Deposition of LDH on Plasm Treateed Polylactic Acid to Reduce Water Permeability

A simple and scalable deposition process was developed to prepare polylactic acid (PLA) coatings with enhanced water barrier properties for food packaging applications. This method based on electrostatic interactions between the positively charged layers of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) modified with ionic liquids (ILs) and the negatively charged plasma treated polylactic acid leads to homogeneous, stable, and highly durable coatings. Deposition of the LDH coatings increases the surface hydrophobicity of the neat PLA, which results to a decrease in water permeability by about 35%.This publication was based on work supported in part by Award No. KUS-C1-018-02, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST

Preparation and Properties of Biodegradable Starch-clay Nanocomposites

Well-dispersed starch–clay nanocomposites were prepared by adding a dilute clay dispersion to a solution of starch followed by coprecipitation in ethanol. The clay didn’t significantly influence the type of crystalline structure of starch molecules although the amount of crystallinity appears to be somewhat lower in the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites show improved modulus and strength without a decrease in elongation at break. The increase in modulus and strength is 65% and 30%, respectively for the nanocomposite containing 5 wt.% clay compared to the unfilled starch materials. Further increases in clay result in deterioration in properties most likely due to poorer clay dispersion and lower polymer crystallinity. As the amount of water increases, the modulus of both pure starch and starch nanocomposites decreases, although the change is less pronounced in the nanocomposites suggesting that the addition of clay to form nanocomposites can improve the stability of starch-based products during transportation and storage.This work was supported by the Grants NSC-96-2313-B-002- 048-MY2 and NSC-96-2917-I-002-102 from the National Science Council, Taipei, Taiwan. E.P. Giannelis acknowledges the support of Award No. KUS-C1-018-02, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). We also thank Chia-Chen (Jason) Fang for the SEM measurements and helpful discussions

Non-toxic Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Clay Nanocomposites with Enhanced Barrier Properties

Motivated by the technological need for poly(ethylene terephthalate) materials with improved barrier properties together with the requirement for sustainability this study focuses on an eco-friendly sulfonated polyester as clay compatibilizer to facilitate polymer mixing during melt compounding. We demonstrate that the nanocomposites based on sulfonated polyester are a reliable alternative to their imidazolium counterparts, exhibiting enhanced properties (water vapor and UV transmission), without sacrificing the excellent transparency, clarity and mechanical strength of the matrix.This material is based on work supported by Coca Cola. This publication is based on work supported in part by Award No. KUSC1-018-02, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Deposition of LDH on plasma treated polylactic acid to reduce water permeability

International audienceA simple and scalable deposition process was developed to prepare polylactic acid (PLA) coatings with enhanced water barrier properties for food packaging applications. This method based on electrostatic interactions between the positively charged layers of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) modified with ionic liquids (ILs) and the negatively charged plasma treated polylactic acid leads to homogeneous, stable, and highly durable coatings. Deposition of the LDH coatings increases the surface hydrophobicity of the neat PLA, which results to a decrease in water permeability by about 35%

Generation of three induced pluripotent stem cell lines (RAUi001-A, RAUi001-B and RAUi001-C) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a healthy Armenian individual

The study of pathological processes in cells carrying mutations should be carried out in comparison with a healthy control group. Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), which is caused by a mutation in the MEFV gene, is predominantly found in people of Armenian nationality with the prevalence of 14–100 per 10000. We have obtained induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from Armenian healthy patient, which will be included as a control group in the study of this disease. iPSCs rapidly proliferate in colonies of cells with a typical pluripotent-like morphology, have a normal karyotype (46,XX). iPSCs express pluripotency markers (OCT4, SOX2, TRA-1–60, NANOG) and are able to give derivatives of three germ layers

Clay nanocomposites based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene): Structure and properties

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30466/description#descriptionStructure-properties relationships in poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene), PVDF-HFP, clay nanocomposites are reported for the first time. Addition of organically modified clays to PVDF-HFP promotes an α to β transformation of the polymer crystals. The degree of transformation depends on the nature of the clay surface modifier and scales with the strength of the interactions between the clay and the polymer. The nanocomposites exhibit significant increases in elongation to failure compared to the neat copolymer. In addition, their dielectric permittivity is higher over a wide temperature range. Their mechanical and dielectric properties scale similar to the amount of the β phase present in the nanocomposites.E.P. Giannelis acknowledges the support of Award No. KUS-C1-018-02, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)