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Polymers
Special Issues
Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials
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Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 3175

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xugang Dang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biomass and Function Materials & College of Bioresources Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, China
Interests: modification and functionalization of biomass macromolecules based on polysaccharide and gelatin; biomacromolecules for biomedical materials; new renewable biopolymers; resource utilization of biomass materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural polymer materials are abundant, inexpensive, bio-based, renewable, extremely strong, durable, lightweight, biodegradable, recyclable, carbon binding and safe for people and the environment and less expensive than other advanced materials and nanomaterials. Used as a type of materials additive and in composites, natural polymer materials will help to drive the global move away from oil-based plastics and products to sustainable, bio-based alternatives. Natural polymer materials can be derived from a multitude of abundant biomass sources such as straw, wood pulp, agricultural crops, organic waste, leather, as well as from bacteria. Properties including high tensile strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high aspect ratio make them attractive to a wide range of markets, from medical to construction to aerospace. As natural polymer materials originate from renewable matter, their potential to replace petroleum-derived materials in films, coatings, composites, and packaging is particularly interesting in the wake of the current political and societal movements towards the reduction in plastic consumption. Currently, natural polymer materials are being investigated regarding a number of new cutting-edge applications, including biosensors, catalysis, liquid crystalline polymers, biomaterials and pharmaceuticals. In order to be used in various applications, natural polymer materials often require chemical modification or functionalization, for example by small organic molecules, or by grafting polymers from natural polymer material backbones.

Dr. Xugang Dang
Guest Editor

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

  • natural polymer materials
  • starch
  • cellulose
  • gelatin
  • chitosan
  • lignin
  • pectin
  • plant polyphenols
  • biomass
  • modification and application

