Nik Noriman Zulkepli
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Preferred name
Nik Noriman Zulkepli
Official Name
Nik Noriman , Zulkepli
Alternative Name
Zulkepli, N. N.
Noriman, Nik Zulkepli
Noriman, N. Z.
Zulkepli, Nik N.
Zulkepli, Nik Noriman
Main Affiliation
Scopus Author ID
55898485400
Researcher ID
J-6410-2015

Research Output
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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Tailoring polylactic acid properties for packaging applications: effects of co‐addition of halloysite nanotubes and selected plasticizers

2020 , Abdulkader M. Alakrach , Nik Noriman Zulkepli , Awad A. Al-Rashdi , Sam Sung Ting , Omar S. Dahham , Rosniza Hamzah

Polylactic acid (PLA) has recently given a huge attention because of its mechanical properties and good physical like good biodegradability and processability, high tensile modulus and strength. In the current research, the researchers utilized sesame oil (SO) and low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) as hydrophobic and hydrophilic plasticizers, towards improvise the ductility and toughness of PLA. The researchers synthesized nanocomposites by solution casting of the neat PLA/HNTs and PLA blends with weight ratio of (0,10, 20 and 30 wt%) for PEG and (0, 5 and 10 wt%) for SO. The influence of both plasticizers on chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. Characterization of the systems was achieved by mechanical testing and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR analyses confirmed the existing of hydrogen bonding between PLA and both PEG and SO. significant improvement was shown by the plasticized nanocomposites in elongation at break with the adding of PEG and SO, meanwhile, the plasticized films’ strength were decreased. For the thermal analyses, all the films exhibited lower thermal stability compared to PLA/HNTs film.

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PLA/MMT-TiO₂ bionanocomposites: chemical structure and surface wettability

2020-01 , Luqman I. Alrawi , Nik Noriman Zulkepli , Mohamed K. Alomar , Abdulkader M. Alakrach , Omar Sabbar Dahham , Rosniza Hamzah , Bashir O. Betar , Taha M. Jassam

Polylactic Acid (PLA) has been used widely in packaging application because of its biodegradability. The aim of this study is to produce PLA nanocomposites by solvent casting incorporating montmorillonite nanoclays (MMT) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles. The effect of different loadings of MMT in PLA and different loadings of TiO₂ on chemical structure and surface wettability were studied. The nanocomposites were prepared by solvent casting at different loadings of MMT (0, 2, 4, 6 wt %) and different loadings of TiO₂ (1 and 3 wt %) respectively. The chemical structure and surface wettability were determined. The absorption peaks in the range of 3550-3200 cm-1 had increased after incorporating of TiO₂ and it indicated that there is the presence of stretching vibration of O-H groups. Moreover, increasing the percentage of TiO₂ mass in the nanocomposites decreased the contact angle with water which led to increasing the wettability of the nanocomposites.

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Modification of Polylactic acid/ Halloysite Bionanocomposites using electron beam radiation: physical, barrier and thermal properties

2020-07 , Abdulkader M. Alakrach , Nik Noriman Zulkepli , Awad A. Al-Rashdi , Rosniza Hamzah , Sam Sung Ting , Omar S. Dahham

This study aimed to develop novel Polylactic acid/ Halloysite (PLA/ HNTs) films which showed better properties when they were used for food packaging. They also displayed better mechanical, barrier, morphological and structural properties when the researchers analysed the impact of the electron beam irradiation on the nanomaterials. They prepared PLA-based nanocomposites containing 5 % w/w of HNTs using the solution casting process. These nanocomposites were further exposed to different ebeam doses (i.e., 0, 20, 40 and 60 kGy). The researchers assessed the effect of the electron beam irradiation on the various properties of the PLA. All the composites showed a homogenous dispersion and distribution of the HNTs in this PLA matrix. Results indicated that the nanocomposites showed better barrier properties in comparison to the neat PLA. Furthermore, the ebeam irradiation could increase the glass-transition temperature and lead to the development of more crosslinks, which increased the degradation temperature and hydrophilicity of the nanocomposites. In this study, the researchers showed that the PLA/HNTs films were effective materials that could be used for the electron beam processing of the pre-packed foods. The best effect was noted for the 20 kGy dosage which was used in the study.

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