Search

Highlights The advantages of biomass materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are analyzed, the mechanism of EMI shielding is summarized, and the factors affecting EMI shielding are analyzed systematically. Various biomass materials (wood, bamboo, lignin, cellulose) were modified to obtain unique structures and improve EMI shielding performance. The problems encountered in the application of biomass materials for EMI shielding are summarized, and the potential development and application in the future are prospected.

Abstract Commercial wearable piezoelectric sensors possess excellent anti-interference stability due to their electronic packaging. However, this packaging renders them barely breathable and compromises human comfort. To address this issue, we develop a PVDF piezoelectric nanoyarns with an ultrahigh strength of 313.3 MPa, weaving them with different yarns to form three-dimensional piezoelectric fabric (3DPF) sensor using the advanced 3D textile technology. The tensile strength (46.0 MPa) of 3DPF exhibits the highest among the reported flexible piezoelectric sensors. The 3DPF features anti-gravity unidirectional liquid transport that allows sweat to move from the inner layer near to the skin to the outer layer in 4 s, resulting in a comfortable and dry environment for the user. It should be noted that sweating does not weaken the piezoelectric properties of 3DPF, but rather enhances. Additionally, the durability and comfortability of 3DPF are similar to those of the commercial cotton T-shirts. This work provides a strategy for developing comfortable flexible wearable electronic devices.

The emerging interests in high-performance biocomposites grows significantly driven by their superior environmental sustainability. This study proposes a unique biocomposite strategy by implementing an acetic and ball-milled treatment to disrupt the bamboo cell wall structure, thereby facilitating further processing by effectively increasing the active sites and specific surface area in the bamboo fiber. The fibers are subsequently carboxymethylated to introduce carboxyl groups which facilitate physical bonding between the fibers and Mg2+ ions that are added to the system. These ions form metal-coordination bonds with the carboxyl groups, acting as ion bridges that significantly strengthen the inter-fiber bonding. The resulted biocomposite exhibits impressive mechanical properties, including a high tensile strength (94.24 MPa) and flexural strength (104.14 MPa), not only that, changes in elastic modulus also highlight changes in fiber bonding, the flexural modulus is 21.29 GPa and the tensile modulus is 7.01 GPa. Moreover, it maintains a low water uptake capacity of only 6.8 % despite being submerged for 12 h. The thermal conductivity and fire retardancy have also been improved. The synergic bonding ability between the cellulose and lignin in the fibers, coupled with the glue-free thermoforming process, enhances the material performance and renders it fully recyclable, thus reducing environmental pollution and providing cost-effective engineering materials to society.

Highlights An ultralight and flexible supercapacitor is developed by an effective 3D fabrication method that uses MXene to fabricate waste denim felt through needling and carbonization. The electrodes have a maximum specific capacitance of 1748.5 mF cm−2 and demonstrate remarkable cycling stability with more than 94% after 15,000 galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles The loaded more MXene onto Z-directional fiber bundles results in enhanced specific capacitance, energy density and power density of supercapacitors.

The accumulation of petroleum-based plastic waste is a growing environmental concern, thus an effective plastic waste recycling scheme is crucial. This study combined waste acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) plastics with waste delivery boxes to create ABS/paper biocomposites. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was utilised as the experimental variable, while two control groups were established to investigate varying ratios of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and paper. The results indicate that ABS/paper (CaCO3) 4:6 demonstrated a tensile strength of 47.81 MPa and a bending strength of 40.92 MPa. In contrast, ABS/paper (CaCO3) 7:3 exhibited a water absorption ratio of only 1.21% within 48 h. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that high-temperature melted ABS effectively filled the voids of interwoven cellulose during hot pressing. Furthermore, adding CaCO3 improved the flame retardancy of ABS/paper biocomposites and promoted the interweaving of celluloses. The ABS/paper biocomposites preparation method represents a viable solution to mitigate plastic pollution due to its environmentally-friendly, lightweight, and low energy consumption properties.

Abstract In light of the uprising global development on sustainability, an innovative and environmental friendly wood‐based material derived from natural pinewood has been developed as a high‐performance alternative to petrochemical‐based materials. The wood‐based functional material, named as BC‐CaCl2, is synthesized through the coordination of carboxyl groups (−COOH) present in pinewood with calcium ions (Ca2+), which facilitates the formation of a high‐density cross‐linking structure through the combined action of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The as‐prepared BC‐CaCl2 exhibits excellent tensile strength (470.5 MPa) and flexural strength (539.5 MPa), establishing a robust structural basis for the materials. Meanwhile, BC‐CaCl2 shows good water resistance, thermal conductivity, thermal stability, UV resistance, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial properties. BC‐CaCl2 represents a viable alternative to petrochemical‐based materials. Its potential application areas include waterproof enclosure structure of buildings, indoor underfloor heating, outdoor UV resistant protective cover, and anti‐corrosion materials for installation engineering, and so forth.

