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Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2022) | Viewed by 14262

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Valentina Sabatini

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: synthesis of polymers with complex macromolecular structure; nanocomposites; hybrid materials; coatings; surface chemistry

Dr. Daniela Meroni

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: hybrid materials; nanocomposites; smart surfaces; triggered release; bioimaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer and hybrid coatings occupy a prominent position in numerous technological fields of materials science. Surface coatings can inhibit several deleterious physicochemical phenomena, such as corrosion, (bio)fouling, water penetration, photodegradation, and surface contaminations, which cause a progressive loss of substrate performance. Advanced and smart coatings can also impart new and desirable properties, such as stimuli-responsiveness, self-healing, self-cleaning, etc.

In this scenario, many inorganic, organic materials, and hybrid coatings are currently available on the market, but highly efficient, durable, and easily removable protective coatings remain a sought-after target in many applications. Polymer-based and hybrid materials can offer a leading contribution to develop protective and smart coatings that could satisfy these requirements.

This Special Issue invites contributions, from both an experimental and theoretical perspective, on the preparation, characterization, and application of polymer and hybrid coatings. Both original research articles and critical reviews are accepted article formats.

Example of applications include (the list is neither exhaustive nor exclusive):

Corrosion protection;
Self-healing coatings;
Cultural heritage protection;
Antimicrobial coatings;
Multiphobic/self-cleaning materials;
Anti-fouling surfaces;
Electrochromic coatings;
Anti-fogging/de-icing surfaces;
Active and barrier coatings for food packaging;
UV protection, antiscratch, antistatic coatings;
Bio-inspired and biomimetic materials;
Multifunctional coatings.

Dr. Valentina Sabatini
Dr. Daniela Meroni
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

Polymer protective
Hybrid protective
Smart coating
Photochemical stability
Aging study
Coating removal

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 6099 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of Alumina-Doped Prunus domestica Gum Grafted Polyaniline Epoxy Resin for Corrosion Protection Coatings for Mild Steel and Stainless Steel

by Muhammad Kamran, Anwar ul Haq Ali Shah, Gul Rahman, Salma Bilal and Philipp Röse

Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5128; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235128 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1581

Abstract

Eco-friendly inhibitors have attracted considerable interest due to the increasing environmental issues caused by the extensive use of hazardous corrosion inhibitors. In this paper, environmentally friendly PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ composites were prepared by a low-cost inverse emulsion polymerization for corrosion inhibition of mild steel (MS) and stainless steel (SS). The PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ composites were characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV/Vis, and FTIR spectroscopy. XRD measurements show that the PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ composite is mostly amorphous and scanning electron micrographs (SEM) reveal a uniform distribution of Al₂O₃ on the surface of the PDG-g-PANI matrix. The composite was applied as a corrosion inhibitor on mild steel (MS) and stainless steel (SS), and its efficiency was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization measurement in a 3.5% NaCl and 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. Corrosion kinetic parameters obtained from Tafel evaluation show that the PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ composites protect the surface of MS and SS with inhibition efficiencies of 92.3% and 51.9% in 3.5% NaCl solution, which is notably higher than those obtained with untreated epoxy resin (89.3% and 99.5%). In particular, the mixture of epoxy/PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ shows the best performance with an inhibition efficiency up to 99.9% on MS and SS. An equivalent good inhibition efficiency was obtained for the composite for 1M H₂SO₄. Analysis of activation energy, formation enthalpy, and entropy values suggest that the epoxy/PDG-g-PANI/Al₂O₃ coating is thermodynamically favorable for corrosion protection of MS and exhibits long-lasting stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications)

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14 pages, 15254 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimize PLA/EVA Polymers Blend Compositional Coating for Next Generation Biodegradable Drug-Eluting Stents

by Naila Ishaque, Nauman Naseer, Muhammad Asad Abbas, Fatima Javed, Shehla Mushtaq, Nasir M. Ahmad, Muhammad Farhan Ali Khan, Naveed Ahmed and Abdelhamid Elaissari

Polymers 2022, 14(17), 3547; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14173547 - 29 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2253

Abstract

In this research work, polymer blends of poly-lactic acid (PLA)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) were prepared as the drug carrier materials for a bi-layer drug-loaded coating film for coronary stents. Different optimum compositions of blends were prepared by using an intense mixer. Then, the blends were hot-pressed and later cold-pressed to prepare for films of different thickness. The changes in weight, surface analysis and biodegradability with increasing time were studied using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), weight loss and biodegradability tests. The mechanical and thermal properties of drug-loaded films were studied through universal testing machine (UTM) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effects of PLA, EVA and drug contents on in-vitro drug contents were investigated through the Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS) chemical analysis technique. The results obtained clearly showed that the addition of PLA promoted the unleashing of the drug whereas the addition of EVA nearly did not have the same affect. The mechanical properties of these various films can be tuned by adjusting the contents of blend parts. The factors affecting the unleashing of the drug became a serious matter of concern in evaluating the performance of bio-resorbable drug eluting stents. As a result, today’s chemical blends may be useful drug carrier materials for drug-loaded tube coatings capable delivering purgative drug in an incredibly tunable and regulated manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications)

