Preparation and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite-Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Composites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

Hydroxyapatite/poly(vinyl alcohol) (Hap/PVA) composites have been proposed as a promising biomaterial for use in articular cartilage repair. In this study, HAp/PVA composite gels reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were prepared using the freeze/thaw method. The influence of CNC as a reinforcement on the structure of composite gels was investigated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties and thermal stability of the composite gels were also studied. The FT-IR and XRD results indicated that the HAp/PVA/CNC composite gels were formed by hydrogen bonding. SEM morphology showed that the CNC served as an enhancement phase that interpenetrated the network of the HAp/PVA composite gels. The tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composites improved with increasing dosage of CNC. The thermal stability measurements indicated that the thermal stability of the HAp/PVA composites was slightly improved with the addition of the CNC

Utilization of Polypropylene Film as an Adhesive to Prepare Formaldehyde-free, Weather-resistant Plywood-like Composites: Process Optimization, Performance Evaluation, and Interface Modification

To develop formaldehyde-free wood-based composites, plywood-like composites (WV/PPF) were prepared using wood veneer (WV) with polypropylene film (PPF) as a novel formaldehyde-free, water-resistant adhesive. To prepare WV/PPF, the effects of hot-pressing conditions (temperature, 165 to 195 °C; pressure, 0.9 to 1.3 MPa; duration, 40 to 70 s/mm; and adhesive dosage between adjacent WVs, 100 to 200 g/m2) were investigated. Results showed that conditions at 180 °C, 0.9 MPa, 70 s/mm, and 150 g/m2 gave WV/PPF desirable physical-mechanical properties. Then, WV/PPF was compared with plywood-like composites using, respectively, polyethylene film (PEF), urea-formaldehyde resin (UFR), and phenol-formaldehyde resin (PFR) as adhesives. Results showed that the physical-mechanical properties of WV/PPF were favored over WV/PEF and WV/UFR, and were comparable to those of WV/PFR. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) or γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) surface modification of WV was performed to enhance the interface compatibility of WV/PPF. Results showed that the physical-mechanical properties of modified WV/PPF were favored over those of WV/PFR; MAPP modification was better for shear properties, while APTES modification was better for dimensional stability and flexural properties. Overall, the environmental and technological benefits demonstrated the potential of WV/PPF as a novel construction and building material

Developing and Evaluating Composites Based on Plantation Eucalyptus Rotary-cut Veneer and High-density Polyethylene Film as Novel Building Materials

To achieve value-added utilizations of plantation timbers, eucalyptus veneer/high-density polyethylene film composites were prepared, with process-factors (PF) (hot-pressing temperature, HT; hot-pressing duration, HD; hot-pressing pressure, HP; HDPE-film content, HC) and composite-properties (CP) (water-resistant bonding-strength, BS; modulus of rupture, MOR; modulus of elasticity, MOE) investigated. According to thermal analyses, 140 to 180 °C was appropriate for HT. Based on statistical analyses, HD was easier to affect CP, while MOE was easier to be affected by PF. Quantitative relationships between PF and CP were determined by the neural-network (ANN) modeling. In ANN simulation surveys, CP displayed Gaussian distributions (R2 > 0.9) when PF changed in current ranges, with positive correlations between BS and MOR (R2 ≈ 0.5). Combining ANN and the genetic-algorithm, optimal processes (HT, 160 °C; HD, 50 s/mm; HP, 1.3 MPa; HC, 6 layers) were found, and optimal results (BS, 1.30 MPa; MOR, 86.94 MPa; MOE, 8.33 GPa) were comparable to various reported poplar-plywoods. Microscopic images demonstrated that composite interfaces were formed by the mechanical interlocking. The optimal BS attained Chinese standards for water-resistant plywoods, so proposed composites can serve as water-resistant and formaldehyde-free building materials for furniture and interior design

Interfacial Characterization and Optimal Preparation of Novel Bamboo Plastic Composite Engineering Materials

To blaze new trails for utilizing forestry processing residue, higher plant content biocomposites were proposed based on a combination of moso bamboo flour/silane KH550/high density polyethylene (HDPE), and the materials were characterized by diffractometry, spectroscopy, microscopy, and calorimetry. During surface modification, reactions between bamboo and silane occurred on the lignin aldehyde group. After 6 wt% KH550 treatment, crystallinity of bamboo was increased by 1.11 %, and melting temperature and enthalpy of the composite rose by 2.37 °C and 5.27 J/g, agreeing with improved interface morphology. Increasing in thickness from 3 to 9 mm, the physical and mechanical properties of composite were improved overall. Bamboo content caused the biggest influence, while thickness swelling exhibited the greatest susceptibility. Increasing the bamboo ratio boosted flexural and tensile properties, but it compromised toughness and water resistance, while silane and moulding parameters featured complicated relationships regarding performances. Combining an artificial neural network (ANN), KH550 3 wt%, moulding temperature of 180 °C, and a time of 8 min endowed 9 mm composites of 70 wt% bamboo with performance comparable to load bearing MDF in GB/T 11718. This research helped establish the first “Bamboo Plastic Composite” standard proposed by the authors for the Chinese forestry industry

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Chip Morphology in Nanogrinding of Monocrystalline Nickel

In this study, the nanogrinding process for single-crystal nickel was investigated using a molecular dynamics simulation. A series of simulations were conducted with different tool radii and grinding methods to explore the effects of chip morphology, friction forces, subsurface damage, and defect evolution on the nanogrinding process. The results demonstrate that the workpiece atoms at the back of the tool were affected by the forward stretching and upward elastic recovery when no chips were produced. Although the machining depth was the smallest, the normal force was the largest, and dislocation entanglement was formed. The small number of defect atoms indicates that the extent of subsurface damage was minimal. Moreover, when spherical chips were produced, a typical columnar defect was generated. The displacement vector of the chip atoms aligned with the machining direction and as the chips were removed by extrusion, the crystal structure of the chip atoms disintegrated, resulting in severe subsurface damage. By contrast, when strip chips were produced, the displacement vector of the chip atoms deviated from the substrate, dislocation blocks were formed at the initial stage of machining, and the rebound-to-depth ratio of the machined surface was the smallest

Table_3_Rice cellulose synthase-like protein OsCSLD4 coordinates the trade-off between plant growth and defense.xlsx

Plant cell wall is a complex and changeable structure, which is very important for plant growth and development. It is clear that cell wall polysaccharide synthases have critical functions in rice growth and abiotic stress, yet their role in plant response to pathogen invasion is poorly understood. Here, we describe a dwarf and narrowed leaf in Hejiang 19 (dnl19) mutant in rice, which shows multiple growth defects such as reduced plant height, enlarged lamina joint angle, curled leaf morphology, and a decrease in panicle length and seed setting. MutMap analysis, genetic complementation and gene knockout mutant show that cellulose synthase-like D4 (OsCSLD4) is the causal gene for DNL19. Loss function of OsCSLD4 leads to a constitutive activation of defense response in rice. After inoculation with rice blast and bacterial blight, dnl19 displays an enhanced disease resistance. Widely targeted metabolomics analysis reveals that disruption of OsCSLD4 in dnl19 resulted in significant increase of L-valine, L-asparagine, L-histidine, L-alanine, gentisic acid, but significant decrease of L-aspartic acid, malic acid, 6-phosphogluconic acid, glucose 6-phosphate, galactose 1-phosphate, gluconic acid, D-aspartic acid. Collectively, our data reveals the importance of OsCSLD4 in balancing the trade-off between rice growth and defense.</p