MOHD HARFIZ SALEHUDIN | Universiti Teknologi Malaysia - UTM (original) (raw)

Papers by MOHD HARFIZ SALEHUDIN

A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done usi... more A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done using modified Hummer’s Method whilst cellulose nanofiber from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber was prepared using acid hydrolysis method. An active polylactide based nanocomposite film was prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), graphene oxide (GO) and essential oil (EO). In determining of factor influences the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation percentage and Young’s modulus), the response surface methodology (RSM) Box Behnken Design (BBD) were used. The factors considered were the ratio (wt.%) of GO and CNF as an additive and 5 wt.% of EO was set as minimum. The mechanical properties that interpreted as tensile strength, percent elongation and Young’s modulus were the response variables investigated. The ratio of EO wt.% (C) is found to be the most significant factor that influences the tensile strength of the nanocomposite. In the case of elongation perc...

Materials Today: Proceedings, 2020

Bacterial cellulose (BC) possesses high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength which suitable for... more Bacterial cellulose (BC) possesses high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength which suitable for the development of film, membrane and adsorbent materials. The morphology and properties of BC can be altered during fermentation by incorporation of additives not specifically required for the growth of bacteria in the fermentation medium. Therefore, active materials can be incorporated into BC matrices to form new composites for different applications. In this research, BC was produced from a static fermentation of Acetobacter xylinum. Applying the in-situ modification technique, pandan extract (PE) was added to the fermentation medium to form bacterial cellulose-pandan (BC-P) composite. PE contains 2-acetyl-1pyrroline (2AP) compound consists of cyclic nitrogen and ketone groups that could be functional in metals biosorption. Different percentages of PE (25-100%) were added to examine their impact on the BC yield. Then, the BC-P composites were tested with synthetic wastewater containing chromium (VI) (Cr (VI)) for its removal study. The result shows that an increased percentage of PE added during fermentation led to the increased in BC yield. Consequently, the use of BC-P composites in the Cr(VI) removal studies resulted in the enhanced of removal efficiency up to 42% higher than the native BC. In conclusion, 2AP compound was successfully incorporated into BC matrices during fermentation by in-situ modification technique to form an active BC-P composite. Hence, the newly developed BC-P composites have presented excellent potential as an alternative for heavy metal removal in wastewater treatment.

This study presented information of kinetic and release rate of lauric acid in starch-based film ... more This study presented information of kinetic and release rate of lauric acid in starch-based film blending S: C: LA ratio 1: 9: 0.08 to 5:5:0.4. The diffusion method was applied in order to investigate the kinetic and the release rate of lauric acid towards microbial from starch film blending using Gas Chromatography (GC). For kinetics test, the result from release mechanism is used and plotted on graph to determine the type of lauric acid kinetics. The best formulation of LA for water stimulant is 2:8:0.16 which is 3.38x10-4 s-1 as the inhibition process can occur at early stage and 3:7:0.24 which represents fatty food is 1.65x10-4 s-1. The film ratio of 5:5:0.40 has higher release rate of lauric acid in both acid and alcohol food stimulants and obey Higuchi release model that shows the release of lauric acid increase rapidly until it reach a stable state. As conclusion, the entire food stimulant affected the optimum release rate of lauric acid after 6 hours lead longest lag phase t...

Materials Research Innovations, 2014

Abstract In general, starch-based biopolymer has low mechanical properties. Hence, various method... more Abstract In general, starch-based biopolymer has low mechanical properties. Hence, various methods have been applied to enhance its properties as well as the incorporation of fibrous nanocellulose. The aim of this study is to enhance the mechanical properties of starch-based polymer by incorporating nanocellulose extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch. The cellulose nanofibre was obtained by hydrolysing oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre with 64% sulphuric acid at 45°C for 90 minutes. It has diameter between 50 and 90 nm as shown by transmission electron microscopy image. In nanoreinforced starch-based packaging, the amount of nanocellulose loading was varied between 2 and 10% per weight of starch. The tensile strength of 2% cellulose nanofibre incorporated film was increased to 4·68 MPa, which is 28% higher than the tensile strength exhibited by the native starch-based film, 3·66 MPa. However, the tensile strength was reduced when cellulose nanofibre incorporation goes beyond 2%. The Young's modulus demonstrates the same pattern as tensile strength, where 2% of cellulose nanofibre gave the optimum results for Young's modulus value. Elongation percentage of nanobiocomposite film also reduced even at low cellulose nanofibre loading, 2%. Regardless of its drawback on elongation percentage, an addition of 2% of cellulose nanofibre is the finest ratio that could improve the mechanical properties of starch-based biopolymer.

