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Among various approaches to create self-healing polymers, the introduction of dynamic bonds to polymers is one of the most powerful approaches. However, since the reformation of dynamic bonds requires molecular mobility, mechanical strength usually conflicts with an autonomous healing ability. In this review, we overview recent successful approaches to overcome this limitation, as well as attempts to design mechanically robust polymers that can heal with the assistance of ubiquitous stimuli. These approaches include combining careful dynamic bond chemistry choices and smart designs of the environment around the dynamic bonds.
Preparation of Polymer Brushes with Well-Controlled Stereoregularity and Evaluation of Their Functional Properties High-density poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brushes with well-controlled stereoregularity were prepared using a surface-initiated living anionic polymerization method in the presence of a Lewis acid. A molecular weight range from 6 K to 400 K with a narrow polydispersity index (PDI) was obtained. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that the polymer brushes formed a helical structure approximately 1 nm in diameter and consisting of encapsulated functional molecules or polymers, leading to the formation of inclusion complexes or stereocomplexes.
Flavin catalysts are typically metal-free, and their catalytic activity can be readily accessed using mild terminal oxidants such as H2O2 and O2; therefore, redox reactions with these compounds have great promise as alternatives to reactions with conventional metal catalysts for the sustainable production of important chemicals. Herein, our recent research on flavin catalysts including the development of facile preparation methods for flavin catalysts using polymers, readily reusable polymer-supported flavin catalysts, and flavin-peptide-polymer hybrids that can catalyze the first flavoenzyme-mimetic aerobic oxygenation reactions is summarized.
Soft materials based on colloidal self-assembly in ionic liquids: fundamental studies on the colloidal stability in ionic liquids (ILs) are highlighted. Three different repulsive forces—electrostatic, solvation, and steric—are examined for their effectiveness to stabilize colloidal particles in ILs. An overview of recent studies on colloidal soft materials in the presence of ILs is also provided. Based on suspended states of colloid particles, two different soft materials—colloidal gel and colloidal glass—were prepared in ILs. Their functional properties, including ionic transport, rheological and optical properties, are discussed in relation to the microstructures of the colloidal materials.
A new manipulation technique of polyurethane materials via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is proposed. Polyurethanes with sulfonyl groups are synthesized for the EPD coatings on a stainless-steel electrode plate at the anode side selectively. The coating properties, including peeling resistance, scratch resistance, and transparency, are improved by optimizing soft segment fraction and also by reducing aromaticity of the polyurethanes.
Phosphate-functionalized acrylic materials were synthesized by free-radical polymerizations of MMA and DMP using the BPO-DMpT initiated reaction system. The resulting products were able to react with the HEMA monomer, thus yielding polymers with a chain structure of P(MMA-co-DMP)-b-PHEMA. Remarkably, incorporating DMP and/or PHEMA into PMMA main chain rendered a copolymer with low Tg while increasing the Td intrinsic to PMMA. The enhancement of overall thermal stability of the acrylic materials is a feature of great interest for applications in bone cements and coating system additives.
The morphology and effects on the OFET performance of blends of various ratios of P3HT and insulating PLA using CHCl3 and CH2Cl2 as solvents were explored. It is demonstrated that a P3HT network structure within the PLA matrix could be induced using CH2Cl2. The one-dimensional nanowire morphology of these network structures may have provided an efficient pathway for OFET charge transport. These results confirm that P3HT/PLA blends in CH2Cl2 solvent could be used to fabricate low-cost, green-polymer-blended FETs.
Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR analysis was performed to identify the titanium-binding peptide (TBP) sites that interact with the SiO2 nanoparticle surface, and then Arg1 and Asp5 were identified to be in close contact with the surface. The structure of the TBP bound to SiO2 determined by the NOESY measurement was well defined, and the Arg1 and Asp5 side chains face in the same direction. These results validates that the NH2+ of Arg1 and the COO− of Asp5 interact electrostatically with the SiO− and SiOH2+ on the SiO2 surface, respectively.
Butylated lignin was applied as a compatibilizing agent of polypropylene-based carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. The butylated lignin increased the tensile strength of the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic from 37.1 to 40.2 MPa, which was similar to what was achieved with a well-known oil-based compatibilizing agent (40.9 MPa).
