Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is the material of choice in several applications ranging from the automotive industry to medicine, but the surface properties are usually not adequate. A standard method for tailoring surface properties is the application of gaseous plasma. The surface finish depends enormously on the processing parameters. This article presents a review of strategies adapted for improved wettability and adhesion of PEEK. The kinetics of positively charged ions, neutral reactive plasma species, and vacuum ultraviolet radiation on the surface finish are analyzed, and synergies are stressed where appropriate. The reviewed articles are critically assessed regarding the plasma and surface kinetics, and the surface mechanisms are illustrated. The directions for obtaining optimal surface finish are provided together with the scientific explanation of the limitations of various approaches. Super-hydrophilic surface finish is achievable by treatment with a large dose of vacuum ultraviolet radiation in the presence of oxidizing gas. Bombardment with positively charged ions of kinetic energy between about 100 and 1000 eV also enable high wettability, but one should be aware of excessive heating when using the ions. Full article

To investigate the effects of slag and Na₂O content on the macroscopic properties and pore structure characteristics of alkali-activated metakaolin–slag (AAMS) composite cementitious materials, this study used X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), and mercury-pressure (MIP) tests for characterization and analyzed the hydration product compositions, microstructures, and pore structure characteristics of AAMS composite cementitious materials. The relationships between the fractal dimension and the pore structure parameters, compressive strengths, and drying shrinkage rates of AAMS composite cementitious materials were investigated with the thermodynamic fractal model. The results showed that at the age of 28 d, the compressive strength and drying shrinkage of the AAMS composite binder increased by 20.57% and 215.11%, respectively, when the slag content increased from 0 to 50%. When the Na₂O content increased from 8% to 12%, the compressive strength and drying shrinkage of the AAMS composite increased by 24.37% and 129.40%, respectively. The compressive strengths of AAMS composite cementitious materials increased with increasing slag content and Na₂O content, but the drying shrinkage of the system increased, and the volume stability worsened. Microscopic analyses showed that with increases in the slag and Na₂O contents, the hydration products of AAMS composite cementitious materials increased, and C-A-S-H and N-A-S-H filled each other so that the internal structures of AAMS composite cementitious materials were denser, and the porosities were significantly reduced. By comparing and analyzing the Menger sponge model and the fractal model based on the thermodynamic relationships, it was found that the fractal model based on the thermodynamic relationship better reflected the pore size distribution over the whole pore size determination range, and the correlation coefficients R² were above 0.99, indicating that the fractal dimension calculated by the fractal model based on the thermodynamic relationship provided a comprehensive evaluation index for the pore structure characteristics of AAMS composite cementitious materials, and the fractal dimension correlated well with the pore structure parameters, compressive strengths, and drying shrinkage rates of cementitious materials. Full article

A full-scale model for predicting low-velocity impact (LVI) damage and compression after impact (CAI) strength was established based on a subroutine of the material constitutive relationship and the cohesive elements. The dynamic responses of the laminate under impact load and damage propagation under a compressive load were presented. The influences of impact energy and ply thickness on the impact damage and the CAI strength were predicted. The predicted results were compared with the experimental ones. It is shown that the predicted value of the CAI strength is in good agreement with the experimental result. As the impact energy reaches a certain value, the CAI strength no longer decreases with the increase in the impact energy. Decreasing the ply thickness can effectively improve the damage resistance and CAI strength. Full article

The creation of tenable green composites is in high demand, due to ecologically available resources paving the way for applications to thrive in the manufacturing, aerospace, structural, and maritime industries. Hence, it is vital to understand the performance characteristics of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The elastic constants of coir fiber powder-reinforced plasticized polyvinyl chloride composite are determined using impulsive excitation vibration in this study. The optimization study on the elastic constants was carried out using Box–Behnken experimental design, based on response surface methodology, having three factors of fiber content (wt.%), fiber size (μm) and chemical treatments. The results were evaluated using analysis of variance and regression analysis. Additionally, experimental and optimized results were compared, leading to error analysis. Young’s modulus of 18.2 MPa and shear modulus of 6.6 MPa were obtained for a combination of fiber content (2 wt%), fiber size (225 μm), and triethoxy (ethyl) silane treatment, which is suitable for various electrical, automotive, etc., applications. Full article

Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) was used in an effort to improve the properties of polybutylene succinate (PBS). The resultant blend consisting of PBS/PBAT (70/30) was reinforced with lignin at different loadings (5 to 15 wt.%) and zinc (ZnO) nanoparticles (1.5 wt.%). Hot melt extrusion and injection moulding were used to prepare the hybrid composites. The mechanical, thermal, physical, self-cleaning, and antimicrobial properties of the resultant hybrid composites were investigated. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirmed that ZnO was successfully prepared with average diameters of 80 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that there were interactions between the fillers and the blend. The tensile strength and elongation at the break of the resultant materials decreased with increasing the loadings, while the tensile modulus showed the opposite trend. The melting behaviour of the blend was practically unaffected by incorporating lignin and ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, the incorporation of fillers reduced the thermal stability of the materials. Furthermore, the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles introduced photocatalytic properties into the polymer blend, rendering it to be a functional self-cleaning material and enhancing its antimicrobial activities. Full article

