Iman Azarian Borojeni, Greg Gajewski, A. Jenab, M. Sanjari, Charles Boudreault, R. Riahi
This research aims to fabricate hydrophobic electrospun air filters with ultra-high performance against virions. In order to achieve this goal, constant basis weight electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) with low-bead, high-bead, and ultra-high-bead fibre structures were used to fabricate single and multilayer filters by controlling the Dimethylformamide (DMF)-to-acetone ratio of the solvent. The water contact angle of the fabricated layers ranged from 131° for low-bead structures to 135° for ultra-high-bead structures, indicating their overall high hydrophobicity. The size-resolved filtering efficiency and pressure drop tests on the fabricated filters showed that low-bead structure for both single and multilayer filters and high-bead structure for single-layer filters enhance the quality factor remarkably. The results showed that the single-layer ultra-high-bead structure air filters had a filtering efficiency of 99.33%, superior to N95 air filters (96.54%) and comparable to double N95 filters (99.86%). However, the electrospun air filter showed a pressure drop of 169.3 Pa and a quality factor of 27.6×10−3 Pa−1compared to a pressure drop of 388 Pa and quality factor of 16.9×10−3 Pa−1 for double N95 air filters. Therefore, it has a high potential to be used as the filtration media in hospitals, long-term care centers, and masks to provide superior protection against virions for healthcare providers and patients.
{"title":"Fabrication of Ultra-High-Performance PVDF-HFP Air Filters by Electrospinning","authors":"Iman Azarian Borojeni, Greg Gajewski, A. Jenab, M. Sanjari, Charles Boudreault, R. Riahi","doi":"10.3390/fib11080071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11080071","url":null,"abstract":"This research aims to fabricate hydrophobic electrospun air filters with ultra-high performance against virions. In order to achieve this goal, constant basis weight electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) with low-bead, high-bead, and ultra-high-bead fibre structures were used to fabricate single and multilayer filters by controlling the Dimethylformamide (DMF)-to-acetone ratio of the solvent. The water contact angle of the fabricated layers ranged from 131° for low-bead structures to 135° for ultra-high-bead structures, indicating their overall high hydrophobicity. The size-resolved filtering efficiency and pressure drop tests on the fabricated filters showed that low-bead structure for both single and multilayer filters and high-bead structure for single-layer filters enhance the quality factor remarkably. The results showed that the single-layer ultra-high-bead structure air filters had a filtering efficiency of 99.33%, superior to N95 air filters (96.54%) and comparable to double N95 filters (99.86%). However, the electrospun air filter showed a pressure drop of 169.3 Pa and a quality factor of 27.6×10−3 Pa−1compared to a pressure drop of 388 Pa and quality factor of 16.9×10−3 Pa−1 for double N95 air filters. Therefore, it has a high potential to be used as the filtration media in hospitals, long-term care centers, and masks to provide superior protection against virions for healthcare providers and patients.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42883766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John Sunny, Hadi Nazaripoor, Jorge Palacios Moreno, P. Mertiny
Comprehending the degradation of glass fibers is crucial for service applications involving dry and wet conditions, especially when prolonged contact with water above room temperature is present. Depending on the polymer material, both thermosetting and thermoplastic matrices can permit the ingress of moisture. Therefore, fiber reinforcements embedded in the polymer matrix may experience moisture exposure. Additionally, some structural applications use fiber devoid of any matrix (dry fibers), in which water exposure must be avoided. In all of these cases, moisture may, therefore, have a significant impact on the reinforcing elements and the rate of degradation. The present work focuses on the effects of hydrothermal aging on the mechanical durability of long E-glass fibers by immersion in water at 60 °C, 71 °C, and 82 °C. A service life forecast model was created utilizing the Arrhenius technique, and a master curve of strength variation with exposure time was created for E-glass fibers at 60 °C. Using this modeling approach, it is possible to approximate the amount of time it will take to attain a given degradation level over a specified range of temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate morphological changes in fiber surfaces due to hydrothermal exposure, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass dissolution studies were used to elucidate the mechanism of the strength loss.
