Silk fibroin has attracted great interest in tissue engineering because of its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability and minimal inflammatory reaction. In this study, two kinds of biocomposites based on regenerated silk fibroin are fabricated by electrospinning and post-treatment processes, respectively. Firstly, regenerated silk fibroin/tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) hybrid nanofibers with...

Wheat bran, abundant but underutilized, was investigated for its potential as a reinforcement in biocomposites through different pretreatment methods. Pretreatment methods included were dilute sodium hydroxide (NaOH), dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4), liquid hot water (LHW), calcium hydroxide (CaOH), organosolv such as aqueous ethanol (EtOH), and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). Changes in chemical c...

This project was undertaken to study the biodegradability of PLA-KF biocomposite in different conditions; soil burial and immersion in water. The samples were buried in soil for 40 days to investigate the degradability of biocomposites. As for water absorption tests, the samples were immersed in three different types of water which were river water (pH 6), tap water (pH 7) and sea water (pH 7.5...

Biocomposites with unique functionalities for tailored applications are promising products for a sustainable future. In this work, a process concept of forming functional composites by combining of high-density polyethylene, carbon black, and magnetic lignocellulosic particles (wood flour) was demonstrated. The impacts of process parameters on morphologies, crystalline phase, and magnetic inten...

Ternary nano-biocomposite films based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with modified cellulose nanocrystals (s-CNC) and synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag) have been prepared and characterized. The functionalization of the CNC surface with an acid phosphate ester of ethoxylated nonylphenol favoured its dispersion in the PLA matrix. The positive effects of the addition of cellulose and silver on the...

This paper presents the results of a recently completed European Commission partfunded consortium project with the aim of developing biocomposites for challenging applications. This aim incorporates developing the material and processing approaches and evaluating demonstrator products. This paper gives the results of several automotive parts evaluated including automotive panels and structural ...

The ideal bone substitute biomaterial should have mechanical properties similar to that of human bone tissue. Hydroxyapatite (HA) alone suffers from low fracture toughness, and most polymers alone lack sufficient stiffness and strength, limiting applications in load-bearing implants. Synthetic HA whisker reinforced polymer biocomposites provide a means to overcome these deficiencies (Roeder, et...

College of Resources and Environment, Northwest Agriculture and Forest University, Yangling 712100, China Institute of Biomass Chemistry and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 10083, China College of Pratacultural and Environmental Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China The BioComposites Centre, University of Wales, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom Departm...