The thermomechanical and tribological properties of graphene (GNS)-reinforced NR were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The amorphous molecular dynamics models of two nanocomposites, i.e., natural rubber (pure NR) and graphene/natural rubber (GNS/NR), were established. In addition, the thermodynamic properties of the two materials, before and after the incorporation of graphene into the natural rubber matrix, were investigated through analytical comparison. The results showed that after the graphene was added to the rubber matrix as a reinforcing material, the elastic modulus and shear modulus were increased by 110% and 94.8%, respectively, the tensile property was increased by 178%, the overall thermal conductivity of the composite system was increased by 59%, the glass transition temperature increased from 223 K to 236 K, and the rigidity of the material matrix was significantly improved. The inherent interactions and wear mechanisms of the polymer nanocomposites were discussed at the atomic scale by analyzing the changes in temperature, atomic velocity, relative atomic concentration, and radial distribution functions at the friction interface in the thickness direction. Full article

Biosorption is considered an effective technique for the treatment of heavy-metal-bearing wastewaters. In recent years, various biogenic products, including native and functionalized biopolymers, have been successfully employed in technologies aiming for the environmentally sustainable immobilization and removal of heavy metals at contaminated sites, including two commercially available heteropolysaccharides—xanthan and gellan. As biodegradable and non-toxic fermentation products, xanthan and gellan have been successfully tested in various remediation techniques. Here, to highlight their prospects as green adsorbents for water decontamination, we have reviewed their biosynthesis machinery and chemical properties that are linked to their sorptive interactions, as well as their actual performance in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated waters. Their sorptive performance in native and modified forms is promising; thus, both xanthan and gellan are emerging as new green-based materials for the cost-effective and efficient remediation of heavy metal-contaminated waters. Full article

As a typical brittle material, epoxy resin cannot meet its application requirements in specific fields by only considering a single toughening method. In this paper, the effects of carboxyl-terminated polybutylene adipate (CTPBA) and zinc powder on the mechanical properties, adhesion properties, thermodynamic properties and medium resistance of epoxy resin were studied. A silane coupling agent (KH-550) was used to modify zinc powder. It was found that KH-550 could significantly improve the mechanical properties and bonding properties of epoxy resin, and the modification effect of flake zinc powder (f-Zn) was significantly better than that of spherical zinc powder (s-Zn). When the addition amount of f-Zn was 5 phr, the tensile shear strength and peel strength of the composites reached a maximum value of 13.16 MPa and 0.124 kN/m, respectively, which were 15.95% and 55% higher than those without filler. The tensile strength and impact strength reached a maximum value of 43.09 MPa and 7.09 kJ/m², respectively, which were 40.54% and 91.11% higher than those without filler. This study provides scientific support for the preparation of f-Zn-modified epoxy resin. Full article

Biodegradable polyesters polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) were blended with gallic acid (GA) via cast extrusion to produce oxygen scavenging polymers. The effects of polyesters and GA contents (5 to 15%) on polymer/package properties were investigated. Increasing GA formed non-homogeneous microstructures and surface roughness due to immiscibility. GA had favorable interaction with PBAT than PBS, giving more homogeneous microstructures, reduced mechanical relaxation temperature, and modified X-ray diffraction and crystalline morphology of PBAT polymers. Non-homogenous dispersion of GA reduced mechanical properties and increased water vapor and oxygen permeability by two and seven folds, respectively. Increasing amounts of GA and higher humidity enhanced oxygen absorption capacity, which also depended on the dispersion characteristics of GA in the matrices. PBAT gave higher oxygen absorption than PBS due to better dispersion and higher reactive surface area. GA blended with PBAT and PBS increased oxygen scavenging activity as sustainable active food packaging using functional biodegradable polymers. Full article

In this study, chitosan (CT) and naturally occurring acacia gum (AG) blends were employed as emulsifiers to form a series of emulsions developed from diesel and water. Effects of pH level (3, 5, 10, and 12) and various NaCl salt concentrations (0.25–1%) on the stability, viscosity, and interfacial properties of CT-(1%)/AG-(4%) stabilized Pickering emulsions were evaluated. Bottle test experiment results showed that the stability indexes of the CT/AG emulsions were similar under acidic (3 and 5) and alkaline (10 and 12) pH media. On the other hand, the effects of various NaCl concentrations on the stability of CT-(1%)/AG-(4%) emulsion demonstrated analogous behavior throughout. From all the NaCl concentrations and pH levels examined, viscosities of this emulsion decreased drastically with the increasing shear rate, indicating pseudoplastic fluid with shear thinning characteristics of these emulsions. The viscosity of CT-(1%)/AG-(4%) emulsion increased at a low shear rate and decreased with an increasing shear rate. The presence of NaCl salt and pH change in CT/AG solutions induced a transformation in the interfacial tension (IFT) at the diesel/water interface. Accordingly, the IFT values of diesel/water in the absence of NaCl/CT/AG (without emulsifier and salt) remained fairly constant for a period of 500 s, and its average IFT value was 26.16 mN/m. In the absence of salt, the addition of an emulsifier (CT-(1%)/AG-(4%)) reduced the IFT to 16.69 mN/m. When the salt was added, the IFT values were further reduced to 12.04 mN/m. At low pH, the IFT was higher (17.1 mN/M) compared to the value of the IFT (10.8 mN/M) at high pH. The results obtained will help understand the preparation and performance of such emulsions under different conditions especially relevant to oil field applications. Full article

