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Polymers
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Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites
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Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 9209

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chi-Hui Tsou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000, China
Interests: carbon-based polymer composites; biodegradable materials; biomass materials; recycling of resources; functional polymer nanocomposites; membrane; plasma surface modification; natural additives; biological resource regeneration and application; 3D printing materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term nanocomposite polymers refers to the ultra-fine dispersion phase, with nanometric size, expressed in the polymer. When the dispersion phase is polymer, it is termed polymer molecular nanocomposite polymer. When the dispersed phase is inorganic filler, it is called inorganic filler nanocomposite polymer. Inorganic filler is studied more often as the dispersed phase. As is well known, polymers, as a widely used material, have their own shortcomings, such as poor strength, aging resistance, poor permeability, etc. The development of nanocomposite polymers can improve these properties substantially.

Polymer nanocomposites consist of a polymer or copolymer with nanomaterial (nano particles, nanoplate, nanorod or various nano shapes) dispersed in the polymer matrix. Polymer nanotechnology groups will develop enabling techniques for the patterning of functional surfaces. Nanotechnology has made important contributions to the formulation of adhesives, potting, sealants, coatings, encapsulation, spinning and compounds. Nanoparticle fillers such as bentonites, nano-sized silica particles and zeolites, or carbon-based nanomaterials (graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanospheres and nano carbon black, etc.) have aided in the the development of products with enhanced properties. These include heightened thermal stability, water/chemical resistance, transparency, thermal conductivity and tensile strength. They may also be endowed with various functions: antibacterial, biological activity- or human comfort-related, or anti-viral.

Prof. Dr. Chi-Hui Tsou
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

  • nanocellulose
  • nanofiber
  • nanocomposite
  • polymer-based nanomaterials
  • application of nanomaterials in polymers
  • carbon-based nanocomposites

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 6087 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Physicochemical Properties of a Hydroxyapatite Polymer Nanocomposite for Use in Fused Filament Fabrication
by Ngoc Mai Nguyen, Akesh Babu Kakarla, Satya Guha Nukala, Cin Kong, Avinash Baji and Ing Kong
Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3980; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193980 - 03 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1349
Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of bioceramics for biomedical purposes. Bioceramics, specifically those made of calcium phosphate, are commonly used in dental and orthopaedic applications. In this context, hydroxyapatite (HA) is considered a viable option [...] Read more.
Over the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of bioceramics for biomedical purposes. Bioceramics, specifically those made of calcium phosphate, are commonly used in dental and orthopaedic applications. In this context, hydroxyapatite (HA) is considered a viable option for hard tissue engineering applications given its compositional similarity to bioapatite. However, owing to their poor mechanobiology and biodegradability, traditional HA-based composites have limited utilisation possibilities in bone, cartilage and dental applications. Therefore, the efficiency of nano HA (nHA) has been explored to address these limitations. nHA has shown excellent remineralising effects on initial enamel lesions and is widely used as an additive for improving existing dental materials. Furthermore, three-dimensional printing (3DP) or fused deposition modelling that can be used for creating dental and hard tissue scaffolds tailored to each patient’s specific anatomy has attracted considerable interest. However, the materials used for producing hard tissue with 3DP are still limited. Therefore, the current study aimed to develop a hybrid polymer nanocomposite composed of nHA, nanoclay (NC) and polylactic acid (PLA) that was suitable for 3DP. The nHA polymer nanocomposites were extruded into filaments and their physiochemical properties were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of nHA and NC to the PLA matrix significantly increased the water absorption and contact angle. In addition, the hardness increased from 1.04 to 1.25 times with the incorporation of nHA. In sum, the nHA-NC-reinforced PLA could be used as 3DP filaments to generate bone and dental scaffolds, and further studies are needed on the biocompatibility of this material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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13 pages, 2329 KiB  
Article
Effect of Cerium (IV) Oxide Particle Size on Polydimethylsiloxane Polymer to Form Flexible Materials against Ionizing Radiation
by Haifa M. Almutairi, Wafa M. Al-Saleh, Mohammad Ibrahim Abualsayed and Mohamed Elsafi
Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2883; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132883 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 908
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the impact of CeO2 content and particle size on the radiation shielding abilities of polydimethylsiloxane, also known as silicon rubber (SR). We prepared different SR samples with 10, 30, and 50% of micro and nano CeO2 [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the impact of CeO2 content and particle size on the radiation shielding abilities of polydimethylsiloxane, also known as silicon rubber (SR). We prepared different SR samples with 10, 30, and 50% of micro and nano CeO2 and we measured the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) for these samples. We found that the LAC of the SR increases by increasing the CeO2 and all prepared SR samples had higher LACs than the pure SR. We examined the effect of the size of the particles on the LAC and the results demonstrated that the LAC for nano CeO2 is higher than that of micro CeO2. We investigated the half value layer (HVL) for the prepared SR samples and the results revealed that the SR with 10% micro CeO2 had a greater HVL than the SR with 10% nano CeO2. The HVL results demonstrated that the SR containing nanoparticles had higher attenuation effectiveness than the SR with micro CeO2. We also prepared SR samples containing CeO2 in both sizes (i.e., micro and nano) and we found that the HVL of the SR containing both sizes was lower than the HVL of the SR with nano CeO2. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) at 0.059 MeV for the SR with 10% micro and nano CeO2 was 94.2 and 95.6%, respectively, while the RPE of SR containing both sizes (5% micro CeO2 + 5% micro CeO2) was 96.1% at the same energy. The RPE results also indicated that the attenuation ability was improved when utilizing the micro and nano CeO2 as opposed to the micro CeO2 or nano CeO2 at 0.662, 1.173, and 1.333 MeV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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19 pages, 8657 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Morphology of Nanocomposite Hydrogels with a 3D Network Structure Prepared Using Attapulgite-Enhanced Polyvinyl Alcohol
by Chi-Hui Tsou, Yu-Jie Shui, Juan Du, Wei-Hua Yao, Chin-San Wu, Maw-Cherng Suen and Shuang Chen
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2535; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112535 - 31 May 2023
Viewed by 1082
Abstract
In this investigation, purified attapulgite (ATT) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were utilized to fabricate nanocomposite hydrogels and a xerogel, with a focus on studying the impact of minor additions of ATT on the properties of the PVA nanocomposite hydrogels and xerogel. The findings [...] Read more.
In this investigation, purified attapulgite (ATT) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were utilized to fabricate nanocomposite hydrogels and a xerogel, with a focus on studying the impact of minor additions of ATT on the properties of the PVA nanocomposite hydrogels and xerogel. The findings demonstrated that at a concentration of 0.75% ATT, the water content and gel fraction of the PVA nanocomposite hydrogel reached their peak. Conversely, the nanocomposite xerogel with 0.75% ATT reduced its swelling and porosity to the minimum. SEM and EDS analyses revealed that when the ATT concentration was at or below 0.5%, nano-sized ATT could be evenly distributed in the PVA nanocomposite xerogel. However, when the concentration of ATT rose to 0.75% or higher, the ATT began to aggregate, resulting in a decrease in porous structure and the disruption of certain 3D porous continuous structures. The XRD analysis further affirmed that at an ATT concentration of 0.75% or higher, a distinct ATT peak emerged in the PVA nanocomposite xerogel. It was observed that as the content of ATT increased, the concavity and convexity of the xerogel surface, as well as the surface roughness, decreased. The results also confirmed that the ATT was evenly distributed in the PVA, and a combination of hydrogen bonds and ether bonds resulted in a more stable gel structure. The tensile properties exhibited that when compared with pure PVA hydrogel, the maximum tensile strength and elongation at break were achieved at an ATT concentration of 0.5%, indicating increases of 23.0% and 11.8%, respectively. The FTIR analysis results showed that the ATT and PVA could generate an ether bond, further confirming that ATT could enhance the PVA properties. The TGA analysis showed that the thermal degradation temperature peaked when the ATT concentration was at 0.5%, providing further evidence that the compactness of the nanocomposite hydrogel and the dispersion of the nanofiller was superior, contributing to a substantial increase in the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel. Finally, the dye adsorption results displayed a significant rise in dye removal efficiency for methylene blue with the increase in the ATT concentration. At an ATT concentration of 1%, the removal efficiency rose by 103% compared with that of the pure PVA xerogel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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25 pages, 27991 KiB  
Article
Flexible Electromagnetic Shielding Nano-Composites Based on Silicon and NiFe2O4 Powders
by Alina R. Caramitu, Romeo C. Ciobanu, Ioana Ion, Cristina M. Schreiner, Mihaela Aradoaei, Violeta Tsakiris, Jana Pintea and Virgil Marinescu
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2447; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112447 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1394
Abstract
In this paper, the obtaining and characterization of five experimental models of novel polymer composite materials with ferrite nano-powder are presented. The composites were obtained by mechanically mixing two components and pressing the obtained mixture on a hot plate press. The ferrite powders [...] Read more.
In this paper, the obtaining and characterization of five experimental models of novel polymer composite materials with ferrite nano-powder are presented. The composites were obtained by mechanically mixing two components and pressing the obtained mixture on a hot plate press. The ferrite powders were obtained by an innovative economic co-precipitation route. The characterization of these composites consisted of physical and thermal properties: hydrostatic density, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and TG DSC thermal analyses, along with functional electromagnetic tests in order to demonstrate the functionality of these materials as electromagnetic shields (magnetic permeability, dielectric characteristics, and shielding effectiveness). The purpose of this work was to obtain a flexible composite material, applicable to any type of architecture for the electrical and automotive industry, necessary for protection against electromagnetic interference. The results demonstrated the efficiency of such materials at lower frequencies, but also in the microwave domain, with higher thermal stability and lifetime. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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19 pages, 5874 KiB  
Article
Polyaniline-Supported Nickel Oxide Flower for Efficient Nitrite Electrochemical Detection in Water
by Nada S. Al-Kadhi, Mahmoud A. Hefnawy, Fowzia S. Alamro, Rami Adel Pashameah, Hoda A. Ahmed and Shymaa S. Medany
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1804; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071804 - 06 Apr 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1857
Abstract
A modified electrode with conducting polymer (Polyaniline) and NiO nanoflowers was prepared to detect nitrite ions in drinking water. A simple method was used to prepare the NiO nanoflower (NiOnF). Several techniques characterized the as-prepared NiOnF to determine the chemical structure and surface [...] Read more.
A modified electrode with conducting polymer (Polyaniline) and NiO nanoflowers was prepared to detect nitrite ions in drinking water. A simple method was used to prepare the NiO nanoflower (NiOnF). Several techniques characterized the as-prepared NiOnF to determine the chemical structure and surface morphology of the NiO, such as XRD, XPS, FT-IR, and TGA. The activity of the electrode toward nitrite sensing was investigated over a wide range of pH (i.e., 2 to 10). The amperometry method was used to determine the linear detection range and limit. Accordingly, the modified electrode GC/PANI/NiOnf showed a linear range of detection at 0.1–1 µM and 1–500 µM. At the same time, the limit of detection (LOD) was 9.7 and 64 nM for low and high concentrations, respectively. Furthermore, the kinetic characteristics of nitrite, such as diffusion and transport coefficients, were investigated in various media. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance was utilized for nitrite electrooxidation in different pH values by the electrochemical impedance technique (EIS). The anti-interfering criteria of the modified surfaces were utilized in the existence of many interfering cations in water (e.g., K+, Na+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ba2+, Ca2+, Cr2+, Cd2+, Pd2+). A real sample of the Nile River was spiked with nitrite to study the activity of the electrode in a real case sample (response time ~4 s). The interaction between nitrite ions and NiO{100} surface was studied using DFT calculations as a function of adsorption energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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Review

