Journal of Polymer Research最新文献

{"title":"Surface functionalization of nanoparticles for enhanced polymer-nanoparticle interactions in nanocomposites","authors":"Mohamad Ali Sanjari Shahrezaei,&nbsp;Fatemeh Goharpey,&nbsp;Atefeh Alimadadi","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04374-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04374-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Integrating nanoparticles (NPs) into a polymer matrix represents a promising approach to enhancing the characteristics of the polymer. Such improvements are closely related to the dispersion of the NPs and the interfaces between phases, both of which are significantly affected by the surface functionality of the NPs. In this study, we have investigated the effects of different surface functionalities of silica NPs on the particle dispersion and properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Specifically, we have found that the surface treatment of silica NPs with hydrocarbon groups can decrease particle surface tension and interparticle interactions, resulting in the polymer and particles interaction. Additionally, this treatment can reduce the tendency of NPs to aggregate and agglomerate. As a consequence, the particle dispersion, rheological properties, and mechanical behavior of PNCs are all influenced by the surface treatment of NPs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143949687","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":"A comparative study on the influence of nanoclay and nanosilica on the mechanical properties of NR/SBR/NBR ternary rubber nanocomposites","authors":"J. Srinivas,&nbsp;M. S. Jagatheeshwaran,&nbsp;S. Vishvanathperumal,&nbsp;A. Elayaperumal","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04411-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04411-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The unfilled rubber blends composed of natural rubber (NR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) exhibited inferior properties due to the lack of a reinforcing agent. However, the incorporation of nanofillers significantly improved the strength of the compound. Two nanofillers, nanoclay (NC) and nanosilica (NS), were added to the NR/SBR/NBR blends, which were prepared using an open milling process with nanofiller contents varying from 0 to 10 phr. The use of fine particle-sized fillers required consideration of potential outcomes related to rubber-filler and filler-filler interactions, as well as the varying polarity and composition of the rubber components, which influenced these interactions. To enhance the compatibility between the non-polar and polar rubber phases, 3 phr of Ultrablend 4000 was used. The rubber compound was cured using conventional sulfur vulcanization. Cure characteristic results showed that NC had minimal effect on curing time. The mechanical properties and swelling resistance of the blends compatibilized with Ultrablend 4000 were evaluated using tensile tests, hardness, rebound resilience, abrasion resistance, and mole percent uptake measurements. NS proved to be more effective than NC in enhancing tensile strength, with optimal stress at 100% elongation and tensile strength occurring at 6 phr of NS. Beyond this point, tensile strength decreased due to NS particle agglomeration, which weakened the nanocomposites. Increasing nanofiller content in the NR/SBR/NBR vulcanizates led to improvements in tear strength, hardness, and abrasion resistance, attributed to better filler dispersion and stronger filler-rubber interactions. Notably, NS had a more significant impact on the mechanical properties and swelling resistance of the nanocomposites compared to NC. The percentage increase in tensile strength, stress at 100% elongation, and tear strength of the NR/SBR/NBR nanocomposites shows increases of 154%, 48%, and 155%, respectively, compared to the base vulcanizates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944390","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":"Solvent-Assisted Synthesis of Polyborodimethylsiloxane (PBDMS) and its Rheological Research","authors":"Ravinder Kaur,&nbsp;Sanjeev Kumar Verma,&nbsp;Rajeev Mehta","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04419-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04419-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Polyborodimethylsiloxanes (PBDMS) are supramolecular elastomers known for their unique viscoelastic and shear-stiffening properties, attributed to weak Si–O: B dative bonding and hydrogen bonding. This enables a transition between liquid-like and elastic behavior, making PBDMS suitable for smart coatings, flexible electronics, and energy-dissipating materials. PBDMS is also a key component in strain-sensitive Interpenetrating Polymer Networks (IPNs), such as the commercially available D3O, which combines PBDMS with polyurethane matrix. Most PBDMS synthesis studies focus on high-temperature bulk methods (200 °C), which, despite being contamination-free, suffer from poor mixing, chain scission, and scalability issues. This study explores a solvent-assisted approach using hydroxy-terminated PDMS of varying viscosities and boric acid (BA) at 120 °C in toluene, ensuring uniform mixing and controlled molecular scission. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed Si–O-B linkage formation within 2 h, while gel permeation chromatography (GPC) showed a 90.4% molecular weight reduction. Rheological analysis indicated increased storage (G’) and loss (G’’) moduli, with elastic behavior dominating after 6 h. This solvent-assisted method provides a scalable and reproducible alternative for PBDMS synthesis, offering precise control over viscoelastic properties for advanced applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944206","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":"Presence of polar and non-polar conformations in P(VDF-TrFE) films for efficient piezoelectric nano-energy harvester","authors":"Arpana Pal Sharma,&nbsp;Uvais Valiyaneerilakkal,&nbsp;Kulwant Singh,&nbsp;Dhaneshwar Mishra","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04415-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04415-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we examined the energy harvesting potential of a neat polyvinylidene fluoride copolymer with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)), solution-casted onto ITO/aluminium substrates and subjected to various thermal treatments. To the best of our knowledge, the first time all three