Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06661-6
Zhong-Xiang Tang, Bin Wu, Ying-Jia Shi, Meng Jin, Tian Yu, Hui Ren, Ning Ma, Xue-Qing Zhan, Fang-Chang Tsai
{"title":"Electroresponsive PVA/Cu-BTC@Aloe hydrogel dressing for enhanced antibacterial activity and directional cell migration","authors":"Zhong-Xiang Tang, Bin Wu, Ying-Jia Shi, Meng Jin, Tian Yu, Hui Ren, Ning Ma, Xue-Qing Zhan, Fang-Chang Tsai","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06661-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06661-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Efficient wound management remains a critical challenge in clinical medicine and public health. Hydrogel-based wound dressings have garnered significant attention due to exceptional moisture retention and inherent cooling analgesia effects. This study develops an electrically triggered PVA/Cu-BTC@Aloe composite hydrogel for advanced wound healing. By incorporating Cu-BTC@Aloe nanocomposites (synthesized via Aloe adsorption onto Cu-BTC followed by freeze-thaw crosslinking with polyvinyl alcohol), the material achieves enhanced mechanical properties (tensile strength: 438.9 ± 42.7 kPa, + 47% vs. pure PVA) and dual functional capabilities. Under 3 V electrical stimulation, the cumulative release of Aloe at 3 h increased from 47% to 62%. Meanwhile, the hydrogel achieved antibacterial efficiencies of 97.8 ± 2.2% against Staphylococcus aureus and 99.9 ± 0.1% against Escherichia coli, while maintaining favorable cytocompatibility and promoting directional cell migration toward the anode of fibroblasts. The integration of electroresponsive materials, natural bioactive constituents, and electrical stimulation provides a promising multifunctional platform for electrically assisted wound management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06631-y
Mayara Teixeira da Silva, Diogo Pimentel de Sa da Silva, Jessica Gatti Silva, Ana Gabriela Tomé Alves, Amanda Rocha, Julia Victória Diana Costa Dias, Adrielle Aparecida Paulista Ribeiro, Tais Abrantes Magalhães, Victor José Romão dos Santos, Iara Rossi, Vicelma Luiz Cardoso, Rafael Bruno Vieira, Miriam Maria de Resende
{"title":"Turning E-waste into water treatment: preliminary physicochemical and diffusion‑based ion‑transport assessment of cationic cellulose acetate-based membranes","authors":"Mayara Teixeira da Silva, Diogo Pimentel de Sa da Silva, Jessica Gatti Silva, Ana Gabriela Tomé Alves, Amanda Rocha, Julia Victória Diana Costa Dias, Adrielle Aparecida Paulista Ribeiro, Tais Abrantes Magalhães, Victor José Romão dos Santos, Iara Rossi, Vicelma Luiz Cardoso, Rafael Bruno Vieira, Miriam Maria de Resende","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06631-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06631-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Water pollution by heavy metals poses serious environmental and public health risks, driving the need for cost‑effective and sustainable treatment technologies. This study explores the fabrication and performance of novel ion‑exchange membranes (IEMs) based on cellulose acetate (CA) blended waste keyboard particles. Three membrane types were produced: MStd (CA), MR (CA and cationic resin) and MKey (CA and keyboard particles), and each was tested with and without HCl activation. Physicochemical characterization included hydraulic permeability, water uptake, porosity, drop contact angle, ion exchange capacity (IEC), FTIR, and SEM analyses. Results showed that both MR and MKey membranes exhibited significantly higher permeability and IEC compared to MStd, while porosity and water uptake remained similar, indicating effective structural blending. Contact angles confirmed hydrophilicity across all samples, and FTIR/SEM data demonstrated that acid activation did not alter membrane morphology or surface functional groups. In diffusion tests using a copper chloride solution (1200 ppm), acid-activated MR and MKey reached concentration equilibrium more rapidly (180–240 min) than their non-activated counterparts, highlighting improved ion-transport kinetics. These results demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating keyboard‑derived residues into cellulose acetate membranes and indicate promising diffusion‑based ion‑transport behavior.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00289-026-06631-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06654-5
Ajay Lohar, Pragnesh N. Dave
{"title":"Forward osmosis in the modern era: recent progress in membrane engineering and draw solute","authors":"Ajay Lohar, Pragnesh N. Dave","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06654-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06654-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The escalating global demand for clean water, driven by population growth, climate change, and rapid industrialization, has intensified the need for energy-efficient and sustainable water treatment technologies. Forward osmosis (FO) has emerged as a promising membrane-based separation process owing to its low or near-zero pressure requirement, reduced energy consumption, and lower fouling propensity compared to conventional pressure-driven processes such as reverse osmosis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in forward osmosis, with particular emphasis on advancements in membrane engineering and the development of innovative draw solutes. The fundamental principles