Natural Materials Research Articles

Fabrication and characterization of low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash and natural sand

Coal fly ash, an industrial solid waste product, and natural sand, a commonly available and inexpensive natural material, were used to fabricate ceramic membranes that are both affordable and sustainable. These ceramic membranes were fabricated by the uniaxial compaction technique using a manual hydraulic pressing machine. The effects of various fabrication parameters such as the sintering temperature and the amount of natural sand utilized, on the properties of the resulting ceramic membranes were extensively evaluated. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of the starting materials confirmed the presence of SiO2 and Al2O3, two key inorganic materials required for the fabrication of ceramic membranes. Heavy metals present in the raw coal fly ash were leached out prior to the fabrication process. The coal fly ash and natural sand were mixed in different proportions and the fabricated ceramic membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The properties of the optimized membranes were further studied to ascertain their mechanical strength, chemical stability, porosity, water absorption, water permeability, and shrinkage behaviour. The membrane fabricated with 20 wt% sand content and at 1000 °C sintering temperature had pore size of 0.64 µm and 34.7 % porosity, exhibited good mechanical strength (7.71 MPa), and exceptional chemical stability. The membrane also showed a remarkable water permeability of 32.23 L/m2/h. This study showed that natural sand and coal fly ash can be efficiently employed to develop a multifunctional filtration membrane with adjustable properties that can be utilized in water purification.

Performance of normal-weight and lightweight 3D printed cementitious composites with recycled glass: Sorption and microstructural perspective

The development of sustainable mixtures has been a widely researched topic in the last decade, as the cement and concrete industries are among the most polluting sectors. Recycled materials can eliminate the need for extraction of natural materials through re-utilization of waste, reducing the environmental impact. To date, few studies have analyzed the effects of incorporating recycled glass aggregates on the water transport properties and microstructure of 3D printable mixtures.This study assesses the feasibility of incorporating recycled glass as a replacement for natural aggregate in 3D printable mixtures. For this purpose, three normal-weight and three lightweight mixtures containing 0, 50, and 100 vol.% of recycled glass aggregate as basalt aggregate replacement were evaluated in cast and printed samples. Expanded thermoplastic microspheres (ETM) were included to create the lightweight mixture composition. This experimental work evaluated the effects of incorporating recycled glass, ETM, and the impact of the printing process on the microstructure, sorption, and capillary water porosity (CWP).The printing process has proven to be an influential factor affecting the shape, size, and quantity of porosity. In addition, the printing process was demonstrated to be more influential on porosity formation than the inclusion of recycled glass or ETM. Incorporating recycled glass results in a slight decrease in the PHg porosity, more spherical pores, and lower anisotropic tendency. Furthermore, adding ETM has a filling effect, leading to a more compact microstructure.

High quality factor of bound states in continuum in hBN metasurface

A bound state in the continuum (BIC) metasurface (MS) was designed to achieve an ultrahigh quality factor(Q factor) using natural hyperbolic materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride. To investigate the structure's dispersion and Q factor, a unit cell of the MS comprising semicircles and rectangles was designed. This MS structure supports symmetry-protected BICs and exhibits a Q factor of approximately 13 000 at 4.43964 × 1013 Hz. By breaking the MS symmetry, the BICs are converted into quasi-BICs, resulting in quasi-BIC resonance with a high Q factor. Further analysis of the reflection spectra and multipole theory indicates that the toroidal dipole (TD) has the most significant influence on the resonance. Thus, the symmetry-protected BIC can be transformed into the TD resonance with a Q factor by breaking symmetry.

Sandwich structures in bio-composite material for sustainable acoustic solutions

The use of bio-based materials in acoustic applications has gained a lot of attention recently as a functional and environmentally friendly alternative for synthetic materials. This is because conventional synthetic fibers have a significant impact on the environment and the health risks of people. The focus is now on developing composite systems that minimize environmental harm by using energy and materials more efficiently, and by substituting synthetic or petroleum-based materials with more sustainable options, such as natural fibers. These natural fibers are favoured for their biodegradability, sustainability, and widespread availability, earning them the label of "green materials." Thus, this paper aims to investigate the soundproofing capabilities of a novel sandwich structure composed of hemp fibers and bio-epoxy resin, aiming to broaden the application field of natural fiber composite materials.

