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Polymers, Volume 11, Issue 5

2019 May - 183 articles

Cover Story: A soft TPU perforated membrane was manufactured, for the first time, via the microcellular foaming technique and by using green, environmentally friendly carbon dioxide as a blowing agent. Cell nucleation was generated across the sample’s surface and towards the center, induced by the laminated gas separate layer. The as-prepared membrane, with a thickness of about 20 μm and tensile strength of about 5 MPa, could effectively separate the particles in a self-standing manner. View this paper.
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Articles (183)

  • Article
  • Open Access
32 Citations
5,401 Views
16 Pages

27 May 2019

To improve properties such as thermal conductivity, low temperature thermal strain, and creep resistance of ultra-high molar mass polyethylene (UHMMPE) fibers, several researchers have previously undertaken efforts to crosslink these fibers using rad...

  • Article
  • Open Access
56 Citations
6,108 Views
11 Pages

Cost Estimation of Polymeric Adsorbents

  • Despina A. Gkika,
  • Efstathios V. Liakos,
  • Nick Vordos,
  • Christina Kontogoulidou,
  • Lykourgos Magafas,
  • Dimitrios N. Bikiaris,
  • Dimitrios V. Bandekas,
  • Athanasios C. Mitropoulos and
  • George Z. Kyzas

27 May 2019

One of the most promising techniques of recent research is adsorption. This technique attracts great attention in environmental technology, especially in the decontamination of water and wastewaters. A “hidden” point of the above is the cost of adsor...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
4,260 Views
12 Pages

Effects of Intrinsic Properties on Fracture Nucleation and Propagation in Swelling Hydrogels

  • Jingqian Ding,
  • Ernst W. Remij,
  • Joris J. C. Remmers and
  • Jacques M. Huyghe

27 May 2019

In numerous industrial applications, the microstructure of materials is critical for performance. However, finite element models tend to average out the microstructure. Hence, finite element simulations are often unsuitable for optimisation of the mi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
24 Citations
4,686 Views
19 Pages

27 May 2019

The rheological properties of hydrogels prepared by physical interactions between oppositely charged polyelectrolyte and surfactant in micellar form were studied. Specifically, hyaluronan was employed as a negatively charged polyelectrolyte and Septo...

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

27 May 2019

We prepared a horseshoe-pattern type electrical heating textile that was coated with high graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) content (32 wt% to 64 wt%) of graphene nanoplatelet/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) composite. Silver-co...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
4,170 Views
17 Pages

26 May 2019

Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (EVOH) films containing zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO Nrods) at 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%, were realized by solvent casting. The effect of ZnO Nrods content on morphological, thermal, optical, mechanical, and oxygen permeability...

  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
7,282 Views
14 Pages

Biosourced Disposable Trays Made of Brewer’s Spent Grain and Potato Starch

  • Ana M. Ferreira,
  • Jorge Martins,
  • Luísa H. Carvalho and
  • Fernão D. Magalhães

26 May 2019

Single-use plastic items made of non-biodegradable and fossil-based materials have been identified as a major environmental problem in modern society. Food packaging materials represent an important fraction of these, and replacement with biosourced,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
37 Citations
6,168 Views
18 Pages

25 May 2019

Multilayer films containing α- and β-casein and polypeptides, poly-L-lysine (PLL), and poly-L-arginine (PLArg) were formed by the layer-by-layer technique and Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-A...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,825 Views
17 Pages

Amylase-Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles Based on Dextran Sulfate and Doxorubicin with Anticoagulant Activity

  • Nikolay A. Pyataev,
  • Pavel S. Petrov,
  • Olga V. Minaeva,
  • Mikhail N. Zharkov,
  • Oleg A. Kulikov,
  • Axeksandr V. Kokorev,
  • Ekaterina P. Brodovskaya,
  • Ivan A. Yurlov,
  • Ilya V. Syusin and
  • Larisa A. Balykova
  • + 1 author

25 May 2019

This study looked into the synthesis and study of Dextrane Sulfate–Doxorubicin Nanoparticles (DS–Dox NP) that are sensitive to amylase and show anticoagulant properties. The particles were obtained by the method of solvent replacement. Th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
4,178 Views
11 Pages

Complex Permittivity and Microwave Absorption Properties of OPEFB Fiber–Polycaprolactone Composites Filled with Recycled Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles

  • Ebenezer Ekow Mensah,
  • Zulkifly Abbas,
  • Raba’ah Syahidah Azis,
  • Nor Azowa Ibrahim and
  • Ahmad Mamoun Khamis

