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Green composites are increasingly attracting interest due to their potential to address environmental issues by merging sustainable fillers with biodegradable polymers. The current study investigates the incorporation of zinc lignin hybrid (Zn-LSF) nanoparticles into a polyurethane matrix at varying ratios. The hybrid’s elemental composition was determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy ( EDAX). The functional groups of both the hybrid and the prepared polyurethane films were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to analyze the morphology of the Zn-LSF/polyurethane films. Mechanical properties and permeability were also evaluated. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity and toxicity of the composites were assessed. The results demonstrated that the zinc lignin hybrid is non-toxic, provides antimicrobial properties, and enhances the mechanical strength of polyurethane along with a UV-shielding effect for the prepared polyurethane films. These findings suggest that, the prepared composites have potential as a sustainable, multifunctional additive for safe polyurethane food packaging.

Green flexible conductive composites (FCCs) with high flexibility and foldability have potential uses in wearables, artificial intelligence (AI), and other fields. This research explores the valorization of aluminum hybrid fillers (lignin, silica, and fatty acids) extracted from rice straw black liquor to develop sustainable rubber composites. The natural rubber (NR) matrix was reinforced with different fillers: sodium bentonite, silica, and a synthesized Al(LSF) hybrid filler. The blending was performed using a two-roll mill with certain working conditions. The characteristics of the Al(LSF) hybrid filler were analyzed in detail. The properties of mechanical, swelling, electrical conductivity and morphology of the synthesized rubber composites were assessed. Characterization revealed that Al(LSF) hybrid filler accelerates the vulcanization process of NR composites. Notably, the properties of the resulting composites, such as tensile strength, crosslink density, and reinforcement direction, are dependent on the filler grain size. Al(LSF) nanoparticles (< 40 nm) provide superior reinforcement due to their increased interfacial interaction with the NR matrix. Because of its better interaction and dispersion, the Al(LSF) hybrid filler exhibited more uniform distribution, according to SEM images. In contrast to sodium bentonite and silica, the Al(LSF)/NR composites exhibit improved electrical conductivity (σ) and dielectric permittivity (ε’). The addition of Al(LSF) to NR composites led to a pronounced increase in electrical conductivity (σ), reaching nearly 900% higher than that of the unfilled NR. The findings of this experiment are expected to facilitate the creation of economical and sustainable rubber composites for widespread use in rubber industries.

Nanotechnologies are attracting attention in various scientific fields for their technological and application potential, including their use as bio-activators and nanocarriers in agriculture. This work aimed to synthesize a hybrid material (ZnO@LNP) consisting of lignin nanoparticles containing zinc oxide (4 wt %). The synthesized ZnO hybrid material showed catalytic effect toward thermal degradation, as evidenced by the TGA investigation, while both spectroscopic and contact angle measurements confirmed a modification of surface hydrophilicity for the lignin nanoparticles due to the presence of hydrophobic zinc oxide. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the ZnO@LNP and the zinc release of this material were evaluated. At the application level, this study proposes for the first time the use of such a hybrid system to prime maize seeds by exploiting the release characteristics of this material. Concerning the dosage applied, ZnO@LNP promoted inductive effects on the early stages of seed development and plant growth and biomass development of young seedlings. In particular, the ZnO@LNP stimulated, in the primed seeds, a higher content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins, total phenols, and a better antioxidant activity, as supported by the lower levels of lipid peroxidation found when compared to the control samples.

Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) was used in an effort to improve the properties of polybutylene succinate (PBS). The resultant blend consisting of PBS/PBAT (70/30) was reinforced with lignin at different loadings (5 to 15 wt.%) and zinc (ZnO) nanoparticles (1.5 wt.%). Hot melt extrusion and injection moulding were used to prepare the hybrid composites. The mechanical, thermal, physical, self-cleaning, and antimicrobial properties of the resultant hybrid composites were investigated. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirmed that ZnO was successfully prepared with average diameters of 80 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that there were interactions between the fillers and the blend. The tensile strength and elongation at the break of the resultant materials decreased with increasing the loadings, while the tensile modulus showed the opposite trend. The melting behaviour of the blend was practically unaffected by incorporating lignin and ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, the incorporation of fillers reduced the thermal stability of the materials. Furthermore, the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles introduced photocatalytic properties into the polymer blend, rendering it to be a functional self-cleaning material and enhancing its antimicrobial activities.

