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Abstract Petroleum‐derived plastics are harmful to ecosystems because they are not decomposed in the natural environment. Therefore, the replacement of petroleum‐derived plastics with biodegradable plastics has attracted considerable attention. UV‐barrier films in the agricultural and packaging fields are mainly composed of petroleum‐derived plastics, which have a negative impact on the ecosystem when they leak into the environment. Thermoplastic starch (TPS) is an inexpensive and sustainable biodegradable plastic that has recently attracted considerable attention. In this study, the addition of UV barrier properties and remolding ability to TPS for replacing petroleum‐derived UV barrier films are investigated. Also, a biodegradable polyester coating is studied to improve the water resistance of the prepared UV‐barrier TPS (U‐TPS). To prepare U‐TPS, a conjugated enamine structure is formed by reacting starch acetoacetate with diamine monomers during melt kneading. U‐TPS exhibits high UV barrier properties across the UV regions (200–400 nm) owing to the presence of acetoacetyl groups and enamines. These results indicate the possibility of increasing the utilization of TPS in agriculture and as a packaging material.

The solid-state zinc-ion battery (ZIB) is environmentally friendly, cost effective, and extremely safe, which are essential features for alternative sustainable energy storage systems. Herein, a polymer composite electrolyte (PCE) is successfully developed through a facile solution-casting approach from a thermo-responsive copolymer-based electrolyte and layered ternary carbide (Ti3AlC2). The thermo-responsive copolymer demonstrated synergistic mechanical properties through the addition of an appropriate plasticizer and a zinc salt. This combination suggests that the material possesses thermal self-protection capabilities due to its anti-Arrhenius ionic-conducting behavior. However, parasitic reactions and dendrite formation hindered the achievement of its full potential. The incorporation of Ti3AlC2 or MAX phase can mitigate the above obstacles, enhancing electrochemical performance with excellent flexibility and maintainable self-extinguishing. The solid-state ZIB benefits from the well-designed PCE with the expanding layer interspacing, delivering a remarkably high capacity (336 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) and energy density of 242 Wh kg−1. This is achieved due to the Ti3AlC2′s ability to immobilize or entrap triflate anions via electrostatic forces. Therefore, the designed PCE is a promising step toward the development of flexible solid electrolytes in ZIBs.

Abstract So far, a large variety of polymer molecule architectures have been explored in the electrolyte field. Polymer electrolytes have gathered research efforts as an interesting alternative to conventional liquid electrolytes due to their advantages of low probability of leakage and low volatility of liquid solvent, lightweight, flexibility, inertness, high durability, and thermal stability. In this work, a polymer electrolyte developed from a polyurethane/polyacrylonitrile (PU/PAN) electrospinning fiber membrane was added with different zinc (Zn) salts, namely, Zn(CH3CO2)2, ZnSO4, and Zn(OTf)2. The samples with the Zn salt presented many different properties; especially, the high Zn(OTf)2 sample showed gradually bundle morphology in its structure. Characterization revealed improved properties in contact angle, water uptake, and thermal resistance. Namely, the 15 wt% Zn(OTf)2) sample exhibited an outstandingly high ionic conductivity of 3.671 mS cm−1, which is 10 times higher than that of the neat PU/PAN membrane.

Abstract The recent development of separators with high flexibility, high electrolyte uptake, and ionic conductivity for batteries have gained considerable attention. However, studies on composite separators with the aforementioned properties for aqueous electrolytes in Zn-ion batteries are limited. In this research, a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/bio-based polyurethane (PU)/Ti3C2Tx MXene composite membrane was fabricated using an electrospinning technique. Ti3C2 MXene was embedded in fibers and formed a spindle-like structure. With Ti3C2Tx MXene, the electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity reached the superior values of 2214% and 3.35 × 10−3 S cm−1, respectively. The composite membrane presented an excellent charge–discharge stability when assembled in a Zn//Zn symmetrical battery. Moreover, the developed separator exhibited a high flexibility and no dimensional and structural changes after heat treatment, which resulted in the high-performance separator for the Zn-ion battery. Overall, the PAN/bio-based PU/Ti3C2Tx MXene composite membrane can be potentially used as a high-performance separator for Zn-ion batteries.

