Designing Prepregnation and Fused Filament Fabrication Parameters for Recycled PP- and PA-Based Continuous Carbon Fiber Composites.

Continuous carbon fiber (cCF)-based 3D-printed polymer composites are known for their excellent flexural properties; however, the optimization of the overall process is still desired, depending on the material types involved. Here, the improved manufacturing of cCF-based composites is reported, considering virgin polyamide (PA) and postindustrial waste polypropylene (PP), and the parameters affecting the material properties are evaluated. Firstly, the prepregnation technique was optimized to manufacture cCF polymer filaments with various fiber-to-polymer ratios.

Playing with Low Amounts of Expanded Graphite for Melt-Processed Polyamide and Copolyester Nanocomposites to Achieve Control of Mechanical, Tribological, Thermal and Dielectric Properties.

Polyamide 11 (PA11) and copolyester (TPC-E) were compounded through melt extrusion with low levels (below 10%) of expanded graphite (EG), aiming at the manufacturing of a thermally and electrically conductive composite resistant to friction and with acceptable mechanical properties. Thermal characterisation showed that the EG presence had no influence on the onset degradation temperature or melting temperature. While the specific density of the produced composite materials increased linearly with increasing levels of EG, the tensile modulus and flexural modulus showed a significant increase already at the introduction of 1 wt% EG.

Carbon Nitride Grafting Modification of Poly(lactic acid) to Maximize UV Protection and Mechanical Properties for Packaging Applications.

Due to their biobased nature and biodegradability, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) rich blends are promising for processing in the packaging industry. However, pure PLA is brittle and UV transparent, which limits its application, so the exploration of nanocomposites with improved interfacial interactions and UV absorbing properties is worthwhile. We therefore developed and optimized synthesis routes for well-designed nanocomposites based on a PLA matrix and graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN; CN) nanofillers.

Solvent electrospinning amorphous solid dispersions with high itraconazole, celecoxib, mebendazole and fenofibrate drug loading and release potential.

In this work, the feasibility of ultra-high drug loaded amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) for the poorly soluble itraconazole, mebendazole and celecoxib via solvent electrospinning in combination with poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and fenofibrate in combination with polyvinylpyrrolidone is demonstrated. By lowering the polymer concentration in the electrospinning solution below its individual spinnable limit, ASDs with a drug content of up to 80 wt% are obtained. This is attributed to drug-polymer interactions not being limited by default to hydrogen bonds, as also Van der Waals interactions can result in high drug loadings.

Multicomponent Acrylic Formulation Design for Corrosion Casting with Controlled Mechanical Properties.

Corrosion casting based on the curing of acrylic resins enables one to create casts as replicas of body systems, enhancing our knowledge of veterinary medicine. The identification of the optimal chemical formulations as well as the processing conditions, the delivery of good control during the liquid state and the excellent macroscopic properties during solidification and after use are remaining challenges. In the present work, based on the identification of more qualitative trends, it is demonstrated that multicomponent comonomer mixtures are interesting materials that can be used to expand the range of mechanical properties and can specifically result in a better balance between stiffness and flexibility while guaranteeing dimensional stability.