{"title":"Melt memory effect of isotactic polypropylene/graphene composite","authors":"Jingru Liu, Xun Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04496-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04496-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, the influence of liquid-phase exfoliated graphene (G) on the melt memory effect of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was investigated. The nucleation ability of both the melt ordered structure and graphene for iPP crystallization was examined for comparison. The results indicated that liquid-phase exfoliated graphene has excellent heterogeneous nucleation ability. With the addition of only 0.5 wt.% graphene, the crystallization peak temperature of iPP is increased by 11.3 °C. However, in contrast to graphene, melt ordered structure demonstrates more significant nucleation ability. The introduction of graphene brings about weakened melt memory effect of iPP, as evidenced by the diminished temperature width of Domain II for the composite. These findings are consistent with the results obtained from the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics. Dynamic rheology and in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements revealed that depressed thermal stability of ordered structure caused by the presence of graphene is responsible for weakened melt memory effect of iPP.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ca2+ induced silk protein hydrogels: structural characteristics, rapid water absorption and anti-compression behavior","authors":"Tian Zhang, Meng Li, Jiajun Gong, Yujing Tian, Yangxiao Yu, Jiannan Wang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04519-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04519-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Calcium is an essential element for regulating physiological activities and forming hard tissues, and it has significant value for the functional modification of biomedical materials. Based on the promising applications of two natural proteins silk sericin (SS) and silk fibroin (SF) in the field of biomaterials, a series of SS-based SS/SF hydrogels loaded with Ca<sup>2+</sup> were developed and the effects of Ca<sup>2+</sup> binding on the structure, rapid water absorption, and anti-pressure behavior were investigated. All hydrogels showed a regular porous network structure. After loading Ca<sup>2+</sup>, the SS/SF hydrogels maintained the original porous network structure, while the pore size decreased with the increase of loaded Ca<sup>2+</sup>, resulting in a decrease in the water absorption. However, the Ca<sup>2+</sup>-loaded SS/SF hydrogels still possessed notable rapid water absorption capacity, with over 480% water absorption rate within 5 s. Compared to the SF hydrogel or SS/SF hydrogels without Ca<sup>2+</sup>, the contents of α-helix and β-sheets in the SS/SF hydrogels increased after loading Ca<sup>2+</sup>, that was conducive to the molding of hydrogels. The compressive properties of the hydrogels also slightly increased by binding Ca<sup>2+</sup>, due to a slight increase in crystallinity. The study provided important guidance for the application of SS in areas such as hemostatic materials or bone repair scaffolds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthesis of chitosan-polyethylene glycol-based superabsorbent for enhanced water retention in agriculture","authors":"Mohsan Nawaz, Masab Saeed, Malaika Zahoor, Saira Bibi, Shoaib Khan","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04517-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04517-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The basic aim of this study was to develop and optimize a synthesis method for producing superabsorbent based on chitosan/polyethylene glycol (Cs-PEG) blend with improved water retention properties. The Cs-PEG blend was prepared with different Cs-to-PEG blending ratio, the swelling at neutral (pH 7), basic (pH 9), and acidic (pH 5) was studied and Cs-PEG 0.06 exhibiting the best performance. The synthesized superabsorbent was studied through SEM, FTIR and XRD. SEM confirmed hierarchical surface characteristics from smooth homogeneity to granular porosity with enhanced water retention, making the Cs-PEG film ideal for applications as seed coating and soil conditioning. XRD showed a sharp diffraction peak at 20.06° with (020) plane, corresponding to the semi-crystalline structure of chitosan’s carbon skeleton. In Cs-PEG films, the intensity of this peak is significantly reduced, that helped in improved water absorption and retention. Moreover, the efficacy of Cs/PEG superabsorbent polymer blends were accessed in agricultural applications, including biodegradability in soil, moisture retention and their impact on crop growth parameters. The plant growth study indicated that seed germination, root length, and shoot length were significantly enhanced in Cs-PEG 0.06. This study provided an optimal balance between hydrophilicity, structural integrity, and biodegradability, making it a promising superabsorbent material for agricultural applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144814572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zetian Hua, Run Zhang, Chenchao Fu, Lin Jiang, Mingfei Liu, Ping Xue
{"title":"Preparation of high-performance CGF/PVC laminates: optimization of compression molding process parameters","authors":"Zetian Hua, Run Zhang, Chenchao Fu, Lin Jiang, Mingfei Liu, Ping Xue","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04509-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04509-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper, continuous glass fiber reinforced polyvinyl chloride (CGF/PVC) composite prepreg is prepared by dry powder impregnation process, and then, on this basis, the preparation of CGF/PVC laminates are further accomplished by compression molding. During the compression molding process, the optimal process conditions for preparing CGF/PVC laminates are determined using the single-factor variable method. When the hot pressing temperature, hot pressing pressure, and hot pressing time are controlled at 180 ℃, 7 MPa, and 12 min, respectively, the tensile strength, flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength, and notched