Article
Polymer Science
Navid Chapman, Mingyu Chapman, William B. Euler
Summary: The morphology of sub-micron poly(methyl methacrylate) films coated onto glass supports by spin coating from toluene was investigated, revealing wrinkled surfaces with local quasi-sinusoidal periodicity on films thicker than 75 nm. The surface wrinkles, attributed to convective instabilities, had large aspect ratios with wavelengths in the tens of microns and amplitudes in the tens of nanometers. The study also explored the effects of film thickness, coating solution concentration, and drying rate on the thin film surface morphology.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Valtteri Lasonen, Anton Vihervaara, Georgi Popov, Eva Tois, Lars Mester, Mohammad Karimi, Yoana Ilarionova, Reza Jafari Jam, Jonas Sundqvist, Mikko Ritala
Summary: Area-selective etching (ASE) of polymers is a novel and simple self-aligned patterning technique with potential application in semiconductor device fabrication. The polymer film is selectively decomposed on top of catalytically active materials while staying intact on catalytically inactive materials, eliminating edge placement errors and defects. This study investigates the ASE of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using various catalytic materials in different atmospheres. The feasibility of the entire patterning process is demonstrated on a 100 nanometer scale.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maria F. Pantano, Christos Pavlou, Maria Giovanna Pastore Carbone, Costas Galiotis, Nicola M. Pugno, Giorgio Speranza
Summary: In this study, ultrathin PMMA films were evaluated for their mechanical behavior using a homemade nanomechanical device, showing a surprisingly high strain at failure and development of crazes during tensile loading, but without premature fracture. This work may pave the way for the development of glassy thermoplastic films with high ductility at ambient temperatures.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Rasheed N. Abed, Khalid Zainulabdeen, Mustafa Abdallh, Emad Yousif, Alaa A. Rashad, Ali H. Jawad
Summary: In this study, nanoparticles (Co3O4, Cr2O3, CuO, and TiO2) doped PMMA nanocomposite thin films were fabricated using the casting method. The optical properties and optoelectronic features of these thin films were investigated, showing decreased reflectance and transmittance values compared to pure PMMA. The absorption coefficient ranged from 99.8% to 92.0%. Both direct and indirect energy gaps decreased due to the modification and doping of PMMA. The dielectric constant and effective mass increased, while the oscillator strength and dispersion energy of single oscillator also increased in comparison to pure PMMA. These nanocomposite thin films have great potential in applications such as UV energy shielding, light-emitting diodes, laser sensors, memory devices, light harvesting, and light-converting devices.
JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
A. D. Berdie, A. A. Berdie, S. Jitian
Summary: The study shows that the main degradation processes of PMMA films on metal mirrors involve the random homolytic breakdown of carbon-carbon bonds and the photolysis of lateral methyl groups and esters to form free radicals under heat treatment, UV, or gamma irradiation. The reflection-absorption spectra analysis confirms the mechanism of PMMA film degradation under various destructive conditions.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Jun Zhong, Xinyue Zhang, Xiaofeng Yu, Xuanyu Shi, Shihao Sun, Li Yang, Min Zuo, Yihu Song, Qiang Zheng
Summary: The selective distribution of silica nanoparticles grafted with crosslinked PMMA in PMMA/SAN blend was studied. Highly crosslinked PMMA chains mainly located in the PMMA-rich domains, while linear PMMA chains mainly located at the blend matrix interface. NPs grafted with slightly crosslinked chains were partially located at the interface and partially in the PMMA-rich domains. The deviation between theoretical prediction and actual location of modified NPs may be related to the heterogeneity of miniemulsion polymerization. The different locations of modified NPs induced by different grafted chain structures can result in various compatibilization effects on PMMA/SAN blend.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qingxiang Wu, Zunpeng Feng, Ziming Cai, Chuwen Lan, Jianchun Xu, Ke Bi, Yanan Hao
Summary: To improve the energy storage density of capacitors, the ferroelectric phase poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is introduced as a modifier. Blending PVDF-doped PMMA composites enhances the polarization strength but sacrifices the breakdown strength due to the presence of defects. To address this issue, a double-layer structure is designed with controlled interfacial bonding achieved through hot pressing. This work successfully achieves high discharge energy density and maintains energy efficiency in PMMA and PVDF composite films.
ADVANCED COMPOSITES AND HYBRID MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Y. Aylin Esquivel-Lozano, Felipe Lopez-Saucedo, Emilio Bucio
Summary: By grafting reactions with acrylic monomers, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) can enhance its hydrophilic behavior and improve its application potential. Experimental parameters such as dose, solvent, and monomer concentration were studied, and the new material was analyzed using various characterization methods.
RADIATION PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Chia-Hsin Ko, Cristiane Henschel, Geethu P. Meledam, Martin A. Schroer, Renjun Guo, Luka Gaetani, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Andre Laschewsky, Christine M. Papadakis
Summary: The self-assembly of the thermoresponsive amphiphilic diblock copolymer PMMA(21)-b-PNIPAM(283) in various water/methanol mixtures was studied. It was found that the solvent composition significantly affected the internal morphology of micelles and the conformation of dissolved chains.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Alireza Farazin, Alireza Shakeri, Hossein Mahdavi
Summary: In this study, an amphiphilic block copolymer suitable for modification of forward osmosis (FO) membrane support layers was synthesized using the ATRP method. The addition of this copolymer significantly improved the performance of the support layer, and the best performing membrane exhibited satisfactory FO performance.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Talaat A. Hameed, F. Mohamed, Salwa L. Abd-El-Messieh, A. A. Ward
Summary: This study synthesized (MAPbI(3))/PMMA nanocomposites and investigated their structure, optical, morphological, and electrical properties. The results showed that the nanocomposites exhibited promising photocatalytic activity and antistatic behavior.
