| 1. |
- Ait Benhamou, Anass, et al.
(författare)
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Strong and Flame-Resistant Nanocellulose Sheets Derived from Agrowastes via a Papermaking-Assisted Process
- 2024
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Ingår i: acs applied polymer materials. - 2637-6105. ; 6:5, s. 2763-2776
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent decades, the production of nanocellulose has gained significant attention. Nanocellulose-based film materials have found widespread applications in various high-end sectors owing to their remarkable characteristics. Nevertheless, the limitation of certain functional properties, such as resistance to water and fire, has posed challenges to their broader utilization. In this study, we conducted a comparative investigation on the impact of two distinct chemical modifications, namely, TEMPO-mediated oxidation and phosphorylation, on the production of nanocellulose sheets via a papermaking-assisted process. This approach explores the synergistic effects of these modifications in enhancing the properties of cellulose nanofibers for nanopaper production. To achieve this, we proposed utilizing Henna stems as an alternative source of cellulosic material, aiming to harness untapped agricultural residues as a sustainable alternative to conventional sources such as wood and cotton. The phosphorylated Henna nanopaper exhibited substantial enhancements in terms of mechanical properties, wettability, fire resistance, and water vapor permeability when compared to the TEMPO-modified Henna nanopaper. In conclusion, our findings underscore the potential of Henna stems as an environmentally sustainable source of cellulose for nanofiber production, positioning it as a promising alternative to wood and other lignocellulosic sources for advanced applications.
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| 2. |
- Belaineh, Dagmawi, et al.
(författare)
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Controlling the Organization of PEDOT:PSS on Cellulose Structures
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2637-6105. ; 1:9, s. 2342-2351
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Composites of biopolymers and conducting polymers are emerging as promising candidates for a green technological future and are actively being explored in various applications, such as in energy storage, bioelectronics, and thermoelectrics. While the device characteristics of these composites have been actively investigated, there is limited knowledge concerning the fundamental intracomponent interactions and the modes of molecular structuring. Here, by use of cellulose and poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), it is shown that the chemical and structural makeup of the surfaces of the composite components are critical factors that determine the materials organization at relevant dimensions. AFM, TEM, and GIVVAXS measurements show that when mixed with cellulose nanofibrils, PEDOT:PSS organizes into continuous nanosized beadlike structures with an average diameter of 13 nm on the nanofibrils. In contrast, when PEDOT:PSS is blended with molecular cellulose, a phase-segregated conducting network morphology is reached, with a distinctly relatively lower electric conductivity. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of PEDOT:PSS crystallization and may have significant implications for the design of conducting biopolymer composites for a vast array of applications.
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| 3. |
- Bergfelt, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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A Mechanical Robust yet highly Conductive Diblock Copolymer-based Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Room Temperature Structural Battery Applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2637-6105. ; 2:2, s. 939-948
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper we present a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) that uniquely combines ionic conductivity and mechanical robustness. This is achieved with a diblock copolymer poly(benzyl methacrylate)-poly(ε-caprolactone-r-trimethylene carbonate). The SPE with 16.7 wt% lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) showed the highest ionic conductivity (9.1×10−6 S cm−1 at 30 °C) and apparent transference number (T+) of 0.64 ± 0.04. Due to the employment of the benzyl methacrylate hard-block, this SPE is mechanically robust with a storage modulus (E') of 0.2 GPa below 40 °C, similar to polystyrene, thus making it a suitable material also for load-bearing constructions. The cell Li|SPE|LiFePO4 is able to cycle reliably at 30 °C for over 300 cycles. The promising mechanical properties, desired for compatibility with Li-metal, together with the fact that BCT is a highly reliable electrolyte material makes this SPE an excellent candidate for next-generation all-solid-state batteries.
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| 4. |
- Björn, Linnea, 1994, et al.