Investigation of thermal, acoustic, mechanical, and radiation shielding performance of waste and natural fibers

It is crucial to address two pressing global issues, energy shortage and environmental pollution, when producing building insulation materials. Using waste and natural fiber groups can be part of the solution. The insulation material was produced using pumpkin fiber, chicken fiber, cotton waste, vermiculite, and epoxy as binders. The samples were tested for thermal conductivity coefficient, ultrasonic sound transmission rate, density, water absorption rate, compressive and bending strength, and fire resistance at temperatures of 75, 100, 125, and 150C. The samples produced using natural and waste materials yielded a thermal conductivity value of 0.041 W/mK, an ultrasonic sound transmission speed of 0.25 km/s, a compressive strength value of 1.57 MPa, and bending strength values of 0.91 MPa. It has been clearly demonstrated that, with its low volume loss, it can serve as an alternative to the EPS-XPS types available in the market. Furthermore, the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) were examined to obtain radiation shielding properties of the samples at 1173 and 133 keV energies using a 60Co gamma source. Also, LAC values determined between 0,1167 ± 0,0452 cm−1-0,2315 ± 0,0065 cm−1 for 1173 keV and 0,1042 ± 0,0488 cm−1 - 0,2141 ± 0,0062 cm−1 for 1333 keV. Accordingly, it has been revealed that waste compositions are effective in protecting against radiation.

Bamboo fiber-enhanced UHPC: Early hydration and microstructural/mesoscale analysis

This study investigates the impact of incorporating bamboo fibers, a natural and renewable material, into ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) on its early hydration, mechanical properties, internal relative humidity, autogenous shrinkage, and microstructure. The results show that adding bamboo fibers significantly improves various UHPC properties. Bamboo fibers regulate hydration and prolong the hydration process through their water absorption and retention abilities. With a fiber content of 1.0 vol percent (vol%), the compressive strength increases by 10.2 %, reaching 97.1 MPa, and at 2.0 vol%, flexural strength and toughness increase by 37.9 % and 739.5 %, respectively. Additionally, bamboo fibers help maintain internal relative humidity above 98 % during the first 7 days of curing and reduce autogenous shrinkage by up to 55.9 %. The fibers also optimize the microstructure by minimizing voids, with a 1.0 % fiber content reducing the void ratio to 1.64 %. This reduces large voids and improves the material's density. Overall, bamboo fibers show great promise in enhancing UHPC's structural performance and environmental adaptability while being a sustainable and cost-effective material.

Biomimetic bilayer scaffold from Bombyx mori silk materials for small diameter vascular applications in tissue engineering.

Enhancing the biocompatibility and mechanical stability of small diameter vascular scaffolds remain significant challenges. To address this challenge, small-diameter tubular structures were electrospun from silk fibroin (SF) from silk textile industry discarded materials to generate bilayer scaffolds that mimic native blood vessels, but derived from a sustainable natural material resource. The inner layer was obtained by directly dissolving SF in formic acid, while the middle layer (SF-M) was achieved through aqueous concentration of the protein. Structural and biological properties of each layer as well as the bilayer were evaluated. The inner layer exhibited nano-scale fiber diameters and 57.9% crystallinity, and degradation rates comparable with the SF-M layer. The middle layer displayed micrometer-scale fibers diameters with an ultimate extension of about 274%. Both layers presented contact angles suitable for cell growth and cytocompatibility, while the bilayer material displayed an intermediate mechanical response and a reduced enzymatic degradation rate when compared to each individual layer. The bilayer material emulates many of the characteristics of native small-diameter vessels, thereby suggesting further studies towards in vivo opportunities.

Humic acid-coated paper: An affordable mixed-mode weak-cation exchanger for isolating cocaine, codeine, and methadone from saliva samples for their direct infusion mass spectrometric analysis.

