Research into electro-conductive textiles based on conductive polymers like polypyrrole has increased in recent years due to their high potential applications in various fields. Conductive polymers behave like insulators in their neutral states, with typical electrical conductivity in the range 10^–10 to 10^–25 Scm^–1. These neutral polymers can be converted into semi-conductive or conductive states with conductivities ranging from 1 Scm^–1 to 10^–4 Scm^–1 through chemical or electro-chemical redox reactions. By applying these polymers to a textile surface, we can obtain novel composites that are strong, flexible, lightweight, and highly electroconductive. These textile composites are suitable for applications such as heating pads, sensors, corrosion-protecting materials, actuators, electrochromic devices, EMI shielding, etc. The methods of application of conductive polymers onto the textile surface, such as in-situ chemical, in-situ electrochemical, in-situ vapor phase, in-situ polymerization in a supercritical fluid, and solution coating processes, are described here briefly. The merits and demerits of these methods are mentioned here. The reaction mechanisms of chemical and electrochemical polymerization proposed by the different researchers are described. Different factors affecting the kinetics of chemical and electrochemical polymerization are accounted for. The influence of textile materials on the kinetics of chemical polymerization is reviewed and reported.

The development of flexible, wearable electronic devices is one of the future directions of technology development. Flexible conductive materials are important supporting materials for wearable electronic devices. Polymer has excellent flexibility; it is an important way to prepare flexible conductors from polymer-based conductive composites. In this paper, the research progress of polymer-based flexible conductive composites is summarized in terms of preparation and characterization methods. The key factors to realize flexible conductors are put forward, namely, the maintenance of excellent polymer elasticity and the realization of stability. The design and preparation of the extensible conductor with high-elasticity matrix and nanofiller are introduced in detail, and the problems in the current research are summarized.

With modern society and the ever-increasing consumption of polymeric materials, the way we look at products has changed, and one of the main questions we have is about the negative impacts caused to the environment in the most diverse stages of the life cycle of these materials, whether in the acquisition of raw materials, in manufacturing, distribution, use or even in their final disposal. The main methodology currently used to assess the environmental impacts of products from their origin to their final disposal is known as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Thus, the objective of this work is to evaluate how much the biodegradable polymer contributes to the environment in relation to the conventional polymer considering the application of LCA in the production mode. This analysis is configured through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. In this review, 28 studies were selected for evaluation, whose approaches encompass knowledge on LCA, green biopolymer (from a renewable but non-biodegradable source), conventional polymer (from a non-renewable source) and, mainly, the benefits of using biodegradable polymers produced from renewable sources, such as: corn, sugarcane, cellulose, chitin and others. Based on the surveys, a comparative analysis of LCA applications was made, whose studies considered evaluating quantitative results in the application of LCA, in biodegradable and conventional polymers. The results, based on comparisons between extraction and production of biodegradable polymers in relation to conventional polymers, indicate greater environmental benefits related to the use of biodegradable polymers.

Stimuli-responsive, smart, or intelligent polymers are materials that significantly change their physical or chemical properties when there is a small change in the surrounding environment due to either internal or external stimuli. In the last two decades or so, there has been tremendous growth in the strategies to develop various types of stimuli-responsive polymer (SRP) materials/systems that are suitable for various fields, including biomedical, material science, nanotechnology, biotechnology, surface and colloid sciences, biochemistry, and the environmental field. The wide acceptability of SRPs is due to their availability in different architectural forms such as scaffolds, aggregates, hydrogels, pickering emulsions, core-shell particles, nanogels, micelles, membranes, capsules, and layer-by-layer films. The present review focuses on different types of SRPs, such as physical, chemical, and biological, and various important applications, including controlled drug delivery (CDD), stabilization of colloidal dispersion, diagnostics (sensors and imaging), tissue engineering, regenerative medicines, and actuators. The applications of SRPs have immense potential in various fields, and the author hopes these polymers will add a new field of applications through new concepts.

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a promising technological approach for various applications in the biomedical field. Natural polymers, which comprise the majority of 3D printable “bioinks”, have played a crucial role in various 3D bioprinting technologies during the layered 3D manufacturing processes in the last decade. However, the polymers must be customized for printing and effector function needs in cancer, dental care, oral medicine and biosensors, cardiovascular disease, and muscle restoration. This review provides an overview of 3D bio-printed natural polymers—commonly employed in various medical fields—and their recent development.