Rigid polyurethane foams were manufactured using rapeseed oil-based polyol with hydroxyl number 270 mg KOH/g (10 wt% - 50 wt%) and ground egg shell waste as a natural filler (20 php) in a single-step synthesis procedure. The goal of the study was the investigation of the influence of renewable raw materials on the structure and physico-mechanical, thermal and biological properties of the final foams

UHMWPE viscoelastic fibers show great interest as reinforcement within composites and especially when used in SRPs (Self-Reinforced Polymers). They provide ductility, lightness and recyclability, benefits that glass or carbon fibers cannot provide. It is, therefore, necessary to increase knowledge about the behavior of UHMWPE fibers. Before the thermomechanical characterization of these yarns, an experimental

In this study, Response Surface Methodology based on four-factor Box-Behnken design was applied to suggest the optimal conditions for glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and to analyze the individual and interaction effects of the factors on the process. Four independent factors of interest, namely reaction time (3–5 h), reaction temperature (192–200 °C), mass ratio of ethylene glycol (EG)

To accurately understand how irradiation treatment influences the crystal structure variation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers during the pre-oxidation process, the crystal structure evolution of the irradiated PAN fibers after pre-oxidation was investigated by synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) at beamline BL16B1 in transmission geometry, using a three-slit system at the Shanghai Synchrotron

With an excellent combination of high strength, lightweight, and thermal stability, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are ideal for applications in various demanding fields. The global consumption of CFRP composites continues to increase, and it is estimated that approximately 3000 tonnes of CFRP waste are generated annually. Mostly, the CFRP composites can be classified into two categories:

The molecular architecture changes of crosslinked urethane during photo-oxidation was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in combination with two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis. The 2D correlation FTIR spectroscopy provided insight into molecular architectural dynamics during photo-aging, where the sequential order of peak changes was determined upon perturbation with

Active compounds encapsulation in polymeric carriers is a widely used technology as it protects and improves the physical characteristics of the active compound and controls its delivery. Polymeric microcapsules (MCs) effectiveness is strongly related to the barrier properties of the polymeric shell, which in turn are dependent on the shell molecular weight and crystallinity. Therefore, the aim of

In this study, a simple and environmentally friendly method was developed for synthesizing 3D porous cellulose supported palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) catalysts. PdNPs (3.1 ± 1.4 nm) can be synthesized directly by cellulose solution through microwave heating (60 °C, 4 h) and prepared into microspheres by freeze-drying to degrade methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR) rapidly. In addition, the reduction

In this study, the ability of different beta-cyclodextrins to facilitate homogeneous dispersion of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) into chitosan membranes is assessed. Drug loading was assessed through atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (MEV-FEG), and X-ray diffraction analyses. Drug interactions with the co-polymer were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) with an M2-like phenotype have been linked to immunosuppression and resistance to chemotherapies of cancer, thus targeting TAMs has been an attractive therapeutic strategy to cancer immunotherapy. We have reported that the β-D-(1→6) glucan (AAMP-A70) isolated from Amillariella Mellea could promote macrophage activation. The present study showed that the β-1,6-glucan

Enzymatic transformation of xylans into renewable fuels and value-added products is mediated by xylanases. Here we describe the biochemical and X-ray structural characterization of Thermobacillus composti GH10 xylanase (TcXyn10A) at 2.1 Å resolution aiming to unravel details of its recognition of glucurono- and arabinoxylan at a molecular level. TcXyn10A improves the efficiency of pretreated lignocellulosic

The production of a chitin-like exopolysaccharide (EPS) was optimized through experimental design methods, evaluating the influence of urea, phosphate, and glucose. Under optimized conditions, up to 1.51 g/L was produced and its physicochemical characteristics were evaluated by chromatography, NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy, and rheological techniques. The results showed a homogeneous EPS (Mw 4.9 × 105

The five-membered aromatic heterocycles were widely used for conducting conjugated polymers in the application of organic photovoltaic cells (OSCs). In this work, three polymers containing furan, thiophene, and selenophene, as the π-bridge in their backbones, named PBDB-TF-O, PBDB-TF-S and PBDB-TF-Se, were designed, synthesized and characterized. By blending with BTP-4Cl, an emerging non-fullerene

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are a kind of materials which are widely used in many fields where the absorption of various aqueous solutions is prime importance. Given the fact that a great number of SAPs available on the global market are made from the poorly degradable and expensive materials, recently, there has been increasing interest in looking for low-cost and environmental friendly solutions

The mechanical properties and vibration damping characteristics of cross-ply laminates ([90°/0°/90°] and [0°/90°/0°]), [0°/45°/0°], four-layered angle ply laminate ([90°/0°]s) and Quasi-isotropic laminates ([0°/90°/45°]s, [0°/45°/90°]s,) containing 50 ± 2 wt% of banana fibres in polyester matrix were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, impact

