Creating Hydrophobic Foils From Biopolymer Blends Using Mechanical Microimprinting.

The front cover artwork is provided by Hang Liu from Prof. Dr. Joachim Albrecht's and Prof.

Creating Hydrophobic Foils From Biopolymer Blends Using Mechanical Microimprinting.

The surface topography of biodegradable polymer foils is modified by mechanical imprinting on a submillimeter length scale. The created patterns strongly influence the wetting behavior and allow the preparation of hydrophobic surfaces with controlled solid-liquid interaction. A detailed analysis of anisotropic surface patterns reveals that the observed effect arises from a combination of topographical and compositional changes that are introduced to the surface.

Structure, Properties, and Release Kinetics of the Polymer/Insect Repellent System Poly (l-Lactic Acid)/Ethyl Butylacetylaminopropionate (PLLA/IR3535).

The insect repellent ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535) was used as a functional additive for poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) to modify its structure and mechanical properties and achieve insect repellency. PLLA/IR3535 mixtures at various compositions were prepared via melt extrusion. In the analyzed composition range of 0 to 23 m% IR3535, PLLA and IR3535 were miscible at the length scale represented by the glass transition temperature.

Review on Spinning of Biopolymer Fibers from Starch.

Increasing interest in bio-based polymers and fibers has led to the development of several alternatives to conventional plastics and fibers made of these materials. Biopolymer fibers can be made from renewable, environmentally friendly resources and can be fully biodegradable. Biogenic resources with a high content of carbohydrates such as starch-containing plants have huge potentials to substitute conventional synthetic plastics in a number of applications.