RSC Applied Polymers最新文献

{"title":"Up/down frunk: comparing recycling methods for non-woven poly(ethylene terephthalate) from an electric vehicle.","authors":"Claire L Seitzinger, Lynn Anderson, Fabian Mehner, Helena Simmons, Ciaran W Lahive, Michael P Shaver","doi":"10.1039/d6lp00330c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lp00330c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When assessing optimal recycling routes for a specific plastic product, the object geometry and formulation complexity play a significant role. For example, poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, depolymerization processes that work well on bottles may not apply well to other sectors. Here, we compare the technical feasibility of two recycling methods for a non-woven PET textile from an electric vehicle. We consider thermomechanical recycling through shredding and re-extruding to produce a new filament, as well as chemical recycling by glycolysis. The success of each technique and the scale up thereof is compared, along with the need for pretreatment. Thermomechanical recycling proved challenging, as the material did not feed consistently into the extruder, resulting in an inconsistent and degraded filament. Glycolysis was successful, and indeed faster than when utilizing bottle feedstocks, and could be readily scaled to 1 kg of material. Therefore, for a non-woven PET with a carbon black colorant, glycolysis performed better than mechanical processing, highlighting the need to consider object-level technical feasibility alongside sustainability when proposing recycling methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13640944/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149121672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combinatorial synthesis of novel polycations for mRNA delivery <i>via</i> Ugi 4-component polymerisation.","authors":"Lewis O'Shaughnessy, Rahman Khosravi, Akosua Anane-Adjei, Mariarosa Mazza, Naoto Hori, Pratik Gurnani, Cameron Alexander","doi":"10.1039/d6lp00114a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lp00114a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>RNA therapeutics offer solutions to treat previously undruggable diseases, but successful RNA delivery requires efficient and safe vectors. Cationic polymers provide one technology platform for this delivery, however, despite many current materials in this class showing promise when tested in cells, none have yet progressed to the clinic. Existing commercially available polymers evaluated for RNA delivery have either limited structural variety or poorly addressable functionality, which means that tuning of pharmaceutical properties is difficult. In order to control better some parameters of key importance for RNA delivery, such as assembly with nucleic acids, internalisation into target cells and degradation after payload release, new chemistries and structures are needed. Multicomponent polymerisations provide a means to access easily highly functionalised materials, thus here we report the use of Ugi 4-component polymerisation to synthesise a range of cationic polyamides. We demonstrate a facile synthetic route to a diverse polymer library which, when screened for <i>in vitro</i> transfection with mRNA, showed several polymer structures with high potency in selected cell lines.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13644684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149139826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anion exchange beads for PFAS capture using a polymerization-induced microphase separation approach.","authors":"Ali Arshad, Jongho Back, Katharine A Faber, William A Arnold, Philippe Bühlmann, Marc A Hillmyer","doi":"10.1039/d6lp00075d","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lp00075d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are contained in various consumer products that include nonstick coatings, packaging materials, cosmetics, and firefighting foams due to their combined hydrophobic and oleophobic properties and chemical and thermal stability. These properties also result in human toxicity and have led to their accumulation in the environment. Several methods are being used to remove PFAS contaminants from the environment, and one common technique involves removal through ion exchange. Polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS) enables the synthesis of PFAS-capturing anion exchange beads featuring co-continuous morphology, tunable domain spacing, and high surface accessibility within a mechanically robust crosslinked network. Beads were synthesized using a poly(ε-caprolactone)-<i>b</i>-poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride)-based macro chain transfer agent, styrene, and divinylbenzene. Anion exchange beads were obtained by etching the poly(ε-caprolactone) component and quaternizing the poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride), and their ion exchange capacity was measured to be 1.00 ± 0.05 mmol g^-1. The rates of PFAS removal were evaluated using pseudo-second-order kinetic analysis for both short-chain (trifluoroacetic acid [TFA] and perfluorobutanoic acid [PFBA]) and long-chain (perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]) PFAS. The initial sorption rates of TFA and PFBA were 2.9 and 2.3 times higher, respectively, in quaternized beads (PB-Q) compared to Amberlite IRA 900 whole resin. In contrast, PFOA exhibited a 1.7 times higher initial sorption rate to IRA 900 whole resin than to PB-Q. Langmuir isotherm analysis indicated significantly stronger affinities of all PFAS for PB-Q than IRA 900, even though the IRA 900 had greater capacity, suggesting that PB-Q is more effective for removing PFAS at low concentrations. Treating the PFAS loaded PB-Q beads with a 1 : 1 v/v mixture of methanol and 1 M NaCl_(aq) resulted in 100% PFAS desorption.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" ","pages":"1596-1610"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13274420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148280882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ageing of inverse vulcanised polymers.","authors":"Christian W Schmitt, Andy Mach, Valeria Berner, Eric Pohl, Joseph J Dale, Birgit Huber, Dominik Voll, Emmanuel Richaud, Ute Schepers, Carl-Christoph Höhne, Patrick Théato","doi":"10.1039/d6lp00159a","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lp00159a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inverse vulcanised polymers are an emerging class of materials with a broad range of applications from energy storage to fertiliser systems. As these materials are still subject of research, scaling to real-life applications is just underway. One major factor for these materials to be fit for industrial use is their ageing behaviour under environmental influences such as temperature, sunlight, moisture and pH or biological attack. Since ageing is rarely discussed in literature, we herein investigate the ageing behaviour of common inverse vulcanised polymers under real-life and simulated environmental influences. The results show strong structure-properties relationships depending on the comonomers used for the polymerisation. Aliphatic non-functional monomers produce rigid polymers with high resistance towards environmental influences, whereas bio-derived and functional monomers deliver more flexible materials that are prone to degradation by oxidation and hydrolysis. This study provides groundwork for future research into the design of sulfur polymers that require environmental stability or controlled degradation for their individual application.