Mingzhe Jiang¹, S. Nicole DeMass¹, D. Ross Economy², Thomas Shackleton¹, Christopher L. Kitchens^1*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.5, pp. 377-387, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634131

Abstract Spin coating was used to cast a uniform film of cellulose nanocrystals with low surface roughness and variable thickness as a function of operational parameters that include rotational speed and dispense suspension concentration. The film thickness was controllable from 40 nm up to 1 μm with surface roughness an order of magnitude less than blade-coating methods. The degree of radial orientation was qualitatively assessed and shown to be variable with processing parameters. Under specific processing conditions, the formation of striation patterns was observed and associated with film drying instability. The striation patterns are periodic in… More >

Monique de Alvarenga Pinto Cotrim^1*, Jessyca Aparecida Paes Dutra², Suzana Gonçalves Carvalho², Janaina Cecília Oliveira Villanova², Eliane Ayres¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.1, pp. 9-17, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634122

Abstract In recent years there has been an increasing demand for the application of natural products to address problems in the environment. The use of products derived from renewable resources can provide a sustainable strategy to replace totally or partially synthetic products. Cymbopogon, commonly known as lemongrass, is a tropical grass cultivated mostly for its essential oil, which has demonstrated several bioactivities, including antibacterial and antifungal properties. In the present work the formation of inclusion complex between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and lemongrass essential oil (LGEO) as well as its fi xation onto cotton fabric were investigated. Inclusion More >

Pronob Gogoi, Dhaneswar Das, Shyamalima Sharma, Swapan K. Dolui^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.2, pp. 151-159, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634129

Abstract Alkyd resins based on Jatropha curcas oil with different molar ratios of phthalic anhydride (PA) and maleic anhydride (MA) were prepared by alcoholysis followed by polyesterifi cation reaction. The progress of the reaction was traced by the determination of acid value at regular time intervals. From the kinetic study the extent of the reaction was found in the range of 52.4–61.2%. The prepared resins were blended with a commercially available fast-curing epoxy resin in order to improve the properties like curing time, chemical resistance, tensile strength, and thermal stability. The morphology study of the blends More >

Nicolas Bordenave^1,2,3,*, Diana Kemmer⁴, Sonja Smolic⁴, Roland Franz⁴, Florence Girard⁵, Veronique Coma^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 123-133, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634105

Abstract Aroma and oxygen-barrier properties of chitosan-coated papers were measured in order to evaluate the potential of these materials as biodegradable materials for food packaging. Firstly, two chitosans (Chi- 244 and Chi-652) were studied according to their ultimate biodegradability. Chi-652 showed the best fi nal biodegradation rate and was then used for subsequent tests in association with papers. Then, oxygen-barrier and aroma-barrier properties of papers, Chi-652 fi lms and Chi-652-coated papers were investigated. The Chi-652 fi lms exhibited oxygen-barrier at low relative humidity and aroma-barrier comparable to synthetic materials already used in the packaged food industry. More >

Dinesh Balgude, Anagha Sabnis^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 235-245, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634115

Abstract Renewable resource-based hybrid crosslinker was successfully synthesized via sol-gel technology. The synthesis involved malenization of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) followed by its silane modifi cation and subsequent hydrolysis and condensation with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The synthesized crosslinker was characterized by spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR, ¹ H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and ²⁹Si-NMR) for structural elucidation. The crosslinker was further formulated in a conventional stoving system. Fully-cured coatings were obtained after stoving at 120°C for ½ hr and were then evaluated for physical, mechanical, chemical, optical, accelerated weathering, electrochemical and morphological properties. The incorporation of hybrid crosslinker in a conventional stoving More >

Ramos G¹, RH Lira¹, RD Peralta², GY Cortez², A Cárdenas¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 139-143, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.139

Abstract Tomato fruits are perishable products that require treatments such as coating films to extend their shelf life. Because of this and to avoid use of synthetic chemicals to prevent physical deterioration during postharvest, we evaluated the effects of an edible coating polymer latex poly (vinyl acetate-co-vinyl alcohol), P (VAc-co-VA), at three concentrations (0, 50 and 100%) in tomato fruits. The trial was conducted at room temperature conditions (31 ± 4 °C; with RH of 30 ± 5%) and temperature-controlled (12 ± 1 °C; with RH of 75 ± 5%). Fruits coated with P (VAc-co-VA) at More >

Thomas J. Nelson, Lindsey Bultema, Neal Eidenschink, Dean C. Webster^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.2, pp. 141-153, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634113

Abstract Bio-based polyols with high functionality were successfully synthesized by ring-opening epoxidized sucrose esters of soybean oil with methanol under acidic conditions, and were subsequently formulated with blocked isocyanates to form one package polyurethanes (1KPU). The bio-based polyols were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) spectroscopy, and Brookfi eld viscosity. Bio-based coatings were prepared by formulating the polyols with blocked polyisocyanates based on isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Two types of bio-based polyols were synthesized and the ratio of NCO:OH functional groups was More >

Hui Zheng¹, Wen Chen^1,2,3, Chuanzeng Zhang⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.90, No.3, pp. 179-195, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2013.090.179

Abstract This paper develops a multi-domain boundary knot method (BKM) formulation to solve the heat conduction problems of ultra-thin coatings. This approach overcomes the troublesome singular integration difficulty in the boundary element method in the simulation of such ultra-thin coating problems. Our numerical results show that the present BKM is very promising with sufficient accuracy in predicting the temperature distributions and the other physical quantities in thin coated layers even when the thickness ranges from 10-1m to 10-9m. The present method can also easily be extended to the three-dimensional problems. More >

Sina Alavi, Mohammad Passandideh-Fard^*

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 1-9, 2011, DOI:10.5098/hmt.v2.2.3007

Abstract In this paper, a numerical study is performed to investigate the effects of thermal shrinkage on the deposition of molten particles on a substrate in a thermal spray process using the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method. Thermal shrinkage is a phenomenon caused by the variation of density during cooling and solidification of a molten metal. The Navier-Stokes equations along with the energy equation including phase change are solved using a 2D/axisymmetric mesh. The VOF method is used to track the free surface of molten particles, and an enthalpy-porosity formulation is used to model solidification. For the normal More >

Hai Trieu Phan^b, Nadia Caney^a,†, Philippe Marty^a, Stéphane Colasson^b, Jérôme Gavillet^b

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 1-6, 2011, DOI:10.5098/hmt.v2.1.3002

Abstract Experiments were performed to study the effects of surface wettability on flow boiling of water at atmospheric pressure. The test channel is a single rectangular channel 0.5 mm high, 5 mm wide and 180 mm long. The mass flux was set at 100 and 120 kg/m² s and the base heat flux was varied from 30 to 80 kW/m². Water enters the test channel under subcooled conditions. The sample surfaces are titanium (Ti) and diamond-like carbon (DLC) surfaces having a contact angle of 49° and 63°, respectively. The experimental results show different flow patterns that impact More >