This work was sparked by the reported identification of man-made cellulosic fibers (rayon/viscose) in the marine environment as a major fraction of plastic litter by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) transmission spectroscopy and library search. To assess the plausibility of such findings, both natural and man-made fibers were examined using FT-IR spectroscopy. Spectra acquired by transmission...

In recent years natural polymers have been widely used in biomedical applications. Application of natural and biocompatible polymers in wound dressing, medical sutures and tissue engineering are extensively growing. Additional properties are provided when metal nanoparticles such as silver and gold are incorporated in to the fibers. However, nowadays nanofibers due to their inherent properties ...

Biocomposites is a field that has gained much scientific attention due to the current substantial consumption of nonrenewable resources and the environmentally harmful disposal methods required for traditional polymer composites. Research on natural fiber reinforced polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has gained considerable momentum over the past decade. There is little work on PHAs reinforced with u...

Studies on skinned fibers and single motor units have indicated that slow-twitch fibers are stiffer than fast-twitch fibers. This suggests that skeletal muscles with different motor unit compositions may have different short-range stiffness (SRS) properties. Furthermore, the natural recruitment of slow before fast motor units may result in an SRS-force profile that is different from electrical ...

Amyloid fibers play important roles in many human diseases and natural biological processes and have immense potential as novel nanomaterials. We explore the physical properties of polymorphic amyloid fibers formed by yeast prion protein Sup35. Amyloid fibers that conferred distinct prion phenotypes ([PSI(+)]), strong (S) versus weak (W) nonsense suppression, displayed different physical proper...

For the synthesis of biocomposite materials for useful applications, it becomes necessary to modify the surface of natural fibers through chemical treatments. Morphology, structure and properties of natural fibers have an obvious effect on the mechanical properties of the biocomposite materials. It is thus necessary to know the morphology, thermal stability and crystalline behavior of original ...

In the last decades, researchers have developed new materials to improve the quality of human life. Owing to the frequent occurrence of bone fractures, it is important to develop plate materials for the fixation of fractured bones. These plate materials have to be lightweight, compatible with human tissues and ought to allow stiffness. Natural fibers have the advantage that they are renewable r...