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Polymers
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Natural and Synthetic Polymers-Hopes and Fears in an Era of Ecological Modernization

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 June 2023) | Viewed by 42404

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hubert Antolak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-530 Lodz, Poland
Interests: natural polymers; bacterial cellulose; bacterial polymers; food production; packaging materials; biofilm formation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anna Koziróg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: antimicrobial coatings and materials; disinfection in food production; antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of chemicals; molds responsible for deterioration; cereal seed treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Katarzyna Dybka-Stępień

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-530 Lodz, Poland
Interests: natural and synthetic polymers; biomass wastes valorization; pulp and papermaking; biodegradable materials for food packaging; polymers of lactic acid bacteria; biodeterioration; microbial identification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The almost unlimited use of plastics in recent decades caused environmental pollution, which in turn significantly affects people's lives. Despite systematic changes aimed at reducing the emission of plastic materials to the environment, their amount in the natural environment remains almost constant. Therefore, innovative methods contributing to the development of new polymers, as well as the degradation of plastic materials are desired.

Meeting the dynamic changes in the field of ecology, new polymer materials that are characterized by a low negative impact on the natural environment are sought after. Sustainable natural-based polymers are in the spotlight of scientists around the world; polymers extracted from biomass, polymers synthesized by microorganisms, as well as new polymers synthesized using bio-based compounds, show great potential as ‘environmentally friendly’ materials that can be used in the food industry, papermaking, textiles, packaging materials, and others.

This Special Issue of Polymers will focus on the production, characteristics, and use of natural-based and synthetic polymeric materials, which may be less harmful to the natural environment. This Special Issue is also devoted to novel strategies for the (bio)degradation of polymeric materials. We would like to invite researchers to submit both research and review articles to this Special Issue of Polymers.

Dr. Hubert Antolak
Dr. Anna Koziróg
Dr. Katarzyna Dybka-Stępień
Guest Editors

Keywords

  • natural polymers
  • biobased polymers
  • synthetic polymers
  • microbial-based polymers
  • biodegradable polymers
  • biodeterioration
  • synthesis
  • characterization
  • application
  • food industry
  • textile industry
  • papermaking

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 4058 KiB  
Article
Impact of Water and UV Irradiation on Nonwoven Polylactide/Natural Rubber Fiber
by Yulia Tertyshnaya, Maria Podzorova and Maksim Moskovskiy
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030461 - 31 Jan 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
A nonwoven fiber made of polylactide/natural rubber with a rubber content from 0 to 15 wt.% was obtained by electrospinning from a solution. The water sorption test showed that the addition of natural rubber into the polylactide matrix did not significantly affect the [...] Read more.
A nonwoven fiber made of polylactide/natural rubber with a rubber content from 0 to 15 wt.% was obtained by electrospinning from a solution. The water sorption test showed that the addition of natural rubber into the polylactide matrix did not significantly affect the degree of water absorption of the fibers, which was in the range of 48.9–50.6%. The melt flow rate only increased by 0.5 g/10 min at a content of 15 wt.% natural rubber. The thermal characteristics after 120 days of degradation in distilled water and UV irradiation (50 h) at a wavelength of 365 nm were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. Changes in the values of the phase transition temperatures and the degree of crystallinity were determined. It was determined that the fiber samples from all compositions retained the propensity for photo- and hydrolytic degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Polymers-Hopes and Fears in an Era of Ecological Modernization)
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Review

