Skip Content
You are currently on the new version of our website. Access the old version .

Polymers, Volume 8, Issue 3

2016 March - 41 articles

  • Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list .
  • You may sign up for email alerts to receive table of contents of newly released issues.
  • PDF is the official format for papers published in both, html and pdf forms. To view the papers in pdf format, click on the "PDF Full-text" link, and use the free Adobe Reader to open them.

Articles (41)

  • Article
  • Open Access
49 Citations
9,638 Views
13 Pages

22 March 2016

Random and oriented fibers of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and their blends were manufactured using electrospinning using a co-solvent. The kind and the concentration of the co-solvent affected the diameter of electrospun fibers. The morphology, th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
9,337 Views
12 Pages

22 March 2016

Despite the superior properties of graphene, the strong π–π interactions among pristine graphenes yielding massive aggregation impede industrial applications. For non-covalent functionalization of highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), poly(2,2,2-...

  • Article
  • Open Access
33 Citations
7,248 Views
11 Pages

22 March 2016

The management of fishery residues and plastics is considered to be a vital strategy for conserving resources and maintaining the quality of the environment. Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) is a commercially promising, renewable, and biodegradable plastic....

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
31 Citations
9,253 Views
17 Pages

Multilayer Graphene/Carbon Black/Chlorine Isobutyl Isoprene Rubber Nanocomposites

  • Daniele Frasca,
  • Dietmar Schulze,
  • Volker Wachtendorf,
  • Bernd Krafft,
  • Thomas Rybak and
  • Bernhard Schartel

22 March 2016

High loadings of carbon black (CB) are usually used to achieve the properties demanded of rubber compounds. In recent years, distinct nanoparticles have been investigated to replace CB in whole or in part, in order to reduce the necessary filler cont...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
13,273 Views
19 Pages

Water-Dispersible Silica-Polyelectrolyte Nanocomposites Prepared via Acid-Triggered Polycondensation of Silicic Acid and Directed by Polycations

  • Philip Overton,
  • Elena Danilovtseva,
  • Erno Karjalainen,
  • Mikko Karesoja,
  • Vadim Annenkov,
  • Heikki Tenhu and
  • Vladimir Aseyev

22 March 2016

The present work describes the acid-triggered condensation of silicic acid, Si(OH)4, as directed by selected polycations in aqueous solution in the pH range of 6.5–8.0 at room temperature, without the use of additional solvents or surfactants. This p...

  • Article
  • Open Access
61 Citations
15,071 Views
13 Pages

Mussel-Inspired Anisotropic Nanocellulose and Silver Nanoparticle Composite with Improved Mechanical Properties, Electrical Conductivity and Antibacterial Activity

  • Hoang-Linh Nguyen,
  • Yun Kee Jo,
  • Minkyu Cha,
  • Yun Jeong Cha,
  • Dong Ki Yoon,
  • Naresh D. Sanandiya,
  • Ekavianty Prajatelistia,
  • Dongyeop X. Oh and
  • Dong Soo Hwang

22 March 2016

Materials for wearable devices, tissue engineering and bio-sensing applications require both antibacterial activity to prevent bacterial infection and biofilm formation, and electrical conductivity to electric signals inside and outside of the human...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
8,761 Views
18 Pages

Rheological and Mechanical Behavior of Silk Fibroin Reinforced Waterborne Polyurethane

  • Yongzhen Tao,
  • Anwarul Hasan,
  • George Deeb,
  • Changkai Hu and
  • Huipeng Han

21 March 2016

Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) is a versatile and environment-friendly material with growing applications in both industry and academia. Silk fibroin (SF) is an attractive material known for its structural, biological and hemocompatible properties. Th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
6,835 Views
12 Pages

18 March 2016

Properties of copolymers are generally influenced by the structure of the monomers and polymers. For the purpose of understanding the effect of polymer structure on the properties, two kinds of copolymers, poly(3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine)-g-polylacti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
9,716 Views
15 Pages

17 March 2016

A novel strategy was developed to synthesize uniform semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) microspheres by premix membrane emulsification combined with one-step polymerization. Synthesized poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) polymer chains were adde...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
96 Citations
17,686 Views
18 Pages

