Search results for "Polymers"

1995

Redoxactive liquid crystalline (LC) side group polymers were prepared by copolymerization of liquid crystalline acrylates and ferrocene-containing acrylates. The corresponding liquid crystalline ionomers were synthesized by a reversible redox reaction. The incorporation of tetra-alkylated ferrocene derivatives leads to LC polymers with reduced redox potential. These polymers can be oxidized under mild conditions to the corresponding ionomers, which are much more stable in solution than LC ionomers containing monoalkylated ferrocenium ions. Dynamic mechanical measurements and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) perfomed on LC ionomers prove the existence of ionic superstructures (clusters) w…

Morphology, rheology, and mechanical properties of a new nanobiocomposite

2015

Nanobiocomposites are a new class of biodegradable polymer materials with an ultrafine phase dispersion of the order of a few nanometers in a biodegradable polymer matrix that shows very interesting properties often very different from those of conventional filled polymers. In this work the morphology and the rheological and mechanical properties of a new nanobiocomposite made of a biodegradable copolyester based blend with an organomodified montmorillonite have been investigated to evaluate its possible use in several applications. SAXS diffractograms and TEM micrographs show that the in both the adopted processing conditions an hybrid intercalated/exfoliated morphology is observed. Rheolo…

Dynamics of phase separation and critical phenomena in polymer mixtures

1987

The phenomenological mean-field theory for statics and dynamics of polymer mixtures is described, generalizing the approaches of Flory-Huggins, Cahn-Hilliard and de Gennes. Predictions are made for critical behavior, spinodal decomposition and homogeneous nucleation. The validity of the mean-field approximations is discussed with Ginzburg criteria. The results of the theory are compared to computer simulations and recent experiments.

Simulating Copolymeric Nanoparticle Assembly in the Co-solvent Method: How Mixing Rates Control Final Particle Sizes and Morphologies

2018

Abstract The self-assembly of copolymeric vesicles and micelles in micromixers is studied by External Potential Dynamics (EPD) simulations – a dynamic density functional approach that explicitly accounts for the polymer architecture both at the level of thermodynamics and dynamics. Specifically, we focus on the co-solvent method, where nanoparticle precipitation is triggered by mixing a poor co-solvent into a homogeneous copolymer solution in a micromixer. Experimentally, it has been reported that the flow rate in the micromixers influences the size of the resulting particles as well as their morphology: At small flow rates, vesicles dominate; with increasing flow rate, more and more micell…

Photo-re-stabilisation of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses

2004

The photo-oxidation behaviour of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses has been studied in order to evaluate the environmental resistance of these secondary materials and the effect of some stabilising agents. The presence of the UV absorber slows down the weathering of the post-consumer materials. After about 1000 h of accelerated weathering the unstabilised post-consumer material becomes brittle, while the re-stabilised post-consumer film becomes fragile only after about 1500 h. A synergistic effect is observed when an antioxidant and an UV stabiliser are added. Indeed, in this case, the recycled material is not brittle even after more than 1700 h. These last results can be probab…

Durability of a strach-based biodegradable polymer

2007

Abstract The photo-oxidation and the photo-stabilization of a commercial biodegradable polymer have been investigated in order to establish the possibility of using this polymer as raw material for films for agriculture. The degradation has been followed by measuring the mechanical properties as a function of photo-oxidation time and in particular by following the elongation at break. The virgin polymer, made from maize starch and a synthetic biodegradable polyester, shows poor resistance to the UV irradiation as observed by the fast decay of the elongation at break, but the presence of small amounts of conventional UV stabilizers strongly improves the durability of this polymer. The UV sta…

1996

Combined LC-polymers possess the structural properties of both LC main chain and LC side chain polymers. Beneath this structural speciality, their broad LC-phases and their polymorphism (different smectic phases and one nematic phase as a function of temperature) make them interesting. Crucial to an understanding of them is the fact that main chain and side chain mesogens orient parallel to each other and interact cooperatively to form the LC-phase. Due to this synergism the temperature range of the LC-phase is much broader than that of the corresponding LC main chain and LC side chain polymers. This interplay of main chain and side chain mesogens allows structures to be designed with prefe…

Well-defined carbohydrate-based polymers in calcium carbonate crystallization: Influence of stereochemistry in the polymer side chain on polymorphism…

2015

Abstract In this work we demonstrate the remarkable phase control on the crystallization of calcium carbonate by the stereochemistry of carbohydrate-based polymers. The polymers (poly(2-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β- d -glucosyloxy)ethyl methacrylate) and poly(2-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β- d -galactosyloxy)ethyl methacrylate)) have been synthesized from the respective glucose or galactose containing monomers (3 step synthesis) by RAFT polymerization leading to well-defined carbohydrate-based polymers with number averages of the molecular weights (Mw) of 10,000–18,000 g/mol and a dispersities (Đ) from 1.1 to 1.2. For the deprotected polymers we found differences in the phase selection of calcium …

Master curves of viscoelastic behavior in the plastic region of a solid polymer

1977

Stress relaxation and creep tests following strain ramps were made on Mylar, both above and below the yield stress. The ramp velocity was varied over a 40-fold range. All data exhibit nonlinear viscoelastic behavior. However, those obtained above the yield point, i.e., in the plastic region, could be reduced to single master curves for both the creep and the relaxation tests by means of a simple time shift factor. This factor is inversely proportional to the strain rate existing just prior to the test.

Block and graft copolymers of 2-oxazolines

1994

The cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines is known to be initiated by alkyl halides, Lewis acids and esters of strong acids. The polymerization proceeds by a living mechanism. Numerous block and graft copolymers have already been described. Recently it was found that chloroformates (R-O-CO-CI) are also useful initiators. The mechanism of the initiation and propagation is discussed. This type of initiators allows the synthesis of different novel two-block and three-block copolymers, star-shape polymers, and a graft copolymer with a polyvinylacetate backbone.