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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, with their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and wettability properties, are very effective fillers for many types of composites. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CNTs and graphene may be integrated into wood–plastic composites (WPCs) and natural-fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFPCs) to improve the existing performance of the WPCs/NFPCs as well as enabling their use in completely new areas of engineering. The following review analyses the results of the studies presented to date, from which it can be seen that that inclusion of CNTs/graphene may indeed improve the mechanical properties of the WPCs/NFPCs, while increasing their thermal conductivity, making them electroconductive, more photostable, less sensitive to water absorption, less flammable, and more thermally stable. This study indicates that the composition and methods of manufacturing of hybrid WPCs/NFPCs vary significantly between the samples, with a consequent impact on the level of improvement of specific properties. This review also shows that the incorporation of CNTs/graphene may enable new applications of WPCs/NFPCs, such as solar thermal energy storage devices, electromagnetic shielding, antistatic packaging, sensors, and heaters. Finally, this paper recognises key challenges in the study area, and proposes future work.

Purpose To analyze genotype-phenotype correlation in patients originating from Polish population with the transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI) corneal dystrophies. Methods Sixty affected and 31 unaffected individuals from 15 unrelated Polish families were included in the study. The clinical diagnosis was based on the slit-lamp exam, 1310 nm time domain and 1310 nm swept source spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Histopathologic analysis was performed on 10 available corneal buttons. Exons of the TGFBI gene were screened for mutations with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing. Results We found the lattice phenotype dominant compared to the granular one in the Polish population (41:16 patients; lattice:granular). We identified five distinct mutations responsible for TGFBI corneal dystrophies (R124R, R124H, R555W, R555Q, and H626R). There was a strong genotype-phenotype correlation in the case of R124R and R555W mutations, while there was a distinct phenotypic heterogeneity in the case of the H626R mutation. OCT analysis revealed that the reflectivity, location and pattern of the corneal deposits were different among the TGFBI corneal dystrophies. The advantage of spectral swept source OCT over time-domain OCT scans is a more distinct visualization of the Bowman’s layer area and deposits located under the epithelium. Conclusions This study underlines the role of comprehensive phenotype-genotype analysis in TGFBI corneal dystrophies, describes for the first time the TGFBI mutation spectrum in a Polish population and reveals phenotypic heterogeneity in the case of the H626R mutation.