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Hydrophobic treatment is one of the most important interventions usually carried out for the conservation of stone artefacts and monuments. The study here reported aims to answer a general question about how two polymers confer different protective performance. Two fluorinated-based polymer formulates applied on samples of Cusa’s stone confer a different level of water repellence and water vapour permeability. The observed protection action is here explained on the basis of chemico-physical interactions. The distribution of the polymer in the pore network was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy. The interactions between the stone substrate and the protective agents were investigated by means of solid state NMR spectroscopy. The ss-NMR findings reveal no significant changes in the chemical neighbourhood of the observed nuclei of each protective agent when applied onto the stone surface and provide information on the changes in the organization and dynamics of the studied systems, as well as on the mobility of polymer chains. This allowed us to explain the different macroscopic behaviours provided by each protective agent to the stone substrate.
Veronica Ciaramitaro; Alberto Spinella; Francesco Armetta; Roberto Scaffaro; Emmanuel Gulino; George Kourousias; Alessandra Gianoncelli; Eugenio Caponetti; Maria Saladino. A New Methodological Approach to Correlate Protective and Microscopic Properties by Soft X-ray Microscopy and Solid State NMR Spectroscopy: The Case of Cusa’s Stone. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 5767 .
AMA StyleVeronica Ciaramitaro, Alberto Spinella, Francesco Armetta, Roberto Scaffaro, Emmanuel Gulino, George Kourousias, Alessandra Gianoncelli, Eugenio Caponetti, Maria Saladino. A New Methodological Approach to Correlate Protective and Microscopic Properties by Soft X-ray Microscopy and Solid State NMR Spectroscopy: The Case of Cusa’s Stone. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (13):5767.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVeronica Ciaramitaro; Alberto Spinella; Francesco Armetta; Roberto Scaffaro; Emmanuel Gulino; George Kourousias; Alessandra Gianoncelli; Eugenio Caponetti; Maria Saladino. 2021. "A New Methodological Approach to Correlate Protective and Microscopic Properties by Soft X-ray Microscopy and Solid State NMR Spectroscopy: The Case of Cusa’s Stone." Applied Sciences 11, no. 13: 5767.
Three dimensional-printability of green composites is recently growing in importance and interest, especially in the view of feasibility to valorize agricultural and marine waste to attain green fillers capable of reducing bioplastic costs, without compromising their processability and performance from an environmental and mechanical standpoint. In this work, two lignocellulosic fillers, obtained from Opuntia ficus indica and Posidonia oceanica, were added to PLA and processed by FDM. Among the 3D printed biocomposites investigated, slight differences could be found in terms of PLA molecular weight and filler aspect ratio. It was shown that it is possible to replace up to 20% of bioplastic with low cost and ecofriendly natural fillers, without significantly modifying the processability and the mechanical performance of the neat matrix; at the same time, an increase of surface hydrophilicity was found, with possible positive influence on the biodegradability of such materials after disposal.
Roberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Gulino; Giuseppe Alaimo; Marco Morreale. Green Composites Based on PLA and Agricultural or Marine Waste Prepared by FDM. Polymers 2021, 13, 1361 .
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Andrea Maio, Emmanuel Gulino, Giuseppe Alaimo, Marco Morreale. Green Composites Based on PLA and Agricultural or Marine Waste Prepared by FDM. Polymers. 2021; 13 (9):1361.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Gulino; Giuseppe Alaimo; Marco Morreale. 2021. "Green Composites Based on PLA and Agricultural or Marine Waste Prepared by FDM." Polymers 13, no. 9: 1361.
The formulation of polymeric films endowed with the abilities of controlled release of antimicrobials and biodegradability is the latest trend of food packaging. Biodegradable polymer (Bio-Flex®)-based nanocomposites containing carvacrol as an antimicrobial agent, and a nanoclay as a filler, were processed into blown films. The presence of such hybrid loading, while not affecting the overall filmability of the neat matrix, led to enhanced mechanical properties, with relative increments up to +70% and +200% in terms of elastic modulus and elongation at break. FTIR/ATR analysis and release tests pointed out that the presence of nanoclay allowed higher carvacrol loading efficiency, reasonably hindering its volatilization during processing. Furthermore, it also mitigated the burst delivery, thereby enabling a more controlled release of the antimicrobial agent. The results of mass loss tests indicated that all the formulations showed a rather fast degradation with mass losses ranging from 37.5% to 57.5% after 876 h. The presence of clay and carvacrol accelerated the mass loss rate of Bio-Flex®, especially when added simultaneously, thus indicating an increased biodegradability. Such ternary systems could be, therefore, particularly suitable as green materials for food packaging applications, and for antimicrobial wrapping applications.
Roberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Marco Morreale; Francesco Paolo La Mantia. The Effects of Nanoclay on the Mechanical Properties, Carvacrol Release and Degradation of a PLA/PBAT Blend. Materials 2020, 13, 983 .
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Andrea Maio, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, Marco Morreale, Francesco Paolo La Mantia. The Effects of Nanoclay on the Mechanical Properties, Carvacrol Release and Degradation of a PLA/PBAT Blend. Materials. 2020; 13 (4):983.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Marco Morreale; Francesco Paolo La Mantia. 2020. "The Effects of Nanoclay on the Mechanical Properties, Carvacrol Release and Degradation of a PLA/PBAT Blend." Materials 13, no. 4: 983.
