Erdem Selver, Ayca Dogrul Selver, Angela Daniela La Rosa, Abu Saifullah, Zhongyi Zhang, Stephen Driver, Jack Herring, Hom Nath Dhakal
{"title":"Recent Developments in Sustainable Composites for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs): A Review","authors":"Erdem Selver, Ayca Dogrul Selver, Angela Daniela La Rosa, Abu Saifullah, Zhongyi Zhang, Stephen Driver, Jack Herring, Hom Nath Dhakal","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500311","DOIUrl":"10.1002/mame.202500311","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Today, most of the PCBs used consist of a composite structure made of glass fibre and epoxy material, commonly referred to as FR4. FR4's easy handling during PCB manufacturing, as well as its robustness and electrical properties, have made it an indispensable material for many years. However, the difficulties in the recycling of FR4 and the high CO<sub>2</sub> emission during the production process have revealed the necessity of using different materials. Despite the necessity of sustainable PCBs in the electrical and electronic sector, there are no comprehensive reviews highlighting the potential of sustainable PCBs substituting conventional FR4 materials. In this review paper, the development of alternative composites that can be used instead of FR4 in recent years and the benefits they can provide are evaluated and presented. The current review investigates and compares the potential of using natural plant fibers and biodegradable polymers as sustainable key materials in PCBs. The findings highlight that the production of more sustainable PCBs and the reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions compared to FR4 are feasible if the correct parameters and manufacturing techniques are used. Finally, this review provides future directions in innovation and sustainable PCBs development, highlighting the need for property enhancement, industrial-academic collaborations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500311","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147683617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiongwei Dong, Kaixin Ran, Yujie Wang, Zixiong Yin, Zewei Zheng, Cheng Gao, Yi Xiong, Yun Tang, Sakil Mahmud
{"title":"Synergistic Blend Spinning of Bioactive Lyocell Fibers for Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Skin Protection","authors":"Xiongwei Dong, Kaixin Ran, Yujie Wang, Zixiong Yin, Zewei Zheng, Cheng Gao, Yi Xiong, Yun Tang, Sakil Mahmud","doi":"10.1002/mame.70211","DOIUrl":"10.1002/mame.70211","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Functional wound dressings based on regenerated cellulose fibers that concurrently control infection, suppress inflammation, and promote tissue regeneration remain a major clinical need. Here, regenerated cellulose (lyocell), a well-defined polysaccharide polymer, is employed as a bioactive matrix to fabricate multifunctional fibers via blend spinning with glycyrrhizic acid, cysteine, tannic acid, and zinc gluconate. Structural analyses confirm preservation of cellulose II crystallinity with reduced crystallite order and surface enrichment of carbonyl, ester, and phenolic groups arising from hydrogen-bonding and coordination interactions. The polysaccharide-rich cellulose network governs additive immobilization, enabling sustained antibacterial activity while maintaining mechanical integrity. The blended fibers exhibit strong antibacterial performance, achieving >99% inhibition against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> under contact conditions and >90% inhibition under oscillation conditions, despite minimal tannic acid release (∼0.001% w/v over 20 h). In vivo, the fibers achieved a 98.37% inhibition rate against <i>S. aureus</i>, reduced viable bacterial burden to 26.7 ± 18.9%, and accelerated wound closure to 97.6 ± 0.8% by day 14. Immunohistochemical analyses reveal reduced oxidative stress, lower IL-6 expression, increased collagen deposition, macrophage polarization toward an M2-phenotype, and a ∼fourfold increase in angiogenesis. These results establish polysaccharide-based lyocell fibers as an effective platform for antibacterial and immunomodulatory wound dressings.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70211","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Post-Consumer Mechanical Recycling of Thermally Degraded Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polyamide 6,6 for Electrical Applications","authors":"Alessandro Salvi, Irem Cemre Doğaner, Andrés Eguren Pita, Marlena Ostrowska, Giovanni Dotelli","doi":"10.1002/mame.202600002","DOIUrl":"10.1002/mame.202600002","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates post-consumer mechanical recycling of a glass-fiber reinforced polyamide 6,6 for electrical applications (PA66-GF25, brominated flame-retardant), using accelerated thermal ageing (180°C, 400 h) to simulate long-term thermo-oxidative degradation. Five material states are compared: virgin, aged, recycled-unaged (post-industrial analogue), recycled-aged (post-consumer analogue), and a 50 wt.