24 May 2019

Recycled hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles with enhanced complex permittivity properties have been incorporated as a filler in a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix reinforced with oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber for microwave absorption appl...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
4,292 Views
11 Pages

Cellulose Nanofibrils and Tubular Halloysite as Enhanced Strength Gelation Agents

  • Vladimir Vinokurov,
  • Andrei Novikov,
  • Valentina Rodnova,
  • Boris Anikushin,
  • Mikhail Kotelev,
  • Evgenii Ivanov and
  • Yuri Lvov

24 May 2019

Silica gels are widely employed in water shutoff services, making them an essential tool in oil well management. Silica nanoparticles may serve as a strengthening additive for polymer hydrogels. In this study, we look at this statement from a differe...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
4,149 Views
22 Pages

Poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate –co–methylmethacrylate)/Lignocaine Contact Lens Preparation, Characterization, and in vitro Release Dynamic

  • Taieb Aouak,
  • Wassem Sharaf Saeed,
  • Nawaf M. Al-Hafi,
  • Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni,
  • Abdulaziz Ali Alghamdi and
  • Idriss Bedja

23 May 2019

2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methylmethacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethyl methacrylate, and lignocaine (drug) were mixed together and the monomers were copolymerized at 60 °C through a free radical polymerization in the presence of α,&alpha...

  • Article
  • Open Access
40 Citations
6,137 Views
15 Pages

PLA Electrospun Scaffolds for Three-Dimensional Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Culture

  • Emma Polonio-Alcalá,
  • Marc Rabionet,
  • Xavier Gallardo,
  • David Angelats,
  • Joaquim Ciurana,
  • Santiago Ruiz-Martínez and
  • Teresa Puig

23 May 2019

Three-dimensional (3D) systems provide a suitable environment for cells cultured in vitro since they reproduce the physiological conditions that traditional cell culture supports lack. Electrospinning is a cost-effective technology useful to manufact...

  • Article
  • Open Access
41 Citations
7,896 Views
10 Pages

22 May 2019

Nafion composite membranes, containing different amounts of mesoporous sulfated titanium oxide (TiO2-SO4) were prepared by solvent-casting and tested in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), operating at very low humidification levels. The Ti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
33 Citations
7,990 Views
20 Pages

Polyhexamethylene Biguanide:Polyurethane Blend Nanofibrous Membranes for Wound Infection Control

  • Anna Worsley,
  • Kristin Vassileva,
  • Janice Tsui,
  • Wenhui Song and
  • Liam Good

22 May 2019

Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is a broad-spectrum antiseptic which avoids many efficacy and toxicity problems associated with antimicrobials, in particular, it has a low risk of loss of susceptibility due to acquired antimicrobial resistance. De...

  • Review
  • Open Access
111 Citations
16,541 Views
22 Pages

Polymer Science and Engineering Using Deep Eutectic Solvents

  • Ana Roda,
  • Ana A. Matias,
  • Alexandre Paiva and
  • Ana Rita C. Duarte

21 May 2019

The green and versatile character of deep eutectic solvents (DES) has turned them into significant tools in the development of green and sustainable technologies. For this purpose, their use in polymeric applications has been growing and expanding to...

  • Article
  • Open Access
31 Citations
7,027 Views
15 Pages

21 May 2019

Herein, we investigated novel carbon-containing P123 copolymer-activated boron nitride whiskers (P123-CBNW) fabricated via a structure directing approach followed by a single-step heat treatment under N2. The resulting materials were found to be high...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
6,429 Views
22 Pages

Synthetized Potato Starch—A New Eco Sizing Agent for Cotton Yarns

  • Stana Kovačević,
  • Ivana Schwarz,
  • Suzana Đorđević and
  • Dragan Đorđević

20 May 2019

The objective of this research was to verify the feasibility of the use of newly synthesized biopolymer materials for sizing cotton yarns based on the basic principles of chemical modification. Research included acid hydrolysis of potato starch up to...

