Commercial Poly Research Articles

Ultrasonic evaluation of aging kinetics in amorphous polymer

The physical aging of amorphous polymers induces changes in material properties, which are challenging to detect in situ in industrial settings. Here, we present a nondestructive nonlinear ultrasonic evaluation technique that enables localized measurements of the combined effects of temperature and time in amorphous polymers, without needing to remove materials. The proposed technique is demonstrated using commercial grade poly(vinyl chloride) samples and is supported by analysis of wave–material interactions. The results show that the physical aging of the polymer is described by the Arrhenius equation with an effective activation energy of 103 kJ/mol over the analyzed temperature range.

High Performance of Commercial PAC on the Simultaneous Desulfurization and Denitrification of Wastewater From a Coal-Fired Heating Plant.

The flue gas desulfurization wastewater is highly saline and has too many refractory pollutants to be recycled during the desulfurization process of the coal-fired heating plant. Given that waste heat is abundant in coal-fired heating plants, a thermal treatment method was developed to simultaneously remove sulfates and nitrates from the wastewater, with the production of chemical-grade natroalunite and recycled water. The results showed that sulfates and nitrates were 50.3 and 10 g/L in the wastewater, respectively, and only 2.8% and 9.1% were removed after direct treatment at 270°C for 7 h; but these rates increased to 99.3% and 99.9%, respectively, with the addition of commercial poly aluminum chloride. Mass balance summarized that the treatment of 1 ton wastewater needed 0.1 ton PAC and produced 0.11 ton natroalunite and 0.92 ton recycle water. The removal of sulfates and nitrates was mainly done by the precipitation reaction of sulfates such as natroalunite and the redox reaction between nitrates and organics, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis demonstrated that the precipitate reaction occurred at 45°C and accelerated in the temperature range of 45–270°C, but became slow with the decrease of sulfate and Al concentrations in wastewater. Four other reagents were also used for wastewater treatment in comparison with PAC and showed the following order of performance: PAC > citrate calcium > limestone > subacetate aluminum > citrate ferric. This method provided a practical route to treat wastewater from flue gas desulfurization without generating secondary waste.

PH-sensitive packaging of cationic particles by an anionic block copolymer shell

Cationic non-viral vectors show great potential to introduce genetic material into cells, due to their ability to transport large amounts of genetic material and their high synthetic versatility. However, designing materials that are effective without showing toxic effects or undergoing non-specific interactions when applied systemically remains a challenge. The introduction of shielding polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) can enhance biocompatibility and circulation time, however, often impairs transfection efficiency. Herein, a multicomponent polymer system is introduced, based on cationic and hydrophobic particles (P(nBMA46-co-MMA47-co-DMAEMA90), (PBMD)) with high delivery performance and a pH-responsive block copolymer (poly((N-acryloylmorpholine)-b-(2-(carboxy)ethyl acrylamide)) (P(NAM72-b-CEAm74), PNC)) as shielding system, with PNAM as alternative to PEG. The pH-sensitive polymer design promotes biocompatibility and excellent stability at extracellular conditions (pH 7.4) and also allows endosomal escape and thus high transfection efficiency under acidic conditions. PNC shielded particles are below 200 nm in diameter and showed stable pDNA complexation. Further, interaction with human erythrocytes at extracellular conditions (pH 7.4) was prevented, while acidic conditions (pH 6) enabled membrane leakage. The particles demonstrate transfection in adherent (HEK293T) as well as difficult-to-transfect suspension cells (K-562), with comparable or superior efficiency compared to commercial linear poly(ethylenimine) (LPEI). Besides, the toxicity of PNC-shielded particles was significantly minimized, in particular in K-562 cells and erythrocytes. In addition, a pilot in vivo experiment on bone marrow blood cells of mice that were injected with PNC-shielded particles, revealed slightly enhanced cell transfection in comparison to naked pDNA. This study demonstrates the applicability of cationic hydrophobic polymers for transfection of adherent and suspension cells in culture as well as in vivo by co-formulation with pH-responsive shielding polymers, without substantially compromising transfection performance.Graphical

Scalable Manufacturing of Solid Polymer Electrolytes with Superior Room-Temperature Ionic Conductivity.

