K. Heydari, A. A. Yousefi, A. Zadhoush, H. M. Hosseini, A. T. Heydari
{"title":"Synergistic Condensed-Phase Flame-Retardant Mechanism of Zinc Phosphinate and Zirconium Hydrogen Phosphate in Recycled PET","authors":"K. Heydari, A. A. Yousefi, A. Zadhoush, H. M. Hosseini, A. T. Heydari","doi":"10.1002/mame.70275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70275","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the synergistic condensed-phase flame-retardant mechanism of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) modified with zinc phosphinate (ZnPi) and zirconium hydrogen phosphate (ZrP). Three formulations were prepared: rPET with 4.5wt% ZnPi (ZnPi45), 4.5 wt% ZrP (ZrP45), and a hybrid containing 2.25wt%ZnPi+2.25wt%ZrP (BL225). Rheological analysis confirmed that no premature crosslinking occurs at processing temperature (265°C), indicating that char formation originates from thermally activated degradation chemistry. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) under air revealed that ZnPi promotes phosphorus-assisted charring during the primary degradation window (370–470°C), while ZrP enhances residue persistence above 600°C. The hybrid BL225 exhibited an extended degradation width (ΔT<sub>10</sub>–<sub>90</sub> = 182.07°C) and positive synergy indices of approximately 20% at 500°C and 800°C, confirming cooperative interactions. Raman spectroscopy, analyzed using three independent crystallite size calculation methods (Tuinstra–Koenig, Cancado, and Ferrari–Robertson), consistently ranked the structural order as ZnPi45>BL225>ZrP45>rPET. ZnPi45 achieved the largest crystallite size (La = 59.9 nm by Cancado method), while BL225 retained over 85% of this efficiency at half ZnPi loading. These results quantitatively support a cooperative condensed-phase mechanism in which ZnPi generates phosphorus-rich crosslinked networks and ZrP provides a thermally stable inorganic scaffold, collectively forming a dense, oxidation-resistant protective char.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70275","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753548","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}
Stephanie Chedid, Florian Feyne, Valérie Langlois, Estelle Renard, Agustín Rios de Anda
{"title":"Eugenol as a Renewable Platform for Polyfunctional Co-Hardeners for Tunable Epoxy Resins: From Synthesis to Multiscale Functional Characterization","authors":"Stephanie Chedid, Florian Feyne, Valérie Langlois, Estelle Renard, Agustín Rios de Anda","doi":"10.1002/mame.70237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70237","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Partially bio-based epoxy thermosets were developed using diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and two biobased amines hardeners. A novel tetra-functional amine was synthesized from eugenol via oxidative coupling to form di-eugenol, followed by thiol-ene functionalization. Five formulations were prepared by varying the molar ratio of the two biobased amine hardeners to tailor the network architecture. Thermomechanical properties were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Furthermore, Solid-State <sup>1</sup>H NMR provided a multiscale experimental approach into the relationship between cross-link density, molecular chain dynamics, and macroscopic thermomechanical properties, leading to a straightforward structure-property correlation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70237","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753563","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}
Matteo Calosi, Marcel Dippold, Andrea D'Iorio, Elena Buratti, Holger Ruckdäschel, Monica Bertoldo
{"title":"Study of the Biodegradation Properties of Amorphous Blends of Poly(Lactic Acid) and Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-4-Hydroxybutyrate) Foamed With Supercritical CO2","authors":"Matteo Calosi, Marcel Dippold, Andrea D'Iorio, Elena Buratti, Holger Ruckdäschel, Monica Bertoldo","doi":"10.1002/mame.70318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70318","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is the most widely used bio-based and biodegradable polymer because of its versatility and relatively low cost, and PLA foams are increasingly used as alternatives to conventional expanded polymers. However, PLA shows limited biodegradability outside industrial composting, especially when dispersed in the environment. Blending PLA with polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) is a promising strategy to improve its degradation behavior. In this work, fully amorphous blends of amorphous PLA and amorphous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (aPHA) were studied, with aPHA as the minor component at 10–30 wt.%. The blends were compounded at 185°C. TEM analysis revealed an immiscible morphology with dispersed spherical aPHA domains of 400–600 nm. All blends were successfully foamed by batch pressure-drop foaming using supercritical CO<sub>2</sub>. Foam density and morphology depended strongly on foaming pressure and temperature. The lowest density, below 50 g/L, was achieved at 50°C and 90 bar, producing a closed-cell structure with cell sizes of 40–80 µm. Biodegradability under simulated home-composting conditions at 30°C was assessed by respirometry, NMR, SEC, and SEM, showing enhanced PLA degradation and total mass loss up to 84% after 4 months. In marine conditions, degradation was limited and mainly selective for aPHA.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70318","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753564","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":"Integrated Design and Process Optimization of FDM-Fabricated Hexagonal Architected Thin-Walled PA12 Tubes for Improved Compressive and Energy Absorption Performance","authors":"Vigneshwaran Karupaiah, Venkateshwaran Narayanan, Gokul Kannan, Oisik Das, Vigneshwaran Shanmugam","doi":"10.1002/mame.70309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70309","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Thin-walled structures fabricated via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) offer high strength-to-weight ratios and geometrically customisable configurations. This study examined how five hexagonal wall architectures of progressively increasing nodal connectivity (D1–D5), three layer heights (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm), and two print angle orientations (0° and 90°) influence the compressive strength, energy absorption, and dimensional accuracy of nylon PA12 tubes under quasi-static uniaxial compression. A Taguchi L30 mixed orthogonal array was used to structure the 30 experimental runs, whereas signal-to-noise (S/N) analysis ranked parameter influence, and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) resolved the competing compressive-strength and dimensional-accuracy objectives. The most complex architecture (D5) at 90°/0.1 mm achieved the highest compressive strength (144.75 MPa) and energy absorption (4.23 J), whereas the intermediate architecture (D3) at 0°/0.1 mm gave the lowest length error (0.03 mm). Layer height dominated compressive strength (S/N range 0.826 dB), and architected design governed dimensional accuracy (S/N range 4.162 dB). In the multi-response analysis, run T13 (D3/0°/0.1 mm) attained the highest grey relational grade (GRG = 0.8623), whilst the Taguchi main-effect analysis of GRG identified D5/90°/0.1 mm as the optimal factor-level combination, with layer height exerting the greatest combined influence.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70309","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696129","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}
Consolata Nsanzubuhoro, Robert William McClelland Pott
{"title":"The Development and Properties of alginate/κ-carrageenan Hydrogel: Beeswax Oleogel Bigels","authors":"Consolata Nsanzubuhoro, Robert William McClelland Pott","doi":"10.1002/mame.70319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70319","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study developed a bigel composite material, based on alginate/κ-carrageenan (AG/κ-CG) hydrogel and beeswax/palm oil (BW/PO) oleogel, and investigated the influence of hydrogel composition, oleogel concentration, and hydrogel-to-oleogel ratio on material properties. The bigel beads were characterized using rheological measurements, confocal microscopy, hardness testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis. Oleogel oil retention efficiency reached up to 90.32% and was influenced by emulsion stability, AG:κ CG ratio, oleogelator concentration, and the hydrogel and oleogel volume fractions. Confocal microscopy revealed compact microstructures. The beads exhibited high sphericity (> 0.93), and increasing oleogel content reduced shrinkage (44.90%–57.64%) and hardness (1.280–3.178 N) of the bigel. Swelling studies demonstrated structural resilience under acidic conditions (pH 1.2), with swelling ratios up to 0.36, and substantially increased swelling under alkaline conditions (pH 7.2), with ratios up to 3.30. This work characterizes bigels composed of an AG/κ-CG hydrogel phase and a BW/PO oleogel phase, and demonstrates how formulation variables influence oleogel retention, microstructure, and mechanical behavior, highlighting their potential for controlled release applications in food and pharmaceutical systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70319","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696130","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}
Katekani Shingange, Sivuyisiwe Mapukata, Teboho Mokhena, Thandi Patricia Gumede, David Rogers, Martin Ntwaeaborwa
{"title":"Review on Recent Advances in Conducting Polymer/Metal-Oxide Nanocomposite Chemiresistors for Environmental Gas Monitoring","authors":"Katekani Shingange, Sivuyisiwe Mapukata, Teboho Mokhena, Thandi Patricia Gumede, David Rogers, Martin Ntwaeaborwa","doi":"10.1002/mame.70312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70312","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Innovation in environmental monitoring is at an all-time high due to the increased need to protect public health, preserve fragile ecosystems, enforce regulatory compliance, and mitigate environmental risks. The development of gas sensors, particularly chemiresistive gas sensors, which detect gases based on changes in electrical resistance has particularly gained attention due to their exceptional sensitivity and compact size. The performance of these sensors is greatly influenced by the fundamental properties of materials chosen to act as the sensing layer. The integration of inorganic materials with conducting polymers has become more popular in improving the sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and response kinetics of these sensors. Moreover, these composites address the impact of high operating temperature and humidity. This review focuses on the recent developments in the creation of conducting polymer composites for gas-sensing applications, particularly composites comprising conducting polymers and metal oxides. These composite materials ensure the accurate detection of reducing or oxidizing gases in a variety of environments and can potentially be used in monitoring hazardous gaseous substances in the environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70312","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696128","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":"Design of a TiO2/Poly(Ani-co-Cz) Macromolecular Nanocomposite With Enhanced Solar Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Performance","authors":"Moghadaseh Aghaei Araei, Moslem Mansour Lakouraj, Rahman Hosseinzadeh","doi":"10.1002/mame.70311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70311","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>)-based polymeric nanocomposite incorporating a carbazole-aniline copolymer (poly(Ani-co-Cz)) was