Search Results (18)

Achieving a synergistic improvement in flame retardancy and mechanical performance remains a persistent challenge in intumescent flame-retardant (IFR) polypropylene (PP) systems. Previous studies have predominantly focused on optimizing flame retardant formulations while largely overlooking the critical role of polymer matrix chain architecture in determining the overall composite performance. In this work, three PP matrices with distinct chain architectures—homopolymer (hPP), random copolymer (rPP), and block copolymer (bPP)—were systematically investigated within an identical IFR formulation. The results reveal a dominant role of chain architecture in differentiating flame retardancy and mechanical performance, which are governed by distinct structural factors, namely melt rheological behavior and phase morphology. Specifically, bPP exhibits superior flame retardancy, as evidenced by a higher limiting oxygen index (LOI) and improved UL 94 rating, which may be associated with its higher melt viscosity and resistance to dripping during combustion. In contrast, rPP shows significantly improved mechanical performance, owing to its more homogeneous phase structure and enhanced chain mobility. These findings demonstrate that flame retardancy and mechanical properties can be effectively tuned through different structural pathways, providing a viable strategy to mitigate the conventional trade-off in IFR systems. This work highlights the importance of polymer chain architecture as a complementary design parameter alongside flame retardant additives for developing high-performance PP composites. Full article

Small satellites provide cost-effective platforms for environmental monitoring. Open-source commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hyperspectral payloads, such as those launched with HYPSO-1 and -2, have a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 100 m. However, detecting smaller features, such as water quality in lakes, requires a GSD below 10 m and a high signal-to-noise ratio. Terrestrial COTS Schmidt–Cassegrain telescopes lack launch-load stiffness and in-orbit refocus capability. This study presents a deployable modified COTS (MCOTS) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope that uses the original optical COTS components, a 3D-printed high-performance polymer (HPP) structure, and a dual-lead-screw deployment and focusing mechanism. The telescope has a stowed length of 280 mm and deploys to an additional 110 mm, making integration into a 16U platform with a payload length of 290 mm feasible. The modified structure is evaluated using shock and sine-sweep vibration testing, with collimation and focus verified before and after testing. Collimation remained concentric within measurement uncertainty. Complementary random-vibration finite-element simulations predicted a $3\sigma$ von Mises stress of 26.5 MPa, yielding a safety factor of 2.8. The results demonstrate a feasible pathway for adapting COTS telescopes toward space-grade COTS (SCOTS) payloads, bridging the gap between rapid production, cost efficiency, and performance for small Earth observation missions. Full article

Background/Objectives: The development of high-performance biocompatible polymers such as zirconium-reinforced polyether ether ketone (BioHPP^®) has expanded the range of materials available for implant-supported prostheses, traditionally limited to metal alloys and zirconia. Due to its favorable mechanical properties and elastic modulus similar to cortical bone, BioHPP^® has been proposed as a potential alternative in implant prosthodontics. This systematic review aimed to analyze the biomechanical behavior of zirconium-reinforced PEEK and assess its advantages and limitations in implant prosthetic applications. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, including studies published between 2011 and 2025 that evaluated the performance of BioHPP in implant prosthetic applications. Results: The search strategy identified 34 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The included studies evaluated mechanical properties such as fracture resistance, elastic modulus, stress distribution, and peri-implant tissue response. Zirconium-reinforced PEEK demonstrated fracture resistance values reaching up to 1623.31 N and an elastic modulus of approximately 4 GPa, comparable to cortical bone. Several studies also reported favorable stress distribution patterns and reduced mechanical complications when compared with conventional metallic materials. Conclusions: Zirconium-reinforced PEEK exhibits promising biomechanical characteristics for use in implant-supported prostheses, particularly due to its fracture resistance and bone-like elastic modulus. However, the available evidence is predominantly based on in vitro and finite element studies. Long-term clinical trials are required to confirm its clinical performance and establish definitive recommendations for routine use. Full article

