Showing papers in "Progress in Polymer Science in 2010"

TL;DR: Polycaprolactone (PCL) was used in the biomaterials field and a number of drug-delivery devices for up to 3-4 years.

TL;DR: In this paper, the structure, preparation and properties of polymer/graphene nanocomposites are discussed in general along with detailed examples drawn from the scientific literature, and the percolation threshold can be achieved at a very lower filler loading.

TL;DR: In this paper, an extended account of the various chemical strategies for grafting polymers onto carbon nanotubes and the manufacturing of carbon-nanotube/polymer nanocomposites is given.

TL;DR: In this article, the advantages, limitations, production methods, and applications of unmodified poly(lactic acid) or polylactide (PLA) are discussed, as well as various bulk and surface modification strategies used to date.

TL;DR: There are several methods for the dispersion of CNTs in the polymer matrix such as solution mixing, melt mixing, electrospinning, in-situ polymerization and chemical functionalization of the carbon nanotubes as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: It is the goal to emphasize underutilized adaptive behaviors of stimuli-responsive polymers so that novel applications and new generations of smart materials can be realized.

TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the recent developments concerning the use of layered silicates (clay) for designing polymer nanocomposites endowed with enhanced flame retardancy is presented.

TL;DR: In this article, a review examines physico-chemical requirements necessary to achieve stimuli-responsiveness in heterogeneous polymer networks as well as discusses recent developments and future trends while individual structural components of polymeric networks are responsible for localized chainresponsiveness, desirable spatial and energetic network properties are necessary for collective and orchestrated responsiveness to external or internal stimuli.

TL;DR: Current strategies in scaffold-guided tissue engineering approach, involving the most employed biodegradable polymers, either of natural or synthetic origin, will be reported underlying the role played by both material structure–property relationship and scaffold architecture.

TL;DR: In this paper, a broad-brush approach over the potential opportunities and drawbacks concerning the use of renewable feedstock in the design of some commonly used networks such as phenolics, epoxy, polyester and polyurethane resins is discussed.

TL;DR: A review of PANI nanostructures can be found in this paper, where a model of a flowing template combined with a helical nanotubular growth is proposed to account for the formation of nanotubes.

TL;DR: A review of recent literature reports on the synthesis and applications of stimuli-responsive polymeric and hybrid nanostructured particles in a range of sizes from nanometers to a few micrometers can be found in this paper.

TL;DR: A comprehensive view of the field of stimuli-responsive healable materials can be found in this article, with particular emphasis on work published in the past two years, focusing on polymeric materials.

TL;DR: The use of 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitols, isosorbide, isomannide and isoidide in polymers is reviewed in this article.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review the general aspects of molecular brushes and polymeric responsive systems and highlight the rational approaches to induce stimuli-responsiveness in molecular brush systems, which are unique for molecular brushes since these conformational changes can be restricted to a single molecule.

TL;DR: In this paper, a high-performance organic material is considered to be highperformance organic materials due to their outstanding thermal and mechanical resistance, which result in stiff rod-like macromolecular chains that interact with each other via strong and highly directional hydrogen bonds.

TL;DR: A detailed overview of the most significant developments in the use of transition metal compounds to initiate, mediate and control radical polymerization can be found in this paper, where the catalysts have been classified according to the group of the periodic table to which the relative metal centers belong.

TL;DR: A comprehensive review of the use of trifluoromethyl (CF3) substituents in polymers can be found in this paper, where the main focus is on the synthesis of polymers from the corresponding CF3 substituted monomers, and the consequent property advantages brought about in the polymer.

TL;DR: The versatility of polymer nanofibers for functionalization with biomolecules opens the door to vast opportunities for the design of tissue engineering scaffolds with even greater control over cell incorporation and function.

TL;DR: A brief overview of the phase behavior of block copolymers can be found in this paper, where the authors highlight recent advances in the fabrication of various functional nanomaterials based on block copolerant self-assembly and their potential applications.

TL;DR: Micelles formed through the self-assembly of block copolymers have been widely used to encapsulate highly hydrophobic drugs to increase their effective solubility, but this emerging nanoparticle technology faces fabrication challenges that call for better understanding of the underlying principles that result in effective micelle-based drug delivery systems.

TL;DR: In this paper, a review of advances in the synthesis of (co)polymers from water-soluble monomers yielding stimuli-responsive systems is presented, focusing on recent reports of assembly into micelles and polymersomes induced by external stimuli including temperature, pH, and ionic strength.

TL;DR: Various hydrophobic modifications of the main cationic polymeric gene carriers are described with regards to the resulting gene delivery activity, and the structure-function relationships discussed here provide important information and insight for the design of novel gene vectors.

TL;DR: Stimulus-responsive polymer brushes (SRPBs) exhibit a change in conformation and structure, often accompanied by a noticeable change in surface energy, due to an external stimulus such as change in solvent composition, temperature, pH, ionic strength, light, or mechanical stress as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: In this paper, a review on the composite structure of silk fibers produced naturally by worms and spiders is presented, followed by the preparation and applications of man-made composite materials (including fibers, films, foams, gels and particulates) incorporating silk proteins in combination with other polymers and/or inorganic particles.

TL;DR: In this paper, the preparation, properties and applications of self-reinforced polymeric materials (SRPMs), representing an emerging family of composite materials, are surveyed and further developments with SRPMs are highlighted.

TL;DR: In this article, the advances during the last decade in the synthesis and chemical structures of the important class of charged polymers that bear quaternary ammonium moieties are discussed, comprising chain growth and step growth polymerization of suitable cationic monomers as well as chemical transformations of uncharged reactive precursor polymers.

TL;DR: The essential work of fracture (EWF) concept has become very popular to characterize the plane stress toughness of ductile polymers and related systems as mentioned in this paper, due to the simple specimens' preparation, easy testing and simple data reduction procedure.

TL;DR: A new family of artificial polymer nanocomposites that mimic the architecture and the mechanic adaptability of the sea cucumber dermis are reviewed, based on low-modulus matrix polymers that are reinforced with a percolating cellulose nanofiber network.

TL;DR: A review is given on dendritic nanopolymers and their applications that show promise in the field of regenerative medicine and how and why dendrimer and dendron technology should be viewed as the next generation of biomaterials for the 21st century.