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Polymers
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Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications
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Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 13132

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yi-Chun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forestry, National Chung-Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung City 402, Taiwan
Interests: bio-based materials; functional polymer; polyurethane; composite; hydrogel; nanoparticle
Dr. Yu-Shuan Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bioinnovation Center, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Interests: protein; siRNA/small molecule delivery system; extracellular vesicles; liposome system; emulsion system; intranasal delivery; brain tumor treatment; neurodegeneration treatment
Dr. Yi-Ting Chiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, No. 100, Sec. 1, Jingmao Rd., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 406040, Taiwan
Interests: dug delivery; polymer; nanomedicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass is an abundant, renewable, and sustainable source of natural polymers. Biomass can be transformed into chemicals and/or manufacture materials and products for industrial application. Recently, various bio-derived polymers have been prepared for use in agriculture, medical devices, drug delivery systems, food and chemical industries. Biomass converted to specific chemicals or used directly is considered a suitable raw material for the preparation of commercial products, which meets Sustainable Development Goals.

This Special Issue will present and discuss all aspects related to the development of bio-derived polymers and their potential applications, including, but not limited to, the following: cellulose, carbohydrates, extracellular vesicles, lignin, lipids, lignocellulose, and proteins. Original research papers, communications, and review articles about bio-based polymers and their common/medical industrial applications are welcome.

Dr. Yi-Chun Chen
Dr. Yu-Shuan Chen
Dr. Yi-Ting Chiang
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

  • bio-derived polymers
  • carbohydrate
  • extracellular vesicles
  • industrial application
  • lipids
  • lignocellulose
  • protein