A scalable manufacturing protocol is developed to prepare polymer-based solvent-free all-solid flexible energy storage devices based on a two-roll mill and adapted rubber mixing technology. The as-prepared solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) consisting of commercial poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted natural rubber (MG30) and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide achieve a superior ionic conductivity of 2.7 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 30 °C. The superior ionic conductivity is attributed to the formation of an ionic cluster network in the composite as proved by small-angle X-ray scattering and infrared spectroscopy measurements. Moreover, the as-prepared SPEs show good mechanical stability over a broad temperature range, that is , a storage modulus above 1 × 104 Pa from 30 to 120 °C as indicated by the rheology data. Furthermore, the SPEs were assembled with the carbon black-filled MG30 (i.e., MG30C) electrode into a flexible supercapacitor cell, which had a wide voltage window of 3.5 V, good energy density of 28.4 μW h·cm-2 at 160 °C, and good temperature tolerance up to 160 °C. This scaling-up manufacture strategy shows tremendous potential to the advancing of SPEs in applications of flexible energy storage device.

Robust bioactive protein-based screws with dual crosslinked network for internal bone fixation

Resorbable fixation systems have gained interest in orthopedics by avoiding secondary surgery and stress shielding, but lack of enough bioactivity. Herein, we fabricated resorbable and bioactive regenerated silk fibroin/gelatin (RSF/G) screws with dual physically and chemically crosslinked networks, which can control the release of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide and bear pull-out and shear forces comparable to those of pure RSF and commercial poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) devices under dry and wet conditions. The controllable swelling properties of the RSF/G screws support implantation although with the high hydrophilic gelatin. Compared to RSF screws, the RSF/G screws have better bioactivity and significantly promote cell proliferation, adhesion, spreading and osteogenic differentiation by RGD-integrin interactions via the focal adhesion kinase/extracellular signal-regulated (FAK/ERK) pathway. Eight weeks after implantation in rats, the RSF/G screws with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) compatibility remained fixed with tight contact, less inflammatory reaction and more new bone formation compared with pure RSF screws. The results indicate great promise for the application of RSF/G screws in bone fracture fixation.

Study of an acoustic energy harvester consisting of electro-spun polyvinylidene difluoride nanofibers.

Sound pollution has been capturing more and more attention around the world. Piezoelectric materials convert acoustic energy into electrical energy and actively attenuate the sound simultaneously. In this paper, an electro-spun nonwoven polyvinylidene difluoride nanofiber membrane as a high-performance piezoelectric material is found to have an ultra-high acoustoelectric conversion capability at the low sound frequency range. The novelty of the material in this paper is the proposed electro-spun piezoelectric nano-fiber web, which presents a strong acoustic-to-electric conversion performance. The piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester consists of the polyvinylidene difluoride nanofiber membrane that vibrates under the sound wave excitation. The piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester device can precisely detect the sound of 72.5 Hz with a sensitivity as high as 711.3 mV Pa-1 which is higher than the sensitivity of a commercial piezoelectric poly (vinylidene fluoride) membrane device. The energy harvesting performance of the piezoelectric acoustic energy harvester device is simulated by the comsol software and then validated with the experimental results to illustrate its excellent energy harvesting ability. Based on the validated simulation model, a regression parameter model is developed from the comsol software simulation results using the response surface method. The empirical regression parameter model is applied to predict the energy harvesting performance of the acoustic energy harvester from input design parameters or material property parameters where the sensitivity of the design parameters or material property parameters and their interactions can be analyzed. The design or material property parameters can be optimized for the best energy harvesting performance based on the regression parameter model. The optimization results show a significant improvement in the energy harvesting performance. The sensitivity of the parameters on the energy harvesting performance also indicates the potential of the large-scale application of this acoustic energy harvester.

