"Blessed Are the Pure of Heart." Variations on Magical Realism in the Beat Generation: Pathways to Critique and Resistance

This dissertation explores literary depictions of characters experiencing self discovery as they are presented by three of the writers of the Beat Generation: Jack Kerouac, Elise Cowen, and Diane di Prima. Each of the texts--Dr. Sax, Loba, and Cowen's poetry-- demonstrates how disempowered or oppressed characters evolve, learn to define themselves, and discover a truer sense of self during times of war, struggle, conflict or difficulty. The types of oppression the protagonists and speakers face in these texts is wide-ranging and diverse, but magical realism, and variations on the literary themes presented in magical realism, becomes for these writers a weapon their characters employ for critique and for self preservation against the existing social order. Magical elements allow these characters to reflect their realities and--at best--resist those realities. Pan's Labyrinth is presented here as a model for these specific themes -magic as a tool that can empower the disempowered--and as a lens through which the other texts are read and understood

Interfaces electrohiladas para aplicaciones biomédicas

El mercado médico constituye un sector dinámico dentro de las industrias de la salud que produce una amplia gama de dispositi-vos, equipamientos y consumibles para su empleo en el diagnósti-co, prevención, monitorización y tratamiento de enfermedades o discapacidades en humanos. Se la considera como una industria relativamente joven, muy diversificada y poco cohesionada

Tailoring barrier properties of thermoplastic corn starch-based films (TPCS) by means of a multilayer design

This work compares the effect of adding different biopolyester electrospun coatings made of polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) on oxygen and water vapour barrier properties of a thermoplastic corn starch (TPCS) film. The morphology of the developed multilayer structures was also examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results showed a positive linear relationship between the amount of the electrospun coatings deposited onto both sides of the TPCS film and the thickness of the coating. Interestingly, the addition of electrospun biopolyester coatings led to an exponential oxygen and water vapour permeability drop as the amount of the electrospun coating increased. This study demonstrated the versatility of the technology here proposed to tailor the barrier properties of food packaging materials according to the final intended use.The authors acknowledge financial support from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity MINECO (AGL2015-63855-C2-1). M. J. Fabra is recipient of a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2014-158) from MINECO

Biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/thermoplastic polyurethane blends with improved mechanical and barrier performance

Papers presented at 5th International Conference on Bio-based and Biodegradable Polymers (BIOPOL-2015)Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) polymers pose a green alternative to fossil-fuel derived polymers, as they exhibit good biocompatibility, biodegradability and outstanding barrier performance compared to other biopolyesters. However, their excessive brittleness has not yet been overcome without compromising barrier performance. In this work, a native ester-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) not stabilised against hydrolysis, has been thoroughly assessed for the first time as an additive in melt blends with PHBV. Phase segregation in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the immiscibility of the two polymers, however a degree of interaction has been found. Wide-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry revealed no major effect of the TPU on the crystallinity of the PHBV phase. The onset and kinetics of thermal degradation was not altered by the presence of the TPU up to 50 wt% content. Blends with increasing TPU contents showed a gradual decrease in the modulus of elasticity and tensile strength, while a substantial increase in elongation at break has been found for contents of TPU above 20 wt%, which resulted an improvement in the overall toughness of the blends. The excellent barrier performance of the PHBV against water vapour and aroma compounds was shown to be unaffected by TPU loads of ≤30 wt%. Full decomposition of neat PHBV and PHBV/TPU blends below 50 wt% TPU content was achieved after 40 days according to biodisintegration standards (ISO 20200). The study puts forward the potential use of TPU to improve the mechanical performance of these natural biopolyesters without compromising the barrier properties or the biodisintegratibility of the melt blends.The authors wish to thank the European project ECOBIOCAP and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under project MAT2012-38947-C02 for financial support. Jennifer Gonzalez-Ausejo gratefully acknowledges financial support under grant “Pla de promoció de la investigació en la Universitat Jaume I” Predoc/2012/32

