RESUMEN
Environmental concerns and climate protection are gaining increasing emphasis nowadays. A growing number of industries and scientific fields are involved in this trend. Sustainable electronics is an emerging research strand. Environmentally friendly and biodegradable or biobased raw materials can be used for the development of green flexible electronic devices, which may serve to reduce the pollution generated by plastics and electronics waste. In this work, we present cytocompatible, electrically conductive structures of nanocarbon water-soluble composites based on starch films. To accomplish this goal, potato starch-based films with glycerol as a plasticiser were developed along with a water-soluble vehicle for nanocarbon-based electroconductive pastes specifically dedicated to screen printing technology. Films were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) mechanical properties and surface free energy.
RESUMEN
Starch-based films are a valuable alternative to plastic materials that are based on fossil and petrochemical raw resources. In this study, corn and potato starch films with 50% glycerol as a plasticizer were developed, and the properties of films were confirmed by mechanical properties, surface free energy, surface roughness, and, finally, color and gloss analyses. Next, the films were overprinted using ink-jet printing with quick response (QR) codes, text, and pictograms. Finally, the print quality of the obtained prints was determined by optical density, color parameters, and the visual evaluation of prints. In general, corn films exhibit lower values of mechanical parameters (tensile strength, elongation at break, and Young Modulus) and water transition rate (11.1 mg·cm-2·h-1) than potato starch film (12.2 mg·cm-2·h-1), and water solubility is 18.7 ± 1.4 and 20.3 ± 1.2% for corn and potato film, respectively. The results obtained for print quality on starch-based films were very promising. The overprinted QR codes were quickly readable by a smartphone. The sharpness and the quality of the lettering are worse on potato film. At the same time, higher optical densities were measured on potato starch films. The results of this study show the strong potential of using starch films as a modern printing substrate.
RESUMEN
Starch-based materials seem to be an excellent alternative for conventional plastics used in various applications. Microfibralted cellulose can be used to improve the surface properties of starch-based materials. This study aims to analyze the surface properties of starch-microfibrillated cellulose materials. The surface properties of films were evaluated by ATR-FTIR, surface roughness, water wettability, and surface free energy. The surface homogeneity between corn starch and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) fibers was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Microscopic analyses of the film surfaces confirm good compatibility of starch and MFC. The addition of MFC increased the surface roughness and polarity of developed starch/MFC materials. The surface roughness parameter has increased from 1.44 ± 0.59 to 2.32 ± 1.13 for pure starch-based materials and starch/MFC material with the highest MFC content. The WCA contact angle has decreased from 70.3 ± 2.4 to 39.1 ± 1.0°, while the surface free energy is 46.2 ± 3.4 to 66.2 ± 1.5 mJ·m-2, respectively. The findings of this study present that surface structure starch/MFC films exhibit homogeneity, which would be helpful in the application of MFC/starch materials for biodegradable packaging purposes.
RESUMEN
Starch films can be used as materials for food packaging purposes. The goal of this study is to compare how the starch origin influence the selected starch film properties. The films were made from various starches such as that from maize, potato, oat, rice, and tapioca using 50%w of glycerine as a plasticizer. The obtained starch-based films were made using the well-known casting method from a starch solution in water. The properties of the films that were evaluated were tensile strength, water vapour transition rate, moisture content, wettability, and their surface free energy. Surface free energy (SFE) and its polar and dispersive components were calculated using the Owens-Wendt-Rabel-Kaelbe approach. The values of SFE in the range of 51.64 to 70.81 mJâm-2 for the oat starch-based film and the maize starch-based film. The films revealed worse mechanical properties than those of conventional plastics for packaging purposes. The results indicated that the poorest tensile strength was exhibited by the starch-based films made from oat (0.36 MPa) and tapioca (0.78 MPa) and the greatest tensile strength (1.49 MPa) from potato.
RESUMEN
Poly(hydroxyurethane)s (PHU) are alternatives for conventional polyurethanes due to the use of bis-cyclic dicarbonates and diamines instead of harmful and toxic isocyanates. However, the surface properties of poly(hydroxyurethane)s are not well known. In this work, we focus on the analysis of the surface properties of poly(hydroxyurethane) coatings. Poly(hydroxyurethane)s were obtained by a catalyst-free method from commercially available carbonated diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (Epidian 6 epoxy resins) and various diamines: ethylenediamine, trimethylenediamine, putrescine, hexamethylenediamine, 2,2,4(2,4,4)-trimethyl-1,6-hexanediamine, m-xylylenediamine, 1,8-diamino-3,6-dioxaoctane, 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine, and isophorone diamine, using a non-isocyanate route. The structures of the obtained polymers were confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed. The rheological characteristic of the obtained polymers is presented. The static contact angles of water, diidomethane, and formamide, deposited on PHU coatings, were measured. From the measured contact angles, the surface free energy was calculated using two different approaches: Owens-Wendt and van Oss-Chaudhury-Good. Moreover, the wetting envelopes of PHU coatings were plotted, which enables the prediction of the wetting effect of various solvents. The results show that in the investigated coatings, a mainly dispersive interaction occurs.
RESUMEN
This article contains original experimental data, figures and methods to the preparation of non-isocyanate poly(hydroxyurethanes) by an environmentally friendly method without the use of toxic phosgene and isocyanates from bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)ether dicarbonate and various diamines (Tryznowski et al., Submitted for publication) [1]. Bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)ether dicarbonate was obtained from a one-step procedure from commercially available diglycerol. The product was characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and FTIR spectroscopies and for the first time by X-Ray diffraction measurements. Then, the bis(cyclic carbonate) monomer was used as a precursor for the synthesis of various NIPUs. The NIPUs were prepared in a non-solvent process. Spectral and thermal properties of the NIPUs are compered. Here we give the procedure in order to perform bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)ether dicarbonate with high yield and the procedure NIPU synthesis and the complete set of monomer and NIPU analysis ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, FTIR, X-Ray).
RESUMEN
Mass-fraction activity coefficients at infinite dilution (Omega13(infinity)) of alkanes (C5-C10), cycloalkanes (C5-C8), alkenes (C5-C8), alkynes (C5-C8), aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, p-xylene, thiophene), alcohols (C1-C5), water, ethers (tetrahydrofuran (THF), methyl-tert-butylether (MTBE), diethyl-, di-n-propyl-, di-n-butyl ether), and ketones (propanone, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, cyclopentanone) in the hyperbranched polymer, Boltorn U3000 (B-U3000), have been determined by inverse gas chromatography (IGC) using the polymer as the stationary phase. The measurements were carried out at different temperatures between 308.15 and 348.15 K. The density and thermophysical properties of polymer were described. The specific retention volume (V(g)), the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (chi13(infinity)), the molar enthalpy of sorption (the partial molar enthalpies of solute dissolution) (Delta(s)H), the partial molar excess enthalpy at infinite dilution of the solute and polymer (DeltaH1(E,infinity)), the partial molar Gibbs excess energy at infinite dilution (DeltaG1(E,infinity)), and the solubility parameter (delta3) were calculated.