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2274 KiB  
Article
Bio-Based Hydrogel and Aerogel Composites Prepared by Combining Cellulose Solutions and Waterborne Polyurethane
by Ling-Jie Huang, Wen-Jau Lee and Yi-Chun Chen
Polymers 2022, 14(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14010204 - 05 Jan 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4156
Abstract
Hydrogel composites can be prepared from cellulose-based materials and other gel materials, thus combining the advantages of both kinds of material. The aerogel, porous material formed after removing the water in the hydrogel, can maintain the network structure. Hydrogel and aerogel have high [...] Read more.
Hydrogel composites can be prepared from cellulose-based materials and other gel materials, thus combining the advantages of both kinds of material. The aerogel, porous material formed after removing the water in the hydrogel, can maintain the network structure. Hydrogel and aerogel have high application potential. However, low mechanical strength and weight loss of cellulose hydrogel due to the water dehydration/absorption limit the feasibility of repeated use. In this study, cellulose hydrogels were prepared using microcrystalline cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as raw materials. Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was added during the preparation process to form cellulose/WPU composite hydrogel and aerogel. The influence of the cellulose type and WPU addition ratio on the performance of hydrogel and aerogel were investigated. The results show that the introduction of WPU can help strengthen and stabilize the structure of cellulose hydrogel, reduce weight loss caused by water absorption and dehydration, and improve its reusability. The mixing of cellulose and WPU at a weight ratio of 90/10 is the best ratio to make the cellulose/WPU composite aerogel with the highest water swelling capacity and heat resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications)
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16 pages, 3686 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Neem Oil and Its Glyceride on the Structure and Characterization of Castor Oil-Based Polyurethane Foam
by Yi-Han Liao, You-Lin Su and Yi-Chun Chen
Polymers 2021, 13(12), 2020; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13122020 - 21 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3201
Abstract
Neem (Azadirachta indica) oil is a non-edible oil that contains azadirachtin, which can be used as a biopesticide. This study synthesizes bio-based polyurethane (PU) foam from neem and castor (Ricinus communis L.) oil at normal temperature and pressure. Neem oil [...] Read more.
Neem (Azadirachta indica) oil is a non-edible oil that contains azadirachtin, which can be used as a biopesticide. This study synthesizes bio-based polyurethane (PU) foam from neem and castor (Ricinus communis L.) oil at normal temperature and pressure. Neem oil can be reacted to narrow-distribution polyol by transesterification of oil and glycerol. Neem oil glyceride (NOG) can be used as polyol for bio-based PU foams and can be blended with castor oil homogeneously to reduce the cost of production. The composition of polyol was castor oil and 0 to 20% molar ratios of NOG. Hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer (Desmodur N) was used as isocyanate. The molar ratios of NCO/OH were set as 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. The average hydroxyl contents of castor oil, neem oil and NOG were 2.7 mmol/g, 0.1 mmol/g and 5.1 mmol/g, respectively. The reaction time of bio-based PU foam could be adjusted between 5 to 10 min, which is acceptable for manufacturing. The densities of PU foams were between 49.7 and 116.2 kg/m3 and decreased with increasing NCO/OH and NOG ratios and decreasing neem oil. The ranges of specific compressive strength of foams were from 0.0056 to 0.0795 kPa·m3/kg. Increasing the NOG and neem oil ratio significantly enhanced the specific compressive strength in the low NCO/OH ratio. The solvent resistance and thermogravimetric (TG) results showed that the foams have high water and thermal stability. NOG can help to increase solvent resistance. Adding neem oil reduces the solvent resistance. The results indicated that increasing NCO/OH and NOG ratios increases the cross-linking density and hard segment content of PU foams. This investigation demonstrated that castor oil-based PU foams are improved by adding NOG to the polyol mixture. PU foam has excellent properties. Neem oil can be used in manufacturing processes to produce high-performance foams via a green synthesis process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications)
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17 pages, 3068 KiB  
Article
Development of a Rapid-Onset, Acid-Labile Linkage Polyplex-Mixed Micellar System for Anticancer Therapy
by Shiou-Fen Hung, Yu-Han Wen, Lu-Yi Yu, Hsin-Cheng Chiu, Yi-Ting Chiang and Chun-Liang Lo
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1823; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111823 - 31 May 2021
Viewed by 2262
Abstract
In the treatment of cancers, small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) are delivered into cells to inhibit the oncogenic protein’s expression; however, polyanions, hydrophilicity, and rapid degradations in blood, endosomal or secondary lysosomal degradation hamper clinal applications. In this study, we first synthesized and [...] Read more.
In the treatment of cancers, small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs) are delivered into cells to inhibit the oncogenic protein’s expression; however, polyanions, hydrophilicity, and rapid degradations in blood, endosomal or secondary lysosomal degradation hamper clinal applications. In this study, we first synthesized and characterized two copolymers: methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(2-hydroxy methacrylate-ketal-pyridoxal) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(methacrylic acid-co-histidine). Afterwards, we assembled two polymers with the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) siRNA, forming polyplex-mixed micelles for the treatment of the human colon cancer cell line HCT116. In terms of the physiological condition, the cationic pyridoxal molecules that were conjugated on the copolymer with ketal bonds could electrostatically attract the siRNA. Additionally, the pyridoxal could form a hydrophobic core together with the hydrophobic deprotonated histidine molecules in the other copolymer and the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) shell to protect the siRNA. In an acidic condition, the pyridoxal would be cleaved from the polymers due to the breakage of the ketal bonds and the histidine molecules can simultaneously be protonated, resulting in the endosome/lysosome escape effect. On the basis of our results, the two copolymers were successfully prepared and the pyridoxal derivatives were identified to be able to carry the siRNA and be cleavable by the copolymers in an acidic solution. Polyplex-mixed micelles were prepared, and the micellar structures were identified. The endosome escape behavior was observed using a confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The FAK expression was therefore reduced, and the cytotoxicity of siRNA toward human colon cancer cells was exhibited, rapidly in 24 h. This exceptional anticancer efficiency suggests the potential of the pH-sensitive polyplex-mixed micellar system in siRNA delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications)
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14 pages, 2574 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Multi-Functional Nano-Vectors for Target-Specific Drug Delivery
by Tzu-Chien Wu, Pei-Yuan Lee, Chiao-Ling Lai and Chian-Hui Lai
Polymers 2021, 13(3), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030451 - 30 Jan 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2625
Abstract
Magnetic nanoparticles have gained attention in cancer therapy due to their non-toxic properties and high bio-compatibility. In this report, we synthesize a dual-responsive magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) that is sensitive to subtle pH and temperature change as in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, the functional [...] Read more.
Magnetic nanoparticles have gained attention in cancer therapy due to their non-toxic properties and high bio-compatibility. In this report, we synthesize a dual-responsive magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) that is sensitive to subtle pH and temperature change as in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, the functional doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded MNP (DOX-PNIPAM-PMAA@Fe3O4) can perform specific DOX releases in the cancer cell. The particle was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The microscopy data revealed the particle as having a spherical shape. The zeta-potential and size distribution analysis data demonstrated the difference for the stepwise modified MNPs. The FTIR spectrum showed characteristic absorption bands of NH2-SiO2@Fe3O4, CPDB@Fe3O4, PMAA@Fe3O4, and PNIPAM-PMAA@Fe3O4. Drug-loading capacity and releasing efficiency were evaluated under different conditions. Through an in vitro analysis, we confirmed that PNIPAM-PMAA@Fe3O4 has enhanced drug releasing efficiency under acidic and warmer conditions. Finally, cellular uptake and cell viability were estimated via different treatments in an MDA-MB-231 cell line. Through the above analysis, we concluded that the DOX-loaded particles can be internalized by cancer cells, and such a result is positive and prospective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Based Polymers for Industrial Applications)
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