17 March 2016

The size, shape, stiffness (composition) and surface properties of nanoparticles (NPs) have been recognized as key design parameters for NP-mediated drug delivery platforms. Among them, the surface functionalization of NPs is of great significance fo...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
11,573 Views
15 Pages

16 March 2016

Anomalous small angle scattering measurements have been applied to diluted solutions of anionic polyacrylates decorated by specifically-interacting Pb2+ cations, revealing partial collapse of the polyacrylate into pearl-like subdomains with a size on...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
9,557 Views
15 Pages

Synthesis, Structures and Luminescence Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Lithium-Lanthanide and Terephthalate

  • Mohammed S. M. Abdelbaky,
  • Zakariae Amghouz,
  • Santiago García-Granda and
  • José R. García

16 March 2016

Metal-organic frameworks assembled from Ln(III), Li(I) and rigid dicarboxylate ligand, formulated as [LiLn(BDC)2(H2O)·2(H2O)] (MS1-6,7a) and [LiTb(BDC)2] (MS7b) (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, Y0.96Eu0.04, Y0.93Tb0.07, and H2BDC = terephthalic acid), were...

  • Article
  • Open Access
64 Citations
8,135 Views
19 Pages

Charge Transport in LDPE Nanocomposites Part I—Experimental Approach

  • Anh T. Hoang,
  • Love Pallon,
  • Dongming Liu,
  • Yuriy V. Serdyuk,
  • Stanislaw M. Gubanski and
  • Ulf W. Gedde

16 March 2016

This work presents results of bulk conductivity and surface potential decay measurements on low-density polyethylene and its nanocomposites filled with uncoated MgO and Al2O3, with the aim to highlight the effect of the nanofillers on charge transpor...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
8,045 Views
9 Pages

16 March 2016

We investigated the electrical and mechanical stability of flexible 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylehtynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) thin-film transistors (TFTs) that were fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates using cross-linked poly(4-vinylphenol) (c-...

  • Article
  • Open Access
27 Citations
7,359 Views
11 Pages

16 March 2016

In order to synthesize new coordination polymers with original architectures and interesting magnetic properties, we used the nitranilate ligand (C6O4(NO2)22− = C6N2O82−), derived from the dianionic ligand dhbq2− (2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone = H2C...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
10,325 Views
11 Pages

Enzymatic Synthesis and Characterization of Hydrophilic Sugar Based Polyesters and Their Modification with Stearic Acid

  • Muhammad Humayun Bilal,
  • Marko Prehm,
  • Andrew Efraim Njau,
  • Muhammad Haris Samiullah,
  • Annette Meister and
  • Jörg Kressler

16 March 2016

Biodegradable and hydrophilic functional polyesters were synthesized enzymatically using xylitol or d-sorbitol together with divinyl adipate and lipase B from Candida antartica (CAL-B). The resulting polyesters had pendant OH-groups from their sugar...

  • Article
  • Open Access
39 Citations
14,030 Views
14 Pages

15 March 2016

Potassium is an important nutrient used in fertilizers but is not always naturally available We investigated the properties of polymer inclusion membranes (PIM) regarding their selective recovery of K+ over competitive ions typically present in urin...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
37 Citations
11,144 Views
16 Pages

Hybrid Polymer-Network Hydrogels with Tunable Mechanical Response

  • Sebastian Czarnecki,
  • Torsten Rossow and
  • Sebastian Seiffert

15 March 2016

Hybrid polymer-network gels built by both physical and covalent polymer crosslinking combine the advantages of both these crosslinking types: they exhibit high mechanical strength along with excellent fracture toughness and extensibility. If these ma...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
7,867 Views
15 Pages

The Backfolded Odijk Regime for Wormlike Chains Confined in Rectangular Nanochannels

  • Abhiram Muralidhar,
  • Michael J. Quevillon and
  • Kevin D. Dorfman

14 March 2016

We confirm Odijk’s scaling laws for (i) the average chain extension; (ii) the variance about the average extension; and (iii) the confinement free energy of a wormlike chain confined in a rectangular nanochannel smaller than its chain persistence len...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
9,728 Views
12 Pages

