Increasing demands in minimization of fire risks and meeting fire safety requirements by polymers require advances in knowledge of flame-retardant materials suitable for use in fire-retardancy applications. The present work represents the seminal review of alginate/polymer-based materials as flame retardants. Alginates are suitable for this application as they represent alternatives to petroleum-based

Main-chain metallopolymers are synthesized by olefin metathesis polymerizations. These polymers are mainly produced through acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The special metal moieties, metal-binding motifs, and unsaturated macromolecular backbone endow the metallopolymers with unique properties. This review highlights recent advances

The past few decades have seen a significant interest in the fumarate-based polymers for biomedical applications. Poly(caprolactone fumarate) (PCLF) and oligo[poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate] (OPF) are derivatives of polycaprolactone and polyethylene glycol respectively, which are rendered cross-linkable, biodegradable, and possess tunable mechanical properties by the introduction of unsaturated fumarate

The past few decades have seen a significant interest in the fumarate-based polymers for biomedical applications. Poly(caprolactone fumarate) (PCLF) and oligo[poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate] (OPF) are derivatives of polycaprolactone and polyethylene glycol respectively, which are rendered cross-linkable, biodegradable, and possess tunable mechanical properties by the introduction of unsaturated fumarate

In last two decades, acid doped polybenzimidazole as polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) has been widely recognized and envisioned as “ideal” proton conducting materials for application in high temperature PEM fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). The majority of research and developmental work is mainly focused on poly (2,2´-m-phenylene-5,5´-bibenzimidazole), However, it is neither easy-processed nor inexpensive component

Abstract The outstanding performance of conventional thermosets arising from their covalently cross-linked networks directly results in a limited recyclability. The available commercial or close-to-commercial techniques facing this challenge can be divided into mechanical, thermal, and chemical processing. However, these methods typically require a high energy input and do not take the recycling of

Waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs), owing to their environmental friendliness and non-flammability, are considered as a green class of materials for a wide spectrum of applications, like adhesives, coatings, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. However, to strengthen their thermal stability, water resistance, mechanical properties, and introduce new peculiarities to these polymers, the incorporation

Stereoregular fused thiophenes (SFTs: especially thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (TT) and dithieo[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]thiophene (DTT)), as stable conjugated structures deriving from thiophene ring enlargement, possess outstanding properties and special configuration, such as the superior carrier transfer efficiency and a high degree backbone of planarity. In comparison to stand-alone SFTs structures, oligomers and

A high number of sport injuries result in damage to articular cartilage, a tissue type with poor self-healing capacity. Articular cartilage tissue is a sophisticated hydrogel, which contains 80% water and possesses strong mechanical properties. For this reason, synthetic hydrogels are thought to be an optimal material for cartilage regeneration. In the last decade, more than 2,000 research papers pertaining

Permeation is a combination of diffusion and sorption phenomena. The extent of permeation (gas/vapor/liquid) through a composite polymer material is a function of several factors including the composition of the polymer, the nature, distribution, and spatial orientation of the different phases in the micro-structure of the matrix polymer and those of the fillers, etc. Typically, computational techniques

This review article covers recent developments in thiol-X polymerizations as applied to the production of polymer colloidal particles. These polymerizations include thiol-ene, thiol-yne, thio-Michael, and thio-isocyanate polymerizations. Such thiol-X chemistries are facile reactions that offer high yields, rapid synthesis using mild conditions, orthogonality with other methods of organic synthesis

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) have attracted intensive attention for several decades because they can endow the materials with not only good processability but also various functionalities except the electrical conductivity. It is known that the electrical resistance of the CPCs is dominated by the conductive networks in the polymer matrix. Therefore, tiny change of the conductive networks can

Oil sorbent membranes are highly effective materials in combating oil spills. Recent technological advancements in membrane preparations permit higher oil-sorption efficiency and easier oil recoverability. This review article discusses the main structural difference between the most commonly fabricated membranes. Next, it highlights the different membrane production methods and their role in producing

As a new member of the group of promising 2D materials, MXene shows the advantages including metallic conductivity, high charge carrier mobility, tunable band gap, flexibility and diverse surface chemistry, favorable optical and mechanical properties. These unique properties have drawn huge attention, and research on MXene has been intensively conducted and innovative applications have been reported

Printed sensors have been explored for more than two decades and have now gained significant interest in real-world applications due to low cost, simple and scalable fabrication processes. These sensors must satisfy the requirement of long-term usage as wearable devices, especially for health monitoring and rehabilitation purposes. However, when such devices are continuously worn on the body or implanted

