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Macroporous amphoteric gels based on allylamine, methacrylic acid and acrylamide crosslinked by N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide were synthesized by radical copolymerization of monomers in cryoconditions. The composition of cryogels was determined by combination of potentiometric and conductimetric titrations. The morphology of cryogels was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cryogels exhibited sponge-like porous structure with pore size ranging from 50 to 200 μm. The values of the isoelectric points (IEPs) determined from the swelling experiments arranged between 3.5 and 4.3. The high adsorption-desorption capacity of amphoteric cryogels with respect to mM and trace concentrations of copper, nickel, and cobalt ions was demonstrated. It was shown that the macroporous amphoteric cryogels are able to adsorb up to 99.9% of copper, nickel, and cobalt ions from 10^–3 mol•L^–1 aqueous solution.

Nanocomposites consisting of poly(styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene) (SBS) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) were prepared using a solvent dispersion method. POSS molecules were functionalised with two dichlorotriazine reactive dyes (CI Reactive Blue 4, CI Reactive Red 2) prior to compounding. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed functionalisation.Scanning electron microscopy revealed an increase in filler aggregation with concentration, with preferential phase selectivity. Ultraviolet spectroscopy and colourimetry confirmed colour uniformity and suggested that colour intensity could be controlled. Functionalised POSS improved thermal stability by imparting restrictions on SBS chain motions. Tensile stress-strain analysis revealed an increase in modulus with filler concentration, while creep deformation decreased and permanent strain increased with POSS content. Storage modulus, loss modulus and glass transition temperature increased with filler content due to effective SBS-POSS interaction. Nanocomposite properties were influenced by the phase the filler was dispersed throughout and the structure of the dye chromophore.

Side chain polysiloxane with 5-(pentyloxy)-3-methyloxy-9,10,16,17,23,24-hexakis(octenyloxy)phthalocyanine moieties is synthesized by hydrosilylation reaction. The phase behavior and thermooptical properties of the polysiloxane and starting 2-(pent-4-enyloxy)-3-methyloxy-9,10,16,17,23,24-hexakis(octenyloxy)phthalocyanine is examined by POM (Polarizing optical microscopy), TOA (thermooptical analysis), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), AFM (atomic force microscopy) and SAXS (small angle X-ray scattering) studies. The effect of the attachment of phthalocyanine to polysiloxane chains over phase transitions and phase morphology is discussed in details.

This work reports the preparation of hydrogels based on PVA-GMA, PVA-GMA is poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) functionalized with vinyl groups from glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and on PVA-GMA with different content of chondroitin sulfate (CS). The degrees of swelling of PVA-GMA and PVA-GMA/CS hydrogels were evaluated in distilled water and the swelling kinetics was performed in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF). PVA-GMA and PVAGMA/CS hydrogels demonstrated to be resistant on SGF and SIF fluids. The elastic modulus, E, of swollen-hydrogels were determined through compressive tests and, according to the obtained results, the hydrogels presented good mechanical properties. At last, the presence of CS enhances the hydrogel cell compatibility as gathered by cytotoxicity assays. It was concluded that the hydrogels prepared through this work presented characteristics that allow them to be used as biomaterial, as a carrier in drug delivery system or to act as scaffolds in tissue engineering as well.

The addition of small amounts (up to 9 wt%) of chitin microsized particles, originating from shellfish waste, to carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber (XSBR) matrix (as received and annealed to 100°C) has been studied. In particular, this study concentrated on their mechanical (creep investigation by nanoindentation and dynamical-mechanical analysis), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry) and swelling behaviour (toluene absorption) and was completed by morphological characterisation by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results show that annealing has a limited effect on materials properties, effects which are further reduced by the addition of growing amounts of crab chitin. It should be noted that the limited filler content used in the study does not substantially modify the linear creep behaviour of XSBR for sufficiently long loading times. The thermal stability of the system does also appear to be preserved even with the maximum chitin content added, while it serves sufficiently as an effective barrier against aromatic solvent absorption.

This paper examines the results of the characterization of two functional composites: Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-Ce:YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet doped with cerium) and PMMA-cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF). The composites were prepared as possible emitters in the fields of lighting thermal sensors. The prepared composites were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) analyses to study the correlation between micro and macro characteristics. We found that the molecular interactions of the two different fillers with the matrix were localized in different sites of the polymer chains. Moreover, the composites showed an increased thermal strength and stiffness, in particular the PMMA-Ce:YAG composite.

The numerical simulation of the injection moulding process involving microstructures presents several challenges, mainly due to the surface effects that dominate the flow behaviour at the microscale. In this paper a new approach, which employs weld lines as flow markers, is used to evaluate whether the numerical codes that are normally used to simulate the conventional injection moulding process, are suitable to characterize the melt flow patterns in the filling of micro features. The Cross-WLF viscous model and the Giesekus viscoelastic model were evaluated using 3D models of a micro part implemented in two different numerical codes. A micro cavity was designed in order to compare the results of numerical simulations and experiments. While the viscous simulations were found to be inappropriate for multi-scale structures, the accuracy of micro filling predictions was significantly improved by implementing a viscoelastic material model.

Impact polypropylene copolymers (IPCs) are important commercial materials, but their morphology and molecular architecture are not yet fully understood. In this study the focus was on selectively removing specific fractions from the original IPC, recombining the remaining fractions, and studying the properties and morphology of these recombined polymers. It was found that some properties of the samples changed remarkably, depending on the fraction of material that was removed before recombination. In a similar fashion, morphological changes could be observed. For example, the degree of phase separation and the crystalline morphology of the recombined materials varied noticeably. It was further established that specific copolymer fractions present in the original polymer affect not only the morphology of the final polymer, but also the hardness and impact resistance.