ABSTRACT
Advancements in polymer science and engineering have helped the scientific community to shift its attention towards the use of environmentally benign materials for reducing the environmental impact of conventional synthetic plastics. Biopolymers are environmentally benign, chemically versatile, sustainable, biocompatible, biodegradable, inherently functional, and ecofriendly materials that exhibit tremendous potential for a wide range of applications including food, electronics, agriculture, textile, biomedical, and cosmetics. This review also inspires the researchers toward more consumption of biopolymer-based composite materials as an alternative to synthetic composite materials. Herein, an overview of the latest knowledge of different natural- and synthetic-based biodegradable polymers and their fiber-reinforced composites is presented. The review discusses different degradation mechanisms of biopolymer-based composites as well as their sustainability aspects. This review also elucidates current challenges, future opportunities, and emerging applications of biopolymeric sustainable composites in numerous engineering fields. Finally, this review proposes biopolymeric sustainable materials as a propitious solution to the contemporary environmental crisis. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Fogging on transparent surfaces such as goggles causes a series of hazards to users. To fabricate antifogging and low-haze transparent renewable polymer materials, intrinsic hydrophilicity with high water adsorption capability of thermoplastic starch (TPS) had been adopted. Strikingly, when benzoic acid (BA) was blended with thermoplastic starch (TPS-BA), the haze of TPS-BA was only 7.8% when it suffered the cold and warm method of antifogging measurement with 87% transmittance. Simultaneously, TPS-BA achieved an 18 mm inhibition zone for Staphylococcus aureus. To reveal the antifogging mechanism of TPS-BA films, the surficial and interior structure features were evaluated by three-dimensional optical scanner, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle testing, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and so on. The incorporation of BA resulted in the roughness (Rq), water contact angle (WCA), and crystallinity of the TPS-BA film decreasing from 6.5 to 0.68 μm, 65.1 to 39.9°, and 13.6 to 6.3%, respectively. The amorphous matrix and smooth surface reduced the scattered light, allowing the TPS-BA film to achieve low haze performance and high transmittance. Importantly, the diversified and weakened hydrogen bonds formed among starch, BA, and glycerol could inhibit the formation of starch crystalline regions and allowed hydroxyl groups to quickly bond with water. Thus, when TPS-BA is placed in a high-humidity surrounding, an "expressway"is constructed for water molecules diffusing into the TPS-BA matrix. This novel low-haze, antifogging, sustainable, and facilely fabricated TPS with antibacterial properties is a promising candidate in disposable medical goggles to fight against COVID-19. © 2021 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
A holistic approach to R&D products’ evaluation for commercialization under open innovations is developed. The approach is tested on the example of the device of the interferometric determination of the refractive index of crystalline materials in the optical range. The proposed approach will allow setting a price that will satisfy all the parties of a transfer agreement with a higher level of accuracy and will meet market requirements. Unlike popular methods of evaluating the R&D product, a holistic approach will, on the one hand, be based on the actual costs and the break-even level of a R&D product and, on the other hand, will determine how much the consumer is receptive to a R&D product, and, then again, will show how the added value of the product will develop under the influence of market effects. It is noted that the application of a holistic approach to R&D products’ evaluation for commercialization should be supplemented by assessing the willingness of potential customers to purchase this R&D product at a specific price. It is proved that the proposed holistic approach to R&D products’ evaluation for commercialization is multifunctional. The approach can be applied to different types of economic activity, R&D products, and types of markets. The obtained prices based on the application of a holistic approach to R&D products’ evaluation for commercialization and the results of marketing research of the interferometry market testified to potential prospects of the commercialization of a R&D product of the interferometric determination of the refractive index of crystalline materials in the optical range and its long-term competitiveness. Based on the results, the key provisions of the concept of providing competitive benefits for the period of implementation of the analyzed R&D product are identified. Taking into account fundamental elements of the open innovation paradigm underpins the authors’ holistic approach.