Influences of pre‐ordered melt structures on the crystallization behavior and polymorphic composition of β‐nucleated isotactic polypropylene with different stereo‐defect distribution

As part of continuous efforts to understand the surprising synergetic effect between β‐nucleating agent and pre‐ordered structures of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in significant enhancement of β‐crystallization (Ordered Structure Effect, OSE), two β‐nucleated iPP with different uniformities of stereo‐defect distribution (WPP‐A and WPP‐B) were prepared, their crystallization behaviors with variation of melt structures were studied in detail. The results revealed that β‐phase can hardly form in WPP‐A (whose stereo‐defect distribution is less uniform) because of its strong tendency of α‐nucleation caused by its less uniform stereo‐defect distribution, while WPP‐B is more favorable for β‐crystallization; As fusion temperature decreases, similar variation trends of crystallization temperature and β‐phase proportion can be observed from WPP‐A and WPP‐B, indicating the occurrence of OSE behavior, which provides unsurpassed β‐nucleation efficiency and induces β‐crystallization even in WPP‐A which is less favorable for β‐crystallization; moreover, the upper and lower limiting temperatures of Region II of WPP‐A and WPP‐B are identical, suggesting the uniformity of stereo‐defect distribution has little influence on temperature window for OSE (denoted as Region II). To explore the physical nature of Region II, self‐nucleation behavior and equilibrium melting temperature of PP‐A and PP‐B were studied. The lower limiting temperatures of exclusive self‐nucleation domain of both PP‐A and PP‐B are identical with the lower limiting temperatures of Region II in OSE (168°C); moreover, the T_m⁰ of both PP‐A and PP‐B are close to their upper limiting temperatures of Region II in OSE behavior (189°C). The possible explanation was proposed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42632.     

Defining a strain‐induced time constant for oriented low shear‐induced structuring in high consistency MFC/NFC‐filler composite suspensions

Micro and nanofibrillated cellulose is an essentially one‐dimensional high aspect‐ratio particle material, which can undergo two‐dimensional layer (band) structuring under shear. Controlling the evolving rheological properties in aqueous suspension is essential for industrial applications in composite materials. This study focuses on an as yet considered to be unreported phenomenon of structure hardening under low shear. The timescale of the quasi gelation‐controlled structure formation under low shear is studied using the large gap vane‐in‐cup geometry of the Brookfield viscometer. It is proposed that localized structure forms within continuous shear bands, similar to quasi liquid‐crystal formation. By extrapolating a characteristic structure growth parameter to the rotation speed at which it becomes zero, the strain‐induced structure time constant, t_gel, can be obtained as (= f (Ω)) = 1/t_gel for the range Ω = 10–100/min. The time constant of low shear structure formation is shown to be separable from the static viscoelastic structure build under oscillation in concentrated composite suspension using plate‐plate geometry, which is manifest by a Weissenberg normal force response on switching to applied shear, when the time constant of structuration t_gel is long. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42827.     

Surface grafting of carbon fibers with artificial silver‐nanoparticle‐decorated graphene oxide for high‐speed electrical actuation of shape‐memory polymers

Poor heat conduction in the interface between the carbon fiber and polymer matrix is a problem in the actuation of shape‐memory polymer (SMP) composites by Joule heating. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of grafting silver‐nanoparticle‐decorated graphene oxide (GO) onto carbon fibers to improve the electrothermal properties and Joule‐heating‐activated shape recovery of SMP composites. Self‐assembled GO was grafted onto carbon fibers to enhance the bonding of the carbon fibers with the polymeric matrix via van der Waal's forces and covalent crosslinking, respectively. Silver nanoparticles were further self‐assembled and deposited to decorate the GO assembly, which was used to decrease the thermal dissimilarity and facilitate heat transfer from the carbon fiber to the polymer matrix. The carbon fiber was incorporated with SMP to achieve the shape recovery induced by Joule heating. We found that the silver‐nanoparticle‐decorated GO helped us achieve a more uniform temperature distribution in the SMP composites compared to those without decoration. Furthermore, the shape‐recovery behavior and temperature profile during the Joule heating of the SMP composites were characterized and compared. A unique synergistic effect of the carbon fibers and silver‐nanoparticle‐decorated GO was achieved to enhance the heat transfer and a higher speed of actuation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41673.     

Synergistic effect of graphite nanoplatelets and glass fibers in polypropylene composites

In this study, polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with short glass fibers (GF) and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets were obtained by melt compounding followed by injection molding. Morphological observations and quasi‐static tensile tests were carried out in order to investigate how the morphology and the mechanical properties of the composites were affected by the combined effect of two fillers of rather different size scales (i.e., micro‐ and nanoscale). The results indicate that the dispersion of the nanofiller in the PP matrix promoted the formation of a stronger interface between the matrix and GF, as indicated by the increase of the interfacial shear strength determined by the single‐fiber microdebonding test. Concurrently, a significant improvement of the tensile modulus and impact strength of the composites was observed, with small changes in the processability of hybrid composites compared to that of GF composites, as confirmed by rheological measurements. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41682.     