Electrospraying assisted by pressurized gas as an innovative high-throughput process for the microencapsulation and stabilization of docosahexaenoic acid-enriched fish oil in zein prolamine

[EN] Zein, a prolamine obtained from maize, was employed to encapsulate a fish oil highly enriched with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by an innovative process termed electrospraying assisted by pressurized gas (EAPG). This technology combines high electric voltage with pneumatic spray to yield a high-throughput encapsulation process. Semi-spherical zein flowable capsules with mean sizes of 1.4 mu m containing the DHA-enriched fish oil were produced by EAPG from inert ethanol solutions at room conditions, presenting a high encapsulation efficiency. The oxidative stability tests carried out in the zein microcapsules obtained by EAPG showed that the DHA-enriched fish oil was efficiently protected over storage time. Sensory tests were also performed on fortified reconstituted milk with the freshly prepared zein/DHA-enriched fish oil microcapsules, suggesting negligible oxidation effects after 45 days. The results described herein indicate that EAPG is a promising innovative high-throughput electrospraying-based methodology for the encapsulation of bioactives and, therefore, the resultant DHA-enriched fish oil containing microcapsules can be industrially applied for the formulation of fortified foods. Industrial relevance: An innovative process, termed electrospraying assisted by pressurized gas (EAPG), is herein originally presented as a novel encapsulation methodology. This technology is based on the combination of high voltage and pneumatic spray, allowing the formation of microcapsules at room temperature conditions. Thus, EAPG shows a great deal of potential to encapsulate nutraceuticals and other bioactives that are sensitive to thermal degradation and/or oxidation. The resultant bioactive-containing capsules can be, thereafter, applied to develop novel fortified food products.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) project AGL2015-63855-C2-1-R and to the H2020 EU project YPACK (reference number 773872) for funding.Busolo, M.; Torres-Giner, S.; Prieto, C.; Lagaron, JM. (2019). Electrospraying assisted by pressurized gas as an innovative high-throughput process for the microencapsulation and stabilization of docosahexaenoic acid-enriched fish oil in zein prolamine. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 51:12-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2018.04.007S121951Aghbashlo, M., Mobli, H., Madadlou, A., & Rafiee, S. (2012). The correlation of wall material composition with flow characteristics and encapsulation behavior of fish oil emulsion. Food Research International, 49(1), 379-388. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2012.07.031Anwar, S. H., & Kunz, B. (2011). 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Food Hydrocolloids, 23(5), 1427-1432. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2008.10.011Filippidi, E., Patel, A. R., Bouwens, E. C. M., Voudouris, P., & Velikov, K. P. (2014). All-Natural Oil-Filled Microcapsules from Water-Insoluble Proteins. Advanced Functional Materials, 24(38), 5962-5968. doi:10.1002/adfm.201400359Ganesan, B., Brothersen, C., & McMahon, D. J. (2013). Fortification of Foods with Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 54(1), 98-114. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.578221García-Moreno, P. J., Özdemir, N., Stephansen, K., Mateiu, R. V., Echegoyen, Y., Lagaron, J. M., … Jacobsen, C. (2017). Development of carbohydrate-based nano-microstructures loaded with fish oil by using electrohydrodynamic processing. Food Hydrocolloids, 69, 273-285. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2017.02.013García-Moreno, P. J., Stephansen, K., van der Kruijs, J., Guadix, A., Guadix, E. M., Chronakis, I. S., & Jacobsen, C. (2016). Encapsulation of fish oil in nanofibers by emulsion electrospinning: Physical characterization and oxidative stability. Journal of Food Engineering, 183, 39-49. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2016.03.015Gomez-Estaca, J., Balaguer, M. P., Gavara, R., & Hernandez-Munoz, P. (2012). Formation of zein nanoparticles by electrohydrodynamic atomization: Effect of the main processing variables and suitability for encapsulating the food coloring and active ingredient curcumin. Food Hydrocolloids, 28(1), 82-91. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2011.11.013Heinzelmann, K., Franke, K., Jensen, B., & Haahr, A.-M. (2000). Protection of fish oil from oxidation by microencapsulation using freeze-drying techniques. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 102(2), 114-121. doi:10.1002/(sici)1438-9312(200002)102:23.0.co;2-0Hogan, S. A., O’Riordan, E. D., & O’Sullivan, M. (2003). Microencapsulation and oxidative stability of spray-dried fish oil emulsions. Journal of Microencapsulation, 20(5), 675-688. doi:10.3109/02652040309178355Hong, X., Mahalingam, S., & Edirisinghe, M. (2017). Simultaneous Application of Pressure-Infusion-Gyration to Generate Polymeric Nanofibers. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 302(6), 1600564. doi:10.1002/mame.201600564Lopez-Huertas, E. (2010). Health effects of oleic acid and long chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) enriched milks. A review of intervention studies. Pharmacological Research, 61(3), 200-207. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2009.10.007Moomand, K., & Lim, L.-T. (2014). Oxidative stability of encapsulated fish oil in electrospun zein fibres. Food Research International, 62, 523-532. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2014.03.054Park, J.-M., Kwon, S.-H., Han, Y.-M., Hahm, K.-B., & Kim, E.-H. (2013). Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as Potential Chemopreventive Agent for Gastrointestinal Cancer. 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Multilayer structures based on annealed electrospun biopolymer coatings of interest in water and aroma barrier fiber-based food packaging applications

