Characterization of green composites from biobased epoxy matrices and bio-fillers derived from seashell wastes

The seashells, a serious environmental hazard, are composed mainly by calcium carbonate, which can be used as filler in polymer matrix. The main objective of this work is the use of calcium carbonate from seashells as a bio-filler in combination with eco-friendly epoxy matrices thus leading to high renewable contents materials. Previously obtaining calcium carbonate, the seashells were washed and grinded. The powder obtained and the resin was characterized by DSC, TGA, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and rheology plate-plate. The results show that addition of 30 wt.% of seashell bio-filler increase mechanical properties as flexural modulus (over 50%) and hardness Shore D (over 6%) and thermal properties as an increase around 13% in glass transitions temperature. The results show that the addition of calcium carbonate from seashells is an effective method to increase mechanical properties of bio-composite and to reduce the residue of seashells from industrial production. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.L. Bernardi would like to thank CNPq, Consejo Nacional de Desenvolvimiento Cientifico y Tecnologico - Brasil for financial support through a scholarship number.Fombuena Borrás, V.; Bernardi, L.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Boronat Vitoria, T.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2014). Characterization of green composites from biobased epoxy matrices and bio-fillers derived from seashell wastes. Materials and Design. 57:168-174. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2013.12.0321681745

The effect of sepiolite on the compatibilization of polyethylene thermoplastic starch blends for environmentally friendly films

