Search Results (8)

Surface texturing involves creating micro-channels, micro-dimples, micro-grooving, and other surface modifications. To do this, laser and micromachining are employed on the substrate surface in addition to other methods. The surface characteristics of the Arboblend V2 Nature biodegradable polymers with laser texturing, hexagonal and square patterns, and four and six passes are shown in this study. Regardless of the texture type, Arboblend V2 Nature’s hydrophilic surface (a contact angle of less than 90°) was demonstrated by the results of the wettability test. The underlying material’s wear behavior changed as a result of the LST surface modification. The COF values increased only after six passes with both textures. On the topographical side, Arboblend V2 Nature (square and hexagonal) shows a consistent X-axis expansion in the hexagonal geometry and a considerable amount of variability in the square geometry, especially at six passes, where the Y-axis (higher depths) is more compressed. According to the results, since textured surfaces are practicable, non-biodegradable polymers from a variety of industries can be substituted. Full article

Surface texturing is an engineering technology used in order to improve the surface characteristic of plastic parts obtained by injection molding. Applying this process not only changes the part surface properties, but also its topography. The novel functionalities of plastic products become useful when other materials make contact with the textured surface. Of course, these characteristics may vary depending on the laser positioning, dimensions, and geometry of the texture. The present paper presents the surface characteristics obtained after the laser texturing of the Arboblend V2 Nature biodegradable polymer. Three distinct geometries were studied: hexagonal, square, and triangular, and different behaviors of them were highlighted during surface free energy (SFE) and contact angle (WCA) measurements: a hydrophobic character for square and hexagonal geometry with distilled water as the measure liquid, and a hydrophilic character with diiodomethane as the measure liquid; for triangle geometry, the contact angle measurements were impossible to extract because the drop turns into a flat puddle. Additionally, the friction coefficient varied depending on the geometry texture, with the lowest value being recorded by the sample with hexagonal geometry. The micro-indentation tests highlighted increased surface micro-hardness compared to the basic material. The possibility of use in the practice of textured surfaces is viable; thus, based on the obtained results, there is even the possibility to replace non-biodegradable polymers from different sectors of activity. Full article

The paper aims to investigate the behavior of Arboblend V2 Nature biopolymer samples covered with three ceramic powders, Amdry 6420 (Cr₂O₃), Metco 143 (ZrO₂ 18TiO₂ 10Y₂O₃) and Metco 136F (Cr₂O₃-xSiO₂-yTiO₂). The coated samples were obtained by injection molding, and the micropowder deposition was achieved by using the Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) method, with varied thickness layers. The present study will only describe the results for nine-layer deposition because, as the number of layers’ increases, the surface quality and mechanical/thermal characteristics such as wear, hardness and thermal resistance are also increased. The followed determinations were conducted: the adhesion strength, hardness on a microscopic scale by micro-indentation, thermal analysis and structural and morphological analysis. The structural analysis has highlighted a uniform deposition for the ZrO₂ 18TiO₂ 10Y₂O₃ layer, but for the layers that contained Cr₂O₃ ceramic microparticles, the deposition was not completely uniform. The thermal analysis revealed structural stability up to a temperature of 230 °C, the major degradation of the biopolymer matrix taking place at a temperature around 344 °C. The samples’ crystalline structure as well as the presence of the Cr₂O₃ compound significantly influenced the micro-indentation and scratch analysis responses. The novelty of this study is given by itself the coating of the Arboblend V2 Nature biopolymer (as base material), with ceramic microparticles as the micropowder coating material. Following the undertaken study, the increase in the mechanical, tribological and thermal characteristics of the samples recommend all three coated biopolymer samples as suitable for operating in harsh conditions, such as the automotive industry, in order to replace plastic materials. Full article

Biodegradable materials investigation has become a necessity and a direction for many researchers worldwide. The main goal is to find sustainable alternatives which gradually replace plastics based on fossil resources from the market, because they are very harmful to the environment and to overall quality of life. In order to get to the stage of obtaining different functional parts from biodegradable materials, it is necessary to study their properties. Taking into account these shortcomings, this paper aims at the mechanical characterization (DMA—Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) and thermal degradation (thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)) of lignin-based biopolymers: Arboform LV3 Nature^®, Arboblend^® V2 Nature, and Arbofill^® Fichte Arboform^® LV3 Nature reinforced with aramid fibers. The tested samples were obtained by using the most common fabrication technique for polymers—injection molding. The obtained results for the DMA analysis showed separate polymeric-specific regions for each material and, based on the tanδ values between (0.37–0.54), a series of plastics could be proposed for replacement. The mechano-dynamic behavior could be correlated with the thermal expansion of biopolymers for temperatures higher than 50/55 °C, which are thermally stable up to temperatures of at least 250 °C. Full article

