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Polymers
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Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application
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Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2020) | Viewed by 26987

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hsieh-Chih Tsai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
2. Advanced Membrane Materials Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Interests: Biomaterials; drug carriers; nanomaterials; polymer nanocomposites; polymer supported nanoparticles; nanocatalysts; bio imaging probes; biopolymers; drug delivery vehicles

Special Issue Information

Polymeric composite materials have fascinating applications in multiple sectors due to their improved physico-chemical properties. In recent years, there has been an emerging interest in the development of polymer-based nanocomposites in order to achieve desired properties in line with required applications. Reinforced polymeric nanocomposites with metals, metal nanoparticles, metal oxides, graphene, carbon nanotubes, clay, fibers, etc. exhibit improved opto-electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties owing to their distinct interfacial properties and hence they are utilized for applications in various fields.

This Special Issue considers the fabrication and characterization of emerging polymeric nanocomposites which are explored for various applications in bio-medicine, catalysis, bio-devices, sensors, fuel cells, environmental remediation, membrane technology, tissue/bone-engineering, and drug delivery vehicles with the objective of sharing the recent advanced trends of different polymeric nanocomposite materials and their perspectives for the future.

Prof. Dr. Hsieh-Chih Tsai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short 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 thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bio-medical
  • catalysis
  • bio-devices
  • sensors
  • fuel cells
  • environmental remediation
  • membrane technology
  • tissue/bone-engineering
  • drug-delivery vehicles

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2992 KiB  
Article
High-Performance Polyacrylic Acid-Grafted PVDF Nanofiltration Membrane with Good Antifouling Property for the Textile Industry
by Yu-Hsuan Chiao, Shu-Ting Chen, Micah Belle Marie Yap Ang, Tanmoy Patra, David Alfonso Castilla-Casadiego, Rong Fan, Jorge Almodovar, Wei-Song Hung and S. Ranil Wickramasinghe
Polymers 2020, 12(11), 2443; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12112443 - 22 Oct 2020
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5540
Abstract
In the textile industry, a high-efficiency dye removal and low-retention of salt is demanded for recycling wastewater. In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membrane was transformed to a negatively charged loose nanofiltration (NF) membrane through UV-grafting of acrylic acid. At the optimal [...] Read more.
In the textile industry, a high-efficiency dye removal and low-retention of salt is demanded for recycling wastewater. In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membrane was transformed to a negatively charged loose nanofiltration (NF) membrane through UV-grafting of acrylic acid. At the optimal exposure of PVDF membrane in UV light for 5 min, the membrane had a high dye recovery above 99% (Congo red and Eriochrome® Black T) and a low sodium chloride (NaCl) rejection of less than 15% along with pure water flux of 26 L∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1. Its antifouling and oleophobicity surface properties were verified using fluorescent- bovine serum albumin (BSA) and underwater mineral oil contact angle, respectively. According to the fluorescent microscopic images, the modified membrane had ten times lower adhesion of protein on the surface than the unmodified membrane. The underwater oil contact angle was raised from 110° to 155°. Moreover, the salt rejection followed this sequence: Na2SO4 > MgSO4 > NaCl > MgCl2, which agreed with the typical negatively charged NF membrane. In addition, the physicochemical characterization of membranes was further investigated to understand and link to the membrane performance, such as surface functional group, surface elements analysis, surface roughness/morphology, and surface hydrophilicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application)
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15 pages, 9451 KiB  
Article
Design of an Interpenetrating Polymeric Network Hydrogel Made of Calcium-Alginate from a Thermos-Sensitive Pluronic Template as a Thermal-Ionic Reversible Wound Dressing
by Hsiao-Ying Chou, Chang-Chih Weng, Juin-Yih Lai, Shuian-Yin Lin and Hsieh-Chih Tsai
Polymers 2020, 12(9), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12092138 - 18 Sep 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4800
Abstract
Polymer-based hydrogels demonstrate superior performance when used as wound dressing. An ideal dressing should possess an active healing function, absorb wound exudates, and provide a moist interface on the wound for rapid injury repair and the prevention of pain and injury during replacement [...] Read more.
Polymer-based hydrogels demonstrate superior performance when used as wound dressing. An ideal dressing should possess an active healing function, absorb wound exudates, and provide a moist interface on the wound for rapid injury repair and the prevention of pain and injury during replacement of the dressing. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a novel, reversible, smart, interpenetrating polymeric network (IPN) by utilizing the thermosensitive network of pluronic F127 (PF127) as a template to regulate the conformation of calcium-ion-crosslinked alginate. We found that the IPN hydrogels formed soft and elastic thermosensitive networks, retaining their form even after absorbing a large amount of wound exudate. The exterior of the hydrogels was made up of a rigid calcium alginate network that supported the entire hydrogel, promoting the stability of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) payload and controlling its release when the hydrogel was applied topically to wounds. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the layered structure of the hydrogel, which was found to easily disintegrate even after moderate rinsing of the wound with cold phosphate-buffered saline. Taken together, these results show that the IPN hydrogel developed in this study could be a promising delivery platform for growth factors to accelerate wound healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application)
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17 pages, 3169 KiB  
Article
Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90)-Inhibitor-Luminespib-Loaded-Protein-Based Nanoformulation for Cancer Therapy
by Ankit K. Rochani, Sivakumar Balasubramanian, Aswathy Ravindran Girija, Toru Maekawa, Gagan Kaushal and D. Sakthi Kumar
Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1798; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12081798 - 11 Aug 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4058
Abstract
Drugs targeting heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) have been extensively explored for their anticancer potential in advanced clinical trials. Nanoformulations have been an important drug delivery platform for the anticancer molecules like Hsp90 inhibitors. It has been reported that bovine serum albumin (BSA) [...] Read more.
Drugs targeting heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) have been extensively explored for their anticancer potential in advanced clinical trials. Nanoformulations have been an important drug delivery platform for the anticancer molecules like Hsp90 inhibitors. It has been reported that bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles (NPs) serve as carriers for anticancer drugs, which have been extensively explored for their therapeutic efficacy against cancers. Luminespib (also known as NVP-AUY922) is a new generation Hsp90 inhibitor that was introduced recently. It is one of the most studied Hsp90 inhibitors for a variety of cancers in Phase I and II clinical trials and is similar to its predecessors such as the ansamycin class of molecules. To our knowledge, nanoformulations for luminespib remain unexplored for their anticancer potential. In the present study, we developed aqueous dispensable BSA NPs for controlled delivery of luminespib. The luminespib-loaded BSA NPs were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS, UV-visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results suggest that luminespib interacts by non-covalent reversible interactions with BSA to form drug-loaded BSA NPs (DNPs). Our in vitro evaluations suggest that DNP-based aqueous nanoformulations can be used in both pancreatic (MIA PaCa-2) and breast (MCF-7) cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application)
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20 pages, 4326 KiB  
Article
Supermolecular Structure of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) Fibers Formed with the Addition of Reduced Graphene Oxide
by Czesław Ślusarczyk, Marta Sieradzka, Janusz Fabia and Ryszard Fryczkowski
Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1456; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12071456 - 29 Jun 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3369
Abstract
Nanocomposite fibers based on poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were prepared using a method able to disperse graphene in one step into a polymer matrix. The studies were performed for fibers containing four different concentrations of rGO at different take-up [...] Read more.
Nanocomposite fibers based on poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were prepared using a method able to disperse graphene in one step into a polymer matrix. The studies were performed for fibers containing four different concentrations of rGO at different take-up velocities. The supermolecular structures of the fibers at the crystallographic and lamellar levels were examined by means of calorimetric and X-ray scattering methods (DSC, WAXS, and SAXS). It was found that the fiber structure is mainly influenced by the take-up velocity. Fibers spun at low and medium take-up velocities contained a crystalline α-form, whereas the fibers spun at a high take-up velocity contained a smectic mesophase. During annealing, the smectic phase transformed into its α-form. The degree of transformation depended on the rGO content. Reduced graphene mainly hindered the crystallization of PBT by introducing steric obstacles confining the ordering of the macromolecules of PBT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application)
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Review