14 March 2016

This research aims to synthesize a dopamine-functionalized macromolecular anchor to perform surface modification on the target nanostructures. A molecular anchor, 3,4-dichloro-1-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, was successfully sy...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
8,680 Views
12 Pages

Highly Active Copolymerization of Ethylene and N-Acetyl-O-(ω-Alkenyl)-l-Tyrosine Ethyl Esters Catalyzed by Titanium Complex

  • Jing Wang,
  • Hongming Li,
  • Runcong Zhang,
  • Xianghui Shi,
  • Jianjun Yi,
  • Jian Wang,
  • Qigu Huang and
  • Wantai Yang

10 March 2016

A series of N-acetyl-O-(ω-alkenyl)-l-tyrosine ethyl esters were synthesized by the reaction of vinyl bromides (4-bromo-1-butene, 6-bromo-1-hexene, 8-bromo-1-octene and 10-bromo-1-decene) with N-acetyl-l-tyrosine ethyl ester. 1H NMR, elemental analysi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
6,525 Views
12 Pages

4 March 2016

In this study, an integrated methodology for impact analysis of polycarbonate (PC) product is proposed which incorporates the processing-induced inhomogeneity of yield stress. A previously developed model is extended to predict the inhomogeneous yiel...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
23 Citations
8,283 Views
9 Pages

Polylactide/Montmorillonite Hybrid Latex as a Barrier Coating for Paper Applications

  • Davide Bandera,
  • Veronika R. Meyer,
  • David Prevost,
  • Tanja Zimmermann and
  • Luciano F. Boesel

4 March 2016

We developed a paper coating for the potential application in food packaging based on polylactide and montmorillonite. It is applied to the paper in the form of a stable, water-based latex with a solid content of 25–28 wt %. The latex is prepared fro...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
9,524 Views
14 Pages

4 March 2016

As a facile method to prepare hydrophilic polymeric microspheres, reflux precipitation polymerization has been widely used for preparation of polymer nanogels. In this article, we synthesized a phthalamide-protected N-aminooxy methyl acrylamide (NAMA...

  • Article
  • Open Access
38 Citations
11,751 Views
18 Pages

Near Surface Mounted Composites for Flexural Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams

  • Md. Akter Hosen,
  • Mohd Zamin Jumaat,
  • Ubagaram Johnson Alengaram,
  • A. B. M. Saiful Islam and
  • Huzaifa Bin Hashim

3 March 2016

Existing structural components require strengthening after a certain period of time due to increases in service loads, errors in design, mechanical damage, and the need to extend the service period. Externally-bonded reinforcement (EBR) and near-surf...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
3 Citations
5,044 Views
2 Pages

2 March 2016

Despite the growing interest and rapid advancement of alternative photovoltaic (PV) technologies such as perovskite based PV devices, we still believe that organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices have a significant potential for stable, low-cost solar pow...

  • Article
  • Open Access
27 Citations
8,556 Views
9 Pages

ICAR ATRP of Acrylonitrile under Ambient and High Pressure

  • Zhicheng Huang,
  • Jing Chen,
  • Lifen Zhang,
  • Zhenping Cheng and
  • Xiulin Zhu

2 March 2016

It is well known that well-defined polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with high molecular weight (Mw > 106 g·mol−1) is an excellent precursor for high performance carbon fiber. In this work, a strategy for initiators for a continuous activator regeneration a...

  • Review
  • Open Access
71 Citations
23,887 Views
28 Pages

2 March 2016

Mucin networks are viscoelastic fibrillar aggregates formed through the complex self-association of biopolymeric glycoprotein chains. The networks form a lubricious, hydrated protective shield along epithelial regions within the human body. The criti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
8,060 Views
10 Pages

1 March 2016

A series of anilido–imine chromium complexes have been used as precursors to catalyze homo- and copolymerization of ethylene and norbornene. The chromium complexes activated with methylalumoxane (MAO) exhibit good activities for homopolymerization of...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
7,043 Views
13 Pages

Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of A Nanosized Sulfated TiO2 Filler and of Nanocomposite Nafion Membranes

  • Valentina Allodi,
  • Sergio Brutti,
  • Marco Giarola,
  • Mirko Sgambetterra,
  • Maria Assunta Navarra,
  • Stefania Panero and
  • Gino Mariotto

1 March 2016

A large number of nano-sized oxides have been studied in the literature as fillers for polymeric membranes, such as Nafion®. Superacidic sulfated oxides have been proposed and characterized. Once incorporated into polymer matrices, their beneficial e...

