Submit to Polymers Review for Polymers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Related Special Issues
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 12900

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Xiao Hu

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science and Mathematics, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Interests: polymer; biomaterials; biomacromolecules; regenerative medicine; drug delivery; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Further to the success of the two Special Issues of Polymers “Thermal properties and applications of polymers" and "Thermal properties and applications of polymers II”, we are delighted to reopen the Special Issue, now entitled “Thermal properties and applications of polymers III”.

Over the past decades, thermal analysis has become a key analytical and characterization tool in the field of materials sciences and analytical chemistry. Specific physical and chemical properties of synthetic polymers, nanomaterials, composite materials and biomaterials with different phases and morphology can be determined through thermal analysis. Traditional thermal analysis techniques include differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), dynamic mechanic analysis (DMA), dielectric thermal analysis (DTEA), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and heat transfer analysis (such as thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity analysis). Some techniques such as DSC have been further developed into modulated-temperature DSC (MTDSC), pressure perturbation calorimetry (PPC), micro/nano DSC, as well as fast-scan DSC (F-DSC). These various thermal methods characterize the mechanical properties, mass, temperature, heat and/or specific heat capacity changes in the thermodynamic and kinetic transitions of different materials, such as low molecular-mass substances, amorphous and semicrystalline synthetic polymers and also biopolymers. Moreover, thermal analysis can also help quantitatively monitor the structural changes of materials during heating, cooling and isothermal measurement. In this Special Issue, we will continue to highlight the recent accomplishments of thermal analysis on polymer-based materials, and illustrate new methods developed in the field. We hope these reviews and research studies can provide a broad view of how material thermodynamic theories and methods have been used in the last decade.

Dr. Xiao Hu
Guest Editor

Keywords

Thermal analysis
Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity
Glass transition, crystallization, melting

Related Special Issues

Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers in Polymers (11 articles)
Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers II in Polymers (14 articles)

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

15 pages, 9640 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of a Film Forming Process through Coupled Image Correlation and Infrared Thermography

by Moritz Neubauer, Martin Dannemann, Niklas Herzer, Benjamin Schwarz and Niels Modler

Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1231; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14061231 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

The aim of the present investigation was to determine the dependence of the material and process parameters of the bending process of thermoplastic films. In this context, parameter combinations leading to high resulting forming ratios were identified. To measure the relevant parameters within the hot bending process, a coupled evaluation of infrared thermography (IRT) and deformation measurement using digital image correlation (DIC) was performed. The coupled measurement enables the identification of the actual mechanically stressed bending area of the film as a result of the bending process. This allows for the specification of the local forming temperatures required for the desired forming ratios. Furthermore, the mechanical and thermal strain along the defined measuring sections and their deviation in individual tests as well as the effect of thermal strain on process control on a larger scale were determined. Based on the results, a process window was defined for the film materials investigated, which will serve as a starting point for future efforts to develop a continuous manufacturing process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 5716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Graphene-Assisted Polymer Waveguide Optically Controlled Switch Using First-Order Mode

by Yue Yang, Jiawen Lv, Baizhu Lin, Yue Cao, Yunji Yi and Daming Zhang

Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2117; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13132117 - 28 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1873

Abstract

All-optical devices have a great potential in optical communication systems. As a new material, graphene has attracted great attention in the field of optics due to its unique properties. We propose a graphene-assisted polymer optically controlled thermo-optic switch, based on the E^x₀₁ mode, which can reduce the absorption loss of graphene. Graphene absorbs 980 nm pump light, and uses the heat generated by ohmic heating to switch on and off the signal light at 1550 nm. The simulation results show that, when the graphene is in the right position, we can obtain the power consumption of 9.5 mW, the propagation loss of 0.01 dB/cm, and the switching time of 127 μs (rise)/125 μs (fall). The switching time can be improved to 106 μs (rise) and 102 μs (fall) with silicon substrate. Compared with an all-fiber switch, our model has lower power consumption and lower propagation loss. The proposed switch is suitable for optically controlled fields with low loss and full polarization. Due to the low cost and easy integration of polymer materials, the device will play an important role in the fields of all-optical signal processing and silicon-based hybrid integrated photonic devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

