Macromolecular Materials and Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Porosity Engineered 3D Printed Biopolymer Cryogels for Oil Sorption and Chemical Free Recovery","authors":"Jorge Mercado-Rico,&nbsp;Adrián Esteban-Arranz,&nbsp;Luis Andrés Pérez,&nbsp;Alejandro Hernández-Sosa,&nbsp;Lidia Gallego-Mena,&nbsp;Antonio J. Capezza,&nbsp;Luz Sánchez-Silva,&nbsp;Rebeca Hernández","doi":"10.1002/mame.70273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We report the development of protein–polysaccharide hydrogel precursors enabling the additive manufacturing of biopolymer aerogels with tunable porosity and sorption performance. Sodium alginate–bovine serum albumin (BSA) complexes were formulated as shear-thinning, extrusion-printable bioinks that yield mechanically stable architectures with high shape fidelity, including multilayered and hollow structures. Subsequent freeze-drying transformed the printed hydrogels into aerogels while preserving the designed geometries, and the freezing conditions were identified as key structural determinants. Rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen produced highly interconnected porous networks with sustained uptake of hydrophobic oils. In contrast, slow freezing at −20°C generated macroporous architectures characterized by accelerated but lower-capacity sorption; notably, these structures enabled efficient oil release (&gt;80 %) upon simple centrifugation, eliminating the need for chemical recovery. Incorporation of BSA into alginate matrices further loosens the polymer network, enhances pore connectivity, and markedly improves sorption performance, especially under fast-freezing conditions. These findings establish a versatile processing platform that integrates extrusion-based 3D printing with controlled freeze-drying to tailor the hierarchical porosity of renewable biopolymer aerogels. This approach highlights the broader potential of protein–polysaccharide bioinks for engineering tunable aerogel architectures aimed at environmental remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70273","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533684","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":"Heat Shielding of Steel With a Polyelectrolyte Coacervate Coating","authors":"Justin D. Alpern,&nbsp;Anastasia B. Contreras,&nbsp;Sarah G. Fisher,&nbsp;Margaret J. Karim,&nbsp;Jaime C. Grunlan","doi":"10.1002/mame.70272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70272","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Steel used in structural and aerospace applications often needs to be protected from high temperatures for the sake of safety and to prevent structural weakening. Polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) coatings filled with clay provide a new opportunity for thermal barrier coatings (TBC) that are simple and very effective. Here, a 580 µm thick TBC prepared from a PEC coacervate, comprised of polyethylenimine, poly(sodium phosphate), and halloysite nanotube clay, reduces the backside temperature of a ∼ 3 mm steel plate exposed to prolonged flame by more than 200°C (from 346°C to 120°C). This study demonstrates the potential of clay-filled PEC coacervate TBCs to provide long-term protection to high thermal conductivity materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70272","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533702","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":"Cellulose Nanocrystals: A Versatile Immobilization Matrix for Lipase Enzyme, Driving Self and Accelerated Degradation of Cellulose Acetate Films","authors":"Naba Kumar Kalita,&nbsp;Jenevieve Yao,&nbsp;Doli Hazarika,&nbsp;Celine Aarsen,&nbsp;Eric Singsaas,&nbsp;Minna Hakkarainen","doi":"10.1002/mame.70280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70280","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cellulose acetate (CA) is an established commercial material based on an inherently biodegradable biobased resource, cellulose. However, chemical modification through acetylation to obtain thermoplastic properties significantly limits the biodegradation rate, making deacetylation the rate-determining step for subsequent biodegradation. We developed an innovative approach by immobilizing lipase (IL) enzymes on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and embedding the resulting CNC-IL into CA films to accelerate the biodegradation of CA. This offers a platform for controlling and accelerating the degradation of CA, as demonstrated by significantly enhanced degradation rates under self-degradation and enzymatic degradation in aqueous medium, including artificial seawater, and under simulated industrial composting conditions. We also explored the underlying mechanisms by detailed characterization of the degradation process in different degradation environments, demonstrating that the enzyme-embedded approach and utilization of CNCs as an immobilization matrix holds significant promise for catalyzing the biodegradation process by initiating self-degradation from inside the polymer material. This approach thus holds promise in accelerating the degradation process and ensuring degradation even under less favorable environmental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70280","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533704","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":"Degradation of Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid Polymers Under X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Exposure","authors":"Annik Bernhardt,&nbsp;Tobias Albrecht,&nbsp;Kerstin Witte-Bodnar","doi":"10.1002/mame.70276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70276","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The degradation of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers during use is an important topic for the development of polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers and fuel cells. It can be analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), but