No abstract

The mechanical performance of composites made from isotactic polypropylene reinforced with natural fibres depends on the interface between fibre and matrix, as well as matrix crystallinity. Sizing the fibre surface with nucleating agents to promote transcrystallinity is a potential route to improve the mechanical properties. The sizing of thermo-mechanical pulp and regenerated cellulose (Tencel™) fibres with α- and β-nucleating agents, to improve tensile strength and impact strength respectively, was assessed in this study. Polarised microscopy, electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that transcrystallinity was achieved and that the bulk crystallinity of the matrix was affected during processing (compounding and injection moulding). However, despite substantial changes in crystal structure in the final composite, the sizing method used did not lead to significant changes regarding the overall composite mechanical performance.

Poly(3‐hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO), a biocompatible polymer with a skin‐like feel produced by bacterial fermentation, is compounded with carbon nanofibers (CNFs) or carbon black (CB), respectively, to form flexible, 3D printable, bio‐based conductive composites. Conductivities up to 10 and 3 S m−1 can be achieved for CNF and CB, respectively, without negatively affecting the composites’ processability. Both filler materials act as nucleating agents for PHO crystallization, significantly accelerating this process which is extremely slow for the filler‐free polymer. Mechanical performance, for example, elastic modulus, is also improved by the addition of CNF or CB. Both types of filler form composites that show a distinct response to mechanical deformation: bending, twisting, and stretching (up to 10% elongation) result in a marked decrease in their electrical resistance (up to 30%). This phenomenon has been exploited to fabricate a 3D‐printed strain sensor that can detect flection and extension via a change in resistance. The results demonstrate the potential of this sustainable biopolymer and its composites for applications in the biomedical space.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is extensively used for extracting chemicals from materials, but the impregnation of materials with chemicals using scCO2 has received little attention in comparison. To the best of our knowledge, most technologies described in the literature operate by the principle of diffusion, where impregnation yield is limited by solubility. The objective of this exploratory study is to prove the feasibility of an scCO2 impregnation process that can extract solutes from one material and release them into another material through a single extraction/impregnation stage that can be applied in cycles to increase the yield. The feasibility of the concept was proven in the laboratory using radiata pine bark wax as the solute and radiata pine wood as the impregnated material. Extraction/impregnation tests were performed at temperatures between 40 and 60 °C, pressures between 12 and 16 MPa, and with the addition of ethanol and acetone as co-solvents. The study demonstrated the feasibility of multi-cycle scCO2 impregnation of wax into wood, where the novelty of the concept is the implementation as traditional pressure impregnation methods.