Fiber-based Material Research Articles

Alternative Fiber-Based Paperboard Adhesion Evaluation with T- and Y-Peel Testing

Due to increased pressure on the availability of wood biomass in the EU and the regulatory attempts to lower CO2 values, where wood-based biomass plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration, the use of cellulose derived from alternative sources is gaining increased interest in the pulp and paper industry as well as in other industries. The processing properties of alternative fiber-based packaging need to be checked in current processing operations with other types of materials and recycling workflows. For example, in the production of folding boxes, after printing other converting properties such as glueability are also of great importance. The adhesive absorption and bonding strength of materials are important as adhesive joints of packaging can interfere with the protective function. In the presented research, three different paperboards produced on a pilot scale from alternative raw material sources were tested. Two paperboards were produced from the alien invasive plants Japanese knotweed and black locust, and one from residual sawdust. The basic paperboard properties were tested regarding paperboard porosity, roughness, z-directional tensile strength, and dynamical behavior regarding liquid interaction (contact angle and liquid penetration dynamic), as water-based adhesives were used in the research. For adhesive joint strength testing, Y- and T-peel adhesion testing was performed on the joint paperboard samples, as still there is no fully standardized method for the evaluation of such fiber-based material properties. The results indicate differences in the penetration dynamics of liquids. This parameter had the highest influence on the peel adhesion strength, while porosity, roughness, and dynamic contact angle were not so significant. Regarding the two adhesive joint tests, the differences in separate materials regarding peel adhesion curves show similar results. However, the Y-peel maximum force values are higher due to the testing setup (in comparison to the T-peel test). The paperboards made from invasive plants showed adhesive joint failures which are more suitable for tamper-proof packaging due to their low surface strength and crack propagation into the fiber structure.

Silk fibroin fibers-based shape memory membrane with Janus wettability for multitiered wearable protection.

An alternating electrospinning-electrospraying technology was proposed to achieve a silk fibroin-based antibacterial membrane with Janus wettability, as well as good skin affinity and breathability, which serves well as physical and bio-barriers for water resistance, PM2.5 filtration (~98.1%) and bacteria inhibition (efficiency of 95%). This shape memory Janus membrane can adapt mechanically to human body curvatures for functional wearable protections. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1557/s43578-022-00805-w.

Experimental study on the alleviation of thermal runaway propagation from an overcharged lithium-ion battery module using different thermal insulation layers

An efficient and safe thermal insulation structure design is critical in battery thermal management systems to prevent thermal runaway propagation. In this paper, using a common real-life overcharge as a trigger for battery runaway, we investigate the runaway response of the battery module without thermal insulation and with various thermal insulation materials. The experimental results indicate that the thermal insulation has the effect of stopping the thermal spread of the battery module and reducing the maximum temperature. By comparing the temperature change of the batteries, it is discovered that the fiber-based material has a temperature drop efficiency of 71.83%, while the aerogel materials are at least 13% more efficient in temperature reduction than fibrous materials. Meanwhile, it is demonstrated that by examining the capacity characteristics of the damaged battery and the characteristics of the insulation material, the pre-oxidized silk aerogel has the best thermal spread suppression effect and the TG (thermogravimetric) variation withstood high temperatures of up to 746 °C. SEM (scanning electron microscope) morphology for different insulation materials before and after combustion show that pre-oxidized silk aerogel maintains a strong thermal insulation capacity in the thermal spreading. It is expected to have a guidance for the design of thermal insulation in lithium-ion battery modules.

The effect of proportion of ganyong starch and waste of straw rice on biodegradable foam production as sustainable packaging

Biodegradable foam (biofoam) packaging is a prospective packaging material that could developed from starch. Canna as a starch sources tuber of 93.30% consist of amylose content of 42.40% and amylopectin 50.90% is not utilized optimally. Nevertheless, starch-based foams are brittle, hydrophilic and rigid. Natural fiber-based material such a rice straw could be added as a cavity filler; thus, obtained a strong and sturdy product. The method used for producing biofoam was the baking process at a temperature of 170°C for 15 minutes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of canna starch and rice straw fiber proportion on biofoam quality. The formulations used between canna starch and rice straw fiber were 4:0, 3:1, 2:2, and 1:3. Treatment with a ratio of 2:2 showed the best biodegradability for an average solubility and degradation of 18.900% and 82.693%, respectively. Meanwhile, the density parameter obtained from treatment with ratio of 1:3 of 0.225 gr/cm3 as the lightest density due contains more straw fiber. The results of the SEM test showed that the dough was not homogeneous, and no cavity formed in the biofoam structure. In addition, the results of the FTIR showed there was not alteration in the compound content from biofoam produced.

