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Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties...
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Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 7364

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Julia L. Shamshina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
Interests: chitin; cellulose; cotton; biopolymers; polysaccharides; biopolymeric materials; bioproducts
Dr. Paula Berton

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Interests: ionic liquids; sustainability; separations; biomass; unconventional oil
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will cover the current state-of-the-art findings in the area of biopolymers (cellulose, chitin, chitosan, starch, lignin, etc.), from fundamental properties of biopolymers and blends to the preparation of materials from them, including composites and nanocomposites. We especially encourage the submission of research works by experts in polymer sciences on the development of new methods and techniques for biopolymers’ characterization, processing, and preparation of novel sustainable materials. Invited works include original research articles, reviews and mini-reviews, communications, and editorials

Dr. Julia L. Shamshina
Dr. Paula Berton
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • biomaterials
  • renewables
  • properties
  • applications
  • sustainability
  • circular economy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3220 KiB  
Article
A New and Rapid HPLC Method to Determine the Degree of Deacetylation of Glutaraldehyde-Cross-Linked Chitosan
by Ons Amamou, Jean-Philippe Denis, Élise Heinen, Taoufik Boubaker and Sébastien Cardinal
Molecules 2023, 28(21), 7294; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217294 - 27 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1072
Abstract
Chitosan is a linear biopolymer composed of D-glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine units. The percentage of D-glucosamine in the polymeric chain can vary from one sample to another and is expressed as the degree of deacetylation (DDA). Since this parameter has an impact on many [...] Read more.
Chitosan is a linear biopolymer composed of D-glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine units. The percentage of D-glucosamine in the polymeric chain can vary from one sample to another and is expressed as the degree of deacetylation (DDA). Since this parameter has an impact on many properties, its determination is often critical, and potentiometric titration is a common analytical technique to measure the DDA. Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde is one of the most explored modifications of chitosan; however, the determination of the DDA for the resulting reticulated chitosan resins can be challenging. In this paper, we report a new, rapid, and efficient method to determine the DDA of glutaraldehyde-cross-linked chitosan resins via HPLC. This method relies on the use of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) as a derivatizing agent to measure the level of reticulation of the polymer (LR) after the reticulation step. In this study, we prepare three calibration curves (with an R2 value over 0.92) for three series of reticulated polymers covering a large range of reticulation levels to demonstrate that a correlation can be established between the LR established via HPLC and the DDA obtained via titration. The polymers are derived from three different chitosan starting materials. These standard calibration curves are now used on a routine basis in our lab, and the HPLC method has allowed us to change our DDA analysis time from 20 h to 5 min. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications)
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13 pages, 4656 KiB  
Article
Revealing the Control Mechanisms of pH on the Solution Properties of Chitin via Single-Molecule Studies
by Song Zhang, Miao Yu, Guoqiang Zhang, Guanmei He, Yunxu Ji, Juan Dong, Huayan Zheng and Lu Qian
Molecules 2023, 28(19), 6769; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28196769 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1098
Abstract
Chitin is one of the most common polysaccharides and is abundant in the cell walls of fungi and the shells of insects and aquatic organisms as a skeleton. The mechanism of how chitin responds to pH is essential to the precise control of [...] Read more.
Chitin is one of the most common polysaccharides and is abundant in the cell walls of fungi and the shells of insects and aquatic organisms as a skeleton. The mechanism of how chitin responds to pH is essential to the precise control of brewing and the design of smart chitin materials. However, this molecular mechanism remains a mystery. Results from single-molecule studies, including single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), AFM imaging, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, have shown that the mechanical and conformational behaviors of chitin molecules show surprising pH responsiveness. This can be compared with how, in natural aqueous solutions, chitin tends to form a more relaxed spreading conformation and show considerable elasticity under low stretching forces in acidic conditions. However, its molecular chain collapses into a rigid globule in alkaline solutions. The results show that the chain state of chitin can be regulated by the proportions of inter- and intramolecular H-bonds, which are determined via the number of water bridges on the chain under different pH values. This basic study may be helpful for understanding the cellular activities of fungi under pH stress and the design of chitin-based drug carriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications)
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22 pages, 5325 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Coatings for Medical Textiles via Reactive Organo-Selenium Compounds
by Ejajul Hoque, Phat Tran, Unique Jacobo, Nicholas Bergfeld, Sanjit Acharya, Julia L. Shamshina, Ted W. Reid and Noureddine Abidi
Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6381; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176381 - 31 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1124
Abstract
Bleached and cationized cotton fabrics were chemically modified with reactive organoselenium compounds through the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) reaction, which allowed for organo-selenium attachment onto the surface of cotton fabrics via covalent bonds and, in the case of the cationized cotton [...] Read more.
Bleached and cationized cotton fabrics were chemically modified with reactive organoselenium compounds through the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) reaction, which allowed for organo-selenium attachment onto the surface of cotton fabrics via covalent bonds and, in the case of the cationized cotton fabric, additional ionic interactions. The resulting textiles exhibited potent bactericidal activity against S. aureus (99.99% reduction), although only moderate activity was observed against E. coli. Fabrics treated with reactive organo-selenium compounds also exhibited fungicidal activities against C. albicans, and much higher antifungal activity was observed when organo-selenium compounds were applied to the cationized cotton in comparison to the bleached cotton. The treatment was found to be durable against rigorous washing conditions (non-ionic detergent/100 °C). This paper is the first report on a novel approach integrating the reaction of cotton fabrics with an organo-selenium antimicrobial agent. This approach is attractive because it provides a method for imparting antimicrobial properties to cotton fabrics which does not disrupt the traditional production processes of a textile mill. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications)
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15 pages, 2498 KiB  
Article
Adhesive and Flame-Retardant Properties of Starch/Ca2+ Gels with Different Amylose Contents
by Peng Liu, Jiandi Ling, Taoyan Mao, Feng Liu, Wenzhi Zhou, Guojie Zhang and Fengwei Xie
Molecules 2023, 28(11), 4543; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28114543 - 04 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2223
Abstract
Starch, being renewable and biodegradable, is a viable resource for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. The potential of starch/Ca2+ gels based on waxy corn starch (WCS), normal corn starch (NCS), and two high-amylose corn starches, G50 (55% amylose content) and G70 [...] Read more.
Starch, being renewable and biodegradable, is a viable resource for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. The potential of starch/Ca2+ gels based on waxy corn starch (WCS), normal corn starch (NCS), and two high-amylose corn starches, G50 (55% amylose content) and G70 (68% amylose content) as flame-retardant adhesives has been explored. Being stored at 57% relative humidity (RH) for up to 30 days, the G50/Ca2+ and G70/Ca2+ gels were stable without water absorption or retrogradation. The starch gels with increasing amylose content displayed increased cohesion, as reflected by significantly higher tensile strength and fracture energy. All the four starch-based gels showed good adhesive properties on corrugated paper. For wooden boards, because of the slow diffusion of the gels, the adhesive abilities are weak initially but improve with storage extension. After storage, the adhesive abilities of the starch-based gels are essentially unchanged except for G70/Ca2+, which peels from a wood surface. Moreover, all the starch/Ca2+ gels exhibited excellent flame retardancy with limiting oxygen index (LOI) values all around 60. A facile method for the preparation of starch-based flame-retardant adhesives simply by gelating starch with a CaCl2 solution, which can be used in paper or wood products, has been demonstrated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications)
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15 pages, 3497 KiB  
Article
Larix Sibirica Arabinogalactan Hydrolysis over Zr-SBA-15; Depolymerization Insight
by Valentin V. Sychev, Yuriy N. Malyar, Andrey M. Skripnikov, Yuriy A. Trotsky, Yulia N. Zaitseva, Anna O. Eremina, Valentina S. Borovkova and Oxana P. Taran
Molecules 2022, 27(24), 8756; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27248756 - 09 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1265
Abstract
Arabinogalactan depolymerization over solid Zr-containing SBA-15-based catalyst was studied via HPLC, GPC, and theoretical modeling. Arabinogalactans (AG) are hemicelluloses mainly present in larch wood species, which can be extracted on an industrial scale. The application of solid acid catalysts in the processes of [...] Read more.
Arabinogalactan depolymerization over solid Zr-containing SBA-15-based catalyst was studied via HPLC, GPC, and theoretical modeling. Arabinogalactans (AG) are hemicelluloses mainly present in larch wood species, which can be extracted on an industrial scale. The application of solid acid catalysts in the processes of hemicellulose conversion can exclude serious drawbacks such as equipment corrosion, etc. Characterization of 5%Zr-SBA-15 confirmed the successful formation of the mesoporous structure inherent to SBA-15 with fine Zr distribution and strong acidic properties (XRD, XPS, FTIR, pHpzc). Carrying out the process at 130 °C allowed us to achieve total products yield of up to 59 wt%, which is represented mainly by galactose (51 wt%) and minor (less than 9 wt%) presence of arabinose, furfural, 5-HMF, and levulinic acid. The temperature increases up to 150 °C resulted in a total product yield drop down to 37 wt%, making temperature elevation above 130 °C obsolete. According to the theoretical investigations, arabinogalactan depolymerization follows the primary cleavage of the β(1→3) bonds between the D-galactose units of the main chain, which is also confirmed by GPC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Insights into Biopolymer Processing, from Preparation to Fundamental Properties and Industrial Applications)
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