Degradation of 3D-Printed Porous Polylactic Acid Scaffolds Under Mechanical Stimulus

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer commonly used as a scaffold material to repair tissue defects, and its degradation is associated with mechanical stimulus. In this study, the effect of mechanical stimulus on the degradation of 3D-printed PLA scaffolds was investigated by in vitro experiments and an author-developed numerical model. Forty-five samples with porosity 64.8% were printed to carry out the degradation experiment within 90 days. Statistical analyses of the mass, volume fraction, Young’s modulus, and number average molecular weight were made, and the in vitro experiments were further used to verify the proposed numerical model of the scaffold degradation. The results indicated that the mechanical stimulus accelerated the degradation of the PLA scaffold, and the higher mechanical stimulus led to a faster degradation of the scaffolds at the late stage of the degradation process. In addition, the Young’s modulus and the normalized number average molecular weight of the PLA scaffolds between the experiments and the numerical simulations were comparable, especially for the number average molecular weight. The present study could be helpful in the design of the biodegradable PLA scaffolds.

Antibacterial and hypoglycemic activity in vitro of polysaccharide obtained from Periconia byssoides

Fungi are source of polysaccharides that can show biological activity. The objective of this research was obtained polysaccharides from Periconia byssoides and evaluate antibacterial and hypoglycemic activity in vitro. The number-average molecular weight and degree of polymerization were determined. The results show that the polysaccharide of P. byssoides has potential as hypoglycemic. Therefore, it would be interesting to conduct in vivo research with this polysaccharide, to know about its hypoglycemic activity.

A Preliminary Study on the Synthesis of poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) with Different Solvents

Polyvinyl benzyl chloride (PVBC) was synthesized by free radical polymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride using benzoyl peroxide initiator at 60 °C. PVBC was synthesised in different solvents such as toluene, xylene, 1,4-dioxane, and tetrahydrofuran. The polymers were structurally characterized by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. The thermal property of the polymer was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTA).The number average molecular weight, weight average molecular weight and polydispersity index of PVBC synthesised in different solvents were determined and compared by gel permeation chromatography technique.

Fabrication of Magnetic Catalyst Fe3O4-SiO2-V3 and Its Application on Lignin Extraction from Corncob in Deep Eutectic Solvent

Fe3O4-SiO2-V3 was prepared by deposited H6PMo9V3O40 on Fe3O4-SiO2 and employed as a catalyst to extract lignin from corncob in deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride/lactic acid = 1/10). Batch experiments were conducted in an autoclave under the conditions of 500 kPa, 90–130 °C and 15 h, while the dosage of the catalyst was set as a variable. Results indicated that the catalyst could effectively improve the qualities of the lignin, while the characteristics of the lignin showed prominent changes with the participation of the catalyst: the extraction rate increased from 71.65% to 98.13%, the purity was improved from 85.62% to 97.09%, and both the number average molecular weight and the weight average molecular weight also decreased significantly. Besides, the molecular distribution of the lignin achieved from the CC-LA-Fe-Si-V3 reaction system was found to be more highly concentrated (Polydispersity index = 1.746). Results from 2D NMR HSQC analysis indicated that lignin fractions achieved from the CC-LA-Fe-Si-V3 system showed distinct destruction involving C2-H2 in guaiacyl units (G), C5-H5 in guaiacyl units (G), and the Cγ-Hγ in γ-hydroxylated β-O-4′ substructures, but little changes in the Cγ-Hγ in phenylcoumaran substructures.

Copper(i) oxide nanoparticle-mediated C–C couplings for synthesis of polyphenylenediethynylenes: evidence for a homogeneous catalytic pathway

Polyphenylenediethynylenes have been synthesized using copper(i) oxide nanocatalysts under ligandless conditions, mild base, and atmospheric air as the oxidant in good yield and number average molecular weight.

