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Dear Colleagues,

The recent interest in environmentally-friendly materials has favoured the development of biopolymers, and of their nanocomposites with improved functional properties, as alternatives to synthetic polymers. Indeed, the enhancement of biopolymer properties represents a key aspect in their exploitation in different fields, as they traditionally have higher costs and inferior features compared to commercial thermoplastic polymers. Compared to the fillers/nanofillers generally used, graphene and graphene-related materials (GRM) hold a superior ability to result in substantial improvements in functional properties of polymers.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims at collecting works focusing on the correlation of nanocomposite preparation approaches with final material features, particularly in terms of GRM dispersion and filler/biopolymer interactions. Moreover, it considers the role of GRM on the nanocomposite properties, focusing, not only on classically-studied properties (mechanical, thermal and conductivity), but also on features strictly related to the application of biopolymers, such as their degradation and biocompatibility.

The topics cover a wide range of research fields, including nanomaterials, biotechnology, and nanofabrication, and are welcomed in the form of reviews, communications, and academic articles.

Prof. Dr. Orietta Monticelli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Biopolymers
Graphene-related materials
Synthesis and properties of nanocomposites
Nanofabrication
Nanocomposite biocompatibility
Nanocomposite degradation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Highly Stretchable and Self-Healing Strain Sensors Based on Nanocellulose-Supported Graphene Dispersed in Electro-Conductive Hydrogels

by Chunxiao Zheng, Yiying Yue, Lu Gan, Xinwu Xu, Changtong Mei and Jingquan Han

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(7), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9070937 - 28 Jun 2019

Cited by 119 | Viewed by 7334

Abstract

Intrinsic self-healing and highly stretchable electro-conductive hydrogels demonstrate wide-ranging utilization in intelligent electronic skin. Herein, we propose a new class of strain sensors prepared by cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and graphene (GN) co-incorporated poly (vinyl alcohol)-borax (GN-CNF@PVA) hydrogel. The borax can reversibly and dynamically associate with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and GN-CNF nanocomplexes as a cross-linking agent, providing a tough and flexible network with the hydrogels. CNFs act as a bio-template and dispersant to support GN to create homogeneous GN-CNF aqueous dispersion, endowing the GN-CNF@PVA gels with promoted mechanical flexibility, strength and good conductivity. The resulting composite gels have high stretchability (break-up elongation up to 1000%), excellent viscoelasticity (storage modulus up to 3.7 kPa), rapid self-healing ability (20 s) and high healing efficiency (97.7 ± 1.2%). Due to effective electric pathways provided by GN-CNF nanocomplexes, the strain sensors integrated by GN-CNF@PVA hydrogel with good responsiveness, stability and repeatability can efficiently identify and monitor the various human motions with the gauge factor (GF) of about 3.8, showing promising applications in the field of wearable sensing devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites Based on Biopolymers and Graphene-Related Materials: Preparation and Properties)

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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 5141 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Performance of Covalently Grafting onto Collagen in The Presence of Graphene Oxide

by Zahra Bazrafshan and George K. Stylios

Nanomaterials 2018, 8(9), 703; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano8090703 - 09 Sep 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3389

Abstract

A collagen-based copolymer, ASC-g-Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-Ethyl Acrylate), was synthesized in the presence of Graphene Oxide (GO) via an in-situ polymerization. The presence of GO that increased the accessible surface area for initiated collagen chains allowed for an accelerated polymerization with highly improved grafting performance and efficiency. This was conducted from two polymerization systems with varied comonomer feed ratios, in which two distinguished GO loadings were used. The processability of the achieved nanocomposite was then evaluated through casting and electrospinning processing methods. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and tensile analysis were conducted to characterize the GO-ASC-g-P(MMA-co-EA). The nanocomposite films showed a unique morphology, multilayer nanostructure of the grafted GO monolayers that deposited simultaneously one on top of another. The morphology of the electrospun fibers was affected by the addition of GO loadings in which the increase in fiber diameter was observed while the surface of the nanofibers was decorated by the GO nanolayers. To modify the collagen, this research highlights the importance of introducing functional groups of GO and the substitution of GO loadings as an active nanostructure filler to highly monomer feed ratios improving the physiochemical properties of collagen. This easy-to-apply approach is suggested for applications intending the mechanical properties and deterred degradation of Collagen-based materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites Based on Biopolymers and Graphene-Related Materials: Preparation and Properties)

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