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Polymers, Volume 9, Issue 8

2017 August - 79 articles

Cover Story: Threadings are architecture-specific topological constraints that give rise to complex and fascinating behaviours in ring polymer melts. In the figure, we show a macroscopic analogy for a system of dense ring polymers made using "anelloni", a type of pasta similar to spaghetti, in which the two ends have been joined to form a circle. Upon cooking, anelloni become highly entangled and interpenetrated, and because of these threading constraints, one anellone cannot be easily pulled out of a bowl by itself, as it would if they were simple linear spaghetti. View Paper here
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Articles (79)

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
6,958 Views
9 Pages

Light-Driven Liquid Crystal Circular Dammann Grating Fabricated by a Micro-Patterned Liquid Crystal Polymer Phase Mask

  • Xiaoqian Wang,
  • Saibo Wu,
  • Weiqiang Yang,
  • Conglong Yuan,
  • Xiao Li,
  • Zhen Liu,
  • Manchun Tseng,
  • Vladimir G. Chigrinov,
  • Hoising Kwok and
  • Zhigang Zheng
  • + 1 author

21 August 2017

As one of the diffractive optical elements, circular Dammann grating has shown its excellent versatility in practical applications. The electrically switchable Dammann grating has been extensively investigated; however, the research on the optically...

  • Review
  • Open Access
54 Citations
11,092 Views
17 Pages

21 August 2017

This review reports on the use of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the investigation of cell scaffolds in recent years. It is shown how the technique is able to deliver information about the scaffold surface properties (e.g., topography), as well...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
7,129 Views
16 Pages

Increased X-ray Visualization of Shape Memory Polymer Foams by Chemical Incorporation of Iodine Motifs

  • Landon D. Nash,
  • Mary Beth Browning Monroe,
  • Yong-Hong Ding,
  • Kendal P. Ezell,
  • Anthony J. Boyle,
  • Ramanathan Kadirvel,
  • David F. Kallmes and
  • Duncan J. Maitland

20 August 2017

Shape memory polymers can be programmed into a secondary geometry and recovered to their primary geometry with the application of a controlled stimulus. Porous shape memory polymer foam scaffolds that respond to body temperature show particular promi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
6,456 Views
8 Pages

19 August 2017

The surface coating of solid substrates using dextrans has gained a great deal of attention, because dextran-coated surfaces show excellent anti-fouling property as well as biocompatibility behavior. Much effort has been made to develop efficient met...

  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
8,217 Views
15 Pages

19 August 2017

The formulation of greener composite materials by substituting glass fibers with natural fibers is a current field of research. If such natural fiber reinforcements come from industrial side streams, as hemp core fibers (HCFs) come from the extractio...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
7,350 Views
22 Pages

19 August 2017

The majority of investigations consider the deformation response of hydrogels, fully controlled by the deformation behavior of their polymer network, neglecting the contribution caused by the presence of water. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulat...

  • Article
  • Open Access
106 Citations
11,025 Views
19 Pages

Mechanical Properties of Composite Hydrogels of Alginate and Cellulose Nanofibrils

  • Olav Aarstad,
  • Ellinor Bævre Heggset,
  • Ina Sander Pedersen,
  • Sindre Hove Bjørnøy,
  • Kristin Syverud and
  • Berit Løkensgard Strand

19 August 2017

Alginate and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) are attractive materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. CNF gels are generally weaker and more brittle than alginate gels, while alginate gels are elastic and have high rupture strength. Alg...

