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Macromol
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Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their...
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Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials

A special issue of Macromol (ISSN 2673-6209).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 12062

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Sarasini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00184 Roma, Italy
Interests: fibre/matrix interfacial modification and assessment; use of plant fibres in biopolymers (biodegradable or from renewable resources) for designing biocomposites with reduced environmental impact; combination of natural fibres (mineral and vegetal) in hybrid composites for designing sustainable composites for semi-structural applications; valorization of agro-industrial wastes as fillers in thermoplastic matrices (micro- and nanoscale); durability of composite materials based on thermoplastic and thermoset matrices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jacopo Tirillò

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza-Università di Roma and UdR INSTM, 00184 Roma, Italy
Interests: composite materials; low and high velocity impact; mechanical properties of materials; innovative fibres; fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on the characterization of the mechanical behavior of polymeric materials with a special emphasis on biopolymers, biodegradable polymers, and related composite materials.

Publications may focus on (but are not limited to) the design of processing routes for manufacturing polymer components with high mechanical properties, the experimental characterization of their dynamic behavior (low and high velocity impact), their high strain rate and fatigue response, and the assessment of their failure mechanisms and the effect of crystallization. The submission of manuscripts on the optimization of additive manufacturing techniques for the fabrication of polymeric components with tailored mechanical responses is highly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Sarasini
Prof. Dr. Jacopo Tirillò
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. Macromol is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • mechanical properties
  • low and high velocity impact
  • crystallization
  • fatigue response

