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- Sanandaji, Nima, et al.
(författare)
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Unusual crystals of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) by unusual crystallisation : The effects of rapid cooling and fast solvent loss on the morphology, crystal structure and melting
- 2013
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Ingår i: Polymer. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-3861 .- 1873-2291. ; 54:5, s. 1497-1503
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The lateral habit, unit cell structure and melting behaviour of single crystals of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) prepared by the rapid expansion of a supercritical solution technique was studied by AFM at ambient and higher temperatures and by grazing-incident X-ray scattering using a synchrotron source. After dissolving PCL in a solution of supercritical CO2 and 0.1 vol.% chloroform, an extremely fast phase transfer from a supercritical to a gas-like state occurred during expansion into atmospheric conditions, leading to a temporary temperature drop to below -;50 degrees C at the silica surface where the crystals were deposited. Single crystals of a hitherto unreported rectangular lateral habit were observed. Six-sided crystals were also observed, but they were fewer than the rectangular crystals and in addition the angles between the lateral faces were different from the theoretical angles between adjacent {110} faces and {110} and {100} faces. X-ray scattering indicated a polymorphic structure also including the orthorhombic (110) and (200) diffraction peaks. Distinct low angle peaks essentially along the c-axis indicated a stacking on a very fine scale (3.7-4.7 nm) within the crystals. The equatorial diffraction peaks indicated a less dense packing of the PCL stems. Rectangular single crystals with a height according to AFM of 11-27 nm melted between 40 and 45 degrees C, which is lower than the melting points (55 degrees C) recorded for the distorted six-sided crystals. The unusual conditions for crystallisation used gave the polymer molecules a severe limitation to rearrange from the initial random coil state. The facetted crystals consisted of a stack of 4 nm thick blocks; these blocks most probably constituted a regular variation in molecular packing, i.e. molecular order. The pronounced changes in the angles between adjacent faces from those observed in mature PCL crystals and the wide-angle X-ray scattering data indicated the presence of conformational disorder in the crystals.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Kenth S., et al.
(författare)
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Surface modification of wheat gluten films for improved water resistance
- 2010
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Ingår i: Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0065-7727. ; 240
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Renewable packaging materials are of interest for a more sustainable environment, and wheat gluten (WG) is one of the most interesting candidates to replace petroleum-based oxygen-barrier polymers for packaging applications. This is due to its attractive combination of flexibility and strength, high gas (especially O2) barrier properties under low humidity conditions and renewability. The main drawback of WG, as with most biopolymers, is its water and moisture sensitivity. The aim of this study was therefore to improve the hydrophobicity of WG films by means of surface modification while maintaining the excellent O2 barrier properties. The surface modification work included a combination of electrospinning of WG fibers and different plasma surface modifications. The latter involved He plasma treatment for crosslinking the WG film prior to the deposition of electrospun WG fibers, O2/Ar plasma etching of the WG films with and without electrospun WG fibers for increasing the surface roughness, and plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and other hydrophobic precursors for hydrophobicity. The plasma polymerization trials were performed both at reduced and atmospheric pressure conditions. The aim of the combined work was to maximize the hydrophobicity by combining a suitable nano-microstructure of the WG fibers with the hydrophobicity of the plasma-deposited coatings. The surface modification work was mainly evaluated by means of water contact angle measurements (hydrophobicity), Scanning Electron Microscopy (surface structures), Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) (moisture barrier) and Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) measurements (oxygen barrier). The surface modification work resulted in significantly improved hydrophobic properties of the WG films. The initial water contact angle increased from 65 to 110-130 degrees, depending on the combinations of electrospinning and plasma modification conditions. The plasma coatings prepared at ambient conditions resulted in slightly lower contact angles compared the plasma coating prepared at reduced pressure. The WVTR and OTR measurements are still in progress and will be reported at the meeting.
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| 6. |
- Plackett, David, et al.
(författare)
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Physical Properties and Morphology of Films Prepared from Microfibrillated Cellulose and Microfibrillated Cellulose in Combination with Amylopectin
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Polymer Science. - : Wiley. - 0021-8995 .- 1097-4628. ; 117:6, s. 3601-3609
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two types of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) were prepared using either a sulfite pulp containing a high amount of hemicellulose (MFC 1) or a carboxymethylated dissolving pulp (MFC 2). MFC gels were then combined with amylopectin solutions to produce solvent-cast MFC-reinforced amylopectin films. Tensile testing revealed that MFC 2-reinforced films exhibited a more ductile behavior and that MFC 1-reinforced films had higher modulus of elasticity (E-modulus) at MFC loadings of 50 wt % or higher. Pure MFC films had relatively low oxygen permeability values when data were compared with those for a variety of other polymer films. MFC 1 and MFC 2 films had similar opacity but differences in appearance which were attributed to the presence of some larger fibers and nanofiber agglomerates in MFC 2. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to illustrate the morphology of MFC nanofibers in pure films and in an amylopectin matrix.
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| 7. |
- Rasheed, Faiza, et al.