Due to their unique physical and chemical features, dendronized polymers (DPs) have received increasing attention in various fields such as hierarchically structured materials, stimuli-responsive materials, catalysis, biosciences, optoelectronic devices, and so on. A large number of synthetic strategies also have been reported to prepare various functionalized DPs. Among these strategies, ring-opening

Modern medicine has undoubtedly achieved enormous progress in applying various polymer-based materials for specific applications. Despite this, there is still a need to create systems, especially on the nano-scale, that are simultaneously nontoxic, biocompatible and able to be functionalized with active biomolecules. Polyglycidol (also called polyglycerol) is biocompatible and hydrophilic polymer,

This review details the challenges with the canonical polymer swelling theory in its ability to accurately estimate realistic polymer swelling behavior. It is important to quantify this behavior since the development of new and hybrid materials with dynamic environmental response is expected to drive rapid growth and innovation in markets including biomedicine, electronics, pharmaceuticals, building

Stretchable and tough hydrogels have attracted a lot of attention due to their great potential in applications such as wound healing, drug delivery, tissue culture, etc. They can also be paired with electronic components to create artificial skin, wearable electronics, and patches. To promote the development of more hydrogels, we will summarize methods and materials that have been used to develop these

In this paper we review the literature on electrospinning of porous fibers of micron and nanoscale diameters. Selection of an appropriate polymer-solvent system can yield porous fibers due to phase separation, and different types of porosity are generated by different phase separation mechanisms. In comparison with porous polymeric fibers, production of porous inorganic fibers is much more complex:

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies enable not only faster bioconstructs development but also on-demand and customized manufacturing, offering patients a personalized biomedical solution. This emerging technique has a great potential for fabricating bioscaffolds with complex architectures and geometries and specifically tailored for use in regenerative medicine. The next major innovation in

Porous shape memory polymers (SMPs) include foams, scaffolds, meshes, and other polymeric substrates that possess porous three-dimensional macrostructures. Porous SMPs exhibit active structural and volumetric transformations and have driven investigations in fields ranging from biomedical engineering to aerospace engineering to the clothing industry. The present review article examines recent developments

Interlaminar fracture toughness had been the subject of great interest for several years and is still interesting to the research community. In this article, a comprehensive analysis of fracture toughness in FRP laminates is presented. Primarily, toughness studies are undertaken on glass and carbon fiber reinforced composites under mode-I and mode-II loading conditions. The fracture behavior and its

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an extracellular natural polymer produced by many microorganisms and its properties could be tailored via specific fabrication methods and culture conditions. There is a growing interest in BC derived materials due to the main features of BC such as porous fibrous structure, high crystallinity, impressive physico-mechanical properties, and high water content. However, pristine

The present article provides a review on the nonlinear mechanical behavior of polymer matrix composites (PMCs). Initially, essential mechanisms driving the nonlinear response of PMCs under different loading conditions are discussed. Rate-dependence, tension-compression asymmetry, viscous behavior, unloading characteristics, interaction between stress components and effects of environmental factors

Epoxy resin will continue to be in the forefront of many thermoset applications due to its versatile properties. However, with advancement in manufacturing, changing societal outlook for the chemical industries and emerging technologies that disrupt conventional approaches to thermoset fabrication, there is a need for a multifunctional epoxy resin that is able to adapt to newer and robust requirements

Responsive polymeric materials that are sensitive to biological stimuli including temperature, pH, enzymes, or redox conditions have attracted research interest in recent years. Among these, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive polymers are particularly appealing because of the special role of ROS in living organisms. ROS are the indicator and cause of certain diseases, and they are also important

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a biodegradable, water-soluble membrane that has low methanol permeation and reactive chemical functionalities. Modification of these features makes PVA an attractive proton exchange membrane (PEM) alternative to NafionTM. However, the pristine PVA membrane is a poorer proton conductor than the NafionTM membrane due to the absence of negatively charged ions. Hence, modification

Thiol chemistry is an efficient tool to manipulate the microstructure of aliphatic polyesters and open the way to different applications. Synthetic strategies that aim to synthesize thiol-functionalized aliphatic polyesters are reviewed herein. The introduction of thiol-editable groups on aliphatic polyesters can occur both at chain ends and along the chains, enabling diverse modifications of the polymeric