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" ","pages":"1196-1207"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13270288/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148274398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tailoring fully biobased optical adhesives <i>via</i> hydrogen-bonding modulation.","authors":"Benjamin R Nelson, Vincent Scholiers, Audrey H Sakamoto, John F Rynk, Paula A Pranda, Filip E Du Prez, Kristi S Anseth, Christopher N Bowman","doi":"10.1039/d6lp00120c","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d6lp00120c","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Display technologies require optical adhesives that simultaneously provide high optical clarity, refractive index control, low birefringence and adhesive strength. However, many commercial adhesive systems rely on petroleum-derived acrylates and isocyanate-based urethanes. Herein, a fully biobased optical adhesive is reported that exploits the initiator-free photopolymerization of dithiolanes. Furthermore, hydrogen bond strength is modulated within the prepared adhesives by changing the chemistry with which the dithiolane is conjugated to a macromolecular core, allowing manipulation of properties including glass transition temperature, adhesion, refractive index, and other optical properties. Throughout these variations, all materials maintain high optical performance, exhibiting visible light transmittance above 98% and haze below 0.7%, coupled with low optical dispersion. These results demonstrate that dithiolanes are readily applied as initiator-free crosslinkers for the formulation of fully biobased optical adhesives.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" ","pages":"1362-1368"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13250808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148230009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Copolymers with tailored microstructure as versatile platforms for ZIF-8 polyMOF growth","authors":"M. Celeste Legarto, Agustín Iborra, Juan J. Romero, Juan M. Padró, Cristian Villa Pérez, Matías Rafti, Isabel N. Vega and Juan M. Giussi","doi":"10.1039/D6LP00021E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6LP00021E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >In this work, we report copolymers based on zinc dimethacrylate (ZnDMA) and poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) as versatile platforms for the <em>in situ</em> growth of ZIF-8 polyMOFs. ZnDMA is a suitable monomer which can potentially optimize polyMOF growth, enabling improved control over the nucleation process and both final structure and morphology. The copolymers were synthesized both as bulk materials from precursor solutions and <em>via</em> surface-initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP). The composition and microstructure were investigated using the Fineman-Ross method, complemented by characterization through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (<small>¹</small>H NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), aqueous size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We found that variations in structural stability, composition and microstructure of the resulting poly(ZnDMA-<em>co</em>-PEGMA)@ZIF-8 materials can be traced back to conditions affecting polyMOF growth, mainly regarding efficient nucleation and controlled crystalline growth. Overall, these results demonstrate that the hereby proposed synthetic approach to polyMOFs can be employed for the rational design of functional nanostructured porous materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" 3","pages":" 952-963"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/lp/d6lp00021e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148039700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polymer-based smart materials for adaptive and sustainable robotic systems: a review","authors":"Nelson Castro, Carlos M. Costa, Estela Bicho and Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez","doi":"10.1039/D6LP00014B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6LP00014B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The development and integration of polymer-based smart materials, which have the inherent capacity to recognize and respond to a variety of external stimuli (such as thermal, electrical, and mechanical), are driving the growth and change of the robotics field. This combination is essential for the shift in robotic design towards bio-inspired and flexible designs. This review describes the various smart polymer-based materials used in robotics, along with advances in the field and representative applications. A brief overview of recent developments is provided, with particular attention to 3D printing and the development of hybrid stimuli-responsive composites. The increasing integration of polymer-based smart materials will enable the next generation of robots to achieve unprecedented levels of agility, autonomy, and flexible operation in challenging applications, highlighting their transformative role in robotics evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" 3","pages":" 923-942"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/lp/d6lp00014b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148039699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Violacein-containing chitosan as light-sensitive, antioxidant and antibacterial hydrogels towards sustainable food packaging","authors":"Othmane Dardari, Nadia Katir, Mohamed Koubaa and Abdelkrim El Kadib","doi":"10.1039/D6LP00065G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6LP00065G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Naturally derived biodegradable polymers offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-based plastics in food packaging. In this study, multifunctional packaging films were prepared by integrating