The use of natural materials as precursors for synthesizing sorptive phases can reduce the environmental impact of the sample preparation step. In this article, two natural materials, i.e., cellulose and humic acids, are combined, resulting in a porous and flat sorptive phase that combines hydrophobic and cation exchange interactions. The simple preparation, with low reagent consumption, and the high production capacity make this process affordable. The performance of the humic acid-coated paper has been studied towards three basic drugs (cocaine, codeine, and methadone), and it has allowed the determination of the targets in saliva by direct infusion tandem mass spectrometry. The simultaneous extraction of many samples and the rapid analysis (2 min) provide a high sample throughput. The resulting method has been validated following the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) M10 validation guide. Working at the optimum conditions, the linear range was established from 5 to 500 μg·L-1 and the detection limits were established at 1.5 μg·L-1 for all the analytes. At the LOQ, the inter-day precision and intra-day precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, were better than 13.6% and 17.9%, respectively. For low/mid/high quality controls, the inter-day precision and intra-day precision were better than 11.8% and 9.1%, respectively. The accuracy, calculated as relative recovery, was in the range of 83.8-106.1%. Several samples from patients under treatment with codeine-containing prescriptions were finally analyzed.

Organoboron catalysis for direct amide/peptide bond formation.

Amides and peptides are ubiquitous functional groups found in several natural and artificial materials, and they are essential for the advancement of life and material sciences. In particular, their relevance in clinical medicine and drug discovery has increased in recent years. Dehydrative condensation of readily available carboxylic acids with amines is the most "direct" method for amide synthesis; however, this methodology generally requires a stoichiometric amount of condensation agent (coupling reagent). Catalytic direct dehydrative amidation has become an "ideal" methodology for synthesizing amides from the perspective of green chemistry, with water as the only byproduct in principle, high atom efficiency, environmentally friendly, energy saving, and safety. Conversely, organoboron compounds, such as boronic acids, which are widely used in various industries as coupling reagents for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions or pharmaceutical structures, are environmentally friendly molecules that have low toxicity and are easy to handle. Based on the chemical properties of organoboron compounds, they have potential Lewis acidity and the ability to form reversible covalent bonds with dehydration, making them attractive as catalysts. This review explores studies on the development of direct dehydrative amide/peptide bond formation reactions from carboxylic acids using organoboron catalysis, classifying them based on chemical bonding and catalysis over approximately 25 years, from the early developmental days to 2023.

Stearic Acid as Polymerization Medium, Dopant and Hydrophobizer: Chemical Oxidative Polymerization of Pyrrole.

In recent years, fatty acids have garnered significant attention as a natural phase-change material and a hydrophobizer due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, the utilization of fatty acid is proposed as a polymerization medium for the first time. As a specific reaction, chemical oxidative polymerizations of pyrrole is conducted using ferric chloride as an oxidant in a stearic acid medium. The polymerizations resulted in the production of micrometer-sized polypyrrole (PPy) grains, which are aggregates of atypical primary particles with submicrometer size. The PPy grains are doped with stearic acid, suggesting that the stearic acid functioned as a dopant and a hydrophobizing agent as well as a polymerization medium. The dried PPy grains can adsorb at the air-water interface and function as a liquid marble stabilizer with light-to-heat photothermal properties. The liquid marble can move on a planar air-water interface by Marangoni flow induced by NIR laser light irradiation.

Potential of a novel brine-struvite-based growth medium for sustainable biomass and phycocyanin production by Arthrospira platensis.

Nutrient recovery is crucial for sustainability as it helps to recycle valuable resources, reduce environmental pollution, and promote the efficient use of natural materials in various agricultural and industrial processes. The present study investigated the impact of using brine and struvite as sustainable nutrient sources on the growth and c-phycocyanin (C-PC) production by the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis. Three modified growth media were compared to the standard SAG-spirul medium under yellow-white light [YLT], and blue-white light [BLT]. In the modified medium BSI, a struvite solution was utilized to replace dipotassium phosphate, while diluted brine was used to replace NaCl and de-ionized H2O. For BSII, struvite and brine were used as in BSI, with elimination of the micronutrient from the solution. In BSIII, no other nutrient sources than bicarbonate-buffer were used in addition to struvite and brine. For each medium, A. platensis was cultivated and incubated under YLT or BLT till the stationary phase. The results showed that the combinations of brine and struvite did not have any significant negative impact on the growth rates in BSIII. However, adding struvite as a phosphorus source boosted C-PC production just as effectively as YLT, with boosting biomass yield, unlike when only BLT was used. In conclusion, the brine/struvite-based media resulted in high biomass productivity with higher C-PC yields, making it an ideal growth medium for commercial sustainable C-PC production.