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2678 KiB  
Article
Retention of Ciprofloxacin and Carbamazepine from Aqueous Solutions Using Chitosan-Based Cryostructured Composites
by Marinela-Victoria Dumitru, Ana-Lorena Neagu, Andreea Miron, Maria Inês Roque, Luisa Durães, Ana-Mihaela Gavrilă, Andrei Sarbu, Horia Iovu, Anita-Laura Chiriac and Tanța Verona Iordache
Polymers 2024, 16(5), 639; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16050639 - 27 Feb 2024
Viewed by 500
Abstract
Water pollution is becoming a great concern at the global level due to highly polluted effluents, which are charged year by year with increasing amounts of organic residues, dyes, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals. For some of these pollutants, the industrial treatment of wastewater [...] Read more.
Water pollution is becoming a great concern at the global level due to highly polluted effluents, which are charged year by year with increasing amounts of organic residues, dyes, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals. For some of these pollutants, the industrial treatment of wastewater is still relevant. Yet, in some cases, such as pharmaceuticals, specific treatment schemes are urgently required. Therefore, the present study describes the synthesis and evaluation of promising cryostructured composite adsorbents based on chitosan containing native minerals and two types of reinforcement materials (functionalized kaolin and synthetic silicate microparticles). The targeted pharmaceuticals refer to the ciprofloxacin (CIP) antibiotic and the carbamazepine (CBZ) drug, for which the current water treatment process seem to be less efficient, making them appear in exceedingly high concentrations, even in tap water. The study reveals first the progress made for improving the mechanical stability and resilience to water disintegration, as a function of pH, of chitosan-based cryostructures. Further on, a retention study shows that both pharmaceuticals are retained with high efficiency (up to 85.94% CIP and 86.38% CBZ) from diluted aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials)
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11 pages, 2030 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Properties of a Novel Levulinic Acid-Based Environmental Auxiliary Plasticizer for Poly(vinyl chloride)
by Zeyu You, Min Yu, Renli Fu, Xiaoan Nie and Jie Chen
Polymers 2024, 16(3), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16030361 - 29 Jan 2024
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Herein, a bio-based plasticizer ketalized tung oil butyl levulinate (KTBL) was developed using methyl eleostearate, a derivative of tung oil, and butyl levulinate. KTBL can be used as an auxiliary plasticizer to partially replace traditional plasticizer. The plasticizer has a ketone structure, an [...] Read more.
Herein, a bio-based plasticizer ketalized tung oil butyl levulinate (KTBL) was developed using methyl eleostearate, a derivative of tung oil, and butyl levulinate. KTBL can be used as an auxiliary plasticizer to partially replace traditional plasticizer. The plasticizer has a ketone structure, an ester base, and a long linear chain. It was mixed with dioctyl phthalate (DOP), and the effect of the plasticizer KTBL as an auxiliary plasticizer on the plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was studied. Their compatibility and plasticizing effect were evaluated using dynamic–mechanical thermal analysis (DMA), mechanical property analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results demonstrate that when the KTBL to DOP ratio is 1:1, the blended sample with KTBL exhibits superior mechanical performance compared to pure DOP, resulting in an increased elongation at break from 377.47% to 410.92%. Moreover, with the increase in KTBL content, the durability is also significantly improved. These findings suggest that KTBL can serve as an effective auxiliary plasticizer for PVC, thereby reducing the reliance on DOP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials)
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8 pages, 1625 KiB  
Communication
Synthesis of Polymers with Narrow Molecular Mass Distribution through Interface-Initiated Room-Temperature Polymerization in Emulsion Gels
by Miles Pamueles Duan, Zhirong Zhou and Tan Zhang
Polymers 2023, 15(20), 4081; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15204081 - 13 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 920
Abstract
Homopolymers of n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, styrene, and their random copolymers were prepared via interface-initiated polymerization of emulsion gels at 20 °C. The polymerization was conducted in a free radical polymerization manner without inert gas protection. Compared with the polymers synthesized at 60 [...] Read more.
Homopolymers of n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, styrene, and their random copolymers were prepared via interface-initiated polymerization of emulsion gels at 20 °C. The polymerization was conducted in a free radical polymerization manner without inert gas protection. Compared with the polymers synthesized at 60 °C, the polymerization of emulsion gels at 20 °C produced homo- and copolymers with a higher molecular mass and a narrower molecular mass distribution. The polydispersity indices for the polymers synthesized at 20 °C were found to be between 1.12 and 1.37. The glass transition temperatures for the as-synthesized butyl acrylate copolymers agree well with the prediction from the Gordon–Taylor equation. Interface-initiated room-temperature polymerization is a robust, energy-saving polymerization technique for synthesizing polymers with a narrow molecular mass distribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials)
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21 pages, 3431 KiB  
Article
Additive Free Crosslinking of Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate via Electron Beam Irradiation at Elevated Temperatures
by David Krieg, Michael Thomas Müller, Regine Boldt, Mirko Rennert and Markus Stommel
Polymers 2023, 15(20), 4072; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15204072 - 12 Oct 2023
Viewed by 665
Abstract
When applying electron or gamma irradiation to poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), main chain scissions are the dominant material reactions. Though propositions have been made that crosslinking in the amorphous phase of P3HB occurs under irradiation, a conclusive method to achieve controlled additive free irradiation crosslinking [...] Read more.
When applying electron or gamma irradiation to poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), main chain scissions are the dominant material reactions. Though propositions have been made that crosslinking in the amorphous phase of P3HB occurs under irradiation, a conclusive method to achieve controlled additive free irradiation crosslinking has not been shown and no mechanism has been derived to the best of our knowledge. By applying irradiation in a molten state at 195 °C and doses above 200 kGy, we were able to initiate crosslink reactions and achieved gel formation of up to 16%. The gel dose Dgel was determined to be 200 kGy and a range of the G values, the number of scissions and crosslinks for 100 eV energy deposition, is given. Rheology measurements, as well as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), showed indications for branching at doses from 100 to 250 kGy. Thermal analysis showed the development of a bimodal peak with a decrease in the peak melt temperature and an increase in peak width. In combination with an increase in the thermal degradation temperature for a dose of 200 kGy compared to 100 kGy, thermal analysis also showed phenomena attributed to branching and crosslinking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modifications and Applications of Natural Polymer Materials)
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