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Fibers
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Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers and Inorganic Fillers
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Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers and Inorganic Fillers

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 9199

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Deesy Gomes Pinto

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Geology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Interests: reinforcement; polymer-matrix composites (PMCs); nanocomposites; metal oxide nanoparticles; thermal and mechanical properties; numerical modeling; refractory castables
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Martins Amaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: composites structures; nanocomposite; structural integrity; finite element analysis; biomechanics; impact; non-destructive analysis; mechanical properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent manufacturing advancements have led to the fabrication of polymeric composites reinforced with natural fibers and inorganic fillers. However, to reduce the impact on the environment, efforts have been made to replace synthetic fibers by natural fibers in many applications. For example, banana fibers possess higher cellulose content, a higher degree of polymerization of cellulose, and a lower microfibrillar angle, which are crucial factors for the mechanical properties, namely tensile modulus and tensile strength, and many other properties that make them suitable for the reinforcement of polymeric composites. Their blend consists in epoxy resin matrices, which is a thermoset polymer matrix. After curing, this material displays some excellent mechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties. However, epoxy resins have poor resistance to crack propagation and are brittle. So in recent years, a considerable amount of research has been carried out to improve the performance of the toughness of epoxy resins. The most commonly studied technique consists of reinforcing the epoxy resin matrix with rigid nanoparticle fillers (e.g., aluminum or aluminum oxide).

The Special Issue aims to focus on the addition of two types of fillers (natural fibers and inorganic fillers) into epoxy resin matrices, and to review and highlight some recent findings and also some trends to show future directions and opportunities for the development of polymer nanocomposites reinforced with inorganic nanoparticles and natural fibers.

Dr. Deesy Pinto
Dr. Ana Paula Betencourt Martins Amaro
Guest Editors

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. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2000 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 fibers
  • Inorganic fillers
  • Thermosetting polymers
  • Reinforcement
  • Thermal properties
  • Mechanical properties
  • Nanocomposites
  • Epoxy resins
  • Wettability
  • Moisture Absorption

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3083 KiB  
Article
Aloe vera Rind Valorization to Improve the Swelling Capacity of Commercial Acrylic Hydrogels
by Marcelo A. Guancha-Chalapud, Liliana Serna-Cock and Diego F. Tirado
Fibers 2022, 10(9), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10090073 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2742
Abstract
Acrylic hydrogels have been used in agriculture to increase the availability of water in the soil; cause faster plant growth and increase plant survival to water stress; allow controlled release of fertilizers; and, therefore, increase crop yields. On the other hand, Aloe vera [...] Read more.
Acrylic hydrogels have been used in agriculture to increase the availability of water in the soil; cause faster plant growth and increase plant survival to water stress; allow controlled release of fertilizers; and, therefore, increase crop yields. On the other hand, Aloe vera gel production generates a large amount of solid waste as cuticles, which is currently underutilized despite that it is a good source of cellulose nanofibers that could be used to improve the swelling capacity of commercial acrylic hydrogels. In this work, both morphology (SEM) and particle size (TEM) of the cellulose nanofibers obtained from A. vera cuticles by the acid hydrolysis method combined with ultrasound were analyzed; as well as the presence of functional groups (FITR) and thermal stability (TGA). Then, acrylic hydrogels were synthesized by the solution polymerization method, and nanofibers were added to these hydrogels at different concentrations (0% w w−1, 3% w w−1, 5% w w−1, and 10% w w−1). These concentrations had a nonlinear relationship with the swelling capacity, and the hydrogel reinforced at 3% cellulose nanofiber was chosen as the best formulation in this work, as this one improved the swelling capacity of hydrogels at equilibrium (476 g H2O g hydrogel−1) compared to the hydrogel without nanofiber (310 g H2O g hydrogel−1), while hydrogels with 10% nanofiber had a similar swelling capacity to the non-reinforced hydrogel (295 H2O g hydrogel−1). Therefore, cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogels with potential application in agriculture were developed in this work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers and Inorganic Fillers)
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17 pages, 5325 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of Elementary Kenaf Fibres Extracted Using HNO3 and H2O2/CH3COOH
by Niphaphun Soatthiyanon and Alan Crosky
Fibers 2022, 10(8), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib10080063 - 25 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2222
Abstract
In this study, elementary kenaf fibres were separated from fibre bundles using two different treatments. The first involved treating with nitric acid (HNO3) while the second used a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and acetic acid (CH [...] Read more.
In this study, elementary kenaf fibres were separated from fibre bundles using two different treatments. The first involved treating with nitric acid (HNO3) while the second used a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and acetic acid (CH3COOH). Both treatments were successful in isolating the elementary fibres but the H2O2/CH3COOH gave a better fibre yield and required a shorter treatment time. The fibres treated with HNO3 had an average length of 0.2 mm, an aspect ratio of 15 and a defect density of 21 defects per mm. In contrast, the H2O2/CH3COOH treated fibres had a length of 2.3 mm, an aspect ratio of 179 and a defect density of 14 defects per mm. Both treatments removed lignin, pectin, and waxes. They also increased cellulose crystallinity in the fibres, especially for HNO3 treatment. However, they resulted in some oxidation of cellulose. The H2O2/CH3COOH treatment gave a substantial improvement in the thermal stability of the fibres while a marked decrease was observed for the HNO3 treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers and Inorganic Fillers)
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18 pages, 32868 KiB  
Article
Effect of GNPs on the Piezoresistive, Electrical and Mechanical Properties of PHA and PLA Films
by Gonzalo Mármol, Usha Kiran Sanivada and Raul Fangueiro
Fibers 2021, 9(12), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib9120086 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3150
Abstract
Sustainability has become the primary focus for researchers lately. Biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic acid (PLA) are biocompatible and biodegradable. Introducing piezoresistive response in the films produced by PLA and PHA by adding nanoparticles can be interesting. Hence, a study was [...] Read more.
Sustainability has become the primary focus for researchers lately. Biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic acid (PLA) are biocompatible and biodegradable. Introducing piezoresistive response in the films produced by PLA and PHA by adding nanoparticles can be interesting. Hence, a study was performed to evaluate the mechanical, electrical and piezoresistive response of films made from PHA and PLA. The films were produced by solvent casting, and they were reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) at different nanoparticle concentrations (from 0.15 to 15 wt.%). Moreover, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as reinforcing elements and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizers were added. After the assessment of the nanoparticle distribution, the films were subjected to tests such as tensile, electrical conductivity and piezoresistive response. The dispersion was found to be good in PLA films and there exist some agglomerations in PHA films. The results suggested that the incorporation of GNPs enhanced the mechanical properties until 0.75 wt.% and they reduced thereon. The addition of 1% CNCs and 20% PEG in 15 wt.% GNPs’ tensile values deteriorated further. The PHA films showed better electrical conductivity compared to the PLA films for the same GNPs wt.%. Gauge factor (GF) values of 6.30 and 4.31 were obtained for PHA and PLA, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Natural Fibers and Inorganic Fillers)
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