Recent Developments in Biodegradable and Biobased Polymers II

Dear Colleagues,

Biodegradable polymers are considered promising materials to solve the problem of microplastic pollution in marine environments. In addition, biobased polymers utilizing plants can be used to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and can contribute to carbon neutralization. However, these polymers have some crucial drawbacks such as poor crystallizability and insufficient mechanical properties, compared to commodity polymers synthesized using monomers from fossil fuels.  Therefore, many research studies have been devoted to improving their crystallizability and mechanical properties. For crystallizability, the addition of a nucleation agent, diluent, or plasticizer has been reported. To ameliorate the mechanical properties, block copolymerization and polymer blending are main strategies, but it is important to use additives derived from natural sources and components of block copolymers or polymer blends that are biobased and/or biodegradable. In this context, new biobased monomers and synthetic routes of biobased polymers from such biobased monomers should be investigated. The biodegradable behaviors of such new biobased polymers should also be examined.  This Special Issue focuses on these topics, including biomedical applications and recent developments in biodegradable and biobased polymers.

Prof. Dr. Shinichi Sakurai
Guest Editor

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