Diego Lascano - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Diego Lascano

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering

Industrial Crops and Products

Yerba mate waste (YMW) were used to produce kombucha beverage, and the obtained microbial cellulo... more Yerba mate waste (YMW) were used to produce kombucha beverage, and the obtained microbial cellulose produced as by product (KMW) was used to reinforce mechanically recycled poly(lactic acid) (r-PLA) matrix. Microbial cellulosic particles were also produced in pristine yerba mate for comparison (KMN). To simulate the revalorization of industrial PLA products rejected during the production line, PLA was subjected to three extrusion cycles and the resultant pellets (r3-PLA) were then plasticized with 15 wt.% of acetyl tributyl citrate ester (ATBC) to obtain optically transparent and flexible films by solvent casting method. The plasticized r3-PLA-ATBC matrix was then loaded with KMW and KMN in 1 and 3 wt.%. The use of plasticizer allowed a good dispersion of microbial cellulose particles into the r3-PLA matrix, allowing to obtain flexible and transparent films which showed good structural and mechanical performance. Additionally, the obtained films showed antioxidant properties, as it ...

Green Materials

Concern has arisen in recent years over the excessive use of oil-based materials, making the deve... more Concern has arisen in recent years over the excessive use of oil-based materials, making the development of new materials with a low environmental impact all the more urgent. In this study, environmentally friendly composites were obtained using a thermoplastic polylactide (PLA) matrix with jute fibers (fabrics and non-woven mats) as reinforcement. PLA/jute biocomposites were manufactured by thermocompression. The effect of the amount of jute fiber reinforcement (in the 30–50 wt.% range) on the tensile and flexural properties of these composites was analyzed, and the fiber–matrix interaction was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that thermocompression molding is a simple technique for obtaining high-environmental-efficiency biocomposites with high reinforcement loadings (up to 50 wt.%). As expected, the tensile properties are directly related to the amount of fiber loading, as well as the directionality of these fibers in the composite. Mechanical performanc...

Polymers, 2021

The use of wood plastic composites (WPC) is growing very rapidly in recent years, in addition, th... more The use of wood plastic composites (WPC) is growing very rapidly in recent years, in addition, the use of plastics of renewable origin is increasingly implemented because it allows to reduce the carbon footprint. In this context, this work reports on the development of composites of bio-based high density polyethylene (BioHDPE) with different contents of pinecone (5, 10, and 30 wt.%). The blends were produced by extrusion and injection-molded processes. With the objective of improving the properties of the materials, a compatibilizer has been used, namely polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA 2 phr). The effect of the compatibilizer in the blend with 5 wt.% has been compared with the same blend without compatibilization. Mechanical, thermal, morphological, colorimetric, and wettability properties have been analyzed for each blend. The results showed that the compatibilizer improved the filler–matrix interaction, increasing the ductile mechanical properties in terms of ...

Polymers, 2021

The curing process of epoxy resin based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) is studied using dynamic ... more The curing process of epoxy resin based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) is studied using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in order to determine the kinetic triplet (Ea, f(α) and A) at different heating rates. The apparent activation energy, Ea, has been calculated by several differential and integral isoconversional methods, namely Kissinger, Friedman, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Starink. All methods provide similar values of Ea (between 66 and 69 kJ/mol), and this shows independence versus the heating rate used. The epoxy resins crosslinking is characterized by a multi-step process. However, for the sake of the simplicity and to facilitate the understanding of the influence of the oxirane location on the curing kinetic, this can be assimilated to a single-step process. The reaction model has a high proportion of autocatalytic process, fulfilling that αM is between 0 and αp and αM < αp∞. Using as reference the model proposed by Šesták...

