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Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications
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Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Functional Polymer Coatings and Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 13180

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Galina K. Elyashevich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg (ex Leningrad), Russia
Interests: oriented polymer systems; membrane-separation materials; electrically conducting polymers; hydrogels; composites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the use of polymer films as the leading direction for the fabrication of advanced functional materials has become one of a major research field, spanning many disciplines. The diverse functional properties of polymer films open up wide possibilities for their application, from packaging materials for food storage to memristors as models of biological neural systems. The advances in the polymer films functionality require the development of new methods for their preparation and characterization to estimate the properties and target indexes. A promising way to improve properties of films and to produce new polymer materials is the elaboration of composite and multilayer systems including functionally active components (electrically conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles, biodegradable components, nonorganic admixtures). The authors of papers should pay special attention to the correspondance of the structure and morphology investigation methods  to the tasks of the work, the reliability of the experimental data and their interpretation.

This Special Issue entitled Issue "Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications” calls for papers that can specifically connect improvements in the quality of polymer films with advances in characterization techniques and specific approaches to preparation and modification of the samples (melt extrusion, precipitation from a polymer solution, film surface modification, deposition, mixing, polymerization, treatment by irradiation, polarization by electric field and so on). Original research papers and reviews on polymer films for various applications of polymer films such as membrane technologies, energy storage and conversion systems, executive and biomechanical devices will be also considered. 

The research in this area will make an important  contribution to the production of controlled and stimuli-responsible polymer film materials based on highly efficient technological processes.

Prof. Dr. Galina K. Elyashevich
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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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 films preparation
  • structure–property relation
  • characterization methods
  • surface modification
  • multicomponent systems
  • functional properties
  • applications

