Influence of surface treatment on properties of Cocos nucifera L. Var typica fiber reinforced polymer composites

Natural fibers are a powerful competitor in the polymer composite market due to their availability, sustainability, obtainability, cost, and biodegradability. The surface of natural fibers was changed to increase mechanical qualities, hydrophobicity, and bonding with polymer matrix. This study exposes the influence of several surface treatments of coconut tree peduncle fibers (CTPFs) on the thermomechanical and water absorption properties of CTPF-reinforced polymer composites. The CTPFs were treated with sodium hydroxide, benzoyl peroxide, potassium permanganate and stearic acid at a constant 40 wt% and individually reinforced in an unsaturated polyester resin matrix containing 60 wt% CTPFs. Chemically treated CTPFs improved reinforcement-matrix adhesion and enhanced composite mechanical characteristics. In addition, the scanning electron microscope fractographical study of stressed composite specimens shows improved reinforcement-matrix bonding. Moreover, the treated CTPFs have a higher cellulose wt%, which improves the composites crystalline nature, hydrophobicity and thermal stability. The potassium permanganate treated CTPF composite's maximum tensile strength of 128 MPa, flexural strength of 119 MPa, impact strength of 9.9 J/cm², hardness value of 99 HRRW and thermal stability up to 193°C make them appropriate for lightweight mobility and structural applications.     

In situ incorporation and loading of copper nanoparticles into a palmitic–lauric phase-change material on polyester fibers

This article introduces a facile approach for applying a eutectic mixture of fatty acid phase-change materials (PCMs) on polyester fibers for thermal conductivity improvement via the in situ incorporation of copper nanoparticles. For this purpose, a eutectic mixture of palmitic acid and lauric acid was applied as PCMs and ascorbic acid was applied for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. The thermal properties and stability of the treated samples were also determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry analysis. The treated samples indicated appropriate phase-transition temperatures between 29.1 and 36.8 °C, with relevant latent heats of 49.4 and 49.9 J/g, respectively. The in situ formation of copper nanoparticles into eutectic fatty acid applied on the polyester fibers resulted in the promotion of the thermal conductivity of the composite by about 100.1% with the maximum amount of nanoparticles. In addition, the treated samples maintained good thermal durability and stability after 100 melting and freezing cycles. In addition, the tensile strength of the treated samples was improved. Overall, this treatment could be used to produce promising form-stabilized composite PCMs and thermoregulated polymers and textiles with appropriate phase-transition ranges and thermal conductivity. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 46951.     

Nanosilica as dry bonding system component and as reinforcement in short nylon‐6 fiber/natural rubber composite

Nanoscale silica was synthesized by acid hydrolysis of sodium silicate using dilute hydrochloric acid under controlled conditions. The synthesized silica was characterized by SEM, BET adsorption, and XRD. The particle size of silica was calculated to be 13 nm from the XRD results and the surface area was found to be 295 m²/g by BET method. This synthesized nanosilica was used in place of conventional silica in HRH (hexamethylenetetramine, resorcinol and silica) bonding system for natural rubber/Nylon‐6 short fiber composite. Nanosilica was also used as reinforcing filler in natural rubber/Nylon‐6 short fiber hybrid composite. Mechanical, thermal, and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated. The introduction of the nanosilica in hybrid composites improved the tensile strength, modulus, and tear strength through improved interaction with the matrix which is facilitated by the higher surface area. Abrasion loss and hardness were also better for the nanosilica composites. Resilience and compression set were adversely affected. The hybrid composites showed anisotropy in mechanical properties. Peak rate of thermal decomposition decreased and temperature of initiation of thermal degradation increased with silica content, indicating improved thermal stability of the hybrid composites. The storage modulus and loss modulus showed two‐stage dependence on frequency at higher fiber loading. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

The combined effect of additives and processing on the thermal stability and controlled release of essential oils in antimicrobial films

Essential oils (EOs) have a long history as food preservatives and many advantages compared to synthetic preservatives. The major limitation of EOs as antimicrobial agents incorporated into a polymeric matrix is their low thermal stability and their high volatility from polymers. This study suggests a new methodology approach to bypass the key limitations of adding EOs into active packaging, as food preservatives. Antimicrobial active films based on linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and Montmorillonite (MMT) were produced by incorporating the EO thymol in a stepwise procedure. The production of the film composites, containing thymol, has been conducted, under a protocol of three stages: (1) production of a highly porous nano composite master batch; (2) impregnation of thymol into the master batch; and (3) cast film extrusion. Adding MMT incorporated together with a foaming agent at stage‐(1) increased significantly the heat stability of the EO during melt processing at stage‐(3). Finally, the film obtained showed a high antimicrobial activity. The results obtained have proven the synergistic interaction between MMT, foaming agent and thymol. As the MMT content in the film increased, the loss of EO in the processing decreased, leading to a natural antimicrobial film with improved antibacterial properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40564.     