Fibers and Polymers, 2021

This research is focused on manufacturing and characterization of hybrid composite laminates obta... more This research is focused on manufacturing and characterization of hybrid composite laminates obtained different stacking sequences of basalt and flax fabrics with silane treatments embedded in a partially bio-sourced epoxy resin as matrix. They were manufactured by the vacuum-assisted resin infusion molding and mechanical properties were tested in tensile, flexural and impact conditions. The effect of the coupling agent on the fiber/matrix interface was studied by FESEM. The effect of temperature on mechanical properties was evaluated by DMTA and TMA. FESEM images revealed improved fiber/matrix interactions with silane treatment, having a more satisfactory effect on basalt fibers than on flax fibers because of its silica-based structure, leading to improved mechanical properties. It is worthy to note that the hybrid stacking sequence has no remarkable influence on the elongation at break. On the contrary, the hybrid stacking sequence offered a great influence on both the elastic mod...

This work puts the Circular Bioeconomy’s concept into action, originally valorizing residues from... more This work puts the Circular Bioeconomy’s concept into action, originally valorizing residues from the beverage liquor coffee industry into reinforcing fillers for green composites of polylactide (PLA). The as-received spent coffee grains derived from liquor waste were first milled to obtain the so-called spent coffee grounds (SCGs), which were then incorporated at 20 wt.% into PLA by extrusion. With the aim of improving the compatibility between the biopolyester and the lignocellulosic particles, two oligomers of lactic acid (OLAs), namely OLA2 and OLA2mal, being the latter functionalized with maleic anhydride (MAH), were both added during the extrusion process at 10 wt.%. The resultant compounded pellets were finally shaped into pieces by injection molding for characterization. Results showed that, as opposite to most claims published in the literature of PLA composites based on lignocellulosic fillers derived from soluble coffee wastes, the incorporation of liquor waste derived SC...

Textile Research Journal, 2021

This article reports on the revalorization of hemp waste from the textile industry, focusing on t... more This article reports on the revalorization of hemp waste from the textile industry, focusing on the development of new sustainable materials with high insulating properties. Wet-laid technology was used to manufacture nonwovens with different binding fibers, polylactic acid, and viscose fibers. The characterization of the acoustic insulating capacity was carried out using a Kundt tube, and the thermal insulating performance by measuring the heat transmission resistance ( R) and thermal conductivity ( λ). The results showed that the developed nonwovens have lower thermal conductivity values of about 0.027–0.034 W/(m K), were even lower than those of traditional thermal insulating materials, being the sample with 100 g/m2 of areal density and with a composition of 80% of hemp, 10% of polylactide and 10% of viscose the one with the lowest thermal conductivity (0.027 W/(mK). Their acoustic absorption capacity was around 0.76 at a frequency of 6 kHz, in samples containing high hemp waste...

Ingenius, 2019

This work focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of novel and lightweight hybrid sandw... more This work focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of novel and lightweight hybrid sandwich-type structures, using different stacking sequences of flax and basalt fabrics as reinforcement fibers, both of them previously silanized. To reduce the overall weight and facilitate the manufacturing process, a polyester non-woven core, was used which, besides reducing the weight of the composite it also acts as a media to spread the resin. These composites were manufactured with a partially bio-based epoxy resin with a reactive diluent derived from epoxidized vegetable oils that contributes to a 31 % of biobased content. The hybrid composites were obtained by vacuum-assisted resin infusion moulding (VARIM), where the core was used as a media to spread the resin. The mechanical properties were evaluated in flexural and impact conditions. The interactions in the fiber-matrix interface were studied through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The obtained data revealed...

Polymers, 2019

This research work aims to study the influence of the reprocessing cycles on the mechanical, ther... more This research work aims to study the influence of the reprocessing cycles on the mechanical, thermal, and thermomechanical properties of polylactide (PLA). To this end, PLA was subjected to as many as six extrusion cycles and the resultant pellets were shaped into pieces by injection molding. Mechanical characterization revealed that the PLA pieces presented relatively similar properties up to the third reprocessing cycle, whereas further cycles induced an intense reduction in ductility and toughness. The effect of the reprocessing cycles was also studied by the changes in the melt fluidity, which showed a significant increase after four reprocessing cycles. An increase in the bio-polyester chain mobility was also attained with the number of the reprocessing cycles that subsequently favored an increase in crystallinity of PLA. A visual inspection indicated that PLA developed certain yellowing and the pieces also became less transparent with the increasing number of reprocessing cycl...