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8647-8[EN] Green polyethylene is a new and attracting polymer from biobased resources (sugarcane) and identical properties to petroleum-based polyethylene. Its potential in the packaging industry is really promising. In this work, we report the use of different compatibilizer systems for green polyethylene (from sugarcane) and thermoplastic starch (30 wt% TPS) in order to increase ductile mechanical properties and biodegradable content. Typical petroleum-based graft copolymer of polyethylene with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) is used as reference compatibilizer, and new compatibilizer systems are developed using sepiolite. The obtained results show that sepiolite-based compatibilizers provide good compatibilization properties as observed by a remarkable increase in elongation at break and a noticeable size reduction of the TPS domains dispersed in the green polyethylene matrix as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).This study has been funded by the ‘‘Conselleria d’Educacio´, Cultura i Esport’’—Generalitat Valenciana (Reference number: GV/2014/008). Authors thank Tolsa S.A for kindly supply sepiolite for this study and Microscopy Services at UPV for helping in using SEM and TEM techniques.Samper Madrigal, MD.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Dominici, F.; Balart Gimeno, RA.; Kenny, JM. (2015). The effect of sepiolite on the compatibilization of polyethylene thermoplastic starch blends for environmentally friendly films. Journal of Materials Science. 50(2):863-872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8647-8S863872502Alvarenga RAF, Dewulf J (2013) Plastic vs. fuel: Which use of the Brazilian ethanol Can bring more environmental gains? Renew Energ 59:49–52Kikuchi Y, Hirao M, Narita K, Sugiyama E, Oliveira S, Chapman S, Arakaki MM, Cappra CM (2013) Environmental performance of biomass-derived chemical production: a case study on sugarcane-derived polyethylene. J Chem Eng Jpn 46:319–325Liptow C, Tillman A-M (2012) A comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study of polyethylene based on sugarcane and crude oil. J Ind Ecol 16:420–435Taghizadeh A, Sarazin P, Favis BD (2013) High molecular weight plasticizers in thermoplastic starch/polyethylene blends. J Mater Sci 48:1799–1811. doi: 10.1007/s10853-012-6943-8Park HM, Lee WK, Park CY, Cho WJ, Ha CS (2003) Environmentally friendly polymer hybrids—Part I—Mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of thermoplastic starch/clay nanocomposites. J Mater Sci 38:909–915. doi: 10.1023/A:1022308705231Pimentel TAPF, Duraes JA, Drummond AL, Schlemmer D, Falcao R, Araujo Sales MJ (2007) Preparation and characterization of blends of recycled polystyrene with cassava starch. J Mater Sci 42:7530–7536. doi: 10.1007/s10853-007-1622-xRosa DS, Guedes CGF, Carvalho CL (2007) Processing and thermal, mechanical and morphological characterization of post-consumer polyolefins/thermoplastic starch blends. J Mater Sci 42:551–557. doi: 10.1007/s10853-006-1049-9Kaseem M, Hamad K, Deri F (2012) Thermoplastic starch blends: a review of recent works. Polym Sci Ser A 54:165–176Nafchi AM, Moradpour M, Saeidi M, Alias AK (2013) Thermoplastic starches: properties, challenges, and prospects. Starch-Starke 65:61–72Jimenez A, Jose Fabra M, Talens P, Chiralt A (2012) Edible and biodegradable starch films: a review. Food Bioprocess Tech 5:2058–2076Bikiaris D, Panayiotou C (1998) LDPE/starch blends compatibilized with PE-g-MA copolymers. J Appl Polym Sci 70:1503–1521Liu W, Wang YJ, Sun Z (2003) Effects of polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) on thermal properties, morphology, and tensile properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and corn starch blends. J Appl Polym Sci 88:2904–2911Pedroso AG, Rosa DS (2005) Mechanical, thermal and morphological characterization of recycled LDPE/corn starch blends. Carbohyd Polym 59:1–9Rodriguez-Gonzalez FJ, Ramsay BA, Favis BD (2003) High performance LDPE/thermoplastic starch blends: a sustainable alternative to pure polyethylene. Polymer 44:1517–1526Yang L, Liu W (2010) Effects of functional groups of starch on asa emulsification and sizing. In: Sun RC, Fu SY (eds) Research progress in paper industry and biorefinery. China University of Technology Press, Guangzhou, pp 1936–1939Kapusniak J, Jochym K, Bajer K, Bajer D (2011) Review of methods for chemical modification of starch. Przem Chem 90:1521–1526Ren L, Jiang M, Tong J, Bai X, Dong X, Zhou J (2010) Influence of surface esterification with alkenyl succinic anhydrides on mechanical properties of corn starch films. Carbohyd Polym 82:1010–1013Cunha AG, Gandini A (2010) Turning polysaccharides into hydrophobic materials: a critical review. Part 2. Hemicelluloses, chitin/chitosan, starch, pectin and alginates. Cellulose 17:1045–1065Bhattacharya M (1998) Stress relaxation of starch synthetic polymer blends. J Mater Sci 33:4131–4139. doi: 10.1023/A:1004449002240Sam ST, Ismail H, Ahmad Z (2011) Soil burial of polyethylene-g-(maleic anhydride) compatibilised LLDPE/soya powder blends. Polym-Plast Technol 50:851–861Majid RA, Ismail H, Taib RM (2009) Effects of PE-g-MA on tensile properties, morphology and water absorption of LDPE/thermoplastic sago starch blends. Polym-Plast Technol 48:919–924Kahar M, Wahab A, Ismail H, Othman N (2012) Compatibilization effects of PE-g-MA on mechanical, thermal and swelling properties of high density polyethylene/natural rubber/thermoplastic tapioca starch blends. Polym-Plast Technol 51:298–303Xu Y, Thurber CM, Lodge TP, Hillmyer MA (2012) Synthesis and remarkable efficacy of model polyethylene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers as compatibilizers in polyethylene/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends. Macromolecules 45:9604–9610Wang N, Yu J, Ma X, Wu Y (2007) The influence of citric acid on the properties of thermoplastic starch/linear low-density polyethylene blends. Carbohyd Polym 67:446–453Kim JP, Yoon TH, Mun SP, Rhee JM, Lee JS (2006) Wood-polyethylene composites using ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer as adhesion promoter. Bioresource Technol 97:494–499Choudhury A, Mukherjee M, Adhikari B (2006) Recycling of polyethylene/nylon 6 based waste oil pouches using compatibilizer. Indian J Chem Techn 13:233–241Galan E (1996) Properties and applications of palygorskite-sepiolite clays. Clay Miner 31:443–453Wan C, Chen B (2011) Synthesis and characterization of biomimetic hydroxyapatite/sepiolite nanocomposites. Nanoscale 3:693–700Sarifuddin N, Ismail H, Ahmad Z (2014) Influence of halloysite nanotubes hybridized with kenaf core fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of low density polyethylene/thermoplastic sago starch blends. Polym-Plast Technol 53:107–115Scaffaro R, Botta L, Mistretta MC, La Mantia FP (2013) Processing—morphology—property relationships of polyamide 6/polyethylene blend-clay nanocomposites. Express Polym Lett 7:873–884Sarifuddin N, Ismail H (2013) Comparative study on the effect of bentonite or feldspar filled low-density polyethylene/thermoplastic sago starch/kenaf core fiber composites. 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Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/polycaprolactone blends