In this research work, for the first time, a fiber-based packaging material was coated by annealed electrospun ultrathin fibers of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), poly(vinyl alcohol), and polylactide. The resultant mono- and multilayer structures self-adhered to the paper substrate and were characterized in terms of morphology, optical, and barrier properties. Additionally, the use of a static flat plate and rotating mandrel collector as well as the application of different electrospinning deposition times were analyzed. The thermally treated electrospun biopolymers yielded totally transparent films while, due to the opaque nature of the uncoated paper substrate, the developed packaging materials were also opaque but with a glossier surface finish provided by the bioplastic coating. The annealed films obtained from random electrospun fibers, that is, the mats of ultrathin fibers collected on the static plate, presented higher transparency and thickness and also enhanced barrier performance. On the overall, the developed annealed electrospun biopolymer coatings resulted in a significant improvement of the paper barrier properties to water and limonene vapors, being the paper/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) film the best performing multilayer packaging structure

Development of Electrospun Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) Monolayers Containing Eugenol and Their Application in Multilayer Antimicrobial Food Packaging

[EN] In this research, different contents of eugenol in the 2.5-25 wt.% range were first incorporated into ultrathin fibers of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) by electrospinning and then subjected to annealing to obtain antimicrobial monolayers. The most optimal concentration of eugenol in the PHBV monolayer was 15 wt.% since it showed high electrospinnability and thermal stability and also yielded the highest bacterial reduction against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). This eugenol-containing monolayer was then selected to be applied as an interlayer between a structural layer made of a cast-extruded poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) sheet and a commercial PHBV film as the food contact layer. The whole system was, thereafter, annealed at 160°C for 10 s to develop a novel multilayer active packaging material. The resultant multilayer showed high hydrophobicity, strong adhesion and mechanical resistance, and improved barrier properties against water vapor and limonene vapors. The antimicrobial activity of the multilayer structure was also evaluated in both open and closed systems for up to 15 days, showing significant reductions (R ¿ 1 and < 3) for the two strains of food-borne bacteria. Higher inhibition values were particularly attained against S. aureus due to the higher activity of eugenol against the cell membrane of Gram positive (G+) bacteria. The multilayer also provided the highest antimicrobial activity for the closed system, which better resembles the actual packaging and it was related to the headspace accumulation of the volatile compounds. Hence, the here-developed multilayer fully based on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) shows a great deal of potential for antimicrobial packaging applications using biodegradable materials to increase both quality and safety of food products.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICI) through the RTI2018-097249-B-C21 program number and the H2020 EU project YPACK (reference number 773872). KF-L is a recipient of a Santiago Grisolía (Ref. 0001426013N810001A201) research contract of the Valencian Government (GVA) whereas ST-G holds a Juan de la Cierva¿ Incorporación contract (IJCI-2016-29675) from MICI. The authors would also like to thank the Unidad Asociada IATA-UJI Plastics Technology.Figueroa-López, KJ.; Cabedo, L.; Lagaron, JM.; Torres Giner, S. (2020). Development of Electrospun Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) Monolayers Containing Eugenol and Their Application in Multilayer Antimicrobial Food Packaging. Frontiers in Nutrition. 7:1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.00140S1167Fu, Y., Sarkar, P., Bhunia, A. K., & Yao, Y. (2016). Delivery systems of antimicrobial compounds to food. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 57, 165-177. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2016.09.013Petersen, K., Væggemose Nielsen, P., Bertelsen, G., Lawther, M., Olsen, M. B., Nilsson, N. H., & Mortensen, G. (1999). Potential of biobased materials for food packaging. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 10(2), 52-68. doi:10.1016/s0924-2244(99)00019-9Arena, U., & Di Gregorio, F. (2014). A waste management planning based on substance flow analysis. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 85, 54-66. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.05.008Kumar, G., Ponnusamy, V. K., Bhosale, R. R., Shobana, S., Yoon, J.-J., Bhatia, S. K., … Kim, S.-H. (2019). A review on the conversion of volatile fatty acids to polyhydroxyalkanoates using dark fermentative effluents from hydrogen production. Bioresource Technology, 287, 121427. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121427Shen, M., Huang, W., Chen, M., Song, B., Zeng, G., & Zhang, Y. (2020). (Micro)plastic crisis: Un-ignorable contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, 120138. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120138Mannina, G., Presti, D., Montiel-Jarillo, G., Carrera, J., & Suárez-Ojeda, M. E. (2020). Recovery of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from wastewater: A review. Bioresource Technology, 297, 122478. