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Three-dimensional (3D) printing manufactures intricate computer aided designs without time and resource spent for mold creation. The rapid growth of this industry has led to its extensive use in the automotive, biomedical, and electrical industries. In this work, biobased poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) blends were combined with pyrolyzed biomass to create sustainable and novel printing materials. The Miscanthus biocarbon (BC), generated from pyrolysis at 650 °C, was combined with an optimized PTT blend at 5 and 10 wt % to generate filaments for extrusion 3D printing. Samples were printed and analyzed according to their thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties. Although there were no significant differences seen in the mechanical properties between the two BC composites, the optimal quantity of BC was 5 wt % based upon dimensional stability, ease of printing, and surface finish. These printable materials show great promise for implementation into customizable, non-structural components in the electrical and automotive industries.

Two novel amphiphilic polyethylene amine terephthalate have been prepared via the glycolsis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The product, bis (2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET), was converted to the corresponding dialkyl halide, bis(2-chloroethyl) terephthalate (BCET), using thionyl chloride (TC). This dialkyl compound was used for alkylation of dodecyl amine (DOA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) or pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) to form the corresponding polyethylene amine terephthalate, i.e., DOAT and DOAP, respectively. Their chemical structure, surface tension, interfacial tension (IFT), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were determined using different techniques. The efficiency of the prepared polyethylene amine terephthalate to demulsify water in heavy crude (W/O) emulsions was also determined and found to increase as their concentrations increased. Moreover, DOAT showed faster and higher efficiency, and cleaner separation than DOAP.

Transparent cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films have been considered a promising sustainable alternative for nonrenewable and nonbiodegradable petroleum-based plastic films. However, their relatively low toughness and poor folding endurance are two remaining challenges for commercial application. In this work, inspired by fiber-reinforced polymer, a transparent CNF film with favorable combination of toughness and folding endurance is demonstrated by a facile and scalable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber-reinforced strategy. The as-prepared PET fiber-reinforced CNF film not only exhibits a maximum average toughness of 13.7 ± 2.4 MJ/m 3 that is nearly 4 times stronger than that of pure CNF film (3.7 ± 1.1 MJ/m 3 ), but also presents superior bending flexibility with a folding endurance of over 10 4 times that is an order of magnitude higher than that of pure CNF film (~4 × 10 3 times). Moreover, its underlying principle for the enhanced toughness and foldability is explored. This work provides a facile strategy to prepare tough yet foldable CNF film and could promote its industrial uses in the fields of energy storage devices, packaging, and electronic devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Two novel multi-hydroxyl N-halamine precursors were successfully synthesized in a green and facile way via Knoevenagel condensation reaction between barbituric acid and an aldehyde (citral or cinnamaldehyde), followed by a hydroxylation reaction with hydrogen peroxide. 1H-NMR and FT-IR spectral analyses confirmed their formation. Through the melt-blending process, the multi-hydroxyl derivatives of barbituric acid were introduced via transesterification into poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) at 265 °C in a rheometer. The crystallization behaviors of the modified PET samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized optical microscopy (POM) analyses. The results showed that the crystallization temperature and crystallization rate of PET were significantly improved upon the introduction of the precursor. Meanwhile, the relative crystallinity of the modified PET samples increased with an increase in the dosage of the N-halamine precursor. After the treatment with sodium hypochlorite solution, the PET surfaces modified with N-halamine derivatives would impart powerful antibacterial properties and achieve 100% killing of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Escherichia coli (CMCC44103) cells within 30 min. Therefore, the multi-hydroxyl N-halamine precursors exhibit great potential as bifunctional additives (nucleating and antibacterial agents) in the manufacturing of functional PET materials.

Poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET)-based materials face general biofouling issues that we addressed by grafting a copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate and sulfobetaine methacrylate, poly(GMA- r-SBMA). The grafting procedure involved a dip-coating step followed by UV-exposure and led to successful grafting of the copolymer as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. It did not modify the pore size nor the porosity of the PET membranes. In addition, their surface hydrophilicity was considerably improved, with a water contact angle falling to 30° in less than 20 s and 0° in less than 1 min. The effect of copolymer concentration in the coating bath (dip-coating procedure) and UV exposure time (UV step) were scrutinized during biofouling studies involving several bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, but also whole blood and HT1080 fibroblasts cells. The results indicate that if all conditions led to improved biofouling mitigation, due to the efficiency of the zwitterionic copolymer and grafting procedure, a higher concentration (15 mg/mL) and longer UV exposure time (at least 10 min) enhanced the grafting density which reflected on the biofouling results and permitted a better general biofouling control regardless of the nature of the biofoulant (bacteria, blood cells, fibroblasts).

We studied the properties of a tissue-engineered trachea consisting of a polyethylene terephthalate scaffold populated with autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells. The tissue-engineered constructs were obtained before surgery, during the postoperative period, and during autopsy. Cytomorphological analysis during the postoperative period showed the presence of mesenchymal stem cells on the inner surface of the implant on day 3 after surgery and cells of the respiratory epithelium on day 10-14. In autopsy samples, single epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and basal cells were found. Biocompatibility of the tissue-engineered trachea with autologous mononuclear cells of the patient was demonstrated.

Zwitterionic surface has been proven to be a good candidate for improving hemocompatible and antibiofouling properties. However, it can only passively repel the adsorption of microbes and is unable to kill the adherent or trapped microbes. The purpose of our study is to develop a facile method based on synergy "repel and kill" strategy and prepare dual antifouling and antibacterial surface. Herein, the poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) was first constructed via surface-initiated activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET-ATRP) method, followed by partial quaternization in order to form polycarboxybetaine and polysulfobetaine. The conversion rates of PDMAEMA to polyzwitterions were evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis (XPS). Surface characterizations by ATR-FTIR, XPS, and AFM demonstrated that zwitterionic polymer brushes were successfully grafted. The remained PDMAEMA(weak cationic) and formed zwitterions(neutral) endowed the surface with the synergetic antibacterial and antifouling properties. The resulting PET sheets showed outstanding antifouling property featured by the reduced adhesion of 3T3 fibroblast cells and E. coli. Additionally, these sheets displayed excellent hemocompatibility such as non-cytotoxicity, repelled protein adsorption, reduced platelet adhesion, and prolonged blood blotting time. These synergistic surfaces with neutral zwitterions and weak cations are promising for biomedical applications., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)