  • Article
  • Open Access
142 Citations
20,005 Views
24 Pages

Bacterial Nanocellulose from Side-Streams of Kombucha Beverages Production: Preparation and Physical-Chemical Properties

  • Stefan-Ovidiu Dima,
  • Denis-Mihaela Panaitescu,
  • Csongor Orban,
  • Marius Ghiurea,
  • Sanda-Maria Doncea,
  • Radu Claudiu Fierascu,
  • Cristina Lavinia Nistor,
  • Elvira Alexandrescu,
  • Cristian-Andi Nicolae and
  • Florin Oancea
  • + 2 authors

18 August 2017

We focused on preparing cellulose nanofibrils by purification, separation, and mechanical treatment of Kombucha membranes (KM) resulted as secondary product from beverage production by fermentation of tea broth with symbiotic culture of bacteria and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
6,532 Views
13 Pages

18 August 2017

Holographic recording media can store the amplitude and the phase, or the complex amplitude, of a beam on the basis of holography. Owing to this characteristic, digital data can be encoded onto the complex amplitude of a signal beam in holographic da...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
6,738 Views
11 Pages

18 August 2017

As people in the 21st century become increasingly environmentally aware, environmentally friendly products have come into focus. As such, environmentally friendly textiles and eco-textiles have become an international trend in research and developmen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
51 Citations
10,006 Views
9 Pages

18 August 2017

In this paper, a hydroxylated graphite surface is generated as a hydrophilic oleophobic material for the application of oil-water separation, and the effects of hydroxyl density on the three-phase wettability are studied in oil-water-graphite systems...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
8,180 Views
16 Pages

18 August 2017

To reveal the potential and limits of multi-material three-dimensional (3D) printed parts in droplet-based additive manufacturing, a study combining tensile experiments and 3D imaging technique is proposed. A polymeric composite structure made of acr...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
24 Citations
8,155 Views
10 Pages

Synthesis of Humin-Phenol-Formaldehyde Adhesive

  • Shimin Kang,
  • Jinxia Fu,
  • Gang Zhang,
  • Wentao Zhang,
  • Huibin Yin and
  • Yongjun Xu

18 August 2017

Humins are low-value-added byproducts from the biomass acid hydrolysis process. In the present work, humins were first employed as a phenol replacement for synthesis of modified phenol-formaldehyde adhesives through a two-step process. In this proces...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
6,416 Views
12 Pages

pH-Induced Association and Dissociation of Intermolecular Complexes Formed by Hydrogen Bonding between Diblock Copolymers

  • Masanobu Mizusaki,
  • Tatsuya Endo,
  • Rina Nakahata,
  • Yotaro Morishima and
  • Shin-ichi Yusa

17 August 2017

Poly(sodium styrenesulfonate)–block–poly(acrylic acid) (PNaSS–b–PAA) and poly(sodium styrenesulfonate)–blockpoly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNaSS–bPNIPAM) were prepared via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
8,878 Views
15 Pages

17 August 2017

The radical copolymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) was investigated under batch and semi-batch operations, with a focus on the influence of hydrogen-bonding on acrylate backbiting. The effect of hydrogen bonding on...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
5,891 Views
14 Pages

Constraining Polymers into β-Turns: Miscibility and Phase Segregation Effects in Lipid Monolayers

  • Stefanie Deike,
  • Marlen Malke,
  • Bob-Dan Lechner and
  • Wolfgang H. Binder

17 August 2017

Abstract: Investigation of model biomembranes and their interactions with natural or synthetic macromolecules are of great interest to design membrane systems with specific properties such as drug-delivery. Here we study the behavior of amphiphilic β...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
6,238 Views
13 Pages

17 August 2017

The monomeric components of resin composites in dental restorative materials are susceptible to hydrolysis in the oral cavity. The main objective of this study was to assess the bio-stability of fluorinated urethane dimethacrylates and determine the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
63 Citations
9,705 Views
12 Pages

Pulp Fines—Characterization, Sheet Formation, and Comparison to Microfibrillated Cellulose

  • Wolfgang Johann Fischer,
  • Melanie Mayr,
  • Stefan Spirk,
  • David Reishofer,
  • Lukas Andreas Jagiello,
  • Romana Schmiedt,
  • Jerome Colson,
  • Armin Zankel and
  • Wolfgang Bauer

17 August 2017

In the pulp and paper industry different types of pulp or fiber fines are generated during the pulping (primary fines, mechanical fines), and/or the refining process (secondary fines). Besides fibers, these cellulosic microparticles are a further com...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
383 Citations
28,704 Views
25 Pages