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122478Costa, S. S., Miranda, A. L., de Morais, M. G., Costa, J. A. V., & Druzian, J. I. (2019). Microalgae as source of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) — A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 131, 536-547. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.03.099Nielsen, C., Rahman, A., Rehman, A. U., Walsh, M. K., & Miller, C. D. (2017). Food waste conversion to microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates. Microbial Biotechnology, 10(6), 1338-1352. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.12776Bhatia, S. K., Gurav, R., Choi, T.-R., Jung, H.-R., Yang, S.-Y., Moon, Y.-M., … Yang, Y.-H. (2019). Bioconversion of plant biomass hydrolysate into bioplastic (polyhydroxyalkanoates) using Ralstonia eutropha 5119. Bioresource Technology, 271, 306-315. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.122Bhatia, S. K., Shim, Y.-H., Jeon, J.-M., Brigham, C. J., Kim, Y.-H., Kim, H.-J., … Yang, Y.-H. (2015). Starch based polyhydroxybutyrate production in engineered Escherichia coli. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 38(8), 1479-1484. doi:10.1007/s00449-015-1390-yPark, Y.-L., Bhatia, S. K., Gurav, R., Choi, T.-R., Kim, H. J., Song, H.-S., … Yang, Y.-H. (2020). Fructose based hyper production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate from Halomonas sp. YLGW01 and impact of carbon sources on bacteria morphologies. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 154, 929-936. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.03.129Hong, J.-W., Song, H.-S., Moon, Y.-M., Hong, Y.-G., Bhatia, S. K., Jung, H.-R., … Yang, Y.-H. (2019). Polyhydroxybutyrate production in halophilic marine bacteria Vibrio proteolyticus isolated from the Korean peninsula. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 42(4), 603-610. doi:10.1007/s00449-018-02066-6Vu, D. H., Åkesson, D., Taherzadeh, M. J., & Ferreira, J. A. (2020). Recycling strategies for polyhydroxyalkanoate-based waste materials: An overview. Bioresource Technology, 298, 122393. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122393Możejko-Ciesielska, J., & Kiewisz, R. (2016). Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates: Still fabulous? Microbiological Research, 192, 271-282. doi:10.1016/j.micres.2016.07.010Torres-Giner, S., Hilliou, L., Melendez-Rodriguez, B., Figueroa-Lopez, K. J., Madalena, D., Cabedo, L., … Lagaron, J. M. (2018). Melt processability, characterization, and antibacterial activity of compression-molded green composite sheets made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) reinforced with coconut fibers impregnated with oregano essential oil. Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 17, 39-49. doi:10.1016/j.fpsl.2018.05.002Vahabi, H., Rohani Rad, E., Parpaite, T., Langlois, V., & Saeb, M. R. (2019). Biodegradable polyester thin films and coatings in the line of fire: the time of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)? Progress in Organic Coatings, 133, 85-89. doi:10.1016/j.porgcoat.2019.04.044Jung, H.-R., Jeon, J.-M., Yi, D.-H., Song, H.-S., Yang, S.-Y., Choi, T.-R., … Yang, Y.-H. (2019). Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) terpolymer production from volatile fatty acids using engineered Ralstonia eutropha. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 138, 370-378. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.091Rehm, B. H. A., & Steinbüchel, A. (1999). Biochemical and genetic analysis of PHA synthases and other proteins required for PHA synthesis. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 25(1-3), 3-19. doi:10.1016/s0141-8130(99)00010-0Tarawat, S., Incharoensakdi, A., & Monshupanee, T. (2020). Cyanobacterial production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) from carbon dioxide or a single organic substrate: improved polymer elongation with an extremely high 3-hydroxyvalerate mole proportion. Journal of Applied Phycology, 32(2), 1095-1102. doi:10.1007/s10811-020-02040-4Bhatia, S. K., Yoon, J.-J., Kim, H.-J., Hong, J. W., Gi Hong, Y., Song, H.-S., … Yang, Y.-H. (2018). Engineering of artificial microbial consortia of Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus subtilis for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolymer production from sugarcane sugar without precursor feeding. Bioresource Technology, 257, 92-101. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.02.056Quillaguamán, J., Guzmán, H., Van-Thuoc, D., & Hatti-Kaul, R. (2009). Synthesis and production of polyhydroxyalkanoates by halophiles: current potential and future prospects. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 85(6), 1687-1696. doi:10.1007/s00253-009-2397-6Cinelli, P., Seggiani, M., Mallegni, N., Gigante, V., & Lazzeri, A. (2019). Processability and Degradability of PHA-Based Composites in Terrestrial Environments. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(2), 284. doi:10.3390/ijms20020284Melendez-Rodriguez, B., Torres-Giner, S., Aldureid, A., Cabedo, L., & Lagaron, J. M. (2019). Reactive Melt Mixing of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)/Rice Husk Flour Composites with Purified Biosustainably Produced Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate). Materials, 12(13), 2152. doi:10.3390/ma12132152Torres-Giner, S., Montanes, N., Fombuena, V., Boronat, T., & Sanchez-Nacher, L. (2016). Preparation and characterization of compression-molded green composite sheets made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) reinforced with long pita fibers. 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Electrospun Oxygen Scavenging Films of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Containing Palladium Nanoparticles for Active Packaging Applications