Effects of β-carotene on light stability of soybean oil

β-Carotene was added to soybean salad oils to study its effect in inhibiting flavor deterioration due to light exposure. Flavor evaluations indicated that (a) when oils treated with citric acid were exposed to light (7535 lux) for 8 to 16 hr, oils containing 5 to 10 ppm β-carotene showed improved flavor stability compared to oils containing 0 to 1 ppm β-carotene; and (b) when oils were not treated with citric acid, only oils containing 20 ppm β-carotene were more stable to light. Capillary gas chromatographic analysis showed that the addition of 1 to 20 ppm of β-carotene significantly decreased formation of 2-heptenal and 2,4-decadienal in the absence or presence of citric acid. Determination of peroxide values showed the same trends as gas chromatographic analyses of volatiles. In the presence of 15 and 20 ppm β-carotene, some off-flavors, as well as poor ratings for color quality, were reported by panelists. Therefore, flavor deterioration initiated by light can be inhibited effectively in soybean oil, without affecting color quality, by addition of β-carotene at concentrations from 5 to 10 ppm to oils treated with citric acid.     

Effect of chemical modifications on the thermal stability and degradation of banana fiber and banana fiber‐reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites

Banana fiber has been modified by treatments with sodium hydroxide, silanes, cyanoethylation, heat treatment, and latex treatment and the thermal degradation behavior of the fiber was analyzed by thermogravimetry and derivative thermogravimetry analysis. Both treated and untreated fibers showed two‐stage decomposition. All the treatments were found to increase the thermal stability of the fiber due to the physical and chemical changes induced by the treatments. The thermal degradation of treated and untreated banana fiber‐reinforced phenol formaldehyde composites has also been analyzed. It was found that the thermal stability of the composites was much higher than that of fibers but they are less stable compared to neat PF resin matrix. Composite samples were found to have four‐stage degradation. The NaOH treated fiber‐reinforced composites have very good fiber/matrix adhesion and hence improvement in thermal stability is observed. Though both silane treatments increased the thermal stability of the composite the vinyl silane is found to be more effective. Heat treatment improves the crystallinity of the fiber and decreases the moisture content, hence an improved thermal stability. The latex treatment and cyanoethylation make the fiber surface hydrophobic, here also the composite is thermally more stable than untreated one. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

EFFECT OF FIBER REINFORCEMENT ON THERMAL STABILITY AND SWELLING BEHAVIOR OF CR/NBR BLENDS

The effect of type, length, and denier of fibers on the thermal stability and swelling behavior of chloroprene/butadiene–acrylonitrile rubbers (CR/NBR) composites was investigated. The results reveal that Nylon 6 fibers improved mechanical properties, thermal stability, and swelling resistance in toluene of 50/50 CR/NBR blends. Of all fiber types investigated, the viscose fiber CR/NBR composite has the best swelling resistance in motor oil, whereas the polyester (PET) fiber composite has the best swelling resistance in brake fluid. The effect of Nylon 6 fiber loading up to 30 phr was tested in terms of mechanical properties of the composites and swelling in toluene and oils. Also, the reinforcement of white-filled blends were examined. Nylon 6 fiber loadings (15–30 phr) showed promising results, and the white-filled Nylon 6 composites showed a significant reinforcement with regard to mechanical properties and thermal stability.     

Study on superabsorbent composite. XI. Effect of thermal treatment and acid activation of attapulgite on water absorbency of poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite superabsorbent composite