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2552 KiB  
Communication
Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Guaiacol–Fatty Acid–Sulfur Composites
by Charini P. Maladeniya, Nawoda L. Kapuge Dona, Ashlyn D. Smith and Rhett C. Smith
Macromol 2023, 3(4), 681-692; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol3040038 - 25 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1388
Abstract
A series of six composites was prepared from the reaction of lignin-derived guaiacol, fatty acids, and sulfur. In this preparation, the organic comonomers undergo C–S bond-forming reactions to establish a highly crosslinked network material in which some non-covalently incorporated sulfur species are also [...] Read more.
A series of six composites was prepared from the reaction of lignin-derived guaiacol, fatty acids, and sulfur. In this preparation, the organic comonomers undergo C–S bond-forming reactions to establish a highly crosslinked network material in which some non-covalently incorporated sulfur species are also entrapped. Both monounsaturated oleic acid and diunsaturated linoleic acid were used as fatty acid components to assess the influence of their unsaturation levels on composite properties. The ratio of organics and the proportion of sulfur (70 or 80 wt%) was also varied to assess the effect on thermal, morphological, and mechanical properties. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that composites exhibited good thermal stability up to ~220 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the materials generally exhibit melting features for entrapped cyclo-S8, cold crystallization features for some materials, and a composition-dependent glass transition temperature. The flexural and compressive strengths of the composites revealed that some of the composites exhibit strengths significantly higher than those required of Portland cements used in residential housing fabrication and may be more sustainable structural materials. The thermal and mechanical properties could be tailored by changing the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid comonomer or by altering the percentage of fatty acid in the monomer feed. The highest mechanical strength was achieved with greater amounts of monounsaturated oleic acid comonomer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials)
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13 pages, 1769 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Response of Reactive Extruded Biocomposites Based on Recycled Poly(lactic Acid) (R-PLA)/Recycled Polycarbonate (R-PC) and Cellulosic Fibers with Different Aspect Ratios
by Vito Gigante, Laura Aliotta, Maria-Beatrice Coltelli and Andrea Lazzeri
Macromol 2022, 2(4), 509-521; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol2040032 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1585
Abstract
Coupling recycling processes with increased use of bio-derived and environmentally friendly materials, with the aim of approaching (or overcoming) the mechanical properties of petroleum-derived plastics, is a path that research is pursuing in small but important steps. It is in this stream that [...] Read more.
Coupling recycling processes with increased use of bio-derived and environmentally friendly materials, with the aim of approaching (or overcoming) the mechanical properties of petroleum-derived plastics, is a path that research is pursuing in small but important steps. It is in this stream that this paper wants to fit in developing recycled poly(lactic acid) (R-PLA)/recycled polycarbonate (R-PC) blends obtained from thermoforming processing scraps and reinforcing them with cellulosic-derived fibers, having three different aspect ratios. The aim is to understand the mechanical properties of “second life” materials, their adherence to some micromechanical predictive models and the reinforcement capacity of these natural fibers in relation to their dimensions. Moreover, a compatibilizing system, based on Triacetin (TA) and Tetrabutylammonium Tetraphenylborate (TBATPB), has been added during the extrusion to investigate if a reactive process among R-PLA/R-PC and cellulosic fibers can be achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials)
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11 pages, 7162 KiB  
Article
Partially Compacted Commingled PLA-Flax Biocomposites
by Blanca Maria Lekube and Christoph Burgstaller
Macromol 2022, 2(3), 247-257; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol2030017 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1915
Abstract
Non-woven materials feature unique properties that allow them to be used in different applications, such as the automotive sector that is increasingly seeking lightweight and sustainable materials. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of reinforcement type and porosity on [...] Read more.
Non-woven materials feature unique properties that allow them to be used in different applications, such as the automotive sector that is increasingly seeking lightweight and sustainable materials. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of reinforcement type and porosity on the properties of commingled, partially compacted composites based on polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA). Furthermore, a model was applied to predict the properties of such composites, i.e., the elastic modulus, to aid materials development. It was found that high properties could be achieved using flax as reinforcement for partially compacted fleece biocomposites. Porosity is an important factor influencing these types of composites and was influenced by the compaction grade achieved as a result of stacking different numbers of layers during the consolidation of the composites. The modeling of the elastic modulus was found to be adequate for both PP-flax and PLA-flax composites for porosities under 20 vol.%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials)
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14 pages, 8582 KiB  
Article
Toughened Bio-Polyamide 11 for Impact-Resistant Intraply Basalt/Flax Hybrid Composites
by Claudia Sergi, Libera Vitiello, Pietro Russo, Jacopo Tirillò and Fabrizio Sarasini
Macromol 2022, 2(2), 154-167; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol2020010 - 6 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2672
Abstract
The automotive sector covers almost 40% of polyamide (PA) total demand. A suitable solution to improve the sustainability of this sector is the exploitation of PA matrices sourced from renewable origins, such as PA11, and their reinforcement with natural fibers such as vegetable [...] Read more.
The automotive sector covers almost 40% of polyamide (PA) total demand. A suitable solution to improve the sustainability of this sector is the exploitation of PA matrices sourced from renewable origins, such as PA11, and their reinforcement with natural fibers such as vegetable flax and mineral basalt. A preliminary study on the quasi-static properties of PA11-based composites reinforced with an intraply flax/basalt hybrid fabric demonstrated their feasibility for semi-structural purposes in the transportation field, but their application needs to be validated against dynamic loading. In this regard, this work investigated the low-velocity impact performance of PA11 flax/basalt hybrid composites (10 J, 20 J and 30 J) as a function of temperature (room temperature and +80 °C) and plasticizer addition (butyl-benzene-sulfonamide). The results proved that plasticized PA11 is endowed with a lower glass transition temperature (~15 °C, from DMA) and melting temperature (~10 °C, from DSC), which simplifies manufacturing and processing, but also possesses a higher toughness which delays penetration phenomena and reduces permanent indentation at room temperature between 20.5% and 42.8% depending on impact energy. The occurrence of matrix plasticization at +80 °C caused a more flexible and tougher response from the laminates with a decrease in linear stiffness and a delay in penetration phenomena which made the plasticizer effect less prominent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials)
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20 pages, 10505 KiB  
Article
Thermal Stability and Decomposition Mechanism of Poly(alkylene succinate)s
by Rizos D. Bikiaris, Nina Maria Ainali, Evi Christodoulou, Nikolaos Nikolaidis, Dimitra A. Lambropoulou and George Z. Papageorgiou
Macromol 2022, 2(1), 58-77; https://doi.org/10.3390/macromol2010004 - 1 Feb 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3460
Abstract
In the present study, a series of aliphatic polyesters based on succinic acid and several diols with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 methylene groups, namely poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu), poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu), poly(hexylene succinate) (PHSu), poly(octylene succinate) (POSu), and poly(decylene succinate) (PDeSu), were [...] Read more.
In the present study, a series of aliphatic polyesters based on succinic acid and several diols with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 methylene groups, namely poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu), poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu), poly(hexylene succinate) (PHSu), poly(octylene succinate) (POSu), and poly(decylene succinate) (PDeSu), were prepared via a two-stage melt polycondensation method. All polyesters were semicrystalline materials with Tm ranging from 64.2 to 117.8 °C, while their Tg values were progressively decreasing by increasing the methylene group number in the used diols. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the synthesized poly(alkylene succinate)s present high thermal stability with maximum decomposition rates at temperatures 420–430 °C. The thermal decomposition mechanism was also evaluated with the aid of Pyrolysis–Gas chromatography/Mass spectrometry (Py–GC/MS), proving that all the studied polyesters decompose via a similar pathway, with degradation taking place mainly via β–hydrogen bond scission and less extensive with homolytic scission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Mechanical Behavior of Biopolymers, Biodegradable Polymers, Their Blends and Composite Materials)
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