synthesized for sunlight-driven photocatalytic water remediation using methylene blue (MB) as a model organic pollutant, and its antibacterial activity was also evaluated. The TiO<sub>2</sub>/Poly(Ani-co-Cz) nanocomposite was characterized, revealing a band gap energy (Eg) of 3.06 eV, calculated using Tauc's equation. Under natural solar irradiation, the nanocomposite with an optimal TiO<sub>2</sub>/Poly(Ani-co-Cz) ratio of 5 achieves up to 99% MB degradation, exceeding pristine TiO<sub>2</sub> by over 33%. This improvement is attributed to enhanced charge separation and light absorption induced by the conductive copolymer. Photocatalysis kinetics were evaluated using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, and potential mechanisms were examined through hydroxyl radical trapping experiments. The pseudo-first-order rate constant (k<sub>app</sub>) for MB photodegradation was found to be 0.0301 min<sup>−1</sup>, indicating strong compatibility with pseudo-first-order kinetics. The study confirms the generation of hydroxyl (OH<sup>•</sup>) and superoxide (O<sub>2</sub><sup>•−</sup>) radicals during dye degradation by the nanocomposite. Antibacterial testing revealed strong inhibition against <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, a moderate effect against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, minimal impact against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, and a negligible effect against <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. These findings indicate that the TiO<sub>2</sub>/poly(Ani-co-Cz) nanocomposite is a promising dual-function material for solar-driven, sustainable water treatment, enabling simultaneous photocatalytic pollutant removal and antibacterial action.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70311","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695906","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}
Seda Bekin Acar, Burcu Alkan, Hakan Durmaz, M. Atilla Taşdelen
{"title":"A Facile Catalytic Route for the Preparation of Poly(methyl acrylate)/Clay Nanocomposites","authors":"Seda Bekin Acar, Burcu Alkan, Hakan Durmaz, M. Atilla Taşdelen","doi":"10.1002/mame.70315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70315","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polymer–clay nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to their enhanced thermal, mechanical, and structural properties compared to conventional polymer materials. In this study, poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA)/clay nanocomposites were prepared via a catalytic solution-based approach using 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) as the organocatalyst. The incorporation of the clay into the polymer matrix was achieved efficiently by exploiting the organocatalytic transesterification reaction between poly(methyl acrylate) and the hydroxyl groups of nanoclay under mild solution conditions. Structural characterization was performed using nuclear magnetic resonance (<sup>1</sup>H-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed that the glass transition temperature increased from 12.8°C for neat PMA to 19.4°C for the PMA/clay nanocomposite containing 10% clay, indicating restricted polymer chain mobility. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis showed enhanced thermal resistance with increasing clay content, accompanied by an increase in char residue up to 12.49% at 700°C. Also, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses confirmed the formation of predominantly intercalated/exfoliated clay structures within the PMA matrix. The results indicate that the proposed catalytic strategy provides a simple and effective route for the preparation of polyacrylate-based polymer–clay nanocomposites.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70315","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696177","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}
Carlo Boaretti, Diego Penzo, Gabriele Rossignolo, Martina Roso, Michele Modesti, Alessandra Lorenzetti
{"title":"Synthesis of Polyols for Expanded Rigid Polyurethanes by Microwave Liquefaction of Kraft Lignin With Bio-Based Solvents","authors":"Carlo Boaretti, Diego Penzo, Gabriele Rossignolo, Martina Roso, Michele Modesti, Alessandra Lorenzetti","doi":"10.1002/mame.70305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70305","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this work, polyols derived from lignin microwave (MW) liquefaction are produced using different bio-based solvents derived from azelaic acid (Emerox) to synthesize rigid polyurethane foams (rPUFs). Lignin depolymerization is carried out according to a range of suitable conditions reported in the literature, optimizing the process by investigating the effect of solvent type, solvent-to-glycerin ratio, catalyst type, and concentration. The results show a liquefaction yield up to 90% with a solvent mixture containing glycerin between 30 and 50% w/w. On the other hand, the nature of the catalyst used in the liquefaction poses some limitations, as the use of H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> has to be restricted to 1% w/w to limit the acidity of the derived polyols, reducing the yield, while NaOH increases the final hydroxyl number (nOH) of the product mixture, but still maintaining a very high yield (98%). The polyols obtained under optimized liquefaction conditions are compared with commercial Emerox biopolyols for rPUFs production. The different foams exhibit similar physical properties, but fire reaction, thermal stability, and compressive strength are improved using lignin-derived polyols, although only under specific liquefaction conditions. The best results are obtained by using a lignin-derived polyol obtained by using NaOH as a liquefaction catalyst.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70305","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696185","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}