High-Performance Fibers

Biohybrid robotics: From the nanoscale to the macroscale

“…Half a millennium later, we still use the prescient view of Leonardo da Vinci and look at nature in a biomimetic manner to imitate features from biological systems that have been optimized for thousands and millions of years. From the adhesion of frogs and geckos (Bhushan, 2009) or the structural coloration of butterflies (Burg & Parnell, 2018) to the nanostructuring of stronger and tougher materials that mimic spider webs (Gabara, 2016) or the design of sustainable buildings that resemble termite mounds (Biomimicry Institute, 2019), biomimetics has found applications in virtually all fields of scientific research and technology. In the robotics field, human biomimicry has resulted in better prostheses and orthoses for impaired people (Cianchetti et al, 2018), as well as humanoid robots that replicate human expressions and facial features, imitate the range of movements of muscles and articulations or sense and respond to complex stimuli (Greshko, 2019; Markoff, 2013).…”

Efficient Syntheses of Biobased Terephthalic Acid, p-Toluic Acid, and p-Methylacetophenone via One-Pot Catalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Monoterpene Derived Bio-p-cymene

“… 24 However, smaller amounts of PTA are also used for production of lower volume, high-value products, including high-performance polymers (e.g., Kevlar), metal–organic frameworks (e.g., for gas storage), and various drug molecules (e.g., tamibarotene). 27 − 31 Therefore, development of a variant of the Amoco process that could be used to catalytically convert bio- p -cymene into bio-PTA would increase the availability of biorenewable chemicals/polymers from bulk terpene feedstocks ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…Global consumption of PTA was estimated to be >65 million tons in 2018, with this figure predicted to grow by around 6% annually for the foreseeable future. , Most of the PTA produced is condensed with ethylene glycol to prepare PET as a bulk polymer for the production of synthetic fibers (e.g., for fabrics) and clear plastic packaging (e.g., for water/soda bottles) . However, smaller amounts of PTA are also used for production of lower volume, high-value products, including high-performance polymers (e.g., Kevlar), metal–organic frameworks (e.g., for gas storage), and various drug molecules (e.g., tamibarotene). − Therefore, development of a variant of the Amoco process that could be used to catalytically convert bio- p -cymene into bio-PTA would increase the availability of biorenewable chemicals/polymers from bulk terpene feedstocks (Figure ).…”

Halogen‐free flame‐retardant flexible polyurethane for textile coating: Preparation and characterisation

“…Textiles, while undoubtedly play an important role in every aspect of human life, are also considered a major hazard because of the inherent flammability of most fibres-except for some high-performance technical fibres that are especially designed to be fire resistant such as Nomex or Celazole. 1,2 Thus, various approaches had been investigated in order to inhibiting the ignition of fabrics or at least to minimise the rate of flame spread, most notably was the incorporation of chemical species called flame retardants (FRs). [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Flexible polyurethane (FPU) is a unique class of thermoset elastomer that offers both good properties of convenient polyurethane and other special properties including high impact strength, long cycle life, and exceptional surface finish.…”