An efficient procedure to produce polyethene–graft–polystyrene (E-C3–graft–PS) copolymers by simple thermal treatment at 200 1C of polyethene (PE)-containing cyclopropane ring units (E-C3) in the presence of a high excess of styrene is reported. The high treatment temperature likely induces the breaking of the constrained cyclopropane rings, leading to the formation of radicals on the PE chains...

The formation of protective layers on copper, zinc and copper-zinc (Cu-10Zn and Cu-40Zn) alloys at open circuit potential in aerated, near neutral 0.5 M NaCl solution containing benzotriazole (BTA) was studied using potentiodynamic measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The addition of benzotriazole affects the dissolution of the m...

Blends of aqueous dispersion of a hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymer, namely Surelease®: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Surelease®: HPMC E15) were used as coating materials to control the drug release from coated pellets of the highly water soluble drug metoprolol succinate. Varying the polymer blends, ranges of drug release patterns were obtained at pH 6.8. The present study dealt with diffus...

Polymer blends are formulated by mixing polymers with different chemical structures to create new materials with properties intermediate between those of the individual components. While Flory– Huggins ~FH! theory explains some basic trends in blend miscibility, the theory completely neglects the dissimilarity in monomer structures that is central to the fabrication of real blends. We systemati...

When two different polymers are mixed, they usually demix because of the slight repulsive interaction that exists between their monomers. This is general and may be related to phase separation in two component mixtures. When the same polymer blend is cross-linked in the one phase region, elastic forces develop and do not let this to occur. There results a microphase separation, with coexistence...

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) play an important role in the fuel cell systems. A good PEM must meet a series of requirements such as high proton conductivity, excellent mechanical strength and stability, chemical and electrochemical stability, low fuel crossover, etc. Nafion is currently the most commercially utilized electrolyte membranes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, with high chemic...

The applicability of time-temperature superposition of dynamic mechanical data for miscible polymer blends that exhibit strong intermolecular interactions was investigated. Blends of the lithium salt of lightly sulfonated polystyrene ionomers (Li-SPS), 9-12mol% sulfonation, and N-methylated nylon-2,lO (mPA) were miscible over the composition range studied, 30-70 wt% ionomer. Time-temperature su...

In blended hybrid systems distinct microor nanostructured materials can be formed by phase separation. Network structures of particles or rods in a polymer matrix can be developed via self-assembly. We use this blending approach to compare active materials for application in solar cell devices. Blends were fabricated from either poly(hexylthiophene) P3HT or poly(triphenylamine) PTPA mixed with ...

Film forming, stable hybrid latexes made of methyl metacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) copolymer reinforced with modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized by in situ miniemulsion polymerization. The MWCNTs were pretreated by an air sonication process and stabilized by polyvinylpyrrolidone. The presence of the MWCNTs had no signific...

Blends of poly(hydroxy ester ether) (PHEE), a recently developed bisphenol A ether-based synthetic biodegradable thermoplastic polymer, with a soybean protein isolate and two hydrolyzed wheat glutens were studied. Blends of the proteins with PHEE were produced from 20 to 70% by weight of protein content. Young’s moduli of the protein/PHEE blends fall in the range of 0.8–1.5 GPa with tensile str...