phases, i.e., α, β, and γ, are observed in P(VDF-TrFE), which is an interesting phenomenon, and it primarily influences the piezoelectric output. This research article renounces the conventional assumptions of the presence of only the polar β phase in P(VDF-TrFE) ferroelectric polymer. The piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties, which are elevated by nanofillers, and processing costs are addressed through a straightforward and industrially feasible solvent casting and annealing technique. The annealed polymer film exhibited a peak-to-peak open-circuit voltage of 5 Volts under finger tapping, with a recorded short-circuit current of 120 nA. An enhanced polar β-phase conformation of 27% was achieved through a straightforward synthesis process in the pristine film. The piezoelectric, spectroscopic, microstructural, and morphological properties of the annealed P(VDF-TrFE) as base matrix give the potential role in sensors, actuators, piezoelectric devices, and energy harvesting devices.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938205","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":"Enhancing the Demulsification of W/O Emulsions via Optimizing the Molecular Structure of Non-ionic Polyether Demulsifiers","authors":"Minghui Jiang,&nbsp;Xueqing Bi,&nbsp;Peiwen Xiao,&nbsp;Kaixuan Wang,&nbsp;Wenjing Fang,&nbsp;Haixia Zheng,&nbsp;Bing Liu","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04417-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04417-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Polyether demulsifiers have attracted significant attention in oil–water emulsion separation for their efficiency, eco-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. However, the structure–activity relationship between their molecular structure and demulsification performance requires further investigation. In this study, we examined the demulsification behavior of non-ionic polyether demulsifiers with diverse molecular structures using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations, aiming to enhance their oil–water separation efficiency through rational molecular structure design of non-ionic polyether demulsifiers. The results indicate that double comb-shaped demulsifiers has a dipole moment of 14.97 D and binding energy with water molecules of -645.87 kJ/mol, demonstrating superior demulsification performance compared to demulsifiers with other molecular structures. Notably, when the ethylene oxide (EO) to propylene oxide (PO) ratio is 1/1, the binding energy further decreases to -663.94 kJ/mol, shortening the water bridge formation time to 13.54 ns and demulsification time to 16 ns. Additionally, after the demulsifier replaced the oil molecules at the interface, it remained consistently located at the oil–water interface. This led to the destabilization of the emulsion system and a reduction in interfacial tension from 36.73 dyne/cm to 21.16 dyne/cm. This research offers valuable insights for developing efficient non-ionic polyether demulsifiers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932326","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":"Solution-catsed poly (lactic acid)/stereocomplex polylactide/CNT composite films preparation and properties","authors":"Kai Wang,&nbsp;Aiyuan Li,&nbsp;Xiangdong Sun,&nbsp;Jin Zhu,&nbsp;Ruijie Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04404-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04404-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, solution casting was employed to prepare poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/stereocomplex polylactide(sc-PLA)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite films. The sc-PLA microspheres, and CNT composite films were characterized using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The size and crystallinity of the sc-PLA microspheres were strongly influenced by the molecular weight of PLA, while functionalizing CNT with carboxyl groups (CNT-COOH) significantly improved its dispersibility in the PLA matrix. The mechanical properties, water barrier performance, and thermal stability of the PLA/sc-PLA/CNT films were also assessed. The incorporation of sc-PLA microspheres and CNT-COOH improved the tensile strength and modulus of the composite films with the optimal values achieved using 3 wt% CNT-COOH and 5 wt% sc-PLA microspheres. Using CNT-COOH as a filler significantly improved the thermal stability of the composite films compared to both the unmodified and CNT-modified films. The sc-PLA microspheres had a limited effect on increasing thermal stability, while particularly improved the water barrier properties of the PLA composite films. These improvements were attributed to the excellent dispersion of CNT-COOH in the PLA matrix and the crystallization-promoting effect of the sc-PLA microspheres on the PLA.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932306","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":"Investigation into crosslinking kinetics, physical properties, and thermal conductivity of humic acid epoxy composite","authors":"Hussein Ali Shnawa","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04390-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04390-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Natural and renewable materials, such as humic acid, for high value products has become part of the research of increasing importance due to the phenomenon of global warming there has been a lot of interest in the development of composites based on renewable resources for a variety of applications. This paper seeks by a series of FT-IR spectroscopy, gravimetric measurements, and DSC analysis to determine the curing behavior, thermo-physical properties (glass transition temperature (<i>T</i>g)), thermal conductivity (TC), and moisture absorption (MA) of composites made of commercial epoxy resin (E) with humic acid (HA). It is observed that in almost all cases, the prepared composites (HAE) have similar curing behavior to that of (E) with higher activation energy, <i>T</i>g, and MA. In addition, TC decreases for 5 and 10 wt.% HAE, while it increases for 20 wt.% HAE. Conversely, by increasing the amount of humic acid, the <i>T</i>g and MA ability of the composites increased. Concerning TC, the presence of HA at 5 and 10 wt.% results a slight decrease in the TC of the composites. A bio-based and valuable composite have been produced from epoxy and humic acid by commonly simple mixing process which might be easily transferable to commercial production process.