Membranes

Cellulose is a biopolymer that may be derived from a variety of agricultural wastes such as rice ... more Cellulose is a biopolymer that may be derived from a variety of agricultural wastes such as rice husks, wheat straw, banana, and so on. Cellulose fibril that is reduced in size, often known as nanocellulose (NC), is a bio-based polymer with nanometer-scale widths with a variety of unique properties. The use of NC as a reinforcing material for nanocomposites has become a popular research issue. This research paper focuses on the production of banana pseudostem cellulose nanofiber. Nano-sized fiber was obtained from banana pseudostem through several processes, namely, grinding, sieving, pre-treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The product yield was found to be 40.5% and 21.8% for Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, respectively, by the weight of the raw fiber. The reduction in weight was due to the removal of hemicellulose and lignin during processing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the average fiber size decreased from 180 µm to 80.3 ± 21.3 nm. Fina...

Procedia Chemistry, 2014

Biopolymer active packaging is known to have low mechanical strength and highly brittle. Regardle... more Biopolymer active packaging is known to have low mechanical strength and highly brittle. Regardless to its disadvantage, polymers from natural sources have attracted serious attention since the non-renewable sources for example petroleum, the major precursor of plastic manufacturing become depleted. Starch-Chitosan for instance is a hybrid film that entirely green as it produced from a renewable material and totally degradable. The addition of chitosan in film packaging able to kill pathogen hence increases the food shelf life. Through nanotechnology advance, nanomaterial can be used for material reinforcement. Nowadays, greener approach could be applied by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber that rich of cellulose contents could be treated chemically to purify the cellulose in the fiber. Cellulose fiber obtained was cut to a nano-size using acid hydrolysis. Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) obtained shown the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm in diameter. Nanocomposite film formulation, was constructed by varying the cellulose nanofiber incorporation between 2-10% per weight of starch. The strength of the films was measured as well as antimicrobial properties. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix exhibits high tensile strength with 5.25Mpa compared to starch-chitosan hybrid film with 3.96Mpa. However, no significant improvement in tensile strength was distinguished beyond that ratio. Antimicrobial analysis shows that the addition of cellulose nanofiber could increase the inhibition effect towards gram-positive bacteria but not towards gram-negative bacteria. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber increased the inhibition diameter towards gram positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis up to 33%. However, inhibition towards Bacillus subtilis decreased with the incorporation of more cellulose nanofiber. In gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, the addition of cellulose nanofiber does not give significant effect to bacterial. In General, the addition of the unique structure of cellulose nanofiber in the starch based polymer system could enhance the mechanical strength of the film and increase the inhibition of the gram positive bacteria.

Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using... more Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using synthetic nanoreinforcement, greener solution could be developed by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber, an abundant industrial biomass waste is known contains high percentage of cellulose. The fiber was first undergoes pretreatment procee to remove unwanted contents such as hemicelluloses and lignin. The cellulose fiber then hydrolyzes into nano-size using 64% w/v of sulfuric acid. Image that obtained from Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) shown that the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm. In the nanocomposite film formulation, the incorporation of cellulose nanofiber was varied between 2-10% per weight of starch. The film appearance was observe includes its transparency, morphology using Surface Electron Microscopy. Films strength also measured as well as water barrier properties. The addition of cellul...

This chapter is aimed to review the literature concerning the filler and additive effect on polym... more This chapter is aimed to review the literature concerning the filler and additive effect on polymer gel for various advanced applications including food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and others. To date, polymer gel utilization is important due to its superior properties. Moreover, polymer gel is very responsiveness toward small environmental changes and significantly altered the gel behavior. Currently, incorporation of filler into polymer gel matrices is beneficial to enhance the characteristics of the gel such as mechanical, chemical, physical, and biological properties. Metallic compound, cellulosic material, and crosslinker are the various categories of filler that broadly used based on application and processing. Therefore, filler-loaded polymer gel could be a potential tool or vehicle for different advanced applications.

Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer from fermentation with high hydrophilicity and mechanical str... more Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer from fermentation with high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength. These properties bring opportunities in many fields in the form of paper, film and membrane. The morphology and properties of bacterial cellulose can be altered in situ by including additives not specifically required for growth of the bacteria in liquid fermentation media. Therefore, active materials can be incorporated into bacterial cellulose in order to produce bacterial cellulose films for different application. In this research, the pandanus extract was added to the growth media at different concentrations to examine their impact on the cellulose film produced. Pandan extract contents pyroline which consists of Cyclic nitrogen (-N=) and ketone, two functional groups that are responsible in metals biosorption. The result shows that increased concentration lead to the increased of cellulose yield. The films produced were tested with synthetic waste water where the results show...

Starch-based biopolymers exhibit low mechanical properties. Based on recent studies, it has been ... more Starch-based biopolymers exhibit low mechanical properties. Based on recent studies, it has been shown that the incorporation of nano fillers, such as cellulose nanofiber (CNF), into a polymer matrix can greatly improve its mechanical properties. Interestingly, the incorporation of CNF into antimicrobial packaging enhances the results of antimicrobial efficacy towards food shelf life. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) from oil palm empty fruit bunch was prepared, through pretreatment, to remove non-cellulosic content and then underwent an hydrolysis process involving strong acid. Starch-based nanocomposite film was formed by the incorporation of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% CNF, per weight of starch, into the film matrix. The nanocomposite film appeared translucent and easy to handle however, the film became more opaque as the percentage of CNF was increased. The surface morphology of the film was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy to analyze the effect of CNF addition on the ...

Lower barrier capability, renewable sources and inquiry on the mechanical strength of packaging m... more Lower barrier capability, renewable sources and inquiry on the mechanical strength of packaging material used will limit the market place for desired choices of packaging. Biocomposites have been called to enhance the packaging characteristics however the renewable sources of polymers have been questioned among industries worldwide. Up to authors' knowledge, most published reports have not covered all information regarding the issue in packaging and their information on detailed view in packaging material as well as its applications still scarce. This chapter reviews different perspective of packaging, especially on biocomposite production such as advantages, drawbacks, safety concern, and technological advancement. It also focuses on the topic of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and polylactic acid (PLA). The issue and future trend of versatile CNF and PLA biocomposites are also addressed in this chapter. The report highlighted in this chapter is of benefit to manufacturers and resea...

Biopolymers are naturally occurring materials formed in nature during the life cycles of organism... more Biopolymers are naturally occurring materials formed in nature during the life cycles of organisms. Biopolymers include the polysaccharides, carbohydrates and protein such as cellulose, starch, wool, silk, gelatine and collagen. In recent years, biopolymer-based hydrogels become important area of research in pharmaceutical aspects because of their promising properties in drug delivery system. These properties include low toxicity, biodegradability, stability and renewable nature. Numerous studies have been carried out in order to develop carrier from biopolymers with better controlled release properties. This is important to ensure precisely desired concentration of drug or essential nutrient absorption into the blood or tissue could be achieved. Among other different approaches, floating system is one of the most convenient, economical, and effective drug delivery system. Floating delivery system could potentially achieve longer retention time of carrier with capsulated bioactive d...

Durability and Life Prediction in Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites

Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 2018

A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done usi... more A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done using modified Hummer's Method whilst cellulose nanofiber from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber was prepared using acid hydrolysis method. An active polylactide based nanocomposite film was prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), graphene oxide (GO) and essential oil (EO). In determining of factor influences the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation percentage and Young's modulus), the response surface methodology (RSM) Box Behnken Design (BBD) were used. The factors considered were the ratio (wt.%) of GO and CNF as an additive and 5 wt.% of EO was set as minimum. The mechanical properties that interpreted as tensile strength, percent elongation and Young's modulus were the response variables investigated. The ratio of EO wt.% (C) is found to be the most significant factor that influences the tensile strength of the nanocomposite. In the case of elongation percentage (%E) the percentage of cellulose nanofiber CNF (A) gave the most significant effect, where in Young's modulus, EO wt.% (C) is the most significant effect, followed by wt.% of GO (B). Validation of optimization by carrying out the confirmation run high degree of prognostic ability of response surface methodology. The results showed that the optimized formulation provided a mechanical strength (tensile strength, percentage elongation and Young's Modulus) pattern that is similar to the predicted curve, which indicated that the optimal formulation could be obtained using RSM.

Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using... more Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using synthetic nanoreinforcement, greener solution could be developed by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber, an abundant industrial biomass waste is known contains high percentage of cellulose. The fiber was first undergoes pretreatment procee to remove unwanted contents such as hemicelluloses and lignin. The cellulose fiber then hydrolyzes into nano-size using 64% w/v of sulfuric acid. Image that obtained from Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) shown that the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm. In the nanocomposite film formulation, the incorporation of cellulose nanofiber was varied between 2-10% per weight of starch. The film appearance was observe includes its transparency, morphology using Surface Electron Microscopy. Films strength also measured as well as water barrier properties. The addition of cellulose nanofiber into the starch film matrix increases the tensile strength. However, maximum tensile strength was shown with addition of 2% of cellulose nanofiber with 4.68 MPa compared to native starch 3.1 MPa. Beyond that ratio, the strength of the film was decreased. The water absorption was reduced as the percentage of cellulose nanofiber incorporation increased. 10% of cellulose nanofiber shows the lowest water absorption up to 73%. Generally, the addition of cellulose nanofiber in starch based biopolymer shown significant impact on mechanical properties of the formed film as well as water barrier properties. It could define the unique characteristics of the high strength and water barrier properties that suitable for food packaging

A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done usi... more A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done using modified Hummer’s Method whilst cellulose nanofiber from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber was prepared using acid hydrolysis method. An active polylactide based nanocomposite film was prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), graphene oxide (GO) and essential oil (EO). In determining of factor influences the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation percentage and Young’s modulus), the response surface methodology (RSM) Box Behnken Design (BBD) were used. The factors considered were the ratio (wt.%) of GO and CNF as an additive and 5 wt.% of EO was set as minimum. The mechanical properties that interpreted as tensile strength, percent elongation and Young’s modulus were the response variables investigated. The ratio of EO wt.% (C) is found to be the most significant factor that influences the tensile strength of the nanocomposite. In the case of elongation perc...

Materials Today: Proceedings, 2020

Bacterial cellulose (BC) possesses high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength which suitable for... more Bacterial cellulose (BC) possesses high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength which suitable for the development of film, membrane and adsorbent materials. The morphology and properties of BC can be altered during fermentation by incorporation of additives not specifically required for the growth of bacteria in the fermentation medium. Therefore, active materials can be incorporated into BC matrices to form new composites for different applications. In this research, BC was produced from a static fermentation of Acetobacter xylinum. Applying the in-situ modification technique, pandan extract (PE) was added to the fermentation medium to form bacterial cellulose-pandan (BC-P) composite. PE contains 2-acetyl-1pyrroline (2AP) compound consists of cyclic nitrogen and ketone groups that could be functional in metals biosorption. Different percentages of PE (25-100%) were added to examine their impact on the BC yield. Then, the BC-P composites were tested with synthetic wastewater containing chromium (VI) (Cr (VI)) for its removal study. The result shows that an increased percentage of PE added during fermentation led to the increased in BC yield. Consequently, the use of BC-P composites in the Cr(VI) removal studies resulted in the enhanced of removal efficiency up to 42% higher than the native BC. In conclusion, 2AP compound was successfully incorporated into BC matrices during fermentation by in-situ modification technique to form an active BC-P composite. Hence, the newly developed BC-P composites have presented excellent potential as an alternative for heavy metal removal in wastewater treatment.

This study presented information of kinetic and release rate of lauric acid in starch-based film ... more This study presented information of kinetic and release rate of lauric acid in starch-based film blending S: C: LA ratio 1: 9: 0.08 to 5:5:0.4. The diffusion method was applied in order to investigate the kinetic and the release rate of lauric acid towards microbial from starch film blending using Gas Chromatography (GC). For kinetics test, the result from release mechanism is used and plotted on graph to determine the type of lauric acid kinetics. The best formulation of LA for water stimulant is 2:8:0.16 which is 3.38x10-4 s-1 as the inhibition process can occur at early stage and 3:7:0.24 which represents fatty food is 1.65x10-4 s-1. The film ratio of 5:5:0.40 has higher release rate of lauric acid in both acid and alcohol food stimulants and obey Higuchi release model that shows the release of lauric acid increase rapidly until it reach a stable state. As conclusion, the entire food stimulant affected the optimum release rate of lauric acid after 6 hours lead longest lag phase t...