This research aims to fabricate a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/bio-based polyurethane (bio-based PU) separator for a Zn-ion battery. PAN/bio-based PU electrospun fiber mats at 75/25 were prepared via electrospinning technique using Taguchi experimental design with three parameters and four levels. It was found that all fiber mats illustrated smooth and continuous fiber. The properties of the electrospun fiber mats were optimized in accordance with the grey relational method. Furthermore, the fiber mats prepared from 14 wt% polymer concentration, 25 kV of applied voltage, and 16 cm of distance from tip to collector were determined to be the most suitable fabrication condition exhibiting an ionic conductivity of 3.11 mS/cm, the tensile strength of 44.16 MPa, and electrolyte uptake of 1,971%. Moreover, the fiber mats showed no dimensional change at a temperature of 150°C because of the incorporation of bio-based PU in the polymer network. The electrochemical stability of the Zn-ion battery with the developed separator was greater than that of the commercial glass fiber separator. Thus, the PAN/bio-based PU electrospun fiber can be considered a promising candidate as a separator for Zn-ion batteries.

Abstract Metallic zinc (Zn) anode has been received a great promise for aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) due to its intrinsic safety, low cost, and high volumetric capacity. However, the dendrite formation regarding the surface corrosion is the critical problems to achieve the high performance and the long lifespans of ZIBs. Here, we purpose the facile cyclic voltammetry deposition of polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/rGO) composites coated onto Zn 3D surface as Zn anode for ZIBs. As results, the deposited PPy/rGO layer demonstrates the homogeneous distribution covering onto Zn surface, effectively suppressing the formation of dendrite. Additionally, a symmetric cell of the PPy/rGO coated Zn remarkably enhances an electrochemical cycling with a low voltage hysteresis for zinc plating/stripping, which is superior to the pristine Zn cell. In addition, the deposited layer of PPy/rGO on Zn effectively improves the reactivity of electrochemically active surface area and the intrinsic electronic configurations, participating in extraction/intercalation of Zn2+ ions and leading to enhance ZIBs performance. The coin cell battery of Zn-PPy/rGO//MnO2 can deliver a high initial discharge capacity of 325 mAh/g at 0.5A/g with a good cycling stability up to 50% capacity retention after 300 cycles. Thus, these achieved results of Zn-PPy/rGO//MnO2 battery with dendrite-free feature effectively enhance the life-performance of ZIBs and open the way of the designed coating composite materials to suppress dendrite issues.

Abstract Developing efficient yet cost‐effective material from bioresources for dye removal is promising in both economic and environmental protection aspects. Here, a monolithic cellulose material functionalized with citric acid is reported as an absorbent for continuous‐flow removal of cationic dye. The functionalization process is realized by a direct esterification reaction between citric acid and cellulose without any other additions. The obtained monolithic absorbent possesses a 3D connected porous structure, which enables the application of the product in a continuous‐flow fashion. Results indicate that the produced monolith has a good adsorption ability to methylene blue. Moreover, the product can be reused after a fast desorption process by flowing with a salt solution. This work provides a simple strategy for fabricating green absorbents based on biofriendly cellulose and citric acid, which exhibits a potential of industrial application for water treatment.

Abstract Zinc ionic conducting-based gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) were fabricated from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and three different zinc salts in a mass ratio ranging within 0–30 wt%. The effects of zinc salt and loading level on the structure, thermal, mechanical, mechanical stability, and morphological properties, as well as electrochemical properties of the GPEs films, were symmetrically investigated. The mechanical properties and mechanical stability of CMC were improved with the addition of zinc acetate, zinc sulphate, and zinc triflate, approaching the minimum requirement of a solid state membrane for battery. The maximum ionic conductivity of 2.10 mS cm−1 was achieved with the addition of 15 wt% zinc acetate (ZnA), GPEA15. The supported parameters, indicating the presence of the amorphous region that likely supported Zn2+ movement in the CMC chains, were clearly revealed with the increase in the number of mobile Zn2+ carriers in FT-IR spectra and the magnitude of ionic transference number, the decrease of the enthalpy of fusion in DSC thermogram, and the shifting to lower intensity of 2θ in XRD pattern. The developed CMC/ZnA complex-based GPEs are very promising for their high ionic conductivity as well as good mechanical properties and the ability for long-term utilization in a zinc ion battery.