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2672 KiB  
Article
Coating of Carbonized Leather Waste with the Conducting Polymer Polyaniline: Bicontinuous Composites for Dye Adsorption
by Jaroslav Stejskal, Fahanwi Asabuwa Ngwabebhoh, Tomáš Sáha and Jan Prokeš
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081419 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 980
Abstract
Leather waste carbonized at 800 °C in an inert atmosphere was coated in situ with the conducting polymer polyaniline. The composition of composites varied from neat carbonaceous to polyaniline. Due to the fibrous collagen structure of the original leather after carbonization, the composites [...] Read more.
Leather waste carbonized at 800 °C in an inert atmosphere was coated in situ with the conducting polymer polyaniline. The composition of composites varied from neat carbonaceous to polyaniline. Due to the fibrous collagen structure of the original leather after carbonization, the composites had a bicontinuous conducting morphology. The resistivity of composites determined as a function of applied pressure from 0.1 to 10 MPa fell mainly into the range of units to tens of Ω cm. In contrast to neat polyaniline, the composites maintained a good level of conductivity even under alkaline conditions. The application of a composite as an adsorbent of organic-dye pollutants in water treatment was illustrated using methylene blue and methyl orange with an eye to future functional adsorbents controllable by applied electrical potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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15 pages, 6721 KiB  
Article
Coating of Leather with Dye-Containing Antibacterial and Conducting Polypyrrole
by Fahanwi Asabuwa Ngwabebhoh, Oyunchimeg Zandraa, Tomáš Sáha, Jaroslav Stejskal, Dušan Kopecký, Miroslava Trchová and Jiří Pfleger
Coatings 2023, 13(3), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13030608 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1621
Abstract
In the search for functional organic biomaterials, leather constituted by collagen fibers was coated with a conducting polymer, polypyrrole. The coating was carried out during the oxidation of pyrrole in an aqueous solution of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) in the presence of five organic [...] Read more.
In the search for functional organic biomaterials, leather constituted by collagen fibers was coated with a conducting polymer, polypyrrole. The coating was carried out during the oxidation of pyrrole in an aqueous solution of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) in the presence of five organic dyes: crystal violet, neutral red, methyl orange, acriflavine, and methylene blue. This technique ensures the uniform coating of collagen fibers with polypyrrole and incorporation of organic dyes. The surface morphology was observed with scanning electron microscopy and the transverse profile, reflecting the penetration of the conducting phase into the leather body with optical microscopy. While the polypyrrole coating endows leather with electrical conductivity, organic dyes are expected to affect the polymer morphology and to provide an antibacterial effect. The lowest sheet resistance and antibacterial activity were obtained with crystal violet. This type of coating was characterized in more detail. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the coating of collagen fibers with polypyrrole and dye incorporation. Mechanical properties were extended to the cyclic bending of the leather at various angles over 5000 cycles. The relative resistance changes were a few percent, indicating good electrical stability during repeated mechanical stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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13 pages, 3280 KiB  
Article
Photocured Composite Films with Microfibrillated Cellulose: A Study of Water Vapor Permeability
by Aicha Amior, Hamid Satha, Alessandra Vitale, Roberta Bongiovanni and Sara Dalle Vacche
Coatings 2023, 13(2), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13020297 - 28 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1247
Abstract
Photocuring is a crosslinking process, widely employed to produce polymers in the form of film. As it is an environmentally friendly process, it is particularly interesting for the preparation of sustainable materials and composites. In this work, composite self-standing films were obtained combining [...] Read more.
Photocuring is a crosslinking process, widely employed to produce polymers in the form of film. As it is an environmentally friendly process, it is particularly interesting for the preparation of sustainable materials and composites. In this work, composite self-standing films were obtained combining microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and photocured matrices. To understand the influence of the polarity and surface tension of the matrix on the properties of the composite, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate was selected as a hydrophilic matrix and soybean oil epoxidized acrylate as a hydrophobic matrix. Furthermore, the weight fraction of MFC also varied. The conversion and rate of the curing reaction, and the water vapor permeability were studied and discussed in the light of the morphology and composition of the composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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17 pages, 10053 KiB  
Article
High-Aligned PVDF Nanofibers with a High Electroactive Phase Prepared by Systematically Optimizing the Solution Property and Process Parameters of Electrospinning
by Zhongchen He, François Rault, Astha Vishwakarma, Elham Mohsenzadeh and Fabien Salaün
Coatings 2022, 12(9), 1310; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12091310 - 7 Sep 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2384
Abstract
Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-electrosprayed nanofibers have been the subject of much research due to their flexibility and piezoelectric properties compared to other piezoelectrics, for example, ceramics or other polymeric materials. The piezoelectric performance of PVDF is mainly related to the presence of β-phase. This [...] Read more.
Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-electrosprayed nanofibers have been the subject of much research due to their flexibility and piezoelectric properties compared to other piezoelectrics, for example, ceramics or other polymeric materials. The piezoelectric performance of PVDF is mainly related to the presence of β-phase. This study aims to determine the influence of working and formulation parameters on the generation of β-phase, morphology, and crystal structure of PVDF nanofibers. In addition, this research innovatively analyzes the effect of the dispersion state of PVDF molecular chains in the solvent on the electrospinning results. The morphology and crystal structure of PVDF nanofibers were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Beadless nanofibers are obtained when the PVDF concentration reaches the semi-diluted regime entangled in dimethylformamide (DMF) or DMF/acetone solution. The optimization of the process parameters (static collector, tip to collector distance—25 cm, flow rate—1 mL/h, applied voltage—20 kV) allows the increase in the β-phase fraction from 68.3% ± 1.2% to 94.5% ± 0.6% for a PVDF concentration of 25 w/v% in a DMF/acetone mixture (2/3 v/v). With these same parameters applied to a rotating collector, it was observed that the piezoelectric performance is at maximum for a maximum β-phase fraction of 90.6% ± 1.1%, obtained for a rotational speed of 200 rpm. The effect of orientation of PVDF nanofibers on piezoelectric properties was quantitatively discussed for the first time; the piezoelectric properties are independent of the alignment of the nanofibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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12 pages, 3863 KiB  