16 August 2017

Biosensors that detect and convert biological reactions to a measurable signal have gained much attention in recent years. Between 1950 and 2017, more than 150,000 papers have been published addressing the applications of biosensors in different indu...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
8,689 Views
15 Pages

Hydrogen-Bonded Polymer Complex Thin Film of Poly(2-oxazoline) and Poly(acrylic acid)

  • Chao Su,
  • Jiaxing Sun,
  • Xuejian Zhang,
  • Duan Shen and
  • Shuguang Yang

15 August 2017

The hydrogen-bonded polymer complex thin film of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOX) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was fabricated with layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The film shows exponential growth at early stage and transfers to linear growth after 10...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
6,624 Views
12 Pages

Aromatic Modification of Low Molecular Weight PEI for Enhanced Gene Delivery

  • Qing-Ying Yu,
  • Yu-Rong Zhan,
  • Ji Zhang,
  • Chao-Ran Luan,
  • Bing Wang and
  • Xiao-Qi Yu

15 August 2017

Low molecular weight polyethylenimine (1800 Da, also referred to as oligoethylenimines, OEI) was modified with amino acids, including two aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, phenylalanine) and an aliphatic amino acid (leucine). The substitution degree...

  • Article
  • Open Access
39 Citations
8,459 Views
12 Pages

14 August 2017

Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) have received much attention in the fields of separation and purification. Nevertheless, selectivity of IIPs for trace target ions in complicated matrix remains a challenge. In this work, a cadmium magnetic ion-imprinted...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
8,934 Views
13 Pages

Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Film with Poly(p-aminothiophenol) Outer Layer Coated on Gold Nanoparticles Inner Layer for Highly Sensitive and Selective Sensing Paraoxon

  • Shanshan Li,
  • Qingying Luo,
  • Yaowen Liu,
  • Zhiqing Zhang,
  • Guanghui Shen,
  • Hejun Wu,
  • Anjun Chen,
  • Xingyan Liu and
  • Aidong Zhang

12 August 2017

This paper presents the fabrication of a molecularly imprinted, polymer-based disposable electrochemical sensor for paraoxon (PO) determination. The sensor was based on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with a surface molecularly impr...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
9,806 Views
13 Pages

12 August 2017

Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators have considerable potential for a wide range of applications. Although IPMC actuators are widely studied for their electromechanical properties, most studies have been conducted at the ambient conditions...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
249 Citations
32,752 Views
21 Pages

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Derivatives: Innovative Conductive Polymers for Bioelectronics

  • Daniele Mantione,
  • Isabel Del Agua,
  • Ana Sanchez-Sanchez and
  • David Mecerreyes

11 August 2017

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)s are the conducting polymers (CP) with the biggest prospects in the field of bioelectronics due to their combination of characteristics (conductivity, stability, transparency and biocompatibility). The gold standard m...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
6,946 Views
11 Pages

11 August 2017

Non-metallocene oxovanadium(V) complexes bearing either [ONNO]-type amine pyridine bis(phenolate) ligands or [ONN]-type amine pyridine phenolate ligands were employed as efficient catalysts to copolymerize ethylene with several unsymmetrical norborne...

  • Article
  • Open Access
234 Citations
13,788 Views
11 Pages

Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber

  • Buong Woei Chieng,
  • Syn Huey Lee,
  • Nor Azowa Ibrahim,
  • Yoon Yee Then and
  • Yuet Ying Loo

11 August 2017

The aim was to explore the utilization of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) as a source for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). OPMF was first treated with alkali and then bleached before the production of CNC by acid hydrolysis (H2SO4). The...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
6,270 Views
12 Pages

11 August 2017

Functional p-aramid fibers that can express antimicrobial activity were produced by simple processing of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are well known as antimicrobial agents, by using glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTAC), a quaternary ammo...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
6,145 Views
9 Pages

11 August 2017

Polyfluorene and its derivatives have been recognized as efficient light-emitting semiconductors. However, directional alignment of polyfluorene copolymers at a large scale has rarely been observed, in particular for the two relatively more amorphous...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
6,021 Views
9 Pages

Long Lived Photoexcitation Dynamics in π-Conjugated Polymer/PbS Quantum Dot Blended Films for Photovoltaic Application

  • Ruizhi Wang,
  • Xiaoliang Yan,
  • Xiao Yang,
  • Yuchen Wang,
  • Heng Li and
  • Chuanxiang Sheng

10 August 2017

We used continuous wave photoinduced absorption (PIA) spectroscopy to investigate long-lived polarons in a blend of PbS quantum dot and regio-regular poly (3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT). The charge transfer from RR-P3HT to PbS as well as from PbS to RR...