  • Review
  • Open Access
83 Citations
9,872 Views
18 Pages

20 May 2019

In the past few decades, organic thermoelectric materials/devices, which can exhibit remarkable potential in green energy conversion, have drawn great attention and interest due to their easy processing, light weight, intrinsically low thermal conduc...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
5,583 Views
8 Pages

The Role of Surfaces in Gas Transport Through Polymer Membranes

  • Giuseppe Firpo,
  • Elena Angeli,
  • Patrizia Guida,
  • Denise Pezzuoli,
  • Diego Repetto,
  • Luca Repetto and
  • Ugo Valbusa

20 May 2019

This paper describes a procedure to measure the permeability P, diffusivity D, and rate of adsorption k1, thus determining the solubility S and rate of desorption k2 of He, N2, O2, CH4, and CO2 on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane. The described...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
4,964 Views
10 Pages

Pollutant Absorption as a Possible End-Of-Life Solution for Polyphenolic Polymers

  • Thomas Sepperer,
  • Jonas Neubauer,
  • Jonas Eckardt,
  • Thomas Schnabel,
  • Alexander Petutschnigg and
  • Gianluca Tondi

20 May 2019

Tannin- and lignin-furanic foams are natural porous materials that have attracted high interest in the scientific and industrial communities for their high thermal and fire-resistant properties. However, no interesting solutions have been proposed fo...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
5,395 Views
9 Pages

19 May 2019

Ionic electroactive polymers (IEAPs) have received considerable attention for their flexibility, lightweight composition, large displacement, and low-voltage activation. Recently, many metal–nonmetal composite electrodes have been actively stud...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
6,731 Views
11 Pages

Preparation and Characterization of Microcellulose and Nanocellulose Fibers from Artemisia Vulgaris Bast

  • Kai Nie,
  • Yan Song,
  • Shaoyang Liu,
  • Guangting Han,
  • Haoxi Ben,
  • Arthur J. Ragauskas and
  • Wei Jiang

19 May 2019

Artemisia vulgaris is an economic plant that is spreading widely in central China. Its unused bast generates a large amount of biomass waste annually. Utilizing the fibers in Artemisia vulgaris bast may provide a new solution to this problem. This re...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
5,650 Views
12 Pages

18 May 2019

The reactive acrylate-terminated CdZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) were designed and prepared by the effective synthetic route to bond with a siloxane matrix via hydrosilylation. The conventional QD with oleic acid ligands does not have any reactivity,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
95 Citations
8,243 Views
13 Pages

17 May 2019

In this study, we have synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) into carbon nanofiber (NFs) composites by a simple electrospinning method followed by subsequent thermal treatment. The resulting composite was characterized by state-of-the...

  • Review
  • Open Access
139 Citations
12,514 Views
13 Pages

3D Bioprinted Nanocellulose-Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Brief Review

  • Sandya S. Athukoralalage,
  • Rajkamal Balu,
  • Naba K. Dutta and
  • Namita Roy Choudhury

17 May 2019

Nanocellulosic materials, such as cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibers, and bacterial nanocellulose, that display high surface area, mechanical strength, biodegradability, and tunable surface chemistry have attracted great attention over the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
3,949 Views
11 Pages

17 May 2019

Layered silicates are suitable for use as fillers in nanocomposites based on their particular features, such as large aspect ratio, easy availability, and chemical resistance. Among them, sericite is distinguished for its higher aspect ratio, higher...

  • Article
  • Open Access
19 Citations
5,038 Views
15 Pages

Threads Made with Blended Biopolymers: Mechanical, Physical and Biological Features

  • Annamaria Visco,
  • Cristina Scolaro,
  • Alberto Giamporcaro,
  • Salvatore De Caro,
  • Elisabetta Tranquillo and
  • Michelina Catauro

17 May 2019

Poly (Lactic Acid), PLA, and Poly (ε-CaproLactone), PCL, compatibilized with Ethyl Ester l-Lysine Triisocyanate (LTI) can be employed as biomaterials. We mixed PLA with PCL and LTI in a twin extruder and by a melt spinning process obtained th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
6,406 Views
13 Pages

Electrical Properties of Thiol-ene-based Shape Memory Polymers Intended for Flexible Electronics

  • Christopher L. Frewin,
  • Melanie Ecker,
  • Alexandra Joshi-Imre,
  • Jonathan Kamgue,
  • Jeanneane Waddell,
  • Vindhya Reddy Danda,
  • Allison M. Stiller,
  • Walter E. Voit and
  • Joseph J. Pancrazio

17 May 2019

Thiol-ene/acrylate-based shape memory polymers (SMPs) with tunable mechanical and thermomechanical properties are promising substrate materials for flexible electronics applications. These UV-curable polymer compositions can easily be polymerized ont...