Hyaluronic acid (HA) and copolymeric HA:Sucrose (HA:Suc) particles were synthesis with two different crosslinkers (Xs), divinyl sulfone (DVS) and glycerol diglycidyl ether (GDE) in 0.5–20 μm size range. The sustenance potential of HA:Suc particles in bacterial growth media was examined with time, up to 72 h incubation time in the cultivation of various gram-negative (GN) and gram-positive (GP) bacterial

MnZnFe2O4 ferrite was successfully synthesized using metallic chlorides and polyvinylpyrolidone, by Co-precipitate method. Deferent concentrations of PVP (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9) wt%, were used as capping agent to stabilize the particles and prevent them from agglomeration. The PVP content had a vital influence on enhancing the properties of the ferrite nanoparticles. From X-ray data the degree

The authors reported the data found by FT-IR spectroscopy, ultrasonic velocities, DTA and, optical investigations of (50-x) Na2B4O7–30PbO2–20SiO2–xTiO2 where x = (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 45) mol%. The structure changes of these glasses will be studying by FT-IR spectra. The mechanical properties have been associated with the results of FT-IR spectra. It was noted that the ultrasonic velocities, elastic-moduli

Constructing the segregated networks is an efficient strategy to simultaneously achieve the high electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance in conductive polymer composites (CPCs). Herein, an advanced molding technique based on microwave (MW)-assisted sintering was proposed to prepare the segregated ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene/carbon nanotube (UHMWPE/CNT)

In the present study, biocomposite films from cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were obtained by the solution casting method. CNCs were isolated from pineapple crown using chemical treatments followed by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and added into poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) matrix. The effect of freeze-dried CNC content (1, 3, and 5 wt%) on the structural, crystallization, thermal

The local structure of cellulose, dissolved in the frequently used ionic liquid EMIm-OAc, is modelled by a coaxial double layer cylinder. The cylinder’s core consists of a cellulose chain while the sheath is formed by a solvent layer with lower electron density than the bulk solvent. We studied 2% cellulose solutions in EMIm-OAc and their behavior upon addition of increasing amounts of water. At this

Thermoplastic phenolphthalein poly(ether ether ketone) (PEK‐C) /epoxy composite foams were prepared by free foaming process (Fre‐foams) and limited foaming process (Lim‐foams), respectively, and the effects of PEK‐C content and foaming methods on the cell structures, phase morphologies, and impact strength of epoxy foams were investigated. The results showed that the gas pressure in the bubbles promoted

Pullout simulations were conducted to investigate the interfacial shear properties between defective graphene (DGr) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) through molecular dynamics simulations with ReaxFF reactive force fields. The effects of number of defects (Stone‐Wales [SW] and double‐vacancy [DV] defects) were investigated. Our results showed that these two types of defects can obviously enhance

pMATM2-b-p(MMA-co-BMA) diblock copolymers composed of a block of poly[bis(trimethylsiloxy) methylsilyl methacrylate] (MATM2) and a second block of a random copolymer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) were synthesized by the RAFT process with controlled molar masses and low molar mass dispersities. Paints were formulated using these diblock copolymers as binders, without any

A facile synthetic approach to the selective mono- and di- O-alkylation of a β, β-disubstituted hydroxy compound has been demonstrated and applied to the field of polymer chemistry and drug delivery. 2,2’-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid (bis-MPA) is a β, β-disubstituted hydroxy compound with one carboxylic acid group (AB2 system); therefore, it is a very important starting material in the synthesis

Cluster glass-phase ring suspensions exposed to weak shear stress exhibit a stable re-orientation of stacks as well as of individual ring polymers with the flow direction and into the flow-vorticity plane. The suspension features shear thinning for a variety of different densities as a result. Under strong shear, a breakup of these clusters takes place, accompanied by a subsequent homogenization of

Multimodal stimuli-responsive heterotelechelic poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) (TPE-PiPrOx-R6G) bearing tetraphenylethene (TPE) and rhodamine 6G (R6G) at the  and  terminals, respectively, was synthesized. TPE-PiPrOx-R6G formed supramolecular polymeric micelles in aqueous solution with a critical micelle concentration of 0.19 g·L-1. Upon excitation at 310 nm, an aqueous solution of TPE-PiPrOx-R6G (1

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, with only some HPV types prevented with vaccines and no treatments for the viral infection itself. One way to target viral infection is by inhibiting the assembly of the L1 monomer into a pentamer, which forms the viral capsid. Four calix[4]arene compounds functionalised with D- and L-aspartic and glutamic acid and an iminodiacetic

Microstructures of poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) are dependent on the distribution of VA units as well as the VA content. Simple analytical method to determine microstructure of EVA was established using melting points of EVA and correlationship with those of wax and its ester. EVAs with the VA contents of 9.5–40 wt% (3.3–17.8 mol%) were used. The melting points were analyzed using differential