Materials Research Innovations, 2014

Abstract In general, starch-based biopolymer has low mechanical properties. Hence, various method... more Abstract In general, starch-based biopolymer has low mechanical properties. Hence, various methods have been applied to enhance its properties as well as the incorporation of fibrous nanocellulose. The aim of this study is to enhance the mechanical properties of starch-based polymer by incorporating nanocellulose extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch. The cellulose nanofibre was obtained by hydrolysing oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre with 64% sulphuric acid at 45°C for 90 minutes. It has diameter between 50 and 90 nm as shown by transmission electron microscopy image. In nanoreinforced starch-based packaging, the amount of nanocellulose loading was varied between 2 and 10% per weight of starch. The tensile strength of 2% cellulose nanofibre incorporated film was increased to 4·68 MPa, which is 28% higher than the tensile strength exhibited by the native starch-based film, 3·66 MPa. However, the tensile strength was reduced when cellulose nanofibre incorporation goes beyond 2%. The Young's modulus demonstrates the same pattern as tensile strength, where 2% of cellulose nanofibre gave the optimum results for Young's modulus value. Elongation percentage of nanobiocomposite film also reduced even at low cellulose nanofibre loading, 2%. Regardless of its drawback on elongation percentage, an addition of 2% of cellulose nanofibre is the finest ratio that could improve the mechanical properties of starch-based biopolymer.

Membranes

Cellulose is a biopolymer that may be derived from a variety of agricultural wastes such as rice ... more Cellulose is a biopolymer that may be derived from a variety of agricultural wastes such as rice husks, wheat straw, banana, and so on. Cellulose fibril that is reduced in size, often known as nanocellulose (NC), is a bio-based polymer with nanometer-scale widths with a variety of unique properties. The use of NC as a reinforcing material for nanocomposites has become a popular research issue. This research paper focuses on the production of banana pseudostem cellulose nanofiber. Nano-sized fiber was obtained from banana pseudostem through several processes, namely, grinding, sieving, pre-treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The product yield was found to be 40.5% and 21.8% for Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, respectively, by the weight of the raw fiber. The reduction in weight was due to the removal of hemicellulose and lignin during processing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the average fiber size decreased from 180 µm to 80.3 ± 21.3 nm. Fina...

Procedia Chemistry, 2014

Biopolymer active packaging is known to have low mechanical strength and highly brittle. Regardle... more Biopolymer active packaging is known to have low mechanical strength and highly brittle. Regardless to its disadvantage, polymers from natural sources have attracted serious attention since the non-renewable sources for example petroleum, the major precursor of plastic manufacturing become depleted. Starch-Chitosan for instance is a hybrid film that entirely green as it produced from a renewable material and totally degradable. The addition of chitosan in film packaging able to kill pathogen hence increases the food shelf life. Through nanotechnology advance, nanomaterial can be used for material reinforcement. Nowadays, greener approach could be applied by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber that rich of cellulose contents could be treated chemically to purify the cellulose in the fiber. Cellulose fiber obtained was cut to a nano-size using acid hydrolysis. Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) obtained shown the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm in diameter. Nanocomposite film formulation, was constructed by varying the cellulose nanofiber incorporation between 2-10% per weight of starch. The strength of the films was measured as well as antimicrobial properties. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix exhibits high tensile strength with 5.25Mpa compared to starch-chitosan hybrid film with 3.96Mpa. However, no significant improvement in tensile strength was distinguished beyond that ratio. Antimicrobial analysis shows that the addition of cellulose nanofiber could increase the inhibition effect towards gram-positive bacteria but not towards gram-negative bacteria. The addition of 2% cellulose nanofiber increased the inhibition diameter towards gram positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis up to 33%. However, inhibition towards Bacillus subtilis decreased with the incorporation of more cellulose nanofiber. In gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, the addition of cellulose nanofiber does not give significant effect to bacterial. In General, the addition of the unique structure of cellulose nanofiber in the starch based polymer system could enhance the mechanical strength of the film and increase the inhibition of the gram positive bacteria.

Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using... more Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using synthetic nanoreinforcement, greener solution could be developed by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber, an abundant industrial biomass waste is known contains high percentage of cellulose. The fiber was first undergoes pretreatment procee to remove unwanted contents such as hemicelluloses and lignin. The cellulose fiber then hydrolyzes into nano-size using 64% w/v of sulfuric acid. Image that obtained from Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) shown that the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm. In the nanocomposite film formulation, the incorporation of cellulose nanofiber was varied between 2-10% per weight of starch. The film appearance was observe includes its transparency, morphology using Surface Electron Microscopy. Films strength also measured as well as water barrier properties. The addition of cellul...

This chapter is aimed to review the literature concerning the filler and additive effect on polym... more This chapter is aimed to review the literature concerning the filler and additive effect on polymer gel for various advanced applications including food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and others. To date, polymer gel utilization is important due to its superior properties. Moreover, polymer gel is very responsiveness toward small environmental changes and significantly altered the gel behavior. Currently, incorporation of filler into polymer gel matrices is beneficial to enhance the characteristics of the gel such as mechanical, chemical, physical, and biological properties. Metallic compound, cellulosic material, and crosslinker are the various categories of filler that broadly used based on application and processing. Therefore, filler-loaded polymer gel could be a potential tool or vehicle for different advanced applications.

Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer from fermentation with high hydrophilicity and mechanical str... more Bacterial cellulose is a biopolymer from fermentation with high hydrophilicity and mechanical strength. These properties bring opportunities in many fields in the form of paper, film and membrane. The morphology and properties of bacterial cellulose can be altered in situ by including additives not specifically required for growth of the bacteria in liquid fermentation media. Therefore, active materials can be incorporated into bacterial cellulose in order to produce bacterial cellulose films for different application. In this research, the pandanus extract was added to the growth media at different concentrations to examine their impact on the cellulose film produced. Pandan extract contents pyroline which consists of Cyclic nitrogen (-N=) and ketone, two functional groups that are responsible in metals biosorption. The result shows that increased concentration lead to the increased of cellulose yield. The films produced were tested with synthetic waste water where the results show...

Starch-based biopolymers exhibit low mechanical properties. Based on recent studies, it has been ... more Starch-based biopolymers exhibit low mechanical properties. Based on recent studies, it has been shown that the incorporation of nano fillers, such as cellulose nanofiber (CNF), into a polymer matrix can greatly improve its mechanical properties. Interestingly, the incorporation of CNF into antimicrobial packaging enhances the results of antimicrobial efficacy towards food shelf life. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) from oil palm empty fruit bunch was prepared, through pretreatment, to remove non-cellulosic content and then underwent an hydrolysis process involving strong acid. Starch-based nanocomposite film was formed by the incorporation of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% CNF, per weight of starch, into the film matrix. The nanocomposite film appeared translucent and easy to handle however, the film became more opaque as the percentage of CNF was increased. The surface morphology of the film was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy to analyze the effect of CNF addition on the ...

Lower barrier capability, renewable sources and inquiry on the mechanical strength of packaging m... more Lower barrier capability, renewable sources and inquiry on the mechanical strength of packaging material used will limit the market place for desired choices of packaging. Biocomposites have been called to enhance the packaging characteristics however the renewable sources of polymers have been questioned among industries worldwide. Up to authors' knowledge, most published reports have not covered all information regarding the issue in packaging and their information on detailed view in packaging material as well as its applications still scarce. This chapter reviews different perspective of packaging, especially on biocomposite production such as advantages, drawbacks, safety concern, and technological advancement. It also focuses on the topic of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and polylactic acid (PLA). The issue and future trend of versatile CNF and PLA biocomposites are also addressed in this chapter. The report highlighted in this chapter is of benefit to manufacturers and resea...

Biopolymers are naturally occurring materials formed in nature during the life cycles of organism... more Biopolymers are naturally occurring materials formed in nature during the life cycles of organisms. Biopolymers include the polysaccharides, carbohydrates and protein such as cellulose, starch, wool, silk, gelatine and collagen. In recent years, biopolymer-based hydrogels become important area of research in pharmaceutical aspects because of their promising properties in drug delivery system. These properties include low toxicity, biodegradability, stability and renewable nature. Numerous studies have been carried out in order to develop carrier from biopolymers with better controlled release properties. This is important to ensure precisely desired concentration of drug or essential nutrient absorption into the blood or tissue could be achieved. Among other different approaches, floating system is one of the most convenient, economical, and effective drug delivery system. Floating delivery system could potentially achieve longer retention time of carrier with capsulated bioactive d...