Phase Changing Materials (PCM) portrays proficiency to liberate perceptible amount of latent heat on the course of phase transformation between liquid-solid or solid-liquid, thereby creating momentary warmth or cooling effect. PCM has been utilized in garments for introducing thermoregulating effect to diminish thermal discomfort of clothing. Assimilation of thermal energy by PCM causes delay in upsurge

Materials based on polymer-inorganic nanostructures, e(Polym/INS), produced by combining functional polymers with inorganic nanostructured compounds represent a major area of research with many applications. This review provides a summary of the most relevant polymer-inorganic nanostructured systems found in the literature over the last decade. Then the most relevant and specific features of these

This review paper provides an overview of chromogenic polymers and their classifications, mechanisms, chemistry, synthesis procedures, and potential applications with a focus on packaging. Commonly and academically accepted classifications derived from chemical engineering, material science, and packaging science are used. Furthermore, recent progress and outputs aligned with chromogenic polymers for

In last two decades, acid doped polybenzimidazole as polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) has been widely recognized and envisioned as “ideal” proton conducting materials for application in high temperature PEM fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). The majority of research and developmental work is mainly focused on poly (2,2´-m-phenylene-5,5´-bibenzimidazole), However, it is neither easy-processed nor inexpensive component

Many modern technologies rely on materials with controlled surface properties. A key property in many of these applications is surface energy; specifically a low surface energy is often desired so as to impart low adhesive behavior to the materials. The fluorine–carbon bond displays low polarizability, and so fluorocarbons show high resistance to interactions with both polar and non-polar molecules

Interference and chaos among different electromagnetic signals become the prime challenge of the current era which relies on wireless communication. Effective shielding of electromagnetic interference (EMI) waves with advanced materials thus emerges as major research field to prevent cross-talking among electronic devices. This article reviews the current research status of polymer-based EMI shielding

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has attracted considerable scientific attention, thanks to its enhanced water solubility and wide range of possible chemical reactions. In the present review, we attempt to summarize the current knowledge on chemical modifications of CMC, focusing specifically on the derivatization of its carboxyl functions, through “grafting onto” strategies. CMC derivatives, obtained

Air-filtration has played an increasingly important role in keeping desired indoor air quality in spite of the heavily polluted air that has worsened by human being’s activities. Because the compositions of the pollutants present in the air are so complex and uncontrollable, traditional air-filtering materials produced from non-degradable plastics or glass fibers are facing a big challenge of effectively

Air-filtration has played an increasingly important role in keeping desired indoor air quality in spite of the heavily polluted air that has worsened by human being’s activities. Because the compositions of the pollutants present in the air are so complex and uncontrollable, traditional air-filtering materials produced from non-degradable plastics or glass fibers are facing a big challenge of effectively

Amphiphilic monomer units contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. They are characterized by affinity and antagonism simultaneously to both polar and nonpolar solvents, tend to settle themselves at solvent interfaces rather than in the bulk of the solvent and, thus, possess effective surface activity. For this reason, in selective solvents the macromolecules with amphiphilic monomer units self-assemble

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most widely used 3D printing techniques that utilizes polymers to create models, prototypes or even end products. Since 2009, the demand for FDM has been increasing at an incredible rate from one year to the next, and many experts believe that this technology has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing in many sectors. The main advantages of FDM technology

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in block copolymer with broad dispersity. Previous studies showed that increasing polydispersity influences the self-assembly behavior of block copolymers; however, disagreements between experimental and computational studies remained on key issues including the extent of domain swelling with increasing block dispersity and the effects of polydispersity

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in block copolymer with broad dispersity. Previous studies showed that increasing polydispersity influences the self-assembly behavior of block copolymers; however, disagreements between experimental and computational studies remained on key issues including the extent of domain swelling with increasing block dispersity and the effects of polydispersity

Environmental pollution is a global concern due to the rapidly increasing population and industrialization. In this context, there is a strong need to develop green separation techniques to isolate pollutants from different sources. Polymer assemblies or hydrogel polymers are water-swollen and crosslinked polymeric materials capable of retaining large amounts of water in their 3D networks. Hydrogels

Being commercialized in 1992, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has been considered for biomedical applications and as a reliable substitute for a wide range of commodity and engineering applications where noncompostable petroleum-based polymers are currently being used. However, PLA suffers from series of drawbacks and it would not be applicable unless these shortcomings resolve somewhat. Besides the PLA’s

This article focuses on providing a systematic review on various fundamental properties of composite based on poly(α-hydroxy esters) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) for application in bone tissue engineering. Poly(α-hydroxy esters), a well-known synthetic biopolymer has attracted considerable interest to be employed for synthesis of bone graft substitute material with HAp mainly due to its bioresorbability

