Ziyang Qiu^1,2, Hanjun Yang^1,2,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.41, No.4, pp. 329-340, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2024.057953 - 16 December 2024

Abstract Hydrogels are emerging as promising candidates for solar-driven interfacial evaporation in water purification. Our research introduces a graphite polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (GPVA) evaporator designed as a photothermal conversion interface, showcasing high performance with an evaporation rate of 2.43 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an efficiency of 91.9% under solar irradiance of 1 kW m⁻². The layered graphite structure of the GPVA hydrogel enhances its ion and dye adsorption capabilities, effectively removing fluoride, iodine, and other contaminants from water. In cyclic evaporation tests, the GPVA hydrogel evaporator demonstrated remarkable stability and long-term durability, maintaining an evaporation rate of 2.43 More >

Yvonne Achieng Ouma¹, Supriti Sundari Nayak¹, Smrutirekha Mishra², Harekrishna Panigrahi^1,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.41, No.4, pp. 281-297, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2024.056470 - 16 December 2024

Abstract Fuller earth (FE) nanoclay is a naturally occurring mineral with a high surface area, is highly abundant, and has a low purchasing cost, making it an excellent candidate for nanocomposite production. The study highlights the novelty of using FE nanoclay in combination with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to create a bio-nanocomposite that meets the need for sustainable packaging solutions, underscoring its potential to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product quality in food packaging applications. The solvent casting process, a reliable way to evenly disperse nanofillers in polymer matrices, has been employed in this work to incorporate… More >

Yiguang Wang^1,2, Zhe Zhang¹, Xun Zhang^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.3, pp. 1321-1337, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.023266 - 31 October 2022

Abstract Fibre can enhance the mechanical properties of cement-based composites, but fibre also degrades their workability. However, the quantitative effects of fiber content and length-diameter ratio on alkali-activated materials are still unclear. Various aspect ratio, volume fraction of polyvinyl alcohol fibre (PVAF), and various water-binder ratio were employed to prepare a total of 26 groups of fibre reinforced alkali-activated composite (FRAAC). The influence of PVAF fibre factor (product of fiber volume fraction and length-diameter ratio) on flowability, compactness, strength, and crack fractal dimension of FRAAC was researched. The influence of water-binder ratio on the plastic viscosity… More >

Yunxia Zhou¹, Hisham Essawy², Ai Liu¹, Chenyu Yang¹, Defa Hou¹, Xiaojian Zhou^1,*, Guanben Du¹, Jun Zhang^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.2, pp. 837-852, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.022792 - 22 September 2022

Abstract This study presents an easily prepared film based on alkaline starch-polyvinyl alcohol hybrid and lignin fiber as an additive (SPL film). The SPL film was prepared under acidic conditions through a polycondensation reaction of PVA and a mixture incorporating alkaline starch and lignin fiber from agriculture or forest source. The examination using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the surface of SPL film was smooth and the lignin fiber had good compatibility within the film hybrid. Electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) investigations indicated that alkaline starch and lignin fiber reacted More > Graphic Abstract

XINGMIN XU¹, QINGQING SUN², AIRONG XU², XINBAO GUO²

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.39, No.1-2, pp. 167-181, 2022, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2022.39.1-2.11

Abstract Silk fibroin (SF) with renewability, biocompatibility and biodegradability shows potential application in various fields including biomedicine, tissue engineering, and wearable electronic devices. Herein, SF is used to exert effective reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film to further improve its practicability. As such, PVA/SF composite films were prepared for the first time using a facile approach. The films were characterized to investigate possible interaction of PVA with SF. Meanwhile, systematic investigations have also been completed to explore the influences of PVA/SF mass ratio on the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation at break), biodegradability and biocompatibility, More >

Diego David Pinzón-Moreno^*, Eder Clidio Vicuña-Galindo, José Vulfrano González-Fernández, José Luis Soto-Gonzales, María Verónica Carranza-Oropeza^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.8, pp. 2179-2201, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.019793 - 25 April 2022

