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Cellulose, as a biomass resource, has attracted increasingly attention and extensive research by virtue of its widely sources, ideal degradability, good mechanical properties and easy modification due to its rich hydroxyl groups. Nevertheless, it is still a challenge to attain high performance cellulose-based composite film materials with diverse functional combinations. In this work, we developed a multifunctional cellulose-based film via a facile impregnation-curing strategy. Here, benzoxazine resin (BR) is used as an optically functional component to endow the microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) film with powerful light management capabilities including UV and blue light double shielding, high transmittance, and high haze. Meanwhile, the introduction of tannic acid (TA) substantially enhanced the mechanical properties of the film, including tensile strength and toughness, by constructing energy-sacrificial bonds. An effective self-healing of the film was achieved by controlling the degree of BR curing. The final films exhibited 98.24 % UV shielding and 89.98 % blue light blocking, good mechanical properties including a tensile strength of 202.21 MPa and tensile strain of 7.1 %, as well as desirable thermal healing properties supported by incompletely cured BR. This work may provide new insights into the high-value utilization of biomass resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two biobased composite films have been prepared with poly (lactic acid-trimethylene carbonate), polylactic acid and Laponite by solvent evaporation method. The 1H NMR and FTIR spectrums illustrate that P (LA-TMC) polymer is successfully synthesized and designed composite films are produced. Morphometric analyses demonstrate that the roughnesses of the film's surface and cross-section are on the increase with higher PLA and Laponite content. Mechanical performances reveal that the rise in tensile strength and modulus while maintaining excellent elongation at break is mainly due to the increase in the content of polylactic acid and Laponite. By utilizing the nano effect of Laponite, the maximum tensile strength of the composite film reaches 34.59 MPa. Thermal property results illustrate that the Tg and initial decomposition temperature are on the growth with the increase of PLA content. However, it is not significant on the effect of Laponite on the initial decomposition temperature. The water vapor permeability measurements prove that the barrier property of P(LA-TMC)/PLA/Laponite composite film is on the ascent with the Laponite addition. Hydrolytic degradation tests indicate that PLA and Laponite play avital part in accelerating the degradation rate of composite films and alkaline media is superior acidic and neutral conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having poor interfacial compatibility between biochar microsphere (BM) and polylactic acid (PLA) should be responsible for the unbalance of composite film strength and toughness. Elucidating the effect of polydopamine (PDA) on BM and BM/PLA composite films is the ultimate goal of this study based on the mussel bionic principle. It was found that the strong adhesion of PDA on the BM surface was achieved, which improved the surface roughness and thermal stability. Also, PDA modification can facilitate crystallization, increase thermal properties, improve interfacial compatibility, and enhance the tensile properties of BM/PLA composite films. Silane-based PDA modified BM/PLA composite film exhibited the best tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break with 77.95 MPa, 1.87 GPa, and 7.30%. These noteworthy findings, achieving a simultaneous improvement in PLA strength and toughness, hold promising implications for its sustainability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) biocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and biologically active tannic acid (TA) were prepared. The influence of different concentrations of CNF and TA in the PVA polymer matrix was investigated in terms of mechanical properties, thermal properties and hydrophobicity improvement of the prepared films. The results showed that in all cases the addition of CNF and TA improved the values of tensile strength and elastic modulus. The PVA film with 10 % CNF exhibited a 30 % higher tensile strength, and the three-component PVA film with 2 % CNF and 10 % TA (P2C10T) exhibited a 40 % higher tensile strength compared to the neat PVA film. The thermal properties (T g , T onset) of the PVA biocomposite films were greatly improved, with a significant effect observed for the three-component PVA films. The T g of the PVA film with 10 % CNF and 10 % TA was 87 °C, 12 °C higher than that of the neat PVA film. For three-component PVA biocomposites with 4 % and 6 % CNF and with all weight percentages of TA, the T onset shifted to a higher temperature range by about 30 °C compared to the neat PVA film. The PVA film with 2 % CNF and 10 % TA exhibited about a 20° higher contact angle than the neat PVA film. Moreover, the addition of both fillers to the PVA matrix resulted in PVA biocomposites with lower water absorption. PVA film with 10 % TA absorbed about 90 % less water and PVA film with 10 % CNF and 10 % TA absorbed about 80 % less water than the neat PVA film after the films were soaked in water for one hour. The better properties of the composite films produced are due to hydrogen