Polymers, 2019

This research deals with the influence of different curing and post-curing temperatures on the me... more This research deals with the influence of different curing and post-curing temperatures on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties as well as the gel time of an epoxy resin prepared by the reaction of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with an amine hardener and a reactive diluent derived from plants at 31 wt %. The highest performance was obtained for the resins cured at moderate-to-high temperatures, that is, 80 ° C and 90 ° C , which additionally showed a significant reduction in the gel time. This effect was ascribed to the formation of a stronger polymer network by an extended cross-linking process of the polymer chains during the resin manufacturing. Furthermore, post-curing at either 125 ° C or 150 ° C yielded thermosets with higher mechanical strength and, more interestingly, improved toughness, particularly for the samples previously cured at moderate temperatures. In particular, the partially bio-based epoxy resin cured at 80 ° C and post-cured at 150 ° C for...

Polymers, 2019

This work shows the potential of binary blends composed of partially bio-based poly(ethyelene ter... more This work shows the potential of binary blends composed of partially bio-based poly(ethyelene terephthalate) (bioPET) and fully bio-based poly(amide) 10,10 (bioPA1010). These blends are manufactured by extrusion and subsequent injection moulding and characterized in terms of mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical properties. To overcome or minimize the immiscibility, a glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, namely poly(styrene-ran-glycidyl methacrylate) (PS-GMA; Xibond™ 920) was used. The addition of 30 wt % bioPA provides increased renewable content up to 50 wt %, but the most interesting aspect is that bioPA contributes to improved toughness and other ductile properties such as elongation at yield. The morphology study revealed a typical immiscible droplet-like structure and the effectiveness of the PS-GMA copolymer was assessed by field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM) with a clear decrease in the droplet size due to compatibilization. It is possible to conclude that bioP...

Polymers, 2019

This work reports the potential of poly(lactic acid)—PLA composites with different halloysite nan... more This work reports the potential of poly(lactic acid)—PLA composites with different halloysite nanotube (HNTs) loading (3, 6 and 9 wt%) for further uses in advanced applications as HNTs could be used as carriers for active compounds for medicine, packaging and other sectors. This work focuses on the effect of HNTs on mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical and degradation of PLA composites with HNTs. These composites can be manufactured by conventional extrusion-compounding followed by injection molding. The obtained results indicate a slight decrease in tensile and flexural strength as well as in elongation at break, both properties related to material cohesion. On the contrary, the stiffness increases with the HNTs content. The tensile strength and modulus change from 64.6 MPa/2.1 GPa (neat PLA) to 57.7/2.3 GPa MPa for the composite with 9 wt% HNTs. The elongation at break decreases from 6.1% (neat PLA) down to a half for composites with 9 wt% HNTs. Regarding flexural properties, the...

Materials, 2019

Maleinized linseed oil (MLO) has been successfully used as biobased compatibilizer in polyester b... more Maleinized linseed oil (MLO) has been successfully used as biobased compatibilizer in polyester blends. Its efficiency as compatibilizer in polymer composites with organic and inorganic fillers, compared to other traditional fillers, has also been proved. The goal of this work is to optimize the amount of MLO on poly(lactic acid)/diatomaceous earth (PLA/DE) composites to open new potential to these materials in the active packaging industry without compromising the environmental efficiency of these composites. The amount of DE remains constant at 10 wt% and MLO varies from 1 to 15 phr (weight parts of MLO per 100 g of PLA/DE composite). The effect of MLO on mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical and morphological properties is described in this work. The obtained results show a clear embrittlement of the uncompatibilized PLA/DE composites, which is progressively reduced by the addition of MLO. MLO shows good miscibility at low concentrations (lower than 5 phr) while above 5 phr, a cl...

