Fungal and enzymatic pretreatments of bamboo lignocellulose towards high-strength biocomposites: Biological macromolecule/enzyme interaction and bonding enhancement.

An energy-intensive and chemical-consuming pretreatment of bamboo is often required to develop its high-performance composites. This study is to evaluate a fungal and enzymatic pretreatment as a sustainable surface modification approach towards high-strength bamboo biocomposites based on D. sinicus.

Novel hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polymer as a synergistic modifier with tannin for preparation of casein-based films with superior performance.

A hyperbranched poly (titanium oxide) (HBPTi) with hydroxyl terminal groups was synthesized via polycondensation reaction as a synergistic modifier with tannin to promote performance of casein-based composite film. The synergistic effects of HBPTis, acquiring different hyperbranched structures, with tannin on the microstructure, mechanical characteristics, barrier against water vapor, and thermal stability of casein-based film were investigated in this work. The tensile strength of the composite films increased from 7.

Towards high performance wood composites through interface customization with cellulose-based adhesive.

How to efficiently produce high performance plywood is of particular interest, while its sensitivity to moisture is overcome. This paper presents a simple and scalable strategy for the preparation of high-performance plywood based on the chemical bonding theory; a wood interfacial functionalized platform (WIFP) based on (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) was established. Interestingly, the APTES-enhanced dialdehyde cellulose-based adhesive (DAC-APTES) was able to effectively establish chemically active adhesive interfaces; the dry/wet shear strength of WIFP/DAC-APTES adhesive was 3.

Enhancing supercapacitor electrochemical performance through acetate-ion intercalation in layered nickel-cobalt double hydroxides.

Enhancing the performance of layered nickel-cobalt double hydroxides (NiCo-LDH) as electrode materials for supercapacitors represents a promising strategy for optimizing energy storage systems. However, the complexity of the preparation method for electrode materials with enhanced electrochemical performance and the inherent defects of nickel-cobalt LDH remain formidable challenges. In this study, we synthesized acetate-ion-intercalated NiCo-LDH (NCLA) through a simple one-step hydrothermal method.

Fungal Selectivity and Biodegradation Effects by White and Brown Rot Fungi for Wood Biomass Pretreatment.

The biodegradation path and mechanism of wood varies depending on diverse fungi and tree species, as fungi possess selectivity in degradation of versatile wood components. This paper aims to clarify the actual and precise selectivity of white and brown rot fungi and the biodegradation effects on different tree species. Softwood ( and ) and hardwood ( and ) were subjected to a biopretreating process by white rot fungus , and brown rot fungi and with various conversion periods.

Correction: Preparation of gypsum/sawdust green composite with spray coating.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C5RA18707A.].

Binary additives of polyamide epichlorohydrin-nanocellulose for effective valorization of used paper.

This paper presents a binary reinforcement system of polyamide polyamine epichlorohydrin with nanocellulose (PAE-NC) for effectively modification of the reclaimed fibres for paper production, and based on the improvement of physical and mechanical properties of cellulosic fibres together with PAE-NC self-crosslinking networks, the strengthening mechanisms of recycled papers are examined. The PAE-NC binary system was applied directly to old corrugated container (OCC) and softwood bleached kraft pulp (SWBKP), and handsheets are prepared with varying amounts of PAE/NC/PAE-NC, namely 0.05, 0.

Microstructural architecture and mechanical properties of empowered cellulose-based aerogel composites via TEMPO-free oxidation.

This paper describes the development of cellulose-based aerogel composites enhanced via a new refinement process. The behaviour and microstructure of treated cellulose aerogel composites are examined including, how the constituents interact and contribute to the overall aerogel composite mechanism. The various forms of cellulose such as treated microcrystalline cellulose (MCT), nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) are also compared.

Construction of advanced zeolitic imidazolate framework derived cobalt sulfide/MXene composites as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors.

The TiCT with excellent conductivity is used in a novel cobalt-based ZIF-67/TiCT composites, sulfide derivative (CoS/TiCT) of which is then applied as an active supercapacitor material. The specific capacitance of ZIF-67/TiCT is significantly higher than that of unmodified ZIF-67. The sulfide-containing derivatives of these compounds demonstrated pseudocapacitance.

