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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2024) | Viewed by 8348

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Prof. Dr. Marcel Popa

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“Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environment Protection, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University, 700050 Iasi, Romania
Interests: polysaccharide modification; bioactive polymers; biomaterials; hydrogels; interpenetrated networks; micro- and nanoparticles (spheres and capsules); hybrid and functionalized nanoparticles for drug targeting; drug delivery; polymer–drug conjugates
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Prof. Dr. Liliana Verestiuc

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Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Bioengineering, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iaşi, Romania
Interests: polymers; hydrogels; biomaterials; tissue enginering; drug delivery systems; nanotechnologies

Dr. Lorenzo Antonio Picos Corrales

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Laboratorio de Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería Culiacán, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Culiacán, Sinaloa P.O. Box: 80013, Mexico
Interests: synthesis and characterization of polymers; controlled drug delivery; polymeric carriers; water remediation; flocculants and adsorbents; chitosan; stimuli-responsive polymers
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue intends to collect reviews and articles on the aspects of the synthesis, characterization, and applications of crosslinked polymers, and achievements in the field. Polymeric networks can be obtained by either chemical crosslinking (when the crosslinks are formed by covalent chemical bonds) or physical gelation (when the crosslinks are formed by physical interaction).

The applications of polymer networks are extremely varied in different fields of technology, as well as in the field of biomedical or environmental protection, with these materials obviously contributing to the increase in the quality of our lives. This special issue deals with all branches of science, biology, medicine, and technology connected to emerging new research in the field of hydrogels, including but not limited to natural and synthetic chemical hydrogels, physical hydrogels, vitrigels, cryogels, hydrogel characterization techniques, interpenetrating and interconnecting networks with hydrogel characteristics, hydrogels as smart polymers and biomaterials, hydrophilic–hydrophobic interpenetrating polymer networks, homopolymers, copolymers and multipolymer hydrogels, nanogels, composite hydrogels, superadsorbent hydrogels, fast responsive hydrogels, smart hydrogels (stimuli responsive hydrogels), micro/nanoparticulate hydrogels, hydrogel films, hydrogel foams and sponges, biodegradation of hydrogels, hydrogels for drug delivery, enzymes immobilized on hydrogels, medical applications of hydrogels (e.g., medical technology, restorative medicine, diagnostic systems, cancer therapy, drug controlled release, gene vectors, biosensors, contact lenses, membranes, medical implants, and inserts), applications of hydrogels in veterinary medicine, cosmetics, tissue engineering, cell culture, biotechnology, environmental remediation, artificial muscles and organs, computational and theoretical aspects, molecular simulations of hydrogel structures, and much more.

The scope of the special issue covers but is not limited to the following topics:

Covalent networks
Ionic networks (ionic gelation)
Double crosslinked networks
Interpolymer complexes
Interpenetration networks (IPN)
Semi-interpenetrated networks (semi-IPN)
Thermosetting polymers
Elastomers
Hydrogels—films, particles
Applications of hydrogels in cosmetics
Biomedical applications of hydrogels
Hydrogels in tissue engineering

Prof. Dr. Marcel Popa
Prof. Dr. Liliana Verestiuc
Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Antonio Picos Corrales
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

chemical crosslinking
ionic gelation
interpolymeric complexes
interpenetrated networks
semi-interpenetrated networks
gels
hydrogels
hydrogel micro/nanoparticles
hydrogel films

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3436 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Two Crosslinked Polymer Systems Including Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide and Acrylic Acid–Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Co-Polymer for Carbon Dioxide and Formation Water Diversion Through Relative Permeability Reduction in Unconsolidated Sandstone Formation

by Sherif Fakher, Abdelaziz Khlaifat, Karim Mokhtar and Mariam Abdelsamei

Polymers 2024, 16(24), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16243503 - 17 Dec 2024

Viewed by 670

Abstract

One of the most challenging aspects of manipulating the flow of fluids in subsurfaces is to control their flow direction and flow behavior. This can be especially challenging for compressible fluids, such as CO₂, and for multiphase flow, including both water and carbon dioxide (CO₂). This research studies the ability of two crosslinked polymers, including hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and acrylic acid/hydrolyzed polyacrylamide crosslinked polymers, to reduce the permeability of both CO₂ and formation water using different salinities and permeability values and in the presence of crude oil under different injection rates. The result showed that both polymers managed to reduce the permeability of water effectively; however, their CO₂ permeability-reduction potential was much lower, with the CO₂ permeability reduction being less than 50% of the water reduction potential in the majority of the experiments. This was mainly due to the high flow rate of the CO₂ compared to the water, which resulted in significant shearing of the crosslinked polymer. The crosslinked polymers’ swelling ratios were impacted differently based on the salinity, with the maximum swelling ratio being 9.8. The HPAM polymer was negatively affected by the presence of crude oil, whereas increasing salinity improved its performance greatly. All in all, both polymers had a higher permeability reduction for the formation water compared to CO₂ under all conditions. This research can help improve the applicability of CO₂-enhanced oil recovery and CO₂ storage in depleted oil reservoirs. The ability of the crosslinked polymers to improve CO₂ storage will be a main focus of future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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11 pages, 3848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Covalent Adaptable Network of Semicrystalline Polyolefin Blend with Triple-Shape Memory Effect

by Hann Lee, Yujin Jang, Young-Wook Chang and Changgyu Lim

Polymers 2024, 16(19), 2714; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192714 - 25 Sep 2024