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering

Industrial Crops and Products

Yerba mate waste (YMW) were used to produce kombucha beverage, and the obtained microbial cellulo... more Yerba mate waste (YMW) were used to produce kombucha beverage, and the obtained microbial cellulose produced as by product (KMW) was used to reinforce mechanically recycled poly(lactic acid) (r-PLA) matrix. Microbial cellulosic particles were also produced in pristine yerba mate for comparison (KMN). To simulate the revalorization of industrial PLA products rejected during the production line, PLA was subjected to three extrusion cycles and the resultant pellets (r3-PLA) were then plasticized with 15 wt.% of acetyl tributyl citrate ester (ATBC) to obtain optically transparent and flexible films by solvent casting method. The plasticized r3-PLA-ATBC matrix was then loaded with KMW and KMN in 1 and 3 wt.%. The use of plasticizer allowed a good dispersion of microbial cellulose particles into the r3-PLA matrix, allowing to obtain flexible and transparent films which showed good structural and mechanical performance. Additionally, the obtained films showed antioxidant properties, as it ...

Green Materials

Concern has arisen in recent years over the excessive use of oil-based materials, making the deve... more Concern has arisen in recent years over the excessive use of oil-based materials, making the development of new materials with a low environmental impact all the more urgent. In this study, environmentally friendly composites were obtained using a thermoplastic polylactide (PLA) matrix with jute fibers (fabrics and non-woven mats) as reinforcement. PLA/jute biocomposites were manufactured by thermocompression. The effect of the amount of jute fiber reinforcement (in the 30–50 wt.% range) on the tensile and flexural properties of these composites was analyzed, and the fiber–matrix interaction was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that thermocompression molding is a simple technique for obtaining high-environmental-efficiency biocomposites with high reinforcement loadings (up to 50 wt.%). As expected, the tensile properties are directly related to the amount of fiber loading, as well as the directionality of these fibers in the composite. Mechanical performanc...

Polymers, 2021

The use of wood plastic composites (WPC) is growing very rapidly in recent years, in addition, th... more The use of wood plastic composites (WPC) is growing very rapidly in recent years, in addition, the use of plastics of renewable origin is increasingly implemented because it allows to reduce the carbon footprint. In this context, this work reports on the development of composites of bio-based high density polyethylene (BioHDPE) with different contents of pinecone (5, 10, and 30 wt.%). The blends were produced by extrusion and injection-molded processes. With the objective of improving the properties of the materials, a compatibilizer has been used, namely polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA 2 phr). The effect of the compatibilizer in the blend with 5 wt.% has been compared with the same blend without compatibilization. Mechanical, thermal, morphological, colorimetric, and wettability properties have been analyzed for each blend. The results showed that the compatibilizer improved the filler–matrix interaction, increasing the ductile mechanical properties in terms of ...

Polymers, 2021

The curing process of epoxy resin based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) is studied using dynamic ... more The curing process of epoxy resin based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) is studied using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in order to determine the kinetic triplet (Ea, f(α) and A) at different heating rates. The apparent activation energy, Ea, has been calculated by several differential and integral isoconversional methods, namely Kissinger, Friedman, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Starink. All methods provide similar values of Ea (between 66 and 69 kJ/mol), and this shows independence versus the heating rate used. The epoxy resins crosslinking is characterized by a multi-step process. However, for the sake of the simplicity and to facilitate the understanding of the influence of the oxirane location on the curing kinetic, this can be assimilated to a single-step process. The reaction model has a high proportion of autocatalytic process, fulfilling that αM is between 0 and αp and αM < αp∞. Using as reference the model proposed by Šesták...