[EN] This paper reports on the development and characterization of oxygen scavenging films made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) containing palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) prepared by electrospinning followed by annealing treatment at 160 degrees C. The PdNPs were modified with the intention to optimize their dispersion and distribution in PHB by means of two different surfactants permitted for food contact applications, i.e., hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Analysis of the morphology and characterization of the chemical, thermal, mechanical, and water and limonene vapor barrier properties and the oxygen scavenging capacity of the various PHB materials were carried out. From the results, it was seen that a better dispersion and distribution was obtained using CTAB as the dispersing aid. As a result, the PHB/PdNP nanocomposites containing CTAB provided also the best oxygen scavenging performance. These films offer a significant potential as new active coating or interlayer systems for application in the design of novel active food packaging structures.This research has received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, project AGL2015-63855-C2-1-R) and the EU H2020 project YPACK (reference number 773872). A.C. and S.T.-G. would like to thank the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and MINECO for her predoctoral grant (205955/2014-2) and his Juan de la Cierva contract (IJCI-2016-29675), respectively.Cherpinski, A.; Gozutok, M.; Turkoglu Sasmazel, H.; Torres-Giner, S.; Lagaron, JM. (2018). Electrospun Oxygen Scavenging Films of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Containing Palladium Nanoparticles for Active Packaging Applications. Nanomaterials. 8(7):1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano8070469S11987Puglia, D., Fortunati, E., D’Amico, D. A., Manfredi, L. B., Cyras, V. P., & Kenny, J. M. (2014). 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On the extraction of cellulose nanowhiskers from food by-products and their comparative reinforcing effect on a polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate polymer

