Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology and its prospective used in the surveillance of the environment are the focus of this review article, which aims to give an in-depth understanding of the field. The approach of generating highly cross-linked polymeric structures with effective binding sites that precisely match the analyte of interest by templating with it is covered in the study as a means of producing biomimetic ligands. It also highlights the stability and robustness of MIPs, making them ideal for challenging environmental conditions. The originality of this paper lies in its exploration of various physical forms and synthesis techniques of MIPs, as well as the development of specialized MIPs to address specific challenges. It emphasizes the diverse applications of MIPs in environmental monitoring, including sample pretreatment, solid-phase extraction, microextraction, sensors, and chromatographic separations with the discussion on integration of MIPs with advanced analytical tools, highlighting the potential for enhancing the accuracy and reliability of environmental monitoring. Furthermore, the integration of MIPs with advanced analytical instruments opens up new possibilities for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of detection systems. Capillary electrochromatography and thin-layer chromatography are mentioned as the examples of analytical techniques that can be seamlessly integrated with MIPs. This integration enables improved accuracy and reliability in environmental monitoring, enhancing our understanding and protection of the environment. It not only explores the fundamentals of MIP technology but also delves into the synthesis methods, specialized MIPs, and integration with advanced analytical instruments. By providing this holistic view, the paper offers a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners interested in utilizing MIPs for environmental monitoring applications.

A study of the self-healing capabilities of 2-aminophenyl disulfide (AFD)/epoxy systems is carried out. It has been observed that an excess of AFD promotes an increase of both the storage modulus and the glass transition temperature (Tg) due to an increase of the cross-link density. Concerning the self-healing properties, every AFD/epoxy system shows very good healing efficiencies (above 90%) with no prevalent differences among the different stoichiometries. Furthermore, CNT addition induces an increase of the storage modulus when there is no excess of AFD, but no significant effect is observed on the Tg. In addition, the incorporation of these nanoparticles allows thermal activation by the Joule effect. The results of self-healing tests under convective and resistive heating show similar healing efficiencies (all above 94%). Here, the thermal activation by Joule’s heating presents a lower power consumption and allows localized repair, which is very promising for this type of application.

The application of ordinary epoxy resins is severely limited by their poor dielectric properties and toughness, and the increasing focus on sustainability calls for raw materials to be renewable. Thus, a resveratrol-based compound (AE-Res) with three active ester structures was prepared and used to cure glycidyl ethers of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and a liquid crystal epoxy monomer (BPDGE). Test results showed that the combination (AE-Res/BPDGE) of resveratrol derivatives with liquid crystal epoxy monomers exhibited an excellent comprehensive performance. The mechanical strength and toughness of AE-Res/BPDGE were improved. Specifically, the tensile strength, elongation at break, flexural strength, and impact strength of AE-Res/BPDGE were 108.45 MPa, 12.31%, 159.92 MPa, and 39.51 kJ/m2, which were 48.14, 164.16, 92.51, and 143.74% higher than that of BPDGE cured by commercial methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA), respectively. This can be attributed to the introduction of a rigid structure and flexible ether bonds generated after curing. Meanwhile, the dielectric constant (Dk) of AE-Res/BPDGE decreased from 3.81 to 3.00 (10 MHz) compared to MHHPA/BPDGE, mainly owing to the enhanced d-spacing (4.69 vs 4.45 Å) and the absence of highly polar hydroxyl groups. In addition, AE-Res/BPDGE also exhibited good thermal stability and hydrophobicity with a T5% of 383.22 °C, a water contact angle of 110°, and a water absorption of 0.15% because of the presence of a rigid conjugated stilbene and biphenyl structure. Due to its ease of synthesis and environmental friendliness, AE-Res could be a satisfactory alternative to commercial epoxy curing agents.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic cell death induced by an overload of iron initiated through Fenton and Haber–Weiss reactions. These two reactions lead to lethal levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. In contrast, glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) suppress ferroptosis by inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Herein, the ferric ion (Fe3+) carriers, poly(glycerol sebacate dithiodiglycolate) nanoparticles (PGSDTG NPs), were prepared via nanoprecipitation. The GSH/pH-dual sensitive Fe3+/PGSDTG NPs would disintegrate via the cleavage of disulfide and ester bonds in the presence of GSH and acidic conditions. The cleaved polymer segments along with released Fe3+ rendered cancer cells showing ferroptosis characteristics including ROS production, transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) expression, and iron accumulation after treatment with Fe3+/PGSDTG NPs. The PGSDTG NPs played an important role in ferroptosis by triggering the oxidation of intracellular GSH and reducing the GPX4 expression. An in vivo experiment also showed that Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) exhibited a shortened lifespan after treatment with NPs. These results indicated that the PGSDTG NPs were potential GSH/pH-sensitive metal ion carriers for anticancer treatment by inducing ferroptosis.