Gelatinized PLCL Electrospun Membrane for the Prevention of Postoperative Abdominal Adhesion Through Fibrinolysis Activation

AbstractAbdominal adhesion is a common complication after surgery, which causes pain to patient and increases the risks of reoperation. Electrospinning polyester membrane serving as a physical barrier is used for preventing abdominal adhesion; however, the efficacy is limited due to the lacking of bioactivity necessary for antiadhesion. Here, hydrophobic poly(l‐lactide‐co‐caprolactone) (PLCL) electrospinning membranes are hydrophilized with photo‐crosslinked methacrylic anhydride gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel for postoperative abdominal adhesion prevention. The composite membranes show fibrous network architecture, good cytocompatibility, and hydrophilicity than commercial poly(d,l‐lactide acid) (PDLLA) film. Importantly, the composite membrane provides superior antiadhesion effect over PLCL membrane alone or commercial PDLLA film, against abdominal wall–cecum adhesion models in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The underlying mechanism is that PLCL/GelMA membrane successfully promotes the secretion of matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP‐9) that can reduce the collagen deposition in extracellular matrix (ECM). Furthermore, the composite membrane significantly upregulates the expression of tissue‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) and downregulates the production of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), leading to the activation of fibrinolytic system, which inhibits the formation of adhesive tissues. Collectively, gelatinized PLCL electrospun membrane is a promising bioactive barrier for preventing postsurgery abdominal adhesions.

Glycopolymer Based LbL Multilayer Thin Films with Embedded Liposomes

Back Cover: Layer-by-layer (LbL) thin films based on bioinspired glycopolymers are fabricated. Glycopolymers based on N-acetylgalactose, lactose and maltose are synthesized with complimentary charges. Liposomes are embedded into the glycopolymer thin films and the formation and stability of the layers of all possible polyelectrolyte parings in real-time are studied. Glycosylated poly(ethyleneimine) prove to be superior to commercial poly(ethyleneimine) for glycopolymer coatings. Embedded liposomes within the film stay intact at physiological conditions. This is reported by Ruben R. Rosencrantz and co-workers in article number 2100461.

Deep Eutectic Solvent Membranes Designed by the Same-Anion Strategy for Highly Efficient Ethylene/Ethane Separation

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a new generation of designer and green solvents and offer tremendous opportunities for separation science; however, the construction of high-permeance DES membranes (DESMs) with excellent stability for ethylene/ethane separation is still a challenge. In this study, by the same-anion strategy, a series of DESs with the CF3SO3– anion were designed for the first time and then combined with an ethylene transport carrier (AgCF3SO3) for the construction of DESMs for highly efficient ethylene/ethane separation. DESMs were facilely fabricated by impregnating the as-designed DESs and AgCF3SO3 carrier into the commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane, where the DESs not only exhibited good compatibility with AgCF3SO3 but also stimulated high carrier activity and afforded good carrier stability. The resultant DESMs displayed high ethylene permeability, ethylene/ethane selectivity, and excellent stability, especially the maximum permeability and selectivity reached up to 910 barrer and 83, thus being superior to most of the state-of-the-art ethylene/ethane separation membranes. Finally, the separation mechanism was revealed, and the regulation of hydrogen-bond and coordinative interactions within DESMs by the rational structural design accounted for excellent performances. This work extends the DES library and will accelerate the prosperity of DESMs for energy-intensive gas separations.

Stretchable and Flexible Non‐Enzymatic Glucose Sensor Based on Poly(ether sulfone)‐Derived Laser‐Induced Graphene for Wearable Skin Diagnostics

AbstractThe laser‐induced graphene (LIG) has a great potential in electrochemically active electrodes for wearable biosensors. Herein, for the first time, a stretchable and non‐enzymatic glucose sensor based on LIG derived from commercial poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membranes is reported. The LIG is in situ transferred onto an elastomer and tightly wrapped by the elastomer in one laser carbonization step. Superior to the conventional casting and demolding transfer process, this method avoids the LIG's morphology distortion and loss. By adjusting the laser settings and the patterns, hierarchically structured electrodes are prepared with greatly increased surface areas for glucose detection. The electrodeposited dendritic gold‐nanoparticles act as the catalyst for glucose sensing. The optimized flexible sensor demonstrates a linear range for glucose from 10 μm to 10.0 mm and a detection limit of 26 μm. The sensor shows a sensitivity of 0.024 ± 0.001 mA mm−1 and selectivity toward other interfering metabolites, as well as excellent performance under mechanical bending (stable performance after 500 bending cycles) and stretchability (resistance unchanged after 1000 cyclic stretching at 20% strain). Due to the simplicity of preparation and extraordinary fidelity, the novel PES‐LIG sensor is a promising candidate for the next generation of skin‐adherent diagnostic devices and wearable electronics.

