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Molecular Insights into Soft Materials

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecular Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2025 | Viewed by 3334

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiaoyun Yan

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Interests: self-assembly; soft matter; phase separation; polymer chemistry; polymer physics; crystallography; nanostructure; porous materials; sustainability

Dr. Shu Wang

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Interests: polymer chemistry; polymer mechanochemistry; polymer physics; polymer mechanics; polymer fracture; physical organic chemistry

Dr. Changxia Shi

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: ring-opening polymerization; polymerization catalysts; chemically recyclable polymers; polyesters; polythioesters; vitrimers; dynamic crosslinked networks

Dr. Shucong Li

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Interests: polymer chemistry; liquid crystalline elastomers; microstructure reconfiguration; emergent dynamics; intelligent soft materials

Prof. Dr. Jianxun Ding

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Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: bioactive biodegradable polymer; drug delivery; immunotherapy; regenerative medicine
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From hydrogels, plastics, elastomers, and liquid crystals to polymeric composites, soft materials have emerged as a versatile platform in various applications, including wearable devices, biomedical implants, intelligent/responsive materials, the food industry, chemical/biological material recycling, substance absorption/separation, energy storage, and catalysis. These diverse applications stem from the emergent chemical, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties inherent in soft materials, facilitated by meticulous control over their nano-, meso-, and macroscopic structures. At the core of this multi-level manipulation lies the mastery of a molecular-level structure, serving as the foundational basis for all functionalities. Therefore, delving into the molecular insights beneath the impressive functions of soft materials represents a crucial and primary step.

This Special Issue aims to present an updated view on achieving advanced material structures, properties, or functions through molecular design. The primary topics covered include chemical properties, self-assembly behaviors, material responses, carrier behaviors, biocompatibilities, healthcare properties, and recyclability across a broad spectrum of soft materials. Whether fundamental or applied, contributions are encouraged from scientists in diverse disciplines, such as chemistry, material science, energy and environmental science, biomedical engineering, and others. We welcome research articles and review manuscripts that align with the aforementioned aspects, contributing to a deeper understanding of the molecular intricacies underlying the remarkable features of soft materials.

Dr. Xiaoyun Yan
Dr. Shu Wang
Dr. Changxia Shi
Dr. Shucong Li
Prof. Dr. Jianxun Ding
Guest Editors

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Keywords

polymer
gel
plastics
elastomer
fiber
composite

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4448 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flame-Retardant Ionic Conductive Elastomers with Multiple Hydrogen Bonds: Synthesis, Characterization, and Strain Sensing Applications

by Sen Li, Hao Chen, Chen Zhao, Jinlin He and Lijing Zhang

Molecules 2025, 30(8), 1810; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30081810 - 17 Apr 2025

Viewed by 154

Abstract

Flammability is a significant challenge in polymer-based strain sensing applications. In addition, the existing intrinsic flame retardant is not elastic at room temperature, which may potentially damage the flexible equipment. This study presents a series of flame-retardant ionic conductive elastomers (ICEs) (denoted as PCAIP_x) containing phosphorus from phytic acid (PA) and nitrogen from choline chloride (ChCl) with multiple hydrogen bonds synthesized using a simple and efficient one-pot UV-initiated radical copolymerization of a polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (PDES). The limiting oxygen index (LOI) value increased from 24.1% for the pure PCAI without PA to 38.3% for PCAIP_7.5. The SEM analysis of the residual char shows that the formation of the dense and continuous char layer effectively worked as a shield, preventing further decomposition of the undecomposed polymer inside while hindering the transmission of heat and mass and isolating the oxygen required for combustion. The hydrogen bonds’ cross-linked structure and phosphorus-containing elastomer demonstrate a superior elasticity (elongation at break of up to 2109%), durability, and tear resistance and excellent adhesive properties. Application of PCAIP_X in strain sensors showed that the elastomer has excellent cyclic stability and exhibited repeatable and stable resistance change signals in response to repetitive bending motions of the wrist, fingers, elbow, and knee. Consequently, this study provides a simple strategy for the development of a flame-retardant ICE which can effectively reduce fire hazards and potentially be applied in other fire-risk fields such as personal protection, firefighting, and sports equipment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Soft Materials)

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17 pages, 3339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Application of a Sodium Benzoate Salt-Nucleating Agent in Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate: Crystallization Behavior and Mechanism

by Meizhen Wang, Fuhua Lin, Tianjiao Zhao, Yapeng Dong, Xinyu Hao, Dingyi Ning, Yanli Zhang, Kexin Zhang, Dan Zhou, Jun Luo, Xiangyang Li and Bo Wang

Molecules 2025, 30(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30010037 - 26 Dec 2024