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Neel J. Shah, Lilin He, Kevin W. Gao, Nitash P. Balsara
Summary: We investigated the impact of adding salt on the thermodynamics of a miscible polymer blend system consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). While the salt-free PEO/PMMA blends were miscible, the addition of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) induced phase separation in majority-PMMA blends, but majority-PEO blends remained miscible. The immiscibility window increased with the addition of a small amount of salt (r = 0.05) and decreased when more salt was added (r = 0.10). We used small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to determine the composition dependence of the Flory-Huggins parameter (x) and successfully predicted the phase behavior of PEO/PMMA/LiTFSI blends.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Neng Hu, Lei Mi, Ezzeldin Metwalli, Lorenz Biessmann, Christian Herold, Robert Cubitt, Qi Zhong, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: The kinetic rehydration of double thermoresponsive component di-block copolymer films was studied under different thermal stimuli. The film exhibited different rehydration behaviors when the thermal stimulus was separated into smaller steps, but the final states were basically the same.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
F. Lorusso, F. Inchingolo, A. Greco Lucchina, G. Scogna, A. Scarano
Summary: The graphene-doping procedure improves the mechanical, physical, and biological response of PMMA-derived polymers and biomaterials for dental applications. Experimental results showed low water sorption and solubility in graphene-doped PMMA, with stable physical and optical features. Animal tests demonstrated no pyrogens or irritant effects, satisfying standard requirements for potential clinical applications.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL REGULATORS AND HOMEOSTATIC AGENTS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Po-Ying Huang, Yulin Zhang, Hao Ouyang, Fuqian Yang, Sanboh Lee
Summary: The study investigated the photo-stability of polylactide-poly(methyl methacrylate) blends after UV irradiation. It was found that UV irradiation decreases the crystallization temperature of PLA and demonstrates the interaction between the materials. The combination effect of UV irradiation and the interaction between PLA and PMMA determines the photo-stability of the blends.
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiping Yin, Zhe Wang, Hua Zou
Summary: This study presents a novel method for preparing dimpled polymer-silica nanocomposite particles using interfacial swelling-based seeded polymerization. The optimized conditions allow for a relatively high percentage of dimpled particles to be achieved.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Brenden D. Hoehn, Elizabeth A. Kellstedt, Marc A. Hillmyer
Summary: Porous materials with nanometer-scale pores have important applications as nanoporous membranes. In this study, ABA triblock copolymers were used as precursors to produce nanoporous polymeric membranes (NPMs) in thin film form by degrading the end blocks. Polycyclooctene (PCOE) NPMs with tunable pore sizes were successfully prepared using solvent casting technique. Oxygen plasma etching was employed to improve the surface porosity and hydrophilicity of the membranes. This study provides a straightforward method to produce tough NPMs with high porosity and hydrophilic surface properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Stepan I. Zholudev, Igor I. Potemkin
Summary: This article investigates the behavior of linear and ring polypeptide chains in aqueous solution and explores the properties of the complexes formed by these chains with oppositely charged surfactants. The results demonstrate that the complexes of linear supercharged unfolded polypeptides and the corresponding surfactants exhibit impressive adhesive properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Merve Cevik, Serkan Dikici
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally, and vascular grafts are a promising treatment option. This study focuses on tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) using decellularized parsley stems as a potential biomaterial. The decellularized parsley stems showed suitable properties for TEVGs, providing a suitable environment for human endothelial cells to form a pseudo endothelium. This study showcases the potential of using parsley stems for TEVGs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gustavo A. Vasquez-Montoya, Tadej Emersic, Noe Atzin, Antonio Tavera-Vazquez, Ali Mozaffari, Rui Zhang, Orlando Guzman, Alexey Snezhko, Paul F. Nealey, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The optical properties of liquid crystals are typically controlled by electric fields. In this study, we investigate the effects of microfluidic flows and acoustic fields on the molecular orientation and optical response of nematic liquid crystals. We identify several previously unknown structures and explain them through calculations and simulations. These findings hold promise for the development of new systems combining sound, flow, and confinement.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinjun Wu, Xin Guan, Shushu Chen, Jiangpeng Jia, Chongyi Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Chuanzhuang Zhao
Summary: This research presents a novel shape memory hydrogel with a remodelable permanent shape and programmable cold-induced shape recovery behavior. The hydrogel is prepared using specific treatment methods to achieve shape fixation by heating and shape recovery by cooling. Additionally, deformable devices can be obtained by assembling hydrogel blocks with different concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rebecca Hengsbach, Gerhard Fink, Ulrich Simon
Summary: This study examines the properties of DNA functionalized pNipmam microgels and pure pNipmam microgels at different concentrations of sodium chloride and in PBS solutions using temperature dependent H-1-NMR measurements. The results show that DNA modification affects the volume phase transition temperature and the addition of salt and PBS further enhances this effect.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ningyi Li, Junhong Li, Lijingting Qing, Shicheng Ma, Yao Li, Baohui Li
Summary: This paper investigates the self-assembly behavior of colloids with competing interactions under spherical confinement and finds that different ordered structures can be formed under different sized spherical confinements. Moreover, more perforated structures are formed in smaller spheres.