Polymer Testing最新文献_第3页

Experimental and numerical cure kinetics analysis of unsaturated polyester resin system using compression molding process 压缩成型不饱和聚酯树脂体系的实验与数值固化动力学分析

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-07-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108914

Abdallah Barakat , Georges Chahine , Marc Al Ghazal , Romeo Fono Tamo , John Unser , Joshua Hagan , Uday Vaidya

{"title":"Experimental and numerical cure kinetics analysis of unsaturated polyester resin system using compression molding process","authors":"Abdallah Barakat , Georges Chahine , Marc Al Ghazal , Romeo Fono Tamo , John Unser , Joshua Hagan , Uday Vaidya","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108914","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108914","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to optimize the compression molding (CM) process for fabricating sandwich panels composed of polyurethane (PU) foam cores and woven glass fiber (GF) face sheets bonded with unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). The panels were produced through hand layup and consist of PU core, two GF fabric layers, and two thin skin liners of GF sheet molding compound (SMC). A novel integration of embedded thermocouples and thermography imaging was employed during the CM process to investigate the thermal gradient through the thickness of the panel. A thermo-chemo numerical model was developed and validated to predict the thermal distribution and cure behavior during the manufacturing process. Sandwich panels with total thicknesses of 1.5 in, 3.0 in, and 4.0 in were analyzed. The data showed that the top and bottom surfaces reached 140 °C after ∼12 min, while the center required ∼15 min. Heat transferred rapidly through the thin face sheets (∼0.05 in), whereas thicker shear-ties (1.5–4.0 in) exhibited slower heat propagation due to higher thermal mass, resulting in delayed temperature rise and extended curing times in the core. The validated model successfully captured the effects of both external heating and internal exothermic heat generation on the cure kinetics. Final average degrees of cure (DOCs) were 91.77 %, 87.01 %, and 84.14 %, respectively. The results show that while the faces cured within ∼15 min, the shear-tie regions required 3–5 h depending on thickness. This work present a robust experimental-numerical framework for analyzing and optimizing the cure behavior in thick UPR-based sandwich composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108914"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Influence of the recyclate content of silicone elastomers on the mechanical properties of high consistency silicone rubber 有机硅弹性体回收量对高浓硅橡胶力学性能的影响

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-07-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108916

Timo Hofmann, Kevin Klier, Ralf- Urs Giesen, Hans- Peter Heim

引用次数: 0

Mesoscopic analysis and prediction of in-situ effect in FFF 3D printing CFRP/GFRP FFF 3D打印CFRP/GFRP原位效应的细观分析与预测

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-07-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108919

Xiang Yu , Pai Peng , Tian-Yun Yao , Yu Zhao , Yong-Jun Zhou , Yuan Jing

{"title":"Mesoscopic analysis and prediction of in-situ effect in FFF 3D printing CFRP/GFRP","authors":"Xiang Yu , Pai Peng , Tian-Yun Yao , Yu Zhao , Yong-Jun Zhou , Yuan Jing","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108919","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108919","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inadequate computational methodologies for fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing components, particularly in addressing interlayer characteristics, have hindered their widespread engineering applications. This paper presents a novel computational framework for in-situ effect determination, which identifies transverse tensile strength and shear strength (<em>Y</em>, <em>S</em>) through exhaustive search matching experimental ultimate tensile strength data, with the converged solutions being determined as authentic in-situ effect values (<em>Y</em><sub>is</sub>, <em>S</em><sub>is</sub>). Based on this method, the in-situ effect distribution patterns and calculation methods for FFF 3D printing carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates are investigated under both pure matrix tensile failure mode and matrix tensile-shear coupling failure mode. The meso-structure indicates that, unlike conventional composite materials, the distinctive FFF 3D printing process diminishes the impact of adjacent layers on clustered plies in thin-layer structures. Consequently, the in-situ effect increases with clustered plies thickness. In terms of numerical prediction, this work refines the traditional empirical formula to account for the specific characteristics of FFF 3D printing composites. As a result, the improved model achieves regression values of 0.88 (CFRP) and 0.72 (GFRP) for transverse in-situ tensile strength, and 0.99 (CFRP) and 0.98 (GFRP) for in-situ shear strength, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108919"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Eco-friendly electrospun fibers from marshmallow root mucilage and polyvinyl Alcohol: Enhanced performance for sustainable applications 从棉花糖根粘液和聚乙烯醇中提取的环保静电纺丝纤维：增强可持续应用的性能

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108911

Marzieh Rownaghi , Mahdi Keramat Jahromi , Ahmadreza Esfandiari , Mehrdad Niakousari

