The combination of awareness of harmful industrial processes and environmental issues and depleting petroleum-based resources has spurred much research in developing materials from renewable sources. Epoxy resins are common pre-polymers used in a variety of industries, such as adhesives, coatings, insulations, and high performance composites. To transform epoxy resins into crosslinked networks with desirable thermal and mechanical properties, the resins must be cured with a curing agent. This review encompasses recent developments using bio-based epoxy resins and bio-based epoxy curing agents. Resins and curing agents synthesized from modified plant oils, sugars, polyphenols, terpenes, rosin, natural rubber, and lignin are highlighted and their thermal and mechanical properties reviewed.

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Self-assembly is the process of association of individual units of a material into highly arranged/ordered structures/patterns. It imparts unique properties to both inorganic and organic structures, so generated, via non-covalent interactions. Currently, selfassembled nanomaterials are finding a wide variety of applications in the area of nanotechnology, imaging techniques, biosensors, biomedical sciences, etc., due to its simplicity, spontaneity, scalability, versatility, and inexpensiveness. Self-assembly of amphiphiles into nanostructures (micelles, vesicles, and hydrogels) happens due to various physical interactions. Recent advancements in the area of drug delivery have opened up newer avenues to develop novel drug delivery systems (DDSs) and selfassembled nanostructures have shown their tremendous potential to be used as facile and efficient materials for this purpose. The main objective of the projected review is to provide readers a concise and straightforward knowledge of basic concepts of supramolecular self-assembly process and how these highly functionalized and efficient nanomaterials can be useful in biomedical applications. Approaches for the self-assembly have been discussed for the fabrication of nanostructures. Advantages and limitations of these systems along with the parameters that are to be taken into consideration while designing a therapeutic delivery vehicle have also been outlined. In this review, various macro-and small-molecule-based systems have been elaborated. Besides, a section on DNA nanostructures as intelligent materials for future applications is also included.

Fully furan-based epoxy/amine thermosetting materials are prepared and investigated using a furanyl epoxy monomer, 2,5-bis[(2-oxiranylmethoxy)methyl]-furan (BOF), and two furanyl amine hardeners, 5,5′-methylenedifurfurylamine (DFDA) and 5,5′-ethylidenedifurfi rylamine (CH 3 -DFDA). These furan-based thermosets have shown promising glass transition temperatures (62 and 69 °C, respectively, using tan delta) and room temperature storage moduli (≈3.5 GPa). The BOF/CH 3 -DFDA sample is exhibited higher T g than the BOF/DFDA system due to the presence of an additional methyl group in CH 3 -DFDA. Used as curing agents for DGEBA, DFDA and CH 3 -DFDA have shown excellent performance with resulting T g s well above 120 °C. Onset degradation temperature of the fully furan-based samples is observed around 270 °C with high char yields (≈40 wt%) at 750 °C in argon. Based on their thermal and mechanical properties, the renewable fully furan-based thermosets are found suitable for coating, adhesive, and composite applications, and are therefore potential replacements for incumbent systems.