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Polymers, Volume 10, Issue 9

2018 September - 114 articles

Cover Story: A rhodamine (Rh) functionalized micellar hydrogel with excellent mechanochromic and mechanofluorescent properties was prepared by emulsion polymerization. The stress needed to trigger the mechanofluorescent property of Rh in this hydrogel was much lower than in its native polymer matrix reported before, which was attributed to the enhancement of the mechanoresponsive sensitivity. The hydrogel could emit bright fluorescence under sufficient stress/strain and could be used to detect stress/strain quantificationally by fluorescence signal. Due to the reversibility of color on/off, the hydrogel could also be used as a reusable writing and erasing material. View this paper.
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Articles (114)

  • Communication
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,750 Views
7 Pages

Self-Assembly DBS Nanofibrils on Solution-Blown Nanofibers as Hierarchical Ion-Conducting Pathway for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

  • Hang Wang,
  • Xiangxiang Li,
  • Xiaojie Li,
  • Xi Feng,
  • Weimin Kang,
  • Xianlin Xu,
  • Xupin Zhuang and
  • Bowen Cheng

19 September 2018

In this work, we reported a novel proton exchange membrane (PEM) with an ion-conducting pathway. The hierarchical nanofiber structure was prepared via in situ self-assembling 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-d-sorbitol (DBS) supramolecular fibrils on solution-b...

  • Article
  • Open Access
57 Citations
6,128 Views
19 Pages

19 September 2018

This article describes the sorption properties of cyclodextrin polymers (nanosponges; NS) with the pesticides 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA) and 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (TCF), including an evaluation of its efficiency and a comparison with othe...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
7 Citations
4,855 Views
14 Pages

19 September 2018

Intracellular protein delivery is an invaluable tool for biomedical research, as it enables fundamental studies of cellular processes and creates opportunities for novel therapeutic development. Protein delivery reagents such as cell penetration pept...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
6,350 Views
18 Pages

19 September 2018

In this paper, the high-density polyethylene/maleic anhydride grafted high-density polyethylene/polyamide 6 (HDPE/HDPE-g-MA/PA6) ternary blends were prepared by blend melting. The binary dispersed phase (HDPE-g-MA/PA6) is of a core-shell structure, w...

  • Perspective
  • Open Access
35 Citations
9,809 Views
12 Pages

19 September 2018

The human nervous system lacks an inherent ability to regenerate its components upon damage or diseased conditions. During the last decade, this has motivated the development of a number of strategies for nerve regeneration. However, most of those ap...

  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
5,174 Views
13 Pages

19 September 2018

Benzoyl and stearoyl acid grafted cellulose were synthesized by a simple chemical grafting method. Using these as chemical adsorbents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), like pyrene and phenanthrene, were effectively removed from aqueous soluti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
4,916 Views
16 Pages

PBN11-8, a Cytotoxic Polypeptide Purified from Marine Bacillus, Suppresses Invasion and Migration of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Targeting Focal Adhesion Kinase Pathways

  • Lanhong Zheng,
  • Xiangjie Zhu,
  • Kangli Yang,
  • Meihong Zhu,
  • Ammad Ahmad Farooqi,
  • Daole Kang,
  • Mi Sun,
  • Yixin Xu,
  • Xiukun Lin and
  • Robert J. Linhardt
  • + 3 authors

19 September 2018

The development of antitumor drugs has attracted cancer researchers and the identification of novel antitumor lead compounds is certainly of great interest. The fermentation broth of Bacillus sp. N11-8, which was isolated from the Antarctic waters, s...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,302 Views
11 Pages

Theoretical Study on the Grafting Reaction of Maleimide to Polyethylene in the UV Radiation Cross-Linking Process

  • Hui Zhang,
  • Yan Shang,
  • Hong Zhao,
  • Chunyang Li,
  • Xuan Wang,
  • Baozhong Han and
  • Zesheng Li

19 September 2018

Theoretical investigation of the reaction of graft maleimide to polyethylene in the UV radiation cross-linking process is accomplished at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level for high-voltage cable insulation materials. The reaction potential energy surface...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
4,340 Views
10 Pages

19 September 2018

Hybrid oils in an elastomer matrix provide superior physical and chemical properties over conventional elastomer composites. In this study, we investigated the possibility of utilizing palm-based hybrid oil as a processing oil, with various other add...