The widely used high-density polyethylene (HDPE) polymer has inadequate mechanical and thermal properties for structural applications. To overcome this challenge, nano zinc oxide (ZnO) and nano boron oxide (B2O3) doped lignin-containing cellulose nanocrystals (L-CNC) were blended in the polymer matrix. The working hypothesis is that lignin will prevent CNC aggregation, and metal oxides will reduce the flammability of polymers by modifying their degradation pathways. This research prepared and incorporated safe, effective, and eco-friendly hybrid systems of nano ZnO/L-CNC and nano B2O3/L-CNC into the HDPE matrix to improve their physio-mechanical and fire-retardant properties. The composites were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, horizontal burning test, and microcalorimetry test. The results demonstrated a substantial increase in mechanical properties and a reduction in flammability. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed some agglomeration and irregular distribution of the inorganic oxides.

Cellulose is one of the most affordable, sustainable and renewable resources, and has attracted much attention especially in the form of nanocellulose. Bacterial cellulose, cellulose nanocrystals or nanofibers may serve as a polymer support to enhance the effectiveness of metal nanoparticles. The resultant hybrids are valuable materials for biomedical applications due to the novel optical, electronic, magnetic and antibacterial properties. In the present review, the preparation methods, properties and application of nanocellulose hybrids with different metal oxides nanoparticles such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, copper oxide, magnesium oxide or magnetite are thoroughly discussed. Nanocellulose-metal oxides antibacterial formulations are preferred to antibiotics due to the lack of microbial resistance, which is the main cause for the antibiotics failure to cure infections. Metal oxide nanoparticles may be separately synthesized and added to nanocellulose (ex situ processes) or they can be synthesized using nanocellulose as a template (in situ processes). In the latter case, the precursor is trapped inside the nanocellulose network and then reduced to the metal oxide. The influence of the synthesis methods and conditions on the thermal and mechanical properties, along with the bactericidal and cytotoxicity responses of nanocellulose-metal oxides hybrids were mainly analyzed in this review. The current status of research in the field and future perspectives were also signaled.

The widespread implementation of supercapacitors is hindered by the limited energy density and the pricey porous carbon electrode materials. The cost of porous carbon is a significant factor in the overall cost of supercapacitors, therefore a high carbon yield could effectively mitigate the production cost of porous carbon. This study proposes a method to produce porous carbon spheres through a spray drying technique combined with a carbonization process, utilizing renewable enzymatic hydrolysis lignin as the carbon source and KOH as the activation agent. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the quantity of activation agent and the development of morphology, pore structure, and specific surface area of the obtained porous carbon materials. We demonstrate that this approach significantly enhances the carbon yield of porous carbon, achieving a yield of 22% in contrast to the conventional carbonization-activation method (9%). The samples acquired through this method were found to contain a substantial amount of mesopores, with an average pore size of 1.59 to 1.85 nm and a mesopore ratio of 25.6%. Additionally, these samples showed high specific surface areas, ranging from 1051 to 1831 m 2·g −1. Zinc ion hybrid capacitors with lignin-derived porous carbon cathode exhibited a high capacitance of 279 F·g −1 at 0.1 A·g −1 and an energy density of 99.1 Wh·kg −1 when the power density was 80 kW·kg −1. This research presents a novel approach for producing porous carbons with high yield through the utilization of a spray drying approach.

