Biodegradable polyurethanes based on aliphatic isocyanates can reduce yellowing and the formation of aromatic amine degradation products associated with aromatic isocyanate-based systems. However, aliphatic diisocyanates such as hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) provide relatively low structural rigidity to hard segments, limiting the mechanical strength of the resulting polyurethanes. In this study, biomass-derived 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (FDM) was introduced as a chain extender into poly(ε-caprolactone) diol (PCL diol)-based degradable polyurethanes. The LHF-PU series with different PCL diol/FDM compositions was prepared by catalyst-free one-shot bulk polymerization using HDI. With increasing FDM content, the relative contents of rigid furan rings and urethane linkages increased, while FT-IR analysis showed a higher contribution of hydrogen-bonded carbonyl groups. These structural changes influenced interchain interactions and chain mobility, thereby contributing to the overall mechanical performance of the LHF-PU series. Consequently, the tensile strength increased markedly with FDM content, reaching 160.5 MPa at the highest FDM composition. The LHF-PU series also showed degradation under alkaline and soil-burial conditions, consistent with hydrolysis of the PCL-derived ester groups. LHF-PU-1 showed mass losses of 47.5
The aim of this work was to valorize used cooking oil (UCO), an abundant renewable resource, into sustainable bio-based plasticizers for poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Two polyols were synthesized from epoxidized waste cooking oil through controlled oxirane ring-opening reactions. Polyol1 (P1) exhibited a high residual oxirane index (4.95 ± 0.05), whereas Polyol2 (P2) exhibited a very low residual oxirane index (oxirane index 0.05 ± 0.03) and pronounced hydroxyl functionality, as indicated qualitatively by NMR and FTIR analyses. PLA formulations containing 15–30 wt
The increasing demand for biobased antimicrobial materials has driven the development of bio-based polymer systems that integrate renewable feedstocks with advanced functional performance. In this work, a series of multifunctional copolymers derived from vitamin B-based thiazolium and a hydrophobic eugenol-based methacrylate monomer were synthesized via free radical copolymerization followed by quaternization reaction. The eugenol-derivative comonomer was specifically designed to exhibit a low glass transition temperature, acting as a flexible, biobased segment that moderates the rigidity and high charge density typically associated with cationic thiazolium polymers was planned to modulate the antimicrobial activity and their selectivity against bacteria and not against mammalian cells. The resulting copolymers are amorphous materials with tunable glass transition temperatures and stable positive zeta potentials in aqueous media after quaternization. Antioxidant properties, evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging assays and expressed as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, depend strongly on copolymer composition and increase with the content of thiazolium units in quaternized systems, while non-quaternized polymers show enhanced antioxidant activity with increasing eugenol content. The antimicrobial performance of the quaternized copolymers was assessed against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, revealing strong activity against Gram-positive strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and moderate activity toward Gram-negative bacteria. Importantly, incorporation of the hydrophobic eugenol-based units improves cytocompatibility and bacterial selectivity compared to the corresponding homopolymers. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of renewable eugenol-based segments into thiazolium-based cationic polymers provides an effective strategy to modulate thermal, biological, and physicochemical properties, yielding biobased antimicrobial materials with balanced performance and improved biocompatibility.
Hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPGG) contributes persistent viscosity to hydraulic-fracturing flowback water and hinders downstream treatment. Here, Fe/Cu-BTC was immobilized in a calcium-cross-linked lignosulfonate–alginate–carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel to combine peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation with macroscopic catalyst recovery. Under the best conditions within the response-surface design space (500 mg/L commercial PMS, 200 mg/L catalyst, 45 °C, and 120 min), the estimated intrinsic viscosity of 1000 mg/L HPGG decreased by 90.91
This study examines how the chemical composition of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) governs their compatibility with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the resulting reinforcement of PLA/PEG composites. Three chemically distinct CNF types were compared: pure cellulose CNFs, CNFp containing 79 wt
