RESUMO
The mechanical and biological behaviors of PMMA/Al2O3 composites incorporating 30 wt.%, 40 wt.%, and 50 wt.% of Al2O3 were thoroughly characterized as regards to their possible application in implant-supported prostheses. The Al2O3 particles accounted for an increase in the flexural modulus of PMMA. The highest value was recorded for the composite containing 40 wt.% Al2O3 (4.50 GPa), which was about 18% higher than that of its unfilled counterpart (3.86 GPa). The Al2O3 particles caused a decrease in the flexural strength of the composites, due to the presence of filler aggregates and voids, though it was still satisfactory for the intended application. The roughness (Ra) and water contact angle had the same trend, ranging from 1.94 µm and 77.2° for unfilled PMMA to 2.45 µm and 105.8° for the composite containing the highest alumina loading, respectively, hence influencing both the protein adsorption and cell adhesion. No cytotoxic effects were found, confirming that all the specimens are biocompatible and capable of sustaining cell growth and proliferation, without remarkable differences at 24 and 48 h. Finally, Al2O3 was able to cause strong cell responses (cell orientation), thus guiding the tissue formation in contact with the composite itself and not enhancing its osteoconductive properties, supporting the PMMA composite's usage in the envisaged application.
RESUMO
In this work, the combination of biochar produced through a pyrolytic process of hemp hurd with commercial humic acid as a potential biomass-based flame-retardant system for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer is thoroughly investigated. To this aim, ethylene vinyl acetate composites containing hemp-derived biochar at two different concentrations (i.e., 20 and 40 wt.%) and 10 wt.% of humic acid were prepared. The presence of increasing biochar loadings in ethylene vinyl acetate accounted for an increasing thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the copolymer; conversely, the acidic character of humic acid anticipated the degradation of the copolymer matrix, even in the presence of the biochar. Further, as assessed by forced-combustion tests, the incorporation of humic acid only in ethylene vinyl acetate slightly decreased both peaks of heat release rate (pkHRR) and total heat release (THR, by 16% and 5%, respectively), with no effect on the burning time. At variance, for the composites containing biochar, a strong decrease in pkHRR and THR values was observed, approaching -69 and -29%, respectively, in the presence of the highest filler loading, notwithstanding, for this latter, a significant increase in the burning time (by about 50 s). Finally, the presence of humic acid significantly lowered the Young's modulus, unlike biochar, for which the stiffness remarkably increased from 57 MPa (unfilled ethylene vinyl acetate) to 155 Mpa (for the composite containing 40 wt.% of the filler).
RESUMO
To reduce the use of carbon components sourced from fossil fuels, hemp fibers were pyrolyzed and utilized as filler to prepare EVA-based composites for automotive applications. The mechanical, tribological, electrical (DC and AC) and thermal properties of EVA/fiber biochar (HFB) composites containing different amounts of fibers (ranging from 5 to 40 wt.%) have been thoroughly studied. The morphological analysis highlighted an uneven dispersion of the filler within the polymer matrix, with poor interfacial adhesion. The presence of biochar fibers did not affect the thermal behavior of EVA (no significant changes of Tm, Tc and Tg were observed), notwithstanding a slight increase in the crystallinity degree, especially for EVA/HFB 90/10 and 80/20. Conversely, biochar fibers enhanced the thermo-oxidative stability of the composites, which increased with increasing the biochar content. EVA/HFB composites showed higher stiffness and lower ductility than neat EVA. In addition, high concentrations of fiber biochar allowed achieving higher thermal conductivity and microwave electrical conductivity. In particular, EVA/HFB 60/40 showed a thermal conductivity higher than that of neat EVA (respectively, 0.40 vs. 0.33 W·m-1 ·K-1); the same composite exhibited an up to twenty-fold increased microwave conductivity. Finally, the combination of stiffness, enhanced thermal conductivity and intrinsic lubricating features of the filler resulted in excellent wear resistance and friction reduction in comparison with unfilled EVA.
RESUMO
The surface functionalisation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and HDPE/alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) surfaces with chitosan via electron-beam (EB) irradiation technique was exploited for preparing materials suitable for biomedical purposes. ATR-FTIR analysis and wettability measurements were employed for monitoring the surface changes after both irradiation and chitosan grafting reaction. Interestingly, the presence of ATZ loadings beyond 2 wt% influenced both the EB irradiation process and the chitosan functionalisation reaction, decreasing the oxidation of the surface and the chitosan grafting. The EB irradiation induced an increase in Young's modulus and a decrease in the elongation at the break of all analysed systems, whereas the tensile strength was not affected in a relevant way. Biological assays indicated that electrostatic interactions between the negative charges of the surface of cell membranes and the -NH3+ sites on chitosan chains promoted cell adhesion, while some oxidised species produced during the irradiation process are thought to cause a detrimental effect on the cell viability.
