Polystyrene-montmorillonite core-shell particles via Pickering emulsion polymerization and their use as reinforcing additives for polypropylene and ethylene vinyl acetate

Nanocellulose in Emulsions and Heterogeneous Water-Based Polymer Systems: A Review

Nanocelluloses (i.e., bacterial nanocellulose, cellulose nanocrystals, and cellulose nanofibrils) are cellulose-based materials with at least one dimension in the nanoscale. These materials have unique and useful properties and have been shown to assemble at oil-water interfaces and impart new functionality to emulsion and latex systems. Herein, the use of nanocellulose in both emulsions and heterogeneous water-based polymers is reviewed, including dispersion, suspension, and emulsion polymerization. Comprehensive tables describe past work employing nanocellulose as stabilizers or additives and the properties that can be tailored through the use of nanocellulose are highlighted. Even at low loadings, nanocellulose offers an unprecedented level of control as a property modifier for a range of emulsion and polymer applications, influencing, for example, emulsion type, stability, and stimuli-responsive behavior. Nanocellulose can tune polymer particle properties such as size, surface charge, and morphology, or be used to produce capsules and polymer nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and adhesive properties. The role of nanocellulose is discussed, and a perspective for future direction is presented.

Applications of nanotechnology on vegetable crops

Agriculture is the backbone of most developing countries, and most of their people depend on it for their livelihood. The world population is increased by approximately 83 million people each year, so there is a need to increase agricultural productivity. At present, productivity growth can be achieved either by expanding the area cultivated or increasing crop yields through improving the efficiency of fertilizers used. Therefore, there has been a trend to use modern technologies, such as nanotechnology (NT), to increase the productivity of plants. Where, it is involved in the food production process, from planting to packaging. NT improves plants' ability to absorb nutrients, and the agronomic properties of soil, which improves plant growth and productivity. Economically, NT increased the efficiency of nano-fertilizers, and so contributed to increasing productivity and the production of crops. However, the study of the effect of nanotechnology on the environment of soils and plants did not receive the required study. In this review, a comprehensive survey is exhibited on NT as an effective method in dealing with the problem of fertilizer loss during irrigation. This review discusses the technologies and applications of the latest research findings in this field. Furthermore, this review deals with the forms and types of nanoparticles and the methods of their transmission in plants, as well as their effect on plants (physiological and DNA) as well as on those who eat those plants.

Synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals-armored fluorinated polyacrylate latexes via Pickering emulsion polymerization and their film properties

Cellulose nanocrystals-armored fluorinated polyacrylate latex particles with the core-shell spherical shape were prepared by a facile and efficient strategy based on Pickering emulsion polymerization using the modified cellulose nanocrystals, poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)-g-cellulose nanocrystal-g-poly(2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl acrylate) (PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA) as a sole Pickering stabilizer. The TEM result indicated that PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA effectively anchored on the outside of latex particles and improved the performance of emulsions, demonstrating the important role of the PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA in the Pickering stabilization process. The influences of the type of Pickering stabilizers and the PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA amount on the emulsion polymerization were investigated. The size of latex particles could be adjusted by PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g- PHFBA amount. XPS result showed that the fluorine-containing groups tended to enrich at the air-film interface of latex film during the heat process, leading to the decrease of surface free energy. The water-oil repellent and mechanical properties of the film could be improved as the content of PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA increased. In addition, thermal analysis showed an enhancement of the thermal properties of latex film upon increasing the PDMAEMA-g-CNC-g-PHFBA content.