An experimental protocol of preparation of homogeneous and nanocomposite chitosan (Ch) based membranes supported on polyamide-6 (PA6) films was developed and described in detail. Montmorillonite (MMT) and Cloisite 30B (C30B) nanoclays were used as nanofillers to improve mechanical properties of chitosan films. The surface, mechanical, and transport properties of PA6 supported Ch, Ch/MMT and Ch/C30B membranes were studied and compared with a pristine, non-supported chitosan membrane. Implementation of advanced analytical techniques e.g., SEM reveal the clays nanoparticles are well dispersed in the chitosan matrix. According to AFM images, composite chitosan/nanoclay membranes possess higher roughness compared with unfilled ones. On the other hand, an incorporation of clay particles insignificantly changed the mechanical and thermal properties of the membranes. It was also found that all membranes are hydrophilic and water is preferentially removed from EtOH/H₂O and iPrOH/H₂O mixtures by pervaporation. Supporting of chitosan and chitosan/nanoclay thin films onto PA6 porous substrate enhanced permeate flux and pervaporation separation index, in comparison to the pristine Ch membrane. Concerning separation factor (β), the highest value equal to 4500 has been found for a chitosan composite membrane containing Cloisite 30B contacting 85/15 wt % iPrOH/H₂O mixture. The mentioned membrane was characterized by the normalized flux of 0.5 μm·kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹. Based on the established data, it was possible to conclude that chitosan membranes are meaningful material in dehydration of azeotropic mixtures. Nevertheless, to boost up the membrane efficiency, the further modification process is required.

The results of studies on the uncrosslinked fraction of blends of polylactide and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) are presented. The blends were crosslinked by using the electron radiation and triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) at a concentration of 3 wt %. Two kinds of samples to be investigated were prepared: one contained 80 wt % PLA and the other contained 80 wt % PBAT. Both blends were irradiated with the doses of 10, 40, or 90 kGy. The uncrosslinked fraction was separated from the crosslinked one. When dried, they were subjected to quantitative analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements, an analysis of variations in the average molecular weight, and the determination of thermal properties. It was found that the electron radiation caused various effects in the studied samples, which depended on the magnitude of the radiation dose and the weight fractions of the components of the particular blends. This was evidenced by the occurrence of the uncrosslinked fractions of different amounts, a different molecular weight distribution, and the different thermal properties of the samples. It was also concluded that the observed effects were caused by the fact that the processes of crosslinking and degradation took place mostly in PLA, while PBAT appeared to be less susceptible to the influence of the electron radiation.

The polymer processing industry is paying more attention to biodegradable materials synthesized from renewable sources. One of the most popular of them is polylactide (PLA). Except the material from which a given product is made, particularly important is the process of manufacturing a polymer material, processing, use by the consumer, and finally, recycling it. Neither of these steps is indifferent to the environment. The processing of polymers can often lead to material degradation, which affects the properties of the material and leads to the generation of substantial amounts of post-production waste that cannot be reused by processors. The aim of this work is to evaluate selected properties of PLA subjected to the extrusion process under variable extrusion conditions. This is important due to the large losses of material and energy resulting from the extrusion of biodegradable polymers under poorly selected processing conditions, which, apart from the economic effects, has a negative impact on the environment. The research proved that both the temperature and the structure of the plasticizing system as well as the rotational speed of the screws affect the mechanical properties of the final product. For PLA optimization, this process will directly contribute to the improvement of the PLA processing process, and indirectly help to act for the benefit of the environment by reducing the consumption of energy, raw materials, and the amount of post-production waste. The obtained results allowed for the selection of appropriate parameters depending on the expectations regarding the properties of the final product. The conducted research will help to optimize processing processes and reduce the consumption of raw materials, which in the future will also affect the environment.

To assess the impact of graphite fillers on the thermal processing of graphite/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites, a series of the composite samples with different graphite of industrial grade as fillers was prepared by melt mixing. The average size of the graphite grains ranged between 100 µm and 6 µm. For comparative purposes, one of the carbon fillers was expandable graphite. Composites were examined by SEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. As revealed by thermogravimetric (TG) analyses, graphite filler slightly lowered the temperature of thermal decomposition of the PLA matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests showed that the room temperature crystallinity of the polymer matrix is strongly affected by the graphite filler. The crystallinity of the composites determined from the second heating cycle reached values close to 50%, while these values are close to zero for the neat polymer. The addition of graphite to PLA caused a slight reduction in the oxidation induction time (OIT). The melt flow rate (MFR) of the graphite/PLA composites was lower than the original PLA due to an increase in flow resistance associated with the high crystallinity of the polymer matrix. Expandable graphite did not cause changes in the structure of the polymer matrix during thermal treatment. The crystallinity of the composite with this filler did not increase after first heating and was close to the neat PLA MFR value, which was extremely high due to the low crystallinity of the PLA matrix and delamination of the filler at elevated temperature.

The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the combined action of metal nanoparticles (silver, copper, zinc oxide, iron oxide) would ensure the appropriate biocidal properties oflow-density polyethylene (LDPE) against pathogenic microorganisms. According to the research hypothesis, appropriately selected concentrations of the applied metal nanoparticles allow for a high level of biocidal activity of polymeric materials against both model and pathogenic bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella pneumophila, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica) and fungi (Aspergillus brasiliensis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, Penicilium expansum), whilst ensuring the safety of use due to the lack of migration of particles to the surrounding environment. Studies have shown that adding 4% of a biocide containing Ag, Cu, ZnO, and Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles is the most optimal solution to reduce the number of S. aureus, S. enterica and P. aeruginosa by over 99%. The lowest effectiveness was observed against L. pneumophila bacteria. As for E. coli, a higher biocide content did not significantly increase the antibacterial activity. The results showed a high efficiency of the applied biocide at a concentration of 2% against fungal strains. The high efficiency of the obtained biocidal results was influenced by the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the material and their low degree of agglomeration. Furthermore, a slight migration of components to the environment is the basis for further research in the field of the application of the developed materials in industry.