Characterization of Nostoc muscorum NCCU-442 Derived Poly-3- hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Blends

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-207
Author(s):  
Sabbir Ansari ◽  
Tasneem Fatma

Background: Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) has attracted much consideration as biodegradable biocompatible polymer. This thermoplastic polymer has comparable material properties to polypropylene. Materials with more valuable properties may result from blending, a common practice in polymer science. Objective: In this paper, blends of PHB (extracted from cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum NCCU- 442 with polyethylene glycol (PEG) were investigated for their thermal, tensile, hydrophilic and biodegradation properties. Methods: Blends were prepared in different proportions of PHB/PEG viz. 100/0, 98/2, 95/5, 90/10, 80/20, and 70/30 (wt %) using solvent casting technique. Morphological properties were investigated by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were done for thermal properties determination whereas the mechanical and hydrophilic properties of the blends were studied by means of an automated material testing system and contact angle analyser respectively. Biodegradability potential of the blended films was tested as percent weight loss by mixed microbial culture within 60 days. Results: The blends showed good misciblity between PEG and PHB, however increasing concentrations of plasticizer caused morphological alteration as evidenced by SEM micrographs. PEG addition (10 % and above) showed significant alternations in the thermal properties of the blends. Increase in the PEG content increased the elongation at break ratio i.e enhanced the required plasticity of PHB. Rate of microbial facilitated degradation of the blends was greater with increasing PEG concentrations. Conclusion: Blending with PEG increased the crucial polymeric properties of cyanobacterial PHB.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gözde Konuk Ege ◽  
Hüseyin Yüce ◽  
Özge Akay ◽  
Hasbi Öner ◽  
Garip Genç

Purpose This paper aims to address the production of biocomposite nanofibers using luffa natural fibers and polyaniline conductive polymer/polyethylene oxides (PANI/PEO). Design/methodology/approach In this study, luffa natural fibers are extracted by chemical method. After mixing the treated luffa (TL) with the PANI/PEO solution, TL/PANI/PEO nanofibers were produced by electrospinning (ES) method under different ES parameters to examine the optimal conditions for nanofiber production. Then TL/PANI/PEO biocomposite nanofibers prepared in different weight ratios were produced to analyze the effects of luffa in the morphology and thermal properties of the biocomposite nanofibers. The characterization analysis of TL/PANI/PEO biocomposite nanofibers was performed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis methods. Findings The analysis shows that different weight ratios of TL to PANI/PEO changed the morphology of the membrane. When increasing the weight ratio of TL, the morphological structure of TL/PANI/PEO transformed from nanofiber structure to thin film structure. The appearance of O—H peaks in the FTIR results proved the existence of TL in PANI/PEO nanofibers (membrane). Moreover, an increase in the weight ratio of luffa from 2% to 7.5% leads to an increase in the peak intensity of the O—H group. Regarding DSC analysis, biocomposite nanofibers improved the thermal properties. According to all results, 2%wt TL/PANI/PEO showed optimal morphological properties. Originality/value Plant cellulose was extracted from the luffa, one of the natural fibers, by method of alkali treatment. A new type of biocomposite nanofibers was produced using TL blend with PANI via electrospinning method.


BioResources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 8051-8064
Author(s):  
Lijuan Ping ◽  
Yubo Chai ◽  
Bailing Sun ◽  
Junliang Liu