biomass-derived chitosan with violacein, a biotechnologically synthesized pigment. The resulting violacein–chitosan networks formed light-responsive hydrogels that could be cast into films or applied as coatings. Successful incorporation of violacein was confirmed by FTIR and UV–Vis analyses, supported by distinct optical and photoluminescence properties. SEM imaging revealed increased surface roughness and pigment aggregation at higher violacein loadings. The water solubility decreased markedly from 72.23% for pure chitosan to 19.33% for <strong>CS@Vio<small>^10%</small>-<em>f</em></strong>, while the water vapor permeability decreased from 8.09 × 10<small>⁻⁹</small> to 4.33 × 10<small>⁻⁹</small> g m (s Pa)<small>⁻¹</small>. Contact angle measurements indicated enhanced hydrophobicity, increasing from 74.3° for pristine chitosan) to 107.3° for <strong>CS@Vio<small>^10%</small>-<em>f</em></strong>. Violocaein incorporation allows at 5% optimal loading to improve the tensile strength (56 MPa), Young's modulus (1360 MPa) and elongation at break (51%), a unique behaviour that can be rooted in the bifaceted structure of the pigment, acting simultaneously as a plasticizer and stiffening reagent. Violacein endowed also the films with remarkable UV-shielding (up to 87.8% UVA and 98.9% UVB protection) and antioxidant properties, with the radical scavenging activity reaching 75% at 10% violacein loading. Antibacterial assays showed up to 80% inhibition of <em>S. aureus</em> and 71% inhibition of <em>E. coli</em>, outperforming pristine chitosan (60% and 65%, respectively). Furthermore, the films effectively extended the shelf life of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of violacein–chitosan films as sustainable, multifunctional materials for active food packaging and preservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" 3","pages":" 1132-1146"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/lp/d6lp00065g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148039659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phase morphology–structure–property–recyclability relationships of dynamically crosslinked thiol–ene photopolymers","authors":"Mengdi Chen, Saleh Alfarhan, Reyna Stockwell and Kailong Jin","doi":"10.1039/D6LP00028B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6LP00028B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Thiol–ene photopolymerization provides a versatile platform for constructing dynamic covalent adaptable networks through the incorporation of reversible or exchangeable bonds. However, in such dynamic thiol–ene photopolymers, the influence of phase separation on network properties remains poorly understood. In this study, dynamic thiol–ene photopolymer networks with distinct phase morphologies are prepared by photocuring nonpolar polybutadiene (PBD) with polar disulfide-containing dithiol oligomers (Thioplast G4). When mixed in the bulk state, PBD and G4 mixtures undergo phase separation due to their pronounced polarity mismatch, and subsequent photocuring yields morphologically heterogeneous networks comprising a PBD-rich continuous phase and G4-rich dispersed domains (noted as X series). In stark contrast, the addition of tetrahydrofuran leads to fully dissolved PBD/G4/tetrahydrofuran precursor mixtures, and subsequent photocuring in the solution state produces morphologically homogeneous, optically transparent networks (noted as HX series). Despite their identical PBD and G4 compositions in feed precursor mixtures, X and HX series exhibit pronounced differences in thiol–ene conversion, optical transparency, thermal transitions, mechanical extensibility, and chemical deconstruction kinetics. Across the varying G4 loadings employed to modulate crosslink density, these direct X and HX comparison results demonstrate how phase morphology can be tailored to tune the structure, property, and recyclability of thiol–ene photopolymer networks comprising dynamic disulfide bonds.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" 3","pages":" 1015-1027"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/lp/d6lp00028b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148039727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unexpected crystallization barrier in partially miscible polymer blends – a new opportunity for tailoring self-reinforcing polymer materials","authors":"Robert D. L. Jerusalem, Michail Maricanov, Anas Kerkour el Miad, Hannah Keune, Frank Katzenberg and Joerg C. Tiller","doi":"10.1039/D6LP00013D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6LP00013D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Polymers that can store mechanical energy administered shock-wise would be superior to simply shock absorbing elastic materials due to advanced safety and the ability to simultaneously store energy. A way to obtain such novel material properties is to design a polymeric system that is rubber-elastic and has the ability to form shape-stabilizing crystals upon strain while no such crystals are formed upon thermal crystallization. So far no such material exists. This study investigates, if cross-link partially miscible blends composed of semi-crystalline poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and amorphous poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) shows such behavior. Networks with a PVDF content of 65 wt% were found to inhibit the thermal crystallization of PVDF at ambient temperature by 69% of the maximal degree of crystallinity. Rapid stretching this material affords a strain-induced crystallization, which results in self-inforcement and stabilization of the stretched shape. The crystallization within these networks is inhibited even above the glass transition temperature (<em>T</em><small>_g</small>) of the blends. This unusual behavior is attributed to a local compositional segregation during formation of a minor fraction of seed crystals, which increases the local <em>T</em><small>_g</small> in the amorphous interphase between crystals and mixed amorphous blend that retains the lower mixture <em>T</em><small>_g</small>. The unexpected effect prevents further crystal growth even in a material with an overall <em>T</em><small>_g</small> below ambient temperature. The increased local <em>T</em><small>_g</small> is increasing the stiffness of the material, making it unsuitable as shock absorber, but the blend approach is a promising way towards rapid energy and shock absorbing materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":101139,"journal":{"name":"RSC Applied Polymers","volume":" 3","pages":" 1110-1119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/lp/d6lp00013d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148039657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}