Damping Properties of Hybrid Composites Made from Carbon, Vectran, Aramid and Cellulose Fibers

Hybridization of carbon fiber composites can increase the material damping of composite parts. However, there is little research on a direct comparison of different fiber materials—particularly for carbon fiber intraply-hybrid composites. Hence, the mechanical- and damping properties of different carbon fiber intraply hybrids are analyzed in this paper. Quasi unidirectional fabrics made of carbon, aramid, Vectran and cellulose fibers are produced, and their mechanical properties are analyzed. The material tests show an increased material damping due to the use of Vectran and aramid fibers, with a simultaneous reduction in strength and stiffness.

Production and Characterization of High Solid Content Cellulose Nanofibrils from Pretreated Fluff Pulp

The increasing demand for cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) necessitates the development of novel processes to produce high-solid content and consistent quality nanofibrils. In this study, we investigated the combination of mechanical and chemical pretreatment methods (carboxymethylcellulose, CMC dispersion, and sodium hydroxide, NaOH swelling with ball milling) for cellulose fibers followed by high-pressure homogenization to evaluate the CNF characteristics. The carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) dispersion with 75 min ball milling and NaOH swelling with 15, 45, and 75 min ball milling of cellulose slurry reduced the fiber dimensions by up to 90% that eased the fibrillation to produce about 6% solid content CNF during high-pressure homogenization. The characterization of CNF hydrogels produced from pretreated samples revealed that they had an average fibril width of less than 30 nm with good dispersion stability. The CMC dispersion and NaOH swelling with ball milling of cellulose slurry did not significantly affect the chemical structure and the crystallinity of CNF hydrogels. On the other hand, the tensile strength of all the pretreated CNF samples was increased up to 105±14 MPa when compared with that of the control sample (58±6 MPa). NaOH treatment has slightly increased the thermal stability of CNF samples over CMC treated and control samples. In conclusion, short fibers generated by mild alkaline pretreatment with ball milling followed by high-pressure homogenization of cellulose fibers can produce the consistent quality CNF with high solid content and tensile strengths for various industrial applications.

THE USE OF PHOTOCATALYTIC CONCRETES IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

The article discusses the possibility of reducing the atmospheric environmental load of highways by applying compositions with photocatalytic properties to acoustic screens. It is found that the amount of nitrogen oxides on the territory of the city of Moscow exceeds the MPC norms. Therefore, a potential way to reduce the level of the average daily and maximum one-time MPC of nitrogen oxides is proposed, when using coatings of traditional acoustic screens with photocatalytic compositions. Titanium dioxide in anatase form is considered as a photocatalytic agent. To reduce the density and increase the porosity of cement compositions, a cellulosic suspension obtained by saturation in an aqueous medium with subsequent homogenization is introduced. The effect of cellulose in the considered cement systems in combination with a photocatalytic agent has been investigated. By the method of mathematical planning, a two-factor compositional experiment is compiled. In result, the degrees of influence of titanium dioxide and cellulose additives on the strength, density and water absorption of the composites under study are established. The study of the structure of the obtained composites shows that TiO2 is mainly located on the surface of cellulose fibers, which theoretically increases the useful surface for photocatalytic reactions and, as a consequence, the final efficiency of the compositions.

The Inducible Accumulation of Cell Wall-Bound p-Hydroxybenzoates Is Involved in the Regulation of Gravitropic Response of Poplar

Lignin in Populus species is acylated with p-hydroxybenzoate. Monolignol p-hydroxybenzoyltransferase 1 (PHBMT1) mediates p-hydroxybenzoylation of sinapyl alcohol, eventually leading to the modification of syringyl lignin subunits. Angiosperm trees upon gravistimulation undergo the re-orientation of their growth along with the production of specialized secondary xylem, i.e., tension wood (TW), that generates tensile force to pull the inclined stem or leaning branch upward. Sporadic evidence suggests that angiosperm TW contains relatively a high percentage of syringyl lignin and lignin-bound p-hydroxybenzoate. However, whether such lignin modification plays a role in gravitropic response remains unclear. By imposing mechanical bending and/or gravitropic stimuli to the hybrid aspens in the wild type (WT), lignin p-hydroxybenzoate deficient, and p-hydroxybenzoate overproduction plants, we examined the responses of plants to gravitropic/mechanical stress and their cell wall composition changes. We revealed that mechanical bending or gravitropic stimulation not only induced the overproduction of crystalline cellulose fibers and increased the relative abundance of syringyl lignin, but also significantly induced the expression of PHBMT1 and the increased accumulation of p-hydroxybenzoates in TW. Furthermore, we found that although disturbing lignin-bound p-hydroxybenzoate accumulation in the PHBMT1 knockout and overexpression (OE) poplars did not affect the major chemical composition shifts of the cell walls in their TW as occurred in the WT plants, depletion of p-hydroxybenzoates intensified the gravitropic curving of the plantlets in response to gravistimulation, evident with the enhanced stem secant bending angle. By contrast, hyperaccumulation of p-hydroxybenzoates mitigated gravitropic response. These data suggest that PHBMT1-mediated lignin modification is involved in the regulation of poplar gravitropic response and, likely by compromising gravitropism and/or enhancing autotropism, negatively coordinates the action of TW cellulose fibers to control the poplar wood deformation and plant growth.

Iron-Loaded Carbon Aerogels Derived from Bamboo Cellulose Fibers as Efficient Adsorbents for Cr(VI) Removal

A unique iron/carbon aerogel (Fe/CA) was prepared via pyrolysis using ferric nitrate and bamboo cellulose fibers as the precursors, which could be used for high-efficiency removal of toxic Cr(VI) from wastewaters. Its composition and crystalline structures were characterized by FTIR, XPS, and XRD. In SEM images, the aerogel was highly porous with abundant interconnected pores, and its carbon-fiber skeleton was evenly covered by iron particles. Such structures greatly promoted both adsorption and redox reaction of Cr(VI) and endowed Fe/CA with a superb adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) (182 mg/g) with a fast adsorption rate (only 8 min to reach adsorption equilibrium), which outperformed many other adsorbents. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were also investigated. The experiment data could be much better fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetics model with a high correlating coefficient, suggesting that the Cr(VI) adsorption of Fe/CA was a chemical adsorption process. Meanwhile, the Langmuir model was found to better describe the isotherm curves, which implied the possible monolayer adsorption mechanism. It is noteworthy that the aerogel adsorbent as a bulk material could be easily separated from the water after adsorption, showing high potential in real-world water treatment.

A Facile Green Fabrication and Characterization of Cellulose-Silver Nanoparticle Composite Sheets for an Antimicrobial Food Packaging

The present study focused on a facile and green approach for the one-step synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded in hard wood bleached kraft fiber. The hydroxyl groups on the cellulose chain induced ionic silver reduction with additional hydrothermal energy, allowing for the in situ formation and deposition of AgNPs on the cellulose fiber. The white color of the bleached fiber transformed to yellow due to the formation of AgNPs. UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the AgNPs were uniformly distributed across the surface of the obtained cellulose fibers. The results indicated that the formation and distribution of AgNPs on surface of cellulose fibers was significantly influenced by the amount and concentration of silver nitrate (AgNO3). The antimicrobial activity of the cellulose-AgNP composite sheet against Escherichia coli was found to be inhibiting. These findings imply that cellulose-AgNP composite sheets can be feasibly used as antimicrobial paper for food packaging.