Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.0
3.9
Journals
Fibers
Special Issues
Recent Trends in Natural Fibers and Composites
share announcement

Recent Trends in Natural Fibers and Composites

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 2252

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Vijay Kumar Thakur

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre, SRUC, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
2. Enhanced Composites and Structures Center, School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
Interests: biorefining, chemistry, nanotechnology, biomass, and waste; biomedical engineering; composites; sensors; manufacturing of functional materials; aerospace materials; nanomaterials; renewable energy; smart materials; surface engineering; water science and engineering; additive manufacturing of polymers and composites; multifunctional polymer composites and nanocomposites: self-healing, nanoelectronic materials; hydrogels; membranes; nanofiber; composites for extreme environments and manufacturing technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global awareness of environmental issues has resulted in the emergence of economically and environmentally friendly materials free from the traditional side effects of synthetics, using biorenewable materials. In this direction, natural fibres from different biorenewable resources have attracted considerable attraction from the research community all around the globe, owing to their unique intrinsic properties, such as their biodegradability, easy availability, environmental friendliness, flexibility, easy processing, and impressive physicomechanical properties. Natural cellulose fibre-based materials are finding their applications in several fields, ranging from automotive to biomedical. Natural fibres have been frequently used as reinforcement in polymers to add specific properties to the final product.

This Special Issue is devoted to the advancements made in the field of natural fibres and composites, including the processing methods and potential applications of green composites.

Prof. Dr. Vijay Kumar Thakur
Guest Editor

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. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2000 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

  • Bioresources
  • Cellulose macromolecules
  • Natural fibres
  • Surface modification
  • Polymers
  • Composites
  • Mechanical properties
  • Semi-structural/structural applications
  • Processing
  • Green materials
  • Biocomposites
  • Materials performance

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 2529 KiB  
Article
Valorization of Potential Post-Consumer Polyethylene (PE) Plastics Waste and Ethiopian Indigenous Highland Bamboo (EHB) for Wood Plastic Composite (WPC): Experimental Evaluation and Characterization
by Keresa Defa Ayana, Marco De Angelis, Goran Schmidt, Andreas Krause and Abubeker Yimam Ali
Fibers 2022, 10(10), 85; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fib10100085 - 08 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
The best approaches to minimizing resource scarcity, removing valuable waste streams, and re-establishing a circular economic chain of recycled thermoplastics are to cascade them into product life cycles and their valorization combined with sustainable raw materials. As one part of this goal, WPC [...] Read more.
The best approaches to minimizing resource scarcity, removing valuable waste streams, and re-establishing a circular economic chain of recycled thermoplastics are to cascade them into product life cycles and their valorization combined with sustainable raw materials. As one part of this goal, WPC was formulated from three recycled PE plastic wastes: linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and underutilized EHB. The chemical composition of EHD, chemical structure, crystallinity, melting and crystallization points, residual metal additives, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of recycled PE were investigated using standard chromatographic and spectroscopic methods such as HPAEC-UV/VIS, FTIR, DSC, GC/MSD, and XPS. The properties of WPC formulations from different compositions of bamboo particles (BP) as dispersed phase, individual recycled PE plastics, and equal melt blend (EM) as polymer matrix were investigated extensively and measured with a known standard. These comprised tensile strength (TS), modulus of elasticity (TM), flexural strength (FS), modulus of rupture (FM), and unnotched impact strength (UIS). It also included the effect of various alkaline surface treatment ranges on the interface surface interaction. The results show improved mechanical properties for all blending ratios of surface-treated BP, which resulted from better encapsulation in the polymer matrix. Despite its inherent immiscibility, WPC formulation from equal melt blending revealed unusual properties compared to separate phase blends, which is attributed to thermally induced cross-linking. This implies that melt blending of the weakest and cheapest recycled LLDPE with relatively cheap recycled MDPE and HDPE improves the properties of the blend, particularly toughness, while simultaneously retaining some of their properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends in Natural Fibers and Composites)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop