Explore the vast range of titles available.

The objective of this work is to study how the rheological factors of unfilled and nanoclay-filled HDPEaPP blend series influence the structure, morphology, and mixing characteristics. For this study, a series of HDPEaPP blends (0a100 wt % HDPE), with and without nanoclay, was prepared by using melt-mixing method. Nanoclay was varied from 0 to 5 wt % in all the blend and polymer series. The rheological properties were examined by melt viscosity, scanning electron microscopy, and theory of mixing. The result indicated that the viscosity of the blend increased as HDPE and nanoclay content increased, and also affected the structure and morphology of the resulting blend. The thermal properties were examined by using differential scanning calorimetry and suggest improved crystalline and melting characteristics of PP and PP-rich phase of blend. The structure of nanoclay-filled blend was examined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, confirming the formation of nanocomposite with improved tensile properties.

Vegetable oils (VOs), being our major dietary fat source, play a vital role in nourishment. Different VOs have highly contrasting fatty acid (FA) profiles and hence possess varying levels of health protectiveness. Consumption of a single VO cannot meet the recommended allowances of various FA either from saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), Ω-3 PUFAs, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Coconut oil (CO), flaxseed oil (FO), olive oil (OO), and sunflower oil (SFO) are among the top listed contrast VOs that are highly appreciated based on their rich contents of SFAs, Ω-3 PUFAs, MUFAs, and Ω-6 PUFA, respectively. Besides being protective against various disease biomarkers, these contrasting VOs are still inappropriate when consumed alone in 100% of daily fat recommendations. This review compiles the available data on blending of such contrasting VOs into single tailored blended oil (BO) with suitable FA composition to meet the recommended levels of SFA, MUFA, PUFA, MCTs, and Ω-3 to Ω-6 PUFA ratios which could ultimately serve as a cost-effective dietary intervention towards the health protectiveness and improvement of the whole population in general. The blending of any two or more VOs from CO, FO, OO, and SFO in the form of binary, ternary, or another type of blending was found to be very conclusive towards balancing FA composition; enhancing physiochemical and stability properties; and promising the therapeutic protectiveness of the resultant BOs.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a promoting material for CO sub(2) separation performance of a composite membrane is introduced into the polytrifluoropropylmethylsiloxane (PTFPMS) network to form a blend selective layer coated on a porous polyetherimide (PEI) support membrane. The maximum blend ratio of PEG to PTFMS in mass is determined for PEG-400, PEG-600, and PEG-1000 at 0.5, 0.2 and 0.2 from the blend solution status observed by an optical microscope. The miscibility of PEG and PTFPMS is verified from one peak of the blend film in DSC characterization. Furthermore, the interaction between PEG and PTFPMS is van der Waals force from the decreasing strength of ether group in ATR-FTIR analysis. The stability of the PEG/PTFPMS blend composite membrane is investigated with pure N sub(2), O sub(2), and CO sub(2) permeation experiments under the transmembrane pressure difference up to 1.0 MPa. The N sub(2) permeation rate of the PEG400/PTFPMS blend composite membrane with a blend ratio of 0.2 is 2.11 GPU, while the O sub(2)/N sub(2) and CO sub(2)/N sub(2) selectivities are improved to 2.67 and 26.67, respectively, which are higher than those of pure PTFPMS composite membrane that is 2.2 and 13.79, respectively.

Electrospinning can be used to prepare nanofiber mats from diverse polymers, polymer blends, or polymers doped with other materials. Amongst this broad range of usable materials, biopolymers play an important role in biotechnological, biomedical, and other applications. However, several of them are water-soluble, necessitating a crosslinking step after electrospinning. While crosslinking with glutaraldehyde or other toxic chemicals is regularly reported in the literature, here, we concentrate on methods applying non-toxic or low-toxic chemicals, and enzymatic as well as physical methods. Making gelatin nanofibers non-water soluble by electrospinning them from a blend with non-water soluble polymers is another method described here. These possibilities are described together with the resulting physical properties, such as swelling behavior, mechanical strength, nanofiber morphology, or cell growth and proliferation on the crosslinked nanofiber mats. For most of these non-toxic crosslinking methods, the degree of crosslinking was found to be lower than for crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and other common toxic chemicals.

In this paper, we report the effect of metal oxide (Fe2O3) loading in different weight ratios (0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 4%) on the structural and electrical parameters, viz., the complex dielectric constant, electric modulus spectra, and the AC conductivity, of polymeric composites of PVDF/PMMA (30/70 weight ratio) blend. The structural and geometric measurements have been analyzed with the help of peak location, peak intensity, and peak shape obtained from XRD as well as from FTIR spectra. The electrical properties have been investigated using an impedance analyzer in the frequency range 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The real parts of the complex permittivity and the dielectric loss tangent of these materials are found to be frequency independent in the range from 20 KHz to 1 MHz, but they increase with the increase in the concentration of nano-Fe2O3. The conductivity also increases with an increased loading of Fe2O3 in PVDF/PMMA polymer blends. The electric modulus spectra were used to analyze the relaxation processes associated with the Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars mechanism and chain segmental motion in the polymer mix.

