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Polymers
Special Issues
Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications
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Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2023) | Viewed by 16506

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Han-Yu Hsueh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
Interests: materials chemistry; interfacial engineering; bioinspired materials; self-assembly; applications of soft matters
Dr. Thanh-Danh Nguyen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. 1A, TL29, Thanh Loc ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Interests: synthesis of optical materials for sensor; synthesis, characterizations and catalytic activity of the nanocomposites; synthesis and physicochemical characterizations of bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The unique properties of polymers, their low coast, and their possibility of easy chemical or physical modification make these materials ideal building blocks for nano- or micro-patterning. Techniques for polymer fabrication on nano- and micro-length scales span a wide range, from improved conventional lithographic methods to more recent materials and chemical advances that rely on the self-organization of block copolymers. In addition to traditional methods, there are a number of techniques that are used exclusively in polymer material processing. The most famous of them include molding, writing, printing, laser scanning, self-organization, and surface instability utilization. Their periodicity can be modified depending on the method of fabrication or the intrinsic behaviours of polymers; this enables a wide variety of potential applications, including antireflection coatings, optoelectronics, antifouling coatings, superhydrophobic surfaces, solar cells, wearable/see-through displays, sensors, etc. During the last two decades, to further expand the applications of polymer-based patterns, different inorganic materials have been introduced into polymeric materials to form hybrid or composite systems. The combination of inorganics and polymers leads to their properties being well-controlled and fine-tuned. In addition, depending on the particular application, the chemical composition of the pattern surface/interface should be optimized and modified. In summary, polymer patterns open a large window from physics to chemistry and from science to application, requiring our study.

This Special Issue focuses on the fabrication of polymer-based patterns or interfaces and their applications. It will aim at demonstrating researchers’ ability to design, synthesize, and manufacture polymer-based patterns that address the challenges posed by classical and emerging holographic applications.

Prof. Dr. Han-Yu Hsueh
Dr. Thanh-Danh Nguyen
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

  • polymeric patterns
  • nanocomposite polymer materials
  • nanofabrication
  • self-assembly
  • chemical surface modification
  • interfacial properies
  • applications of soft matters
  • interfacial analysis

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 15978 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Performance of H-PDMS/PMHS/OTS Hybrid Nanosilica Hydrophobic and Self-Cleaning Coatings on Phosphogypsum Surface
by Guang Yang, Zhonghua Chen, Changwei Lv, Lei Deng, Xiaofeng Luo, Yi Li, Songtao He and Qibin Liu
Polymers 2023, 15(17), 3574; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym15173574 - 28 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 990
Abstract
Hemihydrate phosphogypsum, an industrial solid waste product of phosphoric acid production, is abundant and inexpensive. If the problem of poor water resistance is solved, this material could be substituted for cement and other traditional energy-consuming cementitious materials in the construction industry. This approach [...] Read more.
Hemihydrate phosphogypsum, an industrial solid waste product of phosphoric acid production, is abundant and inexpensive. If the problem of poor water resistance is solved, this material could be substituted for cement and other traditional energy-consuming cementitious materials in the construction industry. This approach would confer important economic and environmental benefits while promoting the resource utilization of phosphogypsum (PG). In this study, hydrophobic and self-cleaning coatings of H-PDMS/PMHS/OTS hybrid nanosilica were prepared on a post-hydroxylated PG surface using sol–gel and impregnation methods. The water contact angle, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Three-dimensional surface morphology and roughness analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface abrasion tests, and tape adhesion tests were used to evaluate the hydrophobicity of the coatings. The results demonstrated that the in situ reaction produced a hydrophobic siloxane/nanosilica hybrid network that bonded to the PG surface via hydrogen bonding, making the otherwise completely hydrophilic PG hydrophobic (PGH-3, contact angle (CA) = 144.1°). The PGH-3 sample exhibited excellent chemical stability, maintaining a contact angle greater than 135° under strongly acidic or alkaline conditions. The contact angle remained at 123.7° after 50 tape-bonding tests. After 100 wear cycles, the contact angle remained at 121.9°. This study presents an environmentally friendly method and a straightforward application procedure to impart hydrophobicity to solid waste PG. Its potential is thus demonstrated in the field of PG-based construction materials and the comprehensive utilization of solid waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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16 pages, 4676 KiB  
Article
Colloidal Stability of CA, SDS and PVA Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs): Effect of Molar Ratio and Salinity
by Siti Nurliyana Che Mohamed Hussein, Zulhelmi Amir, Badrul Mohamed Jan, Munawar Khalil and Azlinda Azizi
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4787; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14214787 - 07 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2112
Abstract
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) have received unprecedented interest in various applications. The main challenges in IONPs are fluid stability due to agglomeration in a saline condition. This paper aims to investigate the colloidal stability of citric acid (CA), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and [...] Read more.