governing FO, including osmotic pressure, membrane characteristics, and concentration polarization phenomena, are systematically discussed. Recent developments in FO membranes ranging from conventional asymmetric and thin-film composite membranes to nanofiltration-based and functionalized membranes—are critically analyzed in terms of structure, performance, and material selection. In parallel, the review presents an in-depth classification and evaluation of draw solutes, including inorganic salts, organic compounds, fertilizers, nanoparticles, hydrogels, dendrimers, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents, highlighting their osmotic performance, reverse solute flux, regeneration strategies, and practical limitations. Special attention is given to emerging green and responsive draw solutes that offer improved sustainability and recovery efficiency. Finally, current challenges and future research directions are outlined, focusing on mitigating concentration polarization, reducing reverse solute flux, and expanding FO applications beyond desalination to areas such as wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and product concentration. This review aims to serve as a useful reference for researchers and engineers working toward the large-scale implementation of forward osmosis technology.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06641-w
Anežka Chodounská, Alena Kadeřábková, Denis Froš, Radka Kalousková, Drahomír Čadek, Jakub Zdráhal, Lucie Reinšteinová, Jiří Brožek, Zdeněk Hrdlička, Jonáš Uřičář
{"title":"Stability assessment of 3D printed PVC/PVAc filament from waste intended for PCB substrates","authors":"Anežka Chodounská, Alena Kadeřábková, Denis Froš, Radka Kalousková, Drahomír Čadek, Jakub Zdráhal, Lucie Reinšteinová, Jiří Brožek, Zdeněk Hrdlička, Jonáš Uřičář","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06641-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06641-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The growing emphasis on sustainability and circular economy principles has intensified research into the efficient recycling of polymer materials. However, the recycling of PVC and its blends remains challenging due to low thermal stability and the degradation that occurs during repeated processing. Here, we investigate the influence of aging on the behavior of material studied for printed circuit board substrates prepared from post-industrial PVC/PVAc waste by 3D printing. Using a range of measurement techniques, the properties of the substrates were characterized before and after accelerated aging (1 − 6 weeks). Size exclusion chromatography showed that, regardless of duration, aging did not significantly affect the molar mass of the material. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the glass transition temperature was fairly consistent, ranging from 73 to 77 °C, with a local maximum after 627 h of aging. Infrared spectroscopy demonstrated an exponential increase in the C = C or C = O to aliphatic C–H peak area ratio with aging time. Coupled thermogravimetric analysis-potentiometric titration showed that the amount of HCl released was largely unaffected by aging while that of the other degradation gases changed significantly. Overall, these results suggest that recycled PVC/PVAc materials retain sufficient performance after aging, but there is scope for improving the material through the incorporation of additional stabilizers and optimizing printing parameters before reusing this recycled waste material in sustainable additive manufacturing applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06663-4
Mohammed Fareed Felemban, Mohammed Sanad Alhussaini, Abdul Rahman Abdulla Ibrahim Alyahya, Faris J. Tayeb, Ibrahim Sanad Alhussaini, Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Ghanayem
{"title":"Chitosan-derived antibacterial and antifungal agents: a review of recent strategies for activity enhancement","authors":"Mohammed Fareed Felemban, Mohammed Sanad Alhussaini, Abdul Rahman Abdulla Ibrahim Alyahya, Faris J. Tayeb, Ibrahim Sanad Alhussaini, Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Ghanayem","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06663-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06663-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chitosan (CS), a naturally occurring biopolymer derived from chitin, has garnered significant attention for its intrinsic antimicrobial properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, its limited solubility and relatively moderate activity under physiological conditions have prompted the development of various strategies to enhance its antimicrobial performance. This review provides an up-to-date overview (2024–2025) of recent advances in the design and modification of CS-based materials to improve their antimicrobial efficacy against a broad spectrum of pathogens. Emphasis is placed on chemical modifications, such as quaternization, carboxymethylation, and the grafting of functional groups, as well as on physical strategies, including nanoparticle formulation, hybridization with metal ions or oxides, and incorporation into composite materials. The review also discusses the mechanisms by which these modifications enhance antimicrobial action, along with their potential applications in biomedical devices, wound dressings, food packaging, and water treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06662-5
