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Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 12930

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chuansheng Wang

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Guest Editor

College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
Interests: new polymer materials; functional polymer materials; functional separation membranes; medical polymer materials; liquid crystal polymer materials; rubber; plastics; material structure; mechanical properties; electrical conductivity; friction properties

Dr. Deshang Han

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Guest Editor

College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China
Interests: polymer; polymer structure and properties; physical and mechanical properties; friction properties; electrical con-ductivity; rubber; plastics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer materials, comprise polymer compounds such as the matrix and other additives (auxiliaries). Polymer materials are divided into rubbers, fibers, plastics, polymer adhesives, polymer coatings, and polymer matrix composite materials according to their characteristics. According to the classification of material application functions, polymer materials are divided into three categories: general polymer materials, unique polymer materials, and functional polymer materials. Available polymer materials are those that can be industrially produced on a large scale and have been widely used in significant fields of national economies such as construction, transportation, agriculture, electrical and electronics industries, and are present in people’s daily lives. Unique polymer materials have excellent mechanical strength and heat resistance; these include polycarbonate, polyamide, and other materials, and have been widely used in engineering. Functional polymer materials have specific functions and can be used as active materials, including helpful separation membranes, conductive materials, medical polymer materials, and liquid crystal polymer materials.

This Special Issue focuses on the structure–property relationships of polymer materials. It aims to demonstrate the ability of researchers to design, synthesize, and fabricate high-performance polymers to meet the challenges posed by technological development and engineering materials applications.

Prof. Dr. Chuansheng Wang
Dr. Deshang Han
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

new polymer materials
functional polymer materials
functional separation membranes
medical polymer materials
liquid crystal polymer materials
rubber
plastics
material structure
mechanical properties
electrical conductivity
friction properties

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward the Rational Design of Organic Catalysts for Organocatalysed Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation

by Zhilei Wang, Chenyu Wu and Wenjian Liu

Polymers 2024, 16(3), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16030323 - 24 Jan 2024

Viewed by 534

Abstract

Thanks to their diversity, organic photocatalysts (PCs) have been widely used in manufacturing polymeric products with well-defined molecular weights, block sequences, and architectures. Still, however, more universal property-performance relationships are needed to enable the rational design of such PCs. That is, a set of unique descriptors ought to be identified to represent key properties of the PCs relevant for polymerisation. Previously, the redox potentials of excited PCs (PC^*) were used as a good descriptor for characterising very structurally similar PCs. However, it fails to elucidate PCs with diverse chromophore cores and ligands, among which those used for polymerisation are a good representative. As showcased by model systems of organocatalysed atom transfer radical polymerisation (O-ATRP), new universal descriptors accounting for additional factors, such as the binding and density overlap between the PC^* and initiator, are proposed and proved to be successful in elucidating the experimental performances of PCs in polymerisation. While O-ATRP is exemplified here, the approach adopted is general for studying other photocatalytic systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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14 pages, 5730 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Cooling Temperature on Crystalline Behavior of Polyphenylene Sulfide/Glass Fiber Composites

by Seo-Hwa Hong and Beom-Gon Cho

Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3179; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153179 - 26 Jul 2023

Viewed by 876

Abstract

Poly (phenylene sulfide) (PPS) is a super engineering plastic that has not only excellent rigidity and high chemical resistance but also excellent electrical insulation properties; therefore, it can be applied as an electronic cover or an overheating prevention component. This plastic has been extensively applied in the manufacture of capacitor housing as, in addition to being a functional and lightweight material, it has a safety feature that can block the electrical connection between the electrolyte inside and outside the capacitor. Moreover, the fabrication of PPS composites with high glass fiber (GF) content facilitates the development of lightweight and excellent future materials, which widens the scope of the application of this polymer. However, the crystallinity and mechanical properties of PPS/GF composites have been found to vary depending on the cooling temperature. Although extensive studies have been conducted on the influence of cooling temperature on the crystalline behavior of PPS-based composites, there has been limited research focused particularly on PPS/GF composites for capacitor housing applications. In this study, to apply PPS/GF composites as film capacitor housings, specimens were prepared via injection molding at different cooling temperatures to investigate the composites’ tensile, flexural, and impact energy absorption properties resulting in increases in mechanical properties at high cooling mold temperature. Fracture surface analysis was also performed on the fractured specimens after the impact test to confirm the orientation of the GF and the shape of the micropores. Finally, the crystallinity of the composites increased with higher cooling temperatures due to the extended crystallization time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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17 pages, 5253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon Nanotube-Based Intumescent Flame Retardants Achieve High-Efficiency Flame Retardancy and Simultaneously Avoid Mechanical Property Loss

by Qi Qu, Jin Xu, Huanhuan Wang, Yinrui Yu, Qianpeng Dong, Xianhua Zhang and Yan He

Polymers 2023, 15(6), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061406 - 11 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1748

