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Polymers
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Natural Fiber (Cellulose, Chitin)-Based Bioplastic Composites and Their Emerging Applications
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Natural Fiber (Cellulose, Chitin)-Based Bioplastic Composites and Their Emerging Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 2727

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Sung Yeon Hwang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Global Campus, Plant & Environment and New Resources, Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea
Interests: polymerization of bioplastics; physical properties; nanocomposites; nanocellulose fiber; chitin nanowhisker

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To address the serious problem of environmental pollution around the world, bioplastics have been proposed as a solution. First, the use of biodegradable polymer is expected to reduce the growing amount of accumulated plastics waste. High-performance bioplastics are also suggested to replace petroleum-based plastics that are not biodegradable but are made from environmental hormones such as bisphenol A. However, bioplastics still have limitations compared to petroleum-based plastics. In particular, bioplastics have poor mechanical properties compared with petroleum-based plastics, which makes their commercialization difficult. 

However, it is environmentally undesirable to introduce non-biodegradable inorganic and carbon particles as fillers to enhance the mechanical properties of bioplastics. On the other hand, nanocellulose and nanochitin have great advantages as dispersed phases in bioplastic composites. These nanofibers are derived from natural products, which is in line with the sustainability values of bioplastics. In addition, since they are organic in nature, they have a small difference in surface energy compared to polymeric substrates and can be chemically modified to increase their miscibility with various polymeric substrates. Therefore, nanocellulose or nanochitin are suitable not only for biodegradable polymers, but also as dispersed phases to reinforce biobased polymeric materials for engineering plastics. In this Special Issue, we will discuss nanocellulose and nanochitin materials, which are attracting attention as eco-friendly dispersion phases for natural fiber-based polymer nanocomposites, and nanocomposites, coating films, polymer blends, and filters, membranes, battery matrices, and engineering plastics using them. 

Prof. Dr. Sung Yeon Hwang
Guest Editor

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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • biodegradable polymer
  • biobased polymer
  • cellulose nanofiber
  • chitin nanofiber
  • natural fiber based nanocomposites
  • biodegradable filter
  • high-barrier cellulose film
  • cellulose-based battery separators

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 3459 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Glass Transition Temperature of Polymers Using Simple Machine Learning
by Jaka Fajar Fatriansyah, Baiq Diffa Pakarti Linuwih, Yossi Andreano, Intan Septia Sari, Andreas Federico, Muhammad Anis, Siti Norasmah Surip and Mariatti Jaafar
Polymers 2024, 16(17), 2464; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16172464 - 29 Aug 2024
Viewed by 856
Abstract
Polymer materials have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional mechanical properties and diverse industrial applications. Understanding the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymers is critical to prevent operational failures at specific temperatures. Traditional methods for measuring Tg, [...] Read more.
Polymer materials have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional mechanical properties and diverse industrial applications. Understanding the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymers is critical to prevent operational failures at specific temperatures. Traditional methods for measuring Tg, such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis, while accurate, are often time-consuming, costly, and susceptible to inaccuracies due to random and uncertain factors. To address these limitations, the aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System (SMILES) as descriptors in simple machine learning models to predict Tg efficiently and reliably. Five models were utilized: k-nearest neighbors (KNNs), support vector regression (SVR), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), artificial neural network (ANN), and recurrent neural network (RNN). SMILES descriptors were converted into numerical data using either One Hot Encoding (OHE) or Natural Language Processing (NLP). The study found that SMILES inputs with fewer than 200 characters were inadequate for accurately describing compound structures, while inputs exceeding 200 characters diminished model performance due to the curse of dimensionality. The ANN model achieved the highest R2 value of 0.79; however, the XGB model, with an R2 value of 0.774, exhibited the highest stability and shorter training times compared to other models, making it the preferred choice for Tg prediction. The efficiency of the OHE method over NLP was demonstrated by faster training times across the KNN, SVR, XGB, and ANN models. Validation of new polymer data showed the XGB model’s robustness, with an average prediction deviation of 9.76 from actual Tg values. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing SMILES conversion methods and model parameters to enhance prediction reliability. Future research should focus on improving model accuracy and generalizability by incorporating additional features and advanced techniques. This study contributes to the development of efficient and reliable predictive models for polymer properties, facilitating the design and application of new polymer materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Fiber (Cellulose, Chitin)-Based Bioplastic Composites and Their Emerging Applications)
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14 pages, 2604 KiB  
Article
Effect of Plasma Treatment on Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites
by Pornchai Rachtanapun, Choncharoen Sawangrat, Thidarat Kanthiya, Parichat Thipchai, Kannikar Kaewapai, Jonghwan Suhr, Patnarin Worajittiphon, Nuttapol Tanadchangsaeng, Pitiwat Wattanachai and Kittisak Jantanasakulwong
Polymers 2024, 16(7), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16070938 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1384
Abstract
Bamboo cellulose fiber (BF)-reinforced epoxy (EP) composites were fabricated with BF subjected to plasma treatment using argon (Ar), oxygen (O2), and nitrogen (N2) gases. Optimal mechanical properties of the EP/BF composites were achieved with BFs subjected to 30 min [...] Read more.
Bamboo cellulose fiber (BF)-reinforced epoxy (EP) composites were fabricated with BF subjected to plasma treatment using argon (Ar), oxygen (O2), and nitrogen (N2) gases. Optimal mechanical properties of the EP/BF composites were achieved with BFs subjected to 30 min of plasma treatment using Ar. This is because Ar gas improved the plasma electron density, surface polarity, and BF roughness. Flexural strength and flexural modulus increased with O2 plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the etching of the fiber surface with Ar gas improved interfacial adhesion. The water contact angle and surface tension of the EP/BF composite improved after 10 min of Ar treatment, owing to the compatibility between the BFs and the EP matrix. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed a reduction in lignin after treatment and the formation of new peaks at 1736 cm−1, which indicated a reaction between epoxy groups of the EP and carbon in the BF backbone. This reaction improved the compatibility, mechanical properties, and water resistance of the composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Fiber (Cellulose, Chitin)-Based Bioplastic Composites and Their Emerging Applications)
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