Due to the pressing problems of today’s world, regarding both the finding of new, environmentally friendly materials which have the potential to replace classic ones, and the need to limit the accelerated spread of bacteria in hospitals, offices and other types of spaces, many researchers have chosen to develop their work in this field. Thus, biopolymeric materials have evolved so much that they are gradually becoming able to remove fossil-based plastics from major industries, which are harmful to the environment and implicitly to human health. The biopolymer employed in the present study, Arboblend V2 Nature with silver nanoparticle content (AgNP) meets both aspects mentioned above. The main purpose of the paper is to replace several parts and products in operation which exhibit antibacterial action, preventing the colonization and proliferation of bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, by using the submerged cultivation method), but also the possibility of degradation in different environments. The biopolymer characterization followed the thermal behavior of the samples, their structure and morphology through specific analyses, such as TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). The obtained results offer the possibility of use of said biocomposite material in the medical field because of its antibacterial characteristics that have proved to be positive, and, therefore, suitable for such applications. The thermal degradation and the structure of the material highlighted the possibility of employing it in good conditions at temperatures up to 200 °C. Two types of samples were used for thermal analysis: first, in the form of granules coated with silver nanoparticles, and second, test specimen cut from the sample obtained by injection molding from the coated granules with silver nanoparticles. Full article

The development of environmentally friendly materials has been the focus of many research groups in recent years due to increased harmful effects of plastics on the environment. Bio-based materials are considered a key solution from a sustainable manufacturing perspective. The nano-coating of biopolymer blends with silver nanoparticles is the subject of challenging research projects in line with the EU Directive on environment protection and sustainable manufacturing. Coating biopolymers with silver nanoparticles provides an antimicrobial and antiviral active surface. In this work, we develop silver nanoparticle-coated biopolymer Arboblend V2 Nature pellets. The main goal is to obtain a new material with antibacterial action obtained from the blending of a biopolymer pellets with silver nanoparticles through physical vapor deposition. The study is divided in three steps. The first step represents the silver nano-coating of the Arboblend V2 Nature and the characterization of the coated/raw pellets. The second step involves the injection molding of the silver nano-coated pellets and the characterization of the samples obtained. The last step regards the press molding of the coated pellets in order to obtain thin films, as well as their characterization. The PVD-sputtering technique is used to coat the pellets with silver nanoparticles. This process is especially optimized for coating raw materials with high water content and small-size pellets. The mechanical properties, surface chemical composition and the thermal properties of the both virgin and silver nanoparticle-coated biopolymer pellets are measured and analyzed for mechanical and thermal resistance of the nano-coating layer. Differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and nanoindentation mechanical testing is performed. The calorimetry test detects no significant alteration of the biopolymer produced from the PVD process and confirms the optimized PVD process for nano-coating of the Arboblend V2 Nature pellets with a viable application in nano-silver–biopolymer composite products. Full article

It is essential to combine current state-of-the-art technologies such as additive manufacturing with current ecological needs. Due to the increasing demand for non-toxic biodegradable materials and products, human society has been searching for new materials. Consequently, it is compulsory to identify the qualities of these materials and their behavior when subjected to various external factors, to find their optimal solutions for application in various fields. This paper refers to the biodegradable Polylactic acid (PLA)-based filament (commercially known as Extrudr BDP (Biodegradable Plastic) Flax) compared with the biodegradable composite material PLA-lignin filament whose constituent’s trade name is Arboblend V2 Nature as a lignin base material and reinforcement with Extrudr BDP Pearl, a PLA based polymer, 3D printed by Fused Deposition Modeling technology. Certain mechanical properties (tensile strength, bending strength and DMA—Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) were also determined. The tribology behavior (friction coefficient and wear), the structure and the chemical composition of the biodegradable materials were investigated by SEM—Scanning Electron Microscopy, EDX—Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis, XRD—X-Ray Diffraction Analysis, FTIR—Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer and TGA—Thermogravimetric Analysis. The paper also refers to the influence of technological parameters on the 3D printed filaments made of Extrudr BDP Flax and the optimization those of technological parameters. The thermal behavior during the heating of the sample was analyzed by Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As a result of the carried-out research, we intend to recommend these biodegradable materials as possible substituents for plastics in as many fields of activity as possible. Full article

In order to find new ways to ensure sustainable development on a global level, it is essential to combine current top technologies, such as additive manufacturing, with the economic, ecological, and social fields. One objective of this paper refers to wire manufacture such as Arboblend V2 Nature, Arbofill Fichte, and Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” (BDP—Biodegradable Plastic) in order to replace the plastic materials. After wire manufacture by extrusion, the diameter accuracy was analyzed compared with the Fiber Wood wire using SEM analyses and also EDAX—Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis and DSC—Differential Scanning Calorimetry analyses were done in order to identify their elemental composition and the phase transitions suffered by the materials during heating. Using the samples obtained through the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method, both crystalline phases and chemical composition information (XRD analysis) were identified, as well was determined the visco-elastic behavior Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), for the reinforced material and Fiber Wood. The extruded wires have allowed size for the printing equipment, around 1.75 mm with tolerance of ± 0.05 mm. The wire material diagrams, Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” and Fiber Wood following the calorimetric analysis, presented peaks corresponding to material crystallization, while Arbofill Fichte revealed only the melting temperature. The storage module was almost double in case of Arboblend V2 Nature reinforced with Extrudr BDP “Pearl” compared with Fiber Wood and materials’ melting temperatures were confirmed by the analyses carried out. Full article