the exposure to x-rays may induce additional degradation during measurements. In this work, the degradation of pristine Nafion115 polymer under x-ray beam exposure with ∼23∙10⁻⁵ W µm⁻² up to 223 min is analyzed using survey and high-resolution spectra. The x-ray-induced degradation can be differentiated into three sequential phases: loss of SO₃ groups indicated by a reduction in the S2p peak to 0.5% after 55–73 min, degradation along the sidechain, and mainchain cleavage starting at 60 min of exposure at the earliest. Initial SO₃ peak areas can be calculated by fitting with an exponential decay function. In addition, a small change in CF₂ and CF₃ peaks during the first minutes of the measurements is revealed, that may influence their analysis. Overall, we provide a detailed mechanism for the degradation under the x-ray beam and the implications for measurement recommendations for XPS analysis of degraded samples. Especially S/F peak ratios in survey spectra and analysis of degradation-induced peaks in C1s high-resolution spectra are recommended for future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70276","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533766","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":"Influence of Cooling Rate on Physical Foaming Behavior of Molten Isotactic Polypropylene Systems","authors":"Rajesh Kumar Sharma,&nbsp;Kenta Ushida,&nbsp;Mirei Ino,&nbsp;Hideo Akimoto,&nbsp;Hisahiro Tanaka,&nbsp;Masato Goto,&nbsp;Takeshi Sato,&nbsp;Kenji Yoshimoto,&nbsp;Kentaro Taki","doi":"10.1002/mame.70261","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70261","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Physical foaming of polymers is widely used to produce lightweight materials with improved thermal and mechanical properties. This study investigated the effect of cooling rate on the foaming behavior of two isotactic polypropylene (iPP) systems–a linear homopolymer (H1) and a long-chain branched homopolymer (Homo-LCB, L2). Polymer samples were saturated with nitrogen gas at 7 MPa and 200°C for 1 h, then cooled at controlled rates of 24, 40, and 52°C/min under constant pressure and depressurized at <i>T</i>_d = 110°C–200°C to induce bubble nucleation. Bubble nucleation was monitored using high-resolution visualization system and X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) imaging. The results showed that number of bubbles increased around <i>T</i>_d ∼130°C, reached a maximum at 120°C for cooling rates of 40 and 52°C/min, and at 115°C for 24°C/min. Higher cooling rates resulted in the formation of more bubbles. Additionally, the L2 samples consistently exhibited higher bubble counts compared to H1. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analyses revealed that increased cooling rates led to a reduction in crystallinity. Upon cooling, increasing crystallinity initially enhanced bubble nucleation, then hindered it. These findings support polymer foam design for diverse applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70261","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533701","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":"Chemically-Modified Recycled PET/PBT Blends and Their Radio Frequency Welded Bead Foam Structures","authors":"Yavuz Akdevelioğlu,&nbsp;Andreas Himmelsbach,&nbsp;Hayden McGreal,&nbsp;Aylin Altınbay,&nbsp;Ehsan Behzadfar,&nbsp;Holger Ruckdäschel,&nbsp;Mohammadreza Nofar","doi":"10.1002/mame.70277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70277","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the rheological, thermal, bead foaming, and welded bead foam behaviors of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET)/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) blends modified with a multifunctional epoxy-based Joncryl chain extender. Three blend weight ratios (75/25, 50/50, and 25/75) were evaluated with and without 1.0 wt.% Joncryl. Bead foams were produced using CO₂ physical blowing agent through continuous extrusion bead foaming. Melt rheological analysis revealed that PBT addition and Joncryl modification increase the complex viscosity and storage modulus of the blends. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hyper-DSC analyses confirmed that while co-crystallization occurs at slow cooling rates, fast cooling of 300°C/min induces crystalline phase immiscibility. This results in clear double-crystal melting peak formation in all blends and particularly in 50/50 blends. During the radio-frequency welding, the low- and high-melting-peak crystals facilitate strong bead-to-bead welding and maintain the overall foam structure, respectively. Flexural, tensile, and compressive mechanical analyses demonstrated the presence of stronger inter-bead welding of the modified 50/50 blends. At this blend ratio, specifically toughness, tensile strength, and strain at break were notably enhanced. Fracture surface analysis of welded bead foams confirmed intra-bead fracture resulting from high inter-bead weld strength in all blends.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70277","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533703","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":"Solution Property Windows Governing Electrospinning of Natural Polymers in Acetic Acid","authors":"Latheesha Abeywardana,&nbsp;Thambaramala V. Gamage,&nbsp;Shuaifei Zhao,&nbsp;Tanoj K. Singh,&nbsp;Amy Logan,&nbsp;Lingxue Kong","doi":"10.1002/mame.70269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70269","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the coupling between rheological behavior, interfacial properties and electrohydrodynamic stability is essential for engineering electrospinnable polymer systems. However, a unified and comparative understanding across different classes of biopolymers remains limited, particularly under consistent solvent and processing conditions. In this study, chitosan, gelatin, zein, and cellulose acetate dissolved in acetic acid are electrospun