The aim of study was to investigate the influence of kaolin on the physical properties and utility of film produced from native starch. The work involved measurements of strength, structure, and thermal properties. The films were prepared by the casting method. Composite films with 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% kaolin additives were examined. Measurements of mechanical properties were carried out using the uniaxial tensile test, the nanoindentation test, and nanoscratching. Surface properties were examined by atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements. Structure was determined by the X-ray diffraction method, and thermal properties were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. A significant influence of kaolin on the strength parameters and thermal and barrier properties of composite films was found. An increase in kaolin content reduced the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. Structural analysis showed a partial intercalation and the layered arrangement of kaolin particles. Kaolin additives increased the barrier properties of water vapor in composite films of about 9%. Biopolymer modification by nanoclay reduced the thermal stability of composite films by 7% and could accelerate the biodegradation process. Increasing the concentration of kaolin in the biopolymer matrix led to heightened surface roughness (approximately 64%) and wettability of the surfaces of the film composites of 58%.

In the presented work the influence of different 3MgO·4SiO₂·H₂O (talc) contents in polypropylene samples on the structure, hardness, elasticity, and friction of the surface layer was investigated. The talc content ranged from 0 to 25 wt.%, and all the samples were obtained in the same conditions by the injection molding process. The analysis of the microstructure was performed by X-ray diffraction. Changes in the hardness and elasticity were determined for three different depths (300, 800, and 4000 nm) using an ultra nano tester. For the purpose of the examination of the friction properties of the obtained compounds, a nano-scratch tester was applied. Increasing the talc content caused growth in the indentation modulus and hardness values. Simultaneously, an effect of decreasing hardness and elastic modulus with increasing indentation depth was observed. The smallest effect size was observed for 25 wt.% talc content, which might suggest that talc addition increased the homogeneity of the observed composites. Scratch tests showed increasing scratch resistance along with increasing talc content for both constant and progressive loads. The growth in talc concentration led to a decrease in the degree of the polypropylene (PP) crystallinity of the surface layer. The exfoliation process occurred in PP composites.

This study was focused on analyzing the effects of dietary inclusion of raw chickpea seed as a replacement of soybean meal as a primary protein source on bone structure in broiler chickens. Broiler chickens (n = 160) received in their diet either soybean meal (SBM) or raw chickpea seeds (CPS) as a primary protein source throughout the whole rearing period (n = 80 in each group). On the 42^th day randomly selected chickens from each group (n = 8) were slaughtered. Collected tibiotarsus were subjected to examination of the biomechanical characteristics of bone mid-diaphysis, microstructure of the growth plate and articular cartilages; the analysis of mineral content and crystallinity of mineral phase, and the measurements of thermal stability of collagen in hyaline cartilage were also carried out. The inclusion of chickpea seeds resulted in increase of bone osteometric parameters (weight, length and mid-diaphysis cross-sectional area) and mechanical endurance (yield load, ultimate load, stiffness, Young modulus). However, when loads were adjusted to bone shape (yield and ultimate stress) both groups did not differ. Mineral density determined by means of densitometric measurements did not differ between groups, however the detailed analysis revealed the differences in the macro- and microelements composition. The results of FT-IR and XRD analyses showed no effect of diet type on mineral phase crystallinity and hydroxyapatite nanocrystallites size. In trabecular bone, the increase of real bone volume (BV/TV) and number of trabeculae was observed in the CPS group. Total thickness of articular cartilage was the same in both groups, save the transitional zone, which was thicker in the SBM group. The total thickness of the growth plate cartilage was significantly increased in the CPS group. The area of the most intense presence of proteoglycans was wider in the SBM group. The structural analysis of fibrous components of bone revealed the increase of fraction of thin, immature collagen content in articular cartilage, trabeculae and compact bone in the CPS group. The dietary inclusion of CPS affected the thermal stability of collagen, as decrease of net denaturation enthalpy was observed. This study showed a beneficial effect of CPS on the skeletal development, improving the overall bone development and the microarchitecture of cancellous bone. It suggests that CPS can be a promising replacement for SBM in broilers feeding in the aspect of animal welfare related to the development of the skeletal system.

Starch films modified with additives are materials increasingly being used in the production of packaging. These types of biopolymers can, to a considerable degree, replace plastic, contributing to the reduction in both production and waste management costs. However, they should be characterised by specific mechanical and surface parameters which determine their application. In the presented work, the PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanics Mapping (PFQNM) method was applied to analyse a starch-based biopolymer modified with two different kaolin clay contents (5% and 10%). The technique used facilitates the assessment of the correlation of Atomic Force Microscope AFM height parameters with nanomechanical ones which provide the definitions of mutual interactions and allow the possibility to analyse materials in respect of various details. The investigated material was mapped in the Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT) modulus, adhesion and height domains. The results obtained indicated the impact of additives on the determined parameters. Increases in the DMT modulus and the adhesion force, along with the kaolin content, were observed. The enhancement of starch films with kaolin clay also induced growth in the surface roughness parameters.