The environmental performance of biodegradable materials has attracted attention from the academic and the industrial research over the recent years. Currently, degradation behavior and possible recyclability features, as well as actual recycling paths of such systems, are crucial to give them both durability and eco-sustainability. This paper presents a review of the degradation behaviour of biodegradable polymers and related composites, with particular concern for multi-layer films. The processing of biodegradable polymeric films and the manufacturing and properties of multilayer films based on biodegradable polymers will be discussed. The results and data collected show that: poly-lactic acid (PLA), poly-butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) and poly-caprolactone (PCL) are the most used biodegradable polymers, but are prone to hydrolytic degradation during processing; environmental degradation is favored by enzymes, and can take place within weeks, while in water it can take from months to years; thermal degradation during recycling basically follows a hydrolytic path, due to moisture and high temperatures (β-scissions and transesterification) which may compromise processing and recycling; ultraviolet (UV) and thermal stabilization can be adequately performed using suitable stabilizers.
Roberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Fiorenza Sutera; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Marco Morreale. Degradation and Recycling of Films Based on Biodegradable Polymers: A Short Review. Polymers 2019, 11, 651 .
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Andrea Maio, Fiorenza Sutera, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, Marco Morreale. Degradation and Recycling of Films Based on Biodegradable Polymers: A Short Review. Polymers. 2019; 11 (4):651.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Fiorenza Sutera; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Marco Morreale. 2019. "Degradation and Recycling of Films Based on Biodegradable Polymers: A Short Review." Polymers 11, no. 4: 651.
In this work, a lignocellulosic flour was achieved by grinding the cladodes of Opuntia Ficus Indica and then added to a poly-lactic acid (PLA) in order to prepare biocomposites by melt processing. The influence of filler content and size on the morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties of the green composites was assessed. Moreover, solvent-aided filler extraction enabled to evaluate the homogeneity of filler dispersion, as well as the effect of processing on the geometrical features of the fillers. The experimental data obtained by tensile tests proved to be remarkably higher than those predicted by Halpin–Tsai model, presumably due to the capability of the polymer to enter the empty channels of the fillers, thus dramatically increasing the interphasic region.
Roberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Bartolomeo Megna. Structure-property relationship of PLA-Opuntia Ficus Indica biocomposites. Composites Part B: Engineering 2018, 167, 199 -206.
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Andrea Maio, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, Bartolomeo Megna. Structure-property relationship of PLA-Opuntia Ficus Indica biocomposites. Composites Part B: Engineering. 2018; 167 ():199-206.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Bartolomeo Megna. 2018. "Structure-property relationship of PLA-Opuntia Ficus Indica biocomposites." Composites Part B: Engineering 167, no. : 199-206.
Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) as fillers and Chlorhexidine (CHX), as an antibacterial agent, were incorporated in a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix and processed into filaments by melt spinning. The influence of both drawing and formulation on the processability, spinnability, mechanical properties and release behaviour of these materials were deeply investigated by performing rheological, morphological analysis, tensile tests, and by measuring the cumulative release of CHX in PBS at 37 °C. Furthermore, Korsmeyer–Peppas model was adopted to study the kinetics release mechanism. The results showed that adding GNP did not alter the processability and spinnability of the systems. Furthermore, a monotonic trend of all of the properties investigated was found as a function of GNP/CHX ratio and DR: stiffness and tensile strength of such fibers were found to increase, and the release behaviour proved to be tunable. In fact, upon increasing GNP content, burst was progressively hindered at the initial stage of release, while being progressively enhanced the kinetics and amount of CHX at the final stage.
Roberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Luigi Botta; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Daniele Gulli. Tunable release of Chlorhexidine from Polycaprolactone-based filaments containing graphene nanoplatelets. European Polymer Journal 2018, 110, 221 -232.
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Andrea Maio, Luigi Botta, Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino, Daniele Gulli. Tunable release of Chlorhexidine from Polycaprolactone-based filaments containing graphene nanoplatelets. European Polymer Journal. 2018; 110 ():221-232.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Andrea Maio; Luigi Botta; Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino; Daniele Gulli. 2018. "Tunable release of Chlorhexidine from Polycaprolactone-based filaments containing graphene nanoplatelets." European Polymer Journal 110, no. : 221-232.
Electrospinning technologies gained considerable interest over the last decade. In this study, it is proposed a systematic study of polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol (PLA/PEG) and polylactic acid/polyethylene oxide (PLA/PEO) electrospun blends at different concentrations. The effect of blend composition and PEG molecular weight on the morphological and mechanical properties of the mats was evaluated. Furthermore, the kinetic release of carvacrol as model drug in phosphate buffer saline at 37℃ was studied and the data were then fitted using an exponential model. The scanning electron microscopy revealed that the morphology of the mats was strongly dependent on the relative ratio PLA:PEG, PLA:PEO and in the presence of carvacrol. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the mats as well as their carvacrol release rate were successfully tuned by changing the relative ratio of the blend components.
Roberto Scaffaro; Fortunato Emmanuel Gulino; Francesco Lopresti. Structure–property relationship and controlled drug release from multiphasic electrospun carvacrol-embedded polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol and polylactic acid/polyethylene oxide nanofiber mats. Journal of Industrial Textiles 2018, 49, 943 -966.
AMA StyleRoberto Scaffaro, Fortunato Emmanuel Gulino, Francesco Lopresti. Structure–property relationship and controlled drug release from multiphasic electrospun carvacrol-embedded polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol and polylactic acid/polyethylene oxide nanofiber mats. Journal of Industrial Textiles. 2018; 49 (7):943-966.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoberto Scaffaro; Fortunato Emmanuel Gulino; Francesco Lopresti. 2018. "Structure–property relationship and controlled drug release from multiphasic electrospun carvacrol-embedded polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol and polylactic acid/polyethylene oxide nanofiber mats." Journal of Industrial Textiles 49, no. 7: 943-966.