Applied research and recent advances in the development of flexible sensing hydrogels from cellulose: A review.

Flexible wearable smart sensing materials have gained immense momentum, and biomass-based hydrogel sensors for renewable and biologically safe wearable sensors have attracted significant attention in order to meet the growing demand for sustainability and ecological friendliness. Cellulose has been widely used in the field of biomass-based hydrogel sensing materials, being the most abundant biomass material in nature. This review mainly focuses on the types of cellulose hydrogels, the preparation methods and their applications in smart flexible sensing materials. The structure-functional properties-application relationship of cellulose hydrogels and the applications of various cellulose hydrogels in flexible sensing are described in detail. Then it focuses on the methods and mechanisms of cellulose hydrogel flexible sensors preparation, and then summarizes the research of cellulose hydrogel sensors for different types of stimulus response mechanisms to pressure, pH, biomolecules, ions, temperature, humidity, and light. The applications of cellulose hydrogels as flexible sensing materials in biomedical sensing, smart wearable and environmental monitoring are further summarized. Finally, the future development trend of cellulose hydrogels is briefly introduced and the future development of cellulose hydrogel sensing materials is envisioned.

Large Rupture Strain Cotton Ropes Hybridized with Affordable Fiberglass Chopped Strand Mat Sheets for Enhanced Compressive Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Columns

The hybrid confinement system combines various fiber types within a single matrix, allowing for the adjustment of volumetric ratios to optimize confinement performance. Synthetic FRPs are more expensive and have a higher carbon footprint due to significant CO2 emissions during production. In response, this study presents an innovative hybrid confinement approach using two natural materials: cotton ropes and FSMS (CFS) to improve concrete strength and ductility. Specimens, standardized at 300 mm height and 150 mm diameter with longitudinal steel bars and stirrups, were divided into two groups based on CFS configurations. The stress-strain response of CFS-confined concrete displayed distinctive behavior: an initial parabolic phase leading to peak compressive stress (ultimate strength), followed by a linearly degrading phase. Across all subgroups, CFS confinement significantly enhanced ultimate strength and corresponding compressive strains, with Subgroup 2A achieving the highest improvements of 246% in ultimate strength and 1477% in strain. Moreover, the ductility gain was reported as high as 20 for CFS-confined concrete. A non-proportional enhancement in the compressive behavior was observed with the increase in confinement ratio. Predictive models were developed for the idealized two-branch response of CFS-confined concrete, encompassing expressions based on nonlinear regression for ultimate strength, corresponding strain, ultimate strain, and elastic modulus. Two existing models were modified to trach each branch of the response. Integrating these two adjusted models closely replicated the experimental compressive curves.

Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant and Protective Activities of Various Types of Extracts from Hyssopus officinalis L. and Grindelia robusta Nutt. Herb Grown in Poland.

The available literature indicates that Hyssopus officinalis and Grindelia robusta are raw materials with great potential for use in prevention and therapy. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess the phytochemical profile and antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of extracts prepared using various solvents, additionally taking into account different methods of drying the plant material. Hydrodistilled oil was analysed by GC-MS. The chemical composition of the extracts was estimated by spectrophotometry and the HPLC-DAD method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP and measuring the intracellular level of ROS. Alamar Blue and Neutral Red tests were used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extracts on skin cells - keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The major components of hyssop essential oil were cis- (44.9%) and trans- (18.2%) pinocamphone, while borneol (16.1%), and α-pinene (12.0%) were predominant in grindelia essential oil. Flavonoids were dominant in the extracts (water:ethanol, water:methanol, and water: glycerol) from hot-air dried hyssop herb, while phenolic acids were the predominant compounds in the grindelia herb extracts. The water:ethanol hyssop extract had the highest total content of flavonoids (42.26 mg CE/mL), among which isoquercitrin and rutin were present in the highest quantities (32.61 mg/mL and 21.47 mg/mL, respectively). In the case of grindelia, the highest total phenolic acid content (26.24 mg CAE/mL) was recorded in the water:ethanol extract, and the dominant compounds among them were 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic and chlorogenic acid (10.85 and 6.39 mg/mL, respectively). The water:ethanol extract from both plants also exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH and FRAP tests (79.19% and 1.39 mmol/L, respectively, for grindelia and 67.61% and 1.04 mmol/L for hyssop) and was most effective at reducing the level of ROS in cells. In addition, water:ethanol extracts may have a positive impact on the viability of skin cells in vitro. Water:ethanol extracts from H. officinalis and G. robusta herb are promising sources of active compounds and may find application as natural materials with valuable biological properties, which require further in vitro and in vivo testing.

