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Bioinspired Green Composite Lotus Fibers
Author(s) -
Wu Mengxi,
Shuai Hua,
Cheng Qunfeng,
Jiang Lei
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201310656
Subject(s) - vinyl alcohol , composite number , textile , materials science , lotus effect , silk , composite material , fiber , environmentally friendly , natural fiber , fabrication , lotus , polymer , raw material , chemistry , medicine , ecology , alternative medicine , botany , organic chemistry , pathology , biology
Owing to the growing global environmental problems, demands for environmentally friendly, fully biodegradable sustainable composites have substantially increased across various industries. Inspired by the composite structure of cocoon silk, we fabricated a fully green composite fiber (GCF) that is based on the lotus fiber (LF) and a biodegradable polymer, namely poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). After the formation of cross‐linkages between the LF and PVA, the mechanical properties of this bioinspired GCF had substantially improved. In particular, the specific mechanical properties are superior to those of cocoon silk and other natural fibers. These findings suggest that LFs may be used as reinforcement materials for the fabrication of bulk green materials for various industries, such as the textile, medical, automobile, and aerospace industries.