Optimizing interfacial compatibility is one of the core issues for constructing high-performance green poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends. Herein, we prepared a poly(epichlorohydrin)-b-poly(d-lactic acid) (PECH-b-PDLA) diblock copolymer as an efficient compatibilizer for poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(epichlorohydrin) (PLLA/CHR) blends. The PECH-b-PDLA enabled the blends to form unique interlocks among the chains

The synthesis of linear polymers with both ends conserved is severely impeded due to the inevitable macrocyclization in step-growth polymerization (SGP). Indeed, macrocyclic polymers are considered as the ultimate destination of the polycondensations for AB or A2 + B2 monomers combinations. Here, we present a new strategy to limit the macrocyclization process towards selectively formation of linear

We have found that the cis-conformational structures in single-polymer crystals obtained by solid-state polymerization are retained in solution. A soluble alternating copolymer was accidentally obtained during our research employing a series of 7,7,8,8-tetrakis(alkoxycarbonyl)-p-quinodimethanes (1) with alkoxy groups such as methoxy(1a(Me)), ethoxy(1b(Et)), propoxy(1c(Pr)), isopropoxy(1d(iPr)), butoxy(1e(Bu))

Chain entanglements, which reside in the amorphous phase of semicrystalline polymers, influence many macroscopic properties of polymers. There are different opinions about the role of crystallization and subsequent melting in the entanglement density. Isotactic polybutene-1 (iPB-1) was selected for this study. Crystallization of this polymer from an equilibrated melt led to the formation of conformationally

Producing polymers from renewable resources via more sustainable approaches has become increasingly important. Herein we present the polymerization of monomers obtained from biobased renewable resources, employing an environmentally friendly photoinduced iron-catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in low-toxicity solvents. We demonstrate that renewable monomers can be successfully polymerized

Soft materials can sustain large, elastic, and reversible deformations, finding widespread use as elastomers and hydrogels. These materials constitute 3-D polymer networks and are typically synthesized by cross-linking polymer chains or copolymerizing monomer and cross-linker. Seminal investigations have enabled control over the network architecture by cross-linking chains of poly(dimethylsiloxane)

The excessive use and disposal of plastic products have become a severe threat to the environment, animal welfare, and human health. Naturally synthesized, marine-degradable polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) represents a viable green substitute for conventional plastics. However, the inherent brittleness of PHB remains a major challenge due to undesirable large spherulites and secondary crystallization. Herein

Ethylene/1-octene statistical multiblock copolymers (OMBCs) consisting of the alternation of crystalline, hard blocks and amorphous, soft blocks, with ≈0.5 and 20 mol % of 1-octene units, respectively, are subjected to thermal fractionation resorting to successive self-nucleation and annealing (SSA). The study is extended to random copolymers (RCs) of high (44 kDa) and low (3.4 kDa) number average

Ideal ion gels exhibit high ionic conductivities and mechanical strengths, but developing such ion gels is challenging, as a high ionic conductivity generally requires a high ionic liquid content, which inevitably reduces the mechanical strength. Herein, we report the controlled syntheses of poly(4-styrenephosphonic acid) (PS4P) and poly(3-styrenephosphonic acid) (PS3P) polymers to achieve challenging

The hydrolysis-based post-polymerization modification method was introduced into the self-assembly process and a modification-induced self-assembly (MISA) technique was presented. The diblock copolymer poly(styrene)-b-poly(tert-acrylate) (PS-b-PtBA) was employed as precursor, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was used as modification agent, and toluene was used as solvent. With the gradual hydrolysis of PtBA

It’s very challenging to fabricate elastomer vitrimers that are both robust and dimensionally stable in service. Toward this issue, we initiate a multi-phase design of elastomer vitrimers by incorporating quadruple hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) into vitrimer networks. Specifically, a commercialized styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is functionalized with the synthesized 5-benzyl-3,6-dioxo-2-piperazineacetic

The effects of thermal processing on the micro- and nanostructural features and thus also on the relaxor–ferroelectric properties of a P(VDF–TrFE–CFE) terpolymer were investigated in detail by means of dielectric experiments, such as dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), dielectric hysteresis loops, and thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDCs). The results were correlated with those

Polymer electrolytes (PEs) offer a promising avenue toward safer, more mechanically robust and high power density lithium-ion batteries. In PEs, conduction is achieved through the dissolution and subsequent transport of the lithium cation and organic anion, yet only lithium transport provides useful current between the two electrodes and must be maximized. As such, PEs are rationally designed to include

Among the sulfur-containing polymers, polythioethers remain very attractive structures due to their high sulfur atom content, making them interesting candidates for various industrial applications, for example, in the fields of energy storage or biomedical applications. Although anionic ring-opening polymerization of episulfides is known since decades, only a limited number of efficient initiating

Alkyne-based polymerizations have been an invaluable tool for the preparation of functional polymers. In the reported polymerizations, alkynes generally function as electrophilic monomers. Theoretically, ethynyl groups of monomers could also be used as nucleophiles, and the polymerization using an ethynyl group as the nucleophile should be developed further. In this work, a potassium tert-butoxide

The incorporation of functional groups in the skeleton of vinylic addition polynorbornenes (VA-PNBs) is a difficult task due to the reluctant VA homo- and copolymerization of substituted norbornenes. We have found that copolymers of norbornene and alkenyl-norbornenes can be synthesized with good yields employing α-substituted benzylic complexes of palladium(II) as catalysts. The polymerization occurs

Polymers with low dielectric permittivity and dielctric loss are essential for microelectrics and wireless communication industries. Perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) aryl ether group is proved to afford polymer materials with high fluorine content and large free volume, bringing many attractive properties, e.g. good thermal and chemical stability, high hydrophobicity, transparency and low dielectric permittivity

Etherification of cellulose using allyl glycidyl ether was carried out in aqueous alkaline solutions of benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, NaOH and different mixtures of these bases in order to study the effect of hydroxide base composition on the course of reaction and the resulting product properties. In-situ FTIR spectroscopy and time sweep shear measurements were

We report a new sequence selective terpolymerisation in which three monomers (butylene oxide (BO) A, PhNCS B and phtalic thioanhydride (PTA) C) are selectively enchained into an (ABA’C)n sequence. PTA/PhNCS/BO ring-opening terpolymerisation ROTERP can be coupled with CS2 ROTERP to generate tetrapolymers and with DL ROP in switchable catalysis for blockpolymer synthesis.