under comparable conditions to elucidate the effects of conductivity, viscosity, and surface tension on fiber formation as a function of concentration. Continuous fiber formation is achieved within a viscosity window of 0.3 to 6.0 Pa·s and a surface tension range of 24 to 26 mN m⁻¹. This experimentally identified processing window is in strong agreement with predictions based on the Ohnesorge number, confirming that sufficient polymer chain entanglement must overcome surface tension forces to suppress capillary breakup and enable stable jet formation. The resulting fiber morphology is governed by a coupled interplay between dispersion properties, where viscosity controls jet stability and fiber diameter, surface tension defines the spinnability threshold, and conductivity provides a secondary contribution through electrostatic stretching. Furthermore, opposing wettability trends were observed between polymer classes: increasing fiber diameter led to enhanced hydrophobicity in carbohydrate-based systems, whereas protein-based fibers exhibited increased hydrophilicity, highlighting the dominant role of surface chemistry over morphology. Overall, this study establishes empirical thresholds for the efficient electrospinning of natural polymers and introduces a sustainable concentration-regulated method to modulate fiber wettability without chemical modification. These findings provide a scalable and sustainable framework for designing functional, non-toxic biopolymer mats for applications spanning food and therapeutic systems, biomedical engineering, filtration membranes, packaging, wearable materials, and electronics.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70269","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533024","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":"Engineering a Lung-Derived Extracellular Matrix-GelMA Hydrogel to Elucidate Alterations in Lung Tumor-Stroma-On-Chip","authors":"Aysel Saskara,&nbsp;Yagmur Arslan,&nbsp;Ozlem Yesil-Celiktas","doi":"10.1002/mame.70274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70274","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lung cancer progression is regulated by dynamic alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM), yet these changes remain insufficiently captured in conventional in vitro models. Here, we present a biomimetic lung tumor-stroma-on-chip integrating a decellularized lung-derived ECM (dlECM) with gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel to recapitulate tissue-specific microenvironmental dynamics. The decellularization protocol was optimized to achieve approximately 98%–99% DNA removal, while maintaining the integrity of key ECM components including ∼70% collagen, ∼62% elastin, and near-complete retention of sGAGs, ensuring biochemical fidelity. The hybrid GelMA-dlECM hydrogel was engineered to support a multicellular architecture, where lung carcinoma cells formed a central tumor focus, surrounded by fibroblasts and overlaid with epithelial cells, emulating the lung tumor microenvironment. Mechanical characterization revealed an increase in matrix stiffness in the tumor model (154.7 Pa) compared to the healthy one (108.29 Pa), accompanied by elevated collagen and elastin deposition, indicating cancer-associated matrix remodeling. Consistent with these findings, MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels were markedly upregulated at early time points, reflecting active ECM degradation and remodeling processes. Collectively, this platform demonstrates how the interplay between biochemical composition and mechanical properties governs tumor evolution, providing a physiologically relevant model for investigating ECM-driven mechanisms in lung cancer and for future therapeutic screening applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70274","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533025","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":"Flexible and Biodegradable Cellulose Counter-Electrode in Aqueous-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells","authors":"Elena Palmieri,&nbsp;Sara Ferrara,&nbsp;Sanchari Chowdhury,&nbsp;Luca Montaina,&nbsp;Claudia Mazzuca,&nbsp;Ruben D. Costa,&nbsp;Luca Maiolo,&nbsp;Francesco Maita","doi":"10.1002/mame.202500434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202500434","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sustainable fabrication of photovoltaic devices remains challenging due to the widespread use of non-renewable substrates and organic solvents. In this work, we investigate biodegradable cellulose-based substrates for flexible counter electrodes in aqueous dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Ethyl cellulose films prepared from different solvents were characterized in terms of rheology, mechanical flexibility, and biodegradability. The optimized formulation was coated with Ti/Au/Pt catalytic three-layer and integrated into aqueous DSSC devices. The resulting solar cells achieved a maximum power conversion efficiency of 1.06%, comparable to reference devices fabricated on glass substrates using the same architecture. These results demonstrate that biodegradable cellulose substrates can support functional photovoltaic devices, providing a promising pathway toward more sustainable optoelectronic technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.202500434","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533023","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":"Issue Information: Macromol. Mater. Eng. 7/2026","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/mame.70282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.70282","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18151,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecular Materials and Engineering","volume":"311 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/mame.70282","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532633","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}