{"title":"Eco-friendly electrospun fibers from marshmallow root mucilage and polyvinyl Alcohol: Enhanced performance for sustainable applications","authors":"Marzieh Rownaghi , Mahdi Keramat Jahromi , Ahmadreza Esfandiari , Mehrdad Niakousari","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Marshmallow root (<em>Althaea officinalis</em> L.) mucilage holds promise for enhancing biopolymer-based materials due to its multifunctional properties. However, its electro-spinnability and potential for forming nanofibers remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the electro-spinnability of marshmallow root mucilage blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and evaluating the effects on the mechanical, thermal, and structural properties of the resulting fibers. Blends with PVA-to-mucilage ratios of 3:1, 6:1, and 7:1 were studied, alongside a blank PVA solution as a control. Electrospinning was conducted under controlled conditions, and various characterization methods were applied. The 7:1 ratio showed optimal performance, yielding uniform, bead-free fibers with an average diameter of 0.20 ± 0.03 μm. The inclusion of mucilage improved solution viscosity, conductivity, and surface tension, which contributed to enhanced fiber formation. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of hydrogen bonds between functional groups of PVA and mucilage, suggesting good molecular compatibility. XRD analysis revealed enhanced crystallinity and a more ordered molecular structure in the 7:1 sample. DSC results demonstrated improved thermal stability, with higher onset and peak degradation temperatures. Mechanical testing confirmed significant improvements in tensile strength (14.71 ± 2.24 MPa) and elongation at break (6.72 ± 2.40 %) in the 7:1 sample compared to the control. These improvements are supported by SEM observations, which revealed smoother fiber surfaces and more uniform morphologies. The findings highlight marshmallow root mucilage as a sustainable and functional biopolymer additive that enhances the performance of electrospun fibers, making them suitable for applications in food packaging, biomedical scaffolds, and other eco-friendly material developments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108911"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Color and crystal photonic structure in high density microgels determined by spectroscopic diffuse reflectance at the optical range 在光学范围内用漫反射光谱测定高密度微凝胶的颜色和晶体光子结构

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108906

Gema Marcelo , Vincenzo Longobardi , Larisa G. Sbera , Francisco Mendicuti , Carlos Pecharromán

{"title":"Color and crystal photonic structure in high density microgels determined by spectroscopic diffuse reflectance at the optical range","authors":"Gema Marcelo , Vincenzo Longobardi , Larisa G. Sbera , Francisco Mendicuti , Carlos Pecharromán","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108906","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108906","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ionic PNIPAM microgels in water present the ability to locally self-organize into different microscopic three-dimensional photonic structures. The properties of these arrangements depend on the concentration, temperature, pH, etc, making them a very appealing system to model crystalline structure and design new tuneable photonic devices. However, as these small crystallites are only stable in aqueous suspension in random orientations and they present a very low optical contrast the quantitative description of their optical properties became quite difficult. Herewith, we propose a novel physical model applied to diffuse reflectance spectra, which allows studying the most challenging system, the high-concentrated microgel dispersions (104–129 mg/mL) of PNIPAM microgels copolymerized with methacrylic acid (PNIPAM-MAA), also known as glassy phase. In fact, at this range of weight concentration, microgels are nearly transparent but with uniform colors originated by the presence of photonic microcrystals. By the proposed methodology, it has made possible to correlate the optical properties with the crystallographic structure. Consequently, our results seem to point out that, in the concentrated regime, two crystalline arrangements coexist in the photonic PNIPAM-MAA arrangements: a dominant Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) structure with a smaller fraction of Face-Centered Cubic (FCC).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108906"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Starch films cross-linked with boronated chitosan enriched with cannabis oil as food packaging material 含大麻油硼化壳聚糖交联淀粉膜作为食品包装材料

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108910

Kinga Mylkie , Dorota Chełminiak-Dudkiewicz , Dariusz T. Młynarczyk , Aleksander Smolarkiewicz-Wyczachowski , Marta Ziegler-Borowska