This is the accepted version of the following article: Ferri, J. M.; Fenollar, O.; Jorda-Vilaplana, A.; Garcia-Sanoguera, D.; Balart, R. (2016). "Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/polycaprolactone blends". Polymer International. 65(4):453-463. doi:10.1002/pi.5079., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pi.5079 .Binary blends based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) were prepared by melt mixing in a twin-screw co-rotating extruder in order to increase the low intrinsic elongation at break of PLA for packaging applications. Although PLA and PCL show low miscibility, the presence of PCL leads to a marked improvement in the ductile properties of PLA. Various mechanical properties were evaluated in terms of PCL content up to 30wt% PCL. In addition to tensile and flexural properties, Poisson s ratio was obtained using biaxial extensometry to evaluate transversal deformations when axial loads are applied. Very slight changes in the melt temperature and glass transition temperature of PLA are observed thus indicating the low miscibility of the PLA PCL system. Field emission scanning electron microscopy reveals some interactions between the two components of the blend since the morphology is characterized by non-spherical polycaprolactone drops dispersed into the PLA matrix. In addition to the improvement of mechanical ductile properties, PCL provides higher degradation rates of blends under conditions of composting for contents below 22.5% PCL.This research was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness - MINECO, ref. MAT2014-59242-C2-1-R. The authors also thank the Conselleria d'Educacio, Cultura i Esport - Generalitat Valenciana, ref. GV/2014/008 for financial support.Ferri Azor, JM.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Jorda-Vilaplana, A.; García Sanoguera, D.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2016). Effect of miscibility on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)/polycaprolactone blends. Polymer International. 65(4):453-463. https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.5079S45346365

Mechanical characterization of sebs compounds with phase change materials (PCM)

SEBS (styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene) polymers successfully combine elastomeric properties with low processing costs typical of commodity plastics. This study focuses on a blend from the provider¿s SEBS extreme hardness (50% Shore-A 5 and 50% Shore-A 90), adding microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) with a melting point of 52 ºC to optimize thermal inertia of parts made for uses in childcare products and footwear. First step is injection of the blend from the provider¿s extreme hardness without and with PCMs in a relation of 2% and 5% weight. Next step is mechanical characterization of the blends, analyzing hardness, elongation at break and tensile strength. Finally, results are compared in order to determine properties variation.Juárez Varón, D.; Ferrándiz Bou, S.; Balart Gimeno, RA.; Peydro Rasero, MÁ.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ. (2011). Mechanical characterization of sebs compounds with phase change materials (PCM). Annals of The University of Oradea. 10(20):461-465. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/35904S461465102

Development of a carbon fibre frame for regional motorcycling championships

[EN] Carbon fiber is most often used in high-level competition vehicles for its physical and mechanical properties. The goal of this work is to design and manufacture a motorcycle frame for regional championships, spreading the use of composites technology to teams with fewer resources. The design of the motorcycle used available parts to get the required geometrical features, while keeping in mind that the frame can only be manufactured in a single section, without adhesive bonds to be applied later. The calculations have been carried out using Ansys Workbench software, through the ACP (Ansys Composite Prepost) module of composite materials. The final result is a frame that is 30% lighter than the ones used in the same category, creating a more agile handling and a greater power-to-weight ratio.Sanchez-Caballero, S.; Oliver Borrachero, BA.; Sellés Cantó, MÁ.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ. (2016). Development of a carbon fibre frame for regional motorcycling championships. Annals of The University of Oradea. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering. XV(1):57-62. doi:10.15660/auofmte.2016-1.3222S5762XV

High renewable content sandwich structures based on flax-basalt hybrids and biobased epoxy polymers