Study of Wound Dressing Material Coated With Natural Extracts of Leaf Solution Enhanced With Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor (REGEN-DTM 150)

ABSTRACT In the part of work, the leave extracts of aloe vera, piper betel, and neem leaf were prepared and coated on bamboo fiber-based material for wound dressing applications. The fabrics coated with different compositions of the natural extract were enhanced with recombinant human epidermal growth factor (REGEN-D™ 150). The FTIR confirms the presence of alcoholic and phenolic group which were responsible for antibacterial activity. The SEM morphology of the developed dressing material was porous nature and more suitable for the process of curing wound. In antimicrobial tests, the zone of incubation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus ranges from 18 to 22 mm. In vivo study using albino rats induced with diabetes reveals that the wound healing rate is increased in the range of 25–54% compared to a negative control group.

Utilizing human hair for solid-state flexible fiber-based asymmetric supercapacitors

The demands for wearable energy storage devices keep growing and novel flexible electrode materials and facile prepared methods for these devices are crucial and attractive. In this work, human hair fiber is employed as the flexible fiber-based material due to the high utilization values of low cost, controllable length and high elasticity capable. Herein, an effective and hazard-free microwave-assisted method is reported to develop superelastic reduced graphene oxide coating human hair (rGO@Hh) to achieve conductive and high-strength fibrous electrode. With the braided rGO@Hh fibers, nickel hydroxide nanoribbon-intercalated rGO nanosheets (Ni(OH)2/rGO@Hh) are further prepared through microwave radiation treatment, which shows an interconnected porous structure with outstanding electrochemical performances of high specific capacitance (316 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and good cycling performance. Moreover, a solid-state fiber-based asymmetric supercapacitor (FASC) is assembled with rGO@Hh fibers and Ni(OH)2/rGO@Hh fibers as negative and positive electrodes, which demonstrates a high energy of 27.6 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 699 W kg−1, respectively. The FASC also can be further used for numerous electronic products, presenting its prospect for portable wearable devices with high tensile strength and excellent performances.

Non-woven fabric-based microfluidic devices with hydrophobic wax barrier

This study proposed a novel method for the fabrication of non-woven based microfluidic devices with a wax hydrophobic barrier. Current microfluidic devices were fabricated with glass or polymer material, and paper is also widely used for the fabrication of low-cost microfluidic devices. The application of non-woven fabric based microfluidic devices provides a new option of bulk materials for microfluidics. Compared with the glass or polymer material used in microfluidics, non-woven fabric is low-cost, easy to process and disposable. Fluid can penetrate through the non-woven fabric material with capillary force without the requirement of external pumps. As fiber-based material, comparing with paper, non-woven fabric material is more durable with higher mechanical strength, and various types of non-woven fabric material also provide a board choice of surface chemical/physical properties for microfluidic applications. In this study, the hydrophilic non-woven fabric is chosen as the bulk material for microfluidic devices, a wax pattern transfer protocol is also proposed in this study for the deposition of hydrophobic barriers. For a demonstration of the proposed fabrication technique, a microfluidic mixer was also fabricated in this study.

Mechanical and microscopic study on Tinospora cordifolia and Tectona grandis composites

Abstract The use of natural fibers in various forms for over the 3000 years in India, today the use of plastic is increasing day by day; increasing usage of plastics affects the environment heavily. To reduce and control the usage of plastic can be possible only finding the new fiber-based material usages for the various purposes. The natural fibers are ecofriendly, decomposed naturally and it is economical also. In this research article made an ideological implantations to find a new fiber based composite material for the application interiors of the automobile body. In this investigation has been carried out to make use of Tinospora cordifolia, Tectona grandis, a natural fiber available in India, which is light-weight and strong but also cheaper than other natural fibers. The Tinospora cordifolia, Tectona grandis fibers are already used for some medical purposes, but not used for the composite material fabrication. The fiber, which serves as a reinforcement with epoxy and bisphenol resins and the mechanical properties were characterized.