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932305","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":"Improved dielectric properties of polypropylene insulation via crystal structure regulation using a rare earth nucleating agent","authors":"Zhuobin Xi,&nbsp;MengYao Zhu,&nbsp;Zhuo Wang,&nbsp;Huan Li,&nbsp;Kangning Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04413-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04413-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The polypropylene (PP)-based composites have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable insulation applications, with significant advantages such as excellent performance and green environmental protection. This study investigates the impact of rare earth β-nucleating agent WBG-II on the micro-structural and dielectric properties of PP composites, with additive concentrations systematically varied from 0.1% to 1.0% (by mass). Quantitative analysis revealed that nucleating agent incorporation induces pronounced micro-structural modifications in PP. Specifically, at 0.5 wt% additive loading, the β-crystal content and degree of crystallinity reached optimal values of 54.4% and 83.7%, respectively. Correspondingly, the breakdown field strength (<i>E</i>_b) exhibited a significant enhancement, achieving 267.17 kV/mm, a 50.06% increase compared to the untreated PP matrix. However, further increasing the nucleating agent content to 1.0 wt% resulted in a pronounced decline in both β-crystal fraction (38.27%) and overall crystallinity (80.7%), concomitant with deterioration in dielectric performance. Mechanistic analysis indicates that heterogeneous nucleation triggered by the nucleating agent enhances both crystallinity and β-crystal content, while also increasing the interfacial area between micro-crystals, thereby increasing the average trap density, increasing the probability of carrier capture, effectively hindering charge injection, and ultimately enhancing dielectric performance. Conversely, excessive nucleating agent concentration induces severe agglomeration, disrupting nucleation kinetics and thereby compromising both crystal quality and dielectric characteristics. This study establishes a theoretical framework for optimizing eco-friendly PP-based HVDC cable insulation through targeted crystal structure engineering.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925439","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 the influence of raw material dosages on the production temperature of flexible polyurethane foam","authors":"Zunhu Fang,&nbsp;Zitao Yuan,&nbsp;Quanbing Luo","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04409-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04409-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) is a flammable synthetic polymer. In the foam production process, large amount of heat would be released from the chemical reactions of raw materials, which would even cause spontaneous combustion of foam. This paper implemented FPUF production and temperature monitoring experiments to study the influence of different raw material dosages on the the FPUF production temperature. Meanwhile, FTIR analysis experiments were implemented to study the reason of production temperature changes at the influence of different raw material dosages. From the results, FPUF production temperature is closely related to the physical changes (such as evaporation, volume change, mass change) and chemical changes (such as foaming reaction, gelling reaction, catalytic reaction) of the foaming process. Insufficient polyol will lead to a significant increase in FPUF production temperature, which is a bigger potential safety hazard in FPUF production than dosage misuse of other raw materials. Meanwhile, replace part of polyether polyol with polymer polyol and replace part of water with methylene chloride in the FPUF formula can further effectively reduce the foam production temperature, and keep the foam quality simultaneously. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143919046","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":"Corn silk fibre reinforced PLA biocomposites for automotive application","authors":"Dharmendra Kumar,&nbsp;Vishal Srivastava,&nbsp;Parna Nandi,&nbsp;Dipayan Das","doi":"10.1007/s10965-025-04408-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10965-025-04408-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Corn silk (CS), an agricultural byproduct obtained after the processing of corn, is usually dumped as waste. Worldwide there is a growing concern to utilise this waste for making value-added products. This work tried to improve the functional properties of corn silk fibres and utilise them to fabricate biocomposites for automotive applications. Raw corn silk fibres were alkali treated (2%, 45 min) to achieve around 11% improvement in tensile strength, 14% improvement in elongation-at-break and 26% reduction in initial modulus. The alkali-treated fibres were further processed to prepare bi-directional carded webs which were ultimately reinforced in PLA matrix utilising compression-moulding technology. The biocomposites developed with different mass fractions (10% to 50%) of alkali-treated corn silk fibres were evaluated for their functional properties. The biocomposite, formulated with 40% mass fractions of treated corn silk fibre and poly(lactic) acid, exhibited the highest mechanical performance—tensile strength (74.57 MPa), Young’s modulus (4.28 GPa), Flexural strength (442.45 MPa), breaking elongation (2.04%) and impact strength (3.2 kJ/m²). The biocomposites were also found to be thermally stable with no significant weight loss till 319 °C and 98.49% final weight loss at the end of 780 °C. Those biocomposites exhibited biodegradability with 2.73% weight loss and 13.11% strength loss in 30 days of burial in soil. The biocomposite reinforced with 40% alkali-treated corn silk fibres demonstrated high potential for automotive namely door panels, exterior under-floor panels, instrument panels, internal engine covers, packaging trays, seat backs, etc. Moreover, this study advances sustainable biocomposites by enhancing CS fibre properties, achieving superior mechanical strength, thermal stability, and biodegradability for automotive applications. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":658,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymer Research","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143913815","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}