Hydrogel tissue adhesives have tremendous potential applications in biological engineering. Existing hydrogel tissue adhesives generally do not have adequate mechanical robustness and acceptable biocompatibility at the same time. Herein, we report a one-step method to synthesize tough and biocompatible hydrogel tissue adhesives entirely made of naturally derived ingredients. We select two natural polymers, chitosan and gelatin, to construct the backbone and a bioderived compound, genipin, as the cross-linker. We show that, upon gelation, genipins cross-link chitosan and gelatin to form two interpenetrated networks and interlink them to tissue surfaces. Meanwhile, hydrogen bonds form in the matrix to strengthen the networks and at the interface to strengthen the adhesion between the hydrogel and tissue. Furthermore, we elaborately use high initial polymer contents to induce topological entanglements in the polymer networks to toughen the hydrogel. The resulting chitosan–gelatin hydrogel provides a tough matrix, and the robust covalent interlinks and hydrogen bonds provide a strong interface, achieving a tensile strength of ∼190 kPa, a fracture toughness of 205.7 J/m2, a mode I adhesion energy of 197.6 J/m2, and a mode II adhesion energy of 51.2 J/m2. We demonstrate that the hydrogel tissue adhesive is injectable, degradable, and noncytotoxic and can be used for the controlled release of the anticancer drug cisplatin. All-natural ingredient-based tough and biocompatible hydrogels are promising as tissue adhesives for biomedical and related applications.

The balanced mechanical properties of impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC) are largely attributed to the core–shell structure of its dispersed rubber particles, yet experimental observation of the outer shell interface between the rubber phase and the polypropylene (PP) matrix is challenging. In this article, atomic force microscopy-infrared (AFM-IR) was employed to study a commercial IPC to determine its phase structure. Quantitative analysis of the nanodomain composition in situ by AFM-IR in combination with the chain structure of the copolymers obtained ex situ by fractionation and NMR revealed a core surrounded by a rubber layer, comprising the ethylene–propylene segmented copolymer (EsP) and ethylene–propylene random copolymer (EPR), respectively, which suggests the existence of an outer shell for the particle composed of the ethylene–propylene block copolymer (EbP). The EbP fraction in the IPC was then replaced by an ethylene-deuterated propylene diblock copolymer (EbDP), which was then melt-blended with all other fractions to reconstruct the IPC. Both AFM-IR spectroscopic analysis and imaging of the nanodomains in the reconstructed IPC showed that the EbDP molecules are located at the interface between the rubber phase and the PP matrix, forming an outer shell for the particle. The results provide direct and unambiguous experimental evidence for the multilayered particle structure in the IPC. Mechanical test results further demonstrated that the outer shell for the rubber particle was beneficial to the tensile and impact properties of the alloy.