At present, various materials based on helical polymers are nanoparticle or microsphere, which is not ease of use in practical application. Accordingly, facile preparation hierarchically porous monolith based on helical polymer needs to be developed. Herein, hierarchically porous boronic acid group-functionalized monoliths that exhibited optical activity were fabricated with a facile method based on crosslinking and polymerization-induced phase separation (CPIPS). Chiral substituted acetylene and achiral substituted acetylene with a boronic acid group were used as monomers. By regulating the composition of the pre-polymerization solution, the permeability and macropore size of the porous structure could be controlled. The hierarchically porous structure and large surface area were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen gas adsorption/desorption isotherms. In particular, the boronic acid functional group that can interact with a cis-diol group was successfully introduced on the skeleton surface of the monoliths. Further, the main chain of the copolymer that constituted the monoliths exhibited a high cis content and tacticity, and the monoliths showed good optical activity. Thus, the present study established a facile method to synthesize hierarchically porous boronic acid group-functionalized monoliths with optical activity via CPIPS, and the monoliths showed potential in recognition, separation, and adsorption of compound with chirality and cis-diol groups.

We report a simple and relatively low-temperature method for producing graphitic carbon from renewable and abundant coconut coir. This study also aims to promote the utilisation and conversion of locally sourced coconut coir waste into value-added materials. We obtained amorphous charcoal by carbonising coconut coir and transforming it into graphitic carbon using a Ni-based catalyst at 1300 °C for 3 h. The HR-TEM, XPS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy results confirmed the structural transformation from amorphous to graphitic nanostructure. The formation of graphitic layers is observed in the form of well-defined lattice fringes that are separated by an interplanar distance of 0.3367 nm around Ni. Graphitic carbon has a high graphitisation degree of 84.88%, which is slightly lower than that of commercial graphite (90.23%). This structural change enhances the electrical conductivity of powder carbon from 14.97 to 25.75 S/cm under 741 kPa of pressure. Producing graphitic and conductive carbon from renewable coconut coir can alleviate the environmental burden of coconut waste.

Abstract Hydrogel is an attractive material, but its application is limited due to its low mechanical strength. In this study, a tough composite gel could be prepared by synthesizing polymer particles within a polymer network having relatively loose cross-linking. Since the polymer network acts as a dispersion stabilizer during the synthesis of the hydrophobic polymer particles, a large amount of particles could be introduced into the gel without agglomeration. It was suggested that the high level of toughness was induced by the adsorption and desorption of the polymer chains on the surface of the finely packed particles. By using a stimuli-responsive polymer network, elasticity and plasticity of composite gels could be controlled in response to external stimuli, and adhesion on the gel surface could also be modulated.

In this work, we report a flexible nanofibrous cellulose nanocomposite with great potential for lithium-ion battery (LiB) polymer electrolyte. Flexible and fibrous material is synthesized using a simple and easy technique by synergistically combining carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and glycerol (Gly). Flexible porous cellulose forms a three-dimensional network for the mobility of Li ions in the polymer electrolyte of LIB systems. We investigated the effect ionic liquid of flexible fibrous cellulose (BC-CMC-Gly) on the electrochemical properties. The surface interaction between Li ions and the porous network is a key parameter demonstrated by the Li-ion emission line at 610.37 nm using laser inductance breakdown spectroscopy (LiBS). The ionic conductivity of BC-CMC-Gly characterized by EIS measurement is about 1.1 × 10 ^−3 S cm ^−1 . According to linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), BC-CMC-Gly, with a potential window of 4.3 V, shows a more expansive window voltage than pure BC (2.75 V) and BC-CMC (3.3 V). This indicates that the electrochemical stability is good, as wide as the range of voltages that the electrode reactions define. The specific capacity of BC-CMC-Gly containing IL is very high, about 27.6 mAh g ^−1 compared to BC (7.4 mAh g ^−1 ) and BC-CMC (11,5 mAh g ^−1 ). All these findings clearly show that forming plasticized structures synergistically with CMC trapped in the BC structure results in the largest Li-ion adsorption capacity and electrochemical performance improvement. Thermal stability up to 200 °C and electrolyte uptake of approx. 189% are the beneficial properties of BC-CMC-Gly fibrous cellulose for LiB electrolyte polymer.

A green, rapid, and facile synthesis method of activated carbon was developed and optimized using 50 nm MgO nanoparticle (NP)-based pore templating in tandem with an integrated drying and carbonization-activation heat treatment. TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN) were mixed with MgO NPs and KOH, freeze-dried, heat treated first at 350 °C then at 800 °C to get templated activated carbon. Selective pore formation by MgO and KOH resulting in the development of mesopores and micropores, respectively was confirmed. NP-based templating is confirmed to be viable even with continuous heat treatment, and does not affect any transformations during each heat treatment phase. Through optimization for the highest surface area and optimal hierarchical porosity, templated activated carbon had a high specific capacitance of 269 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 with 95.92 % cycle stability after 2000 charge-discharge cycles at 10 A g−1.