  • Article
  • Open Access
71 Citations
7,065 Views
23 Pages

Reversible Self-Healing Carbon-Based Nanocomposites for Structural Applications

  • Liberata Guadagno,
  • Luigi Vertuccio,
  • Carlo Naddeo,
  • Elisa Calabrese,
  • Giuseppina Barra,
  • Marialuigia Raimondo,
  • Andrea Sorrentino,
  • Wolfgang H. Binder,
  • Philipp Michael and
  • Sravendra Rana

17 May 2019

Reversible Hydrogen Bonds (RHB) have been explored to confer self-healing function to multifunctional nanocomposites. This study has been carried out through a sequence of different steps. Hydrogen bonding moieties, with the intrinsic ability to simu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
5,176 Views
15 Pages

Molecular Design of Microcapsule Shells for Visible Light-Triggered Release

  • Domenico Pirone,
  • Valentina Marturano,
  • Rita Del Pezzo,
  • Susana Fernández Prieto,
  • Todd Underiner,
  • Marta Giamberini and
  • Bartosz Tylkowski

17 May 2019

The development of photo-responsive capsules to tune and control the sustained-release of encapsulated actives is a fascinating and challenging route to improve the performances and effectiveness of a wide range of delivery applications. In this work...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
3,746 Views
14 Pages

Synthesis of Novel pH-Tunable Thermoresponsive Hydroxyl-Terminated Hyperbranched Polyether

  • Xiuzhong Zhu,
  • Xiao Duan,
  • Ting Bai,
  • Xuan Zhang,
  • Tong Wang,
  • Tao Cao and
  • Xiaodong Fan

16 May 2019

In this study, a new pH-tunable thermoresponsive hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyether (HTHP 2) was successfully prepared via a one-pot cationic polymerization technique and postmodification. In the first step, hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched...

  • Article
  • Open Access
31 Citations
6,191 Views
12 Pages

Receptor-mediated Uptake of Folic Acid-functionalized Dextran Nanoparticles for Applications in Photodynamic Therapy

  • Kathrin Butzbach,
  • Matthias Konhäuser,
  • Matthias Fach,
  • Denise N. Bamberger,
  • Benjamin Breitenbach,
  • Bernd Epe and
  • Peter R. Wich

16 May 2019

In photodynamic therapy (PDT), photosensitizers and light are used to cause photochemically induced cell death. The selectivity and the effectiveness of the phototoxicity in cancer can be increased by a specific uptake of the photosensitizer into tum...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
4,346 Views
16 Pages

Polyamine-Based Organo-Clays for Polluted Water Treatment: Effect of Polyamine Structure and Content

  • Cinzia Cristiani,
  • Elena Maria Iannicelli-Zubiani,
  • Giovanni Dotelli,
  • Elisabetta Finocchio,
  • Paola Gallo Stampino and
  • Maurizio Licchelli

16 May 2019

Hybrid materials based on clays and polyamines are supposed to be efficient heavy metals sorbents due to the well-known adsorption behaviour of the clay matrix and to the coordination properties of un-protonated amino groups. For this purpose, a mont...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
4,601 Views
13 Pages

15 May 2019

Although hindered phenol/polymer-based hybrid damping materials, with excellent damping performance, attract more and more attention, the poor stability of hindered phenol limits the application of such promising materials. To solve this problem, a l...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
4,444 Views
16 Pages

15 May 2019

This paper describes the synthesis, thermal characterization and optical properties of liquid crystalline homopolymers and block copolymers with a repeating unit consisting of two functional units, with at least one of them being an azobenzene. Films...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
4,820 Views
16 Pages

Dextran-Coated Zinc-Doped Hydroxyapatite for Biomedical Applications

  • Daniela Predoi,
  • Simona Liliana Iconaru and
  • Mihai Valentin Predoi

15 May 2019

Dextran-coated zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (ZnHApD) was synthesized by an adapted sol-gel method. The stability of ZnHApD nanoparticles in an aqueous solution was analyzed using ultrasonic measurements. The analysis of the evolution in time of the atte...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,196 Views
14 Pages

15 May 2019

The transport properties of block copolymer-derived polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) are sensitive to microstructural disorder originating in the randomly oriented microdomains produced during uncontrolled self-assembly by microphase separation....

