Andersen A, Lucchini F, J Moriconi, EA Fernández

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.75, pp. 137-143, 2006, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2006.75.137

Abstract Medicinal plants with mesomorphic and xeromorphic characteristics are a significant component of the indigenous flora of San Luis province. In popular medicine, Lippia turbinata “poleo” has emmenagogic, diuretic and stomach properties.
The morphological and anatomical aspects of foliar leaves were studied according to their environmental conditions, in order to contribute to the identification of samples of commercial drugs. From the studied sections, differences in the following aspects were detected, namely the form and type of epidermic cells, the presence of idioblasts in adaxial epidermic position, thickness of cuticle, density of nonglandular trichomes, the structure of the mesophyll and the… More >

S. Najmeh Aboutorabi¹, Majid Nasiriboroum,^2,*, Pourya Mohammadi¹, Hassan Sheibani^1,*, Hossein Barani³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.8, pp. 787-794, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.06438

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by a bio-reduction method using an aqueous extract of mullein leaves (Verbascum thapsus L.) functioning as reducing as well as a stabilizing agent. Various synthesis parameters such as reaction time, temperature and concentration of the extract were also studied for the synthesis of AgNPs. The so prepared AgNPs were characterized by various techniques including UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (equipped with energy dispersive analysis of X-rays), and transmission electron microscopy. The electron microscopy images suggest the formation of polydispersed spherical AgNPs with average particle size of about 20 nm. The kinetic analysis revealed… More >

Xin Feng, Yichao Hu, Zhengfeng Cao, Yanqiu Xia*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.5, pp. 441-449, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04881

Abstract Three kinds of crop leaf-surface waxes were extracted from wheat, corn and broomcorn leaves, respectively. The crop leaf-surface waxes as lubricant additives were added to synthetic ester and the friction and wear properties of prepared lubricants for steel-aluminum and steel-copper friction pair were investigated in detail. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) were employed to explore the friction mechanisms. The results show that crop leaf-surface waxes could successfully reduce the friction and wear of steel-aluminum and steel-copper sliding friction pairs as compared with pure synthetic ester. For example, when the concentration of wheat leaf-surface wax… More >

Zakia Khelifi^1,2, Mohammed Amine Allal², Nabil Abou-bekr², Saïd Taïbi¹, Benoît Duchemin^1*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.3, pp. 336-346, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2018.634102

Abstract The in-soil biodegradation of Stipa tenacissima (alfa) leaves was examined. Non-linear mechanical testing was performed at various biodegradation stages. Tensile strength, loading and unloading Young's moduli and dissipation energy decreased with the burial time, whereas plasticity increased. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that the fracture cracks propagated in the longitudinal direction in the raw material, resulting in a fracture mode consisting of a mixture of middle lamella delamination and fiber pull-out. In contrast, the cracks were perpendicular to the stem axis in the biodegraded material, demonstrating an important strength loss of the load-bearing fibers. This strength loss was correlated… More >

F. Luzi, E. Fortunati^*, D. Puglia, R. Petrucci, J.M. Kenny, L. Torre

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 190-198, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634134

Abstract In this research, the revalorization of Posidonia oceanica leaf sea waste was studied and the acid hydrolysis processing times were modulated in order to optimize the extraction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). The obtained CNCs were deeply investigated. A two-step treatment was applied to extract cellulose nanocrystals from Posidonia oceanica leaves. First, a chemical treatment leads to the removal of lignin and production of holocellulose, while the second chemical process of acid hydrolysis allows the obtainment of cellulose nanocrystals in aqueous suspension. The unbleached and bleached leaves and cellulose nanocrystals were characterized by using thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and morphological investigation;… More >