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Polymer Biocomposites: From Design to Application

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2023) | Viewed by 7265

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrzej Puszka

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Department of Polymer Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Interests: thermal and mechanical properties of polymers; viscoelastic properties; sulfur-containing monomers; polyurethanes; polymer composites; nanomaterials; polymer processing; structure of polymer materials; polymer biocomposites
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Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that over the past few decades, polymers have replaced many conventional materials in various applications, which is obviously due to the advantages of polymers over conventional materials. The most important advantages of using polymers are, ease of processing, high productivity and low cost, in combination with their versatility. In fact, polymers can be modified by the use of fillers and reinforcing fibres to suit the high strength/high modulus requirements.

Particularly noteworthy are biocomposites, i.e. polymer composites in which at least one of the components is biobased or biodegradable. Due to the growing ecological awareness of the population and the features of these materials, such as the biodegradability of plastics or the significantly simplified recycling process, in recent years biocomposites have become an attractive subject of research by scientists. Among the biocomposites, we can distinguish materials in which the "bio" features have a polymer matrix or the "bio" component is the filler used. Obtaining a biocomposite with the desired properties depends on its potential application.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript(s) for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Andrzej Puszka
Guest Editor

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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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

polymer biocomposite
mechanical and thermal properties of biocomposite
biocomposite processing
natural fillers
biopolymers
hybrid biocomposites
biocomposite application

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D Printing of CNT- and YSZ-Added Dental Resin-Based Composites by Digital Light Processing and Their Mechanical Properties

by Minhyuk Son, Kati Raju, Jaemin Lee, Jinsik Jung, Seik Jeong, Ji-in Kim and Jaehun Cho

Materials 2023, 16(5), 1873; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16051873 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1645

Abstract

This study demonstrates the successful 3D printing of dental resin-based composites (DRCs) containing ceramic particles using the digital light processing (DLP) technique. The mechanical properties and oral rinsing stability of the printed composites were evaluated. DRCs have been extensively studied for restorative and prosthetic dentistry due to their clinical performance and aesthetic quality. They are often subjected to periodic environmental stress, and thus can easily undergo undesirable premature failure. Here, we investigated the effects of two different high-strength and biocompatible ceramic additives, carbon nanotube (CNT) and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), on the mechanical properties and oral rinsing stabilities of DRCs. Dental resin matrices containing different wt.% of CNT or YSZ were printed using the DLP technique after analyzing the rheological behavior of slurries. Mechanical properties such as Rockwell hardness and flexural strength, as well as the oral rinsing stability of the 3D-printed composites, were systematically investigated. The results indicated that a DRC with 0.5 wt.% YSZ exhibits the highest hardness of 19.8 ± 0.6 HRB and a flexural strength flexural strength of 50.6 ± 6 MPa, as well as reasonable oral rinsing steadiness. This study provides a fundamental perspective for designing advanced dental materials containing biocompatible ceramic particles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Biocomposites: From Design to Application)

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18 pages, 12874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Polymer Composites with Aluminum Phosphates as Hybrid Flame Retardants

by Kamil Dziuba, Krystyna Wnuczek, Patryk Wojtachnio, Rodolphe Sonnier and Beata Podkościelna

Materials 2023, 16(1), 426; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16010426 - 02 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1565

