Polyesters from renewable resources are an expanding area with a burgeoning scientific activity, nevertheless little has been reviewed about this particular class of polymers. The present appraisal intends to contribute to fill this literature gap by reviewing recent aspects related to the most promising renewable-based polyesters. Emphasis will be placed on bio-based polyesters that, given their comparable properties, may replace polymers derived from fossil fuel feedstock, and on bio-based polyesters with completely innovative properties for novel applications. Furthermore, the sources of renewable monomers will also be reviewed, together with the most relevant eco-friendly synthetic approaches used in polycondensation reactions leading to polyesters.

Antimicrobial polymers represent a very promising class of therapeutics with unique characteristics for fighting microbial infections. As the classic antibiotics exhibit an increasingly low capacity to effectively act on microorganisms, new solutions must be developed. The importance of this class of materials emerged from the uncontrolled use of antibiotics, which led to the advent of multidrug-resistant microbes, being nowadays one of the most serious public health problems. This review presents a critical discussion of the latest developments involving the use of different classes of antimicrobial polymers. The synthesis pathways used to afford macromolecules with antimicrobial properties, as well as the relationship between the structure and performance of these materials are discussed.

The preparation of high performance materials using renewable resources is a prime goal in materials science. Composites are amply recognized as an effective route to achieve a new portfolio of advanced materials with high performance. The comprehensive understanding of the structure/properties relationships is crucial to achieve such goal. Therefore, the detailed characterization of the viscoelastic properties of composites is an essential step in the development process. This review describes the use of Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) in the viscoelastic characterization of composites, and a brief description about the utility of the DMTA in the study of their structure/properties relationships is given. The paper is focused on the discussion of the most relevant publications in the area.