{"title":"Transforming UV-Curable Emulsions for Arbitrary Patterning: A 2-Layer Approach without Line-and-Space Constraints","authors":"Yoshimi Inaba, Yasunori Kurauchi, Takayuki Yanagisawa","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The development of on-demand patterning technology aims to replace traditional methods such as embossing, photoetching, and screen printing, offering an efficient process with low environmental impact and high industrial value. By directly exposing an oil-in-water (O/W) UV-curable emulsion liquid film to a UV light pattern and then drying the film, large-pitch-and-depth uneven (concave–convex) patterns can form in a self-organizing manner. This method utilizes the aggregation of cured emulsion in the liquid film and the coalescence of uncured droplets in unexposed areas during drying. The coalesced oligomer droplets penetrate the voids in the cured-particle pattern layer, creating an uneven structure. However, when the line-and-space (L/S) ratio is 1/1 or larger, the density of voids in the pattern film increases, and when it is <1/1, the pattern edges lose sharpness, limiting the method to repetitive patterns. In this study, a 2-layer emulsion film: the lower layer absorbs the coalesced oligomer droplets from unexposed areas, and the upper layer forms a cured-particle aggregation pattern is proposed. This approach allows arbitrary patterning without L/S constraints and produces no waste other than dried water. An example of arbitrary pattern formation with a depth of ≈0.3 to 0.4 mm is demonstrated.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144870044","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":"Thermo-Oxidative Aging and Performance Comparison of Recovered, Sustainable, and Virgin Carbon Black in Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer-Based Elastomers","authors":"Vanessa Spanheimer, Dino Šimić, Danka Katrakova-Krüger, Ulrich Giese","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500034","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pyrolysis is becoming increasingly important in the context of recycling and the volume of end-of-life tires worldwide. Sustainable carbon black (sCB), which is produced from pyrolysis oil instead of crude oil, and recovered carbon black (rCB), which is the remaining solid from pyrolysis, are promising secondary raw materials for rubber compounds as a substitute for industrial carbon black produced from fossil resources. This study investigates the possibility of substituting carbon black N550 partially or fully in an EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) sealing compound. rCB contains impurities that affect the properties of the compound. Aging at higher temperatures, in the presence of oxygen is studied. The properties of the compounds are evaluated after heat treatment in air at different temperatures for up to 6 weeks. The results show that sCB is very close to N550 as a raw material and in terms of its in-rubber properties. Due to the impurities, rCB alters the cross-linking density and structure of the polymer-sulfur network (shift to polysulfidic structure). Lower reinforcement is also observed, which is related to weaker polymer-filler (decrease of I<sub>3/1</sub> for sCB by 3% and rCB by 43% related to vCB) and filler-filler interactions. Aging effects are also more pronounced in the compounds containing rCB.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500034","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869362","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":"Recycling of Multilayer Polymeric Barrier Films: an Overview of Recent Pioneering Works and Main Challenges","authors":"Hissein Bechibo Adam, Mohamed Yousfi, Abderrahim Maazouz, Khalid Lamnawar","doi":"10.1002/mame.202400414","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400414","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Multilayer barrier flexible polymer films are gaining attention for their lightness and versatility, representing over 17% of global plastic packaging production, primarily in the food sector. However, their complex chemical composition and strong interlayer adhesion—due to the presence of tie layers pose significant recycling challenges. This review explores waste management technologies for these complex films, including physical recycling (mechanical recycling, delamination, and selective dissolution-precipitation) and chemical recycling (pyrolysis, gasification, and depolymerization). Among them, mechanical recycling is the least energy-intensive and most environmentally friendly but is hindered by polymer degradation. Delamination, the least impactful solvent-based method, offers advantages, while selective dissolution-precipitation achieves high polymer purity but has a substantial environmental footprint due to excessive solvent use. Chemical recycling, though highly energy-intensive, produces derivatives with purity comparable to virgin materials. Therefore, the recent insights into each recycling process and their main scientific and technological challenges are summarized and discussed. Furthermore, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on multilayer film waste management are reviewed. One proposed eco-design strategy involves transitioning from multi-material to mono-material multilayer films, offering a promising path toward sustainable management.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202400414","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144647042","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":"PLA Double-Spirals Offering Enhanced Spatial Extensibility","authors":"Mohsen Jafarpour, Stanislav N. Gorb","doi":"10.1002/mame.202570012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202570012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Back Cover</b>: Inspired by natural spiral curves, 3D-printed PLA double-spiral modules have been designed to balance extensibility and load-bearing capacity in brittle materials. These modules possess tunable mechanical properties and strong anisotropic behavior, highlighting their potential in developing spatially extensible, energy-dissipative metastructures. More details can be found in the article 2400208 by Mohsen Jafarpour and Stanislav N. Gorb.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202570012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831119","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":"Synthesis of Block Copolymers Utilizing Alkoxycarbonylation or Aminocarbonylation of Growing Chain End in Pd-Catalyzed Living Polymerization of Olefins","authors":"Daisuke Takeuchi, Kohsuke Ohta, Yuta Kimura","doi":"10.1002/mame.202570011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202570011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Front Cover</b>: Alkoxycarbonylation or aminocarbonylation of living polyolefin, produced by diimine Pd catalysts, allows direct linking of the polyolefin with end-functionalized polymers. It also enables the introduction of initiating group for radical polymerization to the terminal of the living polyolefin and the synthesis of block copolymers of olefin and non-olefin monomers. More details can be found in article 2400358 by Daisuke Takeuchi and co-workers.