{"title":"Accelerated Zero-Stress Hydrothermal Aging of Dry E-Glass Fibers and Service Life Prediction Using Arrhenius Model","authors":"John Sunny, Hadi Nazaripoor, Jorge Palacios Moreno, P. Mertiny","doi":"10.3390/fib11080070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11080070","url":null,"abstract":"Comprehending the degradation of glass fibers is crucial for service applications involving dry and wet conditions, especially when prolonged contact with water above room temperature is present. Depending on the polymer material, both thermosetting and thermoplastic matrices can permit the ingress of moisture. Therefore, fiber reinforcements embedded in the polymer matrix may experience moisture exposure. Additionally, some structural applications use fiber devoid of any matrix (dry fibers), in which water exposure must be avoided. In all of these cases, moisture may, therefore, have a significant impact on the reinforcing elements and the rate of degradation. The present work focuses on the effects of hydrothermal aging on the mechanical durability of long E-glass fibers by immersion in water at 60 °C, 71 °C, and 82 °C. A service life forecast model was created utilizing the Arrhenius technique, and a master curve of strength variation with exposure time was created for E-glass fibers at 60 °C. Using this modeling approach, it is possible to approximate the amount of time it will take to attain a given degradation level over a specified range of temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate morphological changes in fiber surfaces due to hydrothermal exposure, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass dissolution studies were used to elucidate the mechanism of the strength loss.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45466603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Duangkamol Dechojarassri, Kazuki Komatsu, A. Sawara, H. Tamura, T. Furuike
This study successfully synthesized functionalized silver nanoparticle/TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber/chitosan (AgNP/TOCN/CS) composite fibers. First, the TOCN/CS composite fibers were prepared through the wet-spinning technique, yielding Ag/TOCN/CS composite fibers after immersion in a 5 mM AgNO3 aqueous solution for 3 h, followed by washing with 100 mL of deionized water five times. Second, upon heat treatment without adding other reducing agents, TOCN reduced the Ag+ in the Ag/TOCN/CS composite fibers to AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers on the surface of the CS fibers. The fiber color changed from white to yellow-orange when the temperature changed from 100 to 170 °C. In addition, the results suggest that the heat treatment at 130 °C for 20 min was the optimal heat treatment condition. Meanwhile, soaking the fibers in 50 mM ascorbic acid for 1 min is the best condition for ascorbic acid reduction. The antibacterial test results showed that the AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers formed via ascorbic acid reduction exhibited better antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis than those produced via heat treatment. In summary, AgNPs formed on the fiber surface of AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers and showed antibacterial activity, confirming the successful addition of antibacterial properties to TOCN/CS composite fibers.
{"title":"Antimicrobial Properties of AgNP/TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofiber/Chitosan Composite Fibers","authors":"Duangkamol Dechojarassri, Kazuki Komatsu, A. Sawara, H. Tamura, T. Furuike","doi":"10.3390/fib11080069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11080069","url":null,"abstract":"This study successfully synthesized functionalized silver nanoparticle/TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber/chitosan (AgNP/TOCN/CS) composite fibers. First, the TOCN/CS composite fibers were prepared through the wet-spinning technique, yielding Ag/TOCN/CS composite fibers after immersion in a 5 mM AgNO3 aqueous solution for 3 h, followed by washing with 100 mL of deionized water five times. Second, upon heat treatment without adding other reducing agents, TOCN reduced the Ag+ in the Ag/TOCN/CS composite fibers to AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers on the surface of the CS fibers. The fiber color changed from white to yellow-orange when the temperature changed from 100 to 170 °C. In addition, the results suggest that the heat treatment at 130 °C for 20 min was the optimal heat treatment condition. Meanwhile, soaking the fibers in 50 mM ascorbic acid for 1 min is the best condition for ascorbic acid reduction. The antibacterial test results showed that the AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers formed via ascorbic acid reduction exhibited better antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis than those produced via heat treatment. In summary, AgNPs formed on the fiber surface of AgNP/TOCN/CS composite fibers and showed antibacterial activity, confirming the successful addition of antibacterial properties to TOCN/CS composite fibers.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43701461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohsen Sadeghi Bogar, Jan Wolf, D. S. Wolz, Robert Seidel-Greiff, Evgenia Dmitrieva, Noel Israel, Marco Rosenkranz, Thomas Behnisch, Michael Thomas Müller, Maik Gude
In carbon fiber (CF) production, the stabilization process step is the most energy- and time-consuming step in comparison with carbonization and graphitization. To develop optimization routes for energy and productivity, the stabilization needs to be monitored continuously via inline analysis methods. To prognose the evolution of high-performance CF, the density of stabilized fibers has been identified as a robust pre-indicator. As the offline analysis of density is not feasible for inline analysis, a density-soft sensor based on the stabilization indices of Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum (FTIR)-analysis and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy could potentially be used for inline monitoring. In this study, a Polyacrylonitrile-based precursor fiber (PF) stabilized in a continuous thermomechanical stabilization line with varying stretching profiles was incrementally analyzed using density, FTIR-based relative cyclization index (RCI), and EPR-based free radical concentration (FRC). Our findings show RCI and EPR dependencies for density, correlated for RCI with sensitivity by stretching to cubic model parameters, while FRC exhibits linear relationships. Therefore, this study identifies two possible soft sensors for inline density measurement, enabling autonomous energy optimization within industry 4.0-based process systems.
