Polyphenols represent a highly abundant group of plant-derived natural compounds, characterized by remarkable structural diversity and potent antioxidant activity. Based on their chemical structures, polyphenols are broadly categorized into flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, tannins and lignans. Among these polyphenolic groups, tannins stand out for their large and complex polyphenolic frameworks and strong metal-chelating abilities. Tannic acid, a well-known hydrolyzable tannin, is one of the most extensively utilized polyphenols because of its dense phenolic composition, strong metal-chelating ability and capacity to form diverse non-covalent interactions. This review highlights recent advancements and applications of tannic acid-based micro- and nano-formulations, with particular emphasis on their roles in emulsion stabilization, enhancement of UV-barrier properties and food safety sensor applications.

We successfully synthesized poly-L-lactide was via an advanced external initiator-free dynamic vacuum bulk polymerization technique, and achieved precise control of macromolecular weight up to 147 kDa with near-quantitative monomer conversion by varying reaction temperature and duration. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed that the stereoregular structure is predominantly preserved during the high-temperature synthesis, while any potential racemization pathways remain beneath the resolution limit of the analytical methods. Thermal analysis verified excellent polymer stability above 300 °C. To evaluate practical applicability, we fabricated solvent-cast films from the synthesized matrices. The tensile test results of the solvent-cast films showed that while the amorphous 147 kDa matrix reached a tensile strength of 28.0 MPa, the structurally optimized 106 kDa film had higher crystallinity (20.6%) and a maximum Young’s modulus of 3047 MPa. Finally, compost biodegradation experiments (58 °C, 55% moisture content) demonstrated that decreasing molecular weight from 147 to 66 kDa accelerates the disintegration rate of films from k = 0.0041 to 0.0083 day^–1 due to autocatalytic carboxyl end-groups and defective interspherulitic boundaries.

Alginate fibers are attractive for biomedical applications because of their biocompatibility and mild ionic crosslinking. This study investigated the effects of alginate concentration, calcium chloride (CaCl₂) concentration, and coagulation time on fiber morphology and mechanical properties. Alginate solutions (6–10 wt%) were wet-spun through a 0.58 mm spinneret into CaCl₂ baths (0.5–3 wt%). Rheological analysis showed dominant viscous behavior (G″ > G′), ensuring stable extrusion without premature gelation. Fiber morphology was examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile testing. Among the conditions investigated, 8 wt% alginate, 1 wt% CaCl₂, and 5 min coagulation provided smooth and homogeneous fibers with favorable mechanical performance. Higher CaCl₂ concentrations or longer coagulation times were associated with more heterogeneous fibrillar structures and, under some conditions, reduced mechanical performance. These results provide insights into process–structure–property relationships in wet-spun alginate fibers and identify favorable processing conditions among those investigated for producing flexible filaments with characteristics of interest for biomedical textile materials, including knitted wound dressings. Biomedical performance and biocompatibility were not evaluated in the present study.

We have discovered that water-insoluble proteins (IM) isolated from whole soy meal (WM) have the capacity to improve the thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) wood composites without negatively impacting mechanical properties. We compared an undiluted composite to composites diluted with 5% by weight of a 3/1 w/w mixture of stearic acid and paraffin wax (SA/wax), 5% by weight IM, 5% by weight WM, 5% by weight of a 50/50 w/w mixture of IM in combination with SA/wax, and 5% by weight WM in combination with SA/wax. Water contact angle (CA) measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed a synergy between IM and SA/wax, resulting in enhanced surface hydro - phobicity. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed lower weight loss in composites made with IM up to the onset of the degradation of PP, and reduced rates of lignin degradation, independently of the presence of SA/wax. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed higher modulus and lower viscoelastic loss resulting from the removal of water-soluble soy components from WM. Total reflectance ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) showed that IM absorbs UV radiation strongly in the UV-B and UV-C regions. Collectively, these findings suggest that IM has the potential to become a multi-purpose additive for use in PP wood composites.

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