Search results for "polymers"
showing 10 items of 3567 documents
Optimization of spinning, drawing, and annealing conditions in the production of highly oriented fibers from the polycaprolactam/3.7% LiCl system
1982
A polycaprolactam/3.7% w/w LiCl system, obtained by anionic polymerization of caprolactam directly in the presence of salt, has been employed for the production of highly oriented fibers. More particularly, an optimization of spinning, drawing, and annealing conditions has been performed, finally obtaining fibers which shows very satisfactory mechanical results. Namely, average moduli values up to 12 GPa and strength values up to 1 GPa when fracture is far from clamps, have been observed.
Shear-aligned block copolymer monolayers as seeds to control the orientational order in cylinder-forming block copolymer thin films
2016
We study the dynamics of coarsening of a cylinder-forming block copolymer thin film deposited on a prepatterned substrate made of a well-ordered block copolymer monolayer. During thermal annealing the shear-aligned bottom layer drives extinction of the disclinations and promotes a strong orientational correlation, disturbed only by dislocations and undulations along the cylinders of the minority phase. The thin film bilayer system remains stable during annealing, in agreement with self-consistent field theory results that indicate that although the thickness of a stack of two monolayers is not at the optimum thickness condition, it is very close to equilibrium. Phase field simulations indic…
Highly Ordered Nanoporous Thin Films from Photocleavable Block Copolymers
2011
Poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) with an o-nitrobenzyl ester photocleavable junction (PS-hν-PEO) was synthesized by a combined RAFT polymerization and “click chemistry“ approach and represents the first report utilizing this method for the synthesis of photocleavable block copolymers. After solvent annealing, highly ordered thin films were prepared from PS-hν-PEO. Following a very mild UV exposure and successive washing with water, PS-hν-PEO thin films were transformed into highly ordered nanoporous thin PS films with pore diameters of 15–20 nm and long range ordering (over 2 μm × 2 μm). Afterwards the pores were filled with PDMS by spin-coating in combination with capillary forces. After…
Orientation and order in thin films of a combined liquid crystalline polymer
1994
The order in thin films of a combined liquid crystalline polymer is studied by X-ray reflection. Films of thicknesses of less than 200 nm on float glass are investigated as a function of temperature. The polymer with mesogenic groups in the main and side-chains exhibits smectic and cholesteric mesophases. Measurements in the smectic phases show a Bragg peak and smectic layers are oriented parallel to the substrate. The sample is thus macroscopically ordered by the influence of substrate and free surface. The film surface is very smooth after spincoating; surface roughness is typically 0.8 nm. First annealing of samples leads to a significant roughening of the free surface; roughness increas…
Rheological Response of Polyethylene/Clay Nanocomposites to Annealing Treatment
2007
The rheological response of a polyethylene/clay nanocomposite to annealing treatment under air and nitrogen atmospheres was studied. The treatment influences the rheology of the nanocomposite significantly. In particular, the viscosity and the non-Newtonian behavior dramatically increase with annealing time, and a liquid-like/solid-like transition is observed. The annealed samples were characterized by ATR-FT-IR spectrometry and it was shown that a silicate-rich layer is formed on the surface of the nanocomposite. This result was confirmed by TEM images of bulk and surface of annealed samples. It was demonstrated that the formation of this coating is the main cause of the change of rheologi…
Creating Defined 3-D Defects Inside an Opaline Ormocer® Matrix with Two-Photon Lithography
2007
The creation of defined structures inside a synthetic opal is a key step toward applications in optics, where control of the propagation of light inside a photonic crystal is necessary. In a previous paper, we described the nanostructuring of Ormocer® to form inverse opals (Lange et al., Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2006, 27, 1746). Here, we report an application for this robust replica process in which defects can be directly produced within the PC by two-photon lithography. The holes of an inverse opal structure are first filled with a resin of similar refractive index. In this transparent material, polymerization can be initiated at defined places via two-photon lithography. After removal of …
Deconvolution of the Effects of Binary Associations and Collective Assemblies on the Rheological Properties of Entangled Side-Chain Supramolecular Po…
2019
The properties and function of supramolecular polymer networks are determined not only by pairwise interchain transient associations but also by chain entanglement and nanoscopic phase separation of the associative groups. To unravel the impact and interplay of these different factors, we devise a set of model supramolecular polymer networks in which the number of entanglements and the density of associative groups are systematically varied. Rheological data show that by increasing the density of associative groups, the plateau modulus grows to a steady level and extends over a distinct frequency range. This is credited to the presence of binary associations with unique partner exchange tim…
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and Copolymers: A Review on Recent Progresses in Biomedical Applications.
2017
The innate ability of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) thermo-responsive hydrogel to copolymerize and to graft synthetic polymers and biomolecules, in conjunction with the highly controlled methods of radical polymerization which are now available, have expedited the widespread number of papers published in the last decade—especially in the biomedical field. Therefore, PNIPAAm-based hydrogels are extensively investigated for applications on the controlled delivery of active molecules, in self-healing materials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, or in the smart encapsulation of cells. The most promising polymers for biodegradability enhancement of PNIPAAm hydrogels are probably…
Optimization of electrospun polylactide-based ultrathin fibers for osteoconductive bone scaffolds
2011
Bone tissue interfacial scaffolds, which encourage cell growth, are critical determinants for clinical success after implant surgery. Over the years, a number of resorbable configurations have emerged for bone cell support and growth, but only a few have demonstrated clinical efficacy. Polymer coatings produced by electrospinning are regarded as very promising bone interfaces because of the ultrathin-scaled dimensions of its physical structure. In this study, the morphology, composition, thermal properties, and cell growth viability of a number of polylactide-based systems containing different binary and ternary formulations of this biomaterial with collagen and commercial hydroxyapatite na…
E-beam irradiation and UV photocrosslinking of microemulsion-laden poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) hydrogels for ‘‘in situ’’ encapsulation of volatile hy…
2011
Gelled microemulsions are the subject of considerable scientific and commercial interest. Many efforts are currently devoted to improving their toxicological profile and functioning as biocompatible diffusion barrier for the controlled delivery of hydrophobic compounds. In the present investigation, a non-ionic polymeric surfactant was chosen to generate an oil-in-water microemulsion of a model fragrance in the presence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP). The microemulsion was then subjected to either electron-beam or UV-irradiation to induce free-radical crosslinking of PVP at low temperature and in the absence of crosslinking agents, catalysts and initiators. Irradiation conditions with…