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Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2023) | Viewed by 10533

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Prof. Dr. Jea Uk Lee

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Department of Advanced Materials Engineering for Information and Electronics, Integrated Education Institute for Frontier Science and Technology (BK21 Four), Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si 17104, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: nanocarbon synthesis; preparation of composites; lithium ion battery
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Dr. Sung Woo Hong

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Research Institute of Clean Manufacturing System, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), 89 Yangdaegiro-gil, Ipjang-myeon, Cheonan 31056, Korea
Interests: development of new areaction & synthesis; advanced medicinal chemistry; chemical biology & bioorganic chemistry; computer-aided drug design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the current state-of-the-art in polymer blends and synthesis for the fabrication of nanocomposites. The synergistic combination of new polymer synthesis and blends with a whole variety of nanomaterials leads to dramatic improvements in various properties, which enables new applications for polymeric materials.

This Special Issue, “Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites”, aims to be a collection of high-quality original/review papers highlighting recent progress in new preparations and applications of polymer-based nanocomposites, including (a) the synthesis of new polymers, (b) manufacturing processes of multidimensional nanocomposites (1D fibre, 2D film, and 3D architecture), and polymer-based nanocomposites for (c) heat management applications, (d) electromagnetic irradiation shielding, (e) sensors, (f) energy applications, (g) electronic applications, (h) environmental applications, (i) displays, and (j) self-healing applications.

Prof. Dr. Jea Uk Lee
Dr. Sung Woo Hong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

polymer
blends
synthesis
nanocomposites
manufacturing

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Icephobicity of Hierarchically Rough Aluminum Surfaces Sequentially Coated with Fluoroalkyl and PDMS Alkoxysilanes

by Tien N. H. Lo, Ha Soo Hwang and In Park

Polymers 2023, 15(4), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040932 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1608

Abstract

Superhydrophobic surfaces fabricated by grafting 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl trimethoxysilane (FD-TMS) and polydimethylsiloxane triethoxysilane (PDMS-TES) onto a nano-micro hierarchical aluminum (Al) surface are considered to possess substantial anti-icing functionality, with delayed freezing and low ice-adhesion strength (IAS). Verifying the impacts of PDMS and the synergism of PDMS and FD on the anti-icing performance is the goal of this study. Roughness, one of the prerequisites for superhydrophobicity, was obtained by etching Al substrates in aqueous HCl, followed by immersion in boiling water. FD-TMS and PDMS-TES were then coated on the rough Al substrates layer by layer; a congener coated with a single layer was also prepared for comparison. The FD-PDMS_1.92 (1.92 wt.%) coating, in which FD-TMS and PDMS-TES were used as primary and secondary coating materials, respectively, exhibited superior icephobicity, with the lowest IAS of 28 kPa under extremely condensing weather conditions (−20 °C and 70% relative humidity, RH) and the longest freezing delay time of 230 min (at −18 °C). These features are attributed to the incorporation of a dense coating layer with a low-surface-tension FD and the high mobility of PDMS, which lowered the contact area and interaction between the ice and substrate. The substrate coated with FD-PDMS_1.92 exhibited improved durability with an IAS of 63 kPa after 40 icing/melting cycles, which is far less than that achieved with the FD single-layer coating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites)

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15 pages, 4955 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consecutive Ink Writing of Conducting Polymer and Graphene Composite Electrodes for Foldable Electronics-Related Applications

by Heechan Lee, Youngdo Kim, Jiwoo Kim, Su Young Moon and Jea Uk Lee

Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5294; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235294 - 3 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2183

Abstract

For foldable electronic devices of the future, most components should have very good flexibility and reliability to maintain electrical properties even under repeated deformation. In this study, two types of inks for conducting polymer and graphene were simultaneously printed on flexible plastic substrates via the newly developed consecutive ink writing (CIW) process for the formation of composite electrodes of foldable electronic devices. To consecutively print conducting polymer ink and graphene ink, a conventional three-dimensional (3D) printer was modified by installing two needles in the printer head, and the two inks were printed through the nozzle in the same route with a time interval. By adjusting several printing conditions (ink concentration, printing parameters, printing time intervals between the two inks, etc.), various structures of composite electrodes, such as layered or fused 2D or 3D structures were developed on the glass substrate. Furthermore, by changing the printing order of the two inks and 3D printer bed temperature, the composite electrodes with a higher printing resolution were successfully printed on the flexible polyimide substrate. The printed composite electrodes via CIW process exhibit the lowest surface electrical resistance of 0.9 kΩ and high flexibility, and stable resistance values were maintained after 1000 cycles of the folding test. Consequently, the CIW process developed in this study applies to the production of the electrical parts and components for various flexible devices, such as foldable and wearable electronics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites)