  • Article
  • Open Access
65 Citations
8,225 Views
15 Pages

Bioinspired Engineering towards Tailoring Advanced Lignin/Rubber Elastomers

  • Haixu Wang,
  • Weifeng Liu,
  • Jinhao Huang,
  • Dongjie Yang and
  • Xueqing Qiu

18 September 2018

The pursuit of high volume and high value-added applications for lignin has been a long-term challenge. In this work, inspired by the energy sacrificial mechanism from biological materials, we developed high-performance lignin/carbon black (CB)/nitri...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
4,189 Views
11 Pages

Sugar Functionalized Synergistic Dendrimers for Biocompatible Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics

  • Shuqin Han,
  • Tsogzolmaa Ganbold,
  • Qingming Bao,
  • Takashi Yoshida and
  • Huricha Baigude

18 September 2018

Sugars containing cationic polymers are potential carriers for in vitro and in vivo nucleic acid delivery. Monosaccharides such as glucose and galactose have been chemically conjugated to various materials of synergistic poly-lysine dendrimer systems...

  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
7,147 Views
12 Pages

Hydrophobic Modification of Nanocellulose via a Two-Step Silanation Method

  • Wensheng Lin,
  • Xiaoyong Hu,
  • Xueqing You,
  • Yingying Sun,
  • Yueqin Wen,
  • Wenbin Yang,
  • Xinxiang Zhang,
  • Yan Li and
  • Hanxian Chen

18 September 2018

Dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMOS), which is a silanation modifier, was grafted onto nanocellulose crystals (NCC) through a two-step method using KH560 (ɤ-(2,3-epoxyproxy)propytrimethoxysilane) as a linker to improve the hydrophobicity of NCC. The react...

  • Article
  • Open Access
67 Citations
15,226 Views
15 Pages

The Impact of Plasticizer and Degree of Hydrolysis on Free Volume of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Films

  • Rebecca J. Fong,
  • Alexander Robertson,
  • Peter E. Mallon and
  • Richard L. Thompson

18 September 2018

The effect of plasticizer species and the degree of hydrolysis (DH) on the free volume properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were studied using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Both glycerol and propylene glycol caused an increase in th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
7,450 Views
17 Pages

17 September 2018

Composites of polypropylene (PP) and water soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) can become an environmentally friendly precursor in preparing porous material, and their biphasic morphology needs to be manipulated. In this work, PP-PVA extrudates were pr...

  • Article
  • Open Access
40 Citations
6,699 Views
15 Pages

17 September 2018

In this study, cellulose acetate (CA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) core–shell nanofibers were successfully fabricated by electrospinning their homogeneous blending solution. Uniform and cylindrical nanofibers were obtained when the PVP content in...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
6,169 Views
12 Pages

15 September 2018

As the average life expectancy continues to increase, so does the need for resorbable materials designed to treat, augment, or replace components and functions of the body. Naturally occurring biopolymers such as silks are already attractive candidat...

  • Article
  • Open Access
57 Citations
9,111 Views
16 Pages

15 September 2018

In recent years, new concepts in textile dyeing technology have been investigated which aim to decrease the use of chemicals and the emission of water. In this work, dyeing of cotton textiles with reactive dyes has been investigated in a silicone non...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
5,674 Views
13 Pages

Conductive Cotton by In Situ Laccase-Polymerization of Aniline

  • Jing Su,
  • Euijin Shim,
  • Jennifer Noro,
  • Jiajia Fu,
  • Qiang Wang,
  • Hye Rim Kim,
  • Carla Silva and
  • Artur Cavaco-Paulo

14 September 2018

Conductive cotton fabrics were obtained via in situ aniline polymerization by laccase from Myceliophthora thermophila under mild reaction conditions without the addition of strong proton acids. The reactions were conducted using two types of reactors...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,808 Views
12 Pages

14 September 2018

Well-defined functionalized sisal cellulose fibers (SCFs) grafted on hyperbranched liquid crystals (HLP) were synthesized to improve the compatibility between SCFs and epoxy resin (EP). The influence of SCFs-HLP on the mechanical and thermal properti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
37 Citations
6,430 Views
12 Pages

High-Strength Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Swelling-Resistant and Anti-Dehydration Properties

  • Bo Xu,
  • Yuwei Liu,
  • Lanlan Wang,
  • Xiaodong Ge,
  • Min Fu,
  • Ping Wang and
  • Qiang Wang

14 September 2018

Hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties have potential for use in various fields. However, the swelling of hydrogels under water and the dehydration of hydrogels in air severely limits the practical applications of high-strength hydrogels due...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
5,432 Views
18 Pages

