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Nanomaterials
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Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources
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Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 18912

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rina Tannenbaum

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Interests: soft condensed matter and complex fluids; biomaterials and bio-based nanocomposites; bio-adhesion and tissue engineering; nanofluids and targeted drug delivery; interfacial and surface phenomena; self-assembly of hierarchically-organized multifunctional nanostructures, and related applications
Prof. Dr. Shuoping Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, China
Interests: recycling and utilization of cooking waste; 3D printing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocomposites from renewable resources constitute the new frontier in the development of novel materials that are cheap, versatile, and environmentally benign. In such nanocomposites, at least one of the components, such as the matrix or the filler, is biocompatible, biodegradable, and available through natural renewal and abundance. The development of such advanced biocompatible nanocomposites is in line with the national and global strategic vision of promoting sustainable materials platforms for high-value products, devices, and processes.

The impact of this emerging field lies in its reduction on the dependence on nonrenewable raw materials, such as steel and plastics synthesized from petrochemicals. These types of nanocomposites are expected to combine the advantages of enhanced thermomechanical and physicochemical properties due to the contributions by the individual components, with the ease of disposal and recycling. However, a major challenge is the preservation of high material performance that should not be compromised by the use of cheap, benign, renewable precursors and should be coupled with the ease of disposal and minimal environmental footprint, which are unavailable for nonrecyclable composites. This is because, in contrast to many synthetic nanocomposites derived from petrochemicals, the degradation of renewable nanocomposites can be selectively triggered at the end of their service life by either bacterial or nonbacterial mechanisms.

Nanocomposites based on renewable and biocompatible filler and matrix materials may find specific applications in technologically important areas such as surgical implants, tissue engineering scaffolds, structural materials, coatings, and energy harvesting.

