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Polymers
Special Issues
Lightweight Biofoams for Advanced Applications
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Lightweight Biofoams for Advanced Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 5883

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lorenza Maddalena

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Alessandria Campus, via Teresa Michel 5, 15121 Alessandria, AL, Italy
Interests: biofoams; porous polymers; flame retardancy; EMI shielding; molecule adsorption; organic–inorganic architecture; nanoparticle complexations; polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs)
Dr. Ivana Miletto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Largo Donegani, 2, 28100 Novara, Italy
Interests: fluorescence; material science; physical chemistry; NIR dyes; photodynamic therapy; hybrid materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The preparation of porous polymer structures is a widespread process that is, at times, inspired by nature and involves covalent and/or ionic interactions. This group of materials, due to their high versatility in terms of their constituting components, foaming and processing potential, functionalization, and densities, have endless applications, which range from thermal/acoustic insulation to fire protection, selective molecule adsorption, and active packaging.

However, although synthetic porous polymers have been widely and extensively studied in the literature, the porous architecture produced by polymers of a natural origin, such as nanocellulose and alginates, is yet to be investigated. Thus, the aim of the current Special Issue of Polymers is to collate high-quality, original scientific research that focuses on the use of lightweight biofoam fundamentals and applications for advanced technologies.

The scientific works that describe the development of bio-based coatings produced by either electrostatic forces or the covalent functionalization of pre-existing porous matrixes will also be considered for this Special Issue. In particular, the submissions of papers that focus on bio-based polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) and/or nanoparticles that exploit advanced foaming or coating technologies are especially encouraged. 

Dr. Lorenza Maddalena
Dr. Ivana Miletto
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

  • biofoams
  • porous polymers
  • flame retardancy
  • EMI shielding
  • molecule adsorption
  • organic-inorganic architecture
  • nanoparticle complexations
  • polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs)

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2223 KiB  
Article
Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Bio-Foam with Inherent Heat and Fire Resistance
by Dallin L. Smith, Danixa Rodriguez-Melendez, Sidney M. Cotton, Yufeng Quan, Qingsheng Wang and Jaime C. Grunlan
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 5019; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14225019 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
Polyurethanes (PUs) are versatile and widespread, particularly as flexible and rigid foams. To avoid isocyanates and other toxic reagents required for synthesis, such as phosgene, alternative synthetic routes have been utilized to produce non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs). A thermally and flame-resistant rigid NIPU was [...] Read more.
Polyurethanes (PUs) are versatile and widespread, particularly as flexible and rigid foams. To avoid isocyanates and other toxic reagents required for synthesis, such as phosgene, alternative synthetic routes have been utilized to produce non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs). A thermally and flame-resistant rigid NIPU was produced from environmentally benign and bio-sourced ingredients, requiring no catalyst or solvents. A foamed structure was obtained by the addition of glutaraldehyde and four different carboxylic acids: malic acid, maleic acid, citric acid, and aconitic acid. The resulting morphology, thermal degradation, and flame resistance of each foam were compared. The properties vary with each carboxylic acid used, but in each case, peak thermal degradation and peak heat release are postponed by >100 °C compared to commercial rigid PU foam. Furthermore, in a butane torch test, NIPU foams exhibit an 80% higher remaining mass and a 75% reduction in afterburn time, compared to commercial polyurethane. This bio-based polyurethane eliminates the hazards of traditional PUs, while imparting inherent thermal stability and flame resistance uncharacteristic of conventional foams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lightweight Biofoams for Advanced Applications)
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21 pages, 4714 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study on Bio-Based PU Foam Reinforced with Nanoparticles for EMI-Shielding Applications
by Vinoth Kumar Selvaraj and Jeyanthi Subramanian
Polymers 2022, 14(16), 3344; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14163344 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2188
Abstract
Today, most commercial polyols used to make polyurethane (PU) foam are produced from petrochemicals. A renewable resource, castor oil (CO), was employed in this study to alleviate concerns about environmental contamination. This study intends to fabricate a bio-based and low-density EMI-defending material for [...] Read more.
Today, most commercial polyols used to make polyurethane (PU) foam are produced from petrochemicals. A renewable resource, castor oil (CO), was employed in this study to alleviate concerns about environmental contamination. This study intends to fabricate a bio-based and low-density EMI-defending material for communication, aerospace, electronics, and military appliances. The mechanical stirrer produces the flexible bio-based polyurethane foam and combines it with nanoparticles using absorption and hydrothermal reduction processes. The nanoparticles used in this research are graphite nanoplates (GNP), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), and bamboo charcoal (BC). Following fabrication, the samples underwent EMI testing using an EMI test setup with model number N5230A PNA-L. The EMI experimental results were compared with computational simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 and an optimization tool using response surface methodology. A statistical design of the experimental approach is used to design and evaluate the experiments systematically. An experimental study reveals that a 0.3 weight percentage of GNP, a 0.3 weight percentage of ZrO2, and a 2.5 weight percentage of BC depict a maximum EMI SE of 28.03 dB in the 8–12 GHz frequency band. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lightweight Biofoams for Advanced Applications)
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