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12 pages, 2741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Highly Self-Healable Polymeric Coating Materials with Enhanced Mechanical Properties Based on the Charge Transfer Complex

by Chanjae Ahn, Pyong Hwa Hong, Juhen Lee, Jinsil Kim, Gyeongmin Moon, Sungkoo Lee, In Park, Haksoo Han and Sung Woo Hong

Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5181; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235181 - 28 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1752

Abstract

Polymeric coating materials (PCMs) are promising candidates for developing next-generation flexible displays. However, PCMs are frequently subjected to external stimuli, making them highly susceptible to repeated damage. Therefore, in this study, a highly self-healing PCM based on a charge transfer complex (CTC) was developed, and its thermal, self-healing, and mechanical properties were examined. The self-healing material demonstrated improved thermal stability, fast self-healing kinetics (1 min), and a high self-healing efficiency (98.1%) via CTC-induced multiple interactions between the polymeric chains. In addition, it eliminated the trade-off between the mechanical strength and self-healing capability that is experienced by typical self-healing materials. The developed PCM achieved excellent self-healing and superior bulk (in-plane) and surface (out-of-plane) mechanical strengths compared to those of conventional engineering plastics such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polysulfone (PSU), and polyethersulfone (PES). These remarkable properties are attributed to the unique intermolecular structure resulting from strong CTC interactions. A mechanism for the improved self-healing and mechanical properties was also proposed by comparing the CTC-based self-healing PCMs with a non-CTC-based PCM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites)

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10 pages, 1202 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Loop and Bridge Conformations of ABA Triblock Comb Copolymers: A Conformational Assessment for Molecular Composites

by Jihoon Park, Je-Yeon Jung, Hyun-Woo Shin, Jong-Wan Park, Joona Bang and June Huh

Polymers 2022, 14(11), 2301; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14112301 - 6 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2559

Abstract

We computationally investigate the conformational behavior, “bridging” chain, between different the phase-separated domains vs “looping” chain on the same domain, for two chain architectures of ABA triblock copolymers, one with a linear architecture (L-TBC) and the other with comb architecture (C-TBC) at various [...] Read more.

Φ

) and the interaction parameter (

χ

) for C-TBC is found to be

Φ \sim χ^{- 1.6}

in the vicinity of the order-disorder transition (

χ_{O D T}

), indicating a drastic conversion from the bridge to the loop conformation. When

χ

further increases, the bridge-loop conversions slow down to have the power law,

Φ \sim χ^{- 0.18}

, approaching the theoretical power law

Φ \sim χ^{- 1 / 9}

predicted in the strong segregation limit. The conformational assessment conducted in the present study can provide a strategy of designing optimal material and processing conditions for triblock copolymer either with linear or comb architecture to be used for thermoplastic elastomer or molecular nanocomposites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites)

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15 pages, 4547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stimulus-Responsiveness of Thermo-Sensitive Polymer Hybridized with N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots and Its Applications in Solvent Recognition and Fe³⁺ Ion Detection

by Tong Chen, Hongwei Zhang and Sanping Zhao

Polymers 2022, 14(10), 1970; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14101970 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1760

Abstract

To fabricate N-CQDs hybrid thermo-sensitive polymer (poly-N-CQDs), N-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with strong blue fluorescence and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc)) copolymer with thermo-sensitivity were synthesized, respectively. Subsequently, the coupling reaction between. the -COOH groups of poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc) and the -NH₂ groups on the surface of the N-CQDs was carried out. The fluorescence spectra show that the coil-globule transition of the poly-N-CQDs coincided with intensity changes in the scattering peak at excitation wavelength with the temperature variations. The phase transition temperature and the fluorescent intensity of poly-N-CQDs can be regulated by modulating the composition and concentration of poly-N-CQDs as well as the temperature and pH of the local medium. The thermo-sensitivity and fluorescent properties of the poly-N-CQDs displayed good stability and reversibility. The fluorescence intensity and emission wavelengths of the poly-N-CQDs significantly changed in different solvents for solvent recognition. The poly-N-CQDs was employed as a fluorescent probe for Fe³⁺ detection ranging from 0.025 to 1 mM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 9.49 μM. The hybrid polymer materials have the potential to develop an N-CQDs-based thermo-sensitive device or sensor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Blends and Synthesis for the Fabrication of Nanocomposites)

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