  • Article
  • Open Access
38 Citations
7,840 Views
14 Pages

9 August 2017

In this work, an economical modifier silane agent—KH550—was used for surface treatment of basalt fiber. Then, a biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/modified basalt fiber (MBF) biocomposite was successfully developed. The effects of silane tr...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
47 Citations
6,888 Views
21 Pages

9 August 2017

The present work investigates the distribution of nanoclay particles at the interface and their influence on the microstructure development and non-linear rheological properties of reactively processed biodegradable polylactide/poly(butylene succinat...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
7,452 Views
16 Pages

8 August 2017

Cell density is one of the factors required in the preparation of engineered cartilage from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Additionally, it is well known for having a significant role in chemical and physical stimulations when stem cells undergo chon...

  • Review
  • Open Access
30 Citations
7,982 Views
21 Pages

Ring Polymers: Threadings, Knot Electrophoresis and Topological Glasses

  • Davide Michieletto,
  • Davide Marenduzzo,
  • Enzo Orlandini and
  • Matthew S. Turner

8 August 2017

Elucidating the physics of a concentrated suspension of ring polymers, or of an ensemble of ring polymers in a complex environment, is an important outstanding question in polymer physics. Many of the characteristic features of these systems arise du...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
6,934 Views
14 Pages

7 August 2017

A versatile, fast, and nature-inspired polyphenol chemistry surface modification was applied to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces with micro-grooved structures in this study. Tannic acid and iron ion (TA–FeIII) complexes were employed as a molecular...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
6,649 Views
15 Pages

6 August 2017

Recently, organic catalysis has become a powerful alternative to the use of more traditional metal-based catalysts. In this study, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU), and 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD)...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
7,084 Views
17 Pages

6 August 2017

Malachite green (MG) is currently posing a carcinogenic threat to the safety of human lives; therefore, it is highly desirable to develop an effective method for fast trace detection of MG. Herein, for the first time, this paper presents a systematic...

  • Article
  • Open Access
52 Citations
9,130 Views
14 Pages

6 August 2017

In order to decrease the self-agglomeration and improve the hydrophobic properties of type-II acetylated cellulose nanocrystals (ACNC II), various degree of substitution (DS) values of ACNCs were successfully prepared by a single-step method from mic...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
9,476 Views
17 Pages

Tuning the Density of Poly(ethylene glycol) Chains to Control Mammalian Cell and Bacterial Attachment

  • Ahmed Al-Ani,
  • Hitesh Pingle,
  • Nicholas P Reynolds,
  • Peng-Yuan Wang and
  • Peter Kingshott

5 August 2017

Surface modification of biomaterials with polymer chains has attracted great attention because of their ability to control biointerfacial interactions such as protein adsorption, cell attachment and bacterial biofilm formation. The aim of this study...

  • Article
  • Open Access
110 Citations
7,867 Views
19 Pages

4 August 2017

In this study, the role of ion dissociation on formation of silver nanoparticle and DC conductivityin PVA:AgNO3 based solid polymer electrolyte has been discussed in detail. Samples of silver ion conducting solid polymer electrolyte were prepared by...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
4,140 Views
10 Pages

4 August 2017

In this study, we synthesized amphiphilic poly(2,7–(9,9–dioctylfluorene))–block–N,N–(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate (POF–b–PDPMAEMA) rod-coil diblock copolymers by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The structure and multifunctional se...

