scholarly journals Electrospun Poly(ethylene Terephthalate)/Silk Fibroin Composite for Filtration Application

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2499
Author(s):  
Alena Opálková Šišková ◽  
Katarína Mosnáčková ◽  
Jakub Hrůza ◽  
Jaroslava Frajová ◽  
Andrej Opálek ◽  
...  

In this study, fibrous membranes from recycled-poly(ethylene terephthalate)/silk fibroin (r-PSF) were prepared by electrospinning for filtration applications. The effect of silk fibroin on morphology, fibers diameters, pores size, wettability, chemical structure, thermo-mechanical properties, filtration efficiency, filtration performance, and comfort properties such as air and water vapor permeability was investigated. The filtration efficiency (FE) and quality factor (Qf), which represents filtration performance, were calculated from penetration through the membranes using aerosol particles ranging from 120 nm to 2.46 μm. The fiber diameter influenced both FE and Qf. However, the basis weight of the membranes has an effect, especially on the FE. The prepared membranes were classified according to EN149, and the most effective was assigned to the class FFP1 and according to EN1822 to the class H13. The impact of silk fibroin on the air permeability was assessed. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity against bacteria S. aureus and E. coli and biocompatibility were evaluated. It is discussed that antibacterial activity depends not only on the type of used materials but also on fibrous membranes’ surface wettability. In vitro biocompatibility of the selected samples was studied, and it was proven to be of the non-cytotoxic effect of the keratinocytes (HaCaT) after 48 h of incubation.

2021 ◽  
pp. 152808372110117
Author(s):  
Sommai Pivsa-Art ◽  
Komson Sunyikhan ◽  
Weraporn Pivsa-Art

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (RPET) multifilament yarns are used in carpet manufacturing as a way to reduce plastic waste. The conventional RPET carpet is however susceptible to bacterial accumulation. As a result, this research experimentally doped RPET with nano-structure titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) to produce RPET/nano-TiO2 bicomponent multifilament yarns with antibacterial property. The experimental multifilament yarn structure consisted of two parts: neat RPET core and RPET/nano-TiO2 shell. The nano-TiO2 content in the shell was varied between 1 and 3 wt% and the core/shell (C/S) ratios between 90/10, 70/30, and 50/50 w/w. The effects of C/S ratio and nano-TiO2 content on the mechanical and antibacterial properties of bicomponent multifilament yarns were determined. The experimental results indicated that the C/S ratio had no effect on the tenacity and elongation at break. Meanwhile, the tenacity and elongation at break of bicomponent fibers increased with nano-TiO2 content in the shell. The TiO2-doped RPET bicomponent yarns effectively inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The 90/10 bicomponent multifilament fiber with 3 wt% TiO2 achieved the highest antibacterial activity. The very high antibacterial activity was attributable to greater deposition of nano-TiO2 particles near and on the shell surface.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3885
Author(s):  
Teresa Menzel ◽  
Sebastian Weigert ◽  
Andreas Gagsteiger ◽  
Yannik Eich ◽  
Sebastian Sittl ◽  
...  

With macroscopic litter and its degradation into secondary microplastic as a major source of environmental pollution, one key challenge is understanding the pathways from macro- to microplastic by abiotic and biotic environmental impact. So far, little is known about the impact of biota on material properties. This study focuses on recycled, bottle-grade poly(ethylene terephthalate) (r-PET) and the degrading enzyme PETase from Ideonella sakaiensis. Compact tension (CT) specimens were incubated in an enzymatic solution and thermally and mechanically characterized. A time-dependent study up to 96 h revealed the formation of steadily growing colloidal structures. After 96 h incubation, high amounts of BHET dimer were found in a near-surface layer, affecting crack propagation and leading to faster material failure. The results of this pilot study show that enzymatic activity accelerates embrittlement and favors fragmentation. We conclude that PET-degrading enzymes must be viewed as a potentially relevant acceleration factor in macroplastic degradation.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dashan Mi ◽  
Yingxiong Wang ◽  
Maja Kuzmanovic ◽  
Laurens Delva ◽  
Yixin Jiang ◽  
...  

In situ microfibrillation and multiflow vibrate injection molding (MFVIM) technologies were combined to control the phase morphology of blended polypropylene (PP) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), wherein PP is the majority phase. Four kinds of phase structures were formed using different processing methods. As the PET content changes, the best choice of phase structure also changes. When the PP matrix is unoriented, oriented microfibrillar PET can increase the mechanical properties at an appropriate PET content. However, if the PP matrix is an oriented structure (shish-kebab), only the use of unoriented spherical PET can significantly improve the impact strength. Besides this, the compatibilizer polyolefin grafted maleic anhydride (POE-g-MA) can cover the PET in either spherical or microfibrillar shape to form a core–shell structure, which tends to improve both the yield and impact strength. We focused on the influence of all composing aspects—fibrillation of the dispersed PET, PP matrix crystalline morphology, and compatibilized interface—on the mechanical properties of PP/PET blends as well as potential synergies between these components. Overall, we provided a theoretical basis for the mechanical recycling of immiscible blends.


2015 ◽  
Vol 735 ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
Nurul Ain Jamaludin ◽  
Azman Hassan ◽  
Norhayani Othman ◽  
Mohammad Jawaid

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) loading on mechanical and thermal properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate (PET/PC) nanocomposites. Nanocomposites containing 70PET/30PC and 2-8 phr HNTs were prepared by twin screw extruder followed by injection moulding. As the percentage of HNTs increased, the flexural modulus increased. However, the flexural strength decreased with increasing HNTs content. The impact strength also decreased when HNTs increased. Thermogravimetry analysis of PET/PC/HNTs nanocomposites showed higher thermal stability at high HNTs content. However, on further addition of HNTs up to 8 phr, thermal stability of the nanocomposites decreased due to the poor dispersion of HNTs.


2014 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
pp. 131-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Nazry Salleh ◽  
Ruey Shan Chen ◽  
Mohd Hafizuddin Ab Ghani ◽  
Farizul Hafiz Kasim ◽  
Ahmad Sahrim

Polymer blends based on recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE) and recycled poly (ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) with two types of ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (E-GMA), Lotader AX8840 and Lotader AX8900 as compatibilizer were produced in a co-rotating twin screw extruder. The effects of adding rPET content on the impact properties of rHDPE-rich blends were also investigated. The result showed an enhancement of about 80-270% in impact properties as compared to those of the Lotader AX8900. The impact strength also showed a decreasing trend as the rPET content was increased. The addition of E-GMA to the rHDPE/rPET blends was found to recover the blend toughness as well as improving the compatibility between HDPE and PET. In this study, the highest result was obtained for the rHDPE/rPET blends using Lotader AX8840 composition with 7.5% E-GMA content. FTIR analysis of the compatibilized blends confirmed the chemical interaction and improved interfacial bonding between the two phases.


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