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| 2. |
- Meriçer, Çağlar, et al.
(författare)
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Atmospheric plasma assisted PLA/microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) multilayer biocomposite for sustainable barrier application
- 2015
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Ingår i: Industrial crops and products (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0926-6690 .- 1872-633X. ; 93, s. 235-243
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fully bio-based and biodegradable materials, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), are considered in order to produce a completely renewable packaging solution for oxygen barrier applications, even at medium-high relative humidity (R.H.). Thin layers of MFC were coated on different PLA substrates by activating film surface with an atmospheric plasma treatment, leading to the fabrication of robust and transparent multilayer composite films, which were then characterized by different experimental techniques. UV transmission measurements confirmed the transparency of multilayer films (60% of UV transmission rate), while SEM micrographs showed the presence of a continuous, dense and defect free layer of MFC on PLA surface. Concerning the mechanical behavior of the samples, tensile tests revealed that the multilayer films significantly improved the stress at break value of neat PLA. Moreover, the oxygen barrier properties of the multilayer films were improved more than one order of magnitude compared to neat PLA film at 35 °C and 0% R.H. and the permeability values were maintained up to 60% R.H. The obtained materials therefore showed interesting properties for their possible use in barrier packaging applications as fully biodegradable solution, coupling two primarily incompatible matrices in a multilayer film with no need of any solvent or chemical.
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| 3. |
- Mericer, Caglar, et al.
(författare)
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Water sorption in microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) : The effect of temperature and pretreatment
- 2017
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Ingår i: Carbohydrate Polymers. - : Elsevier BV. - 0144-8617 .- 1879-1344. ; 174, s. 1201-1212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Water sorption behavior of two different microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) films, produced by delamination of cellulose pulp after different pretreatment methods, is examined at various temperatures (16–65 °C) and up to 70% RH. The effect of drying temperature of MFC films on the water uptake is also investigated. The obtained solubility isotherms showed the typical downward curvature at moderate RH, while no upturn is observed at higher RH; the uptakes are in line with characteristic values for cellulose fibers. Enzymatically pretreated MFC dispersion showed lower solubility than carboxymethylated MFC, likely due to the different material structure, which results from the different preparation methods The experimental results are analyzed by Park and GAB models, which proved suitable to describe the observed behaviors. Interestingly, while no significant thermal effect is detected on water solubility above 35 °C, the uptake at 16 and 25 °C, at a given RH, is substantially lower than that at higher temperature, indicating that, in such range, sorption process is endothermic. Such unusual behavior for a cellulose-based system seems to be related mainly to the structural characteristics of MFC films, and to relaxation phenomena taking place upon water sorption. The diffusion kinetics, indeed, showed a clear Fickian behavior at low temperature and RH, whereas a secondary process seems to occur at high temperature and higher RH, leading to anomalous diffusion behaviors.
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| 4. |
- Nilsson, Fritjof, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of water uptake on the electrical DC-conductivity of insulating LDPE/MgO nanocomposites
- 2017
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Ingår i: Composites Science And Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0266-3538 .- 1879-1050. ; 152, s. 11-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), typically in cross-linked form, is currently the main insulation material for extruded high voltage cables. The DC-conductivity of LDPE can be reduced 100 times by adding 1-3 wt% well-dispersed metal-oxide nanoparticles (MgO, ZnO, Al2O3), but the underlying physics remain unclear. One of several feasible explanations is that the nanoparticles attract electrical charges, polar molecules (H2O and crosslinking by-products) and ions (H+, OH-, salts and ionic species originating from the crosslinking by-products), and thus clean the polymer. Effective media FEM simulations, assuming that the polymer conductivity is proportional to the moisture content, were used in order to examine this hypothesis. Water sorption measurements for LDPE and MgO/LDPE nanocomposites were conducted as experimental input. The simulations could conceptually predict the experimentally measured composite conductivities. The hypothesis was further strengthened by DC-conductivity measurements on LDPE and MgO/LDPE nanocomposites at 0 and 50% relative humidity (RH), showing a 100-fold conductivity increase for the nanocomposite at the elevated humidity. The DC-conductivity of the most insulating composite (3 wt% MgO) was below 10(-16) S/m after 64 h at 60 degrees C and 0% RH, using an electric field of ca 30 kV/mm. The long-term insulation efficiency of an insulating polymer nanocomposite is thus optimal if the material is carefully dried and surrounded by an impenetrable moisture barrier before use.
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| 5. |
- Nyflött, Åsa, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of moisture content on the polymer structure of polyvinyl alcohol in dispersion barrier coatings and its effect on the mass transport of oxygen
- 2017
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Ingår i: JCT Research. - : Springer. - 1547-0091 .- 2168-8028. ; , s. 1345-1355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a study of the effect of moisture on the gas permeability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and PVOH–kaolin dispersion barrier coatings. The oxygen permeability was measured at different humidity levels, and the material properties were characterized under the same conditions: polymer crystallinity, kaolin concentration, and kaolin orientation were all evaluated. The experimental results revealed that the water plasticizes the PVOH material of the coatings, and the presence of kaolin filler is unable to affect such behavior significantly. The PVOH crystallinity was affected drastically by the humidity, as water melts polymer crystallites, which is a reversible process under removal of water. The permeability data were analyzed using a thermodynamicbased model able to account for the water effect on both the solubility of the gas and the diffusivity coefficients in the polymer and composite. The results showed good agreement between the model’s predictions and the experimental data in terms of the overall permeability of the material.
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