Modulating the Crystallinity of a Circular Plastic towards Packaging Material with Outstanding Barrier Properties.

Chemically recyclable polymers have attracted increasing attention since they are promising materials in a circular economy, but such polymers appropriate for packaging applications are scarce. Here a combined thermal, mechanical, and transport (permeability and sorption) study is presented of a circular polymer system based on biobased trans-hexahydrophthalide which, upon polymerization, can lead to amorphous, homochiral crystalline, and nanocrystalline stereocomplex materials. This study uncovers their largely different transport properties of the same polymer but with different stereochemical arrangements and synergistic or conflicting effects of crystallinity on transport properties versus thermal and mechanical properties. Overall, the homocrystalline chiral polymer shows the best performance with an outstanding barrier character to gases and vapors, outperforming commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polyethylene. The results presented herein show that it is possible to modify the crystalline structure of the same polymer to tune the mechanical and transport properties and generate multiple materials of different barrier characters.

Chitosan for constructing stable polymer-inorganic suspensions and multifunctional membranes for wound healing

Restricted by the rigid chain structure, chitosan-based materials are very fragile and easy to break up. Herein, a stable and positively charged chitosan/Ti3C2Tx suspension was successfully constructed by adjusting mixing sequence, pH and ratio of chitosan to Ti3C2Tx to prepare a multifunctional membrane (P-CM) with self-standing ability, good flexibility, biocompatibility, excellent photothermal antibacterial properties, and sensitive humidity sensing properties. In the first stage, protonated chitosan acted as sugar coatings was able to be encapsulated on the surface of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets by electrostatic self-assembly, in turn achieving charge reversal of the nanoparticles. In the second stage, chitosan acted as molecular needles to suture the membrane formed by chitosan/Ti3C2Tx particles via vacuum filtration (VAF) with the commercial flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane. The as-prepared P-CM membrane simultaneously solves the problem of insufficient flexibility of a single component chitosan membrane and the poor bonding between pure Ti3C2Tx membranes and substrate membrane.

Efficient dispersion of TiO2 in water-based paint formulation using well-defined poly[oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether acrylate] synthesized by ICAR ATRP

In this work, a new polymeric dispersants based on poly[oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether acrylate] (POEOA) as hydrophilic block and poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and dopamine (Dopa) as anchoring molecules, have been synthetized and successfully used as efficient tailor-made polymers for the aqueous dispersion of titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles. The controlled structure of this new class of additives was obtained by initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization (ICAR ATRP). The proposed polymer dispersants were characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis (1H NMR). The dispersion efficiency was evaluated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ζ), rheology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influence of different stabilizing blocks bounded to the same anchoring block on the dispersion efficiency was evaluated in aqueous dispersions of TiO2 using a common water-based paint formulation (satin vinyl paint). Aiming for industrial validation, a satin paint was also formulated with the new dispersants. Higher gloss (up to 39%) and improved pigment dispersion were observed when using the tailor-made polymers, comparing to the use of a standard commercial poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) dispersing agent. The data presented suggest that POEOA-based macrostructures are highly efficient additives for the dispersion of TiO2 in water-based paint formulations.

