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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 "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 5563

Special Issue Editors

College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
Interests: condensed tannin; starch; carbohydrates; lignin; cellulose; bio-based adhesives; biodegradable foams
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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

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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3231
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
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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 1757
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
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