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Polymers
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The Prospect of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers: Preparation, Characterization and...
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The Prospect of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers: Preparation, Characterization and Application

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 4508

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jun Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Interests: condensed tannin; starch; carbohydrates; lignin; cellulose; bio-based adhesives; biodegradable foams
Prof. Dr. Shuduan Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Interests: bio-based materials; biodegradable polymers; polymer chemistry; adhesion and adhesives
Prof. Dr. Xiaojian Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Interests: condensed tannin; bio-based adhesives; biodegradable foams; wood composites; bio-based films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of polymer materials has expanded to a vast majority of human activities, providing convenient conditions for human life. This is due to their various advantages, such as a light weight, excellent mechanical properties, simple preparation, good thermal properties and water resistance. However, at present, most polymer materials originating from the petrochemical industry are difficult to degrade after use. It is estimated that most synthetic plastics require 400–500 years to completely decompose. Due to concerns about environmental pollution and the depletion of chemical oil, the development of renewable and biodegradable polymers from renewable natural resources has become a new direction for the polymer materials industry. The purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight the synthesis, performance and application of biobased and biodegradable polymers, copolymers, blends, composites and nanocomposites.

Dr. Jun Zhang
Prof. Dr. Shuduan Deng
Prof. Dr. Xiaojian Zhou
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. Polymers 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

  • biobased polymers
  • biodegradable polymers
  • sustainable materials
  • renewable resources
  • mechanical properties
  • thermal properties

Published Papers (3 papers)

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15 pages, 6537 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Silane Coupling Agents on Properties of Waste Corrugated Paper Fiber/Polylactic Acid Composites
by Mannan Yang, Jian Su, Yamin Zheng, Changqing Fang, Wanqing Lei and Lu Li
Polymers 2023, 15(17), 3525; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15173525 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1273
Abstract
The surface of plant fibers was modified by silane coupling agents to prepare plant fiber/polylactic acid (PLA) composites, which can improve the dispersion, adhesion, and compatibility between the plant fibers and the PLA matrix. In this work, three silane coupling agents (KH550, KH560, [...] Read more.
The surface of plant fibers was modified by silane coupling agents to prepare plant fiber/polylactic acid (PLA) composites, which can improve the dispersion, adhesion, and compatibility between the plant fibers and the PLA matrix. In this work, three silane coupling agents (KH550, KH560, and KH570) with different molecular structures were used to modify the surface of waste corrugated paper fibers (WFs), and dichloromethane was used as the solvent to prepare the WF/PLA composites. The effects of different silane coupling agents on the microstructure, mechanical properties, thermal decomposition, and crystallization properties of the composites were studied. The mechanical properties of the composites treated with 4 wt% KH560 were the best. Silane coupling agents can slightly improve the melting temperature of the composites, and WFs can promote the crystallization of PLA. The modification of WFs by silane coupling agents can increase the decomposition temperature of the WF/PLA composites. The content and type of silane coupling agent directly affected the mechanical properties of the WF/PLA composites. The interfacial compatibility between the WFs and PLA can be improved by using a silane coupling agent, which can further enhance the mechanical properties of WF/PLA composites. This provides a research basis for the further improvement of the performance of plant fiber/PLA composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Prospect of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers: Preparation, Characterization and Application)
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12 pages, 6709 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Characterization of Biomass Tannin-Based Flexible Foam Insoles for Athletes
by Zhikai Zuo, Bowen Liu, Hisham Essawy, Zhigang Huang, Jun Tang, Zhe Miao, Fei Chen and Jun Zhang
Polymers 2023, 15(16), 3480; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15163480 - 20 Aug 2023
Viewed by 980
Abstract
The exploitation of bio-based foams implies an increase in the use of renewable biological resources to reduce the rapid consumption of petroleum-derived resources. Both tannins and furfuryl alcohol are derived from forestry resources and are, therefore, considered attractive precursors for the preparation of [...] Read more.
The exploitation of bio-based foams implies an increase in the use of renewable biological resources to reduce the rapid consumption of petroleum-derived resources. Both tannins and furfuryl alcohol are derived from forestry resources and are, therefore, considered attractive precursors for the preparation of tannin–furanic foams. In addition, toughening modification of tannin–furanic foams using polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) results in a more flexible network-like structure, which imparts excellent flexibility to the foams, whose relative properties are even close to those of polyurethane foams, which are the most used for fabrication of insoles for athletes. In addition, the addition of PVOH does not affect the thermal insulation properties of the foams by testing the thermal conductivity, resilience, and elongation at break, while reducing the brittleness of the samples and improving the mechanical properties. Also, the observation of the morphology of the foam shows that the compatibility between PVOH and tannin–furanic resin is good, and the cured foam does not show fragmentation and collapse, while the bubble pore structure is uniform. The developed flexible foam derived from biomass resources endows the foam with good thermal insulation properties and high mechanical properties, and the samples exhibit suitable physical parameters to be used as flexible insoles for athletes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Prospect of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers: Preparation, Characterization and Application)
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15 pages, 6000 KiB  
Article
Fungal Selectivity and Biodegradation Effects by White and Brown Rot Fungi for Wood Biomass Pretreatment
by Jiyun Qi, Fangfang Li, Lu Jia, Xiaoyuan Zhang, Shuduan Deng, Bei Luo, Yonghui Zhou, Mizi Fan and Yan Xia
Polymers 2023, 15(8), 1957; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15081957 - 20 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
The biodegradation path and mechanism of wood varies depending on diverse fungi and tree species, as fungi possess selectivity in degradation of versatile wood components. This paper aims to clarify the actual and precise selectivity of white and brown rot fungi and the [...] Read more.
The biodegradation path and mechanism of wood varies depending on diverse fungi and tree species, as fungi possess selectivity in degradation of versatile wood components. This paper aims to clarify the actual and precise selectivity of white and brown rot fungi and the biodegradation effects on different tree species. Softwood (Pinus yunnanensis and Cunninghamia lanceolata) and hardwood (Populus yunnanensis and Hevea brasiliensis) were subjected to a biopretreating process by white rot fungus Trametes versicolor, and brown rot fungi Gloeophyllum trabeum and Rhodonia placenta with various conversion periods. The results showed that the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor had a selective biodegradation in softwood, which preferentially convert wood hemicellulose and lignin, but cellulose was retained selectively. Conversely, Trametes versicolor achieved simultaneous conversion of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in hardwood. Both brown rot fungi species preferentially converted carbohydrates, but R. placenta had a selectivity for the conversion of cellulose. In addition, morphological observation showed that the microstructures within wood changed significantly, and the enlarged pores and the improved accessibility could be beneficial for the penetration and accessibility of treating substrates. The research outcomes could serve as fundamental knowhows and offer potentials for effective bioenergy production and bioengineering of bioresources, and provide a reference for further application of fungal biotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Prospect of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers: Preparation, Characterization and Application)
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