Rheological Behavior, Filament Stability, and Microstructure of an Extrusion-Processable Kefiran–PG Formulation.
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| Title: | Rheological Behavior, Filament Stability, and Microstructure of an Extrusion-Processable Kefiran–PG Formulation. |
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| Authors: | Capuana, Elisa1 (AUTHOR) elisa.capuana@unipa.it, Gulino, Emmanuel Fortunato1 (AUTHOR), Scaffaro, Roberto1 (AUTHOR), Brucato, Valerio1 (AUTHOR), La Carrubba, Vincenzo1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Polymers (20734360). Mar2026, Vol. 18 Issue 6, p732. 19p. |
| Subjects: | Extrusion process, Microbial polysaccharides, Three-dimensional printing, Microstructure, Polysaccharides, Viscoelasticity, Rheology |
| Abstract: | Microbial polysaccharides are attracting increasing interest as water-processable polymers for extrusion-based additive manufacturing due to their ability to form physically stabilized networks without covalent cross-linking. In this study, a kefiran–propylene glycol (PG) formulation was developed to investigate whether time-dependent supramolecular reorganization can be exploited to control print fidelity. Extrusion performance was assessed through quantitative filament collapse analysis, while rheological behavior was characterized by oscillatory strain, frequency, and time sweep measurements. Filaments printed 5 min after PG addition showed pronounced sagging (δ/(L/2) ≈ 0.35 at the largest spans), whereas after 15 min the normalized deflection decreased below 0.03, indicating a marked improvement in self-supporting capability. Time sweep experiments revealed a continuous increase in storage modulus from ~100 to ~1200 Pa over 1800 s, consistent with progressive viscoelastic stiffening. Freeze-dried constructs exhibited an interconnected porous architecture with a predominant pore population between 6 and 20 µm and an apparent porosity of 60.9 ± 1.2%. Upon rehydration at 37 °C, samples swelled to ~350% within 5 h and showed gradual mass loss over 56 days while remaining intact. ATR–FTIR confirmed the preservation of the polysaccharide backbone without evidence of new covalent functionalities. Extrusion fidelity is therefore governed by progressive supramolecular consolidation within a physically assembled network, rather than by any form of chemical cross-linking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 192642033 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Rheological Behavior, Filament Stability, and Microstructure of an Extrusion-Processable Kefiran–PG Formulation. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Capuana%2C+Elisa%22">Capuana, Elisa</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> elisa.capuana@unipa.it</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gulino%2C+Emmanuel+Fortunato%22">Gulino, Emmanuel Fortunato</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Scaffaro%2C+Roberto%22">Scaffaro, Roberto</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brucato%2C+Valerio%22">Brucato, Valerio</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22La+Carrubba%2C+Vincenzo%22">La Carrubba, Vincenzo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 18 Issue 6, p732. 19p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Extrusion+process%22">Extrusion process</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microbial+polysaccharides%22">Microbial polysaccharides</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Three-dimensional+printing%22">Three-dimensional printing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microstructure%22">Microstructure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Polysaccharides%22">Polysaccharides</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Viscoelasticity%22">Viscoelasticity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rheology%22">Rheology</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Microbial polysaccharides are attracting increasing interest as water-processable polymers for extrusion-based additive manufacturing due to their ability to form physically stabilized networks without covalent cross-linking. In this study, a kefiran–propylene glycol (PG) formulation was developed to investigate whether time-dependent supramolecular reorganization can be exploited to control print fidelity. Extrusion performance was assessed through quantitative filament collapse analysis, while rheological behavior was characterized by oscillatory strain, frequency, and time sweep measurements. Filaments printed 5 min after PG addition showed pronounced sagging (δ/(L/2) ≈ 0.35 at the largest spans), whereas after 15 min the normalized deflection decreased below 0.03, indicating a marked improvement in self-supporting capability. Time sweep experiments revealed a continuous increase in storage modulus from ~100 to ~1200 Pa over 1800 s, consistent with progressive viscoelastic stiffening. Freeze-dried constructs exhibited an interconnected porous architecture with a predominant pore population between 6 and 20 µm and an apparent porosity of 60.9 ± 1.2%. Upon rehydration at 37 °C, samples swelled to ~350% within 5 h and showed gradual mass loss over 56 days while remaining intact. ATR–FTIR confirmed the preservation of the polysaccharide backbone without evidence of new covalent functionalities. Extrusion fidelity is therefore governed by progressive supramolecular consolidation within a physically assembled network, rather than by any form of chemical cross-linking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/polym18060732 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 StartPage: 732 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Extrusion process Type: general – SubjectFull: Microbial polysaccharides Type: general – SubjectFull: Three-dimensional printing Type: general – SubjectFull: Microstructure Type: general – SubjectFull: Polysaccharides Type: general – SubjectFull: Viscoelasticity Type: general – SubjectFull: Rheology Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Rheological Behavior, Filament Stability, and Microstructure of an Extrusion-Processable Kefiran–PG Formulation. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Capuana, Elisa – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Gulino, Emmanuel Fortunato – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Scaffaro, Roberto – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Brucato, Valerio – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: La Carrubba, Vincenzo IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 15 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 20734360 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 18 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Polymers (20734360) Type: main |
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