Viewed by 754

Abstract

A covalent adaptable network (CAN) of semicrystalline polyolefin blends with triple-shape memory effects was fabricated by the reactive melt blending of maleated polypropylene (mPP) and maleated polyolefin elastomer (mPOE) (50 wt/50 wt) in the presence of a small amount of a tetrafunctional thiol (PETMP) and 1,5,7-triazabicyclo [4,4,0]dec-5-ene (TBD). The polymer blend formed a chemically crosslinked network via the reaction between the thiol group of PETMP and maleic anhydride of both polymers in the blend, which was confirmed by FTIR, the variation of torque during the melt mixing process, a solubility test, and DMA. DSC analysis revealed that the crosslinked polyolefin blends show two distinct crystalline melting transitions corresponding to each component polymer. Improved tensile strength as well as elongation at break were observed in the crosslinked blend as compared to the simple blend, and the mechanical properties were maintained after repeated melt processing. These results suggest that thermoplastic polyolefin blends can be transformed into a high-performance and value-added material with good recyclability and reprocessability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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22 pages, 5195 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Xanthan–Polyurethane Conjugates: An Efficient Approach for Drug Delivery

by Narcis Anghel, Iuliana Spiridon, Maria-Valentina Dinu, Stelian Vlad and Mihaela Pertea

Polymers 2024, 16(12), 1734; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16121734 - 19 Jun 2024

Viewed by 901

Abstract

The antifungal agent, ketoconazole, and the anti-inflammatory drug, piroxicam, were incorporated into matrices of xanthan or oleic acid-esterified xanthan (Xn) and polyurethane (PU), to develop topical drug delivery systems. Compared to matrices without bioactive compounds, which only showed a nominal compressive stress of 32.18 kPa (sample xanthan–polyurethane) at a strain of 71.26%, the compressive resilience of the biomaterials increased to nearly 50.04 kPa (sample xanthan–polyurethane–ketoconazole) at a strain of 71.34%. The compressive strength decreased to around 30.67 kPa upon encapsulating a second drug within the xanthan–polyurethane framework (sample xanthan–polyurethane–piroxicam/ketoconazole), while the peak sustainable strain increased to 87.21%. The Weibull model provided the most suitable fit for the drug release kinetics. Unlike the materials based on xanthan–polyurethane, those made with oleic acid-esterified xanthan–polyurethane released the active ingredients more slowly (the release rate constant showed lower values). All the materials demonstrated antimicrobial effectiveness. Furthermore, a higher volume of piroxicam was released from oleic acid-esterified xanthan–polyurethane–piroxicam (64%) as compared to xanthan–polyurethane–piroxicam (44%). Considering these results, materials that include polyurethane and either modified or unmodified xanthan showed promise as topical drug delivery systems for releasing piroxicam and ketoconazole. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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12 pages, 1964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Initiators, Particle Size and Composition on the Electrokinetic Potential of N-(Isopropyl)acrylamide Derivatives

by Monika Gasztych, Aleksandra Malamis and Witold Musiał

Polymers 2024, 16(7), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16070907 - 26 Mar 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1061

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the zeta potential of particles sensitive to external thermal stimuli. Poly N-(isopropyl) acrylamide (PNIPA) was selected as the thermosensitive polymer with a volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) between 32 and 33 °C. The hydrodynamic diameter (D_H) of the nanoparticles was measured by dynamic light scattering. Zeta potential (ZP) measurements were performed with the same instrument used for D_H measurements. ZP measurements allow the prediction of the stability of colloidal systems in aqueous solutions. These measurements were combined with a pH study before and after the purification process of the particles. The ZP was measured to determine the electrostatic interactions between the particles, which can lead to particle aggregation and decrease their colloidal stability. The effect of the composition of the synthesized particles on the ZP was assessed. One of the most important factors influencing ZP is pH, especially in aqueous solutions. The initiator did not significantly affect the D_H of the particles, but it did significantly affect the ZP. The synthesized particles were subjected to a visible radiation absorption study in the selected temperature range to determine the VPTT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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25 pages, 5137 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of Synthesis of Dual-Curing Thermoplastic Polyurethane Hot-Melt Adhesive and Optimization by Using Gray Relational Analysis to Apply in Fabric Industry to Solve Seamless Bonding Issues

by Sheng-Yu Lin, Naveed Ahmad and Chung-Feng Jeffrey Kuo

Polymers 2024, 16(4), 467; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16040467 - 7 Feb 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1555

