Special Issue "Thermoplastic Elastomers"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Judit E. Puskas
Professor of Polymer Science and Integrated Bioscience, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3909, USA
Website: http://gozips.uakron.edu/~jpuskas/
E-Mail:

Dear Colleagues,

Thermoplastic elastomers, a unique class of materials, are multiphase systems in which discreet plastic phases are embedded in a continuous elastomer phase. Though being macroscopically homogeneous, these polymers phase-separate at a microscopic (nanometer to micrometer) scale. Thermoplastic elastomers TPEs can be considered “green” rubbers. They exhibit rubbery properties at room temperature yet can be processed as plastics at elevated temperatures. This allows recycling or reuse of these materials. TPEs are used in many applications, including commodity areas such as show soles or soft-touch handles on sports equipment and toothbrushes, or specialty applications such as biomaterials. There are also of great academic interest because of their ability to self-assemble and form unique phase morphologies.
In this special issue we will highlight the potential of thermoplastic elastomers for biomedical applications. Papers introducing new TPEs for implant, drug delivery and other biomedical applications, or new areas of application of existing TPEs will be highlighted. Papers discussing novel phase morphologies, surfaces and structure-property relationships are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Judit E. Puskas
Guest Editor

Submission

All manuscripts should be submitted to materials@mdpi.org with a copy to the Guest Editor. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this Open Access journal is 800 CHF per accepted paper.

• thermoplastic elastomer
• rubber
• multiphase systems
• biomedical applications
• self-assembly
• phase morphology
• structure
• properties

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Thermoplastic Elastomers - An Overview
Author: Geoffrey Holden
Affiliation: Polymer Consulting, Incorporated, 57 Rill Rd., Prescott, AZ 86305, USA; E-Mail: gbholden@yahoo.com
Abstract: Thermoplastic elastomers an important part of the polymer industry. They combine the physical properties of rubbers with the ability to be processed on equipment designed for thermoplastics. This gives them two advantages over conventional rubbers - processing is much faster and scrap is recyclable. Also, thermoplastic elastomers can be used to formulate adhesives, compatibilize and modify other thermoplastics and to modify asphalts. There are several types of thermoplastic elastomers. The most important are styrenic block copolymers, multiblock copolymers and hard polymer / elastomer combinations. Most thermoplastic elastomers are multiphase systems, with one or more hard phases and an elastomeric phase. The properties of individual thermoplastic elastomers depend on the properties and proportions of the individual phases and on their morpholgy.
This article reviews and compares the structure, properties and applications of thermoplastic elastomers of all types.