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Polymers
Special Issues
Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites
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Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2022) | Viewed by 9284

Special Issue Editors

Dr. A. K. Prasannan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), No. 43, Section 4, Keelung Road, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Interests: polymer science; polymeric nanocomposites; synthetic organic chemistry; biomedical materials; membranes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Saravanan Adhimoorthy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), No. 43, Section 4, Keelung Road, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Interests: semiconductor nano-device fabrications; polymers nano-hybrid semiconductor materials synthesis; polymer based optoelectronic materials and devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer-based hybrids/nanocomposite materials have attractive applications in various sectors because of their enhanced physicochemical properties. Recently, there has been emerging interest in the development of polymer-based nanocomposites in order to achieve desired properties in line with required applications. Polymeric nanocomposites with various nanomaterials such as metal nanoparticles, metal oxides, nano-clay, graphene, carbon nanotubes, etc., exhibit enhanced optoelectronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties due to their diverse interfacial properties. Hence, they are utilized as hybrid materials for significant applications in various fields.

This Special Issue will contemplate the functional features of fabrication and characterization of emergent polymeric nanocomposites in various applications in catalysis, as sensors, as fuel cells, in environmental remediation, as photodetectors, as membrane materials, in tissue/bone engineering, and as drug carriers. The objective is to share the current progressive tendencies of diverse polymeric nanocomposite materials and their standpoints for forthcoming generation.

Prof. Dr. A. K. Prasannan
Prof. Dr. Saravanan Adhimoorthy
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

  • polymer nanocomposites
  • polymeric membrane
  • stimuli-responsive polymers, environmental remediation
  • catalysis
  • sensors
  • fuel cells
  • tissue/bone engineering
  • drug carriers

