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Year 2024
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A Review of Recent Advances in Human-Motion Energy Harvesting Nanogenerators, Self-Powering Smart Sensors and Self-Charging Electronics
PublicationIn recent years, portable and wearable personal electronic devices have rapidly developed with increasing mass production and rising energy consumption, creating an energy crisis. Using batteries and supercapacitors with limited lifespans and environmental hazards drives the need to find new, environmentally friendly, and renewable sources. One idea is to harness the energy of human motion and convert it into electrical energy...
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Biobased Ultralow-Density Polyurethane Foams with Enhanced Recyclability
PublicationPolyurethane (PUR) foams are widely used in many engineering applications, but their efficient recycling has remained a major challenge for many years. This study presents a novel strategy of incorporating hydrolyzable ester units into the PUR structure to enhance PUR foam recyclability. The present ecodesign concept of PUR materials enables fully the replacement of petrochemical polyols with biobased alternatives and production...
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Effect of bio-polyol molecular weight on the structure and properties of polyurethane-polyisocyanurate (PUR-PIR) foams
PublicationThe increasing interest in polyurethane materials has raised the question of the environmental impact of these materials. For this reason, the scientists aim to find an extremely difficult balance between new material technologies and sustainable development. This work attempts to validate the possibility of replacing petrochemical polyols with previously synthesized bio-polyols and their impact on the structure and properties...
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Influence of Giant Reed (Arundo Donax L.) Culms Processing Procedure on Physicochemical, Rheological, and Thermomechanical Properties of Polyethylene Composites
PublicationGiant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a plant species with a high growth rate and low requirements, which makes it particularly interesting for the production of different bioproducts, including natural fibers. This work assesses the use of fibers obtained from reed culms as reinforcement for a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix. Two different lignocellulosic materials were used: i) shredded culms and ii) fibers obtained by culms...
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More than just a beer – Brewers' spent grain, spent hops, and spent yeast as potential functional fillers for polymer composites
PublicationBeer is among the most popular beverages in the world, with the production distributed uniformly between the biggest continents, so the utilization of brewing by-products is essential on a global scale. Among their potential recipients, the plastics industry offers extensive range of potential products. Herein, the presented study investigated the application of currently underutilized solid brewing by-products (brewers' spent...
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Polyurethane Glycerolysate as a Modifier of the Properties of Natural Rubber Mixtures and Vulcanizates
PublicationChemical recycling of polyurethanes can be realized in several different ways, but the most important methods are glycolysis and glycerolysis. Both methods permit recovery of polyols (when the process is realized with the mass excess of depolymerizing agent) or substitutes of polyols, which contain urethane moieties in the main chains and terminate mainly in hydroxyl groups (when the process is realized with the mass excess of...
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Structure versus hydrolytic and thermal stability of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers composed of hard and soft building blocks with high content of green carbon
PublicationNowadays, sustainability plays a key role in the design and synthesis of new materials. One of the methods for the preparation of green materials is incorporation into their structure the monomers with a high content of green carbon. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the influence of the type and molecular mass of two bio-based polyester polyols and bio-glycol on the properties of aliphatic partially bio-based...
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Transport Mechanism of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) in Polyurethane Nanocomposite Hydrogel Patches—Cloisite® 30B Influence on the Drug Release and Swelling Processes
PublicationThis article describes the swelling and release mechanisms of paracetamol in polyurethane nanocomposite hydrogels containing Cloisite® 30B (organically modified montmorillonite). The transport mechanism, swelling and release processes of the active substance in nanocomposite matrix were studied using gravimetric and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. Swelling and release processes depend on the amount of clay nanoparticles in these...
Year 2023
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A novel approach in wood waste utilization for manufacturing of catalyst-free polyurethane-wood composites (PU-WC)
PublicationIn recent decades, due to the increase in environmental awareness and noticeable environmental degradation, the area of wood waste management has attracted increasing attention. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of highly filled polyurethane wood-composite (PU-WC) by the utilization of large amount of wood wastes without addition of a catalyst. Although wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are widely known, there is...
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Biopolymer-based composites for tissue engineering applications: A basis for future opportunities
PublicationBiomimetic scaffolds supporting tissue regeneration are complex materials with multifunctional characteristics. The unique biocompatibility and biodegradability of biopolymers make them excellent candidates for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Biopolymers, which have a wide range of properties, can be obtained from different natural sources. Depending on the target tissue, biopolymers can be engineered to meet a series...