(författare)
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Structural architecture and solubility of native and modified gliadin and glutenin proteins : non-crystalline molecular and atomic organization
- 2014
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - 2046-2069. ; 4:4, s. 2051-2060
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wheat gluten (WG) and its components, gliadin and glutenin proteins, form the largest polymers in nature, which complicates the structural architecture of these proteins. Wheat gluten, gliadin and glutenin proteins in unmodified form showed few secondary structural features. Structural modification of these proteins using heat, pressure and the chemical chaperone glycerol resulted in a shift to organized structure. In modified gliadin, nano-structural molecular arrangements in the form of hexagonal closed packed (HCP) assemblies with lattice parameter of (58 angstrom) were obvious together with development of intermolecular disulphide bonds. Modification of glutenin resulted in highly polymerized structure with proteins linked not only by disulphide bonds, but also with other covalent and irreversible bonds, as well as the highest proportion of beta-sheets. From a combination of experimental evidence and protein algorithms, we have proposed tertiary structure models of unmodified and modified gliadin and glutenin proteins. An increased understanding of gliadin and glutenin proteins structure and behavior are of utmost importance to understand the applicability of these proteins for various applications including plastic materials, foams, adhesives, films and coatings.
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| 8. |
- Chen, Fei, et al.
(författare)
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Wheat gluten/chitosan blends : A new biobased material
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Polymer Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-3057 .- 1873-1945. ; 60, s. 186-197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wheat gluten and chitosan are renewable materials that suffer from some poor properties that limit their use as a potential replacement of petroleum-based polymers. However, polymer blends based on wheat gluten and chitosan surprisingly reduced these shortcomings. Films were cast from acidic aqueous or water/ethanol solutions of wheat gluten and chitosan. Wheat gluten was the discontinuous phase in the 30-70 wt.% wheat gluten interval investigated. The most homogeneous films were obtained when reducing agents were used (alone or together with urea or glycerol). They consisted mainly of 1-2 mu m wheat gluten particles uniformly distributed in the continuous chitosan phase. Slightly smaller particles were also observed in the water/ethanol solvent system, but together with significantly larger particles (as large as 200 mu m). Both small and large particles were observed, albeit in different sizes and contents, when surfactants (both with and without a reducing agent) or urea (without a reducing agent) were used. The particles were often elongated, and preferably along the film, the most extreme case being observed when the glyoxal crosslinker was used together with sodium sulfite (reducing agent), showing particles with an average thickness of 0.6 mu m and an aspect ratio of 4.2. This film showed the highest transparency of all the blend films studied. For one of the most promising systems (with sodium sulfite), having good film homogeneity and small particles, the mechanical and moisture solubility/diffusivity properties were studied as a function of chitosan content. The extensibility, toughness and moisture solubility increased with increasing chitosan content, and the moisture diffusivity was highest for the pristine chitosan material. It is noteworthy that the addition of 30 wt.% wheat gluten to chitosan reduced the moisture uptake, while the extensibility/toughness remained unchanged.
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| 9. |
- Cho, Sung-Woo, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of glycerol content and film thickness on the properties of vital wheat gluten films cast at pH 4 and 1
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Polymer Science. - : Wiley. - 0021-8995 .- 1097-4628. ; 117:6, s. 3506-3514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study deals with the optical properties and plasticizer migration properties of vital wheat gluten (WG) films cast at pH 4 and 11. The films contained initially 8, 16, and 25 wt % glycerol and were aged at 23 degrees C and 50% relative humidity for at least 17 weeks on a paper support to simulate a situation where a paper packaging is laminated with an oxygen barrier film of WG. The films, having target thicknesses of 50 and 250 mu m, were characterized visually and with ultraviolet/visible and infrared spectroscopy; the mass loss was measured by gravimetry or by a glycerol-specific gas chromatography method. The thin films produced at pH 4 were, in general, more heterogeneous than those produced at pH 11. The thin pH 4 films consisted of transparent regions surrounding beige glycerol-rich regions, the former probably rich in gliadin and the latter rich in glutenin. This, together with less Maillard browning, meant that the thin pH 4 films, in contrast to the more homogeneous (beige) thin pH 11 films, showed good contact clarity. The variations in glycerol content did not significantly change the optical properties of the films. All the films showed a significant loss of glycerol to the paper support but, after almost 9 months, the thick pH 11 film containing initially 25 wt % glycerol was still very flexible and, despite a better contact to the paper, had a higher residual glycerol content than the pH 4 film, which was also more brittle.
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| 10. |
- Cho, Sung-Woo, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of glycerol content and film thickness on the properties of vital wheat gluten films cast at pH 4 and 11
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Polymer Science. - : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. - 0021-8995 .- 1097-4628. ; 117:6, s. 3506-3514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study deals with the optical properties and plasticizer migration properties of vital wheat gluten (WG) films cast at pH 4 and 11. The films contained initially 8, 16, and 25 wt.% glycerol and were aged at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity for at least 17 weeks on a paper support to simulate a situation where a paper packaging is laminated with an oxygen barrier film of WG. The films, having target thicknesses of 50 and 250 μm, were characterized visually and with ultraviolet/visible and infrared spectroscopy; the mass loss was measured by gravimetry or by a glycerol-specific gas chromatography method. The thin films produced at pH 4 were, in general, more heterogeneous than those produced at pH 11. The thin pH 4 films consisted of transparent regions surrounding beige glycerol-rich regions, the former probably rich in gliadin and the latter rich in glutenin. This, together with less Maillard browning, meant that the thin pH 4 films, in contrast to the more homogeneous (beige) thin pH 11 films, showed good contact clarity. The variations in glycerol content did not significantly change the optical properties of the films. All the films showed a significant loss of glycerol to the paper support but, after almost 9 months, the thick pH 11 film containing initially 25 wt.% glycerol was still very flexible and, despite a better contact to the paper, had a higher residual glycerol content than the pH 4 film, which was also more brittle.
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