M. Morreale

Improving the properties of polypropylene–wood flour composites by utilization of maleated adhesion promoters

Polymer composites filled with natural organic fillers have gained a significant interest during the last few years, because of several advantages they can offer compared with properties of inorganic-mineral fillers. However, these composites (based, in most cases, on polyolefins) often show a reduction in some mechanical properties. This is mainly due to the problems regarding dispersion of the polar filler particles in the non-polar polymer matrix and their interfacial adhesion with polymer chains. In this work, polypropylene–wood flour composites were prepared and the effect of the addition of a maleated polypropylene was investigated. The two materials were compounded by an industrial co-rotating twin screw extruder, with two different compositions, without and with addition of Licomont AR504® (maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene wax). The extruded material was then compression molded, which provided the specimens for tensile and impact tests. Water uptake was measured; the morphology of the fracture surfaces of the samples coming out from mechanical tests was investigated through SEM analysis. Rheological characterization was carried out as well. The addition of the adhesion promoter allowed a decrease in water uptake; mechanical properties were improved as well, especially elastic modulus and tensile strength; impact strength increased in the case of unnotched samples, while notched ones did not show remarkable differences. SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces also showed an overall change in the morphology as a consequence of the utilization of the adhesion promoter.

Mechanical, Thermomechanical and Reprocessing Behavior of Green Composites from Biodegradable Polymer and Wood Flour

The rising concerns in terms of environmental protection and the search for more versatile polymer-based materials have led to an increasing interest in the use of polymer composites filled with natural organic fillers (biodegradable and/or coming from renewable resources) as a replacement for traditional mineral inorganic fillers. At the same time, the recycling of polymers is still of fundamental importance in order to optimize the utilization of available resources, reducing the environmental impact related to the life cycle of polymer-based items. Green composites from biopolymer matrix and wood flour were prepared and the investigation focused on several issues, such as the effect of reprocessing on the matrix properties, wood flour loading effects on virgin and reprocessed biopolymer, and wood flour effects on material reprocessability. Tensile, Dynamic-mechanical thermal (DMTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and creep tests were performed, pointing out that wood flour leads to an improvement of rigidity and creep resistance in comparison to the pristine polymer, without compromising other properties such as the tensile strength. The biopolymer also showed a good resistance to multiple reprocessing; the latter even allowed for improving some properties of the obtained green composites.

Rheological Behavior Under Shear and Non-Isothermal Elongational Flow of Biodegradable Polymers for Foam Extrusion

The production of many items, in particular for food packaging applications, is based on foam extrusion and thermoforming. These operations require the use of polymers which can grant some specific rheological properties, both under shear and elongational flow. In this work, the behavior of some biodegradable polymers [Mater-Bi® and poly(lactic acid)] under shear and non-isothermal elongational flow was investigated and compared with a traditional, non-biodegradable polymer, in order to assess their suitability for industrial-scale foam extrusion and thermoforming. The rheological characterization evidenced the differences between the different biodegradable polymers and the reference polystyrene (PS), as well as the effect of humidity on their main rheological properties. This can be of great interest in helping to find an optimum solution in replacing PS for the production of food packaging items.

Creep Behavior of Poly(lactic acid) Based Biocomposites

Polymer composites containing natural fibers are receiving growing attention as possible alternatives for composites containing synthetic fibers. The use of biodegradable matrices obtained from renewable sources in replacement for synthetic ones is also increasing. However, only limited information is available about the creep behavior of the obtained composites. In this work, the tensile creep behavior of PLA based composites, containing flax and jute twill weave woven fabrics, produced through compression molding, was investigated. Tensile creep tests were performed at different temperatures (i.e., 40 and 60 °C). The results showed that the creep behavior of the composites is strongly influenced by the temperature and the woven fabrics used. As preliminary characterization, quasi-static tensile tests and dynamic mechanical tests were carried out on the composites. Furthermore, fabrics (both flax and jute) were tested as received by means of quasi-static tests and creep tests to evaluate the influence of fabrics mechanical behavior on the mechanical response of the resulting composites. The morphological analysis of the fracture surface of the tensile samples showed the better fiber-matrix adhesion between PLA and jute fabric.