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16 pages, 2653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Degradable Inverse Vulcanized Copolymer as a Coating Material for Urea Produced under Optimized Conditions

by Ali Shaan Manzoor Ghumman, Rashid Shamsuddin, Mohamed Mahmoud Nasef, Efrem G. Krivoborodov, Sohaira Ahmad, Alexey A. Zanin, Yaroslav O. Mezhuev and Amin Abbasi

Polymers 2021, 13(22), 4040; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13224040 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Global enhancement of crop yield is achieved using chemical fertilizers; however, agro-economy is affected due to poor nutrient uptake efficacy (NUE), which also causes environmental pollution. Encapsulating urea granules with hydrophobic material can be one solution. Additionally, the inverse vulcanized copolymer obtained from vegetable oils are a new class of green sulfur-enriched polymer with good biodegradation and better sulfur oxidation potential, but they possess unreacted sulfur, which leads to void generations. In this study, inverse vulcanization reaction conditions to minimize the amount of unreacted sulfur through response surface methodology (RSM) is optimized. The copolymer obtained was then characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR confirmed the formation of the copolymer, TGA demonstrated that copolymer is thermally stable up to 200 °C temperature, and DSC revealed the sulfur conversion of 82.2% (predicted conversion of 82.37%), which shows the goodness of the model developed to predict the sulfur conversion. To further maximize the sulfur conversion, 5 wt% diisopropenyl benzene (DIB) as a crosslinker is added during synthesis to produce terpolymer. The urea granule is then coated using terpolymer, and the nutrient release longevity of the coated urea is tested in distilled water, which revealed that only 65% of its total nutrient is released after 40 days of incubation. The soil burial of the terpolymer demonstrated its biodegradability, as 26% weight loss happens in 52 days of incubation. Thus, inverse vulcanized terpolymer as a coating material for urea demonstrated far better nutrient release longevity compared with other biopolymers with improved biodegradation; moreover, these copolymers also have potential to improve sulfur oxidation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications)

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19 pages, 17024 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ionic Inter-Particle Complexation Effect on the Performance of Waterborne Coatings

by Maialen Argaiz, Fernando Ruipérez, Miren Aguirre and Radmila Tomovska

Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3098; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183098 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2100

Abstract

The performance of waterborne (meth)acrylic coatings is critically affected by the film formation process, in which the individual polymer particles must join to form a continuous film. Consequently, the waterborne polymers present lower performance than their solvent-borne counter-polymers. To decrease this effect, in this work, ionic complexation between oppositely charged polymer particles was introduced and its effect on the performance of waterborne polymer films was studied. The (meth)acrylic particles were charged by the addition of a small amount of ionic monomers, such as sodium styrene sulfonate and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate. Density functional theory calculations showed that the interaction between the selected main charges of the respective functional monomers (sulfonate–amine) is favored against the interactions with their counter ions (sulfonate–Na and amine–H). To induce ionic complexation, the oppositely charged latexes were blended, either based on the same number of charges or the same number of particles. The performance of the ionic complexed coatings was determined by means of tensile tests and water uptake measurements. The ionic complexed films were compared with reference films obtained at pH at which the cationic charges were in neutral form. The mechanical resistance was raised slightly by ionic bonding between particles, producing much more flexible films, whereas the water penetration within the polymeric films was considerably hindered. By exploring the process of polymer chains interdiffusion using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) analysis, it was found that the ionic complexation was established between the particles, which reduced significantly the interdiffusion process of polymer chains. The presented ionic complexes of sulfonate–amine functionalized particles open a promising approach for reinforcing waterborne coatings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications)

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Review

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32 pages, 4600 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Polymer-Inorganic Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO₂ Separation

by Sipei Li, Yang Liu, Dana A. Wong and John Yang

Polymers 2021, 13(15), 2539; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13152539 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4894

Abstract

Since the second industrial revolution, the use of fossil fuels has been powering the advance of human society. However, the surge in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions has raised unsettling concerns about global warming and its consequences. Membrane separation technologies have emerged as one of the major carbon reduction approaches because they are less energy-intensive and more environmentally friendly compared to other separation techniques. Compared to pure polymeric membranes, mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) that encompass both a polymeric matrix and molecular sieving fillers have received tremendous attention, as they have the potential to combine the advantages of both polymers and molecular sieves, while cancelling out each other’s drawbacks. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the development of MMMs for CO₂ separation. We will discuss general mechanisms of CO₂ separation in an MMM, and then compare the performances of MMMs that are based on zeolite, MOF, metal oxide nanoparticles and nanocarbons, with an emphasis on the materials’ preparation methods and their chemistries. As the field is advancing fast, we will particularly focus on examples from the last 5 years, in order to provide the most up-to-date overview in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Protective and Smart Coating Applications)

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