The Low Velocity Impact Response of Shape Memory Alloy Hybrid Polymer Composites

  • Hao Li,
  • Jingbiao Liu,
  • Zhenqing Wang,
  • Zhengwei Yu,
  • Yanfei Liu and
  • Min Sun

14 September 2018

Polymer composites are sensitive to impact loading due to their low impact resistance. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wires have been used to improve the impact resistance of the polymer composite materials because of their unique superelasticity performan...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
6,299 Views
18 Pages

14 September 2018

The main focus of current research in polymeric matrix brake composites is on searching out a replacement for copper, which has been recently proved to be a hazard to human health and the environment. In this paper, rare earth lanthanum oxide was exp...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
6,008 Views
14 Pages

A Geometry Effect of Carbon Nanomaterials on Flame Retardancy and Mechanical Properties of Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate/Magnesium Hydroxide Composites

  • Zhi-Qi Liu,
  • Zhi Li,
  • Yun-Xian Yang,
  • Yan-Ling Zhang,
  • Xin Wen,
  • Na Li,
  • Can Fu,
  • Rong-Kun Jian,
  • Li-Juan Li and
  • De-Yi Wang

14 September 2018

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of carbon nanomaterials with different geometries on improving the flame retardancy of magnesium hydroxide–filled ethylene-vinyl acetate (EM). The thermal stability and flame retardancy were studied b...

  • Article
  • Open Access
33 Citations
6,545 Views
12 Pages

Improve the Performance of Soy Protein-Based Adhesives by a Polyurethane Elastomer

  • Yecheng Xu,
  • Yantao Xu,
  • Wenjie Zhu,
  • Wei Zhang,
  • Qiang Gao and
  • Jianzhang Li

13 September 2018

The purpose of this study was to improve the performance of soy protein isolate (SPI) adhesives using a polyurethane elastomer. Triglycidylamine (TGA), SPI, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), and γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propyltrimethoxysi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
159 Citations
15,742 Views
15 Pages

13 September 2018

Epoxies are often exposed to water due to rain and humid air environments. Epoxy yellows during its service time under these conditions, even when protected from UV radiation. The material’s color is not regained upon redrying, indicating irrev...

  • Article
  • Open Access
40 Citations
7,248 Views
16 Pages

Thermal Stability and Flame Retardancy of Polypropylene Composites Containing Siloxane-Silsesquioxane Resins

  • Arkadiusz Niemczyk,
  • Katarzyna Dziubek,
  • Beata Sacher-Majewska,
  • Krystyna Czaja,
  • Justyna Czech-Polak,
  • Rafał Oliwa,
  • Joanna Lenża and
  • Mariusz Szołyga

13 September 2018

A novel group of silsesquioxane derivatives, which are siloxane-silsesquioxane resins (S4SQ), was for the first time examined as possible flame retardants in polypropylene (PP) materials. Thermal stability of the PP/S4SQ composites compared to the S4...

  • Article
  • Open Access
49 Citations
5,870 Views
13 Pages

Alternating Magnetic Field-Triggered Switchable Nanofiber Mesh for Cancer Thermo-Chemotherapy

  • Eri Niiyama,
  • Koichiro Uto,
  • Chun Man Lee,
  • Kazuma Sakura and
  • Mitsuhiro Ebara

13 September 2018

We have developed a smart anti-cancer fiber mesh that is able to control tumor-killing activity against lung adenocarcinoma precisely. The mesh is capable of carrying large loads of chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel (PTX), as well as magnetic nanopar...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
12 Citations
4,692 Views
7 Pages

13 September 2018

Polyimide@graphene oxide (PI@GO) composites were prepared by way of a simple solution blending method. The nanoscale hardness and Young’s modulus of the composites were measured using nanoindentation based on atomic force microscopy (AFM). A na...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
5,449 Views
13 Pages

Enhanced Mechanical and Water Absorption Properties of Rice Husk-Derived Nano-SiO2 Reinforced PHBV Composites

  • Li Wang,
  • Yong Guo,
  • Yuxia Chen,
  • Tong Chen,
  • Shiliu Zhu,
  • Tingting Zhang and
  • Shengquan Liu

13 September 2018

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate–co–3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a biodegradable polymer and has several potential applications. Herein, we have used a rich biomass resource, rice husk, to obtain rice husk nano-SiO2 (RHNS) and prepared RHNS/PHBV co...