Durability and Life Prediction in Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites

Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, 2018

A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done usi... more A simple preparation of functional nanoscale graphene oxide (GO) via synthetic route was done using modified Hummer's Method whilst cellulose nanofiber from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber was prepared using acid hydrolysis method. An active polylactide based nanocomposite film was prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofiber (CNF), graphene oxide (GO) and essential oil (EO). In determining of factor influences the mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation percentage and Young's modulus), the response surface methodology (RSM) Box Behnken Design (BBD) were used. The factors considered were the ratio (wt.%) of GO and CNF as an additive and 5 wt.% of EO was set as minimum. The mechanical properties that interpreted as tensile strength, percent elongation and Young's modulus were the response variables investigated. The ratio of EO wt.% (C) is found to be the most significant factor that influences the tensile strength of the nanocomposite. In the case of elongation percentage (%E) the percentage of cellulose nanofiber CNF (A) gave the most significant effect, where in Young's modulus, EO wt.% (C) is the most significant effect, followed by wt.% of GO (B). Validation of optimization by carrying out the confirmation run high degree of prognostic ability of response surface methodology. The results showed that the optimized formulation provided a mechanical strength (tensile strength, percentage elongation and Young's Modulus) pattern that is similar to the predicted curve, which indicated that the optimal formulation could be obtained using RSM.

Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using... more Biopolymer especially starch based generally exhibits low mechanical properties. Instead of using synthetic nanoreinforcement, greener solution could be developed by incorporating natural cellulose nanofiber into the film matrix. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber, an abundant industrial biomass waste is known contains high percentage of cellulose. The fiber was first undergoes pretreatment procee to remove unwanted contents such as hemicelluloses and lignin. The cellulose fiber then hydrolyzes into nano-size using 64% w/v of sulfuric acid. Image that obtained from Transmission Electron Microscopy (T.E.M) shown that the nanofiber size was ranged between 1-100nm. In the nanocomposite film formulation, the incorporation of cellulose nanofiber was varied between 2-10% per weight of starch. The film appearance was observe includes its transparency, morphology using Surface Electron Microscopy. Films strength also measured as well as water barrier properties. The addition of cellulose nanofiber into the starch film matrix increases the tensile strength. However, maximum tensile strength was shown with addition of 2% of cellulose nanofiber with 4.68 MPa compared to native starch 3.1 MPa. Beyond that ratio, the strength of the film was decreased. The water absorption was reduced as the percentage of cellulose nanofiber incorporation increased. 10% of cellulose nanofiber shows the lowest water absorption up to 73%. Generally, the addition of cellulose nanofiber in starch based biopolymer shown significant impact on mechanical properties of the formed film as well as water barrier properties. It could define the unique characteristics of the high strength and water barrier properties that suitable for food packaging

Packaging has been defined as a socio-scientific discipline which operates in society to ensure d... more Packaging has been defined as a socio-scientific discipline which operates in society to ensure delivery of goods to the ultimate consumer of those goods in the best condition intended for their use. The packaging Institute International defines packaging as the enclosure of products, item or packages in a wrapped pouch, bag, box, cup, tray, can, tube, bottle or other container form to perform one or more of the following functions such as containment, protection, preservation, communication utility and performance (Roberstson, 2006). Packaging has a significant role in the food processes and the whole food supply chain. Food packaging has to perform several tasks as well as fulfilling many demands and requirements. It has protected food from environmental conditions such as light, oxygen, moisture, microbes, mechanical stresses and dust. Other basic tasks have been to ensure adequate labelling for providing information to the customer, packaging must be easy to open, reclosable lids and has a suitable dosing mechanism. Basic requirements for packaging are good marketing properties, reasonable price, technical feasibility (e.g. suitability for automatic packaging machines, seal ability), suitability for food contact, low environmental stress and suitability for recycling or refilling. A package has to satisfy all these various requirements effectively and economically (Ahvenainen, 2003).