In the last years, a growing interest in the development of high environmental efficiency materials has been detected and this situation is more accentuated in the field of polymers and polymer composites. In this work, green composite sandwich structures with high renewable content have been developed with core cork materials. The base resin for composites was a biobased epoxy resin derived from epoxidized vegetable oils. Hybrid basalt-flax fabrics have been used as reinforcements for composites and the influence of the stacking sequence has been evaluated in order to optimize the appropriate laminate structure for the sandwich bases. Core cork materials with different thickness have been used to evaluate performance of sandwich structures thus leading to high renewable content composite sandwich structures. Results show that position of basalt fabrics plays a key role in flexural fracture of sandwich structures due to differences in stiffness between flax and basalt fibersColomina, S.; Boronat Vitoria, T.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Sánchez Nacher, L.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2014). High renewable content sandwich structures based on flax-basalt hybrids and biobased epoxy polymers. AIP Conference Proceedings. 1593:467-470. doi:10.1063/1.4873823S467470159

Participación del alumnado en la evaluación de prácticas relacionadas con Ensayos No Destructivos (END) mediante la utilización de rúbricas

[EN] This study shows the results obtained by incorporating the students as an evaluator element of a subject related to Non Destructive Testing (NDT) university master. To do this, the student has the same rubrics that owns the teacher and participant makes 50% of evaluated student note. In this way it has able to increase the interaction between student/teacher, improving reliability and imparciabilidad of the evaluation process, as well as a much greater assimilationn of objectives by students. Data analysis shows a higher level of attention and requirement (73% of exigency that teacher´s results) in the students participate inf the evaluation process[ES] El presente estudio muestra los resultados de obtenidos al incorporar al alumnado como elemento evaluador de una asignatura relacionada con los Ensayos No Destructivos (END) de máster universitario. Para ello, el alumno cuenta con las misma rúbricas que posee el profesor y se le hace partícipe del 50% de la nota del alumno evaluado. De esta forma se ha conseguido incrementar la interacción entre alumno/profesor, mejorar la fiabilidad e imparcialidad del proceso de evaluación, así como de una asimilación de los objetivos mucho mayor por parte del alumnado. El análisis de datos muestra un mayor nivel de atención y exigencia (con un 73% de los resultados más exigentes que el propio profesorado) en los alumnos a los que se les hace partícipes del proceso de evaluación.Fombuena Borrás, V.; Montañés Muñoz, N.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; García Sanoguera, D.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2016). Participación del alumnado en la evaluación de prácticas relacionadas con Ensayos No Destructivos (END) mediante la utilización de rúbricas. En In-Red 2016. II Congreso nacional de innovación educativa y docencia en red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2016.2016.4399OC

Metodología de evaluación mediante la realización de pruebas de evaluación activa circular tipo test

[EN] In recent years the concept of evaluation has reached a significant transformation. The traditional concept of evaluation as a final act , has been replaced by a concept of evaluation as something intrinsic to the learning process , creating interactive and circular relationships between learning and evaluation. In this sense , we have introduced a part of the act of assessment in an intermediate stage of learning , so that will be producing a feedback between the results obtained and the lessons learned[ES] En los últimos años el concepto de evaluación ha sufrido una importante transformación. De la tradicional concepción de evaluación como acto final, hemos pasado a un concepto en el que incluimos la evaluación como algo intrínseco al proceso de aprendizaje, creándose relaciones interactivas y circulares entre aprendizaje y evaluación. En este sentido, hemos introducido una parte del acto de evaluación en una etapa intermedia del aprendizaje, de tal forma que se vaya produciendo una retroalimentación entre los resultados obtenidos y el aprendizaje adquirido.Montañés Muñoz, N.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Fombuena Borrás, V.; Balart Gimeno, RA.; García Sanoguera, D. (2016). Metodología de evaluación mediante la realización de pruebas de evaluación activa circular tipo test. En In-Red 2016. II Congreso nacional de innovación educativa y docencia en red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2016.2016.4410OC

Improvement of thermal inertia of sebs blends by addition of phase change materials (pcms) at 28ºc

