 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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20 pages, 9495 KiB  
Article
Influence of Epoxy Resin Treatment on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Hemp-Fiber-Reinforced Plant-Derived Polyamide 1010 Biomass Composites
by Maiko Morino, Tetsuto Kajiyama and Yosuke Nishitani
Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051228 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1885
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the influence of epoxy resin treatment on the mechanical and tribological properties of hemp fiber (HF)-reinforced plant-derived polyamide 1010 (PA1010) biomass composites. HFs were surface-treated using four types of surface treatment methods: (a) alkaline treatment using sodium chlorite [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigated the influence of epoxy resin treatment on the mechanical and tribological properties of hemp fiber (HF)-reinforced plant-derived polyamide 1010 (PA1010) biomass composites. HFs were surface-treated using four types of surface treatment methods: (a) alkaline treatment using sodium chlorite (NaClO2) solution, (b) surface treatment using epoxy resin (EP) solution after NaClO2 alkaline treatment, (c) surface treatment using an ureidosilane coupling agent after NaClO2 alkaline treatment (NaClO2 + A-1160), and (d) surface treatment using epoxy resin solution after the (c) surface treatment (NaClO2 + A-1160 + EP). The HF/PA1010 biomass composites were extruded using a twin-screw extruder and injection-molded. Their mechanical properties, such as tensile, bending, and dynamic mechanical properties, and tribological properties were evaluated by the ring-on-plate-type sliding wear test. The strength, modulus, specific wear rate, and limiting pv value of HF/PA1010 biomass composites improved with surface treatment using epoxy resin (NaClO2 + A-1160 + EP). In particular, the bending modulus of NaClO2 + A-1160 + EP improved by 48% more than that of NaClO2, and the specific wear rate of NaClO2 + A-1160 + EP was one-third that of NaClO2. This may be attributed to the change in the internal microstructure of the composites, such as the interfacial interaction between HF and PA1010 and fiber dispersion. As a result, the mode of friction and wear mechanism of these biomass composites also changed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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11 pages, 1168 KiB  
Article
Multiobjective Optimization of Fabrication Parameters of Jute Fiber/Polyester Composites with Egg Shell Powder and Nanoclay Filler
by Ganesan Karuppiah, Kailasanathan Chidambara Kuttalam, Murugesan Palaniappan, Carlo Santulli and Sivasubramanian Palanisamy
Molecules 2020, 25(23), 5579; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25235579 - 27 Nov 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1651
Abstract
In the present study, a model is presented to optimize the fabrication parameters of natural fiber reinforced polyester matrix composites with dual fillers. In particular, jute fiber mat was chosen as reinforcement and eggshell powder (ESP) and montmorillonite nanoclay (NC) were selected as [...] Read more.
In the present study, a model is presented to optimize the fabrication parameters of natural fiber reinforced polyester matrix composites with dual fillers. In particular, jute fiber mat was chosen as reinforcement and eggshell powder (ESP) and montmorillonite nanoclay (NC) were selected as fillers. The weight per square meter (GSM) of the fiber, the weight percentage of ESP and NC have been chosen as independent variables and the influence of these variables on tensile, flexural and impact strength of the composite has been inspected. The permutations of the different combinations of factors are intended to accomplish higher interfacial strength with the lowest possible number of tested specimens. The experiments were designed by the Taguchi strategy and a novel multi-objective optimization technique named COPRAS (COmplex PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives) was used to determine the optimal parameter combinations. Affirmation tests were performed with the optimal parameter settings and the mechanical properties were evaluated and compared. Experimental results show that fiber GSM and eggshell powder content are significant variables that improve mechanical strength, while the nanoclay appears less important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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17 pages, 3582 KiB  
Article
Potential of Cellulose Microfibers for PHA and PLA Biopolymers Reinforcement
by Gonzalo Mármol, Christian Gauss and Raul Fangueiro
Molecules 2020, 25(20), 4653; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25204653 - 13 Oct 2020
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 4776
Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) have attracted the attention of many engineering fields and offered excellent mechanical and physical properties as polymer reinforcement. However, their application in composite products with high material demand is complex due to the current production costs. This work explores the [...] Read more.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) have attracted the attention of many engineering fields and offered excellent mechanical and physical properties as polymer reinforcement. However, their application in composite products with high material demand is complex due to the current production costs. This work explores the use of cellulose microfibers (MF) obtained by a straightforward water dispersion of kraft paper to reinforce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic acid (PLA) films. To assess the influence of this type of filler material on the properties of biopolymers, films were cast and reinforced at different scales, with both CNC and MF separately, to compare their effectiveness. Regarding mechanical properties, CNC has a better reinforcing effect on the tensile strength of PLA samples, though up to 20 wt.% of MF may also lead to stronger PLA films. Moreover, PHA films reinforced with MF are 23% stronger than neat PHA samples. This gain in strength is accompanied by an increment of the stiffness of the material. Additionally, the addition of MF leads to an increase in the crystallinity of PHA that can be controlled by heat treatment followed by quenching. This change in the crystallinity of PHA affects the hygroscopicity of PHA samples, allowing the modification of the water barrier properties according to the required features. The addition of MF to both types of polymers also increases the surface roughness of the films, which may contribute to obtaining better interlaminar bonding in multi-layer composite applications. Due to the partial lignin content in MF from kraft paper, samples reinforced with MF present a UV blocking effect. Therefore, MF from kraft paper may be explored as a way to introduce high fiber concentrations (up to 20 wt.%) from other sources of recycled paper into biocomposite manufacturing with economic and technical benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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Review

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28 pages, 844 KiB  
Review
A Review on Natural Fiber Bio-Composites, Surface Modifications and Applications
by Mohammed Zwawi
Molecules 2021, 26(2), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020404 - 14 Jan 2021
Cited by 143 | Viewed by 7678
Abstract
Increased environmental concerns and global warming have diverted focus from eco-friendly bio-composites. Naturals fibers are abundant and have low harvesting costs with adequate mechanical properties. Hazards of synthetic fibers, recycling issues, and toxic byproducts are the main driving factors in the research and [...] Read more.
Increased environmental concerns and global warming have diverted focus from eco-friendly bio-composites. Naturals fibers are abundant and have low harvesting costs with adequate mechanical properties. Hazards of synthetic fibers, recycling issues, and toxic byproducts are the main driving factors in the research and development of bio-composites. Bio-composites are degradable, renewable, non-abrasive, and non-toxic, with comparable properties to those of synthetic fiber composites and used in many applications in various fields. A detailed analysis is carried out in this review paper to discuss developments in bio-composites. The review covers structure, morphology, and modifications of fiber, mechanical properties, degradable matrix materials, applications, and limitations of bio-composites. Some of the key sectors employing bio-composites are the construction, automobile, and packaging industries. Furthermore, bio-composites are used in the field of medicine and cosmetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Analysis of Natural Fibre Composites)
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