Injection Molding and Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Polymer Nanocomposites

The use of biodegradable/bio-based polymers is of great importance in addressing several issues related to environmental protection, public health, and new, stricter legislation. Yet some applications require improved properties (such as barrier or mechanical properties), suggesting the use of nanosized fillers in order to obtain bio-based polymer nanocomposites. In this work, bionanocomposites based on two different biodegradable polymers (coming from the Bioflex and MaterBi families) and two different nanosized fillers (organo-modified clay and hydrophobic-coated precipitated calcium carbonate) were prepared and compared with traditional nanocomposites with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as matrix. In particular, the injection molding processability, as well as the mechanical and rheological properties of the so-obtained bionanocomposites were investigated. It was found that the processability of the two biodegradable polymers and the related nanocomposites can be compared to that of the HDPE-based systems and that, in general, the bio-based systems can be taken into account as suitable alternatives.

Parthenolide prevents resistance of MDA-MB231 cells to doxorubicin and mitoxantrone: the role of Nrf2.

Triple-negative breast cancer is a group of aggressive cancers with poor prognosis owing to chemoresistance, recurrence and metastasis. New strategies are required that could reduce chemoresistance and increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy. The results presented in this paper, showing that parthenolide (PN) prevents drug resistance in MDA-MB231 cells, represent a contribution to one of these possible strategies. MDA-MB231 cells, the most studied line of TNBC cells, were submitted to selection treatment with mitoxantrone (Mitox) and doxorubicin (DOX). The presence of resistant cells was confirmed through the measurement of the resistance index. Cells submitted to this treatment exhibited a remarkable increment of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) level, which was accompanied by upregulation of catalase, MnSOD, HSP70, Bcl-2 and P-glycoprotein. Moreover, as a consequence of overexpression of Nrf2 and correlated proteins, drug-treated cells exhibited a much lower ability than parental cells to generate ROS in response to a suitable stimulation. The addition of PN (2.0 μM) to Mitox and DOX, over the total selection time, prevented both the induction of resistance and the overexpression of Nrf2 and correlated proteins, whereas the cells showed a good ability to generate ROS in response to adequate stimulation. To demonstrate that Nrf2 exerted a crucial role in the induction of resistance, the cells were transiently transfected with a specific small interfering RNA for Nrf2. Similarly to the effects induced by PN, downregulation of Nrf2 was accompanied by reductions in the levels of catalase, MnSOD, HSP70 and Bcl-2, prevention of chemoresistance and increased ability to generate ROS under stimulation. In conclusion, our results show that PN inhibited the development of the resistance toward Mitox and DOX, and suggest that these effects were correlated with the prevention of the overexpression of Nrf2 and its target proteins, which occurred in the cells submitted to drug treatment.

Photooxidation Behavior of a LDPE/Clay Nanocomposite Monitored through Creep Measurements

Creep behavior of polymer nanocomposites has not been extensively investigated so far, especially when its effects are combined with those due to photooxidation, which are usually studied in completely independent ways. In this work, the photooxidation behavior of a low density polyethylene/organomodified clay nanocomposite system was monitored by measuring the creep curves obtained while subjecting the sample to the combined action of temperature, tensile stress, and UV radiation. The creep curves of the irradiated samples were found to be lower than those of the non-irradiated ones and progressively diverging, because of the formation of branching and cross-linking due to photooxidation. This was further proved by the decrease of the melt index and the increase of the intrinsic viscosity; at the same time, the formation of carbonyl groups was observed. This behavior was more observable in the nanocomposite sample, because of its faster photooxidation kinetics.

Compatibilization of a polyethylene/polyamide 6 blend nanocomposite

Polymer blends of incompatible components need to be compatibilized to give rise to a blend with good properties. At the same way, polymer/clay nanocomposites show the same problem because of different chemical nature of the polymer matrix and of the clay. Compatibilization is then necessary if an incompatible polymer blend is filled with an organomodified clay. In this work a polyethylene/polyamide 6 blend filled with an organomodified clay has been compatibilized with a maleic anyhidride grafted SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) copolymer and a glicidylmethacrylate-ethylene copolymer. The results show that compatibilization improves the mechanical properties in terms of elongation at break; furthermore, an unexpected effect has been found, since going from the isotropic to the anisotropic material, a fragile-ductile transition occurs, with a significant increase of the elongation values.