Preparation and Characterization of Novel Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites Reinforced with "Latxa" Sheep Wool Fibers: The Effect of Peroxide Surface Treatments and Fiber Content.

"Latxa" sheep wool is rough, and it is not used in the textile industry because the fiber diameter is high compared with other wool fibers. Nowadays, this wool is considered as disposal and, with the aim to give it value, new uses must be explored. In the current work, the "Latxa" sheep wool fiber was evaluated as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer reinforcement.

Effect of Cellulose Nanofibers' Structure and Incorporation Route in Waterborne Polyurethane-Urea Based Nanocomposite Inks.

In order to continue the development of inks valid for cold extrusion 3D printing, waterborne, polyurethane-urea (WBPUU) based inks with cellulose nanofibers (CNF), as a rheological modulator, were prepared by two incorporation methods, and , in which the CNF were added after and during the synthesis process, respectively. Moreover, in order to improve the affinity of the reinforcement with the matrix, modified CNF was also employed. In the preparation, interactions between CNFs and water prevail over interactions between CNFs and WBPUU nanoparticles, resulting in strong gel-like structures.

Cellulose and Graphene Based Polyurethane Nanocomposites for FDM 3D Printing: Filament Properties and Printability.

3D printing has exponentially grown in popularity due to the personalization of each printed part it offers, making it extremely beneficial for the very demanding biomedical industry. This technique has been extensively developed and optimized and the advances that now reside in the development of new materials suitable for 3D printing, which may open the door to new applications. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most commonly used 3D printing technique.

Influence of Process Parameters in graphene oxide Obtention on the Properties of mechanically strong alginate nanocomposites.

Sodium alginate, a biopolymer extracted from brown algae, has shown great potential for many applications, mainly due to its remarkable biocompatibility and biodegradability. To broaden its fields of applications and improve material characteristics, the use of nanoreinforcements to prepare nanocomposites with enhanced properties, such as carbonaceous structures which could improve thermal and mechanical behavior and confer new functionalities, is being studied. In this work, graphene oxide was obtained from graphite by using modified Hummers' method and exfoliation was assisted by sonication and centrifugation, and it was later used to prepare sodium alginate/graphene oxide nanocomposites.

Cellulose nanocrystals reinforced environmentally-friendly waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites.

Focusing on eco-friendly materials, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) have gained attention as nanoreinforcement due to their exceptional properties conferred by the elevated length/diameter aspect ratio and high specific mechanical properties. Furthermore, their water dispersibility makes them suitable nanoreinforcements for their incorporation in waterborne polyurethanes (WBPU). The possibility of tailoring the properties by varying the composition and nature of the reagents, opens the opportunity for a wide range of applications.

Water Uptake Behavior and Young Modulus Prediction of Composites Based on Treated Sisal Fibers and Poly(Lactic Acid).

The main aim of this work was to study the effect of sisal fiber surface treatments on water uptake behavior of composites based on untreated and treated fibers. For this purpose, sisal fibers were treated with different chemical treatments. All surface treatments delayed the water absorption of fibers only for a short time of period.

Functional properties and in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial effectiveness of pigskin gelatin films incorporated with hydrolysable chestnut tannin.

The impact of the incorporation of 10% w/w of hydrolyzable chestnut tannin into pigskin gelatin (G) films plasticized with glycerol (Gly) on the physicochemical properties as well as the in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial effectiveness against food-borne pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus was investigated. A higher tendency to both redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) coloration characterized gelatin films incorporated with chestnut tannin. The reduced lightness (L) and transparency of gelatin-chestnut tannin films plasticized with 30% w/w Gly might be associated with certain degree of phase separation which provoked the migration of the plasticizer to the film surface.