This Special Issue invites manuscripts concerning the design synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanocomposites from renewable resources. Special interest will be research that highlights the advantages in the use of renewable precursors over conventional raw materials based on petrochemicals and probes their applicability in traditional industries without loss of functionality. Original articles describing combinations of various renewable matrices and fillers and the use of novel processing consolidation techniques to achieve optimal material properties will be highly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Rina Tannenbaum
Prof. Dr. Shuoping Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • Biopolymers
  • Natural products
  • Bio-based materials
  • Bio-based fibers
  • Biocompatible nanoparticles
  • Cellulose nanowhiskers
  • Bio-adhesion
  • Hydrogels
  • Environmental remediation
  • Enzymatic degradation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 3830 KiB  
Article
The Release of Non-Extractable Ferulic Acid from Cereal By-Products by Enzyme-Assisted Hydrolysis for Possible Utilization in Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles
by Vitalijs Radenkovs, Karina Juhnevica-Radenkova, Dmitrijs Jakovlevs, Peteris Zikmanis, Daiga Galina and Anda Valdovska
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(17), 3053; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12173053 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
The present work was undertaken to elucidate the potential contribution of biosynthetically produced ferulic acid (FA) via enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) of rye bran (RB) to the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) during green synthesis. An analytical approach accomplished by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) [...] Read more.
The present work was undertaken to elucidate the potential contribution of biosynthetically produced ferulic acid (FA) via enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) of rye bran (RB) to the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) during green synthesis. An analytical approach accomplished by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) using triple quadrupole mass selective detection (HPLC-ESI-TQ-MS/MS) of the obtained hydrolysate revealed a relative abundance of two isomeric forms of FA, i.e., trans-FA (t-FA) and trans-iso-FA (t-iso-FA). Further analysis utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography with refractive index (HPLC-RID) detection confirmed the effectiveness of RB EH, indicating the presence of cellulose and hemicellulose degradation products in the hydrolysate, i.e., xylose, arabinose, and glucose. The purification process by solid-phase extraction with styrene-divinylbenzene-based reversed-phase sorbent ensured up to 116.02 and 126.21 mg g−1 of t-FA and t-iso-FA in the final eluate fraction, respectively. In the green synthesis of AgNPs using synthetic t-FA, the formation of NPs with an average size of 56.8 nm was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The inclusion of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-40) in the composition of NPs during synthesis favorably affected the morphological features, i.e., the size and shape of AgNPs, in which as big as 22.4 nm NPs were engineered. Meanwhile, nearly homogeneous round-shaped AgNPs with an average size of 16.5 nm were engineered using biosynthetically produced a mixture of t-FA and t-iso-FA and PVP-40 as a capping agent. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus was confirmed by the disk diffusion method and additionally supported by values of minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) concentrations. Given the need to reduce problems of environmental pollution with cereal processing by-products, this study demonstrated a technological solution of RB rational use in the sustainable production of AgNPs during green synthesis. The AgNPs can be considered as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to be used for developing new antimicrobial agents and modifying therapies in treating multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources)
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14 pages, 2868 KiB  
Article
Comparative Preparation Method and Associated Cost of Lignin–Cellulose Nanocrystals
by Yi Zhang, Abu Naser Md Ahsanul Haque and Maryam Naebe
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12081320 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2029
Abstract
Lignin is a natural source of UV-shielding materials, though its recalcitrant and heterogeneous structure makes the extraction and purification processes complex. However, lignin’s functionality can be directly utilised when it stays as native with cellulose and hemicellulose in plant biomass, rather than being [...] Read more.
Lignin is a natural source of UV-shielding materials, though its recalcitrant and heterogeneous structure makes the extraction and purification processes complex. However, lignin’s functionality can be directly utilised when it stays as native with cellulose and hemicellulose in plant biomass, rather than being separated. The fabrication process of this native lignin is sustainable, as it consumes less energy and chemicals compared to purified lignin; thus, it is an economic and more straightforward approach. In this study, the properties of native and purified lignin–cellulose nanocrystals (L–CNCs) sourced from hemp hurd waste were compared to explore the differences in their morphology, UV-shielding properties and chemical structure affected by their distinct fabrication process. These two kinds of L–CNCs were further added into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to evaluate their reinforcement characteristics. The resulting native L–CNCs/PVA film showed stronger UV-shielding ability than purified L–CNCs. Moreover, the native L–CNCs showed better compatibility with PVA, while the purified L–CNCs/PVA interfaces showed phase separation. The phase separation in purified L–CNCs/PVA films reduced the films’ tensile strength and Young’s modulus and increased the water vapour transmission. The laboratory-scale cost of native L–CNCs production (~AUD 80/kg) was only 10% of purified L–CNCs (~AUD 850/kg), resulting in a comparatively lower cost for preparing native L–CNCs/PVA composite films. Overall, this study shows that the proposed method of production and use of native L–CNCs can be an economic approach to deliver UV-shielding properties for potential applications, such as food packaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources)
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21 pages, 4304 KiB  
Article
Lignin–Cellulose Nanocrystals from Hemp Hurd as Light-Coloured Ultraviolet (UV) Functional Filler for Enhanced Performance of Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanocomposite Films