The effect of acid activation and thermal treatment of attapulgite on water absorbency of superabsorbent composite were investigated. Under the same preparation conditions, superabsorbent composite prepared with natural attapulgite exhibited a water absorbency of 639 g/g and it merely kept 71% of its initial water absorbency after 5 times of swelling–deswelling–reswelling test. However, superabsorbent composites prepared with 2–10 M hydrochloric acid acidified attapulgite and 100–400°C thermal treated attapulgite respectively exhibited the water absorbency of 884–1,241 g/g and 701–1,515 g/g. Also, those superabsorbent composites can keep 87% and 85% of their initial water absorbency after 5 times of swelling–deswelling–reswelling test, respectively. These results showed that, compared with superabsorbent composite prepared with natural attapulgite, the comprehensive water‐absorbing properties of poly(acrylic acid)/ attapulgite superabsorbent composites were improved effectively by acid activation and thermal treatment of attapulgite. This improvement of water absorbencies and gel strength of superabsorbent composite may be due to synthetical factors such as changes in the crystalline structure and the specific surface area and improvement of the number and the activity of hydroxyl groups of attapulgite, which in turn influence the grafting efficiency of monomer, crosslinking density, and the structure of superabsorbent composite network. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:397–404, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Electrical,mechanical, and thermal properties of exfoliated graphite/phenolic resin composite bipolar plate for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Exfoliated graphite (EG) was synthesized from natural flake graphite by acid treatment followed by microwave irradiation. A maximum expanded volume of 560 mL/g was achieved for this exfoliation of graphite. EG/phenolic resin composite bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell were fabricated with a high loading of EG by compression molding. The composites possess low density, high electrical conductivity, high thermal stability, and high compressive strength. The composite bipolar plates were also characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and so on. The composite prepared with 50 wt% of EG has shown the desired properties for bipolar plate as per the US Department of Energy (DOE‐2015) targets. As a result, the EG–resin composites can be used as bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:917–923, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Testing the Antioxidant Effect of Essential Oils and BHT on Corn Oil at Frying Temperatures: a Response Surface Methodology

Food habits worldwide have increased the demand for oxidative-resistant oils that can be used for deep-frying. Oxidative stability in oils can be improved by changing the fatty acid composition of the oil or by adding natural antioxidants to the oil. In this study, the effect of essential oils of seven plants; cinnamon, rosemary, sage, turmeric, clove, thyme and oregano enriched with carvacrol on the oxidative stability of corn oil at frying temperatures were studied. Experiments were conducted by using a PetroOxy device, a rapid small scale oxidation stability test. A central composite design was used to evaluate the effects of concentration of essential oil (X1: 1,500–5,000 ppm) and temperature (X2: 150–180 °C), on the induction time of corn oil. In order to compare the results with the synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), another design was made with a concentration range (60–350 ppm) containing the legal upper limit of BHT, 200 ppm. Induction periods obtained from the accelerated oxidation test revealed that increasing temperature decreased the induction time of all the samples. However, the essential oils except for oregano oil had no significant antioxidative effect on corn oil, probably due to a lower content of their active components. The antioxidative effect of oregano oil was also found to be higher compared to BHT. At very high temperatures (e.g., 180 °C), the concentration of antioxidants had no effect on the induction periods.     

Preparation and properties of novel boric acid modified poly(aryl ether sulfone) membranes

In this article, boric acid‐modified poly(aryl ether sulfone) (PES‐B) membranes were prepared by solution blending, solution casting, evaporation, and programmed temperature curing method for the first time. The chemical modification of poly(aryl ether sulfone) was accomplished by the curing of poly(aryl ether sulfone) with pendent phenyl hydroxide (PES‐OH) under the function of boric acid. The reaction mechanisms and the effects of boric acid content were thoroughly investigated. Processing conditions and structures of PES‐B were determined by FT‐IR spectra. It has been found that the B(OH)₃/PES composite membranes were completely cured after treatment at 300°C for 4 h. When boric acid content was over 4.7%, PES‐B membranes presented phase separation and full cross‐linking structures. DSC measurements demonstrated that the addition of boric acid had influenced the glass transition temperature of PES‐B, which provided the proof of the appearance of cross‐linking network structure. TGA results confirmed that the thermal stability of the prepared PES‐B composites was improved. Furthermore, the cross‐linked composite membranes exhibited excellent mechanical property and solvent resistance. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40860.     

新型丝素复合膜的微结构表征及热稳定性

基于丝素的高分子复合材料可以广泛地应用于组织工程、生物医药和半导体材料等领域。通过物理-共混技术制备了一种新型生物高分子丝素/聚乳酸复合膜。利用扫描电镜、傅里叶红外光谱、拉曼光谱、X射线衍射和热分析技术对其形貌、结构和相态组分以及热稳定性进行了表征,探究了不同比例复合膜的微结构、相互作用机理和热稳定性。结果表明：随着丝素含量的增加,复合膜中的β-折叠含量增多,α-螺旋和无规卷曲含量减少,玻璃化转变温度提高;由于丝素与聚乳酸间的相互作用,提高了复合膜的热稳定性。     