% dilution of recycled-aged with virgin material. Mechanical characterization demonstrates that ageing primarily induces matrix embrittlement, reducing tensile strain at maximum stress from 4.19% to 2.50% while preserving tensile strength (81.5 to 82.7 MPa). Conversely, recycling predominantly compromises reinforcement efficiency through fiber attrition, with mean fiber length decreasing by 42%, resulting in a tensile strength reduction to 51.0 MPa for unaged recyclates. The post-consumer analogue exhibits cumulative degradation, yielding the lowest flexural strength (83.2 MPa compared to 112.4 MPa for virgin material). However, 50% dilution effectively restores flexural strength (112.1 MPa). Despite mechanical penalties, critical safety properties remain unaffected: all configurations maintain a GWFI of 960°C and a UL94 V-0 rating, while tracking resistance (CTI 400 V), lost during ageing, is fully recovered upon reprocessing. The results indicate that post-consumer recycling is feasible, with dilution as an effective route to restore performance while incorporating post-consumer content.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202600002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gregorio Marchiori, Nicola Sancisi, Gianluca Tozzi, Massimiliano Zingales, Gaia Prezioso, Andrea Visani, Andrea Zucchelli, Alberto Sensini
{"title":"Revealing The True Mechanical Behavior Of Porous Tendon Scaffolds Via In Situ Morphometry","authors":"Gregorio Marchiori, Nicola Sancisi, Gianluca Tozzi, Massimiliano Zingales, Gaia Prezioso, Andrea Visani, Andrea Zucchelli, Alberto Sensini","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500447","DOIUrl":"10.1002/mame.202500447","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examines how strain-driven changes in volume fraction and geometry influence the mechanics of porous scaffolds, aiming to improve the accuracy of their stress–strain description. Single bundles and hierarchical structures (8 bundles surrounded by a membrane), made of poly(L-lactic) acid and collagen type I, were electrospun as tendon/ligament scaffolds and examined via In Situ tensile tests in micro-CT. This enabled the development of a framework to compare stress metrics with increasing complexity. Apparent and net stress were obtained from the initial samples’ cross-sections and material volume fractions. Micro-CT revealed strain-dependent morphological changes, allowing computation of actual stress–strain behavior. Scaffolds’ nanofibers orientation/cross-section were quantified via SEM. The mechanical interpretation changed significantly when using strain-dependent morphometry (actual stress–strain) rather than the initial, static geometry (apparent stress–strain). Bundles’ actual elastic modulus was statistically higher than hierarchical structures’ one due to membrane-bundle and inter-bundle interactions. The different stress definitions yield varying levels of accuracy depending on the experimental complexity. Stress models are provided, allowing a compromise between characterization reliability and experimental complexity. Morphological evolution during deformation strongly affects mechanical response: at the tissue scale, it improves comparison between scaffold and native tissue behavior; at the cellular scale, it predicts the substrate stiffness sensed by cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500447","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147684125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancements in 3D Printing of Self-Healing Polymer Systems","authors":"Adam L. Bachmann, Bryan S. Beckingham","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500365","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has exploded in popularity as it enables the fabrication of complex geometries with minimal waste. As this technology matures, there is an increasing demand for 3D printing of advanced materials that can respond and adapt to their environment. Of particular interest are self-healing materials that can recover their desirable properties even after being damaged to extend the working life of the printed part. This review highlights the recent advances in 3D printing self-healing polymer systems by emphasizing the interplay between the self-healing mechanism and the 3D printing process. A particular focus is placed on printability requirements for the most popular 3D printing techniques and various strategies that researchers have pursued to print advanced materials. Successful 3D printing of microcapsule-based polymer systems is then highlighted as a low-cost method to introduce self-healing into 3D printed parts. Outstanding challenges in 3D printing of self-healing materials are then discussed, with future research directions proposed to help expand the 3D printability of self-healing polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500365","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Total X-Ray Illumination for Absolute Quantification of Crystalline Phases and Amorphous Content in PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE)","authors":"Shaashwat Saraff, Giulio Isacco Lampronti, Sohini Kar-Narayan","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500325","DOIUrl":"10.1002/mame.202500325","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Fluoropolymers such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) have numerous applications in electronic and mechanical devices, owing to their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. In these polymers, electromechanical coupling arises due to the consistent configuration of electropositive and electronegative atoms in certain crystalline phases, most notably the β phase, which has the highest net polarization. In order to examine the performance and optimize the processing parameters of a PVDF or P(VDF-TrFE) specimen, it is important to accurately quantify the amounts of the different crystalline phases and the amorphous content in it. Here, we present a rigorous methodology to achieve this