A study of the enzymatic degradation of some montmorillonite-containing nanocomposites of poly(vinyl alcohol) with starch was based on the determinations of mass loss and the reducing sugars. The degraded residues have been examined by FT-IR spectroscopy and optical microscopy. It has been established that the nanoparticles hinder degradation, while the susceptibility to enzymatic degradation varies in the order: PVA/starch/nanocore> PVA/starch/Bentonite

Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites have attracted strong interest in today’s materials research, due to the possible impressive enhancements of material properties, comparatively with those of pure polymers. Several starch/poly(vinylalcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposites have been subjected to surface modification by physical treatments such as dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) exposure and coating with proteins (albumin) or polysaccharides

The main difficulties in wood and pulp analyses arise principally from their numerous components with different chemical structures. Therefore, the basic problem in a specific analytical procedure may be the selective separation of the main carbohydrate-derived components from lignin due to their chemical association and structural coexistence. The processing of the wood determines some structural modification in its components depending on the type

Lignin’ characterisation is a very difficult task, if considering its diversity with respect to both origin and method of separation. The heterogeneity of lignin is caused by variations in polymer’s composition, size, crosslinking, functional groups, and linkage type between the phenyl propane monomers (p – hydroxyl phenyl, guaiacyl and syringyl units). The elaboration of well-defined analytical methods for lignin characterization is very important

Wood deterioration, an essential environmental process through which complex organic matter is recycled, destroys valuable historical and cultural objects made of wood, which causes serious losses in the cultural heritage. Information on some specific features, associated with different types of degradation of lime wood is important in planning appropriate conservation and specific consolidation procedures or other treatments. A description of the

The paper presents the preparation of poly(aspartic acid) (PAAs) from maleic anhydride and ammonia through a two steps reaction: first the polysuccinimide (PSI) obtainment followed by the hydrolysis reaction of PSI in order to open the imide group and to prepare the polyaspartate. Poly(aspartic acid) as friendly environmental and biodegradable product can be used in pharmacy, cosmetics, agriculture, etc.

The compatibility of the hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) with maleic acid–vinyl acetate copolymer in the solid state was studied by thermogravimetry, thermooptical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and optical microscopy. It was established that physical interactions are prevalent in blends with a high content of HPC, whereas chemical interactions predominate in blends with a medium

The natural polymer/synthetic polymer combination offers an attractive solution to create environmentally friendly degradable materials, which should not have negative effects on the environment. A modern solution to create such of materials consists in using natural fibres as reinforcement agent in composites applicable in various fields as automotive industry, building, etc. Their performance strongly depends on solid reinforcement-polymer matrix

Cold plasma treatment is used to modify the cellulosic fibers for a variety of applications. The grafting of softwood unbleached (UBP) and bleached (BP) Kraft pulp fibers has been performed under the action of cold plasma discharges, using different kinds of fatty acids. The grafted samples are characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), termogravimetry

The melting behaviour and miscibility of the PTHF/CP blends, was investigated by FT-IR and generalized two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) correlation spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent spectral variations during the melting process in the C–H stretching (3100–2600 cm−1), C=O stretching (1800–1600 cm−1), and C–O–C stretching (1330–900 cm−1) bands regions were monitored. In the crystalline state, where the molecules form an ordered