Abstract

Intumescent flame retardants (IFR) are an excellent solution to the problem of easy combustion of polymers. Still, the negative effect of the addition of flame retardants is the decline of the mechanical properties of polymers. In this context, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are modified with tannic acid (TA) and then wrapped on the surface of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to construct a special intumescent flame retardant structure (CTAPP). The respective advantages of the three components in the structure are explained in detail, especially the role of CNTs with high thermal conductivity in the flame retardant system. Compared with pure natural rubber (NR), the peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release (THR), and total smoke production (TSP) of the composites proposed with special structural flame retardants are decreased by 68.4%, 64.3%, and 49.3%, respectively, while the limiting oxygen index (LOI) increased to 28.6%. The TA-modified CNTs wrapped on the surface of APP can effectively reduce the mechanical damage caused by the flame retardant to the polymer. To sum up, the flame retardant structure of TA-modified CNTs wrapped on APP can effectively enhance the flame retardant properties of the NR matrix and reduce the negative impact on mechanics caused by adding APP flame retardant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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11 pages, 1492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Acetone and Primer on Strength and Ductility of Chlorinated Poly(vinyl chloride)

by Hanlin Mi, Xiaokang Huang and Pean-Yue Ben Jar

Polymers 2023, 15(3), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030489 - 17 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1278

Abstract

Primer is widely used to prepare bonding of chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC) pipe. The study examined the influences of primer and its major component, acetone, on CPVC’s mechanical properties. Two types of CPVC product, sheet and pipe, were used in the mechanical testing. Sheet specimens were immersed in acetone or primer for 40 and 10 min, respectively, i.e., the maximum allowable time without mass loss, and then dried in air before the mechanical testing. Pipe (ring) specimens were treated either through immersion in acetone or primer for 30 min or in contact with these solvents locally on the inner surface for 2.5 h, and then air dried for 10.5 days before the mechanical testing. Results showed that CPVC’s strength decreased after the absorption of these solvents, and air dry could remove acetone but not completely primer. The study also showed that pipe specimens by local contact with primer could generate brittle fracture. In view that sheet specimens always fractured in a ductile manner, brittle fracture of the pipe specimens could not be caused by CPVC degradation. Rather, strength decrease in the local region could provide a plausible explanation for the brittle fracture behavior, though further investigation is needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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17 pages, 4763 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Experiment and Simulation of Shear Force on Membrane with Dynamic Cross-Flow for Lignin in Black Liquor

by Wenjie Zhao, Yu Wang and Qingdang Li

Polymers 2023, 15(2), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020380 - 11 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1288

Abstract

To address the problem of lignin membrane fouling caused by dynamic cross-flow in the process of retaining and concentrating the black liquor byproduct of papermaking, this paper uses three different rotating structures (vane, disk and propeller) to increase the surface shear force and filtration flux of the membrane. In this paper, under different rotating speeds and different transmembrane pressure differences, numerical simulations were conducted on the shear forces generated by the three structures and the retention process on the surface of the membrane. The variation laws were also studied and compared. Under the same filtration conditions, the vane structure demonstrates better results than the propeller and disk structures in terms of increasing filtration flux. Based on the result, the vane shear force was simulated in terms of changing the particle deposition, and compared with vane rotating speeds of 100–700 r/min, the surface particle deposition of the membrane was significantly reduced at a rotating speed of 800 r/min. Finally, the numerical simulation results were experimentally validated to ensure the accuracy of the simulation. The findings provide a theoretical basis and practical value for solving the problem of lignin membrane fouling caused by dynamic cross-flow in the process of retaining and concentrating the black liquor byproduct of papermaking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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18 pages, 11260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Different Metals on Properties and Friction and Wear of Composite Materials

by Wei Li and Yihui Chen

Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4545; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214545 - 26 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1213

Abstract

With the vigorous development of the automobile industry, the rubber industry has also made continuous progress. As necessary mixing equipment in the rubber industry, the internal mixer is required to undertake a lot of constant work for a long time, which inevitably causes wear to the internal mixer. On the one hand, the wear of the metal on the end face of the internal mixer will lead to an increase in the gap between the inner mixing chamber and the end face, which will lead to material leakage, affect the material ratio of the rubber mixture, and ultimately affect the performance of the rubber mixture. On the other hand, the wear of the end metal of the internal mixer is an increasing process, and the tiny metal particles of the end metal will be incorporated into the rubber mix along with the mixing process, affecting the performance of the rubber mix. At the same time, the disassembly and repair of the internal mixer are complex, and the end face maintenance is difficult. Therefore, finding a kind of end face metal with good wear resistance, long service life, and no influence on rubber compound performance is essential. This paper takes the end face metal of the internal mixer with severe wear as the research object. The wear degree of the metal after friction between MCYD-4 alloy, YW-15 alloy, wear-resistant stainless steel, tungsten carbide alloy, and the rubber compound is compared. The changes in the properties of the compounds after rubbing were investigated. The study found that the tensile tear properties, wet skid resistance, and rolling resistance of NR/BR composites differed when different end-face metals were selected for mixing, but the gap was small. When the end-face metal is YW-15 alloy, the NR/BR composites have the best dispersibility, the most robust tensile tear performance, the best wet-skid resistance, and minor rolling resistance. When the end face metal is the other three alloys, the physical and mechanical properties of the NR/BR composites are reduced to different extents. In this paper, starting from the actual working conditions, considering both abrasive wear and corrosive wear, the friction and wear between the rubber compound and the four kinds of metals commonly used on the end face of the internal mixer are studied. The metal that has little effect on the performance of the rubber compound and is the most wear-resistant was found. This paper is of great significance for improving production efficiency and prolonging the life of the internal mixer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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23 pages, 7716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Wet Mixing on Properties of Radial-Orientation Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Rubber Compounds