An injectable self-assembling hydrogel based on RGD peptidomimetic β-sheets as multifunctional biomaterials

Ability of the cells to adhere to an extracellular material is central to successful tissue genesis. Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequences found in extracellular matrix proteins are well known for cell adhesion, however, enzymatic degradation and lack of specificity have limited their widespread use. Besides, a multifunctional material with inherent antimicrobial ability would help in invigorating the practical tissue engineering applications. Here, we report novel modified RGD (MR) and RGD mimic [R(K)] peptides (MOH and MNH2) which were synthesized post-in-silico screening, based on their interactions with integrin protein αVβ3 using HEX 8.0 docking server. These mimics, containing hydrophobic Phe-Phe (FF) moiety which has been specifically introduced to initiate the self-assembling process of β-sheet structures, were characterized thoroughly using various physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Under physiological conditions, these mimetics displayed thixotropic behavior rendering them highly suitable as injectable hydrogels having an added advantage of site-specific targeting abilities. Electron microscopy further revealed the formation of nanofibers upon self-assembly of these peptides. Besides, enhanced cell adhesiveness by these peptides compared to the commercial Poly l-lysine coated surfaces as well as the inherent antimicrobial potential against both sensitive and antibiotic-resistant pathogens (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant Salmonella enteritidis) substantiated the applicability of these unique injectable hydrogels wherein the porous fibrous framework offered a favorable environment for drug entrapment and 3D cell culture. Altogether, these properties render these novel RGD mimic peptides as promising multifunctional candidates for various tissue regenerative applications.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) bottlebrush networks via ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

Herein it is reported how the overlap concentration (C*) can be used to overcome crosslinking due to diol impurities in commercial PEG, allowing for the synthesize of bottlebrush polymers with good control over molecular weight. Additionally, PEG-based bottlebrush networks are synthesized via ROMP, attaining high conversions with minimal sol fractions (<2%). The crystallinity and mechanical properties of these networks are then further altered by solvent swelling with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate/DCM cosolvents. The syntheses reported here highlight the potential of the bottlebrush network architecture for use in the rational design of new materials.

Constructing efficient and recyclable composite absorbent based on the modification of polymer skeleton with in situ assembled mesoporous silica/graphene oxide nanohybrid

Polymers functionalized with hybrid nanoparticles are very popular for the preparation of composite absorbents with large surface area and good absorption capacity. However, the weak physical interactions between different nanoparticles allow for the easy destruction of the hybrid structure, which will greatly reduce the advantages of the hybrid nanoparticles as building blocks for the composite absorbent and decrease the stability of the composite absorbent in practical use. Here, in situ chemically boned mesoporous SiO2 (mSiO2)/graphene oxide (GO) nanohybrid (GO-mSiO2) was first synthesized by hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate on the GO sheets, on which mSiO2 with the diameter of ca. 5 nm was uniformly distributed. Subsequently, a ternary absorbent with large surface area and very good water repellency was constructed by first impregnating commercial poly(melamine-formaldehyde) (MF) foam into GO-mSiO2 and then into polydimethylsiloxane (as cement and low surface energy source) solution. Because of the dually roughened skeleton surface with hybrid nanoparticles and the channel structure of mSiO2, the GO-mSiO2 modified hydrophobic MF (m-MF) foam possessed large surface area and high selective absorption ability for different oils and organic solvents from water, showing an absorption capacity that was up to 172 times its own weight. Moreover, m-MF can be recycled via the continued extrusion/sorption method. Taken together, these results suggest that the thus-prepared ternary absorbent can be applied as a potential candidate for the cleanup of oil spillage and toxic chemical leakage.

Graphene nanoplatelets based polyimide/Pebax dual-layer mixed matrix hollow fiber membranes for CO2/CH4 and He/N2 separations