impact toughness of the CGF/PVC laminates all reach a high value, with respective values of 252.65 MPa, 246.73 MPa, 25.38 MPa, and 176.79 kJ/m<sup>2</sup>, respectively. Compared to the corresponding mechanical properties of unfibrous-reinforced PVC boards prepared under the same experimental, process, and additive conditions, these values increased by 326.7%, 222.0%, 268.4%, and 101.6%, respectively. This study combines the dry powder impregnation process with compression molding, thereby providing a more environmentally friendly, efficient, and industrially scalable method for preparing CGF/PVC composites. This not only offers process optimization strategies for compression molding of CGF/PVC composites but also provides important theoretical and practical guidance for the industrial production of high-performance CGF/PVC composites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144810968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Md. Akhtarul Islam, Myisha Ahmed Chowdhury, Mohammad Shaiful Alam Amin, Md. Rashed Talukder
{"title":"Model-based analysis of strain/stress behavior of polymer materials at constant strain rate regime","authors":"Md. Akhtarul Islam, Myisha Ahmed Chowdhury, Mohammad Shaiful Alam Amin, Md. Rashed Talukder","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04492-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04492-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tensile test at constant strain rate by Universal Testing Machine (UTM) is honored as a standard method for characterizing mechanical behavior of polymer materials, and is applied routinely in all polymer laboratories. Data collected from this test are never utilized to evaluate elastic, viscoelastic and viscous components of the deformation undergone by the material in the process, which is so important to evaluate its sustainability as constructional material. Assuming that a mechanical model consisting of elastic and viscous elements arranged in series, parallel or in combination would describe the deformational behavior of an object, mathematical expressions have been derived to describe stress development in five classical model objects (Kelvin, Maxwell, Hooke-Kelvin, Kelvin-Newton and Burger) subjected to constant strain rate. Finally, a procedure has been worked out to solve the reverse problem with UTM data (before neck formation in the sample), i.e. to identify the model representing the deformational behavior of the object and to evaluate the model parameters. The method has been applied to evaluate some tensile test data available in literature and appropriate models have been proposed. For the first time in literature, elastic, viscoelastic and viscous strain have been differentiated from a UTM test data. The methodology developed in this work can be used by researchers in developing their own models with different combinations of viscous and elastic elements and in differentiating properly the elastic, viscoelastic, and viscous strains of the material objects subjected to conventional UTM tests.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144810838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of nanofibrous membranes incorporating WO3/TiO2/Ag3PO4 photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue","authors":"Yu-Hsun Nien, Ting-Yu Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04514-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04514-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this study, WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> and WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>/Ag<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> photocatalysts with different ratios were prepared using the sol-gel and precipitation methods. Additionally, to facilitate the recovery of photocatalysts from water, nylon 6,6 nanofiber membranes containing the photocatalysts (NFMWTAP) were fabricated using electrospinning and electrospray techniques. The adsorption and degradation of methylene blue under visible light were compared for different ratios of photocatalysts. The results showed that among the WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> samples with different weight percentages, 3 wt% WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> exhibited the highest methylene blue removal efficiency. Therefore, we synthesized WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>/Ag<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> ((W/T)-(AP)) photocatalysts with different weight percentages using 3 wt% WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> as the base catalyst. When the ratio of WO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> to Ag<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> was 5:5, the removal efficiency was the highest, achieving a dye removal rate of 99.60%. Meanwhile, the nylon 6,6 nanofiber membrane containing the photocatalyst achieved a dye removal rate of 99.18% after 30 min of dark adsorption followed by 1 h of visible light irradiation. Even after three cycles of reuse, the dye removal rate remained as high as 97.86%.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mo₂C-reinforced UHMWPE composites: improved mechanical and tribological properties for outdoor environmental applications","authors":"Kavimani Vijayananth, Sathish Kumar Palaniappan, Manoj Kumar Singh, Gopal Pudhupalayam Muthukutti, Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa, Suchart Siengchin","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04520-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04520-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is used in various tribological applications due to its minimal friction coefficient and better wear resistance. However, advances in industrial sector needs further improvements to withstand adverse operating conditions. To fulfill these requirements, molybdenum carbide (Mo<sub>2</sub>C) is used in this research as a filler to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of UHMWPE. Compression molding technique is used to fabricate UHMWPE composite with varying percentage of Mo<sub>2</sub>C (3, 6 and 9 wt%). To understand the effect of filler addition under environmental exposure, developed composites are subjected