Hazim Haroosh

Characteristics of X-ray attenuation in electrospun bismuth oxide/polylactic acid nanofibre mats.

The characteristics of the X-ray attenuation in electrospun nano(n)- and micro(m)-Bi2O3/polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibre mats with different Bi2O3 loadings were compared as a function of energy using mammography (i.e. tube voltages of 22-49 kV) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) (7-20 keV). Results indicate that X-ray attenuation by electrospun n-Bi2O3/PLA nanofibre mats is distinctly higher than that of m-Bi2O3/PLA nanofibre mats at all energies investigated. In addition, with increasing filler loading (n-Bi2O3 or m-Bi2O3), the porosity of the nanofibre mats decreased, thus increasing the X-ray attenuation, except for the sample containing 38 wt% Bi2O3 (the highest loading in the present study). The latter showed higher porosity, with some beads formed, thus resulting in a sudden decrease in the X-ray attenuation.

A novel epoxy/electrospun PLA nanofibre composite material: fabrication and characterisation

Electrospun nanofibres as the potential reinforcement in manufacturing composite materials are recently attractive due to their simple fabrication process via electrospinning to produce continuous fibrous structures. This study concentrates on the development of novel epoxy composites laminated by layers of electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibre mats to evaluate their mechanical and thermal properties by means of flexural testing and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The moulded composite sheets were prepared at the fibre contents of 3 wt%, 5 wt% and 10 wt% using a solution casting method. The flexural moduli of composites have been shown to be increased by 50.8% and 24.0% for 5 wt% and 10 wt% fibre contents, respectively, as opposed to that of neat epoxy. This similar trend was also found for corresponding flexural strengths being increased by 31.6% and 4.8%. However, the flexural properties become worse at the fibre content of 3 wt% with decreases of flexural modulus by 36.9% and flexural strength by 22.9%. The examination of fractured surface morphology of composites using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms a full penetration of cured epoxy matrix into electrospun PLA nanofibres despite some existences of typical fibrous structures/networks detected inside the large void cavities. On the other hand, the glass transition temperatures of composites have increased to 54-60°C due to the addition of electrospun fibres as compared to 50°C for that of epoxy, indicating that those fibrous networks may further restrict the intermolecular mobility of matrix for thermal effects.

Mechanical, thermal, and biodegradable properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/coir fibre biocomposites

Polylactic acid (PLA)/coir fibre biocomposites were fabricated using a compression moulding technique. The effects of fibre content (5-30 wt%) and fibre treatment on mechanical, thermal and biodegradable properties of biocomposites were holistically investigated via mechanical testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and soil burial method to understand the applicability of manufacturing eco-efficient and sustainable “green composites”.