{"title":"Sensitivity of Offline and Inline Indicators for Fiber Stretching in Continuous Polyacrylonitrile Stabilization","authors":"Mohsen Sadeghi Bogar, Jan Wolf, D. S. Wolz, Robert Seidel-Greiff, Evgenia Dmitrieva, Noel Israel, Marco Rosenkranz, Thomas Behnisch, Michael Thomas Müller, Maik Gude","doi":"10.3390/fib11080068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11080068","url":null,"abstract":"In carbon fiber (CF) production, the stabilization process step is the most energy- and time-consuming step in comparison with carbonization and graphitization. To develop optimization routes for energy and productivity, the stabilization needs to be monitored continuously via inline analysis methods. To prognose the evolution of high-performance CF, the density of stabilized fibers has been identified as a robust pre-indicator. As the offline analysis of density is not feasible for inline analysis, a density-soft sensor based on the stabilization indices of Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum (FTIR)-analysis and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy could potentially be used for inline monitoring. In this study, a Polyacrylonitrile-based precursor fiber (PF) stabilized in a continuous thermomechanical stabilization line with varying stretching profiles was incrementally analyzed using density, FTIR-based relative cyclization index (RCI), and EPR-based free radical concentration (FRC). Our findings show RCI and EPR dependencies for density, correlated for RCI with sensitivity by stretching to cubic model parameters, while FRC exhibits linear relationships. Therefore, this study identifies two possible soft sensors for inline density measurement, enabling autonomous energy optimization within industry 4.0-based process systems.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42601826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Zoccola, Parag S. Bhavsar, Anastasia Anceschi, A. Patrucco
The identification and quantitative determination of wool and fine animal fibers are of great interest in the textile field because of the significant price differences between them and common impurities in raw and processed textiles. Since animal fibers have remarkable similarities in their chemical and physical characteristics, specific identification methods have been studied and proposed following advances in analytical technologies. The identification methods of wool and fine animal fibers are reviewed in this paper, and the results of relevant studies are listed and summarized, starting from classical microscopy methods, which are still used today not only in small to medium enterprises but also in large industries, research studies and quality control laboratories. Particular attention has been paid to image analysis, Nir spectroscopy and proteomics, which constitute the most promising technologies of quality control in the manufacturing and trading of luxury textiles and can find application in forensic science and archeology.
{"title":"Analytical Methods for the Identification and Quantitative Determination of Wool and Fine Animal Fibers: A Review","authors":"M. Zoccola, Parag S. Bhavsar, Anastasia Anceschi, A. Patrucco","doi":"10.3390/fib11080067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11080067","url":null,"abstract":"The identification and quantitative determination of wool and fine animal fibers are of great interest in the textile field because of the significant price differences between them and common impurities in raw and processed textiles. Since animal fibers have remarkable similarities in their chemical and physical characteristics, specific identification methods have been studied and proposed following advances in analytical technologies. The identification methods of wool and fine animal fibers are reviewed in this paper, and the results of relevant studies are listed and summarized, starting from classical microscopy methods, which are still used today not only in small to medium enterprises but also in large industries, research studies and quality control laboratories. Particular attention has been paid to image analysis, Nir spectroscopy and proteomics, which constitute the most promising technologies of quality control in the manufacturing and trading of luxury textiles and can find application in forensic science and archeology.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46389000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I. Skvortsov, M. S. Kuzin, A. F. Vashchenko, R. Toms, L. Varfolomeeva, E. Chernikova, G. Shambilova, V. Kulichikhin
Terpolymers of acrylonitrile with acrylic acid and alkyl acrylates, including methyl-, butyl-, 2-ethylhexyl-, and lauryl acrylates, were synthesized using the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer method. In this study, the focus was on the investigation of the impact of different monomer addition methods (continuous and batch) on both the rheological behavior of the spinning solutions and the mechanical properties of the resulting fibers. Our findings revealed that the method of monomer addition, leading either to non-uniform copolymers or to a uniform distribution, significantly influences the rheological properties of the concentrated solutions, surpassing the influence of the alkyl-acrylate nature alone. To determine the optimal spinning regime, we examined the morphology and mechanical properties at different stages of fiber spinning, considering spin-bond and orientation drawings. The fiber properties were found to be influenced by both the nature and introducing method of the alkyl-acrylate comonomer. Remarkably, the copolymer with methyl acrylate demonstrates the maximum drawing ratios and fiber tensile strength, reaching 1 GPa. Moreover, we discovered that continuous monomer addition allows for reaching the higher drawing ratios and superior fiber strength compared to the batch method.
