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Special Issue "Biomass-Based Polymer Membranes and Films: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications"

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1. College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350108, China
2. National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: biomass-based membranes; nanoporous materials; nanofiltration; water purfication; molecular separation; ionic separation

Dr. Qilin Lu

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Fujian Key Laboratory of Novel Functional Textile Fibers and Materials, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: cellulose nanocrystals; natural polymers; biomass composite materials; smart hydrogel film
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer membranes and films have been widely applied in chemical separations, sensors, batteries, and flexible electronic devices. Biomass-based polymers provide a sustainable material platform for developing membranes and films, which feature the advantages of zero carbon emissions, abundant natural functional groups, easy degradation and tunable properties via different synthesis modification methods. In recent years, extensive efforts have been devoted to engineering biomass-based polymer membranes and films with tailored-made structures and outstanding performance. However, the variety of biomass-based polymers for membranes/films, in addition to fabrication technologies, is still limited. Furthermore, their applications still need to be expanded.

For this Special Issue of Polymers, full research papers, communications, and review articles are invited on the following topics:

Biomass-based polymer membrane/film synthesis;
Biomass-based polymer membrane/film characterization;
Biomass-based polymer membrane/film modification;
Biomass-based polymer membranes for chemical separations;
Biomass-based polymer films for sensors, batteries, and electronic devices.

Dr. Xinda You
Dr. Qilin Lu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biomass
polymer
membrane
film
micro-/ultra-/nanofiltration
reverse osmosis
forward osmosis
electrodialysis
mass transport in membrane
mixed matrix membranes
hydrogel film
functional films

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Ultrastrong and Tough Urushiol-Based Ionic Conductive Double Network Hydrogels as Flexible Strain Sensors

and

Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3219; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153219 - 28 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Ionic conductive hydrogels have attracted increasing research interest in flexible electronics. However, the limited resilience and poor fatigue resistance of current ionic hydrogels significantly restrict their practical application. Herein, an urushiol-based ionic conductive double network hydrogel (PU/PVA-Li) was developed by one-pot thermal initiation polymerization assisted with freeze–thaw cycling and subsequent LiCl soaking. Such a PU/PVA-Li hydrogel comprises a primary network of covalently crosslinked polyurushiol (PU) and a secondary network formed by physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through crystalline regions. The obtained PU/PVA-Li hydrogel demonstrates exceptional mechanical properties, including ultrahigh strength (up to 3.4 MPa), remarkable toughness (up to 1868.6 kJ/m³), and outstanding fatigue resistance, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the interpenetrating network structure and dynamic physical interactions between PU and PVA chains. Moreover, the incorporation of LiCl into the hydrogels induces polymer chain contraction via ionic coordination, further enhancing their mechanical strength and resilience, which also impart exceptional ionic conductivity (2.62 mS/m) to the hydrogels. Based on these excellent characteristics of PU/PVA-Li hydrogel, a high-performance flexible strain sensor is developed, which exhibits high sensitivity, excellent stability, and reliability. This PU/PVA-Li hydrogel sensor can be effectively utilized as a wearable electronic device for monitoring various human joint movements. This PU/PVA-Li hydrogel sensor could also demonstrate its great potential in information encryption and decryption through Morse code. This work provides a facile strategy for designing versatile, ultrastrong, and tough ionic conductive hydrogels using sustainable natural extracts and biocompatible polymers. The developed hydrogels hold great potential as promising candidate materials for future flexible intelligent electronics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass-Based Polymer Membranes and Films: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications)

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Open AccessArticle

Urushiol-Based Benzoxazine Containing Sulfobetaine Groups for Sustainable Marine Antifouling Applications

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Polymers 2023, 15(10), 2383; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15102383 - 19 May 2023

Viewed by 969

Abstract

Benzoxazine resins are new thermosetting resins with excellent thermal stability, mechanical properties, and a flexible molecular design, demonstrating promise for applications in marine antifouling coatings. However, designing a multifunctional green benzoxazine resin-derived antifouling coating that combines resistance to biological protein adhesion, a high antibacterial rate, and low algal adhesion is still challenging. In this study, a high-performance coating with a low environmental impact was synthesized using urushiol-based benzoxazine containing tertiary amines as the precursor, and a sulfobetaine moiety into the benzoxazine group was introduced. This sulfobetaine-functionalized urushiol-based polybenzoxazine coating (poly(U−ea/sb)) was capable of clearly killing marine biofouling bacteria adhered to the coating surface and significantly resisting protein attachment. poly(U−ea/sb) exhibited an antibacterial rate of 99.99% against common Gram negative bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli and Vibrio alginolyticus) and Gram positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus sp.), with >99% its algal inhibition activity, and it effectively prevented microbial adherence. Here, a dual-function crosslinkable zwitterionic polymer, which used an “offensive-defensive” tactic to improve the antifouling characteristics of the coating was presented. This simple, economic, and feasible strategy provides new ideas for the development of green marine antifouling coating materials with excellent performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass-Based Polymer Membranes and Films: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications)

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Special Issue "Biomass-Based Polymer Membranes and Films: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications"

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