Biocomposites reinforced with natural fibers: 2000–2010

This paper provides a comprehensive overview on different surface treatments applied to natural fibres for advanced composites applications. In practice, the major drawbacks of using natural fibres are their high degree of moisture absorption and poor dimensional stability. The primary objective of surface treatments on natural fibres is to maximize the bonding strength so as the stress transferability in the composites. The overall mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites are highly dependent on the morphology, aspect ratio, hydrophilic tendency and dimensional stability of the fibres used. The effects of different chemical treatments on cellulosic fibres that are used as reinforcements for thermoset and thermoplastics are studied. The chemical sources for the treatments include alkali, silane, acetylation, benzoylation, acrylation and acrylonitrile grafting, maleated coupling agents, permanganate, peroxide, isocyanate, stearic acid, sodium chlorite, triazine, fatty acid derivate (oleoyl chloride) and fungal. The significance of chemically-treated natural fibres is seen through the improvement of mechanical strength and dimensional stability of resultant composites as compared with a pristine sample.

Chemical treatments on plant-based natural fibre reinforced polymer composites: An overview

Energy and environment will head the list of top global issues facing society for the next 50 years. Nanotechnology is responding to these challenges by designing and fabricating functional nanofibers optimized for energy and environmental applications. The route toward these nano-objects is based primarily on electrospinning: a highly versatile method that allows the fabrication of continuous fibers with diameters down to a few nanometers. The mechanism responsible for the fiber formation mainly includes the Taylor Cone theory and flight-instability theory, which can be predicted theoretically and controlled experimentally. Moreover, the electrospinning has been applied to natural polymers, synthetic polymers, ceramics, and carbon. Fibers with complex architectures, such as ribbon fiber, porous fiber, core-shell fiber, or hollow fiber, can be produced by special electrospinning methods. It is also possible to produce nanofibrous membranes with designed aggregate structure including alignment, patterning, and two-dimensional nanonets. Finally, the brief analysis of nanofibers used for advanced energy and environmental applications in the past decade indicates that their impact has been realized well and is encouraging, and will continually represent a key technology to ensure sustainable energy and preserve our environment for the future.

Electrospun Nanofibers: Solving Global Issues

The growing ecological and environmental consciousness has driven efforts for development of new innovative materials for various end-use applications. Polymers synthesized from natural resources, have gained considerable research interest in the recent years. This review paper is intended to provide a brief outline of work that covers in the area of biocomposites, major class of biodegradable polymers, natural fibres, as well as their manufacturing techniques and properties has been highlighted. Various surface modification methods were incorporated to improve the fibre–matrix adhesion resulting in the enhancement of mechanical properties of the biocomposites. Moreover, an economical impact and future direction of these materials has been critically reviewed. This review concludes that the biocomposites form one of the emerging areas in polymer science that gain attention for use in various applications ranging from automobile to the building industries.

A review of the recent developments in biocomposites based on natural fibres and their application perspectives

The rising concern towards environmental issues and, on the other hand, the need for more versatile polymer-based materials has led to increasing interest about polymer composites filled with natural-organic fillers, i.e. fillers coming from renewable sources and biodegradable. The composites, usually referred to as “green”, can find several industrial applications. On the other hand, some problems exist, such as worse processability and reduction of the ductility. The use of adhesion promoters, additives or chemical modification of the filler can help in overcoming many of these limitations. These composites can be further environment-friendly when the polymer matrix is biodegradable and comes from renewable sources as well. This short review briefly illustrates the main paths and results of research (both academic and industrial) on this topical subject, providing a quick overview (with no pretence of exhaustiveness over such a vast topic), as well as appropriate references for further in-depth studies.

Green composites: A brief review

Fundamentals of electrospinning as a novel delivery vehicle for bioactive compounds in food nanotechnology

A significant challenge inThis paper outlines the story of the inventions and
discoveries that directly relate to the genesis and development of electrostatic production and drawing
of fibres: electrospinning. Current interest in the process is due to the ease with which nano-scale
fibers can be produced in the laboratory. In 1600, the first record of the electrostatic attraction
of a liquid was observed by William Gilbert. Christian Friedrich Schonbein produced highly
nitrated cellulose in 1846. In 1887 Charles Vernon Boys described the process in a paper on nano-fiber
manufacture. John Francis Cooley filed the first electrospinning patent in 1900. In 1914 John Zeleny
published work on the behaviour of fluid droplets at the end of metal capillaries. His effort began the
attempt to mathematically model the behavior of fluids under electrostatic forces. Between 1931 and
1944 Anton Formhals took out at least 22 patents on electrospinning. In 1938, N.D. Rozenblum and I.V.
Petryanov-Sokolov generated electrospun fibers, which they developed into filter materials. Between
1964 and 1969 Sir Geoffrey Ingram Taylor produced the beginnings of a theoretical underpinning of
electrospinning by mathematically modelling the shape of the (Taylor) cone formed by the fluid
droplet under the effect of an electric field. In the early 1990s several research groups (notably that of
Reneker who popularised the name electrospinning) demonstrated electrospun nano-fibers. Since 1995,
the number of publications about electrospinning has been increasing exponentially every year.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/155892501200702S10

The History of the Science and Technology of Electrospinning from 1600 to 1995

Protein-based halochromic electrospun nanosensor for monitoring trout fish freshness

A composite material consisting of hydroxide-modified hemp fibres and euphorbia resin was produced. The composites were tested in tension, short-beam interlaminar shear stress and in impact. There was an increase in the tensile strength and modulus for resins with high-hydroxyl-group based composites. Similar results were obtained for interlaminar shear stress while low-hydroxyl group euphorbia resin based composites exhibited high impact strength. The euphorbia resin with high hydroxyl content yielded composites with high stiffness. The use of euphorbia-based resins in composite manufacture increases the value of the euphorbia oil as well as creating a new route of composite manufacturing.

Mechanical Properties of Hemp Fibre Reinforced Euphorbia Composites

Electrospraying is a potential answer to the demands of nanoparticle fabrication such as scalability, reproducibility, and effective encapsulation in food nanotechnology. Electrospraying (and the related process of electrospinning) both show promise as a novel delivery vehicle for supplementary food compounds since the process can be carried out from an aqueous solution, at room temperature and without coagulation chemistry to produce matrices or particulates in the micro- and nano-range. The presentation of core materials at the nanoscale improves target ability to specific areas of the digestive tract and gives improved control of release rate. Adoption of these electrohydrodynamic atomization technologies will allow the industry to develop a wide range of novel high added value functional foods. To optimize production conditions and maximize throughput, a clear understanding of the mechanism of electrospraying is essential. This article presents a comprehensive review of the principles of electrospraying to produce nanoparticles suitable for food technology application, particularly for use in encapsulation and as nanocarriers.

Nick Tucker

Papers

Fundamentals of electrospinning as a novel delivery vehicle for bioactive compounds in food nanotechnology

The History of the Science and Technology of Electrospinning from 1600 to 1995

Protein-based halochromic electrospun nanosensor for monitoring trout fish freshness

Mechanical Properties of Hemp Fibre Reinforced Euphorbia Composites

Principles of electrospraying: A new approach in protection of bioactive compounds in foods.