Rubber wood was modified with both a combination of silica sol and glyoxal urea (S-GU), and a combination of silica sol and glyoxal melamine urea (S-GMU). The physico-mechanical properties were measured. Thermal properties, chemical molecular structure, and cellular morphology were analyzed via thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The weight percent gain (WPG) increased as the concentration of the impregnated aqueous solutions increased. The S-GMU treated wood exhibited a greater WPG than the S-GU treated wood at the same concentration. Anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and modulus of rupture (MOR) of treated wood increased as the WPG increased. The highest ASE value was 42.0%, for the S-20%GMU treated wood, which was higher than the S-20%GU treated wood. The MOR of the S-20%GMU treated wood was improved by 25%. Thermal analyses showed the thermostability of S-GMU treated wood increased. FTIR results indicated the presence of C-N and Si-O-Si bonds in the S-GMU treated wood, and the lignin and carbohydrates degraded to a certain extent. SEM imaging showed that the S-GMU was deposited in the cell lumen and cell wall. Therefore, this study produced evidence of an improvement in the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of S-GMU treated wood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Khodaverdi ◽  
Farhad Eisvand ◽  
Mohammad Sina Nezami ◽  
Seyedeh Nesa Rezaeian Shiadeh ◽  
Hossein Kamali ◽  
...  

Background:: Doxycycline (DOX) is used in treating a bacterial infection, especially for periodontitis treatment. Objective: To reduce irritation of DOX for subgingival administration and increase the chemical stability and against enzy-matic, the complex of α-cyclodextrin with DOX was prepared and loaded into injectable in situ forming implant based on PLGA. Methods:: FTIR, molecular docking studies, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry was performed to char-acterize the DOX/α-cyclodextrin complex. Finally, the in-vitro drug release and modeling, morphological properties, and cellular cytotoxic effects were also evaluated. Results:: The stability of DOX was improved with complex than pure DOX. The main advantage of the complex is the al-most complete release (96.31 ± 2.56 %) of the drug within 14 days of the implant, whereas in the formulation containing the pure DOX and the physical mixture the DOX with α-cyclodextrin release is reached to 70.18 ± 3.61 % and 77.03 ± 3.56 %, respectively. This trend is due to elevate of DOX stability in the DOX/ α-cyclodextrin complex form within PLGA implant that confirmed by the results of stability. Conclusion:: Our results were indicative that the formulation containing DOX/α-cyclodextrin complex was biocompatible and sustained-release with minimum initial burst release.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2016
Author(s):  
Honghua Wang ◽  
Qilin Mei ◽  
Yujie Ding ◽  
Zhixiong Huang ◽  
Minxian Shi

Diallyl orthophthalate (DAOP) prepolymer was investigated as a reactive plasticizer to improve the processability of thermoplastics. The rheology of blends of DAOP prepolymer initiated by 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diphenylbutane (DMDPB) and polyphenylene oxide (PPO) was monitored during the curing process, and their thermal properties and morphology in separated phases were also studied. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the cure degree of the reactively plasticized DAOP prepolymer was reduced with increasing PPO due to the dilution effect. The increasing amount of the DAOP prepolymer led to a gradual decrease in the viscosity of the blends and the rheology behavior was consistent with the chemical gelation of DAOP prepolymer in blends. This indicated that the addition of the DAOP prepolymer effectively improved processability. The phase separation occurring during curing of the blend and the transition from the static to dynamic mode significantly influences the development of the morphology of the blend corresponding to limited evolution of the conversion around the gel point.


2019 ◽  
pp. 089270571987822
Author(s):  
Saud Aldajah ◽  
Mohammad Y Al-Haik ◽  
Waseem Siddique ◽  
Mohammad M Kabir ◽  
Yousef Haik

This study reveals the enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP- g-MA) with the addition of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). A nanocomposite was manufactured by blending various percentages of PP, MA, and NCC nanoparticles by means of a twin-screw extruder. The influence of varying the percentages of NCC on the mechanical and thermal behavior of the nanocomposite was studied by performing three-point bending, nanoindentation, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy tests. The novelty of this study stems on the NCC nanoparticles and their ability to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of PP. Three-point bending and nanoindentation tests revealed improvement in the mechanical properties in terms of strength, modulus, and hardness of the PP- g-MA nanocomposites as the addition of NCC increased. SEM showed homogeneity between the mixtures which proved the presence of interfacial adhesion between the PP- g-MA incorporated with NCC nanoparticles that was confirmed by the FTIR results. DSC and TGA measurements showed that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was not compromised due to the addition of the coupling agent and reinforced nanoparticles.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6234
Author(s):  
Ciprian Neagoe ◽  
Ioan Albert Tudor ◽  
Cristina Florentina Ciobota ◽  
Cristian Bogdanescu ◽  
Paul Stanciu ◽  
...  