by Benhui Yu, Jing Wang, Kongshuo Wang, Deshang Han, Jianbin Ren, Dewei Zhang and Chuansheng Wang

Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4422; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204422 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1182

Abstract

The effects of wet mixing and traditional mixing on the properties of radial-orientation basalt fiber-reinforced rubber products were studied through experiments. The results show that compared with traditional mixing, the basalt fibers under the wet mixing conditions can more effectively enhance the physical and mechanical properties of composites. The properties of the composites, such as carbon black dispersion, filler dispersion, rolling resistance and wet-sliding resistance, were the best after the latex and carbon black were premixed and then mixed by a mixer. Through extrusion experiments with the developed short-fiber radial-orientation die, it can be found that the fluidity of composites after extrusion is enhanced. Through analysis utilizing an electron microscope, it is shown that when the BFs added with KH550 (3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane) were modified by KH560 ((3-Glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane), the interface layers of BF (basalt fiber)–KH560–NR and BF–KH550–NR were formed, which improves the adhesion between BFs and the rubber matrix. Qualitative characterization experiments on the orientation direction of the vulcanized composites were carried out through the experiments; that is, the qualitative characterization experiments on the segmented cutting and vulcanization of the composites in the radial direction showed that the short-fiber radial-orientation die could greatly improve the radial orientation degree of the short fibers in the radial direction. After adding KH560, the performance of the composites reinforced by the short fibers was improved to a certain extent compared with those without KH560. By adding DZ (N,N-Dicyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolsulfene amide) and CTP(cytidine triphosphate disodium) into the vulcanization system, the curing process of compounds in mixing and extrusion was delayed and the scorching resistance of short-fiber-reinforced composites was enhanced. Under the same conditions, the properties of the compounds after extrusion were greatly improved compared with those without extrusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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9 pages, 4168 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Welding Defects on the Long-Term Performance of HDPE Pipes

by Huansheng Lai, Dengshuai Fan and Kanglin Liu

Polymers 2022, 14(19), 3936; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14193936 - 21 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2834

Abstract

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes are the preferred pipes of water systems in nuclear power plants because they are durable, corrosion-free, easy to install, and not subject to fouling. However, their long-term performance can be affected by welding defects. In this paper, the effect of welding defects on the long-term performance of HDPE pipe butt fusion joints was studied using a creep test. A welding defect with a hole or inclusion in the joint was simulated by artificially inserting a copper ball during butt fusion welding. The test results showed that the creep life of the joint decreased with increased defect size. An expression describing the creep life and the defect ratio was obtained according to the test results. In addition, the test results showed that the creep life of the joint without a welding bead was about 50% of that in a joint with a welding bead. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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19 pages, 10925 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of the Synergistic Effect of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Fibers in the Rubber Matrix on the Friction and Wear of Metals during the Mixing Process

by Lin Wang, Yi Pan, Yihui Chen, Jian Qiu, Aihua Du, Deshang Han and Chuansheng Wang

Polymers 2022, 14(18), 3731; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14183731 - 07 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1130

Abstract

As a piece of high-intensity running equipment, the wear of an internal mixer determines the quality of rubber and its life. In general, the wear of an internal mixer is caused by the friction between the rubber and metal during the mixing process, and the most severe wear position is the end face of the equipment. In this paper, a mixture of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon fibers (CFs) are added to rubber by mechanical compounding to obtain MWCNT/CF/carbon black (CB) composites. By investigating the synergistic mechanism of MWCNTs and CFs, we analyze the effect of the MWCNT/CF ratio on the frictional wear of metal on the end face of the internal mixer. At the microscopic level, MWCNTs and CFs form a spatial meshwork with CB particles through synergistic interactions. The CB particles can be adsorbed on the spatial meshwork to promote the dispersion of CB particles. In addition, the formation of oil film can be slowed down due to the spatial meshwork, which could hinder the spillage of aromatic oil. Meanwhile, the spatial meshwork serves as a physical isolation layer between the rubber and metal to reduce friction. Therefore, it dramatically impacts the dispersion degree of CB particles, the friction coefficient, the roughness of the surface, and the wear of metal. It shows that the synergistic effect of MWCNT/CF and CB particles is best when the CF content of the rubber matrix is 5 phr, showing the most stable spatial network structure, the best dispersion of CB particles, and minor wear on the end face of the internal mixer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Structure-Property Relationship of Polymer Materials)

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