  • Review
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,823 Views
18 Pages

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Materials as Selective Recognition Sorbents for Explosives: A Review

  • Mashaalah Zarejousheghani,
  • Wilhelm Lorenz,
  • Paula Vanninen,
  • Taher Alizadeh,
  • Malcolm Cämmerer and
  • Helko Borsdorf

15 May 2019

Explosives are of significant interest to homeland security departments and forensic investigations. Fast, sensitive and selective detection of these chemicals is of great concern for security purposes as well as for triage and decontamination in con...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
4,173 Views
22 Pages

Combining Inulin Multifunctional Polycation and Magnetic Nanoparticles: Redox-Responsive siRNA-Loaded Systems for Magnetofection

  • Carla Sardo,
  • Emanuela Fabiola Craparo,
  • Barbara Porsio,
  • Gaetano Giammona and
  • Gennara Cavallaro

15 May 2019

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) are recognized as one of the most promising agents for theranostic applications. Among methods designed for siRNA delivery, magnetofection, that is, nucleic acid cell uptake under the influence of a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
5,397 Views
16 Pages

Writing Behavior of Phospholipids in Polymer Pen Lithography (PPL) for Bioactive Micropatterns

  • Alessandro Angelin,
  • Uwe Bog,
  • Ravi Kumar,
  • Christof M. Niemeyer and
  • Michael Hirtz

15 May 2019

Lipid-based membranes play crucial roles in regulating the interface between cells and their external environment, the communication within cells, and cellular sensing. To study these important processes, various lipid-based artificial membrane model...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
8,329 Views
10 Pages

PET-RAFT Polymerization Catalyzed by Small Organic Molecule under Green Light Irradiation

  • Huazhen Tao,
  • Lei Xia,
  • Guang Chen,
  • Tianyou Zeng,
  • Xuan Nie,
  • Ze Zhang and
  • Yezi You

15 May 2019

Photocatalyzed polymerization using organic molecules as catalysts has attracted broad interest because of its easy operation in ambient environments and low toxicity compared with metallic catalysts. In this work, we reported that 4,7-di(thiophen-2-...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
6,560 Views
23 Pages

15 May 2019

A chip-based fast scanning calorimeter (FSC) is used as a fast hot-stage in an atomic force microscope (AFM). This way, the morphology of materials with a resolution from micrometers to nanometers after fast thermal treatments becomes accessible. An...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
4,550 Views
12 Pages

15 May 2019

The objective of this study is to use wheat flour (WF) and hydroxymethyl melamine prepolymer (HMP) to develop a low cost, highly water-resistant, starch-based bio-adhesive for plywood fabrication. Three-layer plywood was fabricated using the resultan...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
6,135 Views
14 Pages

Effect of Mold Temperature on the Impact Behavior and Morphology of Injection Molded Foams Based on Polypropylene Polyethylene–Octene Copolymer Blends

  • Santiago Muñoz-Pascual,
  • Eduardo Lopez-Gonzalez,
  • Cristina Saiz-Arroyo and
  • Miguel Angel Rodriguez-Perez

15 May 2019

In this work, an isotactic polypropylene (PP) and a polyethylene–octene copolymer (POE) have been blended and injection-molded, obtaining solids and foamed samples with a relative density of 0.76. Different mold temperature and injection temper...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
5,454 Views
10 Pages

14 May 2019

Soft electrodes have been known as a key component in the engineering of flexible, wearable, and implantable energy-saving or powering devices. As environmental issues are emerging, the increase of electronic wastes due to the short replacement cycle...

  • Review
  • Open Access
57 Citations
11,794 Views
29 Pages

Modeling of Entangled Polymer Diffusion in Melts and Nanocomposites: A Review

  • Argyrios Karatrantos,
  • Russell J. Composto,
  • Karen I. Winey,
  • Martin Kröger and
  • Nigel Clarke

14 May 2019

This review concerns modeling studies of the fundamental problem of entangled (reptational) homopolymer diffusion in melts and nanocomposite materials in comparison to experiments. In polymer melts, the developed united atom and multibead spring mode...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
6,133 Views
25 Pages

14 May 2019

An anomalous plasticizing effect was observed in polymer/ionic liquid (IL) solutions by applying broad range of rheological techniques. Poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)/IL solutions exhibit stronger dynamic temperature dependence than pure PEO, which is in...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,273 Views
20 Pages

14 May 2019

An in-depth knowledge of the structure formation process and the resulting dependency of the morphology on the reaction mechanism is a key requirement in order to design application-oriented materials. For twin polymerization, the basic idea of the r...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
4,268 Views
17 Pages

14 May 2019

Nanocomposite membranes are strongly desired to break a trade-off between permeability and selectivity. This work reports new thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis (FO) membranes by embedding aluminosilicate nanotubes (ANTs) into a polyamide...

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Polymers - ISSN 2073-4360