The Study of Heating Mode of an Expansion Insulation Material

A new kind of alumina fiber-based expandable insulation material was designed using expandable graphite, alumina fiber and aluminum phosphate adhesives, and fabricated through wet mixing, vacuum suction filter, pressure drying. This material had 100%-300% of volume expansion ratio under temperatures from 400 to 1000°C, well heat insulation performance and mechanical property after expansion. Due to the special expanding property of expandable graphite, the heating mode will seriously impact on the properties of material. In this paper, the influence of two different heating-up modes on the material properties had been studied. At slowly heating-up mode, the expansion ratio almost maintained at 115%, and the compression strength increased visibly comparing with fast heating-up. At one-side heating-up mode, the expansion ratio was lower than the all-side heating-up mode, which respectively were 164.9 % and 226.9% at 800°C, and the compression strength increased slightly because of the extension of heat treatment time.

Graft modification of cotton with phosphate group and its application to the enrichment of phosphopeptides

Grafting copolymerization, especially “grafting from” approach, has attracted a great attention for the preparation of cellulose-based materials with various functionalities. In this study, a novel phosphate group-containing cotton fiber-based material, CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-x), was successfully synthesized by a “grafting from” radical polymerization approach using vinyl phosphonic acid (VPA) as monomer. The phosphate group content of CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-x) could be easily regulated by adjusting the concentration of VPA monomer. Subsequently, titanium ions immobilized CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-x) (CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-x)-Ti4+) was prepared and used as an immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) adsorbent for the selective enrichment of phosphopeptides from various biological samples. The relationship between enrichment efficiency and phosphate group content of CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-x)-Ti4+ was investigated. The optimized CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-2)-Ti4+ (x=2) exhibited high selectivity and extraction capacity in phosphopeptides enrichment from standard peptides mixture, non-fat milk digests and protein-rich human serum. In addition, CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-2)-Ti4+ was further applied for the specific capture of phosphopeptides from tryptic digests of rat brain lysate, and 3241 unique phosphopeptides were identified from 0.5mg of rat brain by combining CF-NH2-AZO-p(VPA-2)-Ti4+ pretreatment with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis. We expect the proposed method can promote the development of “grafting from” approach in the preparation of cellulose-based adsorbents and broaden the application of cellulose-based adsorbents for biological analysis.

自動車産業における繊維素材の活躍

自動車産業における繊維素材の活躍

Enhancing the inter-fiber bonding properties of cellulosic fibers by increasing different fiber charges

Cellulosic fiber has been increasingly used in many fields. The fiber charge, including the surface charge and inner charge, affects the properties of cellulosic fiber and fiber-based materials significantly. In this study, the cellulosic fiber was subjected to different treatments, including 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl radical-mediated oxidation, carboxymethyl cellulose attachment and mechanical refining, to alter the fiber charge selectively. The effects of the fiber surface charge and inner charge on fiber performances and inter-fiber bonding strength for improving the high-value application of cellulosic fibers, respectively, were discussed. The results showed that the performances of cellulosic fiber can be improved with the increase of either surface or inner fiber charges, including the increased water retention value, flexibility and inter-fiber bonding strength, but with slightly decreased drainability. An increasing bulk fiber charge showed more significant enhancement of the inter-fiber bonding strength than only an increase of the fiber surface charge on cellulosic fiber. This was because the fiber inner charge contributed to the increase of fiber flexibility and deformability, which could benefit the inter-fiber bonding indirectly. As a consequence, the bulk fiber charge enhancement was better for tensile strength improvement of handsheets (fiber-based material) than only fiber surface charge enhancement. Increasing both the surface charge and inner charge improved the tensile strength effectively with less change of the bulky fiber network than the refining treatment.

Biomimetic repeat protein derived from Xenopus tropicalis for fibrous scaffold fabrication.

