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Polymers
Special Issues
Sustainable Synthesis of Bio-Based Polymers
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Sustainable Synthesis of Bio-Based Polymers

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 (28 November 2021) | Viewed by 6266

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Kousuke Tsuchiya

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Material Chemistry, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyoku, Kyoto 615-8530, Japan
Interests: synthesis of functional polymers; bio-inspired materials; bio-based polymers; polypeptides; enzymatic polymerization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymeric materials are abundantly produced for a wide range of uses in commodity and engineering technology. The recent global situation has posed a growing social demand for substituting conventional petroleum-based polymers with bio-based polymers in order to contribute to the sustainability of carbon resources. Furthermore, environmental issues regarding microplastics contamination in the ocean have recently arisen, leading to urgent requirements for novel bio-based polymers with a high biocompatibility and biodegradability in various environments. In this context, the development of a green production system for bio-based polymeric materials is key for establishing a sustainable society. Synthetic methods to create polymeric materials using green chemistry, such as enzymatic conversion, fermentation, catalytic system, and biomass refinery, are available for this purpose.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the creation of bio-based polymers, including polyester, polyurethanes, polyamides, polypeptides, polysaccharides, and other types of biopolymers, via environmentally benign synthetic processes. The Issue could possibly involve the enzymatic synthesis of polymeric materials, biorefinery of biomass to produce raw materials of bio-polymers, functionalization of natural polymers, and so on. Basic knowledge and cutting-edge technology regarding the production of bio-based polymers through green processes will be highlighted in this Special Issue. As guest editor, I cordially invite contributions in the form of original research articles or reviews on this subject.

Prof. Dr. Kousuke Tsuchiya
Guest Editor

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-based polymers
  • biodegradable polymers
  • green polymerization
  • enzymes
  • biomass
  • renewable sources

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2390 KiB  
Article
Tung Oil-Based Production of High 3-Hydroxyhexanoate-Containing Terpolymer Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate-co-3-Hydroxyhexanoate) Using Engineered Ralstonia eutropha
by Hye Soo Lee, Sun Mi Lee, Sol Lee Park, Tae-Rim Choi, Hun-Suk Song, Hyun-Joong Kim, Shashi Kant Bhatia, Ranjit Gurav, Yun-Gon Kim, June-Hyung Kim, Kwon-Young Choi and Yung-Hun Yang
Polymers 2021, 13(7), 1084; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13071084 - 29 Mar 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2608
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are attractive new bioplastics for the replacement of plastics derived from fossil fuels. With their biodegradable properties, they have also recently been applied to the medical field. As poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) produced by wild-type Ralstonia eutropha has limitations with regard to its physical [...] Read more.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are attractive new bioplastics for the replacement of plastics derived from fossil fuels. With their biodegradable properties, they have also recently been applied to the medical field. As poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) produced by wild-type Ralstonia eutropha has limitations with regard to its physical properties, it is advantageous to synthesize co- or terpolymers with medium-chain-length monomers. In this study, tung oil, which has antioxidant activity due to its 80% α-eleostearic acid content, was used as a carbon source and terpolymer P(53 mol% 3-hydroxybytyrate-co-2 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate-co-45 mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoate) with a high proportion of 3-hydroxyhexanoate was produced in R. eutropha Re2133/pCB81. To avail the benefits of α-eleostearic acid in the tung oil-based medium, we performed partial harvesting of PHA by using a mild water wash to recover PHA and residual tung oil on the PHA film. This resulted in a film coated with residual tung oil, showing antioxidant activity. Here, we report the first application of tung oil as a substrate for PHA production, introducing a high proportion of hydroxyhexanoate monomer into the terpolymer. Additionally, the residual tung oil was used as an antioxidant coating, resulting in the production of bioactive PHA, expanding the applicability to the medical field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Synthesis of Bio-Based Polymers)
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17 pages, 2309 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Water Resistance and Moisture-Permeable Nanofiber Using Sodium Alginate–Functionalized Waterborne Polyurethane
by Wen-Chi Lu, Fu-Sheng Chuang, Manikandan Venkatesan, Chia-Jung Cho, Po-Yun Chen, Yung-Ru Tzeng, Yang-Yen Yu, Syang-Peng Rwei and Chi-Ching Kuo
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 2882; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12122882 - 1 Dec 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3169
Abstract
The development of nontoxic and biodegradable alginate-based materials has been a continual goal in biological applications. However, their hydrophilic nature and lack of spinnability impart water instability and poor mechanical strength to the nanofiber. To overcome these limitations, sodium alginate (SA) and waterborne [...] Read more.
The development of nontoxic and biodegradable alginate-based materials has been a continual goal in biological applications. However, their hydrophilic nature and lack of spinnability impart water instability and poor mechanical strength to the nanofiber. To overcome these limitations, sodium alginate (SA) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) were blended and crosslinked with calcium chloride; 30 wt % of SA exhibited good compatibility. Further addition of 10 wt % calcium chloride improved the water stability to an extremely humid region. Furthermore, the stress–strain curve revealed that the initial modulus and the elongation strength of the WPU/SA and WPU/CA blends increased with SA content, and the crosslinker concentration clearly indicated the dressing material hardness resulted from this simple blend strategy. The WPU/SA30 electrospun nanofibrous blend contained porous membranes; it exhibited good mechanical strength with water-stable, water-absorbable (37.5 wt %), and moisture-permeable (25.1 g/m2–24 h) characteristics, suggesting our cost-effective material could function as an effective wound dressing material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Synthesis of Bio-Based Polymers)
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