Fibers and Polymers, 2021

This research is focused on manufacturing and characterization of hybrid composite laminates obta... more This research is focused on manufacturing and characterization of hybrid composite laminates obtained different stacking sequences of basalt and flax fabrics with silane treatments embedded in a partially bio-sourced epoxy resin as matrix. They were manufactured by the vacuum-assisted resin infusion molding and mechanical properties were tested in tensile, flexural and impact conditions. The effect of the coupling agent on the fiber/matrix interface was studied by FESEM. The effect of temperature on mechanical properties was evaluated by DMTA and TMA. FESEM images revealed improved fiber/matrix interactions with silane treatment, having a more satisfactory effect on basalt fibers than on flax fibers because of its silica-based structure, leading to improved mechanical properties. It is worthy to note that the hybrid stacking sequence has no remarkable influence on the elongation at break. On the contrary, the hybrid stacking sequence offered a great influence on both the elastic mod...

This work puts the Circular Bioeconomy’s concept into action, originally valorizing residues from... more This work puts the Circular Bioeconomy’s concept into action, originally valorizing residues from the beverage liquor coffee industry into reinforcing fillers for green composites of polylactide (PLA). The as-received spent coffee grains derived from liquor waste were first milled to obtain the so-called spent coffee grounds (SCGs), which were then incorporated at 20 wt.% into PLA by extrusion. With the aim of improving the compatibility between the biopolyester and the lignocellulosic particles, two oligomers of lactic acid (OLAs), namely OLA2 and OLA2mal, being the latter functionalized with maleic anhydride (MAH), were both added during the extrusion process at 10 wt.%. The resultant compounded pellets were finally shaped into pieces by injection molding for characterization. Results showed that, as opposite to most claims published in the literature of PLA composites based on lignocellulosic fillers derived from soluble coffee wastes, the incorporation of liquor waste derived SC...

Textile Research Journal, 2021

This article reports on the revalorization of hemp waste from the textile industry, focusing on t... more This article reports on the revalorization of hemp waste from the textile industry, focusing on the development of new sustainable materials with high insulating properties. Wet-laid technology was used to manufacture nonwovens with different binding fibers, polylactic acid, and viscose fibers. The characterization of the acoustic insulating capacity was carried out using a Kundt tube, and the thermal insulating performance by measuring the heat transmission resistance ( R) and thermal conductivity ( λ). The results showed that the developed nonwovens have lower thermal conductivity values of about 0.027–0.034 W/(m K), were even lower than those of traditional thermal insulating materials, being the sample with 100 g/m2 of areal density and with a composition of 80% of hemp, 10% of polylactide and 10% of viscose the one with the lowest thermal conductivity (0.027 W/(mK). Their acoustic absorption capacity was around 0.76 at a frequency of 6 kHz, in samples containing high hemp waste...

Ingenius, 2019

This work focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of novel and lightweight hybrid sandw... more This work focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of novel and lightweight hybrid sandwich-type structures, using different stacking sequences of flax and basalt fabrics as reinforcement fibers, both of them previously silanized. To reduce the overall weight and facilitate the manufacturing process, a polyester non-woven core, was used which, besides reducing the weight of the composite it also acts as a media to spread the resin. These composites were manufactured with a partially bio-based epoxy resin with a reactive diluent derived from epoxidized vegetable oils that contributes to a 31 % of biobased content. The hybrid composites were obtained by vacuum-assisted resin infusion moulding (VARIM), where the core was used as a media to spread the resin. The mechanical properties were evaluated in flexural and impact conditions. The interactions in the fiber-matrix interface were studied through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The obtained data revealed...

Polymers, 2019

This research work aims to study the influence of the reprocessing cycles on the mechanical, ther... more This research work aims to study the influence of the reprocessing cycles on the mechanical, thermal, and thermomechanical properties of polylactide (PLA). To this end, PLA was subjected to as many as six extrusion cycles and the resultant pellets were shaped into pieces by injection molding. Mechanical characterization revealed that the PLA pieces presented relatively similar properties up to the third reprocessing cycle, whereas further cycles induced an intense reduction in ductility and toughness. The effect of the reprocessing cycles was also studied by the changes in the melt fluidity, which showed a significant increase after four reprocessing cycles. An increase in the bio-polyester chain mobility was also attained with the number of the reprocessing cycles that subsequently favored an increase in crystallinity of PLA. A visual inspection indicated that PLA developed certain yellowing and the pieces also became less transparent with the increasing number of reprocessing cycl...

