A Selection of Review Article Abstracts from the Polymer Library
Abstract Selection
May 2008
The following abstracts are a selection of 'Review Article' records recently added to the Polymer Library. By clicking on the 7 digit accession number or title, a Copyright Cleared copy of the full-text article can be ordered. For more information about accessing the Polymer Library please view our Subscription Information webpage.
| 1015900 | POLYURETHANES FROM VEGETABLE OILS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vegetable oils are excellent but very heterogeneous renewable raw materials for polyols and PUs. This review discusses the specific nature of vegetable oils and the effect of their structures on the structure of polyols and PUs. One section is dedicated to polyols for rigid and flexible foams and methods of their preparation, such as direct oxidation of oils, epoxidation followed by ring-opening, hydroformylation, ozonolysis, and transesterification. The next section deals with preparation and structure-property relationships in PUs from different groups of polyols, different isocyanates, and different degrees of crosslinking. The final section covers the environmental aspects of bio-based PUs, i.e. thermal stability, hydrolytic stability, and some aspects of biodegradability. 114 refs.
Polymer Reviews, 48, No.1, Jan.-Feb.2008, p.109-155, ISSN: 1558-3724, DOI: 10.1080/15583720701834224 Petrovic Z S
1015897 |
BIOCOMPATIBLE INITIATORS FOR LACTIDE POLYMERIZATION |
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This detailed review summarises recent developments in the preparation and use of new initiators for the ring-opening polymerisation of lactide. Different classes of initiator are compared, including metal complexes, classified according to their group in the periodic table, and carbon-based initiators/organocatalysts. Emphasis is placed on the polymerisation kinetics and the control exhibited by the different types of initiators. Where useful properties, such as high rates or stereocontrol, have been observed, a more detailed examination of the initiator is provided. Initiators displaying low toxicity and biocompatibility are also considered. 197 refs.
| Polymer Reviews, 48, No.1, Jan.-Feb.2008, p.11-63, ISSN: 1558-3724, DOI: 10.1080/15583720701834166 Platel R H; Hodgson L M; Williams C K
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1015881 |
NANOSTRUCTURED POLYMERS FOR PHOTONICS |
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A review is presented of recent progress in the development of polymer nanostructured materials with periodic structures and compositions having applications in photonics and optical data storage. A brief description is provided of the microfabrication and self-assembly methods used for the production of polymer materials with periodic structures. Emphasis is placed on the properties and applications of photonic materials derived from block copolymers, colloid crystals and microfabricated polymers. Experimental data are included. A summary of current and future research efforts is given and opportunities in the development of polymeric materials for photonic applications are considered. 89 refs.
| Materials Today, 11, No.4, April 2008, p.48-56, ISSN: 1396-7021 Paquet C; Kumacheva E
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1015879 |
METALLOPOLYMERS WITH EMERGING APPLICATIONS |
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A review is presented of the literature on applications of metal-containing polymers. The applications include conductive materials and memory devices, luminescent and photovoltaic materials, applications in nanolithography and nanoscience, stimuli-responsive materials (redox-tunable photonic crystals and capsules), catalysis and electrocatalysis, and metallopolymer-biopolymer hybrids and artificial metalloenzymes. The metallopolymers are shown to combine the processing advantages of polymers with the functionality provided by the presence of metal centres. 56 refs.
| Materials Today, 11, No.4, April 2008, p.28-36, ISSN: 1396-7021 Eloi J C; Chabanne L; Whittell G R; Manners I
1015847 |
THE HISTORY OF TOMORROW'S MATERIALS: PROTEIN-BASED BIOPOLYMERS |
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The literature published by early-20th-century engineers, who made protein-based plastics from casein and soy protein on an industrial scale, is reviewed and early research on such biopolymers and their applications is discussed. The resurgence of such research as an approach to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is considered. 22 refs.
| Plastics Engineering, 64, No.2, Feb.2008, p.36-40, ISSN: 0091-9578 Ralston B E; Osswald T A
1015823 |
APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FOOD SECTOR |
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A review of current and projected nanotechnology-derived food ingredients, food additives and food-contact materials(FCMs) is presented in relation to potential implications for consumer safety and regulatory controls. Nanotechnology applications are expected to bring a range of benefits to the food sector, which include improved packaging, traceability and security of food products. The review shows that nanotechnology-derived food and health food products are set to grow worldwide and, moreover, a variety of food ingredients, additives, carriers for nutrients/supplements and FCMs is already available in some countries. Food packaging applications considered include FCMs incorporating nanomaterials to improve packaging properties (flexibility, gas barrier properties, temperature/moisture stability), 'active' FCMs that incorporate nanoparticles with antimicrobial or oxygen scavenging properties, 'intelligent' food packaging, and biodegradable polymer-nanomaterial composites. The current level of applications in the European food sector is at an elementary stage but it is widely expected that more and more products will be available in the EU over the coming years. The toxicological nature of hazard, likelihood of exposure and risk to consumers from nanotechnology-derived food/food packaging are largely unknown and this review highlights major gaps in knowledge that require further research. Several uncertainties and gaps in relevant regulatory frameworks are also identified and ways of addressing them proposed. 79 refs.