S. Paramesh, M. Jayaraj, Rama Thirumurugan, D. Shanmugam
{"title":"Effect of alkali-treated coconut shell powder loading on mechanical, thermal, and moisture uptake properties of natural rubber composites","authors":"S. Paramesh, M. Jayaraj, Rama Thirumurugan, D. Shanmugam","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06662-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06662-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current work investigated the impact of alkali-treated coconut shell powder (ACSP) as sustainable lignocellulose reinforcement on the thermal, mechanical, water absorption, and morphological properties of natural rubber (NR) composites with low weight percentage of reinforcement. Using a two-roll milling and compression moulding process, rubber composite plates were fabricated with varying reinforcement loadings of 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. From the Results showed that increasing ACSP content up to 5 wt% significantly enhanced the mechanical properties test. Compared to the neat rubber, the tensile strength and modulus saw an increase, moving from 4.75 MPa and 1.2 MPa (Neat rubber) to 12.63 MPa and 2.75 MPa, respectively, while hardness reached a maximum of 7.3 Shore D, tear strength saw an improvement from 24.75 N/mm to 35.63 N/mm. Based on thermo gravimetric analysis, the 5% ACSP composition demonstrated enhanced thermal stability, exhibiting a higher degradation onset temperature (235 °C) than the other compositions. As filler loading increased, water absorption also increased and peaking at 9.8% for ACSP10RC, which was attributed to the hydrophilic nature of the lignocelluloses filler. SEM observation confirmed that optimal loading produced superior interfacial bonding and crack deflection mechanisms, while increased filler content caused voids, debonding, and pull-out, by contrast.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06636-7
Fathiah Kamarulazam, N. K. Farhana, M. Pershaanaa, J. Liew, Thibeorchews Prasankumar, Shahid Bashir, S. Ramesh, K. Ramesh, P. V. Chai
{"title":"Integration of titanium dioxide nanostructures and polyaniline in hydrogel matrices for high-stability supercapacitors","authors":"Fathiah Kamarulazam, N. K. Farhana, M. Pershaanaa, J. Liew, Thibeorchews Prasankumar, Shahid Bashir, S. Ramesh, K. Ramesh, P. V. Chai","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06636-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06636-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices that enable reliable and efficient renewable energy management, supporting the transition to affordable and clean energy systems while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. As innovative energy technologies, they also contribute to resilient infrastructure by offering practical benefits in daily life, such as shorter charging time for wearable devices. However, overcoming electrode-electrolyte interface resistance remains a critical challenge. Here, we present an all-in-one hydrogel supercapacitor in which electrode materials are directly incorporated on hydrogel electrolytes to enable seamless charge transfer. The system was fabricated via polymerization of aniline with dispersed titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) on epoxidized natural rubber/sodium sulfate (ENR/Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>) hydrogel electrolytes. Optimizing TiO<sub>2</sub> content significantly enhanced the electrochemical performance compared to pristine polyaniline (PANI) hydrogels, as confirmed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The composite with 0.5 wt% TiO<sub>2</sub> (PT35) achieved good average areal capacitance (45.9 ± 9.4 mF/cm<sup>2</sup> from CV, 62.9 ± 6.5 mF/cm<sup>2</sup> from GCD), low equivalent series resistance (0.64 ± 0.24 Ω), and high energy density of (212.10 ± 25.12 µWh/cm<sup>2</sup> at 155.69 ± 1.39 µW/cm<sup>2</sup>), with 118% capacitance retention after 7000 cycles. Increasing TiO<sub>2</sub> loading also improved thermal stability, underscoring its dual role in enhancing both electrochemical and mechanical robustness. By employing natural rubber as a sustainable host polymer, this work advances innovative materials for resilient infrastructure and supports sustainable industrialization through resource-efficient energy storage solutions. This demonstrates a promising pathway toward high-performance, integrated hydrogel supercapacitors.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-19DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06656-3
Yien Leng Leong, Hong Ngee Lim, Izwaharyanie Ibrahim
