10 research outputs found
Fully Biodegradable Biocomposites with High Chicken Feather Content
The aim of this work was to develop new biodegradable polymeric materials with high
loadings of chicken feather (CF). In this study, the effect of CF concentration and the type of
biodegradable matrix on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the biocomposites was
investigated. The selected biopolymers were polylactic acid (PLA), polybutyrate adipate
terephthalate (PBAT) and a PLA/thermoplastic copolyester blend. The studied biocomposites were
manufactured with a torque rheometer having a CF content of 50 and 60 wt %. Due to the low tensile
strength of CFs, the resulting materials were penalized in terms of mechanical properties. However,
high-loading CF biocomposites resulted in lightweight and thermal-insulating materials when
compared with neat bioplastics. Additionally, the adhesion between CFs and the PLA matrix was
also investigated and a significant improvement of the wettability of the feathers was obtained with
the alkali treatment of the CFs and the addition of a plasticizer like polyethylene glycol (PEG).
Considering all the properties, these 100% fully biodegradable biocomposites could be adequate for
panel components, flooring or building materials as an alternative to wood–plastic composites,
contributing to the valorisation of chicken feather waste as a renewable material.This work was supported by KaRMA2020 project. This project has received funding from
the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement n° 723268
Flexible Biocomposites with Enhanced Interfacial Compatibility Based on Keratin Fibers and Sulfur-Containing Poly(urea-urethane)s
Feathers are made of keratin, a fibrous protein with high content of disulfide-crosslinks
and hydrogen-bonds. Feathers have been mainly used as reinforcing fiber in the preparation of
biocomposites with a wide variety of polymers, also poly(urea-urethane)s. Surface compatibility
between the keratin fiber and the matrix is crucial for having homogenous, high quality composites
with superior mechanical properties. Poly(urea-urethane) type polymers are convenient for this
purpose due to the presence of polar functionalities capable of forming hydrogen-bonds with keratin.
Here, we demonstrate that the interfacial compatibility can be further enhanced by incorporating
sulfur moieties in the polymer backbone that lead to new fiber-matrix interactions. We comparatively
studied two analogous thermoplastic poly(urea-urethane) elastomers prepared starting from the
same isocyanate-functionalized polyurethane prepolymer and two aromatic diamine chain extenders,
bis(4-aminophenyl) disulfide (TPUU-SS) and the sulfur-free counterpart bis(4-aminophenyl) methane
(TPUU). Then, biocomposites with high feather loadings (40, 50, 60 and 75 wt %) were prepared in a
torque rheometer and hot-compressed into flexible sheets. Mechanical characterization showed
that TPUU-SS based materials underwent higher improvement in mechanical properties than
biocomposites made of the reference TPUU (up to 7.5-fold higher tensile strength compared to
neat polymer versus 2.3-fold). Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images also
provided evidence that fibers were completely embedded in the TPUU-SS matrix. Additionally,
density, thermal stability, and water absorption of the biocomposites were thoroughly characterized.This work was supported by KaRMA2020 project. This project has received funding from the European
Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement n 723268
Build-To-Specification Vanillin and Phloroglucinol Derived Biobased Epoxy-Amine Vitrimers
Epoxy resins are widely used in the composite industry due to their dimensional stability,
chemical resistance, and thermo-mechanical properties. However, these thermoset resins have
important drawbacks. (i) The vast majority of epoxy matrices are based on non-renewable
fossil-derived materials, and (ii) the highly cross-linked molecular architecture hinders their
reprocessing, repairing, and recycling. In this paper, those two aspects are addressed by
combining novel biobased epoxy monomers derived from renewable resources and dynamic
crosslinks. Vanillin (lignin) and phloroglucinol (sugar bioconversion) precursors have been used
to develop bi- and tri-functional epoxy monomers, diglycidyl ether of vanillyl alcohol (DGEVA)
and phloroglucinol triepoxy (PHTE) respectively. Additionally, reversible covalent bonds have
been incorporated in the network by using an aromatic disulfide-based diamine hardener. Four
epoxy matrices with di erent ratios of epoxy monomers (DGEVA/PHTE wt%: 100/0, 60/40, 40/60,
and 0/100) were developed and fully characterized in terms of thermal and mechanical properties.
We demonstrate that their performances are comparable to those of commonly used fossil fuel-based
epoxy thermosets with additional advanced reprocessing functionalities.This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European
Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 74431
Sistemas híbridos basados en polieter-uretanos silanizados: síntesis, caracterización y estudio de sus propiedades generales
Aero Grade Epoxy Vitrimer towards Commercialization
Traditional crosslinked aero grade epoxy resins have excellent thermal-mechanical properties
and solvent resistance, but they cannot be remolded, recycled, or repaired. Vitrimers can be
topologically rearranged via an associative exchange mechanism, endowing them with thermoplasticity.
