Polymer Composites from Renewable Resources

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 (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 11320

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Polymer and Dye Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 12/16, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: cellulose fibers; surface modification; moisture content; ethylene–norbornene copolymer; biocomposites; polylactide; polymers; elastomers; flavonoids; polyphenol; antioxidant; aging of polymer; degradation of polymer; stabilization; stabilizers; substances of plant origin; biodegradation; extracts; biopolymers; polyester; PLA; PHA
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Polymer and Dye Technology, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Lodz, Stefanowskiego 12/16, Poland
Interests: cellulose fibres; surface modification; moisture content; ethylene-norbornene copolymer; biocomposites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymers are polymers generated from renewable natural sources, which are often biodegradable and nontoxic. The relative importance of macromolecular materials based on renewable resources suffered a gradual setback, first with the rapid surge of coal-based chemistry starting from that period and later with the petrochemical revolution of the 20th century. The growing number of publications on biodegradable materials, however, indicates persistent interest in and demand for this type of materials. Hence, it seems advisable to continue the studies aimed at the preparation of biodegradable composites. The equally relevant aspects related to the use of renewable resources to produce a remarkable variety of chemicals through the implementation of the biorefinery strategy have been recently assessed in a series of comprehensive reviews. Manuscripts describing studies pointing to such targets will be welcome in this Special Issue of Polymers (MDPI).

Prof. Anna Masek
Mr. Stefan Cichosz
Guest Editors

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

  • cellulose
  • natural fibers
  • composites
  • polymer
  • renewable resources
  • plant materials
  • substances of plant origin

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 4603 KiB  
Article
Poly(vinyl chloride) Composites with Raspberry Pomace Filler
by Jacek Mirowski, Rafał Oliwa, Mariusz Oleksy, Jolanta Tomaszewska, Joanna Ryszkowska and Grzegorz Budzik
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13071079 - 29 Mar 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2618
Abstract
This study examined, the effect of chemically extracted raspberry pomace on the thermal stability, mechanical properties, flammability, chemical structure and processing of poly(vinyl chloride). It was observed that the pomace in this study was used to extract naphtha, thereby permitting the removal of [...] Read more.
This study examined, the effect of chemically extracted raspberry pomace on the thermal stability, mechanical properties, flammability, chemical structure and processing of poly(vinyl chloride). It was observed that the pomace in this study was used to extract naphtha, thereby permitting the removal of bio-oil as a factor preventing the obtaining of homogeneous composites. Furthermore, adding 20% raspberry pomace filler after extraction extended the thermal stability time for the composites by about 30%. It was observed that composite density, impact strength, and tensile strength values decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of filler in the PVC matrix. At the same time, their modulus of elasticity and Shore hardness increased. All tested composites were characterized by a good burning resistance with a flammability rating of V0 according to the UL94 test. Adding 20 to 40% of a natural filler to the PVC matrix made it possible to obtain composites for the production of flame resistant elements that emitted less hydrogen chloride under fire conditions while ensuring good rigidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites from Renewable Resources)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 4550 KiB  
Article
Natural Rubber Latex Foam Reinforced with Micro- and Nanofibrillated Cellulose via Dunlop Method
by Sirilak Phomrak, Adun Nimpaiboon, Bi-min Zhang Newby and Muenduen Phisalaphong
Polymers 2020, 12(9), 1959; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12091959 - 29 Aug 2020
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 8160
Abstract
Natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) was reinforced with micro- and nanofibrillated cellulose at a loading content of 5–20 parts per hundred of rubber (phr) via the Dunlop process. Cellulose powder from eucalyptus pulp and bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as a microcellulose (MC) [...] Read more.
Natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) was reinforced with micro- and nanofibrillated cellulose at a loading content of 5–20 parts per hundred of rubber (phr) via the Dunlop process. Cellulose powder from eucalyptus pulp and bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as a microcellulose (MC) and nanocellulose (NC) reinforcing agent, respectively. NRLF, NRLF-MC, and NRLF-NC exhibited interconnected macroporous structures with a high porosity and a low-density. The composite foams contained pores with sizes in a range of 10–500 µm. As compared to MC, NC had a better dispersion inside the NRLF matrix and showed a higher adhesion to the NRLF matrix, resulting in a greater reinforcement. The most increased tensile strengths for MC and NC incorporated NRLF were found to be 0.43 MPa (1.4-fold increase) and 0.73 MPa (2.4-fold increase), respectively, by reinforcing NRLF with 5 phr MC and 15 phr NC, whereas the elongation at break was slightly reduced. Compression testing showed that the recovery percentage was improved to 34.9% (1.3-fold increase) by reinforcement with 15 phr NC, whereas no significant improvement in the recovery percentage was observed with MC. Both NRLF-MC and NRLF-NC presented hydrophobic surfaces and good thermal stability up to 300 °C. Due to their highly porous structure, after a prolong immersion in water, NRLF composites had high water uptake abilities. According to their properties, the composite foams could be further modified for use as green absorption or supporting materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Composites from Renewable Resources)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop