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Polymers
Special Issues
Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application
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Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2023) | Viewed by 9396

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dong Yu Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: functional polymer materials; self-healing; smart hydrogels; conductive polymer materials; biodegradability; antimicrobial activity
Dr. Yingchun Liu

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: the structure–performance relationships of functional polymers and their composites; thermal management materials; intrinsically flame retardant polymers; novel dielectric polymers and their composites
Dr. Maoping Lu

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: dielectric polymers; bio-based thermosets; degradable polymers; liquid crystal elastomers; smart responsive materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional polymer materials are a type of polymer materials with special functions, such as optical polymers, thermal management polymers, magnetic polymers, electrical conductive polymers, flame-retardant polymers, biomedical polymers, and environmentally degradable polymers. With fast-growing demand in various application fields, functional polymer materials are current research hotspots and are being gradually developed in terms of intelligence (such as self-healing materials and stimuli-responsive materials) and multifunction (such as shape-memory conductive materials and photothermal materials). Functional polymer materials can be designed on the molecular level with functional groups and/or by introducing functional fillers into materials. Apart from various organic synthesis and polymerization methods, special processing, supramolecular chemistry, and dynamic cross-linking are newly arising technologies contributing to the fabrication of functional polymer materials. Their potential applications are widely covered in machinery, information technology, biomedicine and other fields.

This Special Issue on “Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis, and Application” is devoted to the most recent research in this interdisciplinary field covering the latest advances in the design, synthesis, and applications of functional polymer materials. Both high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews on cutting-edge developments are welcome.

Dr. Dong Yu Zhu
Dr. Yingchun Liu
Dr. Maoping Lu
Guest Editors

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

  • self-healing polymer materials
  • stimuli-responsive polymer materials
  • conductive polymer materials
  • thermal management polymer materials
  • antimicrobial polymer materials
  • biodegradability
  • flame retardance
  • multifunctional polymer materials
  • magnetic polymer materials
  • thermoelectric polymer materials

