It is the International Scientific Review of the Ethical Packaging Charter Foundation. A bimonthly publication in which 7 multidisciplinary articles are presented, relating to packaging, selected by several magazines of the digital science world.
In this number:
Nanocomposites with different types of nanofillers and advanced properties for different applications.
Polymer nanocomposites are an emerging technological field that offers high-performance materials with unique and innovative properties, ideal for numerous advanced applications. These include, among others, high-efficiency automotive and aerospace applications, food packaging, agriculture, printed electronics, biomedical applications, drug delivery, biotechnology, wastewater treatment, environmental protection, advanced energy storage systems, and electronic devices , gas/liquid barriers, fuel tanks, sensors, flammability reduction, chemical resistance, UV protective coatings, sports equipment, consumer goods, etc.
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3501/3/3/12
Harmony in conservation.
In recent decades, the discourse on conservation has also become increasingly anthropocentric. Indeed, the justification for nature conservation has shifted in part from the intrinsic value of nature to “ecosystem services” for the benefit of people. We argue that the United Nations’ Harmony with Nature program is an innovative path for change. If we are to achieve harmony with nature, modern industrial society will have to abandon its anthropocentric mentality of “human supremacy” and adopt an ecocentric worldview and ecological ethics.
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/2/4/44
Non-affine or non-constant slip parameter in constitutive modeling of polymer rheology.
Since its introduction in the late 1970s, the non-affine or slip parameter, ξ, has been routinely employed by many constitutive models as a constant parameter. However, the evidence seems to imply that it should be a function of polymer strain. In the present work, we phenomenologically modify a constitutive model for the rheology of unentangled molten polymers [P. S. Stephanou et al. J. Rheol. 53, 309 (2009 )] to account for a non-constant slip parameter. The conformation tensor data is very well predicted; however, predictions of material functions are noted to deviate from the NEMD data, especially at large shear rates.
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8716/2/4/22
Market power in the context of globalization.
Market power is a multidisciplinary concept, bringing together aspects of law and economics, which are necessary to be understood in order to evaluate market situations with a global dimension. Globalization is an economic and social phenomenon which is accompanied by increased market power for global players. Factors that influence or limit market power, such as corporate social responsibility, are important to understand in order to evaluate market power situations. Under European Union law, the concept of market power is reflected in the abuse of a dominant position, which is an anti-competitive behavior prohibited in the EU common market, as defined in Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. An interdisciplinary approach based on elements of law and economics is therefore necessary when assessing the market power of global players.
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8392/2/4/115
A polymer-based thermal sensor with molecular fingerprinting for the selective detection of melamine in milk samples.
In recent years, melamine detection technologies have gained increasing attention, mainly due to the molecule’s misuse as an adulterant in milk and other foods. Molecularly fingerprinted polymers (MIPs) are ideal candidates for recognizing melamine in real samples. The prepared MIP particles were incorporated into a thermally conductive layer via micro-contact deposition and its response towards melamine was analyzed using the heat transfer method (HTM). Since the EU/US legal limit of melamine in milk of 2.5 mg/kg is within the linear range of the sensor, it can offer an innovative solution for routine screening of milk samples to detect adulteration with melamine.
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/18/2906
Improvement of paper barrier properties to moisture, air and grease with nanocellulose-based coating suspensions.
Food packaging manufacturers often use lamination, typically with materials that are neither biodegradable nor biobased polymers, to impart barrier properties to paper and board. The present work considers a greener solution: improving paper resistance to moisture, grease and air by aqueous coating suspensions. For hydrophobization, a combined approach between nanocellulose and common esterifying agents was considered, but the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) remained too high for the goal of wrapping moisture sensitive products (>600 g m-2 d-1).
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7189
Recent advances in starch-based blends and composites for bioplastics applications.
Environmental pollution from synthetic polymers is a global problem and the study of substitutes for synthetic polymers is an important research area. Starch can be used in the formulation of bioplastic materials, mainly as blends or composites with other polymers. The main disadvantages of using starch in such applications are sensitivity to water and poor mechanical properties. Attempts have been made to improve the mechanical properties of starch-based blends and composites, for example by modifying or plasticizing starch, reinforcing the matrix, and blending polymers. Blending of polymers can bring synergistic benefits to blends and composites, but necessary precautions must be taken to ensure compatibility of hydrophobic polymers and hydrophilic starch.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/21/4557
