Isocyanates, known for their reactivity and versatility, are involved in various chemical reactions [1], making them essential for producing a wide range of industrial products [2]. They are particularly crucial in adhesives, providing strong bonding and enhanced thermal resistance. Nevertheless, isocyanates’ use is directly associated with significant health risks, such as respiratory issues and skin irritation [3]. As a result, recent REACH regulations imposed strict restrictions on products containing more than 0.1 wt% free diisocyanates [4].
Microencapsulation of isocyanates mitigates the risks of their direct handling, protecting them from moisture and extending their storage life. In light of this, we present a straightforward and effective process for encapsulating various isocyanates using biopolymers (bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers) through the solvent evaporation method. By selecting different types of polymers and isocyanates, the characteristics of the microcapsules (MCs) were customized. The resultant MCs are spherical, loose, and have payloads that exceed 65 wt%. Additionally, their enhanced resistance to environmental moisture has been validated.
The performance of the bio-MCs loaded with isocyanates as crosslinking agents in footwear adhesive formulations was evaluated according to industry standards. The adhesives not only exceeded the minimum strength requirements by a significant margin but also exhibited superior thermostability in creep tests. These findings highlight the potential of microencapsulated isocyanates to enhance adhesive formulations by providing improved safety, easier handling, and excellent bonding performance. Furthermore, using biopolymers ensures that the production of the MCs is aligned with sustainable practices, minimizing the environmental footprint.

Bio-based epoxy resins mark a groundbreaking shift in the world of materials science, addressing the environmental and performance limitations of traditional petrochemical-based materials. Commonly used across industries like aerospace, automotive, and renewable energy, conventional resins rely heavily on bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic petrochemical, and often suffer from poor recyclability and nor or a very low bio-based content. In response, we’ve developed various series of bio-based epoxy formulations, from renewable building blocks, with a performance level that exceeds traditional resins in both strength and thermal stability.1–3 These innovative thermosets offer exceptional mechanical properties, such as impressive storage moduli, high thermal resistance, and low water absorption. Free from BPA and designed in line with green chemistry principles, these resins meet stringent safety and environmental standards. When reinforced with fibers from renewable sources, such as carbon or vegetable fibers, they form advanced composite materials with outstanding strength and durability, capable of withstanding extreme conditions.4,5 These composites also boast exceptional fire resistance and thermal stability, making them ideal for high-performance applications. With a focus on circularity, these resins and composites are recyclable, repairable, and reshaped, contributing to waste reduction and extended product lifecycles. The use of natural byproducts, like algae and agricultural waste, as feedstocks further boosts their sustainability credentials. Ultimately, these bio-based materials offer a compelling solution to reduce fossil fuel reliance, lower emissions, and foster a more sustainable future across a variety of industries.

Polycarboxylate ether (PCE) is a commonly used chemical additive in the construction sector, serving as a superplasticizer to improve concrete's workability and strength while lowering CO2 emissions. This study centers around the production of PCE superplasticizers and their use in concrete admixtures, which is the primary focus of Saint-Gobain Construction Chemicals.

Following a short overview of how PCE enhances concrete processing, the main chemical synthesis methods for producing PCE superplasticizers will be discussed, particularly emphasizing the two primary synthetic pathways: "grafting to" and "grafting through" techniques. The resulting products from these methods will be compared based on their microstructure, polymer mass distribution, and practical properties.

Among the various approaches to enhance the carbon footprint of PCE, one method involving vanillin will be outlined to create a biobased superplasticizer with notable adsorption efficiency.

Carbon capture is a key technology that is currently on the rise to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, especially in industries lacking zero-emission alternatives. Among various techniques, membrane separation provides an energy-efficient, low cost and scalable solution. For membranes to be competitive, they require: (i) high gas permeance, (ii) high CO2 selectivity and (iii) physical, chemical and mechanical stability. Polar polymeric materials such as Poly(ethylene glycol) PEG or PEO) are widely proposed for CO2 separation membranes due to their favorable interactions with CO2 and high flexibility, enabling high CO2 permeance. However, PEG’s high propensity for crystallization results in domains that impede gas diffusion. Additionally, its highly flexible polyether chains lack mechanical stability, resulting in compromised structural integrity under typical conditions encountered in carbon capture installations.
This work presents intrinsically non-crystalline polyether membranes using randomizedPEGs (rPEG), offering enhanced gas separation performance. Transforming the intrinsical non-crystalline polymers into networks through crosslinking makes these materials ideal for carbon capture by preventing impermeable domains and enhancing mechanical stability. Polymer synthesis via anionic ring-opening copolymerization (AROP) allows precise control over composition and degree of cross-linking enabling the tunability of the permeability, selectivity and mechanical stability. The customizable properties of crosslinkable rPEG differ from conventional membrane materials, addressing the trade-off between permeability and selectivity as well as performance degradation due to physical aging.