Environmental damage caused by colored effluents poses a threat to the environment, as vast amounts of harmful water contamination are regularly discharged into water sources. The hybrid nanocomposite was successfully synthesized using hydrothermal and thermal treatment methods. A prepared hybrid nanostructure metal composite material, utilizing gallic acid (GA@ZnO-AC), was synthesized and employed for the treatment of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous environment via adsorption. FTIR, SEM-EDX, BET, and XRD analyses were performed on the hybrid composite. The ZnO, ZnO-AC, and GA@ZnO-AC have a BET surface area of 3.7360, 491.8929, and 467.51 m 2 /g, pore volume of 0.004039, 0.286580, and 0.247606 cm 3 /g, and average pore diameter of 4.3240, 2.3304, and 2.1185 nm, respectively. TGA and TEM results indicate that the material is thermally stable due to its phase transition and exhibits a nano-scale shape. The adsorptive performance of nanocomposites ZnO-AC and GA@ZnO-AC for MB removal was significantly influenced by contact time (60 min), temperature (298 K), adsorbent dosage (60 mg (ZnO-AC), 50 mg (GA@ZnO-AC)), and pH (11). The percentage absorbed MB was 98.61% for ZnO-AC and 98.30% for GA@ZnO-AC at their optimum condition. The Langmuir isotherm showed that ZnO-AC and GA@ZnO-AC had the highest adsorption capacities of 153.85 mg/g and 175.44 mg/g, respectively, at 298 K. Isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics studies showed that the results fitted the Redlich-Peterson and PSO models, which indicated a spontaneous, feasible, exothermic, and physisorption process. This study presents a low-cost hybrid material that addresses environmental concerns related to the removal of dyes from aqueous media.

Conductive rubber composites are usually formulated from natural or synthetic rubber and a variety of petroleum-based additives. Environmental and sustainability concerns have increased interest and resulted in the search for bio-based alternatives to these additives. Rice straw is an abundant agricultural waste whose burning contributes to environmental pollution. It can be transformed into valuable resources for green composites in a sustainable manner. This research presents a sustainable approach to upcycle this biomass by developing metal–organic hybrid materials, Fe(lignin/silica/fatty acid) Fe(LSF) and Ni(lignin/silica/fatty acid) Ni(LSF) hybrid materials from rice straw black liquor for use as green activators in ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber composites. These hybrids were thoroughly characterized, the X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations confirmed the crystallinity of the Fe(LSF) hybrid and the amorphous nature of the Ni(LSF) hybrid, as well as determining the elemental composition. In addition, the morphology at the nanoscale and uniform distribution of the elements in both hybrids were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and EDX mapping analysis. The hybrids were then added to EPDM formulations to replace the traditional activator system of stearic acid and zinc oxide (ZnO). The performance of the composites was then evaluated, revealing that the green activator systems impart interesting properties. The vulcanizates achieved tensile strengths up to 5.57 MPa, showed improved resistance to thermo-oxidative aging, and demonstrated enhanced electrical conductivity. These results underscore the potential of these rice-straw-derived hybrids as sustainable, high-performance components for electrically functional EPDM applications.

Biomass-derived cellulose hybrid composite materials are promising for application in the field of photocatalysis due to their excellent properties. The excellent properties between biomass-derived cellulose and photocatalyst materials was induced by biocompatibility and high hydrophilicity of the cellulose components. Biomass-derived cellulose exhibited huge amount of electron-rich hydroxyl group which could promote superior interaction with the photocatalyst. Hence, the original sources and types of cellulose, synthesizing methods, and fabrication cellulose composites together with applications are reviewed in this paper. Different types of biomasses such as biochar, activated carbon (AC), cellulose, chitosan, and chitin were discussed. Cellulose is categorized as plant cellulose, bacterial cellulose, algae cellulose, and tunicate cellulose. The extraction and purification steps of cellulose were explained in detail. Next, the common photocatalyst nanomaterials including titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), and graphene, were introduced based on their distinct structures, advantages, and limitations in water treatment applications. The synthesizing method of TiO2-based photocatalyst includes hydrothermal synthesis, sol-gel synthesis, and chemical vapor deposition synthesis. Different synthesizing methods contribute toward different TiO2 forms in terms of structural phases and surface morphology. The fabrication and performance of cellulose composite catalysts give readers a better understanding of the incorporation of cellulose in the development of sustainable and robust photocatalysts. The modifications including metal doping, non-metal doping, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) showed improvements on the degradation performance of cellulose composite catalysts. The information and evidence on the fabrication techniques of biomass-derived cellulose hybrid photocatalyst and its recent application in the field of water treatment were reviewed thoroughly in this review paper.