Elanna P Neppel, Richard-Joseph L Peterson, Lars Peereboom, John R Dorgan
{"title":"From Zero to Hero: Polymer Upcycling through Transformation of Waste PET Thermoforms into Kevlar.","authors":"Elanna P Neppel, Richard-Joseph L Peterson, Lars Peereboom, John R Dorgan","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c00191","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00191","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic packaging material that is often discarded after use. Previous studies have used recovered terephthalic acid derivatives to produce poly(<i>p</i>-phenyleneterephthalamide) (PPTA), an expensive commodity scale polymer widely known by the trade name Kevlar. Here, PPTA is synthesized using carbon that is 100% recovered from waste PET. To do so, the monomer <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine (PPD) is obtained through two facile \"one-pot\" reactions: (1) ammonolysis of PET to yield terephthalamide and (2) conversion of terephthalamide to PPD through a Hofmann type of rearrangement. Following earlier works, hydrolysis of PET followed by chlorination provides the monomer, terephthaloyl chloride (TCl). PPTA is synthesized by reacting the monomers in a solution of <i>n</i>-methyl pyrrolidone and calcium chloride. The pathway is demonstrated using zero-valued waste \"clamshell\" PET, a material usually excluded from recycling streams. The material reuse results in a lifesaving polymer used by members of the military, police, and other first-responders. It is concluded that this pathway provides an economic means of recovering and reusing waste PET that can reduce dependence on nonrenewable resources and foster greater material circularity in the plastics industries.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5475-5481"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12070366/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144074856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zahra Mohammadi, Mohammad Nemati, Siamak Beyranvand and Mohsen Adeli*,
{"title":"Synthesis of a Poly(glycerol-sulfur) Network as a Sustainable Adsorbent for Positively Charged Dyes from Aqueous Solutions","authors":"Zahra Mohammadi, Mohammad Nemati, Siamak Beyranvand and Mohsen Adeli*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0033710.1021/acsapm.5c00337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00337https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00337","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Textile and industrial dyes, which are among the most prominent organic compounds, pose a range of health risks and require efficient treatment before being released into the environment. In this study, a polymeric network was synthesized through the cationic ring-opening copolymerization of glycerol and elemental sulfur, both byproducts of the biodiesel and oil industries. This network was then used as an adsorbent for the cationic dyes. The structure and composition of the synthesized poly(glycerol-sulfur) (PG-S) were characterized by using various spectroscopy methods along with elemental and thermal analysis. PG-S exhibited thermal stability up to 450 °C, an average pore size of 4.6 nm, and a surface area of 88.7 m<sup>2</sup>/g. Solid-state NMR spectra revealed a distinct C–S signal, which confirmed the successful synthesis of the composite. PG-S demonstrated excellent potential for removing industrial dyes from contaminated water. We investigated various parameters, including initial dye concentration, adsorption time, pH, adsorbent quantity and size, and temperature, to better understand the dye adsorption mechanism. The results showed that PG-S efficiently removed Janus Green (JG) and Crystal Violet (CV) from water in a selective manner. The maximum adsorption capacities were observed within the pH range of 6–12, with values of 267 mg g<sup>–1</sup> for JG and 226 mg g<sup>–1</sup> for CV. These values remained unchanged after 10 cycles of recycling. Given its straightforward synthesis and exceptional physicochemical properties, such as a high adsorption capacity, this polymeric network is a promising candidate for dye removal and water treatment applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5528–5536 5528–5536"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elanna P. Neppel, Richard-Joseph L. Peterson, Lars Peereboom and John R. Dorgan*,
{"title":"From Zero to Hero: Polymer Upcycling through Transformation of Waste PET Thermoforms into Kevlar","authors":"Elanna P. Neppel, Richard-Joseph L. Peterson, Lars Peereboom and John R. Dorgan*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0019110.1021/acsapm.5c00191","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00191https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00191","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic packaging material that is often discarded after use. Previous studies have used recovered terephthalic acid derivatives to produce poly(<i>p</i>-phenyleneterephthalamide) (PPTA), an expensive commodity scale polymer widely known by the trade name Kevlar. Here, PPTA is synthesized using carbon that is 100% recovered from waste PET. To do so, the monomer <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine (PPD) is obtained through two facile “one-pot” reactions: (1) ammonolysis of PET to yield terephthalamide and (2) conversion of terephthalamide to PPD through a Hofmann type of rearrangement. Following earlier works, hydrolysis of PET followed by chlorination provides the monomer, terephthaloyl chloride (TCl). PPTA is synthesized by reacting the monomers in a solution of <i>n</i>-methyl pyrrolidone and calcium chloride. The pathway is demonstrated using zero-valued waste “clamshell” PET, a material usually excluded from recycling streams. The material reuse results in a lifesaving polymer used by members of the military, police, and other first-responders. It is concluded that this pathway provides an economic means of recovering and reusing waste PET that can reduce dependence on nonrenewable resources and foster greater material circularity in the plastics industries.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5475–5481 5475–5481"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acsapm.5c00191","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adaugo Enuka, Mohamad Keblawi, Emmet Sedar and Vince Beachley*,