9 pages, 3332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Conductivities of Crosslinked Polyisoprene and Polybutadiene from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

by Aleksandr Vasilev, Tommy Lorenz and Cornelia Breitkopf

Polymers 2021, 13(3), 315; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13030315 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2669

Abstract

For the first time, the thermal conductivities of vulcanized polybutadiene and polyisoprene have been investigated according to their degree of crosslinking. The C-C and C-S-S-C crosslink bridges, which can be obtained via vulcanization processes using peroxides and sulfur, respectively, are considered. The temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of soft rubber derived from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is in very good agreement with the experimental results. The contributions of bonded and non-bonded interactions in the MD simulations and their influence on the thermal conductivities of polyisoprene and polybutadiene are presented. The details are discussed in this paper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 7702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Impact of Changes in Thermomechanical Properties of Polymer Materials on the Machining Process of Gears

by Adam Gnatowski, Rafał Gołębski and Piotr Sikora

Polymers 2021, 13(1), 28; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13010028 - 23 Dec 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2284

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the impact of modification of thermomechanical properties of polymer materials on the process of gear wheel machining on a CNC machine tool. Polymer materials Tecaflon (PVDA) and polyethylene (PE) were used for processing. The materials underwent thermal modification i.e., annealing. Prepared samples (gear wheel dimensions Ø76.5 × 20 mm) were machined under the same conditions, only changing the feed rate parameter. A CNC milling machine of its own construction was used for machining with a horizontal numerical dividing attachment. The obtained gear wheels were tested using ZEISS GEAR PRO gear analyzes software. Deviations of the involute outline and the tooth line allowed classification of wheels in the 9th grade of accuracy. Machined teeth surfaces were examined for changes in the properties of surface layer, taking into account the influence of polymer material thermal modification on the surface condition. The samples were tested for mechanical properties (tensile strength) and thermomechanical properties (DSC and DMTA). The tests showed positive changes in material strength and significant improvements in PVDA Tecaflon after heat treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 1821 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Utilization of Building Insulation Waste Expanded Polystyrene: Pyrolysis Kinetic Estimation by a New Comprehensive Method

by Xiaoyang Ni, Zheng Wu, Wenlong Zhang, Kaihua Lu, Yanming Ding and Shaohua Mao

Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1744; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12081744 - 05 Aug 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2937

Abstract

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has excellent thermal insulation properties and is widely applied in building energy conservation. However, these thermal insulation materials have caused numerous fires because of flammability. Pyrolysis is necessary to support combustion, and more attention should be paid to the pyrolysis characteristics of EPS. Moreover, pyrolysis is considered to be an effective method for recycling solid waste. Pyrolysis kinetics of EPS were analyzed by thermogravimetric experiments, both in nitrogen and air atmospheres. A new method was proposed to couple the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa model-free method and the model-fitting method called the Coats–Redfern as well as the particle swarm optimization (PSO) global algorithm to establish reaction mechanisms and their corresponding kinetic parameters. It was found that the pyrolysis temperature of EPS was concentrated at 525–800 K. The activation energy of EPS in nitrogen was about 163 kJ/mol, which was higher than that in air (109.63 kJ/mol). Furthermore, coupled with Coats–Redfern method, reaction functions g(α) = 1 − (1 − α)³ and g(α) = 1 − (1 − α)^1/4 should be responsible for nitrogen and air reactions, respectively. The PSO algorithm was applied to compute detailed pyrolysis kinetic parameters. Kinetic parameters could be used in further large-scale fire simulation and provide guidance for reactor design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Properties and Applications of Polymers III)

► Show Figures