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202570011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143831126","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":"A Brief History of Plastic Additives. Part 1: Antioxidants","authors":"Rudolf Pfaendner","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500039","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The development of suitable antioxidants has been a decisive element for the success of plastics in particular in the field of polyolefins. Build-up from well-accessible simple sterically hindered phenol structures, aromatic amines, and sulfur-containing intermediates a comprehensive range of polymer and application-specific products including multifunctional substances is commercially available today. Many successful products fulfill the market needs and are available on a global basis from different producers. Other promising products survives only for a short time. The future will see more stabilizers based on renewable resources and tailor-made systems for mechanical recycling supporting the circularity of plastics. The present review covers historical developments with a focus on the last 30 years and intends to fill an information gap triggering potential novel aspects in the area of antioxidants.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869487","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}
Cornelia Wolf-Brandstetter, Rafael Methling, Dirk Kuckling
{"title":"Adsorbable and Antimicrobial Amphiphilic Block Copolymers with Enhanced Biocompatibility","authors":"Cornelia Wolf-Brandstetter, Rafael Methling, Dirk Kuckling","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500078","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To minimize or avoid the use of antibiotics, antimicrobial polymers have emerged as a promising option to fight biomaterial-associated infections, e.g., on titanium-based implants. However, the challenge is to develop active polymers that exhibit an antimicrobial effect and are compatible with human cells. Different studies aiming for biocidal polymers active in soluble mode, focused on the ratio of cationic to hydrophobic groups, while only marginal knowledge is available for immobilized components. Here a strong hydrophilic electrolyte 4-vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (TMA) is chosen as the cationic component. The block composition of the polycationic segment is modified with styrene (Sty) regarding the amphiphilic balance. To adsorb such polymers onto titanium surfaces they are equipped with a polyphosphonic acid anchor block by sequential reversible-addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization (RAFT) polymerization. The polymer composition affected the wetting behavior of adsorbed coatings with water contact angles ranging from 17° to 72°, while zetapotential measurements confirmed high extent of positive charges for all adsorbed polymer coatings. The fundamentally modified block composition resulted in significantly improved cytocompatibility. Antimicrobial efficacy in early bacterial adhesion is still retained from slightly antiadhesive coatings to combined antiadhesive/biocidal activity depending on Sty/TMA ratio in random polymers while a block copolymer revealed lowest antimicrobial effect.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500078","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869244","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":"Thermo-Mechanical and Structural Characterization of Isothermally Annealed 3D Printed Pseudo-Amorphous Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK).","authors":"Dilesh Raj Shrestha, Xiaolong Wang, Nazanin Emami","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500076","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) (60/40 TERE/ISO) is characterized by a lower processing temperature and a higher glass transition temperature (T<sub>g</sub>) compared to polyetheretherketone (PEEK), making it a promising material for 3D printing. However, it remains in amorphous state post-printing due to its slow crystallization rate. In this study, isothermal annealing is conducted on 3D printed pseudo amorphous PEKK at various times and temperature. Thermal analysis techniques reveal that both annealing time and temperature play a pivotal role in enhancing crystallinity, with levels reaching up to 27% when annealed between the T<sub>g</sub> and the melting temperature (T<sub>m</sub>). However, thermal stability decreased as the annealing temperature approached T<sub>m</sub>. X-ray diffraction studies demonstrate that annealing between T<sub>g</sub> and T<sub>m</sub> promotes the development of stable form II crystals, while annealing at higher temperatures encourages the formation of form I crystals. Furthermore, dynamic mechanical analysis indicated a 44% increase in mechanical stiffness following annealing, and compressive testing shows improved yield strength, comparable to that of other polyaryletherketone (PAEK) materials. These findings suggest that controlled annealing of 3D printed PEKK enables precise tailoring of its crystallinity and mechanical properties, making it adaptable for a wide range of applications, such as biomedical devices that require patient-specific customization.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500076","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869242","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}
Quinn V. C. van Hilst, Vinh Khanh Doan, Bram G Soliman, Yiwei Li, Yi Wang, Siyuan Liu, Kieran Lau, Habib Joukhdar, Qishu He, Chung-Wei (Roy) Hsu, Chun Xu, Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina, Tim B. F. Woodfield, James D. Crowley, Khoon S. Lim
{"title":"The Potential of Ruthenium(II) Tris-Bidentate Complexes as Multifunctional Photo-Initiators","authors":"Quinn V. C. van Hilst, Vinh Khanh Doan, Bram G Soliman, Yiwei Li, Yi Wang, Siyuan Liu, Kieran Lau, Habib Joukhdar, Qishu He, Chung-Wei (Roy) Hsu, Chun Xu, Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina, Tim B. F. Woodfield, James D. Crowley, Khoon S. Lim","doi":"10.1002/mame.202400458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400458","url":null,"abstract":"<p>An optically active antibacterial ruthenium(II) phenanthroline complex (tris(3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) ruthenium(II) dichloride), is investigated for its potential as a multifunctional photo-initiator. Antibacterial and cytotoxic studies indicated that the complex is biologically active, and viable below <0.5 m<span>m</span>. The complex is shown to photo-polymerize gelatin using visible light in a similar manner to tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) dichloride and is demonstrated to retain antibacterial activity post-fabrication of a gelatin hydrogel. Incorporation of the photo-initiator into the interstitial fluid of a hybrid gelatin granular scaffold generated a multifunctional scaffold that retained cell viability and exhibited injectable properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"310 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202400458","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144646808","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}