Abstract

Polymeric aluminum organophosphates are a class of nanostructured aluminum-based compounds that can be considered organic and inorganic hybrid materials. Aluminum phosphates have attracted considerable interest due to their ability to enhance composite materials’ mechanical characteristics, lightweight, and thermal properties. Extensive studies have shown the potential of aluminum organophosphates as a component in the development of fire-retardant materials. Aluminum–organophosphorus hybrid (APH) materials have been prepared by reacting aluminum oxide hydroxide (boehmite) with alkyl and aryl phosphoric acids and used to prepare composites with epoxy resin. Boehmite is an aluminum oxide hydroxide (γ-AlO(OH)) mineral, a component of the aluminum ore bauxite. In this work, the composites based on epoxy resin Epidian 601 and commercial curing agent IDA were obtained. Pure boehmite and APH hybrids were added as flame retardants. FTIR and TGA analysis showed that obtained APH possesses a hybrid structure, high thermostability, and various morphologies. These new APH were incorporated into epoxy resin. The infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structure of hybrids and composites. Pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) and cone calorimeter analyses were performed to assess the flame retardant properties of the composites. The results showed that the incorporation of 17 wt% APH allows a reduction of heat release rate but to a limited extent in comparison to pure boehmite, which is due to the different decomposition mechanisms of both boehmite and hybrids. The cone calorimetry test showed that residue contents correspond quite well to the mineral fraction from boehmite only. The hybrid APHs appear no more efficient than pure boehmite because the mineral fraction in APH is reduced while phosphate fraction cannot promote significant charring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Biocomposites: From Design to Application)

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25 pages, 5119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation, Characterization and Tailoring Properties of Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Composites with the Addition of Functional Halloysite–Lignin Hybrid Materials

by Jolanta Tomaszewska, Martina Wieczorek, Katarzyna Skórczewska, Izabela Klapiszewska, Krzysztof Lewandowski and Łukasz Klapiszewski

Materials 2022, 15(22), 8102; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15228102 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1259

Abstract

In this article, halloysite–lignin hybrid materials (HL) were designed and obtained. The weak hydrogen bonds found between the components were determined based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proving the achievement of class I hybrid systems. The HL systems were characterized by very good thermal stability and relatively good homogeneity, which increased as the proportion of the inorganic part increased. This was confirmed by analyzing scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and assessing particle size distributions and polydispersity indexes. Processing rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with HL systems with a content of up to 10 wt% in a Brabender torque rheometer allowed us to obtain composites with a relatively homogeneous structure confirmed by SEM observations; simultaneously, a reduction in the fusion time was noted. An improvement in PVC thermal stability of approximately 40 °C for composites with HL with a ratio of 1:5 wt/wt was noted. Regardless of the concentration of the HL system, PVC composites exhibited inconsiderably higher Young’s modulus, but the incorporation of 2.5 wt% of fillers increased Charpy impact strength by 5–8 kJ/m² and doubled elongation at break. This study demonstrated that favorable mechanical properties of PVC composites can be achieved, especially with an HL system with a ratio of 5:1 wt/wt. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Biocomposites: From Design to Application)

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Review

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24 pages, 3874 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biopolymer Composites with Sensors for Environmental and Medical Applications

by Longina Madej-Kiełbik, Karolina Gzyra-Jagieła, Jagoda Jóźwik-Pruska, Radosław Dziuba and Anna Bednarowicz

Materials 2022, 15(21), 7493; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15217493 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1958

Abstract

One of the biggest economic and environmental sustainability problems is the over-reliance on petroleum chemicals in polymer production. This paper presents an overview of the current state of knowledge on biopolymers combined with biosensors in terms of properties, compounding methods and applications, with a focus on medical and environmental aspects. Therefore, this article is devoted to environmentally friendly polymer materials. The paper presents an overview of the current state of knowledge on biopolymers combined with biosensors in terms of properties, compounding methods and applications, with a special focus on medical and environmental aspects. The paper presents the current state of knowledge, as well as prospects. The article shows that biopolymers made from renewable raw materials are of great interest in various fields of science and industry. These materials not only replace existing polymers in many applications, but also provide new combinations of properties for new applications. Composite materials based on biopolymers are considered superior to traditional non-biodegradable materials due to their ability to degrade when exposed to environmental factors. The paper highlights the combination of polymers with nanomaterials which allows the preparation of chemical sensors, thus enabling their use in environmental or medical applications due to their biocompatibility and sensitivity. This review focuses on analyzing the state of research in the field of biopolymer-sensor composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Biocomposites: From Design to Application)

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