Collagen, silk, and elastin are the fibrous proteins consist of representative amino acid repeats. Because these proteins exhibited distinguishing mechanical properties, they have been utilized in diverse applications, such as fiber-based sensors, filtration membranes, supporting materials, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Despite their infinite prevalence and potential, most studies have only focused on a few repeat proteins. In this work, the hypothetical protein with a repeat motif derived from the frog Xenopus tropicalis was obtained and characterized for its potential as a novel protein-based material. The codon-optimized recombinant frog repeat protein, referred to as 'xetro', was produced at a high rate in a bacterial system, and an acid extraction-based purified xetro protein was successfully fabricated into microfibers and nanofibers using wet spinning and electrospinning, respectively. Specifically, the wet-spun xetro microfibers demonstrated about 2- and 1.5-fold higher tensile strength compared with synthetic polymer polylactic acid and cross-linked collagen, respectively. In addition, the wet-spun xetro microfibers showed about sevenfold greater stiffness than collagen. Therefore, the mass production potential and greater mechanical properties of the xetro fiber may result in these fibers becoming a new promising fiber-based material for biomedical engineering.

The Effects of Heat and Compression on Moisture Content and Water Absorption of PALF/Sugarcane Bagasse Composition in Disposable Plate Production

This paper presents the results of heat and compression effects on moisture content and water absorption properties in the manufacturing of disposable plate made from Pineapple Leaf Fiber-based material (PALF). The plate was made of PALF and sugarcane bagasse waste as an alternative to polystyrenes, designed to promote the green technology effort on food packaging material. Two different specimens were produced with different compositions of PALF/sugarcane bagasse series N2T8 ( 20 wt% of Pineapple leaf fiber and 80 wt% of sugarcane bagasse ) and series N8T2 ( 80 wt% of Pineapple leaf fiber and 20 wt% of sugarcane bagasse). The specimens were produced using a hot press machine set at compressing temperatures of 50°C, 100°C and 150°C with constant pressure of 0.024 MPa for 10 minutes. Moisture content and water absorption tests were carried out on the specimens to determine the moisture content and water absorption properties. The lower water absorption was obtained for specimen N8T2 because PALF potential to water resistance. This range of properties is expected to be good enough for the requirement of disposable plate and it has the potential as a suitable raw material for strength and lightweight in the manufacturing of disposable plates.

Water-Resistance Material from Fibers and Acrylic Emulsion Terpolymer

Styrene (SM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) were used to synthesize a polyacrylic emulsion by core-shell emulsion polymerization. The solid content of the emulsion reached 40% using reasonable reactive emulsifier contents and feeding modes. Then, two kinds of fibers (recovered and hardwood fiber) were respectively dispersed, coated, and dried with emulsion. Finally, fiber-based water-resistant material was successfully fabricated. The experimental results showed that under the conditions of a mass ratio of polyacrylic emulsion to fiber of 2:1, the Cobb value of the material reached 7.1 g/m2 and 10.8 g/m2 respectively. Cobb value of recovered fiber material was more stable than hardwood fiber, and stayed in a lower variation scope on the whole. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe the surface morphology of products. The SEM results proved that, the polyacrylic emulsion filled the gaps between fibers, decreased the porous structure. This filling effect led to a continuous structure, and kept the water from infiltrating inside of the material. On the other hand, for the short fiber in recovered fiber material arranged closer, the water resistance of the material was further enhanced.

3D microstructure modeling of compressed fiber-based materials

A novel parametrized model that describes the 3D microstructure of compressed fiber-based materials is introduced. It allows to virtually generate the microstructure of realistically compressed gas-diffusion layers (GDL). Given the input of a 3D microstructure of some fiber-based material, the model compresses the system of fibers in a uniaxial direction for arbitrary compression rates. The basic idea is to translate the fibers in the direction of compression according to a vector field which depends on the rate of compression and on the locations of fibers within the material. In order to apply the model to experimental 3D image data of fiber-based materials given for several compression states, an optimal vector field is estimated by simulated annealing. The model is applied to 3D image data of non-woven GDL in PEMFC gained by synchrotron tomography for different compression rates. The compression model is validated by comparing structural characteristics computed for experimentally compressed and virtually compressed microstructures, where two kinds of compression – using a flat stamp and a stamp with a flow-field profile – are applied. For both stamps types, a good agreement is found. Furthermore, the compression model is combined with a stochastic 3D microstructure model for uncompressed fiber-based materials. This allows to efficiently generate compressed fiber-based microstructures in arbitrary volumes.