The methodologies for producing composite materials based on conducting polymers (CPs) and 3D-printed polymeric materials are promising to combine the complex geometries of 3D objects with the charge transport properties of CPs. Among the latter, polyaniline (PANI) has an edge because of its peculiar electrochemical behavior. Synthesis protocols starting from the aniline (ANI) monomer to produce the PANI phase are consolidated; however, a series of controversies are related to the use of this reactant, including a potential toxicity. To obtain safer synthetic procedures for fabricating electrical and electrochemically active 3D composite materials, this research exploits an alternative precursor, namely, the aniline dimer (DANI), for the in situ synthesis of polydianiline (PDANI) via oxidative polymerization within 3D-printed polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) objects. Factors such as the molecular weight and swelling degree of PEGDA matrix, as well as the nature of PDANI’s doping agents, are found to be crucial to modulate the type of redox mechanism, the charge transport properties, and the impedimetric response of 3D-printed PEGDA–PDANI composites. The possibility to produce PEGDA objects in complex 3D shapes (discs, dumbbell, and trabecular structures), coupled with the charge transport and electroactive performances of the PDANI filler, are promising for exploiting PEGDA–PDANI systems as active interfaces in a wide range of electronic applications.

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has been drawing attention as a reliable biodegradable and sustainable alternative to synthetic petroleum-based polymers. In this study, PBS-lignin composites were developed using a recently extracted lignin (LA-lignin) from pine wood residues employing an innovative sustainable approach. These composites were systematically compared with PBS-based composites formed with commonly used technical lignins. The molecular weight of the lignins was evaluated, along with various structural and performance-related properties. The LA-lignin/PBS composites display a remarkably low water solubility (ca. < 2%), water uptake (ca. 100°). Moreover, the rigidity and thermal stability of the LA-lignin-PBS composites were higher than those of the systems formed with technical lignins. Although all composites studied present remarkable antioxidant features, the novel LA-lignin-PBS systems stand out in terms of antiadhesion activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Overall, the systematic analysis performed in this work regarding the impact of various lignins on the formed PBS composites enables a better understanding of the essential structural and compositional lignin features for achieving biobased materials with superior properties.

Epoxy is widely used as an insulating material for electric power and electronic equipment due to its excellent physicochemical properties and electrical performance. However, its stable 3D cross-linked structure makes it difficult to degrade and efficiently recycle. Epoxy insulation equipment is often incinerated or landfilled after decommissioning, resulting in environmental pollution and the waste of resources. Aimed at the demand of degradable epoxy insulating materials for power equipment, an epoxy with high insulation strength, low dielectric loss, and good thermal stability based on a Schiff base was designed and prepared in this paper. The vanillin and epichlorohydrin were etherized to produce an aldehyde-containing monocyclic oxide (VE), and the preparation process was optimized. After curing with a diamine curing agent at different temperatures, it was found that the content of Schiff base in epoxy first increased and then decreased with the curing temperature. The thermal, electrical, and degrading properties of epoxy vary with the Schiff base content. The maximum glass transition temperature is 121 °C, and the breakdown field strength gets its maximum of 45.4 kV mm–1, which is higher than that of conventional epoxy. The dielectric loss is comparable to that of conventional epoxy with the lowest of 5 × 10–3. Meanwhile, the epoxy can be completely degraded within 40 min in a mildly acidic environment, and the cast copper winding can be effectively recycled after degradation. This study can provide theoretical guidance for the application of degradable epoxy based on Schiff base to insulating materials in power equipment.

In this work, a series of biobased phenolic resins were developed starting from kraft and soda lignin, suitably functionalized through esterification by means of succinic anhydride. As a result of an extensive optimization study of the functionalization and curing reactions, clear correlations between lignin type and chemical–physical characteristics and the properties of the resulting phenolic resin systems were described. In particular, the esterification reaction through succinic anhydride was found to play a key role in enhancing the chemical reactivity and in facilitating the successful incorporation of lignin into the resin formulations. The obtained high-lignin-content thermoset materials were shown to exhibit tunable chemical (functionality, gel content, and cross-linking density), thermal (glass transition temperature and thermo-oxidative stability), and mechanical (surface hardness, indentation modulus, and creep behavior) characteristics, which could outperform those of fully oil-based reference phenolic resins by judicious control of lignin concentration and chemical characteristics. In particular, succinylated kraft lignin was found to enable more efficient incorporation into the cured systems. This work provides the first demonstration of the incorporation of succinic-anhydride-modified-lignin in the formulation of high-performance phenolic resins, ultimately contributing to the definition of structure–property–performance correlations for rational biobased material design in the context of advanced and sustainable manufacturing.