Functional Group Modification and Bonding Characteristics of Ti C MXene-Organic Composites from First-Principles Calculations.

The unique physical structure and abundant surface functional groups of MXene make the grafted organic molecules exhibit specific electrical and optical properties. This work reports the results of first-principles calculations to investigate the composite systems formed by different organic molecular monomers, namely acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), 1-aziridineethanol (1-AD) and glucose, and Ti C MXene saturated with different functional groups, namely -OH, -O and -F. The results show that the interaction between organic molecules and the MXene surface depends on the type of functional groups of the organic molecules, while the strength of the interaction is determined by the type of surface functional groups and the number of hydrogen bonds.

Interfacial structure and property of eco-friendly carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) biocomposites.

This paper investigates the interface bonding of the novel carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biocomposites, and the influence of coupling agents on the structure and properties of the biocomposites. The chemical structure, crystallisation behaviour and microstructure of the untreated and coupling agent treated biocomposites were examined by using FTIR, XRD and SEM respectively. The results suggested that maleic anhydride (MA) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) covalently bonded to both CMC and PHBV macromolecules owing to their intrinsic multifunctionality, and promoted the distribution and embedment of the CMC in PHBV matrix, leading to a superior interfacial bonding of the resulted biocomposites.

Effect of morphology and phase engineering of MoS on electrochemical properties of carbon nanotube/polyaniline@MoS composites.

This paper rationally designs the morphology and phase structure of carbon nanotube/polyaniline@MoS (CNT/PANI@MoS) composites, with MoS conductive wrapping growing vertically on the outer layer of the composites via hydrothermal method. The crystalline nature and chemical properties are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Flourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Morphology and microstructures are determined by Scanning electric microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET).

Improved wet shear strength in eco-friendly starch-cellulosic adhesives for woody composites.

Development of eco-friendly adhesives from renewable biomass has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Here, we present a novel approach via combination of waste newspaper (WNP) powder, oxidized glutinous rice starch, and polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) to prepare a formaldehyde-free starch-cellulosic adhesive (SCA) for woody composites. The oxidation treatment made the carboxyl/carbonyl groups more available in starch.

Cost-Effective Monolithic Hierarchical Carbon Cryogels with Nitrogen Doping and High-Performance Mechanical Properties for CO Capture.

Cost-effective nitrogen-doped monolithic hierarchical carbon cryogels with excellent mechanical properties and carbon dioxide (CO) adsorption performance were prepared from phenol, melamine, and formaldehyde (PMF) by the sol-gel, freeze-drying, and then, pyrolysis processes under an inert atmosphere. The morphology, mechanical properties, pore structure, and chemical characteristics of these cryogels were investigated. The results showed that the dilution ratio played a crucial role in the preparation of nitrogen-doped PMF carbon cryogels with controlled structures.

Synthesis of activated carbon from biowaste of fir bark for methylene blue removal.

Activated carbon (AC) was successfully prepared from low-cost forestry fir bark (FB) waste using KOH activation method. Morphology and texture properties of ACFB were studied by scanning and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies (SEM and HRTEM), respectively. The resulting fir bark-based activated carbon (ACFB) demonstrated high surface area (1552 m g) and pore volume (0.

A circular economy use of recovered sludge cellulose in wood plastic composite production: Recycling and eco-efficiency assessment.

This paper presents a novel development of sludge cellulose plastic composite (SPC) in line with the circular economy concept by using recovered sludge cellulose from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Bearing the aim of replacing the wood in wood plastic composite (WPC) with sludge cellulose, WPC was developed in parallel for determining the substitution potentials. In order to maximise the integration of properties, maleic anhydride (MA) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) coupling agents were employed to refine the interfacial bonding of both SPC and WPC.

Effect of PVC film pretreatment on performance and lamination of wood-plastic composite plywood.

In order to solve the practical problem of heat transfer during the hot pressing process of a novel wood-plastic composite plywood, this paper investigates the perforation treatment of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic films and their plywood composites. The PVC films were pretreated by the physical punching method, and the effects of PVC perforation diameter, hot pressing time and hot pressing temperature on the mechanical properties of the plywood composites were investigated by orthogonal experimental design. The results showed that the optimum hot pressing time was 7 min, the hot pressing temperature was 170 °C, and the PVC perforation diameter was 15 mm for the optimum mechanical properties.