Water-Resistant Material from Recovered Fibers and Acrylic Emulsion Terpolymer

Styrene (SM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) were used to synthesize a polyacrylic emulsion by core-shell emulsion polymerization. The solid content of the emulsion reached 40% using reasonable reactive emulsifier contents and feeding modes. Then, the emulsion and a fiber were dispersed, coated, and dried together. Finally, fiber-based water-resistant material was successfully fabricated. The experimental results showed that under the conditions of a monomer mass ratio of 1:1:1 and a mass ratio of polyacrylic emulsion to fiber of 2:1, the Cobb value of the material reached 5.0 g/m2. The tensile strength, elongation, and breaking length were 7.4225 kN/m, 1.0%, and 11.706 km, respectively. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the surface morphology and internal structure of products, the reasons for the high water resistance of fiber-based material was due to the bonding and filling effects of the polyacrylic emulsion on the fibers. For tightly bound fibers, the porous structures formed in fiber-based boards were reduced. On the other hand, the polyacrylic emulsion filled the gaps between fibers. This filling effect led to a continuous structure, and the water resistance of the material was further enhanced.

Self-Healing of Ionomeric Polymers with Carbon Fibers from Medium-Velocity Impact and Resistive Heating

Self-healing materials science has seen significant advances in the last decade. Recent efforts have demonstrated healing in polymeric materials through chemical reaction, thermal treatment, and ultraviolet irradiation. The existing technology for healing polymeric materials through the aforementioned mechanisms produces an irreversible change in the material and makes it unsuitable for subsequent healing cycles. To overcome these disadvantages, we demonstrate a new composite self-healing material made from an ionomer (Surlyn) and carbon fiber that can sustain damage from medium-velocity impact and heal from the energy of the impact. Furthermore, the carbon fiber embedded in the polymer matrix results in resistive heating of the polymer matrix locally, melts the ionomer matrix around the damage, and heals the material at the damaged location. This paper presents methods to melt-process Surlyn with carbon fiber and demonstrates healing in the material through medium-velocity impact tests, resistive heating, and imaging through electron and optical microscopy. A new metric for quantifying self-healing in the sample, called width-heal ratio, is developed, and we report that the Surlyn-carbon fiber-based material under an optimal rate of heating and at the correct temperature has a width-heal ratio of >0.9, thereby demonstrating complete recovery from the damage.

Fabric in Film and Film as Fabric: Maya Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon

Maya Deren's films employ still and moving fabric in order to articulate the changing relationships among viewer, actor, and director. Deren's use of fiber-based material is an overlooked aspect of her cinematic work. In this essay I explore the parallel between the medium of film—the screen, as well as the representation of fabric on film—and fabric in several of Deren's films, primarily her well-known 1943 film Meshes of the Afternoon. This is a generative parallel because a comparison with fabric introduces the idea that film could be conceived of as, simultaneously, a tactile material and a legitimate art form to mid-century film audiences. Film's relation to the body is traditionally distanced: the audience sits far from the screen in order to view it; the actors’ bodies exist only as intangible arrangements of light and shadow. Reading film with an awareness of the characteristics and connotations of moving fabric recasts cinema in light of the screen's status as fabric, a potentially tactile medium.

Carbon Fiber Debris Within the Synovial Joint

The consequences of release of carbon debris within the synovial joint are of interest to surgeons contemplating the intra-articular repair of cruciate-deficient knees with a carbon fiber-based material. Coverage of carbon fiber implants with absorbable polymer as well as autogeneic graft material has resulted in surgical procedures that minimize potential fiber release. However, finite risk of release of fiber debris certainly exists. With this in mind, a controlled animal experiment to model debris release in the synovial joint was performed. As a positive control, magnesium tetrasilicate (talc) in suspension was injected into the knees of rabbits. Talc produced a transient synovitis severe enough to alter the mechanical properties of the joint cartilage. Carbon fiber debris, when similarly injected, also produced a synovitis. However, the synovitis induced by carbon particulate was not of sufficient severity or duration to alter the mechanical properties of the cartilage. Neither talc nor carbon fiber debris appeared to physically abrade cartilage.