{"title":"A Continuous Manufacturing Approach for Aligned PVDF Nanofiber Yarns with Enhanced Mechanical and Piezoelectric Properties","authors":"Adaugo Enuka, Mohamad Keblawi, Emmet Sedar and Vince Beachley*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0006910.1021/acsapm.5c00069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00069https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00069","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-<i>co</i>-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers possess desirable mechanical and piezoelectric properties, making them promising candidates for smart textiles if they can be assembled into continuous yarns. This study presents a manufacturing approach that enables the production of electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber yarns using an automated parallel track system and an adjustable roll-to-roll collector. Results show that this approach has potential for PVDF yarn manufacturing on a commercial scale. Electrospun yarns have previously been fabricated with self-bundling methods, but current technologies are limited by production limitations such as the lack of tight control over assembly parameters and the absence of a postdrawing process. Postdrawing was applied here to individual fibers before yarn spinning to enhance fiber strength by over two times and yarn strength by 39%. The piezoelectrical performance of yarns was enhanced by up to 45% with postdrawing. Continuous PVDF-HFP yarns with specific strength approaching 50,000 N m/kg and a relative β phase content of 97% are promising candidates for piezoelectric nanofiber-based smart textiles, which can be integrated into various wearable devices and intelligent garments.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5429–5436 5429–5436"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acsapm.5c00069","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanically Tough and Highly Stretchable Transparent Conductive Elastomers Based on a Dual-Cross-Linked Network Structure","authors":"Zihan Jiang, Xiaochun Wang, Huawei Duan, Rui Huang, Jiali Zhao, Junhao Cheng, Guangxue Chen* and Minghui He*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0021110.1021/acsapm.5c00211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00211https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00211","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Transparent conductive elastomers (TCEs) hold considerable promise for applications in wearable electronics and optical display devices due to their unique combination of flexibility and conductivity. In this study, we report the synthesis of dual-cross-linked network transparent conductive elastomers (DCNTCEs) employing the polymerizable deep eutectic solvent strategy. The incorporation of polyethylenimine significantly enhanced the hydrogen bond density and facilitated the formation of a covalent cross-linking network, yielding a robust dual-network structure. The introduction of this dual-cross-linking system effectively increased the material’s mechanical properties, achieving a tensile strength of 12.9 MPa and a breaking strain of 801%, alongside an impressive toughness of 256 MJ m<sup>–3</sup>. Furthermore, one of the DCNTCEs demonstrated exceptional load-bearing capabilities, supporting weights of over 3160 times their own mass without structural failure. The elastomers also exhibited outstanding electrical self-healing capabilities, achieving an impressive 98% healing efficiency in just 0.30 s. Additionally, real-time electrical signal variations under strain reveal their potential as efficient strain sensors for monitoring human motions. These excellent properties of DCNTCEs indicate their great potential for applications in flexible electronics and wearable sensors.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5482–5490 5482–5490"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Low-Temperature Argon Plasma-Assisted Biofilm Colonization on Poly(l-Lactic Acid)/ Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Copolymer Cast Film for Enhanced Soil Biodegradation","authors":"Parul Shukla, Hikaru Ikeo, Shinichi Yagi, Kazuo Takahashi, Shinichi Sakurai and Vimal Katiyar*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.4c0385510.1021/acsapm.4c03855","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03855https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03855","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The surfaces of poly(<span>l</span>-lactic acid) (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-<i>co</i>-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx), and their cast-film blends were activated using low-temperature argon plasma to confirm the possibility of improved microbial adhesion and biodegradation rate using soil microflora as a degrading medium. Radio frequency (RF) plasma systems selectively altered the surface characteristics of PLA/PHBHHx blend cast films without significantly affecting their bulk properties. Notably, Ar-etching (12 min, 50 W) promoted a strong hydrophilic behavior (up to 25 ± 2°), surface energy (up to 48 ± 5%), and surface roughness by ∼4-fold. The increased wettability on plasma-treated samples could be linked to the introduction of polar groups (C–O and O═C–O) and formation of distinct rough topographical structures, which provide a conducive microenvironment for the initial microbial attachment and subsequent biofilm formation. The enhanced wettability favors abiotic hydrolysis by promoting biofilm formation (30 ± 5%), which in turn stimulates the biodegradation rate by 1.1–1.5-fold. These findings indicate that surface activation by argon plasma is a sustainable and viable strategy to enhance cell-surface interactions and biodegradation of biopolymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5368–5383 5368–5383"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jingzhan Zhu, Xiaoyuan Zhang, Gui Yang, Fengmei Su*, Sarmad Ali, Kun Dai* and Chuntai Liu*,
