Automotive and industrial design companies have profusely used commodity materials like glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene. These materials show advantageous ratios between cost and mechanical properties, but poor environmental yields. Natural fibers have been tested as replacements of glass fibers, obtaining noticeable tensile strengths, but being unable to reach the strength of glass fiber-reinforced composites. In this paper, polyamide 6 is proposed as a matrix for cellulosic fiber-based composites. A variety of fibers were tensile tested, in order to evaluate the creation of a strong interphase. The results show that, with a bleached hardwood fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 composite, it is possible to obtain tensile strengths higher than glass-fiber-reinforced polyolefin. The obtained composites show the existence of a strong interphase, allowing us to take advantage of the strengthening capabilities of such cellulosic reinforcements. These materials show advantageous mechanical properties, while being recyclable and partially renewable.

Nanomaterials are attractive materials for researchers because they have essential characteristics in terms of their properties. Carbon has an ample range of crystalline allotropes. Some, such as graphite and diamond, have been known since ancient times, while new forms of carbon with potential for various applications have been discovered in recent decades. Since the discovery of graphene 20 years ago, research has increased on composite materials that take advantage of carbon structures for their electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and their ability to be synthesized at the nanometer scale. Graphene has stood out above other nanomaterials due to its surprising properties and high impact on technological research, so its uses have diversified in different areas of science such as medicine, electronics, engineering, etc. This work aims to show some new and innovative applications of graphene, on which we can see its versatility as engineering material. It also seeks to show its potential in research and development processes for its use. These are key components of advanced graphene-based materials systems under active development, with an eye on the future of advanced materials science and technology.

Hydrogels are gaining widespread popularity in the biomedical field due to their extraordinary properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, zero toxicity, easy processing, and similarity to physiological tissue. They have applications in controlled drug release, wound dressing, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Among these applications, hydrogels as a controlled drug delivery system stands out, which releases active substances in precise amounts and at specific times. To explore the latest advances in the design of hydrogels, a literature review of articles published in indexed scientific journals, in Scopus and Science Direct, was carried out. This review aimed to discover and describe the most innovative hydrogel research with applications in the biomedical field; hydrogels synthesized with polymers of different origins were selected, such as; i. Natural (dextran, agarose, chitosan, etc.); ii. Synthetic (polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, etc.); iii. Composites (interpenetrants, hybrid crosslinkers, nanocomposites, etc.). Comparative analysis revealed that hydrogels with composite materials show the most promise. These composite hydrogels combine the advantages of different polymers or incorporate additional components, offering enhanced properties and functionalities. In summary, hydrogels are versatile biomaterials with immense potential in biomedicine. Their unique properties make them suitable for diverse applications. However, innovative designs and formulations must continue to be explored to further advance the capabilities of hydrogels and expand their biomedical applications.

Sodium montmorillonite nanoclay (Na⁺-MMT) was modified by plasma polymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (St) as monomers and was denominated as Na⁺-MMT/MMA and Na⁺-MMT/St, respectively. This plasma modified nanoclay was used as reinforcement for polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites that were prepared by melt mixing. Pristine and modified Na⁺-MMT nanoclay were analyzed by the dispersion in various solvents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results confirmed a change in hydrophilicity of the modified Na⁺-MMT, as well as the presence of a polymeric material over its surface. The pristine PS/Na⁺-MMT and modified PS/Na⁺-MMT/MMA and PS/Na⁺-MMT/St nanocomposites were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and TGA, as well as mechanical properties. It was found that the PS/Na⁺-MMT/St nanocomposites presented better thermal properties and an improvement in Young’s modulus (YM) in compared to PS/Na⁺-MMT/MMA nanocomposites.