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Special Issue "Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials"

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2023 | Viewed by 10448

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiaoyun Li

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Guest Editor

School of Light Industry and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: biopolymer-based composites; drug carriers; smart biopolymers

Dr. Jiahai Cai

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

School of Light Industry and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: biopolymer-based nanocomposites; carbonized polymer dots; biosensors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, biopolymers, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids, have been employed for the fabrication of functional materials due to their excellent biodegradability, biocompatibility, and modification feasibility. Biopolymer-based advanced functional materials with biodegradability, drug/molecule encapsulation, bioactivity, responsiveness, sterilization, air/moisture isolation, and fluorescence, show a wide range of applications, including for use as bioplastics; drug delivery systems; biomaterials for tissue engineering, biosensors, or motors; and packaging.

Recently, there has been growing interest in fabrication methods, such as green and facile chemistry methods to modify the biopolymers; self-assembly or spray drying to make microbeads; additive manufacturing to endow controllable 3D structures; foaming to produce pores; hydrothermal/solvothermal reactions to fabricate carbon nanomaterials, etc. The different strategies can result in biopolymer-based composites having various chemical, structural, and functional qualities

This Special Issue aims to collect both original research and review articles that focus on the progress made in the fabrication of advanced functional materials and in applications of biopolymers and related composites.

Dr. Xiaoyun Li
Dr. Jiahai Cai
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

biopolymers
modification
hydrothermal synthesis
composites
bioplastic
drug carriers
biomaterials
sensors
packaging

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 7063 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dual-Pulsed Laser Ablation of Oyster Shell Producing Novel Thin Layers Deposed to Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Bogdanel Silvestru Munteanu

Daniela Angelica Pricop

Iuliana Motrescu

Dan Gheorghe Dimitriu

Iuliana Cocean

and

Silviu Gurlui

Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3953; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193953 - 30 Sep 2023

Viewed by 602

Abstract

Dual-pulsed (DPL) laser deposition using oyster shells as targets was studied in order to find out if this method can replace the use of high-power pulsed lasers. Aspects related to changes in the morphological structure of the thin layer but also to the chemical composition of the obtained thin layer were analyzed and compared with the target as well as with the thin layers obtained with a higher power pulsed laser in a single-pulsed (SPL) regime. Orthorhombic structures were noticed with Scanning Electron Microscopy for the thin film obtained in DPL mode compared to the irregular particles obtained in SPL mode. The deacetylation process during ablation was evidenced by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, resulting in chitosan-based thin films. The effect of the obtained thin films of chitosan on the cells of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was studied. Restoration of the yeast paste into initial yeast was noticed mainly when the hemp fabric was used as support for the coating with yeas which was after that coated with chitosan thin film produced by DPL method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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12 pages, 2757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Collagen Composites with Graphene Oxide for Bending Resistive Sensing

Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez

Koro de la Caba

and

Pedro Guerrero

Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3855; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193855 - 22 Sep 2023

Viewed by 458

Abstract

This work reports on the development of collagen films with graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO NPs), aiming toward the development of a new generation of functional sustainable sensors. For this purpose, different GO NP contents up to 3 wt % were incorporated into a collagen matrix, and morphological, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties were evaluated. Independently of the GO NP content, all films display an increase in thermal stability as a result of the increase in the structural order of collagen, as revealed by XRD analysis. Further, the inclusion of GO NPs into collagen promotes an increase in the intensity of oxygen characteristic absorption bands in FTIR spectra, due to the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which lead to an increase in the hydrophilic character of the surface. GO NPs also influence the mechanical properties of the composites, increasing the tensile strength from 33.2 ± 2.4 MPa (collagen) to 44.1 ± 1.0 MPa (collagen with 3 wt % GO NPs). Finally, the electrical conductivity also increases slightly with GO NP content, allowing the development of resistive bending sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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15 pages, 7185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Effect of Iron(III) in the Preparation of a Conductive Porous Composite Using a Biomass Waste-Based Starch Template

Laria Rodríguez-Quesada

Karla Ramírez-Sánchez

Sebastián León-Carvajal

Giovanni Sáenz-Arce

Fabián Vásquez-Sancho

Esteban Avendaño-Soto

Juan José Montero-Rodríguez

and

Ricardo Starbird-Perez

Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2560; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112560 - 02 Jun 2023

Viewed by 955

Abstract

In this work, the effect of iron(III) in the preparation of a conductive porous composite using a biomass waste-based starch template was evaluated. Biopolymers are obtained from natural sources, for instance, starch from potato waste, and its conversion into value-added products is highly significant in a circular economy. The biomass starch-based conductive cryogel was polymerized via chemical oxidation of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) using iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate as a strategy to functionalize porous biopolymers. Thermal, spectrophotometric, physical, and chemical properties of the starch template, starch/iron(III), and the conductive polymer composites were evaluated. The impedance data of the conductive polymer deposited onto the starch template confirmed that at a longer soaking time, the electrical performance of the composite was improved, slightly modifying its microstructure. The functionalization of porous cryogels and aerogels using polysaccharides as raw materials is of great interest for applications in electronic, environmental, and biological fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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13 pages, 9888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Bio-Foam Material from Steam-Exploded Corn Straw by In Situ Esterification Modification

and

Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2222; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092222 - 08 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1178

