Wenbei Bi¹, Zengfeng Yan^1,*, Huan Zhao¹, Lixin Sun², Xudong Wang^3,4, Zhengmo Zhang³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.12, pp. 1691-1710, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.012808

Abstract Murals in Mogao Grottoes consist of three parts: support layer, earthen plasters and paint layer. The earthen plasters play a key role in the preservation of murals. It is a mixture of Dengban soil, sand, and plant fiber. Two different natural fibers, hemp fiber and cotton fiber, were reinforced to earthen plasters in the same percentage to evaluate the influence on hygrothermal performance. The two types of earthen plasters were studied: one containing hemp fiber in the fine plaster (HFP) and the other containing cotton fiber in the fine plaster (CFP). Specific heat capacity, dry thermal conductivity, water vapor permeability,… More >

Ragab E. Abou-Zeid^1*, Mohamed A. Diab¹, Salah A. A. Mohamed², Ahmed Salama¹, Hind Abdullah Aljohani³, Kamel Rizq Shoueir⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.4, pp. 394-401, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634156

Abstract The current article addresses a new strategy for the preparation of polylactic acid/cellulose nanocrystal (PLA/CNCs) nanobiocomposite films with improved structural morphology, mechanical and barrier properties for food packaging applications. The addition of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as cationic and anionic surfactants respectively, was found to play a crucial role in preventing re-aggregation of the CNCs during drying and improving the dispersion of CNCs in the PLA. The coated paper was characterized using mechanical tests, water vapor permeability (WVP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and air permeability. The results showed that the paper coated with… More >

Bui Duc Thuan^1,2, Wong Yonghui², Chua Kian Jon², Ng Kim Choon²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 89-105, 2015, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2015.047.089

Abstract The cup method and dynamic moisture permeation cell (DMPC) method are two common techniques used to determine the water vapor permeation properties of a membrane. Often, ignoring the resistance of boundary air layers to the transport of water vapor results in the water vapor permeance of the membrane being underestimated in practical tests. The measurement errors are higher with highly permeable membranes. In this study, the two methods were simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics platform and the extent of the error was evaluated. Initial results showed that the error is equally high in both methods. With the correction for the still… More >