Abstract Several hydrogels were synthesized by free-radical polymerization in an aqueous medium based on potato starch (PS), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and N,N′-Methylenebisacrylamide (MBAm), being possible to study these hydrogels as a function of the proportion of components incorporated. In this way, the products generated from the synthesis were characterized by swelling and deswelling kinetics, the first swelling being verified with Schott and statistical models, allowing to contrast the proximity between the experimental and theoretical behavior. Additionally, water retention in soil (R%), spectroscopy (FTIR), morphological (SEM), and thermal (TGA and DSC) analysis allowing to know the intrinsic More >

Adham Mohammed Alnadish^1,*, Mohamad Yusri Aman¹, Herda Yati Binti Katman², Mohd Rasdan Ibrahim³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.70, No.3, pp. 5967-5990, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.017387 - 11 October 2021

Abstract Vigorous and continued efforts by researchers and engineers have contributed towards maintaining environmental sustainability through the utilization of waste materials in civil engineering applications as an alternative to natural sources. In this study, granite aggregates in asphaltic mixes were replaced by electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag aggregates with different proportions to identify the best combination in terms of superior performance. Asphalt mixtures showing the best performance were further reinforced with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), acrylic, and polyester fibers at the dosages of 0.05%, 0.15%, and 0.3% by weight of the aggregates. The performance tests of… More >

Jingjing Liao^1,2, Jinxing Li², Fuxian Yang², Yan Zhu², Hongyan Wang³, Guanben Du^1,2,*, Hisham Essawy⁴, Xiaojian Zhou^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.2, pp. 359-372, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016335 - 30 August 2021

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based films containing Chinese bayberry tannin (BT) were prepared by cross-linking using glyoxal, glutaraldehyde and dialdehyde starch, individually. The presence of cross-linkers was evident to promote the transparency and decrease the moisture content of PVA/BT films, while the water solubility stayed almost unchanged in the cross-linked PVA/BT films. All cross-linkers provided promotion of the water vapor permeability, mechanical property and thermal stability of PVA/BT films. The best water vapor barrier capacity was found in case of glutaraldehyde cross-linked PVA/BT film, while the highest tensile strength was encountered in case of glyoxal cross-linked PVA/BT More > Graphic Abstract

Jingjing Liao^1,2, Jinxing Li², Hongyan Wang³, Yan Zhu², Hisham Essawy⁴, Guanben Du^1,2,*, Xiaojian Zhou^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 19-31, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016152 - 27 July 2021

Abstract The current work explores the potential use of commercial Chinese bayberry tannin (BT) to develop antioxidant PVA-based films using solvent casting process for packaging applications. The effect of BT concentration on opacity, water resistance and antioxidant capacity of resulting films was investigated. Properties like tensile strength, thermal behavior, and morphological aspects were also characterized. The experimental results showed that PVA/BT films formed with uniformly brown color and generally good transparency, offering good antioxidant ability. The PVA film containing BT presented slightly higher water resistance according to the results of moisture content and water vapor permeability, More > Graphic Abstract

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy^1,*, Le Hoang Huy¹, Truong Thuy Vy¹, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam², Bien Thi Lan Thanh¹, Nguyen Thi My Lan³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.8, pp. 1393-1411, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.015772 - 08 April 2021

Abstract In the present study, the biogenic silver nanoparticles have been synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Plectranthus amboinicus (PA), which acted as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The PA synthesized silver nanoparticles were blended with carboxymethyl cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (CMC/PVA) biocomposite. The prepared AgNPs as well as the biogenic AgNPs incorporated CMC/PVA films were investigated using UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X–ray diffraction (XRD). The DLS results showed that biogenic AgNPs had the average particle size of 65.70 nm with polydispersity index of 0.44. The surface plasmon… More > Graphic Abstract