https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/518754.pdf

On the use of nanocellulose as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites

Carbon fiber surfaces and composite interphases

Recent advances in fiber/matrix interphase engineering for polymer composites

Bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers are one of the stiffest organic materials produced by nature. It consists of pure cellulose without the impurities that are commonly found in plant-based cellulose. This review discusses the metabolic pathways of cellulose-producing bacteria and the genetic pathways of Acetobacter xylinum. The fermentative production of BC and the bioprocess parameters for the cultivation of bacteria are also discussed. The influence of the composition of the culture medium, pH, temperature, and oxygen content on the morphology and yield of BC are reviewed. In addition, the progress made to date on the genetic modification of bacteria to increase the yield of BC and the large-scale production of BC using various bioreactors, namely static and agitated cultures, stirred tank, airlift, aerosol, rotary, and membrane reactors, is reviewed. The challenges in commercial scale production of BC are thoroughly discussed and the efficiency of various bioreactors is compared. In terms of the application of BC, particular emphasis is placed on the utilization of BC in advanced fiber composites to manufacture the next generation truly green, sustainable and renewable hierarchical composites.

/pdf/more-than-meets-the-eye-in-bacterial-cellulose-biosynthesis-4vxgp7zb43.pdf

More than meets the eye in bacterial cellulose: biosynthesis, bioprocessing, and applications in advanced fiber composites.

An efficient way to precisely pattern particles on solid surfaces is to dispense and evaporate colloidal drops, as for bioassays The dried deposits often exhibit complex structures exemplified by the coffee ring pattern, where most particles have accumulated at the periphery of the deposit In this work, the formation of deposits during the drying of nanoliter colloidal drops on a flat substrate is investigated numerically and experimentally A finite-element numerical model is developed that solves the Navier–Stokes, heat and mass transport equations in a Lagrangian framework The diffusion of vapor in the atmosphere is solved numerically, providing an exact boundary condition for the evaporative flux at the droplet–air interface Laplace stresses and thermal Marangoni stresses are accounted for The particle concentration is tracked by solving a continuum advection–diffusion equation Wetting line motion and the interaction of the free surface of the drop with the growing deposit are modeled based on criteria on wetting angles Numerical results for evaporation times and flow field are in very good agreement with published experimental and theoretical results We also performed transient visualization experiments of water and isopropanol drops loaded with polystyrene microspheres evaporating on glass and polydimethylsiloxane substrates, respectively Measured evaporation times, deposit shapes and sizes and flow fields are in very good agreement with the numerical results Different flow patterns caused by the competition of Marangoni loops and radial flow are shown to determine the deposit shape to be either a ring-like pattern or a homogeneous bump

/pdf/pattern-formation-during-the-evaporation-of-a-colloidal-ohwmdoy6im.pdf

Pattern formation during the evaporation of a colloidal nanoliter drop: a numerical and experimental study

Carbon fibre reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride): Impact of matrix modification on fibre/polymer adhesion

Hierarchical composites reinforced with robust short sisal fibre preforms utilising bacterial cellulose as binder

Fluorination of carbon fibres in atmospheric plasma

We have subjected polycarbonate (PC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and Hytrel 1 (HY, a thermoplastic elastomer) to atmospheric pressure oxygen plasma treatment for varying amounts of time. Effects of the treatment have been evaluated in terms of the water wetting angle, dynamic friction, scratch resistance, and sliding wear. Although PS, PP, and HY do not undergo significant tribological changes as a result of the interaction with plasma, PC and LDPE show more pronounced and useful effects, such as a lowering of dynamic friction in PC and wear reduction in LDPE. These results can be explained in terms of the changes in chemical structures and increase of hydrophilicity. Based on the effects of oxygen plasma treatment on PC and LDPE, these two polymers have been subjected to longer oxygen plasma treatments and to argon, nitrogen, and air plasmas. Resulting effects on friction and scratch resistance are compared to determine the mechanisms responsible for the various surface behaviors. Chemical surface modification—as represented by changing contact angles—contributes to the tribological responses. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 48:1971–1976, 2008. a 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

Kingsley K.C. Ho

Papers

Carbon fibre reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride): Impact of matrix modification on fibre/polymer adhesion

Hierarchical composites reinforced with robust short sisal fibre preforms utilising bacterial cellulose as binder

Fluorination of carbon fibres in atmospheric plasma

Effects of Surface Plasma Treatment on Tribology of Thermoplastic Polymers

Interfacial behavior between atmospheric-plasma-fluorinated carbon fibers and poly(vinylidene fluoride)