Rotational molding allows for obtaining hollow parts with good aesthetics and properties, having as main drawbacks the lack of pressure and the long cycle times, which limit the range of materials. Different fillers have been introduced in rotomolding to obtain composite materials assessed. This review has shown that glass fibers or particles are the most common material among them, although carbon fibers or clays have also been studied. In general terms, 10% loadings provide an increase in mechanical properties; higher loadings usually lead to a decrease in processability or final properties. When the filler consists of a micro- or nano-material, such as clay or graphene, lower loadings are proposed, generally not exceeding 3%. The use of fillers of an inorganic nature to obtain composites has not been as explored as the incorporation of lignocellulosic materials and even less if referring to waste materials or side streams from industrial processes. So, there is a broad field for assessing the processing and properties of rotomolded composites containing inorganic waste materials, including the study of the relationship between the ratio of filler/reinforcement and the final properties and also their preprocessing (dry blending vs. melting compounding). Full article

Bioeconomy and environmental issues envisage industrial by-products such as Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) as renewable resources for their recycling and reuse within a biorefinery concept. This study aimed to investigate the production of bioethanol from subcritical water (subW) pretreated BSG, following the conversion of the BSG biopolymers cellulose and hemicelluloses. The subW pretreatment was performed in a batch reactor at 174 °C, during 60 min and 5% (w/v) of dry BSG charge. The behavior of BSG biopolymers under subW pretreatment was monitored by evaluating the chemical composition of the liquid and solid streams and the chemical and structural changes caused in the solid residues by scanning electron microscope (SEM), CHNS elemental analysis and water retention value (WRV). The production of bioethanol from subW-pretreated BSG was assessed by separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and also by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) by using the enzymatic cocktail Celluclast 1.5 L (40 FPU/g_solids) and the yeast Ethanol Red^®. The higher bioethanol productivity (1.073 g∙L⁻¹∙h⁻¹) and concentration (32.18 g/L) were achieved by SSF with higher solids’ loading (25%) and following a fed-batch strategy. These results suggest that subcritical water pretreatment is a promising technology for the valorization of BSG as a feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production. Full article

In this study, CNCs were extracted from durian rind. Modification to CNCs with saponin was conducted at 50 °C for one h. CNCs and CNCs-saponin were employed as dexamethasone carriers. Modification to CNCs using saponin did not change the relative crystallinity of CNCs. CNCs’ molecular structure and surface chemistry did not alter significantly after modification. Both nanoparticles have surface charges independently of pH. Dexamethasone-released kinetics were studied at two different pH (7.4 and 5.8). Higuchi, Ritger–Peppas, first-order kinetic and sigmoidal equations were used to represent the released kinetic data. The sigmoidal equation was found to be superior to other models. The CNCs and CNCs-saponin showed burst release at 30 min. The study indicated that cell viability decreased by 30% after modification with saponin. Full article

A new drug delivery system consisting of clindamycin phosphate entrapped in acid-etched halloysite nanotubes was successfully prepared and characterized. It was then used as an antibacterial component of the multicomponent hydrogel designed as a material for bone regeneration. First, halloysite (HNT) was etched and clindamycin phosphate (CP) was entrapped in both raw and modified nanotubes, resulting in HNT-CP and EHNT-CP systems. They were characterized using SEM, TEM, TGA and FTIR; the entrapment efficiency and release of CP from both systems were also studied. EHNT-CP was then used as an antibacterial component of the two hydrogels composed of alginate, collagen and β-TCP. The hydrogels were prepared using different crosslinking procedures but had the same composition. The morphology, porosity, degradation rate, CP release profile, cytocompatibility, antibacterial activity and ability to induce biomineralization were studied for both materials. The hydrogel obtained by a chemical crosslinking with EDC followed by the physical crosslinking with calcium ions had better properties and was shown to have potential as a bone repair material. Full article

The present study show the usability of starch (tamarind) based-bio-composite film reinforced by fenugreek by various percentages to replace the traditional petrochemical plastics. The prepared bio-composite films were systematically characterized using the universal testing machine (UTM), soil degradation, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and antibacterial tests. The experiments showed that a lower percentage of fenugreek improves biodegradation and mechanical strength. More than 60% of biodegradation occurred in only 30 days. Almost 3 N/mm² tensile strength and 6.5% tensile strain were obtained. The presence of micropores confirmed by SEM images may accelerate the biodegradation process. Antibacterial activity was observed with two samples of synthesized bio-composite, due to photoactive compounds confirmed by FTIR spectra. The glass transition temperature was shown to be higher than the room temperature, with the help of thermal analysis. The prepared bio-composite containing 5% and 10% fenugreek showed antibacterial activities. Full article