Antenna Optimization Using Metamaterials

Abstract Metamaterials are artificial structures engineered to exhibit electromagnetic properties not found in natural materials. These materials offer a diverse range of characteristics, including negative refractive index, reverse radiation, and electromagnetic cloaking. These unique properties find applications in microwave and optical domains, enabling improvements in antenna performance, the design of microwave filters, and the creation of flat optical lenses, among others. This study focuses on utilizing metamaterials to enhance antenna performance by boosting gain, reducing mutual coupling between MIMO antennas, converting polarization, and decreasing radar cross-section (RCS). The primary performance metric considered in this investigation is gain enhancement.

Tiling-based lattice generation for structural property exploration

Advancements in additive manufacturing enable the development of artificial lattice structures with unique properties not found in natural materials. Specifically, filament-based lattices are known for having a lightweight yet strong nature, exhibiting auxetic behavior and excellent energy absorption capabilities. Recent research has focused on developing algorithms and frameworks to manipulate cell geometry and material properties to achieve unusual properties. However, the exploration of the full design space is hampered in practice primarily due to restrictions on cell tiling variation. Here, for the first time, a Tiling-Based Lattice Generation (TBLatGen) framework is presented that relies on various tiling operations and stochastic changes in internal cell geometry. By utilizing reflections, rotations, glide reflections, translations, and combinations of these operations, lattice structures are tiled to achieve an extensive range of properties. For instance, achieving Poisson's ratios ranging over at least ±20 using a minimal set of design parameters is demonstrated, a range unprecedented in prior studies. Experimental testing of a physical prototype validates the auxetic behavior of one newly proposed tiled lattice structure. Beyond this, the proposed TBLatGen framework is anticipated to be applicable to general periodic metamaterials, enabling the design and discovery of new structures exhibiting exceptional mechanical, thermal, electrical, or magnetic properties.

Designing spongy-bone-like cellular materials: Matched topology and anisotropy

Bone is a natural material with properties such as high specific stiffness and strength. These exceptional mechanical properties are attributed to the meso-scale structure and elastic anisotropy of spongy bone. Replicating the topological traits and mechanical properties of spongy bone presents a novel opportunity to develop high-performance cellular materials. To achieve this, we propose an innovative framework for designing biomimetic cellular materials that match the trabecular structure and elastic anisotropy of spongy bone. This framework introduces a forward-flow design process that utilizes gradient-based feature tuning on a low-dimensional feature vector, transforming the complex inverse design problem into an efficient iterative process. A key innovation in our approach is the use of a pre-trained generative model, SliceGAN, to reconstruct 3D unit cells from 2D micro-CT images. This significantly reduces the cost and time associated with traditional layer-by-layer CT scans typically required for 3D training data. Numerical homogenization is then used to determine the effective elastic stiffness matrix, and a Fourier neural operator is trained to predict these matrices efficiently, greatly enhancing the computational efficiency of the design process. Using this framework, we successfully designed unit cells with topological traits and elastic anisotropy that closely approximate those of natural spongy bone. This opens new avenues for developing spongy-bone-mimetic cellular materials with exceptional mechanical properties. Moreover, the framework's versatility allows it to be extended to the design of other bio-inspired cellular materials.

