Energy storage is of great importance in our modern society and further research is required to improve its efficiency and for it to be better for the environment. Thus, plasticized solid biopolymer electrolytes (SBEs) based on carboxymethyl cellulose were prepared for a solid-state hydrogen energy storage application. The transport properties of the SBEs were determined using FTIR deconvolution techniques at the wavenumber region of 1505 to 1355 cm−1. It was found that the conductivity of SBEs were influenced mainly by ions mobility, μ and diffusion coefficient, D. A solid-state hydrogen ionic cell (SSHC) was then fabricated from the best performing SBE and evaluated. A rechargeable SSHC with the configuration of Zn + ZnSO4·7H2O/SBE/MnO2, produced a maximum open circuit potential of 1.1 V at ambient temperature and showed good rechargeability for 10 cycles. Our findings suggest for a novel practical application of the present bio-electrolyte in the fabrication of solid-state hydrogen ionic cells.

Food packaging derived from a petroleum base represents a serious environmental problem. Finding alternative sustainable solutions is a must. Therefore, the current study has focused on the production of biodegradable food packaging from renewable materials, primarily gelatin. The effect of the biomaterials used on functional properties of the films produced needs thorough investigation. Gelatin represents interesting biomaterials for developing biodegradable food packaging, mainly due to their good film forming properties and abundantly in nature. However, the incorporation of gelatin in biodegradable films for food packaging may give some drawback on certain properties of the film such as tensile strength and water vapour permeability. Thus, addition of plasticizers into the film materials improves the functional properties of films by increasing their extensibility, dispensability, flexibility, elasticity, and rigidity. This study aims to review the current findings on how plasticizers impact the functional properties of biodegradable gelatin-based films. Plasticizers incorporation in the films may affect the continuity of the polymer matrix, leading to physical changes, where the films become more flexible and stretchable. Generally, the plasticization effect of plasticizers strengthens the film structure, in which the tensile strength and elongation of the films are improved and water barrier properties are reduced.

The aim of this study is to develop composite edible films from three different polymers to induce crosslink reactions that improved the quality of films made from two polymer types. Gelatin-carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-xanthan gum films were prepared by casting to study effects from the addition of different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%, w/w solid) of xanthan gum to gelatin-CMC film. Physical and mechanical properties of the respective films were evaluated. The addition of xanthan gum increased the thickness, moisture content and water vapour permeability of gelatin-CMC film (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Ultraviolet (UV) light shielding increased along with reduced visible light transparency (p < 0.05) and increased thermal stability (Tg) (p < 0.05). No new functional groups formed although slight shifts in intensity values by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were observed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed a diminished crystalline peak. The resulted films also demonstrated lower tensile strength with diminished elongation at the break point, as well as higher puncture force and lower puncture deformation, indicating higher puncture resistance than comparable gelatin-CMC film. Overall, gelatin-CMC film with xanthan gum (5%, w/w solid) demonstrated improved physical and mechanical properties more than films prepared from comparable formulations.

This study utilizes optical measurements, thermo-impedance analysis, potentiodynamic polarization studies and morphology observations of henna leaves extract (HLE) incorporated in an acrylic resin coating. The acrylic resin coating with 0.2 wt/vol% HLE (AC2) had the best performance protecting metal from corrosion. XRD and DSC analysis demonstrate that an increase in the crystallite size limits the close packed structure, which increases the free volume and reduces the Tg of the coating. Open circuit potential (OCP) measurements demonstrate that the AC2 coating has a uniform potential due to the lower rate of coating barrier destruction. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicates that AC2 has the highest coating resistance, Rc (4.79 × 108 Ω), and lowest coating capacitance, Cc (3.32 × 10−9 F/cm2). An elevation in temperature caused coating deterioration for all of the coatings. AC2 has the lowest dielectric constant, εr, indicating less water uptake and lower ionic conductivity. An additional study of potentiodynamic polarization demonstrates that AC2 has shifted to the noble potential and gives the lowest corrosion current density, icorr, reading. The corrosion rate is the lowest for AC2 (3.93 × 10−7 mm/year), while the polarization resistance is the highest at 7.44 × 107 Ω. An SEM morphology study indicates that AC2 has lesser delamination and greater coverage of HLE in the coating.

Addition of doping materials can possibly enhance the ionic conduction of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). In this work, a new SPE using 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (2-HEC) incorporated with different ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) composition was prepared via solution casting method. Studies of structural proper ties were conducted to correlate the ionic conductivity of 2-HEC NH4NO3 SPE using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Encouraging result was obtained as the ionic conductivity increased about two orders of magnitude upon addition of 12 wt% of NH4NO3. XRD anal ysis shows the most amorphous SPE was obtained at 12-NH4NO3. From FTIR spectra, the interactions between 2-HEC and NH4NO3 were observed by the shifts of C O H peak from 1355 cm−1 to 1330 cm−1 and the presence of new N H peak in the O H region. The spectrum has been validated theoretically using Gaussian software. The results obtained from this study corroborate that the complexes of 2-HEC and NH4NO3 responsible to promote the ionic conductivity to the higher value.