{"title":"Starch films cross-linked with boronated chitosan enriched with cannabis oil as food packaging material","authors":"Kinga Mylkie , Dorota Chełminiak-Dudkiewicz , Dariusz T. Młynarczyk , Aleksander Smolarkiewicz-Wyczachowski , Marta Ziegler-Borowska","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent advancements in biopolymer-based packaging materials are transforming sustainable packaging, particularly through innovative approaches to enhancing starch, a promising biodegradable polymer. While starch offers several advantageous properties for food packaging, its practical application is hindered by poor vapor barrier performance, low mechanical and thermal strength, brittleness, and hydrophilicity due to strong inter- and intramolecular interactions. We introduced a novel cross-linking strategy using boron-containing materials to address these limitations. Starch films containing cannabis oil (3 % w/w) (CBD-S) were further enhanced through crosslinking with chitosan functionalized with boronic acid (Cs-FPBA-CBD-S). Crosslinking starch with boronic acid-functionalized chitosan improved the films' hydrophobicity, significantly reducing the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) from 5 g/m<sup>2</sup>·day (for the CBD-S film) to 3 g/m<sup>2</sup>·day (for the Cs-FPBA-CBD-S films). Mechanical testing showed that crosslinking mitigated moisture-induced weakening of the films. In wet conditions, tensile strength dropped from 2.9 to 1.2 MPa in CBD-S and 3.6 to 1.9 MPa in Cs-FPBA-CBD-S. Young's modulus also decreased less in the cross-linked films. After 10 days of dry storage, they retained elasticity and structure despite a 25 % stress loss, confirming improved durability. Based on boronic acid-functionalized chitosan, this crosslinking mechanism notably enhanced the material's antioxidant activity, with a significant increase in scavenging capacity (from 65 % to 74 %) and enhanced thermal stability. Moreover, these films showed accelerated biodegradation, reaching 80 % degradation after 30 days compared to unmodified starch, and showed strong antibacterial properties against <em>A. fisheri</em> (Gram-negative bacteria) as assessed using the Microtox® test.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108910"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Applicability of the series resistance model in predicting the permeability of coated papers to oxygen and water vapor: importance of data quality and associated metadata 串联电阻模型在预测涂布纸对氧和水蒸气渗透性中的适用性：数据质量和相关元数据的重要性

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-23 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108907

Allison Vercasson, Sébastien Gaucel, Nathalie Gontard, Hélène Angellier-Coussy, Valérie Guillard

{"title":"Applicability of the series resistance model in predicting the permeability of coated papers to oxygen and water vapor: importance of data quality and associated metadata","authors":"Allison Vercasson, Sébastien Gaucel, Nathalie Gontard, Hélène Angellier-Coussy, Valérie Guillard","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The prediction of barrier properties is essential in materials sciences, especially in food packaging where the use of packaging materials with targeted barrier properties is essential. This study assessed the suitability of the series resistance model, assuming the additivity of transfer resistances of individual layers, to predict oxygen and water vapor permeabilities of polymer-coated cardboards. More than 250 permeation data of polymer-coated cardboards from 35 scientific articles were collected from the literature. However, the quality of collected permeation parameter data differed from one article to the other, therefore a quality index was developed to quantify the quality and assess their reusability. Different criteria were used in the quality index calculations such as accuracy, completeness, consistency, and reusability. This quality index highlighted that most permeation parameter data from the literature (∼58 %) were not reusable due to the lack of associated metadata. Despite the amount of data collected, the series resistance model could only be applied to a few permeation parameter data in the peculiar case of polymer-coated cardboards. While the predicted and experimental permeability values (oxygen and water vapor) sometimes aligned, the model often failed to provide accurate predictions. One major hypothesis being that such model did not consider the impregnated layer present in the materials. While a three-layer model might offer more accurate predictions, the lack of quantitative information in the literature regarding the impregnated layer (thickness and permeability) prevents its use and validation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108907"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144534449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Ultrasound-assisted fabrication of biodegradable and conductive PANI/sago/graphene hybrid nanocomposites for sustainable and flexible electronics 超声辅助制造可生物降解和导电聚苯胺/西米/石墨烯复合纳米材料的可持续和柔性电子

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-23 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108908

Mohammed E. Ali Mohsin , Suleiman Mousa , Sohail M.A.K. Mohammed , Agus Arsad

{"title":"Ultrasound-assisted fabrication of biodegradable and conductive PANI/sago/graphene hybrid nanocomposites for sustainable and flexible electronics","authors":"Mohammed E. Ali Mohsin , Suleiman Mousa , Sohail M.A.K. Mohammed , Agus Arsad","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108908","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108908","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing demand for high-performance portable electronic devices has intensified electromagnetic interference (EMI) pollution and electronic waste (e-waste), necessitating the development of sustainable conductive materials. This study introduces a novel ultrasound-assisted in situ oxidative polymerization method to fabricate polyaniline (PANI)/sago/graphene (PSG) hybrid nanocomposites. Morphological analyses (SEM and TEM) confirmed uniform dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets, spectroscopic studies (FTIR and UV–Vis) revealed enhanced molecular interactions, and thermal analysis (TGA) demonstrated superior thermal stability with a T<sub>50</sub> of 497 °C. These interactions produced a low percolation threshold of 0.95 wt% GNP, a maximum DC conductivity of 3.44 × 10<sup>−1</sup> S/cm, significantly surpassing that of PANI/Sago blend alone (2.17 × 10<sup>−3</sup> S/cm). AC conductivity analysis revealed a broad plateau (10<sup>2</sup>–10<sup>6</sup> Hz) via tunnelling and hopping mechanisms, with electrical performance retained up to 100 °C. These properties, combined with sago starch's biodegradability, position PSG nanocomposites as eco-friendly candidates for flexible electronics, EMI shielding, and biodegradable transient devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108908"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144471900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Skin/core fracture toughness of sandwich structures: a comparison of different experimental arrangements 夹层结构的表皮/芯断裂韧性：不同实验布置的比较