Mixed matrix membranes are key in the preparation of stable, stretchy, durable and efficient membranes for gas separation applications. To this aim, the perfect filler nanomaterials’ dispersion is needed. At the same time the replacement of toxic solvents with green ones is also a priority in science, including the membrane technology. Herein, we present the development steps, their structural characteristics and the gas selectivity properties of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) based mixed matrix hollow fiber (HF) membranes. In specific, dual-layer composite polymeric hollow fiber membranes, for CO2/CH4 and He/N2 gas separations, were prepared by directly dip-coating a single selective layer on prepared porous HF supports without the use of any gutter layer. Asymmetric BTDA-TDI/MDI (P84) co-polyimide-based HFs that acted as porous supports, were fabricated via the dry-wet phase inversion process and the commercial poly(ether-block-amide) Pebax-1657 was chosen as a high CO2-selective separation layer material, dip-coated on the HF supports. The positive influence of the incorporation of GNPs as promising nanofiller in both, the polymeric matrix (support) and the selective layer, in parallel with the partial replacement of toxic NMP by GBL -a "green" solvent- in the support's spinning process, were all evaluated and confirmed. CO2/CH4 and He/N2 selectivities up to 82 and 20, respectively with CO2 and He permeances of 3 and 2.7 GPU, respectively were measured under real binary gas mixture conditions at 1.3 bar(a) transmembrane pressure at 298 K for dual-layer composite, with GNPs filler, HF (DL-HF) membranes.

Self‐Healable and Recyclable Sulfur Rich Poly(vinyl chloride) by S–S Dynamic Bonding

AbstractIn this work, a new approach to vulcanize commercial poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) at room temperature and in a relatively short time (4 h) by using elemental sulfur and an initiator such as Na2S.9H2O is reported. The obtained crosslinked polymer contains polysulfide linkages that facilitate recycling/self‐healing through dynamic S–S linkages. It is shown that PVC‐polysulfide networks could be reprocessed at 180 °C for three times. The thermal and spectral characterizations of the polymers before and after recycling are performed via FT‐IR, DSC, and TGA analyses. The potential use of the sulfur rich PVC‐polysulfide system as cathode material for Li‐S battery application is also investigated and the first discharge capacity is found to be around 610 mAh g−1 that later faded rapidly.

Amine-Functionalized Membrane Adsorbers to Purify Copper from Acidic Solutions

Amine-functionalized membrane adsorbers are synthesized to adsorb Cu2+ from acidic solutions (pH 2 HCl). Putrescine (C4) and ethylenediamine (C2) are covalently attached to poly(glycidyl methacrylate) films coated on commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes. The presence of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and amines on the membrane was supported by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Amine content was quantified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Amine-functionalized membranes have a permeabilities ranging from 300 to 2650 LMH bar–1 depending on the polymerization reaction time: 0.5 to 6 h. High permeabilities led to filtration times of <2 min for 50 mL of water through a single membrane at 100 kPa. Equilibrium adsorption experiments revealed maximum capacities of 1.65 and 1.59 mg/g for putrescine- and ethylenediamine-functionalized membranes, respectively─which are statistically the same. The similar capacities and Langmuir constants imply that the chain length of the amine (C4 vs C2) does not affect the binding affinity for Cu2+. This research takes the first steps toward developing membrane adsorbers for use in medical isotope purification.

Synthesis of High Performance Thiophene-Aromatic Polyesters from Bio-Sourced Organic Acids and Polysaccharide-Derived Diol: Characterization and Degradability Studies.

In this work, the feasibility of replacing petroleum-based poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with fully bio-based copolyesters derived from dimethyl 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate (DMTD), dimethyl 2,5-dimethoxyterephthalate (DMDMT), and polysaccharide-derived 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) was investigated. A systematic study of structure-property relationship revealed that the properties of these poly(thiophene–aromatic) copolyesters (PHS(20–90)) can be tailored by varying the ratio of diester monomers in the reaction, whereby an increase in DMTD content noticeably shortened the reaction time in the transesterification step due to its higher reactivity as compared with DMDMT. The copolyesters had weight-average molar masses (Mw) between 27,500 and 38,800 g/mol, and dispersity Đ of 2.0–2.5. The different polarity and stability of heterocyclic DMTD provided an efficient mean to tailor the crystallization ability of the copolyesters, which in turn affected the thermal and mechanical performance. The glass transition temperature (Tg) could be tuned from 70–100 °C, while the tensile strength was in a range of 23–80 MPa. The obtained results confirmed that the co-monomers were successfully inserted into the copolyester chains. As compared with commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate), the copolyesters displayed not only enhanced susceptibility to hydrolysis, but also appreciable biodegradability by lipases, with weight losses of up to 16% by weight after 28 weeks of incubation.