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) have received unprecedented interest in various applications. The main challenges in IONPs are fluid stability due to agglomeration in a saline condition. This paper aims to investigate the colloidal stability of citric acid (CA), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) under various molar ratios and levels of salinity. Firstly, the IONPs were synthesized using a facile co-precipitation approach. Secondly, the IONPs were coated using a simple dip-coating method by varying the molar ratio of CA, SDS and PVA. Next, the coated IONPs were characterized by using an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) for the morphological and crystallographic study of coated IONPs. Finally, the coated IONPs were characterized for their zeta potential value and hydrodynamic size using a Zetasizer and their turbidity was measured using a turbidity meter. It was found that at a low salinity level, 0.07 M of CA-IONPs, a high zeta potential value, a smaller hydrodynamic size, and a high turbidity value of −40.9 mV, 192 nm and 159 NTU were observed, respectively. At a high salinity level, 1.0 M SDS-IONPs recorded a high zeta potential value of 23.63 mV, which corresponds to a smaller hydrodynamic size (3955 nm) and high turbidity result (639 NTU). These findings are beneficial for delivering cutting-edge knowledge, especially in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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11 pages, 3566 KiB  
Article
Application and Optimization of the Rheological Model for a Hydrophobically Associating Dendrimer Polymer
by Shijie Zhu, Xinsheng Xue, Jian Zhang, Shilun Zhang and Zhezhi Liu
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1747; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14091747 - 26 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1452
Abstract
Polymer flooding is one of the most important enhancing oil recovery (EOR) technologies in the world. With the optimization of polymer synthesis, the performance of polymer solutions has been greatly improved, which can adapt to more complex oil and gas reservoirs. However, with [...] Read more.
Polymer flooding is one of the most important enhancing oil recovery (EOR) technologies in the world. With the optimization of polymer synthesis, the performance of polymer solutions has been greatly improved, which can adapt to more complex oil and gas reservoirs. However, with the continuous improvement of the properties of polymer solutions, the elastic property of polymer solutions is significantly improved, and the rheological law has also changed. This series of changes affects the application of polymer flooding reservoir numerical simulation technology. Therefore, constructing an accurate description model and precise limitation conditions is particularly important. The rheological curve with a wide shear range (0.1~10,000 s−1) and the viscoelasticity of the two polymers (partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and dendritic hydrophobic association polymer (DHAP)) were analyzed and tested by a rotating rheometer. The results showed that under the experimental conditions, the rheological curve of both polymers can be described by the Carreau rheological model. Meanwhile, the structural viscosity of the hydrophobically associating polymer solution (DHAP) greatly improved the elasticity of the solution and led to the change of elastic modulus. Considering the influence of elastic characteristics on the rheological curve, the relaxation time spectrum derived from small vibration experimental data was used to limit the characteristic relaxation time, that is, the value range of λ. It was observed that the experimental data were highly matched with the nonlinear regression fitting curve of the Carreau rheological model. Therefore, the relationship between different test parameters should be fully considered while studying the rheological constitutive equation of viscoelastic fluid, so as to optimize and improve the equation of it. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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21 pages, 24094 KiB  
Article
Molecular Weight-Dependent Physical and Photovoltaic Properties of Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s with Butyl, Hexyl, and Octyl Side-Chains
by Thanh-Danh Nguyen, Van-Hai Nguyen, Jongwoo Song, Jongdeok An, Ngoc-Thuan Truong, Chi-Hien Dang and Chan Im
Polymers 2021, 13(19), 3440; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13193440 - 07 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2058
Abstract
A series of poly-3-alkylthiophenes (P3ATs) with butyl (P3BT), hexyl (P3HT), and octyl (P3OT) side-chains and well-defined molecular weights (MWs) were synthesized using Grignard metathesis polymerization. The MWs of P3HTs and P3OTs obtained via gel permeation chromatography agreed well with the calculated MWs ranging [...] Read more.