Background/Objectives: The dental industry is continuously developing high-performance polymer (HPP) materials with different qualities for denture frameworks. The aim of this in vitro study was to assess how thermal ageing (TA) affects the flexural strength (FS) and microhardness of two different HPP materials: Nanoksa G-plus and Bio-HPP/PEEK. Methods: The TA process was carried out for 5000 cycles at 5 °C and 55 °C in distilled water. To assess FS, a total of 40 bar-shaped specimens measuring 65.0 mm × 10.0 mm × 2.5 mm (20 per group) were obtained; TA and No-TA (NTA) subgroups were prepared for each material group (10 per subgroup); and a three-point bending test was conducted using an Instron universal testing machine. Each specimen that fractured during the FS test was subjected to microhardness measurement using a Vickers hardness tester. The mean FS and microhardness of the TA and NTA specimens were statistically examined using the t-test. Results: Both the TA and NTA Bio-HPP/PEEK specimens exhibited significantly greater (p < 0.0001) microhardness and FS qualities than the Nanoksa G-Plus specimens. The FS and microhardness of the Bio-HPP/PEEK and Nanoksa G-Plus materials significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after TA. Conclusions: The Bio-HPP/PEEK material showed better FS and microhardness properties than the Nanoksa G-Plus material. TA considerably decreased the FS and microhardness of the Bio-HPP/PEEK and Nanoksa G-Plus materials. Full article

The growing demand for electricity in developing countries has called attention and interest to renewable energy sources to mitigate the adverse environmental effects caused by energy generation through fossil fuels. Among different renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic, wind, and biomass, hydraulic energy represents an attractive solution to address the demand for electricity in rural areas of Colombia that are not connected to the electrical grid. In the current paper, the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) of a recently designed Vertical-Axis Hydrokinetic Turbine (VAHT) Straight-Bladed (SB) Darrieus-type, modified with symmetric winglets, was studied by implementing the sliding mesh method (SMM). By coupling with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations, the FSI study demonstrated that the hydrodynamic loads obtained can cause potential fatigue damage in the blades of the Straight-Bladed (SB) Darrieus VAHT. Fatigue life was assessed using the stress–life (S-N) approach, and materials such as structural steel, short glass fiber reinforced composites (SGFRC), and high-performance polymers (HPP), such as PEEK, were studied as potential materials for the construction of the blades. FSI results showed that the biaxiality index (BI) provides a good understanding of the dominant stresses in the blades as the azimuth angle changes. It was also shown that structural steel and PEEK are good materials for the manufacturing of the blades, both from a fatigue resistance and modal perspective. Full article

This study assessed the shear bond strength (SBS) and failure modes of lithium disilicate ceramic veneering material to different high-performance polymers. Thirty-six square specimens measuring 7 × 7 × 2 ± 0.05 mm were prepared from pure polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Bio-high performance PEEK (BioHPP) and Trilor discs. Polymer specimens were air-borne abraded utilizing aluminum oxide particles, cleaned, and a bonding agent was applied (visio. link). The veneering LDC material (3 × 2 mm) was milled, hydrofluoric acid etched (9.5%) and primed (Clearfil ceramic). The LDC was bonded to the polymer specimens using dual-cured resin cement (Panavia V5) and light polymerized. The bonded specimens were subjected to 5000 cycles of physiological aging by thermocycling, and the SBS test was performed in a universal testing machine at 0.5 mm/min cross-head speed. The debonded specimens were analyzed to determine the primary bond failure sites (adhesive, mixed or cohesive). Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and a post hoc Tukey test (α ≤ 0.05). The BioHPP material demonstrated the highest SBS values (23.94 ± 1.43 MPa), and the Trilor group recorded the lowest SBS values (17.09 ± 1.07 MPa). The PEEK group showed a mean SBS of 21.21 ± 1.51 MPa. The SBS comparison showed significant variations across all material groups (p < 0.001). Regarding failure modes, adhesive failure was observed in 40% of BioHPP and PEEK specimens and 90% of Trilor specimens. The cohesive failure occurred in 50% of PEEK and 30% of BioHPP specimens, while the Trilor specimens showed no cohesive failure. Mixed failures were reported in 30% of BioHPP and 10% of PEEK and Trilor specimens. The BioHPP material demonstrated high SBS followed by PEEK and Trilor. The SBS between the tested materials was statistically significant. However, the SBS of the tested implant framework materials was above the limit stipulated by the ISO 10477 standard (5 MPa) and the clinically acceptable range of 10–12 MPa. Full article