Antibacterial materials are preferable for water treatment a medical applications. In the present study, to improve the antimicrobial performance of flexible polyurethane (PU) foams, copper nanoparticles were in situ generated. The Cu nanoparticles were formed on the surface of polyurethane cell walls with sizes of 100–130 nm, and exhibited high affinity with the PU matrix. Although the cell structure of the nanocomposite PU foams was not greatly influenced, the open cell content decreased slightly from 97.42 to 96.64%. The bound metal nanoparticles on the cell walls could strengthen the cell skeleton improved the mechanical strength of the resulting foams. The mechanical parameters were dramatically improved, such as tensile and compressive strength of the nanocomposite PUs were improved from 78.1 to 94.2 kPa and from 3.80 to 5.63 kPa, respectively. Besides, these nanocomposite foams showed great antibacterial activity that can be considered for antibacterial applications in water treatment and medical fields.

The recalcitrant structure of raw poplar limited the production of fermentable sugars when applied as the material in the pretreatment of biochemical conversions. Phosphoric acid pretreatment is an efficient method to destroy the compact lignocellulose matrix presence in the poplar. In this study, phosphoric acid pretreatment of poplar was optimised by an orthogonal experimental design [L9(33)] to improve enzymatic digestibility through investigating the effects of reaction temperature, time duration, and phosphoric acid concentration. The optimal conditions were selected based on the variance of chemical compositions, hemicellulose removal ratio, and delignification of the woody material after pretreatment. The optimum enzymatic hydrolysis yield of up to 73.44% was obtained when the phosphoric acid pretreatment performed at 190°C for 150 min under 1.5% of v/v phosphoric acid concentration.

The development of the paper industry has led to the discharge of a large amount of papermaking waste liquid containing lignosulfonate. These lignin black liquids cause a lot of pollution in nature, which runs counter to the current environmental protection strategy under the global goal. Through the development and use of lignosulfonate in papermaking waste liquid to increase the utilization of harmful substances in waste liquid, we aim to promote waste liquid treatment and reduce environmental pollution. This paper proposes a new strategy to synthesize novel glue-free biocomposites with high-performance interfacial compatibility from papermaking by-product sodium lignosulfonate/chitosan (L/C) and waste bamboo. This L/C bamboo biocomposite material has good mechanical properties and durability, low formaldehyde emissions, a high recovery rate, meets the requirements of wood-based panels, and reduces environmental pollution. This method is low in cost, has the potential for large-scale production, and can effectively reduce the environmental pollution of the paper industry, promoting the recycling of biomass and helping the future manufacture of glue-free panels, which can be widely used in the preparation of bookcase, furniture, floor and so on.

Although applications of wood-plastic composites (WPC) have rapidly increased, the raw materials used for producing WPC are still sound wood until now. The decayed wood usually is discarded or used as fire wood, which causes a serious waste of resources and environmental pollution. However, the decayed wood contains high lignin content which can be used for producing polymeric materials. In this study, decayed wood plastic composites (DWPC) with nano calcium carbonate (NCC), activated carbon (AC) and chitosan (CS) were fabricated and sound wood plastic composites (SWPC) without any additive were prepared. Compared to the results of physical and chemical properties of DPWCs with SWPCs, it was found that the mechanical properties, chemical structure, thermal stability, degree of crystallinity (Cr) and flame retardancy of DWPC with CS were better than DWPC without any additive, and even better than SWPC. The addition of CS (4%) to decayed wood powder (about 30%) and PVC (about 70%) could improve the physical, chemical, and bonding properties of DWPC, which could reach the level of sound wood plastic composites. The results of this work proposed a novel green strategy for utilizing decayed wood for making polyvinyl chloride/wood flour composites.

Elliptical Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch) is a popular fruit among consumers. It has abundant nutrition. And it also has medicinal value and economic value. In our research, we detected and analyzed the chemical components by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technologies. In FT-IR analysis, we known that there it main had O-H stretching vibration, C-H stretching vibration, CC stretching vibration, benzene ring stretching vibration, C-H C-O stretching vibration and anomeric carbon vibrational frequency absorption peak attribution. The types of compound that may be in this band is cellulose, carboxylic acid, alcohol, phenol, amine and ester. In GC–MS analysis, we known that the main chemical compounds were 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 1,2,3,5-cyclohexanetetrol, quinic acid, d-alanine, N-propargyloxycarbonyl-, isohexyl ester, 4H-Pyran-4-one, cyclotetrasiloxane, octamethyl- and furfural. And these organic components can be used at food processing, medical treatment and light industry fields. Keywords: Elliptical Kiwifruit, FT-IR, GC–MS, Chemical composition, Application