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Abstract

The molecular chains of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) show breakage during daily use, causing poor crystallization and leading to mechanical properties that, when blended with the nucleating agent, become an effective method of solving this problem. The salt-nucleating agent sodium benzoate (SB), disodium terephthalate (DT), and trisodium 1,3,5benzene tricarboxylic (TBT) were synthesized, and an rPET/nucleating agent blend was prepared. The intrinsic viscosity (η) results showed that the η of the rPET/SB was decreased, which indicated the breakage of the rPET molecular chains. The FTIR results indicated that a chemical reaction occurred between the rPET and Na⁺ of the SB. Moreover, the Na⁺ content of the DT and TBT were higher than that of the SB, which increased the opportunity for low-molecular-weight rPET to reattach to the organic carboxylic acid portion of the nucleating agent, thereby increasing the η of the rPET/DT and rPET/TBT. The salt-nucleating agent sodium benzoate greatly improved the crystallization properties of the rPET, resulting in the half-crystallization time decreasing, the crystallization temperature increasing, and the effect of SB being better than that of DT and TBT. This was because the nucleating agent caused chemical nucleation with rPET, and the ionic groups acted as nucleation sites, while the rPET/DT and rPET/TBT, which had high molecular weights, hindered the improvement of the crystallization properties. The mechanical properties prove that the rPET/SB decreased due to the severe degradation of the rPET molecular chains. The mechanical properties of the rPET/DT and rPET/TBT were effectively improved because of the nucleating agent refining the grain size of the rPET and the high molecular weight. But the stacking of multitudinous rPET molecular chains can form a structure resembling physical cross-linking, causing a slight decrease in the mechanical properties of the rPET/TBT compared to the rPET/DT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Soft Materials)

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13 pages, 8065 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Narrow Range of Coagulation of Ion Associates of Poly(styrene sulfonate) with Alcian Blue Dye

by Dorota Ziółkowska, Alexander Shyichuk and Iryna Shyychuk

Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4017; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174017 - 25 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 877

Abstract

The ionic association of Alcian Blue dye with poly(styrene sulfonate) in aqueous solutions was studied for analytical purposes. The quadruple-charged cationic dye, Alcian Blue, was found to form colloidal ionic associates with poly(styrene sulfonate) anions. When the amounts of opposite charges are nearly equal, the resulting ionic associates lose solubility and coagulate rapidly. This effect occurs within a narrow range of the ratio of poly(styrene sulfonate) to Alcian Blue. At the point of charge equivalence, the zeta potential of the resulting particles is zero, which facilitates flocculation. The resulting flocs enlarge to approximately 0.05–0.5 mm and precipitate rapidly. FTIR spectroscopy confirms that the precipitate contains both poly(styrene sulfonate) and Alcian Blue dye. Sedimentation kinetics was studied in detail using scanning turbidimetry. Due to the high molar absorbance of the Alcian Blue dye at 600 nm, the point of equimolar charge ratio was precisely determined by spectrophotometry. The complete precipitation of ionic associates occurs when the amount of poly(styrene sulfonate) ranges from 1.4 to 1.55 mmol per 1 g of Alcian Blue dye. Such a narrow coagulation range allows for the use of the studied effect for quantitative analysis. Both Alcian Blue dye and poly(styrene sulfonate) can be quantified if one of their concentrations is known. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Soft Materials)

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16 pages, 6190 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lattice Matching and Microstructure of the Aromatic Amide Fatty Acid Salts Nucleating Agent on the Crystallization Behavior of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate

by Tianjiao Zhao, Fuhua Lin, Yapeng Dong, Meizhen Wang, Dingyi Ning, Xinyu Hao, Jialiang Hao, Yanli Zhang, Dan Zhou, Yuying Zhao, Jun Luo, Jingqiong Lu and Bo Wang

Molecules 2024, 29(13), 3100; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133100 - 28 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 995

Abstract

To solve the decrease in the crystallization, mechanical and thermal properties of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) during mechanical recycling, the aromatic amide fatty acid salt nucleating agents Na-4-ClBeAmBe, Na-4-ClBeAmGl and Na-4-ClAcAmBe were synthesized and the rPET/nucleating agent blend was prepared by melting blending. The molecular structure, the thermal stability, the microstructure and the crystal structure of the nucleating agent were characterized in detail. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) result indicated that the addition of the nucleating agent improved the crystallization temperature and accelerated the crystallization rate of the rPET. The nucleation efficiencies (NE) of the Na-4-ClBeAmBe, Na-4-ClBeAmGl and Na-4-ClAcAmBe were increased by 87.2%, 87.3% and 41.7% compared with rPET which indicated that Na-4-ClBeAmBe and Na-4-ClBeAmGl, with their long-strip microstructures, were more conducive to promoting the nucleation of rPET. The equilibrium melting points (

T_{m}^{0}

) of rPET/Na-4-ClBeAmBe, rPET/Na-4-ClBeAmGl and rPET/Na-4-ClAcAmBe were increased by 11.7 °C, 18.6 °C and 1.9 °C compared with rPET, which illustrated that the lower mismatch rate between rPET and Na-4-ClBeAmGl (0.8% in b-axis) caused Na-4-ClBeAmGl to be the most capable in inducing the epitaxial crystallization and orient growth along the b-axis direction of the rPET. The small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXS) result proved this conclusion. Meanwhile, the addition of Na-4-ClBeAmGl caused the clearest increase in the rPET of its flexural strength and heat-distortion temperature (HDT) at 20.4% and 46.7%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Soft Materials)

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