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36 pages, 11033 KiB  
Review
State-of-the-Art Polyurea Coatings: Synthesis Aspects, Structure–Properties Relationship, and Nanocomposites for Ballistic Protection Applications
by Gabriela Toader, Aurel Diacon, Sorin Mircea Axinte, Alexandra Mocanu and Edina Rusen
Polymers 2024, 16(4), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16040454 - 06 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1540
Abstract
This review presents polyurea (PU) synthesis, the structure–properties relationship, and characterization aspects for ballistic protection applications. The synthesis of polyurea entails step-growth polymerization through the reaction of an isocyanate monomer/prepolymer and a polyamine, each component possessing a functionality of at least two. A [...] Read more.
This review presents polyurea (PU) synthesis, the structure–properties relationship, and characterization aspects for ballistic protection applications. The synthesis of polyurea entails step-growth polymerization through the reaction of an isocyanate monomer/prepolymer and a polyamine, each component possessing a functionality of at least two. A wide range of excellent properties such as durability and high resistance against atmospheric, chemical, and biological factors has made this polymer an outstanding option for ballistic applications. Polyureas are an extraordinary case because they contain both rigid segments, which are due to the diisocyanates used and the hydrogen points formed, and a flexible zone, which is due to the chemical structure of the polyamines. These characteristics motivate their application in ballistic protection systems. Polyurea-based coatings have also demonstrated their abilities as candidates for impulsive loading applications, affording a better response of the nanocomposite-coated metal sheet at the action of a shock wave or at the impact of a projectile, by suffering lower deformations than neat metallic plates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanopolymers and Nanocomposites)
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