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- Birdsong, Björn K., et al.
(författare)
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Flexible and fire-retardant silica/cellulose aerogel using bacterial cellulose nanofibrils as template material
- 2024
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Ingår i: Materials Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2633-5409. ; 5:12, s. 5041-5051
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study explores the possibility of using various silsesquioxane precursors such as (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES), methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to produce silsesquioxane-bacterial cellulose nanofibre (bCNF) aerogels. Each precursor allowed to customize the aerogel properties, leading to unique properties suitable for various applications requiring lightweight insulative materials. When utilizing APTES as the silsesquioxane precursor, an aerogel capable of over 90% recovery after compression was formed, making them suitable for flexible applications. When MTMS was used as the precursor, the aerogel retained some compression recovery (80%) but had the added property of superhydrophobicity with a contact angle over 160° due to the presence of CH3 functional groups, enabling water-repellence. Finally, TEOS allowed for excellent thermal insulative properties with a low Peak Heat Release Rate (PHRR), making it a promising candidate for fire-resistant applications. The customization of these aerogel materials was attributed to a combination of the chemical composition of the silsesquioxane precursors and the morphology of the coated bacterial cellulose nanofibres (bCNF), such as CH3 groups found in MTMS enabled for superhydrophobicity. Differences in morphology, such as uniform and smooth silsesquioxane coatings when using APTES or a “pearl-necklace” morphology using TEOS, enabled either compression recovery and flexibility or low thermal conduction. This investigation of silsesquioxane-bCNF provides a good understanding of the importance of the choice of precursor effect on insulating aerogel properties.
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2. |
- Das, Oisik, et al.
(författare)
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An all-gluten biocomposite : Comparisons with carbon black and pine char composites
- 2019
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Ingår i: Composites. Part A, Applied science and manufacturing. - : Elsevier. - 1359-835X .- 1878-5840. ; 120, s. 42-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three different charcoals (gluten char, pine bark char and carbon black) were used to rectify certain property disadvantages of wheat gluten plastic. Pyrolysis process of gluten was investigated by analysing the compounds released at different stages. Nanoindentation tests revealed that the gluten char had the highest hardness (ca. 0.5 GPa) and modulus (7.8 GPa) followed by pine bark char and carbon black. The addition of chars to gluten enhanced the indenter-modulus significantly. Among all the charcoals, gluten char was found to impart the best mechanical and water resistant properties. The addition of only 6 wt% gluten char to the protein caused a substantial reduction in water uptake (by 38%) and increase of indenter-modulus (by 1525%). It was shown that it is possible to obtain protein biocomposites where both the filler and the matrix are naturally sourced from the same material, in this case, yielding an all-gluten derived biocomposite.
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