A series of poly-3-alkylthiophenes (P3ATs) with butyl (P3BT), hexyl (P3HT), and octyl (P3OT) side-chains and well-defined molecular weights (MWs) were synthesized using Grignard metathesis polymerization. The MWs of P3HTs and P3OTs obtained via gel permeation chromatography agreed well with the calculated MWs ranging from approximately 10 to 70 kDa. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the crystalline melting temperature increased with increasing MWs and decreasing alkyl side-chain length, whereas the crystallinity of the P3ATs increased with the growth of MWs. An MW-dependent red shift was observed in the UV–Vis and photoluminiscence spectra of the P3ATs in solution, which might be a strong evidence for the extended effective conjugation occurring in polymers with longer chain lengths. The photoluminescence quantum yields of pristine films in all polymers were lower than those of the diluted solutions, whereas they were higher than those of the phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester-blended films. The UV–Vis spectra of the films showed fine structures with pronounced red shifts, and the interchain interaction-induced features were weakly dependent on the MW but significantly dependent on the alkyl side-chain length. The photovoltaic device performances of the P3BT and P3HT samples significantly improved upon blending with a fullerene derivative and subsequent annealing, whereas those of P3OTs mostly degraded, particularly after annealing. The optimal power conversion efficiencies of P3BT, P3HT, and P3OT were 2.4%, 3.6%, and 1.5%, respectively, after annealing with MWs of ~11, ~39, and ~38 kDa, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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10 pages, 2960 KiB  
Article
Nanopatterned Polymer Molds Using Anodized Aluminum Templates for Anti-Reflective Coatings
by Soon Hyuk Lim, Nguyễn Hoàng Ly, Jung A. Lee, Ji Eun Kim, Se-Woong La, Vu Thi Huong, Thi-Giang Tran, Ngoc Thanh Ho, Seung Man Noh, Sang Jun Son and Sang-Woo Joo
Polymers 2021, 13(19), 3333; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13193333 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2989
Abstract
This work introduces a facile geometry-controlled method for the fabrication of embossed and engraved polymeric moth-eye-inspired nanostructures in imprinting molds using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates, resulting in a novel anti-reflective transparent coating. The moth-eye nanostructures are prepared directly on the surface of [...] Read more.
