Search results for "Polymers"

Radiolabeling of Nanoparticles and Polymers for PET Imaging

2014

Nanomedicine has become an emerging field in imaging and therapy of malignancies. Nanodimensional drug delivery systems have already been used in the clinic, as carriers for sensitive chemotherapeutics or highly toxic substances. In addition, those nanodimensional structures are further able to carry and deliver radionuclides. In the development process, non-invasive imaging by means of positron emission tomography (PET) represents an ideal tool for investigations of pharmacological profiles and to find the optimal nanodimensional architecture of the aimed-at drug delivery system. Furthermore, in a personalized therapy approach, molecular imaging modalities are essential for patient screeni…

Reactive Compatibilization of PBT/EVA Blends with an Ethylene-Acrylic Acid Copolymer and a Low Molar Mass Bis-Oxazoline

2004

Polyesters and polyolefins form highly incompatible blends with poor properties and gross morphology that hinder any practical applications. In this work, the possibility to compatibilize an incompatible blend of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) by adding a bis-oxazoline compound, 2,2'-(1,3-phenylene)-bis(2-oxazoline) (PBO), and an ethylene acrylic acid copolymer (EAA) as compatibilizer precursors has been studied. The results indicate that the binary uncompatibilized blends show poor mechanical properties and a bad morphology with scarce adhesion between the phases. The situation is only slightly improved when the EAA is added while the best performance …

On the modification of the nitrile groups of acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene into oxazoline in the melt

2000

Oxazoline functionality is well known to be highly reactive toward a lot of other functional groups like carboxyls, hydroxyls, mercaptans, and amines. In this work we report the possibility to modify the nitrile groups of an acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) copolymer into oxazoline in the molten state in the presence of aminoethanol as modifier agent and zinc acetate as a catalyst. The reaction has been carried out in a batch mixer and in a corotating twin screw extruder. The conversion of the nitrile groups into oxazoline has been verified by infrared spectroscopy, NMR analysis microanalysis and confirmed by thermomechanical characterization. The results indicate that the kinetic of g…

FRP reinforcement for concrete structures: state-of-the-art review of application and design

2014

Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are considered to be a promising alternative to steel reinforcement, especially in concrete structures subjected to an aggressive environment or to the effects of electromagnetic fields. Although attempts to develop effective reinforcement have been followed, the application of FRPs remains limited by the solution to simple structural problems that mainly appear due to the absence of design codes, significant variation in the material properties of FRP composites and limited knowledge gained by engineers as regards the application aspects of FRP composites and structural mechanics of concrete elements reinforced with FRPs. To fill the latter gap, the current…

Controlling the crystal growth of potassium iodide with a 1,1'-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)-2,2'-biimidazole ligand (L) – formation of a linear [K4I4L4]n …

2018

The crystal growth of potassium iodide was controlled by using the neutral organic 1,1′-bis(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)-2,2′-biimidazole (L) ligand as a modifier. The selected modifier allows the preservation of original cubic [K4I4] units and their arrangement into a linear ligand-supported 1D chain. The supported [K4I4] cubes are only slightly distorted compared to the cubes found in pure KI salt. The N–K binding of the ligand to the KI salt, as well as weak I⋯H, N⋯H, and N⋯I interactions, stabilizes the structure to create a unique 1D polymer of neutral potassium iodide ionic salt inside the [K4I4L4]n complex.

Tissue Engineering Biopolymers

2011

Tissue engineering has always been a multidisciplinary research area focused on tissue regeneration and restoration of organs function, through implantation of cells or tissues growing outside the body. According to increase in knowledge of the interactions between living organisms and biomaterials, development and diversification of biocompatible devices has brought the world of medicine to what has been the greatest therapeutic revolution of our times. The main challenge of biomaterials is not only related to "tolerance-biocompatibility" by the body but also in its functionality. A biomaterial must be able to positively interact with tissues and exercise those functions for which it was d…

Polymeric nanoparticles for siRNA delivery: Production and applications

2017

Gene therapy through the use of siRNA and a polymeric carrier are becoming an efficient therapeutic option to conventional pharmaceutical formulations for the treatment of deadly diseases, such as cancer, pulmonary, ocular and neurodegenerative diseases. However, several considerations regarding the stability, formulation, and efficacy have to be faced up until these systems could be considered to be a marketable pharmaceutical products for to extend siRNA application to clinical practice. This review is focused on the key challenges of siRNA therapeutics, with special attention on the faced obstacles and on the formulation-related difficulties, providing a list of requirements needed for o…

Low-temperature thermal and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of metal oxide thin films

2017

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a method for thin film fabrication with atomic level precision. This thesis focuses on low-temperature thermal and plasma- enhanced ALD and presents results on thin film growth by these techniques with examples of common ALD materials: Al2O3, ZnO and TiO2. As an example of limitations of the thermal ALD the nucleation and growth of Al2O3 and ZnO films on different grades of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are presented, showing that the initiation of the growth is strongly dependent on both the deposited material and the substrate. A potential application of the ALD ZnO films in polymer surface functionalization is demonstrated by changing in the surface wettab…

ETICHETTE INTELLIGENTI PER LA RILEVAZIONE VISIVA DEL DETERIORAMENTO DEI PRODOTTI ALIMENTARI

2015

Local mechanical properties by Atomic Force Microscopy nanoindentations

2008

The analysis of mechanical properties on a nanometer scale is a useful tool for combining information concerning texture organization obtained by microscopy with the properties of individual components- Moreover, this technique promotes the understanding of the hierarchical arrangement in complex natural materials as well in the case of simpler morphologies arising from industrial processes. Atomic Force Microscopy, AFM, can bridge morphological information, obtained with outstanding resolution, to local mechanical properties. When performing an AFM nanoindentation, the rough force curve, i.e., the plot of the voltage output from the photodiode vs. the voltage applied to the piezo-scanner, …