Biodecomposition with : A review.

is considered the model fungus for white rot fungi. It is the first basidiomycete whose genome has been completely sequenced. Its importance lies in the fact that its enzymatic system comprises the major enzymes involved in lignin degradation.

Effect of Graphene on the Mechanical Properties of Recycled High-Density and High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Blends.

This study uses an extrusion process to formulate blends based on recycled high-density and high-molecular-weight polyethylene (recHDPE, recHMWPE) for the manufacture of rainwater drainage pipes. The main objective of this project is to investigate the effects of incorporating graphene on the mechanical, thermal, and stress-cracking resistance properties of the recycled HDPE and HMWPE blends. Also, it aims to demonstrate that the addition of graphene may enable the use of different recycled polymers without compromising their properties.

Effect of Additives on Thermal Degradation and Crack Propagation Properties of Recycled Polyethylene Blends.

Additives, such as antioxidants (AOs), carbon black (CB) and compatibilizers (COs), are used in recycled polymer blends for different reasons. AOs slow thermal degradation, CB gives blends a black color and protect them against ultraviolet (UV) light, and compatibilizers improve compatibility between the different phases of the mixture and consequently enhance the mechanical properties of the final blend. In this paper, the three additives were added to recycled polyethylene (PE) blends to study their effect on the final properties and to determine the best formulations that help improve the mechanical properties of recycled PE blends.

Surface Modification of Flax Fibers with TMCTS-Based PECVD for Improved Thermo-Mechanical Properties of PLA/Flax Fiber Composites.

Significant progress has been made in recent years in the use of atmospheric pressure plasma techniques for surface modification. This research focused on the beneficial effects of these processes on natural by-products, specifically those involving natural fiber-based materials. The study explored the deposition of hydrophobic organosilicon-like thin films onto flax fibres through plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD), using tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS) as the precursor.

A Review of the Effect of Plasticizers on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Alginate-Based Films.

In recent years, there has been a growing attempt to manipulate various properties of biodegradable materials to use them as alternatives to their synthetic plastic counterparts. Alginate is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed or soil bacteria that is considered one of the most promising materials for numerous applications. However, alginate potential for various applications is relatively limited due to brittleness, poor mechanical properties, scaling-up difficulties, and high water vapor permeability (WVP).

Crystallinity and Gas Permeability of Poly (Lactic Acid)/Starch Nanocrystal Nanocomposite.

The present work seeks to determine the impact of weight percentage (wt%) of grafted starch nanocrystals (g-SNCs) on the oxygen and water vapour permeability of poly (lactic acid), PLA. Changes in the oxygen and water vapour permeability of PLA due to changes in PLA's crystalline structures and lamellar thickness were quantified. To this end, 3, 5, and 7 wt% of g-SNC nanoparticles were blended with PLA using the solvent casting method in order to study impact of g-SNC nanoparticles on crystallization behaviour, long spacing period, melting behavior, and oxygen and water barrier properties of PLA nanocomposites.

A biocompatible polypyrrole membrane for biomedical applications.

Polypyrrole (PPy) is the most widely investigated electrically conductive biomaterial. However, because of its intrinsic rigidity, PPy has only been used either in the form of a composite or a thin coating. This work presents a pure and soft PPy membrane that is synergically reinforced with the electrospun polyurethane (PU) and poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) fibers.

Isolation of cellulose-II nanospheres from flax stems and their physical and morphological properties.

In this study, cellulose-II nanospheres (CNS) were extracted from flax fibers and analyzed to understand the crystalline, functional and morphological properties by means of X-ray Diffraction (X-RD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FT-IR and SEM results indicate the effective removal of extractives, lignin and hemicellulose. X-RD results clearly show the transformation from cellulose-I to cellulose-II during the mercerization process.

Importance of the PMMA viscoelastic rheology on the reduction of the leakage risk during osteoporotic bone augmentation: A numerical leakage model through a porous media.

Osteoporotic fractures poses one of the most problematic health issues that affects millions of people by weakening their bones (Osteoporosis). Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement is usually used to augment the bone and stabilize the fractures. Despite the benefit of using PMMA, it might cause a leakage where the cement undesirably access the surrounding tissues or vessels and lead to a serious complications.

In situ synthesis and characterization of silver/polymer nanocomposites by thermal cationic polymerization processes at room temperature: initiating systems based on organosilanes and starch nanocrystals.

New methods for the preparation of silver nanoparticles/polymer nanocomposite materials by thermal cationic polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) or α-pinene oxide (α-PO) at room temperature (RT) and under air were developed. The new initiating systems were based on silanes (Si), starch nanocrystals (StN) and metal salts. Excellent polymerization profiles were revealed.

Comparison between parallel transfer matrix method and admittance sum method.

A transfer matrix method to predict absorption coefficient and transmission loss of parallel assemblies of materials which can be expressed by a 2 × 2 transfer matrix was published recently. However, the usual method based on the sum of admittances is largely used to predict also surface admittance of parallel assemblies. This paper aims to highlight differences between both methods through three examples on a parallel assembly backed by (1) a rigid wall, (2) an air cavity, and (3) an anechoic termination.

Transfer matrix method applied to the parallel assembly of sound absorbing materials.

The transfer matrix method (TMM) is used conventionally to predict the acoustic properties of laterally infinite homogeneous layers assembled in series to form a multilayer. In this work, a parallel assembly process of transfer matrices is used to model heterogeneous materials such as patchworks, acoustic mosaics, or a collection of acoustic elements in parallel. In this method, it is assumed that each parallel element can be modeled by a 2 × 2 transfer matrix, and no diffusion exists between elements.