  • Article
  • Open Access
38 Citations
5,627 Views
12 Pages

Preparation and Evaluation of Metronidazole-Loaded Pectin Films for Potentially Targeting a Microbial Infection Associated with Periodontal Disease

  • Taepin Junmahasathien,
  • Pattaraporn Panraksa,
  • Paytaai Protiarn,
  • Doosadee Hormdee,
  • Rajda Noisombut,
  • Nutthapong Kantrong and
  • Pensak Jantrawut

13 September 2018

The objective of this study was to develop the metronidazole loaded high and low methoxyl pectin films (HM-G-MZ and LM-G-MZ) for the treatment of periodontal disease. The films were prepared by pectin 3% w/v, glycerin 40% w/v, and metronidazole 5% w/...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,812 Views
12 Pages

New Methods to Study the Behavior of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in Aprotic Solvents

  • Anett Nagy-Szakolczai,
  • Zsanett Dorkó,
  • Blanka Tóth and
  • George Horvai

12 September 2018

This work presents three new experimental methods for studying molecular imprinting. The electric conductivity measurements of the pre-polymerization mixture of amine templates in an aprotic solvent provide evidence of ionic dissociation of the pre-p...

  • Article
  • Open Access
39 Citations
4,616 Views
11 Pages

11 September 2018

Effects of high pressure treatment (0, 200 and 400 MPa) on water vapour barrier, microstructure, thermal, and mechanical properties of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/Ag nanocomposite films were investigated. The migration behavior of nano-Ag from the nanoc...

  • Article
  • Open Access
52 Citations
7,612 Views
18 Pages

Thickness-Dependent DC Electrical Breakdown of Polyimide Modulated by Charge Transport and Molecular Displacement

  • Daomin Min,
  • Yuwei Li,
  • Chenyu Yan,
  • Dongri Xie,
  • Shengtao Li,
  • Qingzhou Wu and
  • Zhaoliang Xing

11 September 2018

Polyimide has excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and is widely used as a dielectric material in electrical equipment and electronic devices. However, the influencing mechanism of sample thickness on electrical breakdown of polyi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
83 Citations
7,829 Views
14 Pages

11 September 2018

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (L-CNFs) composite films with different lignin contents were produced bythe solution casting method. The effect of the lignin content on the mechanical, thermal, and crystallinity proper...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
4,578 Views
18 Pages

Sponge-Like Water De-/Ad-Sorption versus Solid-State Structural Transformation and Colour-Changing Behavior of an Entangled 3D Composite Supramolecuar Architecture, [Ni4(dpe)4(btc)2(Hbtc)(H2O)9]·3H2O

  • Chih-Chieh Wang,
  • Szu-Yu Ke,
  • Kuan-Ting Chen,
  • Ning-Kuei Sun,
  • Wei-Fang Liu,
  • Mei-Lin Ho,
  • Bing-Jyun Lu,
  • Yi-Ting Hsieh,
  • Yu-Chun Chuang and
  • En-Che Yang
  • + 2 authors

11 September 2018

An entangled composite compound, [Ni4(dpe)4(btc)2(Hbtc)(H2O)9]·3H2O (1), where H3btc = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and dpe = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane, has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal structural determina...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
3,983 Views
12 Pages

10 September 2018

Micelles assembled from amphiphilic molecules have proved to be ideal scaffolds to construct artificial catalysts mimicking enzymatic catalytic behavior. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of amphiphilic poly(2-oxazoline) derivatives with l-pro...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
5,305 Views
12 Pages

10 September 2018

Poly(phenyl-substituted siloxanes/silsesquioxanes) are obtained by the Piers–Rubinsztajn (PR) reaction of hydrogen-containing siloxanes (HCS) with diphenyldialkoxysilanes such as diphenyldimethoxysilane and diphenyldiethoxysilane catalyzed by t...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
26 Citations
4,632 Views
14 Pages

10 September 2018

To obtain a proton exchange membrane (PEM) with high proton conductivity and low methanol permeability, a novel amino-sulfo-bifunctionalized GO (NSGO) was synthesized and explored as a filler for sulfonated poly(arylene ether nitrile) (SPEN). The res...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
5,731 Views
10 Pages

Conformational Transitions of Polymer Chains in Solutions Characterized by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

  • Linlin Qin,
  • Linling Li,
  • Ye Sha,
  • Ziyu Wang,
  • Dongshan Zhou,
  • Wei Chen and
  • Gi Xue

