Polymers

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced natural polymers are widely applied in various engineering fields, including drug delivery, food, and functional materials, which present high biodegradability, good biocompatibility, and external stimuli reacted physiological activity. Therefore, it is of great practical significance and application value to clearly analyze the chemical structure of polymer composites and accurately reveal the structure–activity relationship for the design and development of more functional materials and smart drugs that can be used in various engineering applications, such as biological and environmental fields.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather the latest original research studies that involve natural polymer materials. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts in this field. Research articles and review articles are both welcome.

Dr. Sung-Min Kang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

natural polymer
engineering
synthesis
functional materials
biocompatible

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 2845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaporation-Driven Energy Generation Using an Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Mat with Different Support Substrates

by Yongbum Kwon, Dai Bui-Vinh, Seung-Hwan Lee, So Hyun Baek, Songhui Lee, Jeungjai Yun, Minwoo Baek, Hyun-Woo Lee, Jaebeom Park, Miri Kim, Minsang Yoo, Bum Sung Kim, Yoseb Song, Handol Lee, Do-Hyun Lee and Da-Woon Jeong

Polymers 2024, 16(9), 1180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym16091180 - 23 Apr 2024

Viewed by 642

Abstract

Water evaporation-driven energy harvesting is an emerging mechanism for contributing to green energy production with low cost. Herein, we developed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber-based evaporation-driven electricity generators (PEEGs) to confirm the feasibility of utilizing electrospun PAN nanofiber mats in an evaporation-driven energy harvesting system. However, PAN nanofiber mats require a support substrate to enhance its durability and stability when it is applied to an evaporation-driven energy generator, which could have additional effects on generation performance. Accordingly, various support substrates, including fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen, were applied to PEEGs and examined to understand their potential impacts on electrical generation outputs. As a result, the PAN nanofiber mats were successfully converted to a hydrophilic material for an evaporation-driven generator by dip-coating them in nanocarbon black (NCB) solution. Furthermore, specific electrokinetic performance trends were investigated and the peak electricity outputs of V_oc were recorded to be 150.8, 6.5, 2.4, and 215.9 mV, and I_sc outputs were recorded to be 143.8, 60.5, 103.8, and 121.4 μA, from PEEGs with fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen substrates, respectively. Therefore, the implications of this study would provide further perspectives on the developing evaporation-induced electricity devices based on nanofiber materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Natural Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 1999 KiB

Open AccessReview

Reviving Natural Rubber Synthesis via Native/Large Nanodiscs

by Abdul Wakeel Umar, Naveed Ahmad and Ming Xu

Polymers 2024, 16(11), 1468; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym16111468 - 22 May 2024

Viewed by 504

Abstract

Natural rubber (NR) is utilized in more than 40,000 products, and the demand for NR is projected to reach $68.5 billion by 2026. The primary commercial source of NR is the latex of Hevea brasiliensis. NR is produced by the sequential cis-condensation of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) through a complex known as the rubber transferase (RTase) complex. This complex is associated with rubber particles, specialized organelles for NR synthesis. Despite numerous attempts to isolate, characterize, and study the RTase complex, definitive results have not yet been achieved. This review proposes an innovative approach to overcome this longstanding challenge. The suggested method involves isolating the RTase complex without using detergents, instead utilizing the native membrane lipids, referred to as “natural nanodiscs”, and subsequently reconstituting the complex on liposomes. Additionally, we recommend the adaptation of large nanodiscs for the incorporation and reconstitution of the RTase complex, whether it is in vitro transcribed or present within the natural nanodiscs. These techniques show promise as a viable solution to the current obstacles. Based on our experimental experience and insights from published literature, we believe these refined methodologies can significantly enhance our understanding of the RTase complex and its role in in vitro NR synthesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Natural Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)

► Show Figures