Effect of chitosan and natural materials on properties of polyvinylchloride for blood bags applications

Abstract Polyvinyl chloride is the most common material used in the manufacture of blood bags, and chitosan and wheat extract were used to improve the biological, physical, mechanical and optical properties of the manufactured blood bag. Chitosan was added at three concentrations (1, 2, and 3%) to the PVC matrix sample, and the wheat extract was supplemented to the sample having the highest properties to study its effect. It was found that the addition of chitosan led to an increase in tensile strength, as well as a significant increase in inhibition against the bacterial activity of two types of bacteria (S. aureus and C. albicans), and the ability to absorb water, but the addition of wheat extract led to a very small decrease in absorbency. Also, the supplement of chitosan and wheat extract reduced the transparency of the manufactured blood bag. All samples were characterized as not having the ability to non-hemolytic in the hemolysis test. All the results of polymer blends and polymer composite were compared with the pure PVC and commercial blood bags as reference samples.

Analysis and Quantification of Selected Heavy Metals and Paraphenylenediamine in Commercially Available Herbal Black Hair Dyes in Sri Lanka

Currently, the use of henna-based herbal black hair dyes is widespread in the community. However, it is important to note that these dyes cannot be classified as completely natural due to the addition of various ingredients to enhance their effectiveness. Most black hair dyes use paraphenylenediamine (PPD) to get a black hue, however, PPD is widely recognized as a contact sensitizer. The toxicity of heavy metals is also prevalent in the cosmetics sector. These metallic elements can permeate the skin and provide widespread exposure throughout the body. Hair dye requires an alkaline pH value because of reactions that occur during the dyeing process, which is incompatible with scalp pH. The varying concentrations of these chemicals and their frequency of usage can result in diverse health issues. The present research implemented High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to quantify the concentrations of PPD and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and Fe) in seven frequently used brands in Sri Lanka. The lead content in the examined samples exhibited variability, ranging from 0.04 ± 0.01 ppm to 0.28 ± 0.14 ppm. However, all the samples remained below the allowed level of 2 ppm according to the BVL standard. Regarding Cd, certain examined materials surpassed the acceptable thresholds, while others did not and varied between 0 ppm and 2.33 ± 1.92 ppm. Iron was found at a significantly higher concentration compared to the other two heavy metals. A significant quantity of PPD was detected, exceeding the allowable threshold of 6% according to the European Union legislation. All the samples that were analyzed had a pH value within the alkaline range. The study indicates that herbal dyes generated from natural materials may contain harmful compounds, such as a high concentration of PPD in herbal black hair color potentially inducing sensitization.

Fabrication and mechanical performance investigation of jute/glass fiber hybridized polymer composites: Effect of stacking sequences

The green, biodegradable, and cost-effective properties of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials have attracted significant interest when compared to synthetic polymer composites. Jute is a naturally occurring bast fiber that is inexpensive, durable, and often utilized. In contrast, glass is a composite material that is frequently used in various applications, despite its high cost and potential environmental risks. Owing to jute's superior mechanical properties, there is a great deal of potential for combining it with glass, which would lower the amount of glass used and the composite's overall cost. This study employed bleached jute fabric and non-woven glass fabric to develop neat jute, neat glass, and hybrid composites by using different stacking sequences. The composites were fabricated utilizing a thermoset polymer matrix by following the hand layup process. Subsequently, an investigation was carried out to examine the mechanical, physical, thermal, and morphological properties of these composites. Out of the developed samples, the neat jute presents the least tensile and bending strength at 31.35 MPa and 41.138 MPa respectively, whereas the neat glass composite demonstrates exceptional tensile and bending strengths at 132.03 MPa and 184.86 MPa respectively. In the case of hybrid samples, they exhibited mechanical capabilities that fell between neat jute and neat glass, which was attributed to the combination of glass with jute fabric and the placement of glass as the outer layer. Apart from that, we observed that the moisture take-up% and thermal conductivity of hybrids composite were within 4–4.3% and 0.28–0.32 Wm−1 K-1 respectively. Moreover, thermogravimetric analysis and morphological behavior were also assessed. However, this study suggested that jute and nonwoven glass fabric with different stacking sequences may be combined to create a reinforced hybrid composite that may have potential use in furniture, interior design, and inner sections of cars.