{"title":"Fiber Spinning of Polyacrylonitrile Terpolymers Containing Acrylic Acid and Alkyl Acrylates","authors":"I. Skvortsov, M. S. Kuzin, A. F. Vashchenko, R. Toms, L. Varfolomeeva, E. Chernikova, G. Shambilova, V. Kulichikhin","doi":"10.3390/fib11070065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11070065","url":null,"abstract":"Terpolymers of acrylonitrile with acrylic acid and alkyl acrylates, including methyl-, butyl-, 2-ethylhexyl-, and lauryl acrylates, were synthesized using the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer method. In this study, the focus was on the investigation of the impact of different monomer addition methods (continuous and batch) on both the rheological behavior of the spinning solutions and the mechanical properties of the resulting fibers. Our findings revealed that the method of monomer addition, leading either to non-uniform copolymers or to a uniform distribution, significantly influences the rheological properties of the concentrated solutions, surpassing the influence of the alkyl-acrylate nature alone. To determine the optimal spinning regime, we examined the morphology and mechanical properties at different stages of fiber spinning, considering spin-bond and orientation drawings. The fiber properties were found to be influenced by both the nature and introducing method of the alkyl-acrylate comonomer. Remarkably, the copolymer with methyl acrylate demonstrates the maximum drawing ratios and fiber tensile strength, reaching 1 GPa. Moreover, we discovered that continuous monomer addition allows for reaching the higher drawing ratios and superior fiber strength compared to the batch method.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43938012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Savov, P. Antov, Christian Panchev, M. A. R. Lubis, Seng Hua Lee, H. R. Taghiyari, Martina Todorova, S. Petrin
Unlike the recycling of particleboards, the recycling of medium-density fiberboards (MDF) is not a widespread industrial practice, and currently, most waste MDF panels are landfilled or incinerated after the end of their life cycle. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop cost-effective methods for MDF recycling. The extraction of resins used for bonding the panels, mostly urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins, is carried out mainly with hydrolysis. Hydrothermal hydrolysis is a more environmentally friendly and cheaper recycling technique compared to acid hydrolysis and allows obtaining a high yield of recycled fibers. The aim of this research work was to investigate and evaluate the effect of hydrolysis regime applied on its efficiency and on the properties of the recycled MDF fibers. For this purpose, thermal hydrolysis was carried out in an autoclave with saturated steam as a heat carrier. The main novelty of the research is the preliminary preparation of the recyclable MDF in samples with dimensions close to those of pulp chips. The effect of hydrolysis regime characteristics, i.e., process time and temperature on the properties of recycled MDF wood fibers, was studied. The hydrolysis temperatures used were 121 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.2 MPa) and 134 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.3 MPa); for each temperature, three durations were applied—30, 45, and 60 min. After hydrolysis, the resulting fiber fraction was refined using a hammer mill. The fractional and elemental composition of the recycled fibers obtained were evaluated. The hemicellulose content after each hydrolysis treatment was also determined. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was defined as an indicator of wastewater contamination and as an indirect indicator of the quantitative yield of the process. The results revealed no significant changes in the elemental composition of the recycled fibers, and the hydrolysis regimes used showed no decrease in pentosan content. The recycled MDF fibers exhibited similar fiber morphology and fractional composition, being shorter than fibers from industrial pulp. The increased temperature and time of hydrolysis resulted in a significant increase in COD values. Based on the obtained results, with a view to the slightest contamination of wastewater (as determined by COD), the most promising hydrolysis regime was at a temperature of 121 °C and a time of 30 min. It should be emphasized that for a confirmation of this statement, the properties of MDF panels fabricated with fibers recycled in different regimes should be subsequently investigated.
