Halloysite-based inorganic-organic hybrid coatings for durable flame retardant, hydrophobic and antibacterial properties of cotton fabrics.

Developing durable protective cotton fabrics (CF) against potential environmental dangers such as fire hazards and bacterial growth remains an imperative but tough challenge. In this study, flame retardant, antibacterial and hydrophobic CF were successfully prepared via two-step coating. The inner coating entailed polyelectrolyte complexes consisting of polyethyleneimine and ammonium polyphosphate with the goal of enhancing the flame retardancy of CF.

Simultaneous toughness and stiffness of 3D printed nano-reinforced polylactide matrix with complete stereo-complexation via hierarchical crystallinity and reactivity.

A novel strategy adaptive to 3D printing of stereo-complexed polylactide matrix for simultaneous toughness and stiffness was designed. Stereo-complexation is a potent way to enhance both aqueous stability and heat resistance of polylactide, but also aggravates brittleness problem of polylactide. Though poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) elastomer with epoxidized compatibilizer improved stiffness and toughness of common polylactide, their effectiveness on mechanical and crystallization properties of stereo-complexed polylactide remained unknown.

Hierarchical crystallization strategy adaptive to 3-dimentional printing of polylactide matrix for complete stereo-complexation.

A novel strategy adaptive to 3D printing of PLA matrix for complete stereo-complexation was designed. Stereo-complexation has been demonstrated for its effectiveness in simultaneously improving aqueous stability and heat resistance of PLA. However, current techniques could not be directly incorporated into 3D printing of stereo-complexed PLA since stereo-complexed crystallites are easily formed before printing.

Chitosan/gallnut tannins composite fiber with improved tensile, antibacterial and fluorescence properties.

Natural extracts gallnut tannins (GTs) were used as functional components to prepare chitosan/gallnut tannins (CS/GTs) composite fiber by blended solution spinning. Chitosan fiber has great potential to be used as absorbent suture and dressing due to its good biocompatibility. However, the weak mechanical properties limited its application.

Hybrid Nanocomposites of Cellulose/Carbon-Nanotubes/Polyurethane with Rapidly Water Sensitive Shape Memory Effect and Strain Sensing Performance.

In this work, a fast water-responsive shape memory hybrid polymer based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was prepared by crosslinking with hydroxyethyl cotton cellulose nanofibers (CNF-C) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The effect of CNTs content on the electrical conductivity of TPU/CNF-C/CNTs nanocomposite was investigated for the feasibility of being a strain sensor. In order to know its durability, the mechanical and water-responsive shape memory effects were studied comprehensively.

Degradation and regeneration of feather keratin in NMMO solution.

Chicken feather, a potential source of keratin, is often disposed as waste material. Although some methods, i.e.

Biodegradable sizing agents from soy protein via controlled hydrolysis and dis-entanglement for remediation of textile effluents.

Fully biodegradable textile sizes with satisfactory performance properties were developed from soy protein with controlled hydrolysis and dis-entanglement to tackle the intractable environmental issues associated with the non-biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in textile effluents. PVA derived from petroleum is the primary sizing agent due to its excellent sizing performance on polyester-containing yarns, especially in increasingly prevailing high-speed weaving. However, due to the poor biodegradability, PVA causes serious environmental pollution, and thus, should be substituted with more environmentally friendly polymers.

Pure keratin membrane and fibers from chicken feather.

In this research, keratin was extracted from the disposable chicken feather using l-cysteine as reducing agent. Then, it was re-dissolved in the sodium carbonate-sodium bicarbonate buffer, and the pure keratin membrane and fiber were fabricated by doctor-blade casting process and wet spinning method, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the chemical and physical properties of resulting powder, membrane and fiber.

Effects of monomers and homopolymer contents on the dry and wet tensile properties of starch films grafted with various methacrylates.

Starch grafted with four different methacrylates was compression molded to form thermoplastic films with good strength and water stability. Starch is an inexpensive and biodegradable polymer but is nonthermoplastic and needs to be chemically modified to make starch suitable for various applications. In this research, starch was grafted with four methacrylates (methyl, ethyl, butyl, and hexyl), and the effect of the length of the alkyl ester group on grafting parameters, thermoplasticity, and properties of thermoplastic films developed have been studied.

Development and characterization of thermoplastic films from sorghum distillers dried grains grafted with various methacrylates.

Distillers Dried Grains (DDG) obtained during production of ethanol from grain sorghum were grafted with methacrylates and compression molded into films with good dry and wet tensile properties. Since sorghum DDG contains up to 45% proteins that are indigestible by animals, it is necessary to find alternative applications to make sorghum ethanol economically competitive. In this research, sorghum DDG was grafted with methyl, ethyl, and butyl methacrylates, the grafted DDG was compression molded into films, and the properties of the grafted DDG and films were studied.

Bio-thermoplastics from grafted chicken feathers for potential biomedical applications.

This research demonstrated the feasibility of using bio-thermoplastics developed from chicken feathers grafted with acrylates and methacrylates as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Keratin, the major protein in feathers, is a highly crosslinked biopolymer that has been reported to be biocompatible. However, it is difficult to break the disulfide bonds and make keratin soluble to develop materials for tissue engineering and other medical applications.