(författare)
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Process-Induced Structures of Injection-Molded High-Density Polyethylene─Combining X-ray Scattering and Finite Element Modeling
- 2024
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - 2637-6105. ; 6:8, s. 4852-4864
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The success of plastics heavily relies on fast melt processing methods used for large-scale industrial manufacturing, including injection molding. The hierarchical structure of the solid polymer depends on material selection combined with processing conditions, making mechanical properties of the injection molded part difficult to predict. Here we show how scanning small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering, birefringence microscopy, and polarized light optical microscopy can be combined with injection molding simulations to shed light on the correlation between the polymer morphology of high-density polyethylene and processing conditions. The scattering data revealed that the complex layered structure highly depends on the pressure during the holding phase of injection molding. Furthermore, we identified specific work of flow as a main parameter to capture the changes in morphology induced by varying the process settings. Overall, a good agreement was found between experimental data and the computational simulations, suggesting that computational simulations can be further used to predict the multiphase morphology of injection molded parts.
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| 5. |
- Björn, Linnea, 1994, et al.
(författare)
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Scanning Small-Angle X-ray Scattering of Injection-Molded Polymers: Anisotropic Structure and Mechanical Properties of Low-Density Polyethylene
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - 2637-6105. ; 5:8, s. 6429-6440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Injection molding is known to create a layered anisotropicmorphologyacross the sample thickness due to varying shear and cooling ratesduring the manufacturing process. In this study, scanning small-angleX-ray scattering was used to visualize and quantify the distributionof hierarchical structures present in injection-molded parts of low-densitypolyethylene (LDPE) with varying viscosities. By combining scatteringdata with results from injection molding simulations and tensile testing,we find that oriented shish-kebab structures, as well as elongatedspherulite structures consisting of semicrystalline ellipsoids, contributeto high ultimate tensile strength along the flow direction. Furthermore,we show that a higher degree of orientation is found close to theinjection gate and in LDPE with higher viscosity, consequently fromelevated shear and cooling rates present during the injection moldingprocess.
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| 6. |
- Boventi, Matteo, et al.
(författare)
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Porosity of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Investigated by 129Xe NMR Spectroscopy
- 2022
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2637-6105. ; 4:12, s. 8740-8749
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) display intriguing recognition properties and can be used as sensor recognition elements or in separation. In this work, we investigated the formation of hierarchical porosity of compositionally varied MIPs using 129Xe Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and 1H Time Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR). Variable temperature 129Xe NMR established the morphological variation with respect to the degree of cross-linking, supported by 1H TDNMR determination of polymer chain mobility. Together, the results indicate that a high degree of cross-linking stabilizes the porous structure: highly cross-linked samples display a significant amount of accessible mesopores that instead collapse in less structured polymers. No significant differences can be detected due to the presence of templated pores in molecularly imprinted polymers: in the dry state, these specific shapes are too small to accommodate xenon atoms, which, instead, probe higher levels in the porous structure, allowing their study in detail. Additional resonances at a high chemical shift are detected in the 129Xe NMR spectra. Even though their chemical shifts are compatible with xenon dissolved in bulk polymers, variable temperature experiments rule out this possibility. The combination of 129Xe and TDNMR data allows attribution of these resonances to softer superficial regions probed by xenon in the NMR time scale. This can contribute to the understanding of the surface dynamics of polymers.
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| 7. |
- Börjesson, Mikaela, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Thermoplastic and flexible films from arabinoxylan
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2637-6105. ; 1:6, s. 1443-1450
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current interest in replacing fossil-fuel-derivedpolymers and materials in favor of renewable materials is high.An inherent difficulty with the use of biomass-derivedpolysaccharides and hemicelluloses in this context, however,is their stiffness and lack offlowability at temperatures relevantfor thermal processing, which severely limits their capacity forthermal processing. Here, we present a modification thatenables a heat-processable arabinoxylan (AX). The modifica-tion involves a ring-opening oxidation to a dialdehyde withsubsequent reduction of the aldehydes to alcohol, to increasethe number of OH groups, followed by an etherification withhydrophobic alkyl chains. The modified AX was successfullycompression molded with heat intofilmswhich becomethermoplastic in behavior and highlyflexibleandflows at temperatures above 130°C. Thefilms are stretchable up to 200%,and their strength and strain deformation are controlled by the degree of oxidation and substitution of the AX polymer. Thesefindings are highly encouraging and open up the potential use of modified AX alone or as a composite in applications thatincludefilms, food packaging, and barriers via hot-melt processing techniques.