Introducing dynamic bonds into crosslinked networks to obtain more sustainable thermosets
is currently an interesting research topic. While recent research into vitrimers has indicated many
advantages over traditional thermosets, an important shortcoming has been identified: susceptibility
to creep at service temperature due to the dynamic bonds present in the network. In addition,
designing aero grade epoxy vitrimers (similar to RTM6 resin) still remains a challenge. Herein, low
creep aero grade epoxy vitrimer with thermal and mechanical properties similar to those of aero
grade epoxy resins and with the ability to be recyclable, repairable, and reprocessable, has been
prepared. In this manuscript, we demonstrate that aero grade epoxy vitrimer with reduced creep can
be easily designed by the introduction of a certain fraction of permanent crosslinks, without having a
negative effect on the stress relaxation of the material. Subsequently, the mechanical and relaxation
properties were investigated and compared with those of classical aero grade epoxy resin. A high Tg
(175 C) epoxy vitrimer was obtained which fulfilled all mechanical and thermal specifications of
the aero sector. This work provides a simple network design to obtain aero grade epoxy resins with
excellent creep resistance at elevated temperatures while being sustainable.This research has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation program under grant agreement No 769274, “AIRPOXY”
Thermoformable and recyclable CFRP pultruded profile manufactured from an epoxy vitrimer
In the present work a recyclable and reprocessable vitrimer suitable for pultrusion process has been formulated and a pultruded profile reshaped by thermoforming has been manufactured therefrom. A DGEBA epoxy resin with medium range viscosity and a bis(a-aminophenyl disulfide) as dynamic crosslinker were used for the synthesis of the vitrimer. The thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and curing behaviour and curing kinetics were studied by means of dynamic scanning calorimeter (DSC) and rheology measurements. Mechanical properties of the dynamic resins and its counterpart epoxy resin and of the fabricated carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) were determined. The dynamic resin showed a fast stress relaxation at temperatures above 150 °C. Finally, as a proof of concept, mechanical recyclability and the thermoforming of the vitrimer-based pultruded profile have been validated
Improved Thermal Insulating Properties of Renewable Polyol Based Polyurethane Foams Reinforced with Chicken Feathers
In the present work, sustainable rigid polyurethane foams (RPUF) reinforced with chicken
feathers (CF) were prepared and characterized. The bio-based polyol used to formulate the foams
was obtained from castor oil. This investigation reports the influence of the chicken feathers fibers
as reinforcement of RPUF, on water absorption, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties
(field-emission scanning electron microscope—FESEM) and thermal conductivity on water-blown
biofoams. It was found that the biofoams improved thermal insulating properties when CF was
added. The addition of CF to foams provided lower heat flux density to the biofoams obtaining
bio-based materials with better insulation properties. The results obtained in this study proved that
the incorporation of CF to RPUF modified the cell structure of the foams a ecting their physical
and mechanical properties, as well as functional properties such as the heat transmission factor.
These biofoams containing up to 45% of bio-based materials have shown the potential to replace fully
petroleum-based foams in thermal insulation applications.This work was supported by KaRMA2020 project. This project has received funding from the European
Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under Grant Agreement n 723268
Improved Thermal Insulating Properties of Renewable Polyol Based Polyurethane Foams Reinforced with Chicken Feathers
Paving the way for a wider use of composites in railway industry
Different types of phosphorus containing halogen-free flame retardants (FRs) were added to an epoxy-dicyandiamide resin formulation in order to study to which extent they affect its glass transition temperature (Tg), tensile properties, termal stability and burning behavior of the resin. For this purpose, an additive-type FR (ammonium polyphosphate encapsulated in melamine resin, MAPP) and two reactive-type FRs i) a commercial epoxy resin pre-reacted with 9,10-dihydro-oxa-10- phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide, (DOPO), and ii) a phosphorus containing hardener (poly(m-phenylene methylphosphonate),
(PMP) were used. It was observed that the addition of additive-type FR did not affect in great extent the Tg and
provided a V-0 rating in UL94 test at low loadings. The addition of reactive-type FRs (DOPO and/or PMP), however,
modified the structure of the chain network resulting in lower crosslink density as a consequence of their higher equivalent
mass, but achieving also with low PMP content V-0 rating.This project has received funding from the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 777595