{"title":"Effect of Hydrolysis Regime on the Properties of Fibers Obtained from Recycling Medium-Density Fiberboards","authors":"V. Savov, P. Antov, Christian Panchev, M. A. R. Lubis, Seng Hua Lee, H. R. Taghiyari, Martina Todorova, S. Petrin","doi":"10.3390/fib11070064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11070064","url":null,"abstract":"Unlike the recycling of particleboards, the recycling of medium-density fiberboards (MDF) is not a widespread industrial practice, and currently, most waste MDF panels are landfilled or incinerated after the end of their life cycle. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop cost-effective methods for MDF recycling. The extraction of resins used for bonding the panels, mostly urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins, is carried out mainly with hydrolysis. Hydrothermal hydrolysis is a more environmentally friendly and cheaper recycling technique compared to acid hydrolysis and allows obtaining a high yield of recycled fibers. The aim of this research work was to investigate and evaluate the effect of hydrolysis regime applied on its efficiency and on the properties of the recycled MDF fibers. For this purpose, thermal hydrolysis was carried out in an autoclave with saturated steam as a heat carrier. The main novelty of the research is the preliminary preparation of the recyclable MDF in samples with dimensions close to those of pulp chips. The effect of hydrolysis regime characteristics, i.e., process time and temperature on the properties of recycled MDF wood fibers, was studied. The hydrolysis temperatures used were 121 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.2 MPa) and 134 °C (saturated steam pressure of 0.3 MPa); for each temperature, three durations were applied—30, 45, and 60 min. After hydrolysis, the resulting fiber fraction was refined using a hammer mill. The fractional and elemental composition of the recycled fibers obtained were evaluated. The hemicellulose content after each hydrolysis treatment was also determined. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was defined as an indicator of wastewater contamination and as an indirect indicator of the quantitative yield of the process. The results revealed no significant changes in the elemental composition of the recycled fibers, and the hydrolysis regimes used showed no decrease in pentosan content. The recycled MDF fibers exhibited similar fiber morphology and fractional composition, being shorter than fibers from industrial pulp. The increased temperature and time of hydrolysis resulted in a significant increase in COD values. Based on the obtained results, with a view to the slightest contamination of wastewater (as determined by COD), the most promising hydrolysis regime was at a temperature of 121 °C and a time of 30 min. It should be emphasized that for a confirmation of this statement, the properties of MDF panels fabricated with fibers recycled in different regimes should be subsequently investigated.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42270436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sivasubramanian Palanisamy, K. MAYANDI, C. Santulli, M. Palaniappan, R. Nagarajan, C. Fragassa
In recent years, there has been growing interest in utilizing bark fibers as reinforcements for polymer composites. This study focused on the characterization of epoxy composites reinforced with Acacia caesia bark (ACB) fibers, considering their mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties. Various amounts of ACB fibers with three different lengths (10, 20, and 30 mm) were incorporated into the composites, ranging from 10 to 35 wt.% in 5% increments. This resulted in 18 sample categories, which were compared to neat epoxy samples. The findings demonstrated that the introduction of ACB fibers, even at the highest fiber content, led to improved mechanical performance. However, a transition in fiber length from 20 to 30 mm exhibited conflicting effects on the composite, likely due to the tendency of bark fibers to bend and split into fibrils during loading. Regarding thermal degradation, the advantages over neat epoxy were evident, particularly for 20 mm fibers, suggesting enhanced interfacial bonding between the matrix and the reinforcement. The epoxy adequately protected the bark fibers, enabling the composite to withstand degradation at temperatures comparable to pure resin, with minimal structural damage below 320 °C.