The present work reports on the characterization of cellulose nanowhiskers (CNW) extracted from three different food by-products, i.e., wheat straw (WSCNW), Brewers spent grains (BGCNW) and olive pomace (OPCNW), by using an optimized hydrolysis method similar to that developed to extract bacterial cellulose nanowhiskers (BCNW). WSCNW and BGCNW were seen to present optimal properties, with aspect ratio, crystallinity and thermal stability values comparable to those of BCNW. Additionally, the optimized hydrolysis treatment led to extraction yields higher than those previously reported for food by-products. The CNW were subsequently incorporated into a commercial polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate polymer (PHBV) by solution casting, and the produced nanocomposites were characterized. Although the addition of BGCNW and WSCNW was advantageous in terms of mechanical performance in comparison with OPCNW, no significant enhancement of the pure PHBV mechanical properties was reported because of the low nanofiller loadings used and the inherent difficulty of achieving a high degree of dispersion by the casting method. Interestingly, BGCNW and WSCNW presented reduced moisture sensitivity as compared with BCNW, leading to greater barrier performance and resulting in oxygen permeability reductions up to 26 % with WSCNW and 44 % with BGCNW.Noelle Peutat, on leave from the University of Grenoble in France, is acknowledged for her great dedication and support in the experimental work. M. Martinez-Sanz would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Education for FPU Grant 1484. The authors acknowledge financial support from the EU FP7 ECOBIOCAP Project. The Electronic Microscopy Department in the SCIE from the University of Valencia is acknowledged for the support with SEM and TEM analyses. The Portuguese authors also acknowledge support from the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through strategic project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013

Assessing the thermoformability of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3- hydroxyvalerate)/poly(acid lactic) blends compatibilized with diisocyanates

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a renewable alternative to conventional barrier packaging polymers due to its thermoplastic properties, biodegradability and gas barrier performance but its potential industrial applications are limited by its high price and difficult processability. A thorough study concerning the thermoforming ability of PHBV, and blends with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) incorporating three different diisocyanates as compatibilizers (hexamethylene diisocyanate, poly(hexamethylene) diisocyanate and 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate) is herein presented after component melt blending. A straightforward universal qualitative method is proposed to assess the thermoformability, based on a visual inspection of a thermoformed specimen and the ability to reproduce the mold shape, and the thermoforming window of the material. The results reveal a significant improvement in the thermoforming capacity and a widening of the thermoforming windows as the correct amounts of diisocyanates are incorporated. The barrier properties and the biodisintegrability of the blends was also studied, confirming a predictable slight decrease of the barrier performance when PLA is added, but without negatively affecting the disintegrability under composting conditions with respect to pristine PHBV