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30 pages, 6864 KiB  
Review
Fabrication, Properties, Performances, and Separation Application of Polymeric Pervaporation Membranes: A Review
by Luchen Wang, Yan Wang, Lianying Wu and Gang Wei
Polymers 2020, 12(7), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12071466 - 30 Jun 2020
Cited by 63 | Viewed by 8360
Abstract
Membrane separation technologies have attracted great attentions in chemical engineering, food science, analytical science, and environmental science. Compared to traditional membrane separation techniques like reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), electrodialysis (ED) and others, pervaporation (PV)-based membrane separation shows not only mutual advantages such [...] Read more.
Membrane separation technologies have attracted great attentions in chemical engineering, food science, analytical science, and environmental science. Compared to traditional membrane separation techniques like reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), electrodialysis (ED) and others, pervaporation (PV)-based membrane separation shows not only mutual advantages such as small floor area, simplicity, and flexibility, but also unique characteristics including low cost as well as high energy and separation efficiency. Recently, different polymer, ceramic and composite membranes have shown promising separation applications through the PV-based techniques. To show the importance of PV for membrane separation applications, we present recent advances in the fabrication, properties and performances of polymeric membranes for PV separation of various chemicals in petrochemical, desalination, medicine, food, environmental protection, and other industrial fields. To promote the easy understanding of readers, the preparation methods and the PV separation mechanisms of various polymer membranes are introduced and discussed in detail. This work will be helpful for developing novel functional polymer-based membranes and facile techniques to promote the applications of PV techniques in different fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Polymeric Materials and Its Versatile Application)
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