Polylactic acid (PLA) and bamboo fiber are both green and biodegradable materials. However, the bonding of PLA and bamboo fiber is poor, which limits the physical properties of paper. The effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) on PLA fiber/bamboo fiber composites were studied by measuring the tensile strength, tear resistance, and breaking length of the paper. In addition, the morphology of paper comprised of PLA fiber and bamboo fiber were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The tensile index, tear index, and breaking length of paper made with the 4 wt% PVOH-treated bamboo fiber and the untreated PLA fiber compared favorably with the paper made of the untreated bamboo fiber and PLA fiber increased 21.0%, 8.6%, and 20.8%, respectively. However, compared with the paper made of the untreated bamboo fiber and PLA fiber, the tensile index, tear index, and breaking length of the paper made with the treated PLA fiber and the treated bamboo fiber with 4 wt% PVOH solution were dramatically reduced by 30%, 18%, and 30%, respectively.
Flax-based activated porous carbon materials (APCs) were prepared via KOH and urea synergistic activation in the carbonization process using flax pulp as a biocompatible and eco-friendly biomass precursor. A refining process was used to pretreat the flax pulp fibers, which has been known to improve and optimize the performance of APCs. The morphological and physicochemical structures of APCs were investigated, and the results showed that APCs exhibited high specific surface area and porous microstructure. Furthermore, APCs were rationally designed as a sustainable electrode material. The APC prepared by 60 °SR (Shopper-Riegler beating degree) flax pulp, named APC-60, exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 265.8 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. The specific capacitance retention at 59% remained for the APC-60 electrodes at a high current density of 10 A/g. These results suggested that the flax-based APCs could be a promising carbon-based electrode material for sustainable electrochemical energy storage.
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