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5452 KiB  
Article
Polystyrene-Sepiolite Clay Nanocomposites with Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Properties
by Shafi Ur Rehman, Sana Javaid, Muhammad Shahid, Iftikhar Hussain Gul, Badar Rashid, Caroline R. Szczepanski, Muhammad Naveed and Sabrina J. Curley
Polymers 2022, 14(17), 3576; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14173576 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1890
Abstract
Polystyrene (PS)/sepiolite clay nanocomposites were prepared via the melt extrusion technique using vinyl tri-ethoxy silane (VTES) as the compatibilizer and cross-linking agent. Mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant properties of the newly developed polystyrene-based nanocomposites were determined. Surface morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy [...] Read more.
Polystyrene (PS)/sepiolite clay nanocomposites were prepared via the melt extrusion technique using vinyl tri-ethoxy silane (VTES) as the compatibilizer and cross-linking agent. Mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant properties of the newly developed polystyrene-based nanocomposites were determined. Surface morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), examining the distribution of the filler in various compositions of fabricated composites. Structural analysis of the samples was carried out using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Thermal stability was determined by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), showing a maximum 30.2 wt.% increase in residue by adding sepiolite clay. The results obtained from the dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) in terms of the storage modulus, loss modulus and damping factor exhibited better stress transfer rate and effective interfacial adhesion between the filler and the matrix. The higher filler loaded sample showed greater flame retardancy by decreasing the burning rate up to 48%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites)
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14 pages, 5636 KiB  
Article
Utilization of Sulfonated Waste Polystyrene-Based Cobalt Ferrite Magnetic Nanocomposites for Efficient Degradation of Calcon Dye
by Vennila Srinivasan, Vasam Sumalatha, Adhimoorthy Prasannan and Sankar Govindarajan
Polymers 2022, 14(14), 2909; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14142909 - 17 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1625
Abstract
We presented a simple and efficient method for making a polymer–metal nanocomposite using various amounts of cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (CoFe2O4 MNp) with sulfonated waste polystyrene (SWPS) and utilized for Calcon dye degradation. The MNp was encapsulated with SWPS to [...] Read more.
We presented a simple and efficient method for making a polymer–metal nanocomposite using various amounts of cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles (CoFe2O4 MNp) with sulfonated waste polystyrene (SWPS) and utilized for Calcon dye degradation. The MNp was encapsulated with SWPS to avoid agglomeration and maintain its smaller size. ATR-FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmittance electron microscopy (HR-TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and solid UV were used to analyze the produced polymeric magnetic nanoparticles (SWPS/MNp). As the MNp loading increases, the average particle size decreases. For Calcon dye degradation, SWPS/MNp (20 wt%) was utilized with a smaller average particle size, and the structural changes were detected using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. As a result, the Calcon dye’s characteristic absorbance peak at 515 nm was red-shifted to 536 and 565 nm after 5 min, resulting in a color shift from dark brown to light blue that could be seen with the naked eye. A strong linear correlation was found between the red-shifted absorbance and the concentration of dye solution over the range of 10–100 ppm under optimal conditions. The proposed dye degradation process is simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly and has been successfully used to purify organic azo-dye-containing water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites)
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15 pages, 5587 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Aerosolization Performance of HydroxyPropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin Particles Produced Using Supercritical Assisted Atomization
by Hsien-Tsung Wu, Yao-Hsiang Chuang, Han-Cyuan Lin and Liang-Jung Chien
Polymers 2021, 13(14), 2260; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13142260 - 09 Jul 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1705
Abstract
In this study, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) particles were produced using supercritical assisted atomization (SAA) with carbon dioxide as the spraying medium or co-solute and aqueous ethanol solution as the solvent. The effects of several key factors on the morphology and size of the HP-β-CD [...] Read more.
In this study, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) particles were produced using supercritical assisted atomization (SAA) with carbon dioxide as the spraying medium or co-solute and aqueous ethanol solution as the solvent. The effects of several key factors on the morphology and size of the HP-β-CD particles were investigated. These factors included the solvent effect, temperatures of the precipitator and saturator, concentration of the HP-β-CD solution, and flow rate ratio of carbon dioxide to the HP-β-CD solution. The conducive conditions for producing fine spherical particles were 54.2% (w/w) aqueous ethanol as the solvent; precipitator and saturator temperatures of 373.2 K and 353.2 K, respectively; a flow rate ratio of carbon dioxide to HP-β-CD solution of 1.8; and low concentrations of HP-β-CD solution. The addition of leucine (LEU) enhanced the aerosol performance of the HP-β-CD particles, and the fine particle fraction (FPF) of the HP-β-CD particles with the addition of 13.0 mass% LEU was 1.8 times higher than that of the HP-β-CD particles without LEU. This study shows that LEU can act as a dispersion enhancer and that HP-β-CD particles produced using SAA can be used as pulmonary drug carriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites)
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17 pages, 5674 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Cellular Uptake in an Electrostatically Interacting Fucoidan–L-Arginine Fiber Complex
by Vinothini Arunagiri, Hsieh-Chih Tsai, Haile Fentahun Darge, Endiries Yibru Hanurry, Chang Yi Lee, Juin-Yih Lai and Szu-Yuan Wu
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1795; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13111795 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2757
Abstract
Fucoidan is an abundant marine sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of brown macroalgae (seaweed). Recently, fucoidan has been highly involved in various industrial applications, such as pharmaceuticals, biomedicals, cosmetics, and food. However, the presence of a sulfate group (negative surface charge) [...] Read more.
Fucoidan is an abundant marine sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of brown macroalgae (seaweed). Recently, fucoidan has been highly involved in various industrial applications, such as pharmaceuticals, biomedicals, cosmetics, and food. However, the presence of a sulfate group (negative surface charge) in the fucoidan structure limits its potential and biological activity for use in biomedical applications during cellular uptake. Thus, we aimed to improve the uptake of fucoidan by using an L-arginine uptake enhancer within an in vitro study. A Fucoidan–L-Arginine (Fuc-L-Arg) fiber complex was prepared via α-helical electrostatic interactions using a freeze-drying technique and confirmed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In addition, fucoidan was conjugated with cyanine 3 (Cy3) dye to track its cellular uptake. Furthermore, the results of Fuc-L-Arg (1:1, 1:2.5) complexes revealed biocompatibility >80% at various concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50, 100 µg/mL). Owing to the higher internalization of the Fuc-L-Arg (1:5) complex, it exhibited <80% biocompatibility at higher concentrations (25, 50, 100 µg/mL) of the complex. In addition, improved cellular internalization of Fuc-L-Arg complexes (1:5) in HeLa cells have been proved via flow cytometry quantitative analysis. Hence, we highlight that the Fuc-L-Arg (1:5) fiber complex can act as an excellent biocomplex to exhibit potential bioactivities, such as targeting cancers, as fucoidan shows higher permeability in HeLa cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Features of Advanced Polymer Based Nanocomposites)
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