  • Article
  • Open Access
27 Citations
9,839 Views
15 Pages

29 February 2016

A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical behavior of polycarbonate (PC) under high-rate loadings is essential for better design of PC products. In this work, the mechanical behavior of PC is studied during tensile loading at high strain rates,...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
9,855 Views
10 Pages

29 February 2016

This study deals with the fabrication of biodegradable porous materials from bacterial polyester, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (P3HB3HHx), via thermally induced phase separation. P3HB3HHx monoliths with topological porous structure w...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
10,807 Views
19 Pages

Terpolymerization of Substituted Cycloolefin with Ethylene and Norbornene by Transition Metal Catalyst

  • Laura Boggioni,
  • Nella Galotto Galotto,
  • Fabio Bertini and
  • Incoronata Tritto

26 February 2016

Ethylene-norbornene terpolymerization experiments using 5-alkyl-substituted norbornenes (5-pentyl-2-norbornene (C5N) and 5-octyl-2-norbornene (C8N)) or dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) were conducted with two ansa-metallocenes, [Zr{(η5-C9H6)2C2H4}Cl2] (1) an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
55 Citations
11,645 Views
15 Pages

Polydopamine Particle as a Particulate Emulsifier

  • Nobuaki Nishizawa,
  • Ayaka Kawamura,
  • Michinari Kohri,
  • Yoshinobu Nakamura and
  • Syuji Fujii

26 February 2016

“Pickering-type” emulsions were prepared using polydopamine (PDA) particles as a particulate emulsifier and n-dodecane, methyl myristate, toluene or dichloromethane as an oil phase. All the emulsions prepared were oil-in-water type and an increase of...

  • Article
  • Open Access
99 Citations
14,288 Views
23 Pages

26 February 2016

The objective of this study was to gain a deep understanding of composition and compatibilization effects on the properties of entirely sustainably sourced polymer blends based on polylactide (PLA) and polyamide 11 (PA11). Generally, PLA cannot chall...

  • Article
  • Open Access
48 Citations
7,556 Views
14 Pages

24 February 2016

The effect of acidic ionic liquid (IL) as a new catalyst on the properties of wood-based panels bonded with urea-glyoxal (UG) resins was investigated. Different levels of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone hydrogen sulfate ([HNMP] HSO4 (0, 1, 2, 3 wt %)) were ad...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
11,748 Views
17 Pages

The Effect of Introducing B and N on Pyrolysis Process of High Ortho Novolac Resin

  • Jin Yun,
  • Lixin Chen,
  • Xiaofei Zhang,
  • Junjun Feng and
  • Linlin Liu

24 February 2016

In this contribution, high ortho novolac resins modified with phenylboronic acid were synthesized. The thermal stability of novolac resins cured with hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and chemical states of B and N via a pyrolysis process were studied. F...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
12,040 Views
13 Pages

23 February 2016

Uniform small-sized (<10 μm) Konjac glucomanna (KGM) microspheres have great application prospects in bio-separation, drug delivery and controlled release. Premix membrane emulsification is an effective method to prepare uniform small-sized KGM mi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
7,220 Views
14 Pages

Evaluation of Electrospun PCL-PIBMD Meshes Modified with Plasmid Complexes in Vitro and in Vivo

  • Yakai Feng,
  • Wen Liu,
  • Xiangkui Ren,
  • Wei Lu,
  • Mengyang Guo,
  • Marc Behl,
  • Andreas Lendlein and
  • Wencheng Zhang

23 February 2016

Functional artificial vascular meshes from biodegradable polymers have been widely explored for certain tissue engineered meshes. Still, the foreign body reaction and limitation in endothelialization are challenges for such devices. Here, degradable...

Get Alerted

Add your email address to receive forthcoming issues of this journal.

XFacebookLinkedIn
Polymers - ISSN 2073-4360