Revealing the Interface Structure and Bonding Mechanism of Coupling Agent Treated WPC.

This paper presents the interfacial optimisation of wood plastic composites (WPC) based on recycled wood flour and polyethylene by employing maleated and silane coupling agents. The effect of the incorporation of the coupling agents on the variation of chemical structure of the composites were investigated by Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Solid state C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analyses. The results revealed the chemical reactions that occurred between the coupling agents and raw materials, which thus contributed to the enhancement of compatibility and interfacial adhesion between the constituents of WPC.

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic chitosan/nanofibrillated cellulose aerogel for highly efficient oil/water separation.

Marine pollution caused by frequent oil spill accidents has already produced catastrophic influence on marine ecological environments. Even though traditional superhydrophobic/superoleophilic surface-coated materials have demonstrated to be effective for oil/water separation, they still suffer from complicated fabrication procedures, mechanical damages and loss of their superoleophobicity in high-salinity environments. Herein, a robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel was introduced for highly efficient oil/seawater separation, which was fabricated by incorporating nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) into chitosan (CS) matrix through freeze-drying method.

Facile Cellulose Dissolution and Characterization in the Newly Synthesized 1,3-Diallyl-2-ethylimidazolium Acetate Ionic Liquid.

A facile cellulose solvent 1,3-diallyl-2-ethylimidazolium acetate ([AAeim][OAc]) with high electrical conductivity has been designed and synthesized for the first time, via a quaternization reaction and ion exchange method. The dissolution characteristics of cellulose in this solvent were studied in detail. Meanwhile, the co-solvent system was designed by adding an aprotic polar solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in [AAeim][OAc].

Detailed Analysis of Wheat Straw Node and Internode for Their Prospective Efficient Utilization.

In order to efficiently utilize wheat straw, the systematic examination of their cell wall components, chemical structures, morphology, and relation to the physicochemical and mechanical properties is necessary. Detailing of node and internode signifies their different features and characteristics which can ultimately lead to their separated processing for enhanced efficiency and higher value-added biorefinery. In this study, distinct variations were found among characteristics of node and internode, inner and outer surface.

A robust superhydrophobic TiO NPs coated cellulose sponge for highly efficient oil-water separation.

Oil-water separation has recently become a worldwide concern because of the increasing oil spill accidents and industrial oily wastewater generation. Herein, a facile method with the combined superhydrophobic coating and adhesive was used to fabricate superhydrophobic TiO NPs coated cellulose sponge. The developed materials exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity (WCA = 171°) and superoleophilicity (OCA = 0°), which can separate a variety of oil-water mixtures, including chloroform, toluene, kerosene and other contaminations.

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic alginate/graphene oxide aerogel for efficient oil/water separation in marine environments.

Marine pollution caused by frequent oil spill accidents has brought about tremendous damages to marine ecological environment. Therefore, the facile large-scale preparation of three-dimensional (3D) porous functional materials with special wettability is in urgent demand. In this study, we report a low-cost and salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel for efficient oil/seawater separation.

New insight into binary TiO@C nanocomposites: the crucial effect of an interfacial microstructure.

Combining with carbon materials is a common and efficient strategy to improve the photocatalytic performance of TiO. But the fundamental nature of the interfacial microstructures between carbon and TiO and how they affect the photocatalysis process remain controversial. In this work, hybrid TiO@C nanocomposites with different carbon contents are synthesized.

Microstructure and Quantitative Micromechanical Analysis of Wood Cell-Emulsion Polymer Isocyanate and Urea-Formaldehyde Interphases.

Emulsion polymer isocyanate (EPI) and urea-formaldehyde (UF) were selected as typical resin systems to investigate the microstructure of wood-adhesive interphases by fluorescence microscopy (FM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Further, a quantitative micromechanical analysis of the interphases was conducted using nanoindentation. The FM results showed that the UF resin could penetrate the wood to a greater extent than the EPI resin, and that the average penetration depth for these two resin systems was higher in the case of latewood.