and ester bonds between the components of the composite, which was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Antioxidant effective films were also obtained due to the biologically active TA to the PVA and PVA/CNF systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, biodegradable films were fabricated by using cross-linked chitosan nanoparticles containing different concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.5 %, v/v) of Satureja hortensis essential oil (SHEO) and their physicochemical, mechanical, antimicrobial, morphological, structural and antioxidant properties were analyzed. SHEO incorporation improved antibacterial, antioxidant and thermal properties of the films. Four studied bacteria were efficiently inhibited by films loaded with SHEO. According to the FE-SEM analysis, control film had nano-sized pores while micron sized particles were present in SHEO incorporated films. Increase in color difference was well correlated with SHEO concentration. The addition of SHEO decreased elongation at break (EB) and caused an irregular fluctuation in the tensile strength (TS) values. Increase in essential oil concentration resulted in lower water solubility. The FTIR spectra of films showed evidence of interactions and molecular arrangements when SHEO was added to the polymer matrix. Overall, the findings demonstrated that SHEO incorporated chitosan-based films were successfully prepared by cross linking and film properties were remarkably affected from SHEO concentration. • Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) essential oil was successfully incorporated into the chitosan films. • Essential oil incorporation increased the antibacterial activity of the film against test pathogens. • Antioxidant activity of the films was correlated with the essential oil concentration. • Summer savory essential oil incorporation into the chitosan films caused the particle size of the films to shift from nano-sized to micro-sized compared to control films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) biocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and biologically active tannic acid (TA) were prepared. The influence of different concentrations of CNF and TA in the PVA polymer matrix was investigated in terms of mechanical properties, thermal properties and hydrophobicity improvement of the prepared films. The results showed that in all cases the addition of CNF and TA improved the values of tensile strength and elastic modulus. The PVA film with 10 % CNF exhibited a 30 % higher tensile strength, and the three-component PVA film with 2 % CNF and 10 % TA (P2C10T) exhibited a 40 % higher tensile strength compared to the neat PVA film. The thermal properties (T g , T onset) of the PVA biocomposite films were greatly improved, with a significant effect observed for the three-component PVA films. The T g of the PVA film with 10 % CNF and 10 % TA was 87 °C, 12 °C higher than that of the neat PVA film. For three-component PVA biocomposites with 4 % and 6 % CNF and with all weight percentages of TA, the T onset shifted to a higher temperature range by about 30 °C compared to the neat PVA film. The PVA film with 2 % CNF and 10 % TA exhibited about a 20° higher contact angle than the neat PVA film. Moreover, the addition of both fillers to the PVA matrix resulted in PVA biocomposites with lower water absorption. PVA film with 10 % TA absorbed about 90 % less water and PVA film with 10 % CNF and 10 % TA absorbed about 80 % less water than the neat PVA film after the films were soaked in water for one hour. The better properties of the composite films produced are due to hydrogen and ester bonds between the components of the composite, which was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Antioxidant effective films were also obtained due to the biologically active TA to the PVA and PVA/CNF systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D-printing provides a feasible technique for realizing new materials into structural and intelligent parts. In this work, biomass furan-based polyesters poly (ethylene furanoate) (PEF), poly (trimethylene furanoate) (PTF), and poly (butylene furanoate) (PBF) were successfully synthesized in a 5 L reactor through the melt polycondensation process and fabricated into 3D-printing feedstocks. It was demonstrated that the three furan-based polyesters were additively-manufactured into complicated structures. Besides, the mechanical and thermal properties of furan-based polyesters could be tailored by the chain length of diol monomer. The mechanical performance of 3D-printed PEF, PTF and PBF were characterized and compared with commercial filaments. The tensile strength of PEF and PTF could reach 74.6 and 63.8 MPa respectively, which exhibited superior tensile property to poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK), polyamide (PA) and polylactic acid (PLA). Meanwhile, the compression results demonstrated that the PEF and PTF possessed comparable energy absorption capacity with PEEK and PLA respectively, which indicated excellent mechanical properties of furan-based polyesters. It was interesting to find that the 3D-printed structures including solid cube, bionic flower and lattice structures were employed to prove that the PTF possessed excellent shape memory properties. Therefore, the proposed biomass furan-based polymers would offer more freedom in the field of 3D-printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]