PolymerPub Date : 2026-09-02DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130761
Chenyang Qiu, Wenqing Yang, Shumin Gao, Jinwang Gao, Binhe Song, Mingtao Run, Li Huo
{"title":"Transparency reprocessable shape-memory polyurethane elastomers with intrinsic flame retardancy","authors":"Chenyang Qiu, Wenqing Yang, Shumin Gao, Jinwang Gao, Binhe Song, Mingtao Run, Li Huo","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130761","url":null,"abstract":"Intrinsically flame-retardant polyurethane elastomers balancing mechanics, recyclability, shape-memory and transparency remain a tough challenge. Herein, phosphorus-boron synergistic P-BPU elastomers are fabricated via prepolymerization using rigid10-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-10-hydrogen-9-oxa-10-phospha-phenantbrene-10-oxide (DOPO-HQ) as functional chain extender and boric acid (H<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>BO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>) as dynamic cross-linker. Optimized P-BPU-2 achieves a UL-94 V-0 rating, with total heat release, peak heat-release rate and total smoke production reduced by 26.47%, 49.49% and 20.65% versus BPU via gas-phase radical quenching and condensed-phase BPO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> glassy char barrier. P-BPU-2 exhibits robust mechanical properties, achieving tensile strength 3.52 times that of pure BPU. Reversible boronic-ester bonds enable thermal recyclability and shape-memory behaviors. After remolding at 120 °C, recycled P-BPU-2 keeps 91.16% of initial elongation at break, owning 80.9% shape recovery (40 °C) and 76.36% shape fixity (−50 °C). It also maintains 57.81% transmittance at 550 nm, overcoming the trade-off among flame retardancy, mechanics properties and optical performance. This design strategy provides a pathway for developing for high-end cable-sheathing materials.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phase Behavior of Linear-Branched Block Copolymers with Precisely Controlled Branch-Point Positions","authors":"Tianyu Zheng, Juntong He, Zhanhui Gan, Jinbin Li, Zhuang Ma, Jiajia Zhou, Xue-Hui Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130758","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130758","url":null,"abstract":"Precisely positioning a single branch-point within the A-block of compositionally invariant AB diblock copolymers provides an orthogonal design handle to program long-range ordered nanostructures. In this work, we synthesized a library of linear-branched architectures in which the branching location shifts from the free A terminus toward the A/B junction. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) indicates that this topological variation triggers phase transitions among a range of ordered phases, including hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX), body-centered cubic (BCC) spheres, and Frank-Kasper σ phase. Self-consistent field theory (SCFT) reveals that the spatial distribution of branch segments modulates both the effective interfacial curvature and the entropic penalty of chain stretching, thereby stabilizing different ordered states. These results underscore branching location as a decisive and independent design parameter for block copolymer self-assembly, offering a route to access complex mesophases without altering composition or chain length.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"268 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reconciling the Trade-off Between Rigidity and Dynamics in Chitosan-based Self-Healing Hydrogels via Sol-Gel Inorganic Crosslinking","authors":"Kun-Hao Luo,Chen-An Chang,Sheng-Yen Hsiao,Po-Ting Lee,Yi-Ting Kao,Jolleen Natalie I. Balitaan,Shu-Rung Lin,Wen-Tyng Li,Jui-Ming Yeh","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130775","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"16 1","pages":"130775"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PolymerPub Date : 2026-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130760
Kinza Y. Ghulam,Frank Hartmann,Bart-Jan Niebuur,Tobias Kraus,Marcus Koch,Michiel Verswyvel,Norbert Niessner,Jenoff E. De Vrieze,Markus Gallei
{"title":"Transparent Thermoplastic Elastomers by Anionic Polymerization based on a Soft Polymethacrylate-Segment and Coupling Strategies","authors":"Kinza Y. Ghulam,Frank Hartmann,Bart-Jan Niebuur,Tobias Kraus,Marcus Koch,Michiel Verswyvel,Norbert Niessner,Jenoff E. De Vrieze,Markus Gallei","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130760","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"493 1","pages":"130760"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PolymerPub Date : 2026-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130755
Nof Karshan, Mahmoud Huliehel, Oshrat Levy-Ontman
{"title":"Over-sulfation of polysaccharides derived from Porphyridium cruentum: Characterization and antiviral activity against Herpes viruses","authors":"Nof Karshan, Mahmoud Huliehel, Oshrat Levy-Ontman","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130755","url":null,"abstract":"Extracellular polysaccharides derived from the red microalga <ce:italic>Porphyridium cruentum</ce:italic> show antiviral activity against herpesviruses, but how their sulfate content influences antiviral efficacy and physicochemical properties remains unclear. Here, we increased the sulfate content of <ce:italic>P. cruentum</ce:italic>-derived polysaccharides using the sulfur trioxide–pyridine method, with or without sodium borohydride (NaBH<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf>) pretreatment, and assessed cytotoxicity, physicochemical changes, and antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Sulfation for 1–3 h increased sulfate content from ∼5 wt% (native) to ∼14–23 wt% without increasing cytotoxicity in Vero cells, and NaBH<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf>-pretreated sulfated polysaccharides achieved up to 100% inhibition of HSV-1 at 10 μg/mL. In contrast, prolonged sulfation (7 h) with and without NaBH<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> pretreatment reduced the antiviral activity of the polysaccharide relative to their native counterparts. FTIR spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements confirmed sulfate incorporation, while SEM and rheology indicated morphological and rheological changes, including markedly reduced viscosity. Together, these findings demonstrate the need to optimize sulfation conditions for enhancing the <ce:italic>in vitro</ce:italic> antiviral activity of <ce:italic>P. cruentum</ce:italic>-derived polysaccharides and provide a framework for linking physicochemical changes to antiviral function.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148884653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}