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3887 KiB  
Article
High Performance of Titanium Dioxide Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Composites
by Wannarat Chueangchayaphan, Piyawadee Luangchuang and Narong Chueangchayaphan
Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5267; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235267 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1960
Abstract
Recently, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) have emerged as one of the most promising materials for use in soft robots. However, DEA needs a high operating voltage and high mechanical properties. By increasing the dielectric constant of elastomeric materials, it is possible to decrease [...] Read more.
Recently, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) have emerged as one of the most promising materials for use in soft robots. However, DEA needs a high operating voltage and high mechanical properties. By increasing the dielectric constant of elastomeric materials, it is possible to decrease the operating voltage required. Thus, elastomeric composites with a high dielectric constant and strong mechanical properties are of interest. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of titanium dioxide (TiO2) content ranging from 0 to 110 phr on the cure characteristics, and physical, dielectric, dynamic mechanical, and morphological properties of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) composites. The addition of TiO2 reduced the scorch time (ts1) as well as the optimum cure time (tc90) but increased the cure rate index (CRI), minimum torque (ML), maximum torque (MH), and delta torque (MH − ML). The optimal TiO2 content for maximum tensile strength and elongation at break was 90 phr. Tensile strength and elongation at break were increased by 144.8% and 40.1%, respectively, over pure NBR. A significant mechanical property improvement was observed for TiO2-filled composites due to the good dispersion of TiO2 in the NBR matrix, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, incorporating TiO2 filler gave a higher storage modulus, a shift in glass transition temperature (Tg) to a higher temperature, and reduced damping in dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The addition of TiO2 to NBR rubber increased the dielectric constant of the resultant composites in the tested frequency range from 102 to 105 Hz. As a result, TiO2-filled NBR composite has a high potential for dielectric elastomer actuator applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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15 pages, 7082 KiB  
Article
Effect of Organosilicon Self-Assembled Polymeric Nanolayers Formed during Surface Modification by Compositions Based on Organosilanes on the Atmospheric Corrosion of Metals
by Maxim Petrunin, Alevtina Rybkina, Tatyana Yurasova and Liudmila Maksaeva
Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4428; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204428 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1124
Abstract
Reducing the risks caused by losses due to the atmospheric corrosion of metal structures has been relevant for many years and is an important scientific and technical task. Previously, for this purpose, the preliminary modification of the surface of structural metals with solutions [...] Read more.
Reducing the risks caused by losses due to the atmospheric corrosion of metal structures has been relevant for many years and is an important scientific and technical task. Previously, for this purpose, the preliminary modification of the surface of structural metals with solutions of compositions, based on both individual organosilanes and their mixtures with amine-containing corrosion inhibitors, was proposed. Such treatment leads to the formation of self-assembled siloxane polymeric/oligomeric nanoscale layers on the metal surface, which are capable of changing the physicochemical properties of the metal surface (namely, by reducing the tendency of the metal to corrosive destruction). In this work, annual atmospheric corrosion tests of samples of steel, copper, zinc, and aluminum without protection, and samples modified with compositions based on organosilanes in an urban atmosphere, were carried out. It was established (by the gravimetric method) that the corrosion rate of unmodified (without protection) metals is as follows: steel—0.0022 mm/year; aluminum—0.0015 mm/year; copper—0.00018 mm/year; and zinc—0.00023 mm/year. Using gravimetry and optical microscopy, it was shown that the preliminary modification of metal surfaces with compositions based on organosilanes led to the inhibition of both uniform and local corrosion of metals. The corrosion rates of samples that were modified with one-component compositions decreased by almost two times. The maximum inhibitory effect for the studied systems was demonstrated by mixed binary modifying compositions: mixtures of vinyl- and aminosilane, vinylsilane, and benzotriazole. The corrosion rate decreased for all the studied metals. The minimum effect was observed on zinc (2.5 times) and the maximum inhibition of the corrosion rate was obtained on copper (5.1 times). The mechanism of corrosion inhibition by layers formed as a result of surface modification with two-component mixtures was considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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13 pages, 3266 KiB  
Article
A Metal Ion and Thermal-Responsive Bilayer Hydrogel Actuator Achieved by the Asymmetric Osmotic Flow of Water between Two Layers under Stimuli
by Wanting Dai, Xiaoyan Zhou and Huilong Guo
Polymers 2022, 14(19), 4019; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194019 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1620
Abstract
Shape-morphing hydrogels have drawn great attention due to their wide applications as soft actuators, while asymmetric responsive shape-morphing behavior upon encountering external stimuli is fundamental for the development of hydrogel actuators. Therefore, in this work, bilayer hydrogels were prepared and the shrinkage ratios [...] Read more.
Shape-morphing hydrogels have drawn great attention due to their wide applications as soft actuators, while asymmetric responsive shape-morphing behavior upon encountering external stimuli is fundamental for the development of hydrogel actuators. Therefore, in this work, bilayer hydrogels were prepared and the shrinkage ratios (LA/LN) of the AAm/AAc layer to the NIPAM layer immersed in different metal ion solutions, leading to bending in different directions, were investigated. The difference in the shrinkage ratio was attributed to the synergistic effect of the osmolarity difference between the inside and outside of the hydrogels and the interaction difference between the ion and hydrogel polymer chains. Additionally, under thermal stimuli, the hydrogel actuator would bend toward the NIPAM layer due to the shrinkage of the hydrogel networks caused by the hydrophilic–hydrophobic phase transition of NIPAM blocks above the LCST. This indicates that metal ion and thermal-responsive shape-morphing hydrogel actuators with good mechanical properties could be used as metal ion or temperature-controllable switches or other smart devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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17 pages, 9140 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Green and Red-Emitting Polymethyl Methacrylate Composites Grafted from ZnAl2O4:Mn-Bonded GO via Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
by Ming Gao, Chi-Fai Cheung, Bo Wang and Chunjin Wang
Polymers 2022, 14(17), 3689; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14173689 - 05 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1197
Abstract
A novel dual green and red-emitting photoluminescent polymer composite ZnAl2O4:Mn-bonded GO/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was synthesized in a single-step reaction by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The polymer chain was surface-initiated from the ZnAl2O4:Mn/GO, and [...] Read more.
A novel dual green and red-emitting photoluminescent polymer composite ZnAl2O4:Mn-bonded GO/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was synthesized in a single-step reaction by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The polymer chain was surface-initiated from the ZnAl2O4:Mn/GO, and the final products have a homogenous photoluminescent property from ZnAl2O4:Mn and better mechanical properties strengthened by graphene oxide (GO). The morphologies of ZnAl2O4:Mn/GO and the polymer composites were verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) revealed the two valence states of Mn (Mn2+, Mn4+) existing in the ZnAl2O4 host lattice, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra proved the transference of the active group, C-Br, from the initiator to the monomer during the polymerization. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) shows the narrow dispersity of polymer composites fabricated through SI-ATRP. The SEM and FTIR results show the successful ‘graft’ of the polymer chains from the surface of ZnAl2O4:Mn/GO. The dual green and red-emitting polymer composites were synthesized, confirmed by the photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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13 pages, 4706 KiB  
Article
Improvement the Flame Retardancy and Thermal Conductivity of Epoxy Composites via Melamine Polyphosphate-Modified Carbon Nanotubes
by Xuejun Shi, Shiying Luo, Xiangxiang Du, Qingbin Li and Shiping Cheng
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3091; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153091 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1837
Abstract
Surface chemical modification of carbon nanotubes can enhance the compatibility with polymers and improve flame retardancy performances. In this work, the double bond active sites were constructed on the surface of carbon nanotubes modified by the γ-methacryloyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (KH570). Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was [...] Read more.
Surface chemical modification of carbon nanotubes can enhance the compatibility with polymers and improve flame retardancy performances. In this work, the double bond active sites were constructed on the surface of carbon nanotubes modified by the γ-methacryloyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (KH570). Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was further grafted onto the surface of carbon nanotubes via free radical polymerization. Finally, the flame retardant melamine polyphosphate (MPP) was bonded to the surface of carbon nanotubes by the ring-opening reaction. This modification process was proved to be achieved by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric test. The carbon nanotubes modified by flame retardant were added into the epoxy matrix and cured to prepare flame retardant and thermal conductive composites. The flame retardancy of composites were studied by cone calorimetry, UL94 vertical combustion test and limiting oxygen index. The thermal conductivity of composites was characterized by laser thermal conductivity instrument. The results showed that when the addition amount of flame retardant MPP-modified carbon nanotubes in composites was 10 wt%, the flame retardant level of UL94 reached to V2, the limiting oxygen index increased from 25.1 of pure epoxy resin to 28.3, the PHRR of pure epoxy resin was reduced from 800 kW/m2 to 645 kW/m2 of composites and thermal conductivity of composites was enhanced from 0.21 W/m·K−1 of pure epoxy resin to 0.42 W/m·K−1 of the composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis and Application)
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