Polymers, 2019

This research deals with the influence of different curing and post-curing temperatures on the me... more This research deals with the influence of different curing and post-curing temperatures on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties as well as the gel time of an epoxy resin prepared by the reaction of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with an amine hardener and a reactive diluent derived from plants at 31 wt %. The highest performance was obtained for the resins cured at moderate-to-high temperatures, that is, 80 ° C and 90 ° C , which additionally showed a significant reduction in the gel time. This effect was ascribed to the formation of a stronger polymer network by an extended cross-linking process of the polymer chains during the resin manufacturing. Furthermore, post-curing at either 125 ° C or 150 ° C yielded thermosets with higher mechanical strength and, more interestingly, improved toughness, particularly for the samples previously cured at moderate temperatures. In particular, the partially bio-based epoxy resin cured at 80 ° C and post-cured at 150 ° C for...

Polymers, 2019

This work shows the potential of binary blends composed of partially bio-based poly(ethyelene ter... more This work shows the potential of binary blends composed of partially bio-based poly(ethyelene terephthalate) (bioPET) and fully bio-based poly(amide) 10,10 (bioPA1010). These blends are manufactured by extrusion and subsequent injection moulding and characterized in terms of mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical properties. To overcome or minimize the immiscibility, a glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, namely poly(styrene-ran-glycidyl methacrylate) (PS-GMA; Xibond™ 920) was used. The addition of 30 wt % bioPA provides increased renewable content up to 50 wt %, but the most interesting aspect is that bioPA contributes to improved toughness and other ductile properties such as elongation at yield. The morphology study revealed a typical immiscible droplet-like structure and the effectiveness of the PS-GMA copolymer was assessed by field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM) with a clear decrease in the droplet size due to compatibilization. It is possible to conclude that bioP...

Polymers, 2019

This work reports the potential of poly(lactic acid)—PLA composites with different halloysite nan... more This work reports the potential of poly(lactic acid)—PLA composites with different halloysite nanotube (HNTs) loading (3, 6 and 9 wt%) for further uses in advanced applications as HNTs could be used as carriers for active compounds for medicine, packaging and other sectors. This work focuses on the effect of HNTs on mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical and degradation of PLA composites with HNTs. These composites can be manufactured by conventional extrusion-compounding followed by injection molding. The obtained results indicate a slight decrease in tensile and flexural strength as well as in elongation at break, both properties related to material cohesion. On the contrary, the stiffness increases with the HNTs content. The tensile strength and modulus change from 64.6 MPa/2.1 GPa (neat PLA) to 57.7/2.3 GPa MPa for the composite with 9 wt% HNTs. The elongation at break decreases from 6.1% (neat PLA) down to a half for composites with 9 wt% HNTs. Regarding flexural properties, the...

Materials, 2019

Maleinized linseed oil (MLO) has been successfully used as biobased compatibilizer in polyester b... more Maleinized linseed oil (MLO) has been successfully used as biobased compatibilizer in polyester blends. Its efficiency as compatibilizer in polymer composites with organic and inorganic fillers, compared to other traditional fillers, has also been proved. The goal of this work is to optimize the amount of MLO on poly(lactic acid)/diatomaceous earth (PLA/DE) composites to open new potential to these materials in the active packaging industry without compromising the environmental efficiency of these composites. The amount of DE remains constant at 10 wt% and MLO varies from 1 to 15 phr (weight parts of MLO per 100 g of PLA/DE composite). The effect of MLO on mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical and morphological properties is described in this work. The obtained results show a clear embrittlement of the uncompatibilized PLA/DE composites, which is progressively reduced by the addition of MLO. MLO shows good miscibility at low concentrations (lower than 5 phr) while above 5 phr, a cl...