Compared to conventional porous materials with a uniform pore size distribution, hierarchical ones containing interconnected macro-, meso-, and micropores have greatly enhanced material performance due to the increased specific surface area and mass transfer. Copolymer is a good candidate used for construction of such hierarchically porous structures, resulting from its tunable segment composition

Secondary flow (also termed as stagnation flow, dead space, recirculation zone, and vortex) is rheological phenomenon occurring during flow of polymer melts through abrupt contraction channels as result of flow separation from solid boundary leading to accelerating flow regime with recirculating material in corners. Polymer melt captured in secondary flow slowly rotates in direction opposite to main

Strategies to design biostable polyurethanes are briefly reviewed to understand the effect of the polyurethane chemical structure on mechanical properties and resistance to degradation based on reported in vitro and in vivo data. In vitro test methods developed to simulate the biological environment and their suitability to screen new materials for oxidative stability are discussed. Major part of the

Polysulfide polymers as an important class of polymers are used in different applications as sealants, adhesives, etc. They are usually synthesized by reaction of disodium polysulfides with dihalo compounds to yield liquid or solid polymers. Their most important advantages are excellent adhesion to different surfaces, creation of no defect in sealant under stress and pressure, resistance against to

Thermoplastic and thermoset polymers in use today have fire risk and fire hazard associated with them that is not always well known to the public or material scientists. Recent events in the United Kingdom and California show that, if not considered carefully, use of flammable materials can result in catastrophic losses of both life and property. Further, current understanding has shown that simply

Polymer/clay aerogel composites fabricated using the freeze-drying method and water as solvent has drawn extensive attentions during the past decade. Such aerogels possess layered or network microstructures, low thermal conductivities, and good thermal stabilities; of special interest, they generally have very low flammability, which could be influenced by the composition and microstructure of the

High performance and high temperature polymers are a class of polymeric materials exhibiting high thermal stability and their resistance to fire makes them valuable assets for many applications. Those applications include as typical examples high temperature gas separation membranes, automotive and aerospace industry as well as the construction industry. The high performance polymers have been synthesized

High performance and high temperature polymers are a class of polymeric materials exhibiting high thermal stability and their resistance to fire makes them valuable assets for many applications. Those applications include as typical examples high temperature gas separation membranes, automotive and aerospace industry as well as the construction industry. The high performance polymers have been synthesized

Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) and conductive fillers incorporated conductive polymer-based composites (CPC) greatly facilitate the research in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding because they not only provide excellent EMI shielding but also have advantages of electromagnetic wave absorption rather than reflection. In this review, the latest developments in ICP and CPC based EMI

Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) and conductive fillers incorporated conductive polymer-based composites (CPC) greatly facilitate the research in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding because they not only provide excellent EMI shielding but also have advantages of electromagnetic wave absorption rather than reflection. In this review, the latest developments in ICP and CPC based EMI

This review focuses on poly(2-oxazoline) containing triblock copolymers and their applications. A detailed overview of the synthetic techniques is provided. Triblock copolymers solely based on poly(2-oxazoline)s can be synthesized by sequential monomer addition utilizing mono- as well as bifunctional initiators for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines. Crossover and coupling techniques

This review focuses on poly(2-oxazoline) containing triblock copolymers and their applications. A detailed overview of the synthetic techniques is provided. Triblock copolymers solely based on poly(2-oxazoline)s can be synthesized by sequential monomer addition utilizing mono- as well as bifunctional initiators for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines. Crossover and coupling techniques

Compared to conventional porous materials with a uniform pore size distribution, hierarchical ones containing interconnected macro-, meso-, and micropores have greatly enhanced material performance due to the increased specific surface area and mass transfer. Copolymer is a good candidate used for construction of such hierarchically porous structures, resulting from its tunable segment composition

This article focuses on providing a systematic review on various fundamental properties of composite based on poly(α-hydroxy esters) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) for application in bone tissue engineering. Poly(α-hydroxy esters), a well-known synthetic biopolymer has attracted considerable interest to be employed for synthesis of bone graft substitute material with HAp mainly due to its bioresorbability

Secondary flow (also termed as stagnation flow, dead space, recirculation zone, and vortex) is rheological phenomenon occurring during flow of polymer melts through abrupt contraction channels as result of flow separation from solid boundary leading to accelerating flow regime with recirculating material in corners. Polymer melt captured in secondary flow slowly rotates in direction opposite to main