{"title":"Enhancing the tensile strength of nitrile rubber gloves with tribologically modified graphene via process parameter optimization using response surface methodology","authors":"Yien Leng Leong, Hong Ngee Lim, Izwaharyanie Ibrahim","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06656-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06656-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is among the most widely used synthetic elastomers in protective glove manufacturing. However, scalable and cost-effective methods for producing graphene-reinforced NBR gloves with optimized tensile strength remain insufficiently explored. In the present study, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were tribologically modified with sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) via a microwave-assisted planetary ball-milling process and incorporated into NBR latex for glove fabrication. The tensile strength of the glove is optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and the GNP-NBR interfacial interaction is elucidated by density functional theory (DFT). The parameters of ball milling, microwave and latex compounding are optimized to maximize the tensile strength of the NBR glove. The maximum tensile strength achieved experimentally is 37.80 MPa, which shows only slightly lower tensile strength (39.03 MPa) than RSM-predicted value, implying the low prediction error (3.15%) of the RSM model. The optimized GNP/NBR glove shows an improvement of 23.93% compared to the bare NBR glove (30.5 MPa). Besides, the tensile strength of 37.80 MPa in optimized GNP/NBR glove is also higher than all previously reported values for graphene-reinforced nanocomposites by a minimum of 8%. The DFT simulation show that NBR-GNP is more thermodynamically favorable to interact in the dipole–π configuration due to the most negative adsorption energy (− 23.8616 kJ/mol). Electrostatic potential (ESP) mapping further confirmed high electron density at the GNP–NBR interface, corroborating the strong interfacial adhesion responsible for the observed tensile enhancement. This work provides a time and cost saving approach to systematically optimize multiple variables in GNP-NBR glove production, which is beneficial for scalable production in glove making industry.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-18DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06644-7
Bedrettin Savaş, Temel Öztürk
{"title":"One-step synthesis of poly(styrene-ran-ethyl 2-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate-g-ε-caprolactone) random-graft copolymer by free-radical polymerization and ring-opening polymerization","authors":"Bedrettin Savaş, Temel Öztürk","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06644-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06644-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, a poly(styrene-<i>ran</i>-ethyl 2-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate-g-ε-caprolactone) random-graft copolymer was synthesized in a single, simultaneous step using free-radical polymerization and ring-opening polymerization. Ethyl 2-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate and styrene vinyl monomers were copolymerized with the ε-caprolactone cyclic monomer in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile to yield the target copolymer in a single step. The resulting random-graft copolymer was comprehensively characterized using <sup>1</sup>H-NMR, FT-IR, DSC, TGA, FESEM, and GPC techniques. This integrated, single-step synthetic strategy offers significant advantages in time efficiency and energy savings by eliminating intermediate purification processes, providing a more sustainable and cost-effective route compared to conventional multi-step copolymerization methods.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Polymer BulletinPub Date : 2026-08-18DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06650-9
Muhammad Nurdin, La Ode Ahmad Rajaki, Muhammad Zakir Muzakkar, Thamrin Azis, Mohammad Salam, Ansharullah Ansharullah, Harapin Hafid H., Maulidiyah Maulidiyah, Irwan Irwan
{"title":"High flexibility of biodegradable polylactic acid/cellulose acetate blends using epoxidized coconut oil as plasticizer","authors":"Muhammad Nurdin, La Ode Ahmad Rajaki, Muhammad Zakir Muzakkar, Thamrin Azis, Mohammad Salam, Ansharullah Ansharullah, Harapin Hafid H., Maulidiyah Maulidiyah, Irwan Irwan","doi":"10.1007/s00289-026-06650-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00289-026-06650-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of biodegradable polymers with high flexibility and good interfacial compatibility remains a major challenge in sustainable material science. In this study, the flexibility of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/cellulose acetate (CA) blends was enhanced using epoxidized coconut oil (ECO) as a green plasticizer. PLA/CA/ECO films were prepared via a solvent casting method with varying ECO concentrations (0–6 wt%). Morphological, structural, and mechanical properties, as well as water resistance and biodegradability, were systematically evaluated. The incorporation of ECO significantly improved the mechanical performance of the blends. The elongation at break increased from approximately 108% for PLA/CA to 236% at 6 wt% ECO, indicating enhanced flexibility. Meanwhile, the Young’s modulus decreased from 50.3 MPa to 14.4 MPa, confirming reduced stiffness of the material. The tensile strength reached an optimal value of 5.535 MPa at 4 wt% ECO. Morphological analysis revealed a more homogeneous structure with reduced microcracks upon ECO addition. The water resistance remained relatively high, slightly decreasing from 98.15% to 97.88%, while biodegradability was slightly enhanced, with residual weight decreasing to 97.87% after 7 days. Overall, ECO acts as an effective bio-based plasticizer that improves flexibility, interfacial compatibility, and overall performance of PLA/CA blends, making them promising candidates for environmentally friendly packaging applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":737,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Bulletin","volume":"83 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}