  • Article
  • Open Access
67 Citations
9,692 Views
9 Pages

Theoretical Study on Decomposition Mechanism of Insulating Epoxy Resin Cured by Anhydride

  • Xiaoxing Zhang,
  • Yunjian Wu,
  • Xiaoyu Chen,
  • Hao Wen and
  • Song Xiao

4 August 2017

High temperatures caused by partial discharge results in the decomposition of insulating epoxy resins in electrical equipment. In this paper, the ReaxFF force field is used to investigate the decomposition process of epoxy resins cured by anhydride a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
44 Citations
6,389 Views
12 Pages

4 August 2017

We report the fabrication and improved properties of crosslinked polyarylene ether nitrile (CPEN) interpenetrating with a zinc ion bridged graphene sheet (GS) and carbon nanotube (CNT) network (GS-Zn-CNT) (CPEN/GS-Zn-CNT). Graphene oxide (GO) and aci...

  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
6,917 Views
13 Pages

Hyaluronic Acid Promotes the Osteogenesis of BMP-2 in an Absorbable Collagen Sponge

  • Hairong Huang,
  • Jianying Feng,
  • Daniel Wismeijer,
  • Gang Wu and
  • Ernst B. Hunziker

4 August 2017

(1) Background: We tested the hypothesis that hyaluronic acid (HA) can significantly promote the osteogenic potential of BMP-2/ACS (absorbable collagen sponge), an efficacious product to heal large oral bone defects, thereby allowing its use at lower...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
7,350 Views
13 Pages

3 August 2017

Phthalonitrile–polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) copolymers were prepared by adding two different POSS cage mixtures: epoxycyclohexyl POSS (EP0408) and N-phenylaminopropyl POSS (AM0281). The cure behavior and properties of these polymers we...

  • Article
  • Open Access
82 Citations
13,876 Views
14 Pages

Membranes Based on Cellulose Nanofibers and Activated Carbon for Removal of Escherichia coli Bacteria from Water

  • Mohammad Hassan,
  • Ragab Abou-Zeid,
  • Enas Hassan,
  • Linn Berglund,
  • Yvonne Aitomäki and
  • Kristiina Oksman

3 August 2017

Cellulosic nanomaterials are potential candidates in different areas, especially in water treatment. In the current work, palm fruit stalks cellulose nanofibers (CNF), TEMPO-oxidized CNF (OCNF), and activated carbon (AC) were used to make thin film m...

  • Article
  • Open Access
38 Citations
7,991 Views
12 Pages

New Eco-Friendly Phosphorus Organic Polymers as Gas Storage Media

  • Dina S. Ahmed,
  • Gamal A. El-Hiti,
  • Emad Yousif,
  • Ayad S. Hameed and
  • Mustafa Abdalla

3 August 2017

Three phosphate esters 13 were successfully synthesized from the reaction of 2-, 3- and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde with phosphoryl chloride. Reactions of 13 with benzidine in the presence of glacial acetic acid gave the corresponding novel phosphorus or...

  • Review
  • Open Access
60 Citations
11,849 Views
34 Pages

A Review of Hologram Storage and Self-Written Waveguides Formation in Photopolymer Media

  • Ra’ed Malallah,
  • Haoyu Li,
  • Damien P. Kelly,
  • John J. Healy and
  • John T. Sheridan

3 August 2017

Photopolymer materials have received a great deal of attention because they are inexpensive, self-processing materials that are extremely versatile, offering many advantages over more traditional materials. To achieve their full potential, there is s...

  • Article
  • Open Access
27 Citations
7,678 Views
16 Pages

Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Lyotropic Liquid Crystals for the Controlled Release of Dexamethasone

  • Márcia H. Oyafuso,
  • Flávia C. Carvalho,
  • Tatiane M. Takeshita,
  • Ana L. Ribeiro De Souza,
  • Daniele R. Araújo,
  • Virginia Merino,
  • Maria Palmira D. Gremião and
  • Marlus Chorilli

2 August 2017

In this study, amphiphilic polymers were investigated as biomaterials that can control dexamethasone (DXM) release. Such materials present interfacial properties in the presence of water and an oily phase that can result in lyotropic liquid crystalli...

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Polymers - ISSN 2073-4360