The aim of these in vitro studies was to determine and compare the mechanical and tribological performance of two commercially available thermoplastic materials, namely BioHPP and Biocetal, used in dental prosthetics. In order to perform the comparative tests of both materials, the dog-bone shaped samples were formed by an injection molding process as in standard polymer materials research, wherein Biocetal samples constituted the research group, and BioHPP samples served as a control group. In the presented studies, their mechanical parameters were reported and analyzed: namely, Shore’s hardness, unnotched impact strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, as well as abrasive wear resistance, obtained within appropriate tribological and mechanical tests. The Shapiro–Wilk test, Q–Q plot analysis, Grubbs test and Student’s t-test (p < 0.05) were used to statistically evaluate the results. The experimental results revealed that BioHPP material is characterized by higher hardness, impact strength, bending strength, and also lower “wet” abrasion wear if compared to Biocetal performance. However, it is subject to higher abrasive wear under “dry” conditions and reveals higher stiffness as well as lower ability to deform, which could affect a patient’s comfort during application. BioHPP, despite being a high-performance polymer material, also has some drawbacks that may affect the poorer long-term use of dentures in people producing less saliva. Full article

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance of BioHPP^® (Biocompatible High-Performance Polymer) superstructures in full-arch implant-prosthetic rehabilitations following the Toronto-Branemark protocol, focusing on biomechanical and biological outcomes. Methods: A 70-year-old edentulous male patient underwent full-arch implant-prosthetic rehabilitation using BioHPP^® superstructures fabricated through a CAD-CAM workflow. Radiological and clinical evaluations were conducted to plan implant placement and assess outcomes after one-year of follow-up. The primary endpoints included prosthetic stability, peri-implant bone resorption, and patient-reported satisfaction. Results: The BioHPP^® superstructure demonstrated effective stress distribution, leading to minimal peri-implant bone resorption and improved implant stability. Clinical evaluations showed excellent prosthetic fit and functionality, with no complications during the observation period. Radiological analyses confirmed the absence of prosthetic misfits, while patient-reported outcomes indicated high levels of comfort and aesthetic satisfaction. Conclusions: BioHPP^® superstructures offer a promising alternative to traditional materials for full-arch implant-prosthetic rehabilitations, providing significant biomechanical and aesthetic advantages. These findings suggest that BioHPP^® may enhance clinical outcomes, though further research with larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods is required to validate its long-term reliability. Full article

SPECPs are electrochromic polymers that contain special engineering plastic structural characteristic groups (SPECPs). Due to their high thermal stability, mechanical properties, and weather resistance, they are also known as high-performance electrochromic polymer (HPEP or HPP). Meanwhile, due to the structural characteristics of their long polymer chains, these materials have natural advantages in the application of flexible electrochromic devices. According to the structure of special engineering plastic groups, SPECPs are divided into five categories: polyamide, polyimide, polyamide imide, polyarylsulfone, and polyarylketone. This article mainly introduces the latest research on SPECPs. The structural design, electrochromic properties, and applications of these materials are also introduced in this article, and the challenges and future development trends of SPECPs are prospected. Full article

The roughness of the intra-oral surfaces significantly influences the initial adhesion and the retention of microorganisms. The aim of this study was to analyze the surface texture of four different CAD-CAM materials (two high-performance polymers and two fifth-generation zirconia) used for complete-arch implant-supported prostheses (CAISPs), and to investigate the effect of artificial aging on their roughness. A total of 40 milled prostheses were divided into 4 groups (n = 10) according to their framework material, bio.HPP (B), bio.HPP Plus (BP), zirconia Luxor Z Frame (ZF), and Luxor Z True Nature (ZM). The areal surface roughness “Sa” and the maximum height “Sz” of each specimen was measured on the same site after laboratory fabrication (lab as-received specimen) and after thermocycling (5–55 °C, 10,000 cycles) by using a noncontact optical profilometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28.0.1. One-way ANOVA with multiple comparison tests (p = 0.05) and repeated measures ANOVA were used. After thermocycling, all materials maintained “Sa” values at the laboratory as-received specimen level (p = 0.24). “Sz” increased only for the zirconia groups (p = 0.01). B-BP exhibited results equal/slightly better than ZM-ZF. This study provides more realistic surface texture values of new metal-free materials used in real anatomical CAISPs after the manufacturing and aging processes and establishes a detailed and reproducible measurement workflow. Full article

High-performance donor-acceptor (D-A) polymers, as an important class of electrochromic (EC) materials, have attracted extensive attention. In this paper, a series of novel poly (aryl amino ketone) (PAAK) and poly (aryl amino sulfone) (PAAS) type high-performance polymers (HPP) with electrochromism were prepared by a simple C-N coupling reaction and were coated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate as EC films. All four polymers were prepared by a nucleophilic substitution reaction using commercially purchased amine monomers with difluoride sulfone/ketone using potassium carbonate as a catalyst. A series of tests were performed to compare and analyze the effects of the different electron-withdrawing abilities of sulfone and carbonyl groups, and the different conjugation lengths of these two TPA structures were connected to the EC properties of the polymer. The different phenyl or biphenyl of the two TPA structures mainly affected the oxidation potential of the polymer, while the sulfone group and the carbonyl group, with a different electron absorption ability, had a greater influence on the energy band and cyclic stability. The optical contrast of PAAS−BT at 850 nm was up to 58% and maintained 450 cycles, indicating that this series of materials had a broad application prospect waiting for further research. In addition to the performance, the raw materials used in this work could be directly and commercially purchased for a low price; the two aniline monomers were priced at about $0.43 /g and $0.15 /g, respectively. This method significantly reduces the cost and provides a new idea for subsequent large-scale production and practical applications. Full article

Poly(aryl-ether-ketone) materials (PAEKs), a class of high-performance polymers comprised of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), have attracted interest in standard dental procedures due to their inherent characteristics in terms of mechanical and biological properties. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a restorative dental material widely used for prosthetic frameworks due to its superior physical, mechanical, aesthetic, and handling features. Meanwhile, polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic embraced in the additive manufacturing market. In the present review study, a new way to fabricate high-performance polymers, particularly PEEK and PEKK, is demonstrated using additive manufacturing digital dental technology, or 3-dimensional (3D) printing. The focus in this literature review will encompass an investigation of the chemical, mechanical, and biological properties of HPPs, particularly PEEK and PEKK, along with their application particularly in dentistry. High-performance polymers have gained popularity in denture prosthesis in advance dentistry due to their flexibility in terms of manufacturing and the growing interest in utilizing additive manufacturing in denture fabrication. Further, this review also explores the literature regarding the properties of high-performance polymers (HPP) compared to previous reported polymers in terms of the dental material along with the current advancement of the digital designing and manufacturing. Full article

