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Cellulose (Nano)Composites II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 1765

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Polymer Department, National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: biodegradable polymers; polymer nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystals; cellulose nanofibers or bacterial nanocellulose; polymer composites with lignocellulosic fibers; thermal, mechanical and morphological characterization of polymer composites and nanocomposites
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Guest Editor
National Institute for Research & Development in Chemistry and Petrochemistry, Polymer Department, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: isolation of nanocellulose from various sources; characterization of nanocellulose; cellulose nanomaterials; biodegradable polymers; polymer composites and nanocomposites; materials processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From the first publication on cellulose nanocomposites in the mid-90s, this topic has experienced an exponential growth. Many works have focused on the extraction of cellulose nanocrystals or nanowhiskers from different sources including biomass, on the defibrillation of cellulose fibers and biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose. Tremendous advancement was signaled in the understanding of nanocellulose properties, its behavior in various environments and in contact to polymers, other nanoparticles or compounds. Cellulose micro and nanomaterials as fibers, whiskers, films, coatings, hydrogels or sponges have been tested for different applications, from biomedicine and pharmacy to automobiles, paper making, electronics, food packaging or consumer goods. A special application of micro- and nanocelluloses is to improve the properties and biodegradability of thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers derived from fossil fuel or renewable sources. This special issue welcomes submissions of original papers, articles or reviews, in the field of cellulose (nano)composites including all type of cellulose containing materials with both micro and nano-cellulose fibers, or lignocellulosic fibers combined with natural or synthetic polymers, metal oxides or conductive polymers. The aim is to advance in the understanding of fundamental and technological aspects for better product development and application.

Dr. Denis Mihaela Panaitescu
Dr. Adriana Nicoleta Frone
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • polymer composites
  • nanocomposites
  • cellulose nanocrystals
  • nanofibrillated cellulose
  • lignocellulosic fibers
  • biodegradability
  • aerogels
  • smart materials
  • hybrid composites
  • conductive composites
  • biosorbents
  • drug-delivery systems

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 6122 KiB  
Article
Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Modified with Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Microfibrillated Cellulose: Hydrolytic Degradation and Thermal and Mechanical Properties
by Adriana Nicoleta Frone, Denis Mihaela Panaitescu, Augusta Raluca Gabor, Cristian-Andi Nicolae, Marius Ghiurea and Corina Bradu
Polymers 2024, 16(24), 3606; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16243606 - 23 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1022
Abstract
Blending poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with other polymers could be a rapid and accessible solution to overcome some of its drawbacks. In this work, PHB was modified with microfibrillated cellulose (MC) and a thermoplastic polyurethane containing biodegradable segments (PU) by two routes, using a masterbatch [...] Read more.
Blending poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with other polymers could be a rapid and accessible solution to overcome some of its drawbacks. In this work, PHB was modified with microfibrillated cellulose (MC) and a thermoplastic polyurethane containing biodegradable segments (PU) by two routes, using a masterbatch and by direct mixing. The PU and MC modifiers improved the thermal stability of PHB by up to 13 °C and slightly decreased its melt viscosity and crystallinity, thus improving the melt processability. The addition of PU in PHB composites led to a decrease in the storage modulus, which did not exceed 20% at room temperature. The hydrolytic degradation in an alkaline environment at 50 °C for 28 days decreased the thermal stability of the composites by 58–65 °C, while the lower mass loss and morphological features showed that the PU modifier delayed the degradation of the PHB composites. The improved thermal stability, melt processability, and lower cost, along with higher flexibility and the possibility of controlling the hydrolytic degradation by the PU content, make the PHB/PU/MC composites obtained by the masterbatch method promising materials for medical and engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose (Nano)Composites II)
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