Microencapsulation of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) as phase change material for high temperature thermal energy storage aims to reduce costs related to metal corrosion in storage tanks. The goal of this work was to test in a prototype thermal energy storage tank (16.7 L internal volume) the thermal properties of NaNO3 microencapsulated in zinc oxide shells, and estimate the potential of NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules for thermal storage applications. A fast and scalable microencapsulation procedure was developed, a flow calorimetry method was adapted, and a template document created to perform tank thermal transfer simulation by the finite element method (FEM) was set in Microsoft Excel. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transient plane source (TPS) methods were used to measure, in small samples, the temperature dependency of melting/solidification heat, specific heat, and thermal conductivity of the NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical analysis demonstrated the stability of microcapsules over multiple tank charge–discharge cycles. The energy stored as latent heat is available for a temperature interval from 303 to 285 °C, corresponding to onset–offset for NaNO3 solidification. Charge–self-discharge experiments on the pilot tank showed that the amount of thermal energy stored in this interval largely corresponds to the NaNO3 content of the microcapsules; the high temperature energy density of microcapsules is estimated in the range from 145 to 179 MJ/m3. Comparison between real tank experiments and FEM simulations demonstrated that DSC and TPS laboratory measurements on microcapsule thermal properties may reliably be used to design applications for thermal energy storage.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096739112110147
Author(s):  
Ufuk Abaci ◽  
H Yuksel Guney ◽  
Mesut Yilmazoglu

The effect of plasticizer on dielectric properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) composites was investigated. Propylene carbonate (PC) was used as plasticizer in the samples which were prepared with the conventional solvent casting technique. Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (SEM-EDX) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses and LCR Meter measurements (performed between 300 K and 400 K), were conducted to examine the properties of the composites. With the addition of plasticizer, the thermal properties have changed and the dielectric constant of the composite has increased significantly. The glass transition temperature of pure PMMA measured 121.7°C and this value did not change significantly with the addition of TiO2, however, 112°C was measured in the sample with the addition 4 ml of PC. While the dielectric constant of pure PMMA was 3.64, the ε′ value increased to 5.66 with the addition of TiO2 and reached 12.6 with the addition of 4 ml PC. These changes have been attributed to increase in amorphous ratio that facilitates polymer dipolar and segmental mobility.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095400832110130
Author(s):  
Hailong Li ◽  
Sipei Zhao ◽  
Li Pei ◽  
Zihe Qiao ◽  
Ding Han ◽  
...  

Polybenzoxazines are emerging as a class of high-performance thermoset polymers that can find their applications in various fields. However, its practical application is limited by its low toughness. The cyclic β-cyclodextrin and a newly synthesized derivative (β-cyclodextrin-MAH) were separately blended with benzoxazine to improve the toughness of polybenzoxazine. The results revealed that the maximum impact strength of the blend was 12.24 kJ·m−2 and 14.29 kJ·m−2 when 1 wt.% of β-Cyclodextrin and β-Cyclodextrin-MAH, respectively, were used. The strengths were 53% and 86% higher than that of pure polybenzoxazine. The curing reaction, possible chemical structures, and fractured surface were examined using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques to understand the mechanism of generation of toughness. The results revealed that the sea-island structure and the presence of hydrogen bonds between polybenzoxazine and β-cyclodextrin and β-cyclodextrin-MAH resulted in the generation of toughness. Furthermore, the curves generated during thermogravimetric analysis did not significantly change, revealing the good thermal properties of the system. The phase-separated structure and the hydrogen bonds present in the system can be exploited to prepare synergistically tough polybenzoxazine exhibiting excellent thermal properties. This can be a potential way of modifying the thermoset resins.


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