Article
Light-Induced Surface Wrinkling on Azo-Based Composite Films
by Bowen Wang, Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han and Conghua Lu
Coatings 2022, 12(5), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12050608 - 29 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1725
Abstract
Here we report a simple micro/nano patterning strategy based on light-induced surface wrinkling. Namely, we fabricated a film/substrate system composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a soft substrate and non-photosensitive polymer polystyrene (PS) mixed with azo-polymer (polydisperse orange 3, PDO3) as a [...] Read more.
Here we report a simple micro/nano patterning strategy based on light-induced surface wrinkling. Namely, we fabricated a film/substrate system composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a soft substrate and non-photosensitive polymer polystyrene (PS) mixed with azo-polymer (polydisperse orange 3, PDO3) as a stiff film. Taking advantage of the photo-thermal effect and photo-softening effect of PDO3, we fabricated various microstructured wrinkling morphologies by a simple light illumination. We investigated the influence of two exposure modes (i.e., static selective exposure and dynamic moving exposure), the illumination conditions, the composition of the blended film, and the film thickness on the resulting wrinkling patterns. It is highly expected that this azo-based photosensitive wrinkling system will be extended to functional systems for the realization of light-induced surface micro/nanopatterning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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17 pages, 8365 KiB  
Article
Polypyrrole-Coated Melamine Sponge as a Precursor for Conducting Macroporous Nitrogen-Containing Carbons
by Jaroslav Stejskal, Jarmila Vilčáková, Marek Jurča, Haojie Fei, Miroslava Trchová, Zdeňka Kolská, Jan Prokeš and Ivo Křivka
Coatings 2022, 12(3), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12030324 - 1 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2597
Abstract
Macroporous open-cell melamine sponges were coated with a conducting polymer, polypyrrole, during in-situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole. Two samples, differing in polypyrrole content, 8.2 and 27.4 wt%, were prepared. They were exposed to various temperatures up to 700 °C in an inert atmosphere. [...] Read more.
Macroporous open-cell melamine sponges were coated with a conducting polymer, polypyrrole, during in-situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole. Two samples, differing in polypyrrole content, 8.2 and 27.4 wt%, were prepared. They were exposed to various temperatures up to 700 °C in an inert atmosphere. The macroporous structure and mechanical integrity were preserved after this process. This converted both the polypyrrole coating and the melamine sponge to macroporous nitrogen-containing carbons. The changes in molecular structure in the course of carbonization were followed by elemental analysis and FTIR and Raman spectra. The specific surface area of polypyrrole-coated sponge increased from ca. 90 to ca. 300 m2 g−1 along with accompanying increase in the porosity. The conductivity of the sponges was recorded as a function of compression in a newly developed apparatus. The sponge containing 27.4 wt% pyrrole had conductivity of the order of 10−2 S·cm−1 at 0.1 MPa pressure, which was reduced by four orders of magnitude when exposed to 400–500 °C and nearly recovered after the temperature reached 700 °C. The sponges were tested in electromagnetic radiation shielding and displayed both radiation absorption and, to a lower extent, radiation reflection proportional mainly to the samples’ conductivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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14 pages, 2572 KiB  
Article
Evolution of the Surface Structure and Functional Properties of the Electroconducting Polymer Coatings onto Porous Films
by Galina Kazimirovna Elyashevich, Dmitry Igorevich Gerasimov, Ivan Sergeevich Kuryndin, Viktor Konstantinovich Lavrentyev, Elena Yurievna Rosova and Milana Ernestovna Vylegzhanina
Coatings 2022, 12(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12010051 - 2 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1472
Abstract
Composite systems containing electroconducting polymer coatings (polyaniline and polypyrrole) applied to porous films of semicrystalline polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinylidene fluoride) have been prepared. Porous supports were obtained in the process based on polymer melt extrusion with subsequent annealing, uniaxial extensions, and thermal [...] Read more.
Composite systems containing electroconducting polymer coatings (polyaniline and polypyrrole) applied to porous films of semicrystalline polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinylidene fluoride) have been prepared. Porous supports were obtained in the process based on polymer melt extrusion with subsequent annealing, uniaxial extensions, and thermal stabilization. Conducting coatings were formed by the oxidative polymerization of the monomers directly onto the porous supports. The structure (overall porosity, permeability, pore sizes, factor of orientation) and morphology (specific surface and character of the film surface) of the supports were characterized by sorptometry, filtration porosimetry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray scattering techniques. It was observed that the porous supports have a strongly developed relief surface which is formed in the pore formation process. It was proven by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that the porous supports have an oriented structure, and the surface of the composites is defined by the morphology inherent in the conducting component. It was shown that these composites (porous support/conducting coating) demonstrate electric conductivity both along the surface and between surfaces. It was demonstrated that the deposition of conducting coatings leads to an increase in the water wettability of the composites compared with pronounced hydrophobic supports. The composites are characterized by good adhesion between components due to a relief film surface as well as high mechanical strength and elasticity provided by the oriented character of the supports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymer Films and Their Applications)
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