Biodegradable composites were prepared by adding ZnO, Si3N4, and bamboo charcoal (BC) based on biodegradable plastic Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). The results show that different filling rates have an effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. When the bamboo powder filling amount reaches 40%, the mechanical properties of the composite material are the best. Overall, The mechanical and chemical structure as well as the thermal data showed that the best condition for the production of decayed wood plastic composite was 150 °C for 10 min, while TiO2, Si3N4, and BC accounting for 3%, 3%, and 5% of PBS weight, respectively, and the proportions of bamboo powder and PBS of 40% and 60%. The most important thing is that TD-GC–MS found that the composite has less organic volatiles, indicating that it is a green and healthy composite. Keywords: Bamboo plastic composites, Si3N4, Chemical structure, Thermal properties, Biodegradable

As a potential therapeutic agent, the clinical application of S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is limited because of its instability. Therefore, different formulations have been developed to protect GSNO from degradation, delivery and the release of GSNO at a physiological concentration in the active position. Due to the high water-solubility and small molecular-size of GSNO, the biggest challenges in the encapsulation step are low encapsulation efficiency and burst release. This review summarizes the different nano/micro-formulation strategies of a GSNO related delivery system to provide references for subsequent researchers interested in GSNO encapsulation.

Energy is indispensable in human life and social development, but this has led to an overconsumption of non-renewable energy. Sustainable energy is needed to maintain the global energy balance. Lignocellulose from agriculture or forestry is often discarded or directly incinerated. It is abundantly available to be discovered and studied as a biomass energy source. Therefore, this research uses Staphylea holocarpa wood as feedstock to evaluate its potential as energy source. We characterized Staphylea holocarpa wood by utilizing FT–IR, GC–MS, TGA, Py/GC–MS and NMR. The results showed that Staphylea holocarpa wood contained a large amount of oxygenated volatiles, indicating that it has the ability to act as biomass energy sources which can achieve green chemistry and sustainable development.

To disclosed the internal factors for the growth of mycelium and Lentinus edodes, Quercus Linn wood, which was biotransformed during the artificial cultivation of Lentinus edodes, were synergistically characterized by TGA/DTG, FT-IR and NMR. The results showed that the different ingredients of hemicellulose decreased during steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes, however hemicellulose content continued to increased. FT-IR showed that the transmittance of the characteristic peaks in hemicellose gradually increased after decreased after steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes. TGA/DTG curves that thermal stability and maximum thermal degradation rates of hemicelloses were contiguous after steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes. Structural determination based on FT-IR and 1H, and 2D-HSQC NMR analyses showed that the alkali-extractable hemicelluloses shared the structure composed of (1 → 4)-linked β-d-xylopyranosyl backbone with 4-O-methyl-R-d-glucuronic acid attached to O-2 of the xylose residues and l-arabinose attached to O-3 of the xylose residues. And it revealed that the extractable hemicelluloses retained original structure without cleaving chemical linkages. Furthermore, a small amount of other minor hemicelluloses (β-glucans) including xylans in the extractable hemicelluloses could be identified by NMR and other approaches. Keywords: Hemicellulose of Quercus Linn wood, Steam explosion, Biodegradation of Lentinus edodes, TGA/DTG, FT-IR, NMR, HSQC

Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS), as a fully biodegradable thermoplastic, have developed rapidly due to its integrated performance and processibility. The CaCO3 as a reinforcing component, and AHP, APP and CaHP as a flame-retardant component were separately incorporated into PBS matrix. A series of PBS-based composites were fabricated via melting blending using internal mixer followed by injection molding. The results show that the different filling ratio has a certain influence on the mechanical properties of the composites. When the filling amount of wood powder is 40 copies, the composite mechanical properties of the composite is better. CaCO3 addition, the composite material of the bending strength, tensile strength have improved significantly. The results showed that small amount of AHP, APP and CaHP improved the tensile strength of PBS composites, however, the tensile strength decreased as further increase amount of AHP, APP and CaHP. Cone Calorimeter testing revealed that, the combination of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly reduce the pHRR and the total heart release (THR) of the composites. TGA test indicated that the addition of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly increase the char residue and reduce the mass loss rate. TGA test indicated that the addition of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly increase the char residue and reduce the mass loss rate. Through the research of mechanical and thermal properties of PBS composite, it could lay a foundation of the application of PBS composite in different fields. Keywords: Poly (butylene succinate), Crystallization behavior, Flame retardant, AHP, APP, CaHP

This study evaluated the mechanical and hydrophobic properties of wood plastic composites (WPC) prepared by the hot molding approach incorporating five different recycled plastics and poplar flour. The WPC showed excellent tensile strength (36.9 MPa) and flexural strength (44.7 MPa) associated with good hydrophobicity, and the excellent properties of WPC could be due to the application of hot pressing which improved the amount of hydroxyl groups and reduced the crystallinity of WPC. The WPC also revealed a strong and hydrostable structure and negligible emission of formaldehyde during the preparation process. Overall, the WPC could be used to substitute traditional wood-based panels as potential furniture material, hence achieving sustainable utilization of plastic wastes.