(1) Background: The use of high-performance polymers for fixed restorations requires additional studies regarding their adaptability and processing with CAD/CAM technology. This in vitro study aims to assess the marginal and internal fit of PEEK and PEKK materials using microcomputed tomography. (2) Methods: Twenty-four (n = 8) MOD onlays made of PEKK (Pekkton ivory), unmodified PEEK (Juvora medical), and modified PEEK (BioHPP) were investigated. A typodont mandibular left first molar was scanned to achieve 24 resin, 3D printed abutment teeth. The onlays were fabricated with a five-axis milling machine, and after cementation of the specimens, the marginal (MG) and internal gaps (IG) were evaluated at twelve points in the mesio-distal section and thirteen points in the bucco-lingual section using microcomputed tomography. For statistical data analysis, Wilcoxon signed-rank/paired Student t-Test, Mann–Whitney/unpaired Student t-Test, and one-way ANOVA test were applied. (3) Results: Significant differences (p < 0.05; α = 0.05) were reported between the MG and IG for each material for all three polymers and also among two materials in terms of the MG and IG (except Juvora-BioHPP). The highest IG values were recorded in angular areas (axio-gingival line angle) in the mesio-distal section for all the polymers. (4) Conclusions: For all the materials, MG < IG. The type of polymer influenced the adaptability; the lowest marginal and internal gap mean values were recorded for BioHPP. The analyzed polymer used for onlays are clinically acceptable in terms of adaptability. Full article

Since the inelastic strain development plays an important role in the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) of High-Performance Polymers (HPPs), the goal of the research was to study the effect of an amorphous polymer matrix type on the resistance to cyclic loading for both polyimide (PI)- and polyetherimide (PEI)-based composites, identically loaded with short carbon fibers (SCFs) of various lengths, in the LCF mode. The fracture of the PI and PEI, as well as their particulate composites loaded with SCFs at an aspect ratio (AR) of 10, occurred with a significant role played by cyclic creep processes. Unlike PEI, PI was less prone to the development of creep processes, probably because of the greater rigidity of the polymer molecules. This increased the stage duration of the accumulation of scattered damage in the PI-based composites loaded with SCFs at AR = 20 and AR = 200, causing their greater cyclic durability. In the case of SCFs 2000 µm long, the length of the SCFs was comparable to the specimen thickness, causing the formation of a spatial framework of unattached SCFs at AR = 200. The higher rigidity of the PI polymer matrix provided more effective resistance to the accumulation of scattered damage with the simultaneously higher fatigue creep resistance. Under such conditions, the adhesion factor exerted a lesser effect. As shown, the fatigue life of the composites was determined both by the chemical structure of the polymer matrix and the offset yield stresses. The essential role of the cyclic damage accumulation in both neat PI and PEI, as well as their composites reinforced with SCFs, was confirmed by the results of XRD spectra analysis. The research holds the potential to solve problems related to the fatigue life monitoring of particulate polymer composites. Full article

In this study, we used effective and one-pot Heck coupling reactions under moderate reaction conditions to construct two new hybrid porous polymers (named OVS-P-TPA and OVS-P-F HPPs) with high yield, based on silsesquioxane cage nanoparticles through the reaction of octavinylsilsesquioxane (OVS) with different brominated pyrene (P-Br₄), triphenylamine (TPA-Br₃), and fluorene (F-Br₂) as co-monomer units. The successful syntheses of both OVS-HPPs were tested using various instruments, such as X-ray photoelectron (XPS), solid-state ¹³C NMR, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. All spectroscopic data confirmed the successful incorporation and linkage of P, TPA, and F units into the POSS cage in order to form porous OVS-HPP materials. In addition, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N₂ adsorption analyses revealed the thermal stabilities of OVS-P-F HPP (T_d10 = 444 °C; char yield: 79 wt%), with a significant specific surface area of 375 m² g^–1 and a large pore volume of 0.69 cm³ g^–1. According to electrochemical three-electrode performance, the OVS-P-F HPP precursor displayed superior capacitances of 292 F g⁻¹ with a capacity retention of 99.8% compared to OVS-P-TPA HPP material. Interestingly, the OVS-P-TPA HPP showed a promising HER value of 701.9 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is more than 12 times higher than that of OVS-P-F HPP (56.6 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), based on photocatalytic experimental results. Full article