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-20 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108904

Amal Alliyankal Vijayakumar , Muhammad Zahid , Stefano G. Corvaglia , Alfonso Maffezzoli

{"title":"Skin/core fracture toughness of sandwich structures: a comparison of different experimental arrangements","authors":"Amal Alliyankal Vijayakumar , Muhammad Zahid , Stefano G. Corvaglia , Alfonso Maffezzoli","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108904","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108904","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermoplastic sandwich structures are most prominently used due to their intrinsic strength-to-weight ratio, recyclability, damping capabilities, and ease of processing. Nonetheless, skin/core debonding is a critical failure mode, limiting the stress transfer between the skin and core. This research adopts a cost-effective thermoforming approach for simultaneous commingled E-glass/Polypropylene (PP) fabric consolidation and closed-cell PP foam core bonding via a one-stage non-isothermal process. Several test methods have been developed to optimise and evaluate the interfacial bonding, analysing Mode I fracture energy. This study introduces a novel comparative evaluation of different variants of single cantilever beam (SCB) arrangements for measuring the Mode I interfacial fracture toughness of a single polymer (PP) sandwich structure, adopting a fixed and a horizontal sliding constraint for the sandwich panel. A rigid base with a flexible rod for load application was also used. Additionally, the study analyses the effects of skin thickness on testing arrangements and fracture toughness. The SCB with a sliding constraint is considered the most suitable configuration for measuring the Mode I-dominant fracture toughness of sandwich structures with varying skin thicknesses. However, the flexible long-loading rod and roller base configurations yield similar fracture toughness values for sandwich structures with thicker skins. The predominant mix Mode crack propagation at the crack tip limited the applicability of SCB with a rigid base in evaluating the pure Mode I. The skin thickness significantly affects the fracture toughness and debonding paths in sandwich structures. Throughout all Mode I arrangements and skin thicknesses, the crack advanced through densified or undeformed foam cells, indicating skin/core fusion bonding via the one-stage process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108904"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144335771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Europium-labelled nanopolystyrene as model nanoplastics for environmental fate investigations: Synthesis and optimisation 铕标记的纳米聚苯乙烯作为环境命运研究的模型纳米塑料：合成和优化

IF 5 2区材料科学

Polymer Testing Pub Date : 2025-06-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108903

Rega Permana , Swati Sharma , Christopher Stark , David Price , Christian Pfrang , Eugenia Valsami-Jones

{"title":"Europium-labelled nanopolystyrene as model nanoplastics for environmental fate investigations: Synthesis and optimisation","authors":"Rega Permana , Swati Sharma , Christopher Stark , David Price , Christian Pfrang , Eugenia Valsami-Jones","doi":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108903","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108903","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanoplastics (NPLs) have emerged as pervasive environmental contaminants, reaching remote regions and even crossing biological barriers such as the human blood-brain barrier. Their biomolecule-like composition, primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen, complicates detection using conventional analytical methods. To overcome this challenge, a tracer-doped plastic matrix was developed to enable rapid and precise detection, tracking, and analysis of NPLs. In this study, europium (Eu), a rare-earth metal, was used to label polystyrene-based NPLs, chosen for their abundance in environmental samples. The NPLs were synthesised through a two-step dispersion polymerisation process involving styrene (monomer), potassium persulfate (initiator), sodium dodecyl sulfate (surfactant), and Eu (dopant). Response Surface Methodology with Central Composite Design (RSM-CCD) was employed to optimise the synthesis parameters, and ANOVA confirmed the model's significance and robustness. The suitability of the labelling technique was confirmed by measuring the Eu-doped NPLs using single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS). The results demonstrated a strong linear relationship between the concentration of Eu dopant, the total mass of the Eu-doped NPLs, and the number of individual Eu-doped NPL particles. Under optimised conditions the NPLs achieved a hydrodynamic size of 121.47 ± 0.89 nm and a dopant concentration of 0.12 wt%. Leaching tests conducted over seven days in deionised water (DIW) and artificial seawater (ASW) showed less than 0.5 % dopant loss, indicating robust encapsulation of Eu within the polymer matrix. This labelling approach provides a reliable method for the quantitative analysis of NPLs, enabling more accurate assessments of their behaviour and toxicity in various environmental contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20628,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Testing","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 108903"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0