Design, Preparation, and Evaluation of a Novel Elastomer with Bio-Based Diethyl Itaconate Aiming at High-Temperature Oil Resistance

A novel elastomer poly(diethyl itaconate-co-butyl acrylate-co-ethyl acrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (PDEBEG) was designed and synthesized by redox emulsion polymerization based on bio-based diethyl itaconate, butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and glycidyl methacrylate. The PDEBEG has a number average molecular weight of more than 200,000 and the yield is up to 96%. It is easy to control the glass transition temperature of the PDEBEG, which is ranged from −25.2 to −0.8 °C, by adjusting the monomer ratio. We prepared PDEBEG/CB composites by mixing PDEBEG with carbon black N330 and studied the oil resistance of the composites. The results show that the tensile strength and the elongation at break of the composites with 10 wt% diethyl itaconate can reach up to 14.5 MPa and 305%, respectively. The mechanical properties and high-temperature oil resistance of the composites are superior to that of the commercially available acrylate rubber AR72LS.

Nitroxide-Mediated Copolymerization of Itaconate Esters with Styrene

Replacing petro-based materials with renewably sourced ones has clearly been applied to polymers, such as those derived from itaconic acid (IA) and its derivatives. Di-n-butyl itaconate (DBI) was (co)polymerized via nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) to impart elastomeric (rubber) properties. Homopolymerization of DBI by NMP was not possible, due to a stable adduct being formed. However, DBI/styrene (S) copolymerization by NMP at various initial molar feed compositions fDBI,0 was polymerizable at different reaction temperatures (70–110 °C) in 1,4 dioxane solution. DBI/S copolymerizations largely obeyed first order kinetics for initial DBI compositions of 10% to 80%. Number-average molecular weight (Mn) versus conversion for various DBI/S copolymerizations however showed significant deviations from the theoretical Mn as a result of chain transfer reactions (that are more likely to occur at high temperatures) and/or the poor reactivity of DBI via an NMP mechanism. In order to suppress possible intramolecular chain transfer reactions, the copolymerization was performed at 70 °C and for a longer time (72 h) with fDBI,0 = 50%–80%, and some slight improvements regarding the dispersity (Ð = 1.3–1.5), chain activity and conversion (~50%) were observed for the less DBI-rich compositions. The statistical copolymers produced showed a depression in Tg relative to poly(styrene) homopolymer, indicating the effect of DBI incorporation.

Ultrasound-Assisted Ultra-Mild-Acid Hydrolisis of -Carrageenan

The low molecular weight fraction of κ-carrageenan is useful in biomedical applications. An ultrasound-assisted acid hydrolysis of κ-carrageenan has been studied. κ-carrageenan with an initial number-average molecular weight of 629 kDa was dispersed in distilled water to form a 5 g/l solution. The pH (3 and 6) of the solution was adjusted by adding HCl solution. The depolymerization reaction was carried out in an ultrasonic device at various temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60°C) and times (8, 16, 24, and 32 min). The experimental results showed that ultrasound positively contributed to acid hydrolysis process. The number-average molecular weight of the treated k-carrageenan was lower or the percentage of reduction was higher at lower pH, longer reaction time, and higher temperature. The lowest number-average molecular weight (14 kDa) or the highest percent of molecular weight reduction reduction (97.7%) was achieved after ultrasonic irradiation at 60°C and pH 3 for 32 min. Keywords: depolymerization; midpoint scission; ultrasonication

Preparation and characterization of novel soluble polyarylates derived from 9,9-bis[4-(4-chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]xanthene with various bisphenols

A series of new polyarylates bearing cardo xanthene groups were synthesized by phase-transfer-catalyzed interfacial polycondensation of 9,9-bis[4-(4-chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]xanthene with various bisphenols containing the isopropylidene, hexafluoroisopropylidene, 1-phenylethylidene, diphenylmethane, cyclohexane, and xanthene structures. High-molecular-weight polyarylates with number-average molecular weight and polydispersity index in the range of 30,100–35,300 and 1.82–2.17, respectively, exhibited high glass transition temperatures ranged from 226°C to 261°C, and their 10% weight loss temperatures were in the range of 421–452°C with char yields above 45% at 700°C in nitrogen. All the polyarylates were amorphous and readily soluble in organic solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, meta-cresol, pyridine, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone at room temperature and could be cast into tough, transparent, and flexible films with tensile strengths of 85.6–108.3 MPa, elongations at break of 2–3%, and tensile moduli of 7–9 GPa.