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37 pages, 5267 KiB  
Review
A Critical Review on the Feasibility of Synthetic Polymers Inclusion in Enhancing the Geotechnical Behavior of Soils
by Abdullah Almajed, Kehinde Lemboye and Arif Ali Baig Moghal
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 5004; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14225004 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3862
Abstract
Polymers have attracted widespread interest as soil stabilizers and are proposed as an ecologically acceptable means for enhancing the geotechnical properties of soils. They have found profound applications in diverse fields such as the food industry, textile, medicine, agriculture, construction, and many more. [...] Read more.
Polymers have attracted widespread interest as soil stabilizers and are proposed as an ecologically acceptable means for enhancing the geotechnical properties of soils. They have found profound applications in diverse fields such as the food industry, textile, medicine, agriculture, construction, and many more. Various polymers are proven to increase soil shear strength, improve volume stability, promote water retention, and prevent erosion, at extremely low concentrations within soils through the formation of a polymer membrane around the soil particles upon hydration. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of existing research on synthetic polymers for soil improvement. A fundamental evaluation of many synthetic polymers used in soil stabilization is provided, Furthermore, the impact of different polymer types on the geotechnical parameters of treated soil was assessed and compared. Limiting factors like polymer durability and the effect of changing climatic conditions on the engineering behavior of the polymer-treated soils have been critically reviewed. The dominant mechanisms responsible for the alteration in the behavior of polymer-soil admixture are reviewed and discussed. This review article will allow practicing engineers to better understand the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of targeted polymers before employing them in real-field scenarios for better long-term performance Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Polymers-Hopes and Fears in an Era of Ecological Modernization)
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38 pages, 2960 KiB  
Review
Disposable Food Packaging and Serving Materials—Trends and Biodegradability
by Katarzyna Dybka-Stępień, Hubert Antolak, Magdalena Kmiotek, Dominik Piechota and Anna Koziróg
Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3606; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203606 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 51 | Viewed by 24114
Abstract
Food is an integral part of everyone’s life. Disposable food serving utensils and tableware are a very convenient solution, especially when the possibility of the use of traditional dishes and cutlery is limited (e.g., takeaway meals). As a result, a whole range of [...] Read more.
Food is an integral part of everyone’s life. Disposable food serving utensils and tableware are a very convenient solution, especially when the possibility of the use of traditional dishes and cutlery is limited (e.g., takeaway meals). As a result, a whole range of products is available on the market: plates, trays, spoons, forks, knives, cups, straws, and more. Both the form of the product (adapted to the distribution and sales system) as well as its ecological aspect (biodegradability and life cycle) should be of interest to producers and consumers, especially considering the clearly growing trend of “eco-awareness”. This is particularly important in the case of single-use products. The aim of the study was to present the current trends regarding disposable utensils intended for contact with food in the context of their biodegradability. This paper has summarized not only conventional polymers but also their modern alternatives gaining the attention of manufacturers and consumers of single-use products (SUPs). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Polymers-Hopes and Fears in an Era of Ecological Modernization)
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99 pages, 29458 KiB  
Review
Review on the Accelerated and Low-Temperature Polymerization of Benzoxazine Resins: Addition Polymerizable Sustainable Polymers
by Bimlesh Lochab, Monisha Monisha, Nagarjuna Amarnath, Pratibha Sharma, Sourav Mukherjee and Hatsuo Ishida
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1260; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081260 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 88 | Viewed by 10363
Abstract
Due to their outstanding and versatile properties, polybenzoxazines have quickly occupied a great niche of applications. Developing the ability to polymerize benzoxazine resin at lower temperatures than the current capability is essential in taking advantage of these exceptional properties and remains to be [...] Read more.
Due to their outstanding and versatile properties, polybenzoxazines have quickly occupied a great niche of applications. Developing the ability to polymerize benzoxazine resin at lower temperatures than the current capability is essential in taking advantage of these exceptional properties and remains to be most challenging subject in the field. The current review is classified into several parts to achieve this goal. In this review, fundamentals on the synthesis and evolution of structure, which led to classification of PBz in different generations, are discussed. Classifications of PBzs are defined depending on building block as well as how structure is evolved and property obtained. Progress on the utility of biobased feedstocks from various bio-/waste-mass is also discussed and compared, wherever possible. The second part of review discusses the probable polymerization mechanism proposed for the ring-opening reactions. This is complementary to the third section, where the effect of catalysts/initiators has on triggering polymerization at low temperature is discussed extensively. The role of additional functionalities in influencing the temperature of polymerization is also discussed. There has been a shift in paradigm beyond the lowering of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) temperature and other areas of interest, such as adaptation of molecular functionality with simultaneous improvement of properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural and Synthetic Polymers-Hopes and Fears in an Era of Ecological Modernization)
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