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Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), a partially biobased polymer, was blended with nylon 6 in order to develop a new bio-material. PTT and nylon 6 blends were prepared in a twin-screw extruder while varying the temperature and speed of melt mixing. The effects of the processing conditions on blend morphology were highlighted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Both the domain size and the density of nucleation are strongly influenced by the processing temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the influence of the operatory conditions on the thermal stability of the crystals formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of lignin fibers has been studied in order to replace the need for petroleum based precursors for carbon fiber production. In addition to its positive environmental effects, it also benefits the economics of the industries which cannot take advantage of carbon fiber properties because of their high price. A large amount of lignin is annually produced as the byproduct of paper and growing cellulosic ethanol industry. Therefore, finding high value applications for this low cost, highly available material is getting more attention. Lignin is a biopolymer making about 15 - 30% of the plant cell walls and has a high carbon yield upon carbonization. However, its processing is challenging due to its low molecular weight and also variations based on its origin and the method of separation from cellulose. In this study, alkali solutions of organosolv lignin with less than 1 wt/v% of poly (ethylene oxide) and two types of lignin (hardwood and softwood) were electrospun followed by carbonization. Different heating programs for carbonization were tested. The carbonized fibers had a smooth surface with an average diameter of less than 5 µm and the diameter could be controlled by the carbonization process and lignin type. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study morphology of the fibers before and after carbonization. Thermal conductivity of a sample with amorphous carbon was 2.31 W/m.K. The electrospun lignin carbon fibers potentially have a large range of application such as in energy storage devices and water or gas purification systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]