This is an editorial article. It has no abstract.

In this study, we explore alternatives to conventional phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resins in tire materials due to environmental and safety concerns. We evaluate several bio-resins – novolac type (B8–3410), low free phenol/resorcinol (A250LP), cashew nut shell liquid–modified (RR–90), and terpene phenolic (TP–115) – in carbon black–filled natural rubber tread compounds, focusing on their cure behavior, mechanical properties, abrasion resistance, thermal stability, and viscoelastic performance. Notably, TP–115 enhances wet grip by ~32% and reduces rolling resistance by ~17.3%, while maintaining mechanical integrity. RR–90 shows excellent dispersion and low hysteresis, suitable for fuel efficiency, whereas B8–3410 and A250LP provide balanced reinforcement and improved safety. This research highlights bio-resins as viable sustainable substitutes for PF resins, optimizing key tire performance parameters.

During the manufacturing of carbon fiber–reinforced plastic laminates (CFRPLs), incompatible residual strain leads to the problem of slippage interaction at the interface between the mold and the resin. Interfacial slippage between the mold and the resin is a key factor governing the dimensional stability of the composite structure. We established a finite element (FE) model considering slippage to obtain the process-induced deformation (PID) of CFRPLs. We proposed a temperature-dependent constitutive model for slipping between the mold and the resin, which combines experimental results with a multi-segmented cohesion model. The accuracy of FE simulation was experimentally verified with rectangular laminates. We showed that the interaction between the mold and the resin presents typical bond-slip characteristics. The use of a release agent alters the surface condition of the mold, resulting in a significant reduction in the bonding strength between the mold and the resin. The proposed interface constitutive model improves the prediction accuracy of PID by 25.4 to 93.5%. The research outcomes offer theoretical and engineering support for enhancing the dimensional accuracy and manufacturing quality of aerospace composite structures.

Controlling the surface properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), especially its hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, is a challenging research area with high application potential. We successfully fabricated a PVDF microporous membrane for efficient protein adsorption via a bulk modification strategy. Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FOTS)-grafted silica microparticles (F-SiO₂) were surface modified and dispersed into a PVDF casting solution to form a composite membrane via immersion phase separation. The F-SiO₂ microparticles can act as crystallization nucleation sites, leading to the increase of β-type PVDF crystal, which has a protein binding capacity larger than the α-type crystal. Simultaneously, the F-SiO₂ microparticles effectively modulated the membrane's surface morphology and internal porous architecture, producing a high degree of hydrophobicity and causing a marked enhancement in bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption capacity. When the amount of F-SiO₂ reaches 0.75% of the dry weight of the membrane, the composite membrane reached a remarkable BSA adsorption capacity of 697 μg/cm², a 303% increase compared to the pristine PVDF membrane. We present a high-performance PVDF modification strategy and clarify one protein adsorption mechanism.

Polymer composites are widely used in indoor and outdoor applications owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility. However, exposure to environmental factors such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, humidity, temperature fluctuations, and biological agents significantly affect their long-term durability and performance. In this review, we comprehensively examine the degradation mechanisms of polymer composites under both natural and accelerated weathering, with particular emphasis on degradation mechanisms, characterization techniques, and durability assessment. We critically discuss the fundamental degradation mechanisms, including photo-oxidation, hydrolysis, polymer chain scission, crosslinking and interfacial debonding. We also evaluated accelerated weathering techniques, conducted under standardized testing conditions, for their ability to simulate long-term outdoor exposure within significantly shorter timeframes, by controlling key environmental parameters such as UV radiation, humidity, and temperature. We also examine the influence of reinforcements, including natural fibres, synthetic fibres, and nanofillers, on the weathering resistance of polymer composites. Attention is given to natural fibre–reinforced composites because their inherent hydrophilicity promotes moisture absorption, accelerating degradation and weakening the fibre–matrix interface. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the effects of weathering on the mechanical properties, crystalline structure and barrier performance of polymer composite films, and discuss recent advances in enhancing weather resistance through hybridization, surface modification, and the incorporation of stabilizing additives. Finally, the review highlights the key challenges and future research directions for the development of durable, high-performance, and sustainable polymer composite systems for long-term outdoor applications.

A key challenge in soft tissue engineering is developing biocompatible scaffolds with tunable stiffness and controlled degradation. Composite cryogels combining a porous polymer network, reinforcing microparticles, and encapsulation capacity address this challenge. In this study, we prepared poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based cryogels containing 5 and 10 wt% PVA and 1, 5, 10, and 20 wt% poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) microparticles (5.8–42.6 μm in diameter) by cyclic freeze–thaw. The P(3HB) microparticles reduced porosity (from 31 to 16%) and the swelling ratio (from 226 to 143%) without altering mean pore diameter (50–300 μm), with greater effects at 10 wt% PVA. Mechanical testing showed that increasing microparticle content enhanced the elastic modulus (from 8.7 to 18.3 kPa) and compressive strength (from 39 to 47 kPa) for 10 wt% PVA cryogels, whereas 5 wt% PVA cryogels showed minimal modulus improvement and reduced strength. Biocompatibility (ISO 10993-5) was confirmed for all 5 wt% PVA composites and for the 10 wt% PVA composite with 20 wt% P(3HB) (viability 72.8%). P(3HB) microparticles loaded with brilliant green significantly slowed its release from both cryogel matrices. These results establish PVA/P(3HB) composite cryogels as promising scaffolds with tunable stiffness and controlled release for soft tissue engineering.

Malachite green (MG) requires selective separation from complex wastewater matrices containing coexisting metal ions. In this study, we developed a process-engineered polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) incorporating a crosslinked bio-based carrier, polyeugenol–bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (Poly-BADGE 4:1), and evaluated its applicability for MG removal from aqueous solutions. We systematically investigated the effects of source-phase pH, receiving phase HNO₃ concentration, membrane thickness, carrier concentration and transport time. With optimal conditions (pH 7.0, 0.75 M HNO₃, 0.33 mm membrane thickness, 0.07 M Poly-BADGE 4:1 carrier concentration, and 21 h), the PIM exhibited an MG removal efficiency of 82.24%. In simulated mixed wastewater containing Pb(II) and Cu(II), MG removal decreased to 65.13% due to competitive interactions, while preferential removal of MG over metal ions was maintained. The membrane maintained its chemical and morphological integrity during the transport experiments, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization. These results demonstrate the potential of Poly-BADGE–based PIMs as a selective polishing unit for dye-contaminated, metal-rich wastewater in advanced treatment schemes.