Preparation and properties of 8‐hydroxyquinoline aluminum quinoline/polyaniline core–shell composite

Polyaniline (PANI) as an excellent conducting polymer material has been used to synthesize 8‐hydroxyquinoline aluminum quinoline/polyaniline (Alq₃/PANI) composites with core‐shell structure which is expected to form ultra‐conjugated system between core/shell and be used as organic electronic material. Alq₃ was coated by sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate doped PANI via in situ polymerization of aniline on the surface of Alq₃. The morphology, structure crystallinity, and thermal stability of synthesized composite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Results indicated that the composite is core‐shell structure and exhibits good thermal stability. Conductivity of composite was investigated and showed that Alq₃ as core in composite which improved the conductivity of pristine PANI, indicating that electronic interactive effect was formed between core and shell. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:272–277, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

氧化石墨烯/磺化聚苯并咪唑高温质子交换膜的制备和表征

通过共混法和原位聚合法成功制备氧化石墨烯（GO）/磺化聚苯并咪唑（SPBI）质子交换复合膜。用FTIR及TEM表征了复合膜的结构,并测试了复合膜的热稳定性、力学性能、尺寸稳定性、含水率、酸掺杂率、氧化稳定性及质子电导率,重点考察不同制备方法、GO的加入对GO/SPBI质子交换复合膜结构和性能的影响。实验结果表明,GO在Y-GO/SPBI-1%复合膜中呈薄片状并良好分散。添加GO后复合膜的力学性能大幅提高,拉伸强度相较于Nafion 117膜（26.65MPa）提高了2.5倍。Y-GO/SPBI-1%复合膜热稳定性稍高于G-GO/SPBI-1%复合膜。Y-GO/SPBI-1%复合膜拥有与SPBI膜相当的含水率,比G-GO/SPBI-1%复合膜的含水率提高了51.36%,表明原位聚合法制备的膜具有良好的保水能力。原位聚合法制备的复合膜具有更高的酸掺杂率和更低的酸溶胀度,提高了膜的尺寸稳定性。Y-GO/SPBI-1%质子交换复合膜在相对湿度40%、160℃下具有最高的质子电导率0.113S/cm。GO上的含氧官能团有助于复合膜中质子的跳跃,原位聚合法使GO更均匀地分散在SPBI基质中,对复合膜质子电导率的提高起到关键作用。     

Seed roasting improves the oxidative stability of canola (B. napus) and mustard (B. juncea) seed oils

Animal fats and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO) have preferentially been used for deep‐frying of food because of their relatively high oxidative stability compared to natural vegetable oils. However, animal fats and PHVO are abundant sources of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, respectively, both of which are detrimental to human health. Canola (Brassica napus) is the primary oilseed crop currently grown in Australia. Canola quality Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) is also being developed for cultivation in hot and low‐rainfall areas of the country where canola does not perform well. A major impediment to using these oils for deep‐frying is their relatively high susceptibility to oxidation, and so any processing interventions that would improve the oxidative stability would increase their prospects of use in commercial deep‐frying. The oxidative stability of both B. napus and B. juncea crude oils can be improved dramatically by roasting the seeds (165 °C, 5 min) prior to oil extraction. Roasting did not alter the fatty acid composition or the tocopherol content of the oils. The enhanced oxidative stability of the oil, solvent‐extracted from roasted seeds, is probably due to 2,6‐dimethoxy‐4‐vinylphenol produced by thermal decarboxylation of the sinapic acid naturally occurring in the canola seed.     

改性水滑石/聚乙烯醇复合膜的制备及性能

采用焙烧复原法将山梨酸(SA)插入水滑石(LDH)层间合成了纳米插层材料SA-LDH,将其与聚乙烯醇(PVA)共混,通过溶液流延法制备得到复合薄膜SA-LDH/PVA。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、X-射线衍射(XRD)、热重-差热分析(TG-DSC)和扫描电镜(SEM)对其结构、热稳定性以及形貌进行表征,并测试了复合薄膜的力学性能、溶胀率、溶解率和抑菌性能。结果表明:复合薄膜SA-LDH/PVA中SA-LDH含量为5 wt%时得到的LDH晶型最为完整,对应的SA-LDH片层在PVA薄膜中分散比较均匀;添加3 wt%SA-LDH可提高PVA膜的热稳定性;SA-LDH添加量为5 wt%和7 wt%时,提高了复合膜的抗拉性能和断裂伸长率;SA-LDH的添加提高了PVA膜的耐水性能;SA-LDH的添加量分别为5 wt%和6 wt%时,SA-LDH/PVA复合薄膜对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌的抑菌效果最佳。制备的改性水滑石/聚乙烯醇复合抑菌膜,为食品包装领域提供一种广谱的抑菌材料。     