{"title":"Tailoring Epoxy Composites with Acacia caesia Bark Fibers: Evaluating the Effects of Fiber Amount and Length on Material Characteristics","authors":"Sivasubramanian Palanisamy, K. MAYANDI, C. Santulli, M. Palaniappan, R. Nagarajan, C. Fragassa","doi":"10.3390/fib11070063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11070063","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, there has been growing interest in utilizing bark fibers as reinforcements for polymer composites. This study focused on the characterization of epoxy composites reinforced with Acacia caesia bark (ACB) fibers, considering their mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties. Various amounts of ACB fibers with three different lengths (10, 20, and 30 mm) were incorporated into the composites, ranging from 10 to 35 wt.% in 5% increments. This resulted in 18 sample categories, which were compared to neat epoxy samples. The findings demonstrated that the introduction of ACB fibers, even at the highest fiber content, led to improved mechanical performance. However, a transition in fiber length from 20 to 30 mm exhibited conflicting effects on the composite, likely due to the tendency of bark fibers to bend and split into fibrils during loading. Regarding thermal degradation, the advantages over neat epoxy were evident, particularly for 20 mm fibers, suggesting enhanced interfacial bonding between the matrix and the reinforcement. The epoxy adequately protected the bark fibers, enabling the composite to withstand degradation at temperatures comparable to pure resin, with minimal structural damage below 320 °C.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47108412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, an experimental program was developed to investigate the flexural behavior of pre-damaged reinforced concrete (RC) beams that had been repaired and strengthened using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates under a monotonic load. Two techniques were used: externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) and near-surface-mounted (NSM) reinforcement, to repair and strengthen the tested beams. The experimental program involved casting and testing nine simply supported RC rectangular beams; one beam was considered as the reference beam and did not undergo additional strengthening, and the remaining beams were strengthened using CFRP laminates. These eight beams were divided into two main groups for the purposes of strengthening: beams for which the EBR technique was used, and beams for which the NSM technique was used. The primary variables observed in the EBR and NSM groups included four damage percentages obtained according to the preload (20, 40, 60, and 80%) from the ultimate load carried by the reference beam. The experimental results show that decreasing the damage percentage leads to an increase in ultimate strength from about 3.6% to 17.2% for the beams repaired using the EBR technique and from 27.6% to 57% for the beams repaired using the NSM technique; additionally, the NSM method was more effective than the EBR method in terms of the flexural strength and mode of failure. However, using CFRP laminates enhances the flexure capacity of strengthened RC beams.
{"title":"Flexural Strength of Damaged RC Beams Repaired with Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Using Different Techniques","authors":"Abbas Yahya Turki, M. Al-Farttoosi","doi":"10.3390/fib11070061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11070061","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, an experimental program was developed to investigate the flexural behavior of pre-damaged reinforced concrete (RC) beams that had been repaired and strengthened using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates under a monotonic load. Two techniques were used: externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) and near-surface-mounted (NSM) reinforcement, to repair and strengthen the tested beams. The experimental program involved casting and testing nine simply supported RC rectangular beams; one beam was considered as the reference beam and did not undergo additional strengthening, and the remaining beams were strengthened using CFRP laminates. These eight beams were divided into two main groups for the purposes of strengthening: beams for which the EBR technique was used, and beams for which the NSM technique was used. The primary variables observed in the EBR and NSM groups included four damage percentages obtained according to the preload (20, 40, 60, and 80%) from the ultimate load carried by the reference beam. The experimental results show that decreasing the damage percentage leads to an increase in ultimate strength from about 3.6% to 17.2% for the beams repaired using the EBR technique and from 27.6% to 57% for the beams repaired using the NSM technique; additionally, the NSM method was more effective than the EBR method in terms of the flexural strength and mode of failure. However, using CFRP laminates enhances the flexure capacity of strengthened RC beams.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41902170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The dispersion properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during propagation on metal wires with a dielectric coating in the terahertz frequency range were investigated theoretically. An analytical expression was obtained for a pulsed electric field using the solution of Maxwell equations taking into account high-order dispersion terms. The influence of the dielectric coating on the distortion of the pulse shape was investigated. Unlike uncoated wire, the propagation of surface plasmon pulses along a coated wire is highly dispersive. It was shown that the coating leads to the appearance of a long-chirped signal with a propagation of only a few millimeters, i.e., when a terahertz pulse propagates along a coated wire, it acquires a long oscillatory tail, the frequency of which depends on time.
{"title":"Dispersive Propagation of Terahertz Pulses in a Plasmonic Fiber","authors":"N. Petrov","doi":"10.3390/fib11070062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fib11070062","url":null,"abstract":"The dispersion properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during propagation on metal wires with a dielectric coating in the terahertz frequency range were investigated theoretically. An analytical expression was obtained for a pulsed electric field using the solution of Maxwell equations taking into account high-order dispersion terms. The influence of the dielectric coating on the distortion of the pulse shape was investigated. Unlike uncoated wire, the propagation of surface plasmon pulses along a coated wire is highly dispersive. It was shown that the coating leads to the appearance of a long-chirped signal with a propagation of only a few millimeters, i.e., when a terahertz pulse propagates along a coated wire, it acquires a long oscillatory tail, the frequency of which depends on time.","PeriodicalId":12122,"journal":{"name":"Fibers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49272340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}