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Bio‐polyols synthesized by liquefaction of cellulose: Influence of liquefaction solvent molecular weight
PublicationCurrently, the plastics industry including polyurethanes is based on the use of petrochemicals. For this reason, scientists are looking for new types of renewable resources for the substitution of petrochemical substances. This work aims to evaluate the effect of polyethylene glycols (PEG) with different molecular mass impact on properties of bio-based polyols synthesized via biomass liquefaction of cellulose. To date, research...
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Challenges and recent advances in bio-based isocyanate production.
PublicationPolyurethanes (PUs) are key players in the plastics industry. According to the Global Polyurethane Market (2019–2023), their value in the global market reached $95.13 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12%. This is in line with the increase in the number of research papers and patents on the synthesis and application of petroleum-based PUs (P-PUs) and biomass or green PUs (G-PUs) (from 67 657...
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Comparative Analysis of the Cofee and Cocoa Industry By‑Products on the Performance of Polyethylene‑Based Composites
PublicationThe application of plant-based by-products from the food industry as minimally processed functional fillers for polymeric composites is an increasingly popular trend among researchers and manufacturers. While minimizing the preprocessing of lignocellulosic fillers leads to an increase in the sustainability of the overall composite and a decrease of the carbon footprint, filler modification is usually indispensable to obtaining...
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Comparison of the Efficiency of Hetero- and Homogeneous Catalysts in Cellulose Liquefaction
PublicationBiomass liquefaction is a well-known and extensively described process. Hydrothermal processes are well understood and can be used in the fuel industry. The use of organic solvents can result in full-fledged products for use in the synthesis of polyurethanes. The plastics industry, including polyurethanes, is targeting new, more environmentally friendly solutions. One of these is the replacement of petrochemical polyols with compounds...
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Compatibility of Sustainable Mater-Bi/poly(ε-caprolactone)/cellulose Biocomposites as a Function of Filler Modification
PublicationDespite their popularity and multiplicity of applications, wood–polymer composites (WPCs) still have to overcome particular issues related to their processing and properties. The main aspect is the compatibility with plant-based materials which affects the overall performance of the material. It can be enhanced by strengthening the interfacial adhesion resulting from physical and/or chemical interactions between the matrix and...
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Cross-Linking, Morphology, and Physico-Mechanical Properties of GTR/SBS Blends: Dicumyl Peroxide vs. Sulfur System
PublicationIn this work, ground tire rubber and styrene–butadiene block copolymer (GTR/SBS) blends at the ratio of 50/50 wt%, with the application of four different SBS copolymer grades (linear and radial) and two types of cross-linking agent (a sulfur-based system and dicumyl peroxide), were prepared by melt compounding. The rheological and cross-linking behavior, physico-mechanical parameters (i.e., tensile properties, abrasion resistance,...
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Determination of Liquid Detergent Pods as a Potential Microplastic Source
PublicationWashing pods became a popular way to add detergent to washing machines. Despite the claims about the degradability of the pod film, the sludge in pipes can be observed after the usage of such pods. This study focused on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of washing pod films as a source of microplastic.
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Developing Materials for Biodegradable Otolaryngological Stents
PublicationMaterials for otolaryngological stents have to be characterized by good tensile strength, wear resistance, biocompatibility, and specific degradation time. This work aimed to synthesize polyurethanes based on various biodegradable polyol blends. Their biodegradability and mechanical properties were tested and compared to commercial BIOFLEX material.
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Diving boldly into COVID‐19 contaminated wastewater: Eyes at nanotechnology‐assisted solutions
PublicationSeveral studies have been directed to find scalable, swift, accurate, and cost-effective strategies for detecting, monitoring, and treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Indeed, the lack of a fast and practical method for detecting the infected regions makes decision-making challenging to combat the critical pandemic-struck situations. The probable ‘wrong’, or rather inadequate, decisions not only have a boomerang effect...
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Electrically Conductive Carbon‐based (Bio)‐nanomaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
PublicationA proper self-regenerating capability is lacking in human cardiac tissue which along with the alarming rate of deaths associated with cardiovascular disorders makes tissue engineering critical. Novel approaches are now being investigated in order to speedily overcome the challenges in this path. Tissue engineering has been revolutionized by the advent of nanomaterials, and later by the application of carbon-based nanomaterials...