10 September 2018

The critical overlap concentration C* is an important concept in polymer solutions and is defined as the boundary between dilute and semidilute regimes. In this study, the chain conformational changes of polystyrene (PS) with both high (Mn = 200,000...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
5,494 Views
16 Pages

10 September 2018

Semi-batch emulsion polymerizations of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) are reported. The molar mass control is achieved via iodine transfer polymerization (ITP) using IC4F8I as chain transfer agent. Polymerizations carried out at 75 °C and pressures rangin...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
5,319 Views
12 Pages

10 September 2018

When stainless steel is implanted in human bodies, the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility must be considered. In this study, first, a protective organic silicone film was coated on the surface of stainless steel by a plasma deposition techniqu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
6,197 Views
16 Pages

Miscibility and Nanoparticle Diffusion in Ionic Nanocomposites

  • Argyrios Karatrantos,
  • Yao Koutsawa,
  • Philippe Dubois,
  • Nigel Clarke and
  • Martin Kröger

10 September 2018

We investigate the effect of various spherical nanoparticles in a polymer matrix on dispersion, chain dimensions and entanglements for ionic nanocomposites at dilute and high nanoparticle loading by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The nanopa...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
42 Citations
8,806 Views
8 Pages

8 September 2018

Three-dimensional printing based on the digital light processing (DLP) method offers solution processability, fast printing time, and high-quality printing through selective light curing of photopolymers. This research relates to a method of dispersi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
5,653 Views
16 Pages

7 September 2018

Dispersion of carbon nanoparticles in epoxy resin is the key factor to adjust the resulting electrical and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite. A profound understanding of the driving forces of standard methods like ultrasonic and mechanical d...

  • Article
  • Open Access
55 Citations
8,850 Views
10 Pages

7 September 2018

Both cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) are nanoscale fibers that have shown reinforcing effects in polymer composites. It’s worth noting that CNF and CNT could form a three-dimensional nano-network via mixing and vacuum filtra...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
6,030 Views
11 Pages

Detecting Glucose Levels in Blood Plasma and Artificial Tear by Au(I) Complex on the Carbopol Polymer: A Microfluidic Paper-Based Method

  • Jong-Jheng Luo,
  • Sheng-Wei Pan,
  • Jia-Hui Yang,
  • Tian-Lin Chang,
  • Peng-Yi Lin,
  • Chen-Liang Wu,
  • Wei-Fang Liu,
  • Xin-Ru Huang,
  • Igor O. Koshevoy and
  • Mei-Lin Ho
  • + 1 author

7 September 2018

We report on a selective paper-based method and a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) for the detection of human plasma glucose and tear glucose using carbopol polymer-encapsulated Au(I) complex (AuC2C6H4OMe)2(Ph2P(C6H4)3PPh2), (B5). To...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
6,410 Views
13 Pages

7 September 2018

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is still the most research-intensive aspect of a fuel cell. The sluggish kinetics of the electrocatalysts toward the ORR requires large amounts of platinum to be used as cathode material, which calls for alternativ...

  • Article
  • Open Access
64 Citations
10,698 Views
11 Pages

6 September 2018

Keratin from a variety of sources is one of the most abundant biopolymers. In livestock and textile industries, a large amount of rabbit hair waste is produced every year, and therefore it is of great significance to extract keratin from waste rabbit...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
6,928 Views
16 Pages

Intumescent Polymer Metal Laminates for Fire Protection

  • Laura Geoffroy,
  • Fabienne Samyn,
  • Maude Jimenez and
  • Serge Bourbigot

6 September 2018

Intumescent paints are applied on materials to protect them against fire, but the development of novel chemistries has reached some limits. Recently, the concept of “Polymer Metal Laminates,” consisting of alternating thin aluminum foils...

  • Article
  • Open Access
42 Citations
7,420 Views
11 Pages

Preparation and Properties of sc-PLA/PMMA Transparent Nanofiber Air Filter

  • Shengnan Lv,
  • Xin Zhao,
  • Lei Shi,
  • Gaokai Zhang,
  • Shubo Wang,
  • Weimin Kang and
  • Xupin Zhuang

6 September 2018

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a serious concern for the environment and public health. To protect indoor air quality, nanofiber filters have been used to coat window screens due to their high PM removal efficiency, transparency and low air res...

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Polymers - ISSN 2073-4360