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| 8. |
- Fall, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Spinning of Stiff and Conductive Filaments from Cellulose Nanofibrils and PEDOT:PSS Nanocomplexes
- 2022
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2637-6105. ; 4:6, s. 4119-4130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research in smart textiles is growing due to the increased demand from the healthcare sector and people's urge to keep track of and analyze the signals and metrics from their bodies. Electrically conductive filaments are the most fundamental material for smart textiles. These filaments can be imbued with functionalities and useful in fields like energy storage, sensing, and actuation. To be able to meet the requirements that the latter applications require, fabrication techniques must be developed to provide better processability and sustainability in a cost-effective manner. Here, a mixture of a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), and biobased cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) was used to spin filaments utilizing a water-based process. These filaments show electrical conductivities up to 150 S/cm and tensile stiffness of 20 GPa. Interestingly, the PEDOT aligned to a similar degree as the CNFs during the spinning process without a drawing step, which is hypothesized to be caused by the attachment of PEDOT on the CNFs. Lastly, the filaments were tested in an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) configuration, which resulted in a working device with an on/off ratio approaching 1500. Furthermore, the OECT exhibited stable behavior when changing temperature (20-80 °C) and relative humidity (40-80%). This aqueous spinning method, resulting in filaments with robust electronic properties in different temperature and humidity environments, show greats promise for future innovative smart textiles.
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| 9. |
- Gammino, Michele, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical-free Reactive Melt Processing of Biosourced Poly(butylene-succinate-adipate) for Improved Mechanical Properties and Recyclability
- 2024
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Polymer Materials. - 2637-6105. ; 6:10, s. 5866-5877
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biosourced and biodegradable polyesters like poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) are gaining traction as promising alternatives to oil-based thermoplastics for single-use applications. However, the mechanical and rheological properties of PBSA are affected by its thermomechanical sensitivity during its melt processing, also hindering PBSA mechanical recycling. Traditional reactive melt processing (RP) methods use chemical additives to counteract these drawbacks, compromising sustainability. This study proposes a green reactive method during melt compounding for PBSA based on a comprehensive understanding of its thermomechanical degradative behavior. Under the hypothesis that controlled degradative paths during melt processing can promote branching/recombination reactions without the addition of chemical additives, we aim to enhance PBSA rheological and mechanical performance. An in-depth investigation of the in-line rheological behavior of PBSA was conducted using an internal batch mixer, exploring parameters such as temperature, screw rotation speed, and residence time. Their influence on PBSA chain scissions, branching/recombination, and cross-linking reactions were evaluated to identify optimal conditions for effective RP. Results demonstrate that specific processing conditions, for example, twelve minutes processing time, 200 °C temperature, and 60 rpm screw rotation speed, promote the formation of the long chain branched structure in PBSA. These structural changes resulted in a notable enhancement of the reacted PBSA rheological and mechanical properties, exhibiting a 23% increase in elastic modulus, a 50% increase in yield strength, and an 80% increase in tensile strength. The RP strategy also improved PBSA mechanical recycling, thus making it a potential replacement for low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Ultimately, this study showcases how finely controlling the thermomechanical degradation during reactive melt processing can improve the material’s properties, enabling reliable mechanical recycling, which can serve as a green approach for other biodegradable polymers.
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| 10. |
- Georgouvelas, Dimitrios, et al.
(författare)
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Residual Lignin and Zwitterionic Polymer Grafts on Cellulose Nanocrystals for Antifouling and Antibacterial Applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2637-6105. ; 2:8, s. 3060-3071
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hybrid materials from nanocellulose, lignin, and surface- grafted zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) chains are prepared to attain antifouling bio-based nanomaterials with enhanced antibacterial performance. The grafting of PSBMA from both cellulose and lignocellulose nanocrystals (CNC and LCNC, respectively) is attempted; however, the materials' analysis with FTIR, XPS, and solid-state C-13 NMR reveals that the grafting on LCNC is negligible. Antifouling and antibacterial performances of CNC and LCNC, as well as PSBMA-grafted CNC, are evaluated by using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, confocal microscopy, and the agar diffusion method using bovine serum albumin and E. coli ACTT 8937 as protein model and bacterial model, respectively. The results demonstrate that the grafting of CNC with PSBMA improves the antifouling and antibacterial activity of the material compared to pristine CNC and LCNC.
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