Physical properties of oleogels fabricated by the combination of diacylglycerols and monoacylglycerols

Oleogelation is an efficient way to structure oil and reduce saturated fatty acids of lipid products. Multi-component gels are of particularly interest attributed to the ability to tune gel properties by alteration of the component proportions. In this study, monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) are used as gelator mixture and the influence of the ratio of these two crystalline particles on the characteristics of oleogels was investigated. The crystallization and melting behavior, solid fat content (SFC), crystal morphology, polymorphism and mechanical properties of the oleogels were characterized. The oleogels with higher gelator level displayed higher oil binding ability and shorter crystal formation time. The oleogels with higher MAG ratio exhibited more blade-like crystals, and the mixed oleogels with MAG: DAG of 3:7 and 5:5 showed altered crystal morphology with finer crystal size and reduced crystallization enthalpies possibly due to the increased nucleation seeds promoted by MAG. The oleogels with high MAG level showed lower equilibrium SFC during isothermal crystallization but faster crystallization rate, higher hardness and elasticity. Therefore, by changing the ratio of DAG with MAG, the crystallization profile and rheological properties of oleogels can be tailored and used as traditional solid fat substitutes in lipid-based products.

Thermomechanical, Crystallization and Melting Behavior of Plasticized Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanocomposites

The incorporation of filler and plasticizer provides effective nucleation and mechanical reinforcement in polymer composites to impart flexibility, toughness, thermal stability and tensile strength of PLA composites that can be used in the development of packaging applications. In this paper, the inclusion of plasticizer and reinforcement of nanofiller in PLA matrix prepared using solvent casting method aims to improve the thermomechanical properties that consequently alter the crystallization and melting behavior of PLA composites. Plasticized PLA with different percentages of TiO2 at 2.0, 3.5, 5.0 and 7.0 % w/w were dispersed in PLA solution using mechanical mixer and ultrasonication technique to introduce a matrix reinforcing nanophase within the composite. The thermomechanical properties and thermal behavior of PLA nanocomposites were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). DSC cooling curves at low scanning rate of 2.0 K·min-1 proved that the presence of TBC in PLA matrix increased the crystallinity of plasticized PLA nanocomposites that initiated the formation of perfect spherulites. TBC increased the crystallization activity during cooling, which in turn reduced the recrystallization effect on heating, in parallel with DMA results that revealed small peak of cold-crystallization activity on PLA nanocomposites with the addition of plasticizer observed at temperature range of 80 °C to 100 °C. Nanofiller induced nucleation for crystallization of PLA matrix and plasticizer accelerated the overall crystallization process. Considerable adjustments of plasticizer and nanofiller in PLA matrix in having a good balance of stiffness and flexibility are a practical strategy that has a potential in biopolymer medical engineering and in the development of packaging applications.

Effect of Organic Modifier and Clay Content on Non-Isothermal Cold Crystallization and Melting Behavior of Polylactide/Organovermiculite Nanocomposites

In clay/polymer nanocomposites, the crystallization behavior and kinetics of the polymer can be affected by the presence of clay, its content and the degree of miscibility between the clay and the polymer matrix. The effect of two different organomodified vermiculites on the non-isothermal cold crystallization and melting behavior of polylactide (PLA) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the presence of vermiculites, the cold crystallization of PLA occurred earlier, particularly for the highest content of the most miscible organovermiculite with PLA. The cold crystallinity of PLA decreased at low heating rates, notably at high organoclay loadings, and increased at high heating rates, especially at low vermiculite contents. According to the crystallization half-time, crystallization rate coefficient (CRC), and crystallization rate parameter (CRP) approaches, the cold crystallization rate of PLA increased by incorporating vermiculites, with the effect being most noteworthy for the vermiculite showing better compatibility. The Mo model was successful in describing the non-isothermal cold crystallization kinetics of the PLA/vermiculite composites. The melting behavior was affected by the heating rate and the type and content of clay. The nucleating effect of the most compatible clay resulted in the less perfect crystallites. The activation energy was evaluated using the Kissinger and Takhor methods.

Influence of Incorporated Polydimethylsiloxane on Properties of PA66 Fiber and Its Fabric Performance

Poly(hexamethyllene adipamide), PA66 fiber has played an important role in varied industrial applications, and its corresponding product would become more competitive if some extra value was added to PA66 fiber. In this article, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used as an additive to prepare PA66/PDMS blend fibers through melt blend spinning carried out by a screw extruder spinning machine. When the amount of incorporated PDMS was 0.5–3 wt %, the blend melt demonstrated good spinning ability, and the PA66/PDMS blend fibers exhibited excellent mechanical property and reduced hot shrinkage. Moreover, the crystallization and melting behavior of PA66 in the blend fibers turned out to be not affected by the existence of PDMS. In addition, the contact angle of water on the blend fiber surface became larger, while the value of friction coefficient on the surface of fibers got lower with increasing PDMS content in the blend fibers. After evaluating the fabric woven by PA66/PDMS blend fibers using the KES-F KES-FB-2 fabric measuring system, it was found that as PDMS content increased, the flexural rigidity and bending hysteresis would be lower, yet elasticity rate of compression work would be higher, which explained how the fabric composed of the blend fiber performed better in terms of softness and elasticity.