Microstructure and multifunctional properties of liquid + polymer bicomponent structural electrolytes: Epoxy gels and porous monoliths

Multifunctional structural batteries and supercapacitors have the potential to improve performance and efficiency in advanced lightweight systems. A critical requirement is a structural electrolyte with superior multifunctional performance. We present here structural electrolytes prepared by the integration of liquid electrolytes with structural epoxy networks. Two distinct approaches were investigated: direct blending of an epoxy resin with a poly(ethylene‐glycol) (PEG)‐ or propylene carbonate (PC)‐based liquid electrolyte followed by in‐situ cure of the resin; and formation of a porous neat epoxy sample followed by backfill with a PC‐based electrolyte. The results show that in situ cure of the electrolytes within the epoxy network does not lead to good multifunctional performance due to a combination of plasticization of the structural network and limited percolation of the liquid network. In contrast, addition of a liquid electrolyte to a porous monolith results in both good stiffness and high ionic conductivity that approach multifunctional goals. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42681.     

Insights into process–structure–property relationships of poly(ethylene terephthalate) industrial yarns by synchrotron radiation WAXD and SAXS

Synchrotron radiation wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) were performed to study the structures of four typical types of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) industrial yarns. Three‐dimensional structural models of the yarns and comprehensive insights into the process–structure–property relationships were gained. High spinning speed, low draw ratio, and high heat‐setting temperatures lead to HMLS yarns with high crystallinity, high amorphous orientation, densely packed lamellar stacks, and a small tilting angle of crystalline lamellae. High draw ratio tends to result in PET industrial yarns with large long period and a large tilting angle of lamellae. Heat‐setting process has a significant influence on the amorphous orientation and crystalline structures, such as crystallinity, crystallite size, as well as crystal grain number. Compared with other structure characteristics, amorphous orientation plays a more important role in determining the tenacity, initial modulus, part load elongation, ultimate elongation, as well as shrinkage of PET industrial yarns. The crystal grain number seems to have an effect on the initial modulus, while the long period influences the elongation of the yarns to some extent. In addition, the small tilting angle of crystalline lamellae may relate to the dimensional stability of PET yarns. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42512.     

Processing behavior and mechanical properties of autopolymerizing hypoallergenic denture base polymers

Driven by the phenomenon of increasing irritations and allergic reactions of dental prosthesis carriers preferably due to residual methyl methacrylate monomer in conventional dental materials, autopolymerizing hypoallergenic denture base polymers were prepared as two‐component materials in the shape of paste/paste‐ or powder/liquid systems. The processing behavior of these materials was investigated regarding the processing and solidification times also in dependence on the polymerization catalyst concentration, whereas the whole processing and curing characteristics and the final polymer properties were evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis in shear mode in the temperature range from ?145°C to 200°C. The mechanical properties of the hypoallergenic denture base polymers were validated regarding stiffness (flexural modulus E') and fracture toughness (maximum factor of loading intensity , total work of fracture ) and the effects of monomer composition, kind of resin powder, impact modification by the liquid component, and water immersion on these properties were investigated. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41378.     

Epoxide‐terminated hyperbranched polyether sulphone as triple enhancement modifier for DGEBA

Epoxide‐terminated hyperbranched polyether sulphones (EHBPESs) with different backbone structures were synthesized and used as tougheners for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) curing system, which result in nonphase‐separated cured networks. Effects of backbone structure (at comparable degree of polymerization) and loading contents on the mechanical and thermal properties of cured hybrids were investigated. The hybrid containing EHBPES3, which has the most flexible backbone, shows the best mechanical performance and highest glass transition temperature (T_g). Compared with unmodified system, the impact strength, tensile strength, elongation at break of the hybrid containing 5% EHBPES3 increased by 69.8%, 9.4%, and 60.2%, respectively. The balanced improvements were attributed to the increased crosslink density and fractional free volume as well as the unique inhomogeneous network structure because of incorporation of hyperbranched modifiers with proper structure and loading contents. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41910.     

Carbohydrate crosslinked biocompatible polyurethanes: Synthesis,characterization, and drug delivery studies

A series of novel polyurethanes (PUs) with carbohydrate crosslinkers was synthesized. The drug loading and release kinetics were studied by using lamotrigine as a model drug. The polymers were designed in such a way that the drug release was tailored by differences in the stoichiometry of polymers. All the PUs were characterized for thermal and morphological properties by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope , respectively. The encapsulation of drug inside PU matrix was confirmed via Fourier transform ‐ infrared (FT‐IR) spectra and scanning electron microscope . The kinetics and release mechanisms were observed to be a function of stoichiometric parameters such as type of crosslinker, polyol/crosslinker ratio and polyol/chain extender ratio. All the PUs were observed to be non‐cytotoxic in normal lung cell line L132. The synthesized PUs exhibited good mechanical strength, tunable release rates and biocompatibility that can be utilized in biomedical applications like wound dressing, biomedical implants , and drug delivery carriers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42223.     

Dielectric features of two grades of bi‐oriented isotactic polypropylene

The dielectric properties of two grades of bi‐oriented isotactic polypropylene were studied with a variety of techniques: breakdown field measurements, dielectric spectroscopy, thermally stimulated depolarization currents (Is), and direct‐current (dc) conduction I values. Standard polypropylene (STPP) and high‐crystallinity polypropylene (HCPP) films were investigated. Measurements were carried out over a wide temperature range (?150°C/+125°C). The breakdown fields in both materials showed a very small difference. On the other hand, the dielectric losses and dc conduction I values were significantly lower in HCPP. Both materials showed a decrease in the dielectric loss versus temperature in the range 20–90°C; this is favorable for application in alternating‐current power capacitors. The analysis of the dc I value allowed us to find evidence of two main conduction mechanisms: (1) below 80°C in both materials, a hopping mechanism due to the motion of electrons occurred in the amorphous phase, and (2) above 80°C, ionic conduction occurred in HCPP, and hopping conduction occurred in STPP. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42224.