Management of waste from carbon fibre composites has become a significant societal issue as the application of composite grows across many industries. In this study, carbon fibres (CF) were successfully recovered from cured carbon fibre/epoxy (CF/EP) prepreg under microwave pyrolysis at 450, 550 and 650 °C followed by oxidation of any residual char. The recovered fibres were investigated for their tensile properties, surface morphologies and the elements/functional groups presented on the surface. The chemical compositions of gaseous and oil pyrolysis products were also analysed. The microwave pyrolysis effectively pyrolyzed the epoxy (EP) resin. Char residue remained on the fibre surface and the amount of char reduced as the pyrolysis temperature increased. Compared to virgin fibres, the recovered fibre suffered from a strength reduction by less than 20%, and this reduction could be mitigated by reducing the pyrolysis temperature. The surface of recovered fibre remained clean and smooth, while the profile of elements and functional groups at the surface were similar to those of virgin fibres. The main gaseous products were CO, H₂, CO₂ and CH_4, whilst the liquid product stream included phenolic and aromatic compounds.

Acquired cranial defects are a prevalent condition in neurosurgery and call for cranioplasty, where the missing or defective cranium is replaced by an implant. Nevertheless, the biomaterials in current clinical applications are hardly exempt from long-term safety and comfort concerns. An appealing solution is regenerative cranioplasty, where biomaterials with/without cells and bioactive molecules are applied to induce the regeneration of the cranium and ultimately repair the cranial defects. This review examines the current state of research, development, and translational application of regenerative cranioplasty biomaterials and discusses the efforts required in future research. The first section briefly introduced the regenerative capacity of the cranium, including the spontaneous bone regeneration bioactivities and the presence of pluripotent skeletal stem cells in the cranial suture. Then, three major types of biomaterials for regenerative cranioplasty, namely the calcium phosphate/titanium (CaP/Ti) composites, mineralised collagen, and 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) composites, are reviewed for their composition, material properties, and findings from clinical trials. The third part discusses perspectives on future research and development of regenerative cranioplasty biomaterials, with a considerable portion based on issues identified in clinical trials. This review aims to facilitate the development of biomaterials that ultimately contribute to a safer and more effective healing of cranial defects.

Composites of biodegradable phosphate glass fiber and polylactic acid (PGF/PLA) show potential for bone tissue engineering scaffolds, due to their ability to release Ca, P, and Mg during degradation, thus promoting the bone repair. Nevertheless, glass degradation tends to acidify the surrounding aqueous environment, which may adversely affect the viability and bone-forming activities of osteoblasts. In this work, MgO was investigated as a neutralizing agent. Porous network-phase gyroid scaffolds were additive-manufactured using four different materials: PLA, MgO/PLA, PGF/PLA, and (MgO + PGF)/PLA. The addition of PGF enhanced compressive properties of scaffolds, and the resultant scaffolds were comparably strong and stiff with human trabecular bone. While the degradation of PGF/PLA composite induced considerable acidity in degradation media and intensified the degradation of PGF in return, the degradation media of (MgO + PGF)/PLA maintained a neutral pH close to a physiological environment. The experiment results indicated the possible mechanism of MgO as the neutralizing agent: the local acidity was buffered as the MgO reacted with the acidic degradation products thereby inhibiting the degradation of PGF from being intensified in an acidic environment. The (MgO + PGF)/PLA composite scaffold appears to be a candidate for bone tissue engineering.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal lung disease affecting approximately 5 million people worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 50%. Currently, the only available treatments are palliative care and lung transplantation, as there is no curative drug for this condition. The disease involves the excessive synthesis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) due to alveolar epithelial cell damage, leading to scarring and stiffening of the lung tissue and ultimately causing respiratory failure. Although multiple factors contribute to the disease, the exact causes remain unclear. The mechanical properties of lung tissue, including elasticity, viscoelasticity, and surface tension, are not only affected by fibrosis but also contribute to its progression. This paper reviews the alteration in these mechanical properties as pulmonary fibrosis progresses and how cells in the lung, including alveolar epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and macrophages, respond to these changes, contributing to disease exacerbation. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of developing advanced in vitro models, based on hydrogels and 3D bioprinting, which can accurately replicate the mechanical and structural properties of fibrotic lungs and are conducive to studying the effects of mechanical stimuli on cellular responses. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of the interaction between the progression of pulmonary fibrosis and the alterations in mechanical properties, which could aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the disease.

Phosphate glass/polylactide (PG/PLA) composites were additively manufactured via fused deposition modeling. The incorporation of 10 wt % PG particles improved the flexural modulus of composites by ~14% (3.53 GPa) but led to 5% reduction in flexural strength (92.4 MPa). The trend was more pronounced as the particle loading doubled. Comparing to a particulate composite of the same weight fraction, milled PG fibers (PGFs) reinforcement led to more effectively improved flexural modulus (~30%, 4.10 GPa). After 28 days of in vitro degradation in phosphate buffered saline, the particulate composites lost more than 30% of their initial mechanical properties, in contrast to less than 10% reduction of strength/modulus reported from fiber reinforced composites. The additively manufactured PG/PLA matrix composites have potential for application as customized bone fixation plates to repair the fractures under modest load‐bearing applications. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Applied Polymer Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48171.