Abstract

People wear clothes for warmth, survival and necessity in modern life, but in the modern era, eco-friendliness, shortened production times, design and intelligence also matter. To determine the relationship between data series and verify the proximity of each data series, a gray relational analysis, or GRA, is applied to textiles, where seamless bonding technology enhances the bond between components. In this study, a polyurethane prepolymer, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (2-HEA) as an end-capping agent and n-octyl acrylate (ODA) as a photoinitiator were used to synthesize a dual-curing polyurethane hot-melt adhesive. Taguchi quality engineering and a gray relational analysis were used to discuss the influence of different mole ratios of NCO:OH and the effect of the molar ratio of the addition of octyl decyl acrylate on the mechanical strength. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed the termination of the prepolymer’s polymerization reaction and the C=O peak intensity at 1730 cm⁻¹, indicating efficient bonding to the main chain. Advanced Polymer Chromatography (APC) was used to investigate the high-molecular-weight (20,000–30,000) polyurethane polymer bonded with octyl decyl acrylate to achieve a photothermosetting effect. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed that the thermal decomposition temperature of the polyurethane hot-melt adhesive also increased, and they showed the highest pyrolysis temperature (349.89 °C) for the polyhydric alcohols. Furthermore, high peel strength (1.68 kg/cm) and shear strength (34.94 kg/cm²) values were detected with the dual-cure photothermosetting polyurethane hot-melt adhesive. The signal-to-noise ratio was also used to generate the gray relational degree. It was observed that the best parameter ratio of NCO:OH was 4:1 with five moles of monomer. The Taguchi quality engineering method was used to find the parameters of single-quality optimization, and then the gray relation calculation was used to obtain the parameter combination of multi-quality optimization for thermosetting the polyurethane hot-melt adhesive. The study aims to meet the requirements of seamless bonding in textile factories and optimize experimental parameter design by setting target values that can effectively increase production speed and reduce processing time and costs as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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12 pages, 3251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Formulation and Characterization of Sustainable Algal-Derived Nanoemulgels: A Green Approach to Minimize the Dependency on Synthetic Surfactants

by Patricia Tello, Jenifer Santos, Nuria Calero and Luis A. Trujillo-Cayado

Polymers 2024, 16(2), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16020194 - 9 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1361

Abstract

Phycocyanin (PC), a natural protein that is very interesting from the medical point of view due to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is obtained from algae. This compound is gaining positions for applications in the food industry. The main objective of this work was to obtain nanoemulgels formulated with PC and k-carrageenan (a polymer that is obtained from algae as well). An optimization of the processing parameters (homogenization pressure and number of cycles) and the ratio of PC and a well-known synthetic surfactant (Tween 80) was developed using response surface methodology. The results of this optimization were 25,000 psi, seven cycles, and a 1:1 ratio of PC/Tween80. However, the necessity for the incorporation of a polymer that plays a thickener role was observed. Hence, k-carrageenan (k-C) was used to retard the creaming process that these nanoemulsions suffered. The incorporation of this biopolymer provoked the creation of a network that showed gel-type behavior and flow indexes very close to zero. Thanks to the combined use of these two sustainable and algae-obtained compounds, stable nanoemulgels were obtained. This work has proved that the combined use of PC and k-C has emerged as a sustainable alternative to stabilize dispersed systems for the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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23 pages, 9391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Superparamagnetic Hybrid Nanospheres Based on Chitosan Obtained by Double Crosslinking in a Reverse Emulsion for Cancer Treatment

by Mohammed Dellali, Kheira Zanoune, Mihaela Hamcerencu, Corina-Lenuța Logigan, Marcel Popa and Hacene Mahmoudi

Polymers 2023, 15(23), 4493; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15234493 - 22 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1068

Abstract

Nowadays, the Magnetically Targeted Drug Delivery System (MTDDS) is among the most attractive and promising strategies for delivering drugs to the target site. The present study aimed to obtain a biopolymer–magnetite–drug nanosystem via a double crosslinking (ionic and covalent) technique in reverse emulsion, which ensures the mechanical stability of the polymer support in the form of original hybrid nanospheres (NSMs) loaded with biologically active principles (the 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)) as a potential treatment for cancer. Obtained NSMs were characterized in terms of structure (FT-IR), size (DLS), morphology (SEM), swelling, and 5-FU entrapment/release properties, which were dependent on the synthesis parameters (polymer concentration, dispersion speed, and amount of ionic crosslinking agent). SEM analysis results revealed that NSMs presented a spherical shape and are homogeneous and separated. Moreover, NSMs’ ability to load/release 5-FU was tested in vitro, the results confirming, as expected, their dependence on the varied synthesis process and NSM swelling ability in physiological liquids. The drug transport mechanism through the polymer matrix of its release is the Fickian type. The morphological, bio-material characteristics and the ability to include and release an antitumor drug highlight the utility of the NSMs obtained for targeting and treating some tumor diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Polymer Networks)

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