The benefits of designing and constructing organic solar cells featuring more than a single donor and single acceptor material are discussed. In the past few years, ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) featuring multiple donor or acceptor materials in the active layer have emerged as a promising structure to simultaneously improve all solar cell parameters compared with traditional binary OSCs. Power conversion efficiencies around 10% have been achieved for conjugated polymers in a ternary structure, showing the great potential of ternary systems. In this review, we summarize progress in developing ternary OSCs and discuss many of the designs, chemistries and mechanisms that have been investigated. We conclude by highlighting the challenges and future directions for further development in the field of ternary blend OSCs.

Graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) were investigated as a novel nano-reinforcement filler in poly(lactic acid)(PLA)/poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) blends by the melt blending method. PLA was first plasticized by PEG in order to improve its flexibility and thereby overcome its problem of brittleness. Then, xGnP was incorporated into the PLA/PEG blend. The prepared nanocomposites exhibited a significant improvement in tensile properties at a low xGnP loading. The tensile properties demonstrated the addition of 0.3 wt% of xGnP led to an increase of up to 32.7%, 69.5% and 21.9% in tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break of the nanocomposites respectively, compared to PLA/PEG blend. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the presence of a peak around 26.5○ in PLA/PEG/xGnP nanocomposites which corresponds to the characteristic peak of xGnP. The nanocomposites also shows enhanced thermal stability compared with PLA/PEG blend in thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The enhancement to some extent of the tensile properties of the PLA/PEG/xGnP nanocomposites can be ascribed to the homogeneous dispersion and orientation of the xGnP nanoplatelets in the polymer matrix and strong interfacial interaction between both components. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of PLA/PEG/0.3 wt% xGnP displays good uniformity and more homogenous morphology. Good uniformity of composites indicates a good degree of dispersion of the xGnp and therefore results in good tensile and thermal properties.

With the issue of plastic waste persisting and the need for more sustainable solutions to the ever‐increasing demand for lightweight and durable plastic products, this review has become imminent and compelling. Poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) is a biodegradable polymer with exceptional film‐forming ability resembling those of low‐density polyethylene. PBAT has a huge advantage for packaging applications due to its remarkably high elongation at break, giving it a good processing window for its application in packaging. However, certain defiant intrinsic properties stand in the way of its full commercialization. The development of blends and biocomposites of PBAT has, therefore, become imperative for complementing its properties and producing a superior material. This paper focuses on the recent developments in preparing PBAT‐based blends and biocomposites with superior mechanical, barrier, and antimicrobial properties and, most importantly, has also investigated how the development of these blends and biocomposites impacts the biodegradation rate of PBAT. It also highlights the possible synthesis of bio‐based PBAT and the commercialization, market trends, and prospects of PBAT‐based materials for flexible, rigid packaging, and other industrial applications compared with biodegradable alternatives.

The massive use of synthetic plastics, in particular in the food packaging area, has a great environmental impact, and alternative more ecologic materials are being required. Poly(lactic) acid (PLA) and starch have been extensively studied as potential replacements for non-degradable petrochemical polymers on the basis of their availability, adequate food contact properties and competitive cost. Nevertheless, both polymers exhibit some drawbacks for packaging uses and need to be adapted to the food packaging requirements. Starch, in particular, is very water sensitive and its film properties are heavily dependent on the moisture content, exhibiting relatively low mechanical resistance. PLA films are very brittle and offer low resistance to oxygen permeation. Their combination as blend or multilayer films could provide properties that are more adequate for packaging purposes on the basis of their complementary characteristics. The main characteristics of PLA and starch in terms of not only the barrier and mechanical properties of their films but also of their combinations, by using blending or multilayer strategies, have been analyzed, identifying components or processes that favor the polymer compatibility and the good performance of the combined materials. The properties of some blends/combinations have been discussed in comparison with those of pure polymer films.

A high density of strong hydrogen bonds connecting two polymers that are homogeneously mixed in a thin film is shown to enhance the intrachain thermal conductance, boosting thermal transport in fully organic layers. Thermal conductivity is an important property for polymers, as it often affects product reliability (for example, electronics packaging), functionality (for example, thermal interface materials) and/or manufacturing cost 1 . However, polymer thermal conductivities primarily fall within a relatively narrow range (0.1–0.5 W m −1 K −1 ) and are largely unexplored. Here, we show that a blend of two polymers with high miscibility and appropriately chosen linker structure can yield a dense and homogeneously distributed thermal network. A sharp increase in cross-plane thermal conductivity is observed under these conditions, reaching over 1.5 W m −1 K −1 in typical spin-cast polymer blend films of nanoscale thickness, which is approximately an order of magnitude larger than that of other amorphous polymers.