to accelerated weathering for 555.55 h in a Xenon arc light equipment. Mechanical testing revealed that 6 wt% Mo<sub>2</sub>C addition improves the tensile and modulus of resilience by 7.97% and 47.51% respectively, which also reduces the wear rate by 64.71%. After accelerated weathering, the developed composites retained their mechanical strength to 95% while UHMWPE retained only 93%. These observations depict that Mo<sub>2</sub>C has better ability to retain the performance of UHMWPE under open environmental conditions that make them candidate materials for outdoor applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Study on thermal-storage stability of polyurethane dispersions prepared via Prepolymer method","authors":"Hongmei Jiang, Lijuan Sun","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04477-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04477-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In order to explore the thermal-storage stability of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) fabricated by prepolymer method, a series of WPUs were prepared with polyether polyol (PPG), aliphatic isocyanate (IPDI), dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA), 1, 4-butanediol (BDO), triethyl amine (TEA) and hydrazine hydrate (HyHy). Effects of -NCO content of prepolymer, ratio of [NCO] to [H] after post-extension, HyHy dilution ratio and adding time, and solid content of WPU, were detailedly investigated. The viscosity and appearance of WPUs were used to characterize the stability during the thermal-storage process. Decreasing the -NCO content of prepolymer, ratio of [NCO] to [H] after post-extension and solid content (SC) of WPUs, viscosity rise for WPUs in thermal-storage process decreased significantly; increasing the dilution ratio of H<sub>2</sub>O to HyHy and prolonging the addition time of HyHy aqueous solution in the post-extension process, WPUs with stable viscosity under thermal-storage environment could be obtained. The mechanism for thermal-storage stability affected with “cage effect” was proved. The systematic study on the influencing factors and mechanism of thermal-storage stability in this study is of great significance to the understanding of prepolymer method and to promote the industrialization of WPUs <i>via</i> prepolymer method.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xinlong Liang, Hanchen Wang, Min Sun, Junzhong Yang
{"title":"Investigating the influence of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) on the crystallization behavior and rheological properties of syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP)","authors":"Xinlong Liang, Hanchen Wang, Min Sun, Junzhong Yang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04513-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04513-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Aiming at the performance deficiencies of syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP), specifically its low crystallization temperature and slow crystallization rate, this study innovatively selected polar polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a crystallization-promoting component. The findings demonstrated that when the PVDF content exceeded 2 wt%, the crystallization temperature of the blends increased by over 10 °C compared to pure sPP. The crystallization rate underwent significant enhancement across all blending ratios. However, this crystallisation performance enhancement did not exhibit concentration-dependent characteristics. Furthermore, PVDF significantly reduced the energy barrier to be overcome in the nucleation stage of the system, as well as the crystal growth activation energy. While maintaining the limited disordered Form I crystal structure of sPP unchanged, PVDF altered the one-dimensional needle-like crystalline morphology of sPP, shifting the dominant crystal growth mechanism to two-dimensional lamellar growth. The distinct thermodynamic incompatibility between PVDF and sPP resulted in spherical PVDF particles uniformly dispersed within the sPP continuous phase, forming clear phase interfaces. Combined crystallization behavior and rheological analyses demonstrated that the high-density nucleation sites created by the PVDF phase, through interface-induced crystallization effects, effectively enhanced the crystallization performance of sPP. Simultaneously, the restricted mobility characteristics of PVDF minimized interference with macromolecular chain relaxation dynamics of the matrix, thereby achieving dual functionality of promoting the crystallization and maintaining the matrix’s rheological properties.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self - Healing thermoplastic films via a small organic photothermal molecule SQ-DIN: mechanism and Fluorescence - Monitored repair","authors":"Sixu Wang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04503-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04503-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The self - healing of damaged polymer matrices by leveraging photothermal properties has been scarcely reported in the literature. In this research, Indole - Based squaraine was synthesized via a facile one - step method. The SQ-DIN molecule is characterized by a symmetrical structural unit. Under 685 - nm laser irradiation, it can rapidly reach a high temperature of 85 °C within just four minutes, demonstrating outstanding photothermal performance. These remarkable photothermal properties of the compound hold great potential for the repair of thermoplastic films damaged by cutting. Given that thermoplastic films melt upon heating, the damaged regions can be reconnected by applying heat. In this study, SQ-DIN was effectively incorporated into a damaged PS-PDMS (polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane) film. After illumination, the damaged parts of the film showed remarkable self - healing. Moreover, the fluorescence emission of SQ-DIN underwent a substantial change following photothermal stimulation, which enables the detection and identification of damaged films.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><img></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145142395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}