This study investigates the water absorption, hydrothermal aging, UV aging, and mechanical performance of polybutylene succinate (PBS)/wood composites under various conditions. Composites with wood particles in different treatment states, including fresh and thermally extracted particles at 225°C, 275°C, and 300°C, were analyzed. Water absorption experiments indicated Fickian diffusion behavior in composites at lower temperatures, while neat PBS exhibited non-Fickian behavior. Thermally treated wood particles significantly reduced water absorption and diffusion coefficients, with 300°C-treated wood composites demonstrating the lowest equilibrium water content and highest durability. Tensile tests showed that wood particle addition enhanced the elastic modulus but decreased tensile strength, with thermal treatments mitigating strength loss. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed changes in crystallinity and melting behavior influenced by water absorption and aging. Artificial weathering under UV exposure caused significant surface color shifts in the composites, highlighting the effects on material aesthetics and functionality.

Carbon fiber-based diffusion media are integral components of modern electrochemical technologies (e.g. low temperature fuel cells, CO₂ electrolyzers), where they must sustain multiphase flows (i.e. liquids and gas) and facilitate mass transport¹. As a general rule, these materials must resist liquid intrusion (water, alcohols) to maintain dry pathways for the transport of reactant gases². To this end, commercially available materials are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dip-coated, owing to the exceptional liquid repellency and chemical inertness of the polymer. However, the dispersion-based dipping method typically results in heterogeneous distribution of the coating³. Furthermore, per- and poly- fluoroalkyl materials will likely be subjected to an upcoming ban due to the environmental and health concerns related to their use⁴. In this work, we explore the applicability of a fluorine-free hydrophobic polymer, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), to modify carbon fiber substrates. We investigate four coating methodologies – namely dip-coating, vapor deposition in oxygen, vapor deposition in nitrogen, and electrografting – providing a unique set of properties, and correlate the resulting coating morphology and chemical composition to their wetting behavior. We find that the substrates that are vapor deposited in nitrogen and electrografted provide comparable water and water-ethanol mixture repellency to the PTFE-based materials due to homogeneous coverage, while electrografting improves long-term wetting resistance and coating stability in different liquid flows through covalent attachment of the polymer on fibers. In conclusion, our findings reveal promising opportunities for PDMS-based coatings and highlight the importance of the coating methodology in tailoring wettability and durability of fluorine-free carbon-based diffusion media.

The incorporation of amorphous poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHA) in a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix can lead to significant improvement of the mechanical performance of the latter by reducing its brittleness, as shown in a previous study (Burzic et al., 2019). This allows the preparation of melt-spun fibres with improved tenacity and elongation at break; however, an increased PHA content can lead to a reduction of melt strength which can put a challenge to the spinning process.
In the present work, blends of PLA and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P34HB), with blending ratios of up to 30 wt% of P34HB, have been prepared by melt compounding and further processed by multifilament melt spinning. A stable melt spinning process with winding speeds up to 220 m/min could be achieved. The obtained filaments were characterised by single fibre tensile testing following EN ISO 5079, resulting in specific tenacity values ranging from 5.7 to 8.5 cN/tex and average elongation at break between 187 and 227%. Wide and small angle X-ray scattering analysis have been used to correlate differences in the tensile performance to the crystal morphology and orientation effects. Moreover, the effect of the addition of a commercial calcium carbonate (CaCO3) based masterbatch, serving as nucleating agent, on the crystal structure and mechanical performance has been investigated. Additional information on the flow and crystallisation behaviour has been obtained from rheological characterisation of the blends and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the melt-spun fibres.