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Polymers
Special Issues
Biomass-Derived Polymer Composites/Blends
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Biomass-Derived Polymer Composites/Blends

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 9480

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. De Feng Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
Interests: polymer blends and nanocomposites; polysaccharide; biopolymers; polymer structure and performance; polymer rheology; emulsions and suspensions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

 

Over recent decades, wide application of nonrenewable and nonbiodegradable polymeric materials has caused serious environmental problems. Increasing concerns of environmental protection have hence accelerated the development of bio-originating and biodegradable polymers or polymeric materials—namely, those green or eco-friendly materials with sustainable characteristics. To develop more accessible biomass-derived materials and to expand application fields of developed biopolymers, it is quite important to deeply investigate the fundamental molecular design and morphology regulations of these kinds of materials.

The important aim of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for the researchers to show their new findings and ideas around the synthesis, modifications, process optimization, material properties, and structure–property relationships of biomass-derived polymeric materials, composites, emulsions, suspensions, and other related devices or actuators for sustainable and potential applications. Therefore, this Special Issue has importance, not only for academic institutions, but also for industries, and can provide interesting contributions. We hope that enthusiastic and renowned researchers will have an active interest and participate in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Defeng Wu

Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. DeFeng Wu
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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • • biopolymers
  • • biomass-derived materials
  • • polysaccharide
  • • eco-friendly composites
  • • eco-friendly suspensions/emulsions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1629 KiB  
Article
Thermoplastic Starch-Based Blends with Improved Thermal and Thermomechanical Properties
by Anayansi Estrada-Monje, Sergio Alonso-Romero, Roberto Zitzumbo-Guzmán, Iván Alziri Estrada-Moreno and Erasto Armando Zaragoza-Contreras
Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4263; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13234263 - 06 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3951
Abstract
This research focused on the development of biomaterials based on cassava starch and corn starch and on the effect of the incorporation of polycaprolactone (PCL) on the thermal and thermomechanical properties of the blends. The results indicated partial compatibility in the blends, especially [...] Read more.
This research focused on the development of biomaterials based on cassava starch and corn starch and on the effect of the incorporation of polycaprolactone (PCL) on the thermal and thermomechanical properties of the blends. The results indicated partial compatibility in the blends, especially with cassava starch at a content of 20 wt% as reflected by the maintenance of tensile strength and elongation. In addition, the changes in the crystal quality of PCL and the displacement of the absorption bands of the carbonyl groups of PCL in the infrared (989–1000 cm−1), attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between these groups and the hydroxyl groups of starches, were also associated with compatibility. It was observed that the crystallinity of PLC in the presence of cassava and corn starch was 38% and 62%, respectively; a crystallinity greater than that of PCL was related to an improved nucleation at the interface. Based on these properties, the blends are expected to be functional for the manufacture of short-term use products by conventional thermoplastic processing methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass-Derived Polymer Composites/Blends)
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19 pages, 2845 KiB  
Article
Valorization of Hemp Hurds as Bio-Sourced Additives in PLA-Based Biocomposites
by Sina Momeni, Muhammad Safder, Mohammad Abu Hasan Khondoker and Anastasia Leila Elias
Polymers 2021, 13(21), 3786; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13213786 - 01 Nov 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4731
Abstract
Sourced from agricultural waste, hemp hurds are a low-cost renewable material with high stiffness; however, despite their potential to be used as low-cost filler in natural fiber reinforced polymer biocomposites, they are often discarded. In this study, the potential to add value to [...] Read more.
Sourced from agricultural waste, hemp hurds are a low-cost renewable material with high stiffness; however, despite their potential to be used as low-cost filler in natural fiber reinforced polymer biocomposites, they are often discarded. In this study, the potential to add value to hemp hurds by incorporating them into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) biopolymer to form bio-based materials for packaging applications is investigated. However, as with many plant fibers, the inherent hydrophilicity of hemp hurds leads to inferior filler-matrix interfacial interactions, compromising the mechanical properties of the resulting biocomposites. In this study, two chemical treatments, alkaline (NaOH) and alkaline/peroxide (NaOH/H2O2) were employed to treat hemp hurds to improve their miscibility with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for the formation of biocomposites. The effects of reinforcement content (5, 10, and 15 wt. %), chemical treatments (purely alkaline vs. alkaline/peroxide) and treatment cycles (1 and 3 cycles) on the mechanical and thermal properties of the biocomposites were investigated. The biocomposites of treated hemp hurd powder exhibited enhanced thermal stability in the temperature range commonly used to process PLA (130–180 °C). The biocomposites containing 15 wt. % hemp hurd powder prepared using a single-cycle alkaline/peroxide treatment (PLA/15APHH1) exhibited a Young’s modulus of 2674 MPa, which is 70% higher than that of neat PLA and 9.3% higher than that of biocomposites comprised of PLA containing the same wt. % of untreated hemp hurd powder (PLA/15UHH). Furthermore, the tensile strength of the PLA/15APHH1 biocomposite was found to be 62.6 MPa, which was 6.5% lower than that of neat PLA and 23% higher than that of the PLA/15UHH sample. The results suggest that the fabricated PLA/hemp hurd powder biocomposites have great potential to be utilized in green and sustainable packaging applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass-Derived Polymer Composites/Blends)
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