using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement, which has several advantages over the currently popular approaches of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). By introducing a sample weighting factor and Total Illumination by X-rays (TIX) into the classic external standard method for amorphous fraction quantification, this analytical protocol addresses some quintessential challenges posed by organic materials, such as low X-ray microabsorption and high amorphous content. This results in a framework applicable to diverse systems, including polymers, metal-organic frameworks, and biological materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500325","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Data-Driven Design and Discovery of Metal–Organic Framework/Polymer Mixed Matrix Membranes","authors":"Seda Keskin","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500364","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most promising classes of porous materials thanks to their tunable chemistry, structural diversity, and a variety of useful structural properties such as very high porosities and extraordinarily large surface areas. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) that incorporate MOF fillers into polymers have emerged to overcome the selectivity-permeability trade-offs inherent to traditional polymer membranes for gas separations. MOF/polymer MMMs are currently at the forefront of membrane research thanks to their ability to bridge the performance gaps of pure polymers and the practical limitations of pristine MOFs. While experimental studies have demonstrated the strong benefit of using of MOF/polymer MMMs for many different types of separations, the rational design of novel MMMs remains a complex, multi-scale challenge. Integration of machine learning (ML) to current experimental and computational studies will be central to unlocking the industrial potential of MOF/polymer MMMs by guiding materials selection, predicting membrane performance, and even synthesis conditions. This perspective explores how ML is reshaping the design and discovery of MOF/polymer MMMs by discussing current progress, opportunities, and challenges of uniting computational innovation with experimental validation to create the next generation of MOF-based MMMs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500364","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancements in 3D Printing of Self-Healing Polymer Systems","authors":"Adam L. Bachmann, Bryan S. Beckingham","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500365","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has exploded in popularity as it enables the fabrication of complex geometries with minimal waste. As this technology matures, there is an increasing demand for 3D printing of advanced materials that can respond and adapt to their environment. Of particular interest are self-healing materials that can recover their desirable properties even after being damaged to extend the working life of the printed part. This review highlights the recent advances in 3D printing self-healing polymer systems by emphasizing the interplay between the self-healing mechanism and the 3D printing process. A particular focus is placed on printability requirements for the most popular 3D printing techniques and various strategies that researchers have pursued to print advanced materials. Successful 3D printing of microcapsule-based polymer systems is then highlighted as a low-cost method to introduce self-healing into 3D printed parts. Outstanding challenges in 3D printing of self-healing materials are then discussed, with future research directions proposed to help expand the 3D printability of self-healing polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500365","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Data-Driven Design and Discovery of Metal–Organic Framework/Polymer Mixed Matrix Membranes","authors":"Seda Keskin","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500364","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most promising classes of porous materials thanks to their tunable chemistry, structural diversity, and a variety of useful structural properties such as very high porosities and extraordinarily large surface areas. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) that incorporate MOF fillers into polymers have emerged to overcome the selectivity-permeability trade-offs inherent to traditional polymer membranes for gas separations. MOF/polymer MMMs are currently at the forefront of membrane research thanks to their ability to bridge the performance gaps of pure polymers and the practical limitations of pristine MOFs. While experimental studies have demonstrated the strong benefit of using of MOF/polymer MMMs for many different types of separations, the rational design of novel MMMs remains a complex, multi-scale challenge. Integration of machine learning (ML) to current experimental and computational studies will be central to unlocking the industrial potential of MOF/polymer MMMs by guiding materials selection, predicting membrane performance, and even synthesis conditions. This perspective explores how ML is reshaping the design and discovery of MOF/polymer MMMs by discussing current progress, opportunities, and challenges of uniting computational innovation with experimental validation to create the next generation of MOF-based MMMs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500364","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}