Conventional drug delivery systems often cause side effects and gastric degradation. Novel drug delivery systems must be developed to decrease side effects and increase the efficacy of drug delivery. This research aimed to fabricate hydrogel beads for use as a drug delivery system based on basil seed mucilage (BSM), sodium alginate (SA), and magnetic particles (MPs). The Taguchi method and Grey relational analysis were used for the design and optimization of the hydrogel beads. Three factors, including BSM, SA, and MPs at four levels were designed by L-16 orthogonal arrays. BSM was the main factor influencing bead swelling, drug release rate at pH 7.4, and release of antioxidants at pH 1.2 and 7.4. In addition, SA and MPs mainly affected drug loading and drug release rate in acidic medium, respectively. Grey relational analysis indicated that the composition providing optimal overall properties was 0.2 vol% BSM, 0.8 vol% SA, and 2.25 vol% MPs. Based on the findings of this work, BSM/SA/MPs hydrogel beads have the potential to be used as a pH-sensitive alternative material for drug delivery in colon-specific systems.

Abstract Oil-in-water emulsions are harmful to both humankind and environment. Frequent oil spill disasters make it urgent to develop low cost and high-efficiency materials for the treatment of oil-in-water emulsions. In this study, we report the facile template-free synthesis of macroporous polystyrene (PS) monolith from PS solution using a thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS) technique. The fabricated monolith showed high hydrophobicity, superoleophilicity, and macroporous structure. Moreover, the monolith exhibited high removal efficiency toward different oil-in-water emulsions. The monolith can be fabricated from cheap and commonly-used plastic. Thus, we anticipate that this research will contribute to both the recycling of PS and the treatment of oil spill accidents.

In this study, we investigated the effect of the addition of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) fillers on the performance of poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Modification of the hydroxyl group of cellulose to the acyl group by acid anhydrides changed the compatibility of the CNF with PLA. CNF was modified by acetic anhydride, propionic anhydride, and butyric anhydride to form surface-modified acetylated CNF (CNFa), propionylated CNF (CNFp), and butyrylated CNF (CNFb), respectively, to improve the compatibility with the PLA matrix. The effects of the different acid anhydrides were compared based on their rates of reaction in the acylation process. PLA with modified cellulose nanofiber fillers formed smoother surfaces with better transparency, mechanical, and wettability properties compared with the PLA/CNF composite film. The effects of CNFa, CNFp, and CNFb on the PLA matrix were compared, and it was found that CNFp was the best filler for PLA.

This data article provides supplementary figures to the research article entitled, “Phase separation approach to a reactive polycarbonate monolith for “click” modifications” (Xin et al., Polymer, 2015, doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2015.04.008). Here, the nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms of the prepared porous polycarbonate monolith are shown to classify its inner structure and calculate the specific surface area. The monoliths were modified by using the thiol-ene click chemistry and the olefin metathesis, which was examined by contact angle measurements, FT-IR, solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetric analysis.

Here, we provide the NMR spectra and AFM data for antioxidant micelles prepared from amphiphilic PAM-PDA block copolymers composed of a poly(N-acryloyl morpholine) and a redox-active catechol-bearing block with different catechol content. We also provide details of the electrochemical analysis that showed micelles higher catechol content had a similar redox potential with the small catechol compound dopamine, but slowed down the redox reaction (Hasegawa et al., Polymer (in press)).

Green nanocomposites based on renewable plant oils and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) have been developed. An acid-catalyzed curing of epoxidized plant oils with oxirane-containing POSS derivatives produced transparent nanocomposite coatings with high gloss surface, in which the organic and inorganic components were linked via covalent bonds. The hardness and mechanical strength were improved by the incorporation of the POSS unit into the organic polymer matrix. Nanostructural analyses of the nanocomposites showed the formation of homogeneous structures at the micrometer scale. On the other hand, such improvements of the coating and mechanical properties were not observed in the composite without covalent bonds between the plant oil-based polymer and POSS unit. The study demonstrates the correlation between the nanostructure of composites and macroscopic properties.