Efficient Preparation and Antibacterial Activity of Limonene-Based Terpolymer Particles with Controllable Composition and Size via Self-Stabilized Precipitation Polymerization

Exploiting bio-based functional polymers to alleviate the scarcity of petroleum resources has garnered a great deal of interest. The ecofriendliness, plentiful supply, and sustainability of limonene (LM) make it an excellent option. Nevertheless, the self-inhibitory effect of exocyclic allyl and steric hindrance pose significant challenges to the effective synthesis of LM-based polymers. Herein, maleic anhydride (MAH)/vinyl acetate (VAc)/LM terpolymer (PMVLM) microsphere with a controllable size (about 0.68–1.83 μm) and composition was effectively generated by manipulating polymerization parameters via self-stabilized precipitation (2SP) technique, wherein the rise of MAH feed percentage was beneficial for endocyclic double bonds of LM participating in copolymerization and the molar percentage of LM in PMVLM was controlled from 1 to 26%. Besides, PMVLM exhibited excellent killing efficiency against E. coli and the inhibition percentage of the copolymer with 2 mg/mL to 70%. Combined with the merits of VAc, LM, and MAH, PMVLM may also be employed as biomedical materials, biodegradable plastics, eco-friendly coatings, and packaging materials.