| Food Additives and Contaminants, 25, No.3, March 2008, p.241-258, ISSN: 0265-203X, DOI: 10.1080/02652030701744538 Chaudhry Q; Scotter M; Blackburn J; Ross B; Boxall A; Castle L; Aitken R; Watkins R
1015480 |
THE EVOLUTION OF AN INDUSTRY |
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The commercial development of the pultrusion process since 1950 is reviewed in terms of processing equipment, materials including resins such as polyester and epoxy, fibre reinforcements such as glass and carbon, fillers and other additives such as initiators and curing agents, and products. Key milestones in the fabrication of composite materials are discussed in terms of industrial manufacturers in the USA and elsewhere, and applications such as fishing rods and ladders. 41 refs.
| Composites Manufacturing (USA), 24, No.3, March 2008, p.22/54, ISSN: 1084-841X McQuarrie T S; Winterhalter M
1015184 |
SYNTHESIS OF WELL-DEFINED DENDRITIC HYPERBRANCHED POLYMERS BY ITERATIVE METHODOLOGIES USING LIVING/CONTROLLED POLYMERIZATIONS |
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The synthesis of various dendritic hyperbranched polymers with well-defined structures by generation-based growth methodologies using living/controlled polymerisation is reviewed. The synthesis of dendritic hyperbranched poly(methyl methacrylate)s and their functionalised block copolymers using a novel iterative methodology is also described. The methodology involves a two-reaction sequence: a linking reaction of alpha-functionalised living anionic PMMA with tert-butyldimethylsilyloxymethylphenyl groups with benzyl bromide chain-end-functionalised polymer, and a transformation reaction of the SMP groups into benzyl bromide functions. This reaction sequence is repeated several times to construct high-generation dendritic hyperbranched polymers. Similar branched architectural block copolymers are also synthesised by the same iterative methodology using other alpha-functionalised living anionic polymers. Surface structures of the resulting dendritic hyperbranched block copolymers are characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Solution behaviours of dendritic hyperbranched PMMAs with different generations and branch densities are discussed based on their intrinsic viscosities, g' values and R"h values. 67 refs
| Polymer International, 57, No.4, April 2008, p.554-570, ISSN: 0959-8103 Hirao A; Sugiyama K; Matsuo A; Tsunoda Y; Watanabe T
1015183 |
FROM CARBON NANOTUBE COATINGS TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES |
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A review of the exceptional efficiency of carbon nanotube coating by the polymerization-filling technique using in situ polymerisation catalysed directly from the nanofiller surface is given. This process allows for complete destructuring of the native filler aggregates. Such surface-coated carbon nanotubes can be added as masterbatch in commercial polymeric matrices leading to the production of polymer nanocomposites displaying much better thermomechanical, flame retardant and electrical conductive properties even at very low filler loading. 58 refs.
| Polymer International, 57, No.4, April 2008, p.547-553, ISSN: 0959-8103 Bredeau S; Peeterbroeck S; Bonduel D; Alexandre M; Dubois P
1015157 |
VERSATILE STRATEGIES FOR FABRICATING POLYMER NANOMATERIALS WITH CONTROLLED SIZE AND MORPHOLOGY |
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The development of reliable synthetic routes to polymer nanomaterials with well defined size and morphology is highlighted. Various ways of fabricating polymer nanostructures including nanospheres, core-shell nanoparticles, hollow nanoparticles, nanorods, nanofibres, nanotubes and nanoporous materials are reviewed. Significant concepts and issues are also presented. 230 refs.
| Macromolecular Research, 16, No.2, Feb. 2008, p.85-102, ISSN: 1598-5032 Hyeonseok Yoon; Moonjung Choi; Jin Lee; Jyongsik Jang
1015120 |
END-FUNCTIONALIZED POLYMERS: VERSATILE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SOFT MATERIALS |
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We present a concise review of telechelic polymers of various architectures, focusing on the structure, solute solvent interactions, aggregation processes, equilibrium and dynamical properties and applications. Telechelics are macromolecules with functionalised, mutually attractive end-groups, which assume a variety of conformations that depend on solvent quality, salinity and pH of the solvent, as well as on the particular macromolecular architecture. In concentrated solutions, telechelic polymers offer unique possibilities to create novel materials with distinct rheological properties. Depending on chemistry and architecture, they can create percolating clusters and transient gels or they can show macroscopic phase separation into a dilute and a structured dense phase. The possibility to externally steer the morphology of these structures and the concomitant physical properties of the materials renders telechelic polymers into important and versatile building blocks for modern materials science. 101 refs.
| Polymer, 49, No.6, 2008, p.1425-1434, ISSN: 0032-3861, DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2007.11.051 Lo Verso F; Likos C N
1015101 |
MECHANISTIC IMPLICATIONS OF PLASTIC DEGRADATION |
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Plastics have become an indispensable ingredient of human life. Their enormous use is a matter of great environmental and economic concern, which has motivated the researchers and the technologists to induce different degrees of degradations in the plastic. These degradations can be induced in a better way if their mechanistic implications are properly understood. A better understanding of the mechanism for these degradations is also advocated in order to facilitate the proper use of the alternative waste disposal strategies. In view of the facts concerning the plastic degradation, in this review article, we have discussed various types of polymeric degradations along with their mechanisms, which include photo-oxidative degradation, thermal degradation, ozone-induced degradation, mechanochemical degradation, catalytic degradation and biodegradation. This article also discusses the different methods used to study these degradations and the factors that affect these degradations. 252 refs.
| Polymer Degradation and Stability, 93, No.3, 2008, p.561-584, ISSN: 0141-3910, DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2007.11.008 Singh B; Sharma N |
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