Development of novel melt-processable biopolymer nanocomposites based on poly(L-lactic acid) and WS2 inorganic nanotubes.

The use of tungsten disulphide inorganic nanotubes (INT-WS2) offers the opportunity to produce novel and advanced biopolymer-based nanocomposite materials with excellent nanoparticle dispersion without the need for modifiers or surfactants via conventional melt blending. The study of the non-isothermal melt-crystallization kinetics provides a clear picture of the transformation of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) molecules from the non-ordered to the ordered state. The overall crystallization rate, final crystallinity and subsequent melting behaviour of PLLA were controlled by both the incorporation of INT-WS2 and the variation of the cooling rate. In particular, it was shown that INT-WS2 exhibits much more prominent nucleation activity on the crystallization of PLLA than other specific nucleating agents or nano-sized fillers. These features may be advantageous for the enhancement of mechanical properties and process-ability of PLLA-based materials. PLLA/INT-WS2 nanocomposites can be employed as low cost biodegradable materials for many eco-friendly and medical applications, and the exceptional crystallization behaviour observed opens new perspectives for scale-up and broader applications.

Robust fabrication of electrospun-like polymer mats to direct cell bahaviour

Currently, cell culture systems that include nanoscale topography are widely used in order to provide cells additional cues closer to the in vivo environment, seeking to mimic the natural extracellular matrix. Electrospinning is one of the most common techniques to produce nano fiber mats. However, since many sensitive parameters play an important role in the process, a lack of reproducibility is a major drawback. Here we present a simple and robust methodology to prepare reproducible electrospun-like samples. It consists of a polydimethylsiloxane mold reproducing the fiber pattern to solvent-cast a polymer solution and obtain the final sample. To validate this methodology, poly(L-lactic) acid (PLLA) samples were obtained and, after characterisation, bioactivity and ability to direct cell response were assessed. C2C12 myoblasts developed focal adhesions on the electrospun-like fibers and, when cultured under myogenic differentiation conditions, similar differentiation levels to electrospun PLLA fibers were obtained.

Thermal and mechanical properties of recycled poly(Lactic acid)

Biodegradable polymers have experienced increased attention in recent years because of their wide range of applications in biomedical, packaging and agriculture fields. PLA, poly(lactic acid), is a linear aliphatic biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, with good mechanical properties, thermal stability, processability and low environmental impact, widely used as an alternative to conventional polymers. PLA products can be recycled after use either by remelting and reprocessing the material, or by hydrolysis to basic lactic acid [1]. The object of this communication is the study of the possible variation in physical properties induced by sub sequent reprocessing cycles of PLA.

Influence of the molecular architecture on the secondary relaxations of Poly(styrene-co-methylmethacrylate) copolymers

The processes of adsorption of grafted copolymers onto negatively charged surfaces were studied using a dissipative quartz crystal microbalance (D-QCM) and ellipsometry. The control parameters in the study of the adsorption are the existence or absence on the molecular architecture of grafted polyethyleneglycol (PEG) chains with different lengths and the chemical nature of the main chain, poly(allylamine) (PAH) or poly(L-lysine) (PLL). It was found out that the adsorption kinetics of the polymers showed a complex behavior. The total adsorbed amount depends on the architecture of the polymer chains (length of the PEG chains), on the polymer concentration and on the chemical nature of the main chain. The comparison of the thicknesses of the adsorbed layers obtained from D-QCM and from ellipsometry allowed calculation of the water content of the layers that is intimately related to the grafting length. The analysis of D-QCM results also provides information about the shear modulus of the layers, whose values have been found to be typical of a rubber-like polymer system. It is shown that the adsorption of polymers with a charged backbone is not driven exclusively by the electrostatic interactions, but the entropic contributions as a result of the trapping of water in the layer structure are of fundamental importance.

Amino acid availability in ruminants of cereals and cereal co-products

Microbial corrected in situ estimatesof the ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and intestinal effectivedigestibility (IED) of amino acids (AA), except tryptophan, of rye, wheat and corn grains, wheat bran, wheat and barley distilled dried grains and corn gluten feed were measured on three rumen- and duodenum-cannulated wethers using 15N-labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of particle comminution and outflow.