Search results for "Biomaterials"

Towards completely miscible PMMA nanocomposites reinforced by shear-stiff, nano-mica

2014

Abstract Optimizing the reinforcement of polymers with nanoplatelets requires optimization of the aspect ratio and the moduli of the filler while providing a complete stress transfer. Employing a novel shear-stiff, nano-mica with large aspect ratio, we focus on maximizing the interfacial interaction between filler and matrix. External surfaces of the nano-mica were selectively modified by a polycationic macro-initiator and two PMMA-polymer brushes of length below and above critical entanglement length, respectively, and the mechanical properties of the three PMMA nanocomposites were measured. The multiple electrostatic anchoring groups of the macro-initiator not only provide reliable adhesi…

Stable Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Using Hyperbranched Polymer Electrolyte

2021

The choice of an adequate electrolyte is a fundamental aspect in polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) as it provides the in situ electrochemical doping and influences the performance of these devices. In this study, a hyperbranched polymer (Hybrane DEO750 8500) blended with a Li salt is used as a novel electrolyte in state-of-the-art Super Yellow (a polyphenylenevinylene) based LECs. Due to the desirable properties of the hyperbranched polymer and the homogeneous and smooth films that it forms with the emitting polymer, PLEC with excellent electroluminescent properties are obtained using a pulsed current bias scheme. The devices are very stable, with lifetimes in excess of 2…

Photoresponsive Ferroelectric Liquid-Crystalline Polymers

2007

The photoresponse of ferroelectric smectic side-chain liquid-crystalline (LC) polymers containing a photoisomerizable azobenzene derivative as a covalently linked photochromic side group is investigated. By static measurements in different photostationary states, the effect of trans-cis isomerization on the material's phase-transition temperatures and its ferroelectric properties (spontaneous electric polarization Ps and director tilt angle 0) are analyzed. It turns out that the Curie temperature (transition S C * to S A ) can be reversibly shifted by up to 17 °C. The molecular mechanism of this "photoferroelectric effect" is studied in detail using time-resolved measurements of the dye's o…

Glycopolymer Functionalization of Engineered Spider Silk Protein-based Materials for Improved Cell Adhesion

2014

Silk protein-based materials are promising biomaterials for application as tissue scaffolds, due to their processability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The preparation of films composed of an engineered spider silk protein (eADF4(C16)) and their functionalization with glycopolymers are described. The glycopolymers bind proteins found in the extracellular matrix, providing a biomimetic coating on the films that improves cell adhesion to the surfaces of engineered spider silk films. Such silk-based materials have potential as coatings for degradable implantable devices.

Calculation of Dependent Elastic Constants of Plastic Foams with a Pronounced Strut-Like Structure

2003

Seven dependent elastic constants of monotropic plastic foams with an expressed strut-like structure are calculated. For this purpose, the basic results of the previously elaborated mathematical model for light-weight plastic foams is used. The model includes a model cell of local structure for monotropic/isotropic plastic foams and an ensemble of structural elements, which allows one to calculate the seven dependent elastic constants, taking into account the pronounced polydispersity of the structure of plastic foams. The numerical values of the constants are compared with the available experimental data, and a satisfactory agreement is found to exist. As a final result, a full set of gene…

Role of Solvent Compatibility in the Phase Behavior of Binary Solutions of Weakly Associating Multivalent Polymers

2021

AbstractCondensate formation of biopolymer solutions, prominently those of various intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), is determined by “sticky” interactions between associating residues, multivalently present along the polymer backbone. Using a ternary mean field “stickers-and-spacers” model, we demonstrate that if sticker association is of the order of a few times the thermal energy, a delicate balance between specific binding and non-specific polymer-solvent interactions gives rise to a particularly rich ternary phase behavior under physiological circumstances. For a generic system represented by a solution comprising multi-associative scaffold and client polymers, the difference i…

Composite films of natural clay nanotubes with cellulose and chitosan

2014

Composite films based on cellulose, chitosan and halloysite clay nanotubes were prepared using a solution casting method, which allowed for a uniform distribution of nanotubes within the material and provided control over the morphology of the composite. The mechanical performance of these bio nanocomposites is influenced by humidity and the nanotubes showed a plasticisation effect on the polymeric matrix. The composites of chitosan and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), with modified hydrophobic inner lumens, resulted in a technique for controlled and sustainable surface cleaning. Lignocellulose wood microfibres modified with HNTs were also produced by a layer-by-layer assembly. The obtained ma…

2019

Abstract The preparation method of a polymer composite and the filler loading are amongst the factors that influence the properties of the final composites. This article studies the effect of these factors on the thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites filled with small amounts of MCM-41. The PMMA/MCM-41 composites were prepared through in situ polymerisation and melt mixing methods, with MCM-41 loadings of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%. The presence of MCM-41 increased the thermal stability of PMMA/MCM-41 composites prepared by melt mixing, but in the case of the in situ polymerised samples, the MCM-41 accelerate…

SPM and TOF-SIMS investigation of the physical and chemical modification induced by tip writing of self-assembled monolayers

2003

Abstract The nanoelectrochemical modification of alkyl self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) obtained on hydrogenated silicon surfaces via radical-initiated reactions of 1-octadecene has been investigated. Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) showed that the modification of the organic layer occurs by applying either positive or negative biases to the tip at a threshold of about ±5 V. When the bias absolute value was ≤6 V, the height of the monolayer was only faintly modified, whereas a consistent increase in tip/sample friction force was observed, in agreement with the formation of hydrophilic moieties at the organic surface. In addition to the increase of friction, bias absolute values larger than …

Iron(II) Metallomesogens Exhibiting Coupled Spin State and Liquid Crystal Phase Transitions near Room Temperature

2008

Reaction of the ligand 2,2,2-tris(2-aza-3-((5-akloxy)(6-methyl)(2-pyridyl))prop-2-enyl)ethane (C n -tameMe) with Fe(X) 2 . sH 2 O salts afforded a series of spin crossover metallomesogens with general formula [Fe(C n -tame)](X) 2 . sH 2 O (s ≥ 0), with n = 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, or 20 and X =ClO 4 - or BF 4 -. Single crystal X-ray measurements have been performed on the [Fe(C 6 -tameMe)](ClO 4 ) 2 (C 6 -1) derivative at 100 K. The complex C 6 -1 crystallizes in the triclinic system and adopts the Pbca space group. The iron(II) ion is in a distorted octahedral environment shaped by three imine and three pyridine nitrogen atoms of the C n -tameMe ligand. The average Fe-N im and Fe-N py bo…