This work introduces a facile geometry-controlled method for the fabrication of embossed and engraved polymeric moth-eye-inspired nanostructures in imprinting molds using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates, resulting in a novel anti-reflective transparent coating. The moth-eye nanostructures are prepared directly on the surface of a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. As a prerequisite procedure, a UV-curable polyurethane acrylate resin is spun on the PET. The shape of the moth-eye nanostructures can then be adjusted by controlling the size and shape of the nanopores in the AAO templates. Both embossed and concaved polymer moth-eye nanostructures were successfully mounted on a PET substrate. Embossed polymer replica molds were prepared using the AAO master templates in combination with an imprinting process. As revealed by field-emission electron microscope (FE-SEM) images, conical nanopatterns in the AAO template with a diameter of ~90 nm and a depth of ~100 nm, create a homogeneous embossed morphology in the polymer moth-eye nanostructure. The polymeric molds with the depths of 300 and 500 nm revealed the amalgamated structures in their apexes. In addition, a dip-imprinting process of the polymeric layers was implemented to yield a concaved mold by assembly on the surface of the 100 nm embossed polymer mold substrate. Considering that the embossed structures may be crumbled due to their protuberant shapes, the concaved geometries can have an advantage of stability in a certain application concerning physical degradation along with a higher transmission by ~2%, despite somewhat nonuniform structure. The experimental and theoretical results of this study indicate that this polymer layer has the potential for use in anti-reflective coating applications in transparent films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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8 pages, 1518 KiB  
Communication
Thermosensitive Interfacial Migration of 5-FU in the Microenvironment of Pluronic Block Copolymers
by Tz-Feng Lin and Shih-Hsuan Yeh
Polymers 2021, 13(16), 2705; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13162705 - 13 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1975
Abstract
Chemotherapy is one of the most important ways to treat cancer. At present, chemotherapy medicines are mainly administered by intravenous injection or oral administration. However, systemic medical care requires the dosage of high concentrations of drugs to defeat the malignant tumor growth. In [...] Read more.
Chemotherapy is one of the most important ways to treat cancer. At present, chemotherapy medicines are mainly administered by intravenous injection or oral administration. However, systemic medical care requires the dosage of high concentrations of drugs to defeat the malignant tumor growth. In recent years, the use of polymer composites for local and sustained drug release has become an important field of research to minimize side effects due to high-concentration chemotherapy drugs. Here, 19F-{1H} heteronuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (HOESY) was used to study the micellular environment of the F-containing chemotherapeutic drug 5-FU in Pluronic F127, Pluronic L121, and F127/L121 binary blending composites. The distribution of 5-FU in micelles is related to the PEO and PPO segment length of Pluronic polymers and the environmental temperature. The drug release tests further confirm that if 5-FU medicines were loaded in the PPO segment inside the micelles, the purpose of the prolonged drug release carrier is achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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14 pages, 4646 KiB  
Article
Adsorption Characteristics of Polymer Solutions on Media Surfaces and Their Main Influencing Factors
by Shijie Zhu, Zhongbin Ye, Zhezhi Liu, Zhonghua Chen, Jun Li and Zuping Xiang
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1774; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13111774 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3241
Abstract
In practical applications, the chemical and physical adsorption of a polymer solution greatly affects its action mode and effect. Understanding the adsorption mechanism and its influencing factors can help to optimize the application mode and ensure application efficiency. Three types of polymer solutions—partially [...] Read more.
In practical applications, the chemical and physical adsorption of a polymer solution greatly affects its action mode and effect. Understanding the adsorption mechanism and its influencing factors can help to optimize the application mode and ensure application efficiency. Three types of polymer solutions—partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), hydrophobically associating polymer (AP-P4), and dendrimer hydrophobically associating polymer (DHAP), which are viscoelastic liquids—were used as sorbates to study their adsorption by a sorbent such as quartz sand. The effects of the solution concentration, contact time, particle size of quartz sand, solid–liquid ratio, and fluid movement on the adsorption capacity of the polymer solutions were examined. The results showed that HPAM presents a typical Langmuir monolayer adsorption characteristic, and its adsorption capacity (per unit area) is 1.17–1.62 μg/cm2. The association enhances the interactions of the AP-P4 and DHAP solutions, and they present multilayer characteristics of first-order chemical adsorption and secondary physical molecule adsorption. Moreover, the dendrite structure further increases the adsorption thickness of DHAP. Hence, the adsorption thicknesses of AP-P4 and DHAP are four and six times that of HPAM, respectively. The adsorption of the three polymers is consistent with the influence of fluid motion and decreases with increasing fluid velocity. However, the larger the thickness of the adsorption layer, the clearer the influence of the flow, and the higher the decrease in adsorption capacity. Optimizing the injection rate is an effective method to control the applications of a polymer in porous media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns or Interfaces in Polymers and Polymeric Nanocomposites for Applications)
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