Abstract

In this work, we engineered a corn-straw-based bio-foam material under the inspiration of the intrinsic morphology of the corn stem. The explosion pretreatment was applied to obtain a fibrillated cellulose starting material rich in lignin. The in situ esterification of cellulose was adopted to improve the cross-linking network of the as-developed foam bio-material. The esterification of lignin was observed in the same procedure, which provides a better cross-linking interaction. The esterified corn-straw-derived bio-foam material showed excellent elastic resilience performance with an elastic recovery ratio of 83% and an elastic modulus of 20 kPa. Meanwhile, with surface modification by hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene-functionalized lignin as the flame retardant (Lig-HCCP), the as-obtained bio-foam material demonstrated quite a good flame retardancy (with 27.3% of the LOI), as well as a heat insulation property. The corn-straw-derived bio-foam material is prospected to be a potential substitution packaging material for widely used petroleum-derived products. This work provides a new value-added application of the abundant agricultural straw biomass resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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20 pages, 5187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Performance of Nonwoven PLLA Scaffolds of Different Thickness for Stem Cells Seeding and Implantation

Alexander L. Vasiliev

Sergey N. Chvalun

and

Timofey E. Grigoriev

Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4352; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204352 - 15 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1367

Abstract

The 3D reconstruction of 100 μm- and 600 μm-thick fibrous poly-L/L-lactide scaffolds was performed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and supported by scanning electron microscopy and showed that the density of the fibers on the side adjacent to the electrode is higher, which can affect cell diffusion, while the pore size is generally the same. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells cultured in a 600 μm-thick scaffold formed colonies and produced conditions for cell differentiation. An in vitro study of stem cells after 7 days revealed that cell proliferation and hepatocyte growth factor release in the 600 μm-thick scaffold were higher than in the 100 μm-thick scaffold. An in vivo study of scaffolds with and without stem cells implanted subcutaneously onto the backs of recipient mice was carried out to test their biodegradation and biocompatibility over a 0–3-week period. The cells seeded onto the 600 μm-thick scaffold promoted significant neovascularization in vivo. After 3 weeks, a significant number of donor cells persisted only on the inside of the 600 μm-thick scaffold. Thus, the use of bulkier matrices allows to prolong the effect of secretion of growth factors by stem cells during implantation. These 600 μm-thick scaffolds could potentially be utilized to repair and regenerate injuries with stem cell co-culture for vascularization of implant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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Review

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18 pages, 2433 KiB

Open AccessReview

Green Approaches on Modification of Xylan Hemicellulose to Enhance the Functional Properties for Food Packaging Materials—A Review

Petronela Nechita

Mirela Roman (Iana Roman)

and

Silviu Marian Năstac

Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092088 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1261

Abstract

Based on the environmental concerns, the utilisation of hemicelluloses in food packaging has become a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers and an important method for the efficient utilisation of biomass resources. After cellulose, hemicellulose is a second component of agricultural and forestry biomass that is being taken advantage of given its abundant source, biodegradability, nontoxicity and good biocompatibility. However, due to its special molecular structure and physical and chemical characteristics, the mechanical and barrier properties of hemicellulose films and coatings are not sufficient for food packaging applications and modification for performance enhancement is needed. Even though there are many studies on improving the hydrophobic properties of hemicelluloses, most do not meet environmental requirements and the chemical modification of these biopolymers is still a challenge. The present review examines emerging and green alternatives to acetylation for xylan hemicellulose in order to improve its performance, especially when it is used as biopolymer in paper coatings or films for food packaging. Ionic liquids (ILs) and enzymatic modification are environmentally friendly methods used to obtain xylan derivatives with improved thermal and mechanical properties as well as hydrophobic performances that are very important for food packaging materials. Once these novel and green methodologies of hemicellulose modifications become well understood and with validated results, their production on an industrial scale could be implemented. This paper will extend the area of hemicellulose applications and lead to the implementation of a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based products that will decrease the environmental impact of packaging materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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25 pages, 4273 KiB

Open AccessReview

Current Trends in Biomedical Hydrogels: From Traditional Crosslinking to Plasma-Assisted Synthesis

Kathrina Lois M. Taaca

Eloise I. Prieto

and

Magdaleno R. Vasquez, Jr.

Polymers 2022, 14(13), 2560; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14132560 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3635

Abstract

The use of materials to restore or replace the functions of damaged body parts has been proven historically. Any material can be considered as a biomaterial as long as it performs its biological function and does not cause adverse effects to the host. With the increasing demands for biofunctionality, biomaterials nowadays may not only encompass inertness but also specialized utility towards the target biological application. A hydrogel is a biomaterial with a 3D network made of hydrophilic polymers. It is regarded as one of the earliest biomaterials developed for human use. The preparation of hydrogel is often attributed to the polymerization of monomers or crosslinking of hydrophilic polymers to achieve the desired ability to hold large amounts of aqueous solvents and biological fluids. The generation of hydrogels, however, is shifting towards developing hydrogels through the aid of enabling technologies. This review provides the evolution of hydrogels and the different approaches considered for hydrogel preparation. Further, this review presents the plasma process as an enabling technology for tailoring hydrogel properties. The mechanism of plasma-assisted treatment during hydrogel synthesis and the current use of the plasma-treated hydrogels are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fabrication and Application of Biopolymer-Based Advanced Functional Materials)

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