{"title":"Nanofibrous PVDF-Based Smart Flexible Fabrics with High Piezoelectric Properties for Human Motion Monitoring","authors":"Jingzhan Zhu, Xiaoyuan Zhang, Gui Yang, Fengmei Su*, Sarmad Ali, Kun Dai* and Chuntai Liu*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0026710.1021/acsapm.5c00267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00267https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00267","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Flexible piezoelectric sensors have received extensive attention for wearable real-time human motion monitoring applications due to their self-powered capacity, wearability, and lightweight properties. However, developing piezoelectric sensors with both high sensitivity and substantial voltage outputs remains challenging. This study presents an innovative yet straightforward approach to fabricate high-performance piezoelectric flexible textiles by stretching electrospun oriented PVDF nanofiber (SO-PVDF). The macroscopic alignment of the PVDF nanofiber prevents fiber flipping and sliding during stretching, enabling efficient transfer of mechanical strain to molecular chains. This results in a remarkable improved relative content of β crystal of 95.1%, representing high piezoelectric performance. The resulting PVDF yarn shows good mechanical strength, overcoming the typical fragility limitations of electrospun materials. The assembled piezoelectric generators (SO-PEG) show high piezoelectric performance, including substantial voltage outputs (27 V), high sensitivity (0.93 V/N), rapid response time (<i>T</i><sub>r</sub> = 93 ms, <i>T</i><sub>f</sub> = 84 ms), and good operational stability (>2000 cycles). Furthermore, the SO-PEG serves as a versatile self-powered sensor capable of detecting both small movement (finger bending) and large-scale movements (elbow, knee, and foot movement) based on efficient mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion. Overall, this work provides a cost-effective and scalable strategy for manufacturing high-performance wearable piezoelectric sensors, opening possibilities for intelligent biomonitoring applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5501–5509 5501–5509"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Miriam Scoti*, Fabio De Stefano, Angelo Giordano, Martin van Duin, Rocco Di Girolamo and Claudio De Rosa*,
{"title":"Unveiling Hidden Crystallinity in Ethylene-Propylene(-Diene) Elastomers with Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and Electron Microscopy","authors":"Miriam Scoti*, Fabio De Stefano, Angelo Giordano, Martin van Duin, Rocco Di Girolamo and Claudio De Rosa*, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.4c0341610.1021/acsapm.4c03416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03416https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03416","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Ethylene-propylene(-diene) (EP(D)M) copolymers and terpolymers are generally amorphous elastomers that may exhibit crystallization at high ethylene concentration and/or during deformation. The EP(D)M elastomers studied appear amorphous by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS) at 25 °C in the undeformed state but exhibit melting features in calorimetry (DSC) curves, suggesting the presence of some crystallinity invisible to WAXS. We have revealed this hidden crystallinity by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis that unambiguously have proved the existence of crystalline aggregates, whose polyethylene nature has been unveiled by TEM after epitaxial crystallization. This is a unique example of a crystalline phase that is better evidenced by SAXS than WAXS. The “morphological correlation”, due to the aggregation of parallel crystalline lamellae, is more readily detectable in these EP(D)M samples than the “crystalline correlation”. The hidden crystallinity at 25 °C provides an additional contribution to the mechanical performance of EP(D)M rubber, affecting the level of further crystallization occurring during deformation with consequent strengthening of the material. In fact, non-vulcanized EP(D)M rubbers show dramatic changes of mechanical properties even for small changes of ethylene concentration, exhibiting strong strain hardening or viscous flow during deformation depending on the presence or absence of hidden crystallinity, which, indeed, depends on the length of ethylene segments.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5348–5355 5348–5355"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanically Strong Polyelectrolyte Complex Plastics: Salt-Free Processing, Self-Healing, and Recycling Based on Super Hydroplasticity","authors":"Hongjun Jin*, Ziyan Wu, Wei Xiao, Shuting Wu, Tian Yang, Qiyang Cai, Zhi Su, Qinghua Chen, Qingrong Qian* and Yun Yan, ","doi":"10.1021/acsapm.5c0018010.1021/acsapm.5c00180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00180https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c00180","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) represent a wide class of materials with many applications such as functional biomaterials, coatings, adhesives, and plastic substitutes. However, solution-precipitated PECs are considered extremely difficult to process because of the infusibility and insolubility. Current processing approaches usually require substantial salts as plasticizers, which affect the intrinsic properties and complicate the processing steps. Herein, we show that a variety of PECs that contain highly hygroscopic natural-derived polyelectrolytes can be facilely manufactured via rolling and extrusion processes with the aid of water, which acts as a sustainable and traceless plasticizer. These hydroplastics formed by renewable polysaccharides of sodium alginate (SA) and chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (QCS) exhibit high mechanical strength with a tensile strength of ≈58 MPa and Young’s modulus of ≈5.8 GPa when dry, which are comparable to many common high-performance petrochemical plastics. The wetted SA-QCS shows super hydroplasticity, which permits easy self-healing and reprocessing through the water-facilitated reconstruction of ionic bonds and rearrangement of polymer chains. These hydroplastics show great advantages in enzyme immobilization owing to mild processing and excellent biocompatibility. We expect this work to open a new vista in the study of solid PECs materials and in the design of functional hydroplastics.</p>","PeriodicalId":7,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Polymer Materials","volume":"7 9","pages":"5465–5474 5465–5474"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143921372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}