by Yi Zhang, Abu Naser Md Ahsanul Haque and Maryam Naebe
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(12), 3425; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11123425 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3419
Abstract
Lignin is a natural light-coloured ultraviolet (UV) absorber; however, conventional extraction processes usually darken its colour and could be detrimental to its UV-shielding ability. In this study, a sustainable way of fabricating lignin–cellulose nanocrystals (L-CNCs) from hemp hurd is proposed. A homogeneous morphology [...] Read more.
Lignin is a natural light-coloured ultraviolet (UV) absorber; however, conventional extraction processes usually darken its colour and could be detrimental to its UV-shielding ability. In this study, a sustainable way of fabricating lignin–cellulose nanocrystals (L-CNCs) from hemp hurd is proposed. A homogeneous morphology of the hemp particles was achieved by ball milling, and L-CNCs with high aspect ratio were obtained through mild acid hydrolysis on the ball-milled particles. The L-CNCs were used as filler in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, which produced a light-coloured nanocomposite film with high UV-shielding ability and enhanced tensile properties: the absorption of UV at wavelength of 400 nm and transparency in the visible-light region at wavelength of 550 nm was 116 times and 70% higher than that of pure PVA, respectively. In addition to these advantages, the nanocomposite film showed a water vapour transmission property comparable with commercial food package film, indicating potential applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources)
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13 pages, 4782 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Transparent and Thick CNF/Epoxy Composites by Controlling the Properties of Cellulose Nanofibrils
by Shin Young Park, Simyub Yook, Sooim Goo, Wanhee Im and Hye Jung Youn
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(4), 625; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10040625 - 28 Mar 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3729
Abstract
Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have been used as reinforcing elements in optically transparent composites by combination with polymer matrices. In this study, strong, optically transparent, and thick CNF/epoxy composites were prepared by immersing two or four layers of CNF sheets in epoxy resin. The [...] Read more.
Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have been used as reinforcing elements in optically transparent composites by combination with polymer matrices. In this study, strong, optically transparent, and thick CNF/epoxy composites were prepared by immersing two or four layers of CNF sheets in epoxy resin. The morphology of the CNF, the preparation conditions of the CNF sheet, and the grammage and layer numbers of the CNF sheets were controlled. The solvent-exchanged CNF sheets resulted in the production of a composite with high transparency and low haze. The CNF with smaller width and less aggregated fibrils, which are achieved by carboxymethylation, and a high number of grinding passes are beneficial in the production of optically transparent CNF/epoxy composites. Both the grammage and number of stacked layers of sheets in a composite affected the optical and mechanical properties of the composite. A composite with a thickness of 450–800 μm was prepared by stacking two or four layers of CNF sheets in epoxy resin. As the number of stacked sheets increased, light transmittance was reduced and the haze increased. The CNF/epoxy composites with two layers of low grammage (20 g/m2) sheets exhibited high light transmittance (>90%) and low haze (<5%). In addition, the composites with the low grammage sheet had higher tensile strength and elastic modulus compared with neat epoxy and those with high grammage sheets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources)
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20 pages, 6412 KiB  
Article
A Skin-Inspired Stretchable, Self-Healing and Electro-Conductive Hydrogel with a Synergistic Triple Network for Wearable Strain Sensors Applied in Human-Motion Detection
by Yuanyuan Chen, Kaiyue Lu, Yuhan Song, Jingquan Han, Yiying Yue, Subir Kumar Biswas, Qinglin Wu and Huining Xiao
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(12), 1737; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9121737 - 6 Dec 2019
Cited by 86 | Viewed by 6115
Abstract
Hydrogel-based strain sensors inspired by nature have attracted tremendous attention for their promising applications in advanced wearable electronics. Nevertheless, achieving a skin-like stretchable conductive hydrogel with synergistic characteristics, such as ideal stretchability, excellent sensing performance and high self-healing efficiency, remains challenging. Herein, a [...] Read more.
Hydrogel-based strain sensors inspired by nature have attracted tremendous attention for their promising applications in advanced wearable electronics. Nevertheless, achieving a skin-like stretchable conductive hydrogel with synergistic characteristics, such as ideal stretchability, excellent sensing performance and high self-healing efficiency, remains challenging. Herein, a highly stretchable, self-healing and electro-conductive hydrogel with a hierarchically triple-network structure was developed through a facile two-step preparation process. Firstly, 2, 2, 6, 6-tetrametylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils were homogeneously dispersed into polyacrylic acid hydrogel, with the presence of ferric ions as an ionic crosslinker to synthesize TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils/polyacrylic acid hydrogel via a one-pot free radical polymerization. A polypyrrole conductive network was then incorporated into the synthetic hydrogel matrix as the third-level gel network by polymerizing pyrrole monomers. The hierarchical 3D network was mutually interlocked through hydrogen bonds, ionic coordination interactions and physical entanglements of polymer chains to achieve the target composite hydrogels with a homogeneous texture, enhanced mechanical stretchability (elongation at break of ~890%), high viscoelasticity (maximum storage modulus of ~27.1 kPa), intrinsic self-healing ability (electrical and mechanical healing efficiencies of ~99.4% and 98.3%) and ideal electro-conductibility (~3.9 S m−1). The strain sensor assembled by the hybrid hydrogel, with a desired gauge factor of ~7.3, exhibits a sensitive, fast and stable current response for monitoring small/large-scale human movements in real-time, demonstrating promising applications in damage-free wearable electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites from Renewable Resources)
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