Synthesis of poly(AA‐co‐AM) superabsorbent composites by reinforcement of halloysite nanotubes

A novel poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)/halloysite nanotubes [PAA‐AM/HNTs] superabsorbent composite was synthesized by free radical polymerization with using HNTs as an inorganic additive. The composite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results revealed that HNTs and PAA‐AM were combined well together to form a porous structure with a pore size of about 10 μm, and HNTs were uniformly distributed in the composite. The thermal stability was improved by adding HNTs in the composite. The influences of contents of initiator and halloysite, neutralization degree of AA, and molar ratio of AM to AA on water absorbency were investigated. The water absorbency and the water retention capacity were improved after adding HNTs into PAA‐AM. The composite containing 10% HNTs had the highest water absorbency of 1276 g/g in distilled water. Moreover, PAA‐AM/HNTs composite also had a high swelling rate within 60 min and could maintain 78% initial swelling capability after five reswelled test. The substantial enhancement of swelling properties enables PAA‐AM/HNTs suitable for numerous practical applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:229–236, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The effect of polyethylene crystallinity and polarity on thermal stability and controlled release of essential oils in antimicrobial films

Antimicrobial packaging can preserve and increase shelf life of free preservatives food products. Active materials present in the packaging material can migrate, in a controlled manner, to the food surface, avoiding bacterial and fungal proliferation and keeping the food product edible for longer periods of time. Essential oils (EO) are natural antimicrobial agents that can be released to the headspace with no direct contact between the package and the food. To minimize loses of EO during high heat melt processing, a three stages process was implemented and tested. Antimicrobial films were prepared by melt mixing a variety of polyethylene copolymers in the presence of organo‐modified montmorillonite nano clay (NC) and thymol, an EO present in oregano and thyme. A controlled EO desorption from films can be achieved by changing the polymer crystallinity and polarity. As the crystallinity increased, the thermal stability of the EO during the extrusion process improved. The addition of NC affects the structure and homogeneity of the crystals. The combination of high polymer crystallinity and chemical affinity between EO and NC increased the thermal stability of the EO during film processing, enabling to control the desorption rate. The effect of multilayer structure based on varied densities and polarities was also studied. Increasing the polarity of the outer layers in multilayered film reduced the EO desorption rate as a result of chemical interactions between the polymer and the EO. The final antimicrobial activity of the films was also found to be dependent on the EO partitioning. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40309.     

Effect of kenaf fiber age on PLLA composite properties

A challenge facing engineering with natural fibers is the high standard deviation of mechanical properties of natural fiber compared with synthetic fiber. Plants have a chemical and physical architecture reflective of their age. The region near the apex is more flexible than that near the base. In this paper we investigate the impact of increasing age of plant fiber on the corresponding composite. Bast fibers stems of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus, L.), a warm season tropical herbaceous annual plant extracted corresponding to different age, were dispersed into Poly‐l ‐lactide (PLLA) matrix by melt blending followed by compression molding. The resulting bio‐based hybrid composites were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted. DSC and XRD indicated that the kenaf was effective in promoting crystallization. TGA indicated that the thermal stability of composites is reduced compared with PLLA, but the older fiber sample based on 120–150 cm from the plant apex improved thermal stability compared with the rest. SEM and OM inferred good fiber dispersion while dynamic mechanical tests revealed increased modulus. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:915–924, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

一剂多效油脂源钙锌热稳定剂的性能及其在PVC中的应用

采用不饱和天然油脂为原料制备了多聚脂肪酸酯的钙锌盐,并与抗氧剂、β二酮复配制得了新型一剂多效的油脂源钙锌复合热稳定剂（OMFCTS）。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱对其进行结构表征。考察了OMFCTS对聚氯乙烯（PVC）制品的热稳定性和力学性能的影响。 结果表明,PVC/邻苯二甲酸二辛酯(DOP)/OMFCTS=100/30/3体系力学性能和热稳定性均可与PVC/DOP/市售钙锌复合热稳定剂=100/40/3体系相媲美。OMFCTS在赋予PVC制品更好的热稳定性的同时具有良好的增塑性能,可减少PVC加工过程中DOP等增塑剂用量。