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Green Composites: Challenges and Opportunities (Second Volume)
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Green Composites: Challenges and Opportunities (Second Volume)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 2100

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Roberto Scaffaro

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymeric materials; nanocomposites; green composites; polymer blends; polymer engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marco Morreale

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy
Interests: green composites and biocomposites; biodegradable polymers; nanocomposites; polymer blends; polymer processing; mechanical behaviour of polymer-based systems; rheological behaviour of polymer-based systems; aging of polymer-based systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Univerisity of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymeric materials; nanocomposites; green composites; polymer blends; polymer engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current global situation has dramatically shown that “unsustainable” development can lead to several unexpected and potentially catastrophic consequences. The new issues around environmental protection cannot be neglected and, from the point of view of materials scientists, this means that we also have a “moral duty” to focus on more environment-friendly materials and systems. Among the possible pathways, the development and utilization of polymer (and biopolymer) composites filled with natural–organic fillers (biodegradable and/or coming from renewable resources) as a replacement for traditional mineral–inorganic fillers can be of significant help in reducing the utilization of petroleum-derived, non-renewable resources and achieving a more intelligent use of environmental and financial resources. These systems, known as “green composites”, are now more promising and interesting than before, in the view of finding strong applicability in several fields (automotive, construction, furnishing, etc.), with a further environmental advantage when the polymer matrix is also biodegradable and/or coming from renewable sources. On the other hand, some typical issues can occur, regarding ductility, dimensional stability, and processability, and must be overcome. For these reasons, efforts from the research community are required, to find the most suitable solutions for these issues, and it is of fundamental importance to investigate new formulations and refine the processing techniques. The market for these composites is already significant in terms of volumes, and this trend will certainly go on, leading to the further reduction of costs and improvements of the quality of the composites, as well as a broadening of the application range if our research is able to find these solutions as well as new ideas and proposals.

Therefore, in this second edition of this Special Issue, we aim to provide an updated and more thorough overview of the recent developments and new proposals in this field. Reviews, full papers, and short communications covering the many aspects of the current research on green composites are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Scaffaro
Prof. Dr. Marco Morreale
Dr. Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • processing of green composites
  • rheology of green composites
  • characterization and structure–property relationships of green composites
  • chemical modification of natural–organic fillers
  • synthesis and characterization of biodegradable polymer matrices for application in green composites
  • polymer–natural organic filler adhesion promoters
  • environmental impact and LCA of green composites
  • industrial and commercial applications of green composites
  • testing of green composites

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 6470 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Biodegradation, Artificial Aging and Antibacterial Properties of Poly(Butylene Succinate) Biocomposites with Onion Peels and Wheat Bran
by Emil Sasimowski, Marta Grochowicz, Katarzyna Janczak, Aleksandra Nurzyńska and Anna Belcarz-Romaniuk
Materials 2025, 18(2), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020293 - 10 Jan 2025
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Abstract
The present article focuses on the characterization of the new biocomposites of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with fillers of plant origin such as onion peels (OP) and durum wheat bran WB (Triricum durum) subjected to composting and artificial aging. The susceptibility to [...] Read more.
The present article focuses on the characterization of the new biocomposites of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with fillers of plant origin such as onion peels (OP) and durum wheat bran WB (Triricum durum) subjected to composting and artificial aging. The susceptibility to fungal growth, cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties were also examined. The biodegradation of the samples was investigated under normalized conditions simulating an intensive aerobic composting process. It was shown that the tested natural fillers significantly accelerate the biodegradation process of the composition (after 90 days mass loss of PBS 7%) and that the samples with WB degrade much faster (corresponding mass loss 86%) than those containing OP (corresponding mass loss 21%). The remains of the samples after composting were subjected to chemical structure analysis (FTIR), and their thermal properties were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was shown that the degree of crystallinity of PBS and composites increased with the increasing time of composting. In the case of pure PBS, this increase was a maximum of 31.5%, for biocomposite with OP 31.1% and for those containing WB 21.2%. FTIR results showed that cleavage of polymer chains by hydrolysis took place during composting. The tested samples were also subjected to artificial aging under conditions simulating solar radiation and were sprayed with water. After artificial aging, the significant changes in the color of the samples as well as the porosity of their surface was noted, which was mainly due to the effect of photodegradation of both the used OP and WB fillers. Additionally, FTIR analysis indicated that samples were degraded by photooxidation processes. The ability of fungi to grow on the surface of the samples was also tested. The results demonstrate the possibility of using the developed biocomposite materials as a carbon source for the growth of fungi. The antibacterial tests showed that samples containing OP exhibited strong antibacterial properties regardless of their wt.% content. Additionally, a cytotoxicity test was performed on a BJ cell line, demonstrating that none of the tested biocomposites were cytotoxic. Moreover, those with the addition of WB statistically significantly supported the viability of both fibroblast and bacteria cells, showing their biological safety but lack of antibacterial activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Composites: Challenges and Opportunities (Second Volume))
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20 pages, 9506 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Cordenka and Ramie Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites
by Wycliffe Ondiek, Amirul Ridzuan, Masaki Iwamoto, Arnaud Macadre and Koichi Goda
Materials 2024, 17(22), 5519; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225519 - 12 Nov 2024
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Abstract
The depletion of conventional materials and their adverse environmental impacts have prompted a shift toward sustainable alternatives in composite materials engineering. In pursuit of this objective, this study investigated the mechanical properties of polypropylene matrix composites reinforced with Cordenka, an artificial cellulose fiber, [...] Read more.
The depletion of conventional materials and their adverse environmental impacts have prompted a shift toward sustainable alternatives in composite materials engineering. In pursuit of this objective, this study investigated the mechanical properties of polypropylene matrix composites reinforced with Cordenka, an artificial cellulose fiber, and compared them to those reinforced with ramie, a natural cellulose fiber. Continuous strand composites were developed using the Multi-Pin-assisted Resin Infiltration (M-PaRI) process. The strands were subsequently sectioned into 15 mm lengths and injection-molded into dumbbell and strip specimens for mechanical characterization. The results showed that 20 wt% Cordenka/PP composites exhibited a tensile strength of 68.7 MPa, 2.04 times higher than neat PP and 1.66 times greater than the 20 wt% ramie/PP composites. Impact testing further demonstrated that Cordenka/PP composites absorbed 2 to 2.5 times more impact energy than ramie/PP composites, regardless of the presence of notches. Fiber length analysis indicated that Cordenka fibers maintained their length beyond the critical fiber length, allowing for efficient stress transfer and acting as a more effective reinforcement compared to ramie fibers, which were below this threshold. Consequently, the Cordenka/PP composites exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed fewer fiber pullouts in ramie-reinforced composites, suggesting superior interfacial adhesion to the PP matrix, although it did not translate to higher mechanical properties. These findings underscore the potential of Cordenka as a sustainable alternative to synthetic, non-biodegradable fibers in PP composites, providing improved mechanical properties and promising prospects for advanced composite applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Composites: Challenges and Opportunities (Second Volume))
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