[EN] In this work, microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) with a melting temperature of 28 ºC have been used to improve thermal inertia phenomena on an elastomeric matrix of styrene-ethylene/butylenes-styrene (SEBS) material. The amount of PCMs has varied in the 1- 10 wt. % and these materials have been processed by conventional injection molding without PCM degradation. Mechanical characterization of SEBS-PCM compounds has been carried out and the obtained results show good maintenance of both resistant and ductile properties for PCM amounts comprised in the 1-5 wt. % range. SEM analysis has revealed good interaction between PCM microcapsules and SEBS matrix which is a critical aspect to obtain good mechanical performance. The effect of PCM addition on thermal inertia has been evaluated by active infrared thermography, showing a remarkable effect on thermal regulation of SEBS in the temperature range close to the melting point of the PCM (28 ºC). This thermoregulation effect is more accurate as the PCM content increases. Also, cooling curves have been constructed in order to quantify the thermal inertia effect in a cooling process.[ES] Se han empleado en este trabajo materiales microencapsulados con cambio de fase (PCMs) con el objetivo de mejorar la inercia térmica en una matriz elastomérica de estirenoetileno/butileno-estireno (SEBS). La cantidad de PCM ha variado entre los porcentajes en peso de 1-10% y estos materiales han sido procesados mediante moldeo por inyección convencional sin degradación del PCM. Se ha llevado a cabo una caracterización mecánica de los compuestos de SEBS-PCM y los resultados obtenidos muestran un buen mantenimiento de las propiedades resistentes y dúctiles para cantidades de PCM comprendidas en un rango entre el 1-5 % en peso. El análisis SEM ha puesto de manifiesto la buena interacción entre microcápsulas PCM y la matriz de SEBS, aspecto crítico para obtener un buen rendimiento mecánico. El efecto de la adición de PCM en la inercia térmica ha sido evaluada mediante termografía infrarroja activa, mostrando un efecto notable en la regulación térmica del SEBS en el intervalo de temperatura cercano al punto de fusión del PCM (28 °C). Este efecto de termorregulación es más preciso a medida que aumenta el contenido de PCM. Además, se han construido curvas de enfriamiento con el fin de cuantificar el efecto de inercia térmica en un proceso de enfriamiento.Authors thank “Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología”, Ref: DPI2007-66849-C02-02 and Generalitat Valenciana FPA/2010/027 for financial support.Juárez Varón, D.; Ferrándiz Bou, S.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Fombuena Borrás, V.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2012). Mejora de la inercia térmica de mezclas de sebs mediante la adición de materiales con cambio de fase (PCMs) a 28 ºC. 3c Tecnologia. (1):48-66. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/33494S4866

Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid)

Poly(lactic acid), PLA, is a polyester that can be produced from lactic acid derived from renewable resources. This polymer offers attracting uses in packaging industry due to its biodegradability and high tensile strength. However, PLA is quite brittle, which limits its applications. To overcome this drawback, PLA was plasticized with epoxy-type plasticizer derived from a fatty acid, octyl epoxy stearate (OES) at different loadings (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 phr). The addition of OES decreases the glass transition temperature and provides a remarkable increase in elongation at break and impact-absorbed energy. Plasticizer saturation occurs at relatively low concentrations of about 5 phr OES; higher concentration leads to phase separation as observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Optimum balanced mechanical properties are obtained at relatively low concentrations of OES (5 phr), thus indicating the usefulness of this material as environmentally friendly plasticizer for PLA industrial formulations.This research was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness-MINECO, Ref: MAT2014-59242-C2-1-R. Authors also thank to "Conselleria d'Educacio, Cultura i Esport"-Generalitat Valenciana, Ref: GV/2014/008 for financial support.Ferri Azor, JM.; Samper Madrigal, MD.; García Sanoguera, D.; Reig Pérez, MJ.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2016). Plasticizing effect of biobased epoxidized fatty acid esters on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid). Journal of Materials Science. 51(11):5356-5366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-9838-2S535653665111Alam J, Alam M, Raja M, Abduljaleel Z, Dass LA (2014) MWCNTs-reinforced epoxidized linseed oil plasticized polylactic acid nanocomposite and its electroactive shape memory behaviour. 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